Had she truly blocked that sword strike? Looking closer, the Jueyu opposite her also appeared rather disheveled. The oppressive sword intent that had made even breathing feel excruciating moments before still lingered, yet it no longer held her captive.
She felt utterly light, unburdened. The Five Elements Spirits around her pulsed with vibrant activity. The sensation she had felt after removing the Earth Sinking Talisman and Spirit Sealing Talisman had inexplicably returned.
But how was this possible? Had she really repelled Jueyu—had she truly driven back Yuan Fei and the others, the Sword Prince who couldn't even withstand a single strike?
—It must be that she was seeing things, an illusion!
She remained completely oblivious to the fact that the true power within her had already broken through to the Seventh Order, and that her inner breath and spirit were now merging like water and milk.
A profound sense of confusion washed over her, leaving her momentarily unsure how to proceed.
It was only when the thoughts of the five spirit beasts behind her suddenly flared with intense, unified alarm that Chuxue snapped back to reality. She then saw that Jueyu across from her had finally halted his hasty retreat.
Afterward, his toes tapped the empty air, and his entire being, sword in hand, lunged toward her with furious speed.
His face betrayed no hint of frustration or shame; instead, a faint blush colored his cheeks, suggesting intense excitement and soaring battle fervor!
The black broadsword ripped through the void, once again summoning a veil of dense black mist. Though it lacked the prior world-swallowing momentum, it was now far more condensed.
Its intent: annihilation! To shatter every dust particle it touched!
Chuxue first started in shock, then her pupils instantly constricted into slits, like those of a cat.
Then, without thinking, almost unconsciously, she lashed out with another sword strike.
—Five Spirits Sword: Blazing Flame!
A sword technique practiced thousands of times over a year and a half, now ingrained into her very muscle memory. Executing it now felt extraordinarily smooth.
The Blazing Fire Golden Phoenix behind her spread its wings, unleashing a surging wave of phoenix might that instantly oppressed the entire area.
Chuxue’s sword intent shifted, retaining its previous lightness but incorporating a greater ferocity of flame and the noble grace of the King of Birds!
A layer of flame ignited around her, and the Five-Colored Sword flared with a scorching blaze tinged with gold and crimson. Striking against the black tide of swords, she advanced like a phoenix descending upon the world!
And precisely at the moment the vast crimson flame clashed violently with the pure black sword mist, Chuxue’s sword tip lightly tapped the true body of the broadsword.
A sharp clank rang out again, and Jueyu’s figure was forced to retreat once more.
This time, Chuxue showed no hesitation, granting Jueyu no chance to catch his breath. She followed close, like a shadow.
The intense flame around her slowly subsided, replaced by a growing pure white spiritual light enveloping her. The Five-Colored Spirit Sword in her hand seemed to have ascended two full ranks in that instant! A chilling, bone-piercing gleam flickered along its edge.
—Five Spirits Sword: Rushing Edge!
If Chuxue's sword intent before was tyrannical amidst splendor and nobility, it was now characterized by an arrogant sharpness.
The Cold Gold Tiger roared, and the white spiritual light around Chuxue seemed to coalesce into the shape of a white tiger. The Azure Chi’s eye now glowed with a visible rune, enveloping Chuxue in a light breeze that accelerated her further.
Just as Jueyu swung his sword desperately to block, Chuxue's trajectory shifted.
—Three inches down and to the left!
She didn't know why she chose that spot; she just possessed a vague, certain feeling. Striking there was undoubtedly correct. She recalled the Young Master once saying that her intuitive judgment was more reliable than her intellect. Thus, without hesitation, she directed the force of her sword toward that precise point.
Another piercing sword cry echoed, and sparks bloomed in the void. Still devastating the surrounding space, horizontal slashes like fingers swept outward. Jueyu’s expression froze, his figure retreating again, a full ten zhang farther!
Before he could stabilize, Chuxue brought her sword down from the air again.
—Five Spirits Sword: Dragon’s Descent!
Jueyu’s brows knitted tightly, but he remained composed, sweeping his broadsword horizontally and vertically before him. Just as he believed he had completely sealed off all of Chuxue’s possible attack paths.
The azure sword shadow in the air suddenly changed its trajectory, lunging directly toward the right side of his torso.
“Ding!”
A light chime reverberated across a hundred thousand zhang of time and space. At this point, Jueyu could no longer maintain his stance in the air, forced back by the immense sword pressure. He stumbled heavily to the ground, planting his feet on what was now solid ground—the barrier of space-time—and retreated again in disarray, another ten zhang back!
Yet Chuxue gave him no quarter. The residual crimson flames around her swelled once more. Two fiery wings unfurled behind her, beating softly as she soared.
The crimson flames of her sword light unleashed a storm of blazing golden feathers, sweeping wildly toward him ten zhang away.
—Five Spirits Sword: Fierce Feathers!
It was as if she had transformed into the Golden Phoenix, her innate bloodline from the ancient divine beast pulsating and burning within her!
In her mind, there was only exhilaration, utterly devoid of distracting thoughts. She acted purely on instinct, ceaselessly pursuing, ceaselessly striking.
Jueyu, however, could not help but watch as his pupils constricted sharply. In his eyes, Chuxue now seemed utterly integrated with the surrounding heaven and earth.
The spirits of nature, especially the Five Elements energy, seemed to have completely abandoned him, revolving and coiling solely around the girl, awaiting her command.
And in her eyes, clear as autumn water, the prior fear and apprehension had vanished entirely. Instead, fierce battle intent surged, laced with palpable excitement, as if she were relishing this fight.
Jueyu raised an eyebrow, and then his mind settled into perfect stillness. This time, he had underestimated this woman. Xue Chu was indeed worthy of being his opponent.
Therefore, he would give this battle his absolute all!
The black broadsword suddenly expanded, erupting into thousands of sword shadows, each trailing black electrical currents that continuously collided with the incoming fire rain, shattering them piece by piece.
Finally, all the dark sword shadows converged into one point, launching an assault toward the most intense core of the flame.
But just as they were about to intersect, the crimson sword light first contracted slightly, then pulled back, and just as the accumulated power at its tip erupted, that point of light surged outward again.
When the two swords finally met, great fissures like snakes ripped across space-time. Jueyu felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, almost spitting blood.
The differing timings of their power bursts meant that despite possessing superior latent internal energy, he was clearly at a disadvantage. By meeting concentrated force with distributed energy, his sword light suddenly scattered, nearly descending into chaos.
He was forced to retreat again—this fourth strike sent him back another ten zhang! Furthermore, several streaks of fire rain pierced his defenses, instantly scorching a portion of his hair and clothing.
An utterly preposterous sensation bloomed in his mind: it felt as though every flaw in his technique was laid bare before this young woman’s eyes. Even sword errors he hadn't noticed himself couldn't escape her sharp spiritual perception.
—But how was that possible? This was a joke!
He had been hailed as a sword genius since childhood, dedicating twenty-three years to the profound principles of the sword. In the last two years, he had challenged the Ten Great Sacred Lands, the Nineteen Spirit Mansions, and every renowned orthodox sect in the world.
He had fought nearly every young powerhouse in the Cloud Realm, engaging in one hundred and seventy-four recognized duels.
He was confident that in terms of swordsmanship among his peers, he ranked among the top three. His combat experience was unparalleled.
Yet, this girl before him was barely sixteen. Where could she have acquired such profound martial cultivation, capable of breaking his Great Annihilation Sword?
Chuxue, however, had no time to consider his internal turmoil. As the fire rain subsided, another sword strike descended.
Her entire form was shrouded in spectral blue water light, yet this light did not conflict with the flames; rather, it caused the water vapor to boil, producing countless wisps of white mist.
The fiery wings behind Chuxue transformed into water-blue pinions. Wielding her longsword, she unleashed waves of churning torrents surging forward.
—Five Spirits Sword: Mercury!
It was truly like mercury spilling across the ground! Both the sword shadows and the liquid flooded every space, penetrating every crevice, infiltrating Jueyu’s black tide of swords, eliciting a rapid series of clink-clink sounds.
With every clash of their blades, Jueyu was forced back a step. By the time this watery sword momentum faded, Jueyu had retreated ten zhang. His expression was as dark as deep water, and faint blood traces now marred his impossibly handsome, almost demonic features. At this moment, the entire space, all ten thousand spectators, fell into utter silence. Almost everyone held their breath, terrified of disturbing this spectacular sword battle.
Their eyes were filled with horrified disbelief. Chuxue had unleashed only five strikes in total, and Jueyu had been forced to retreat ten zhang after meeting each one.
The Sword Prince, renowned throughout the Cloud Realm as virtually invincible, now seemed utterly battered, forced onto the defensive.
Would the myth of his undefeated challenges against the Ten Sacred Lands and Nineteen Spirit Mansions finally end at the hands of this girl today?
How could a girl so young possess such supreme swordsmanship, perhaps even surpassing Jueyu’s own?
Far away, Su Chen also watched the contest, equally stunned and perplexed.
After much thought, Su Chen couldn’t help but speak.
“This is truly bizarre! I see this girl landing almost every strike precisely on Jueyu’s weak points. Her swordsmanship is strong—I daresay it’s no less than Brother Zongshou’s. But look at her flow; it was incredibly rigid at the start, only suddenly adapting midway through. She’s fighting on the counterattack—it’s so strange—”
He had seen Zongshou’s swordplay, which was usually preemptive, calculating the opponent’s moves, or simply forcing the opponent to adhere to his own intentions.
Lei Dong was also puzzled. He had met Chuxue before; her comprehension, if anything, was slow and prone to confusion. Had he misjudged her?
Was this girl called Xue Chu not Chuxue?
Looking closer, the initial sword paths were indeed rigid and lacked variation, yet they possessed a rare, almost ethereal spirituality that others couldn't achieve?
At the same instant, in the pavilion above, Han Fang suddenly stood up straight, taking a step forward to the railing. His hand trembled slightly. After a long pause, he let out a deep sigh.
“Does this girl possess the Martial Body of War?”