The crowd barely reacted before the longsword behind Dugu Qian inexplicably appeared in "his" hand, the tip aimed directly at Ye Jingyu’s heart. On the ground lay a pile of tattered cloth that had moments before enveloped the blade.
A dazzling sword gleam completely shrouded the blade, and a sharp burst of sword energy tore through the air, already arriving at Ye Jingyu’s chest.
The sword was unbelievably fast… The sword was terrifyingly sharp…
Ye Jingyu didn’t even have time to react before feeling a piercing pain in his chest. His body instinctively flashed sideways…
With a chsssh sound, a spurt of blood shot out from his shoulder.
Although he managed to evade the fatal sword energy with his incredible speed, his shoulder was pierced, leaving a bloody hole. It hadn't struck bone, but a piece of flesh on his shoulder had been cleanly sheared away.
"Good…" Seeing Ye Jingyu manage to avoid his strike, a single word escaped Dugu Qian’s lips: "Good." The black silhouette flashed, instantly reappearing before Ye Jingyu, driving another sharp thrust toward his heart.
This time, the sword held no brilliant light upon its edge, allowing Ye Jingyu to clearly see the longsword in "his" hand.
It was not an ornate blade; it lacked gem embellishments or gold filigree. It was simply an iron sword emitting a faint black glow, utterly unremarkable.
And this thrust seemed deceptively simple, like a three-year-old casually pointing something forward.
There was no discernible technique whatsoever.
Yet, for some unknown reason, Ye Jingyu felt as if this single sword stroke was the only thing existing in the world.
This one strike sealed the entire heavens and earth, enveloping his entire being, down to every strand of hair, every cell, locking him down, granting him absolutely no chance to evade.
It seemed he had no other choice but to await the impact.
What kind of sword is this…
In that instant, Ye Jingyu’s mind went utterly blank.
He forgot time, forgot to breathe, forgot everything.
He was like a fat hog anesthetized, awaiting the butcher’s cleaver.
Chsssh… The sound of the sword tip slicing through cloth instantly jolted Ye Jingyu awake with a sharp sting in his chest.
Swish! Ye Jingyu violently retreated, and the Broken Blade instantly appeared in his hand. In less than a tenth of a second, the blade was positioned before him, crashing fiercely against Dugu Qian’s iron sword.
Clang! The sound was piercingly crisp.
Dugu Qian’s figure retreated with lightning speed.
Yet, his eyes showed sheer horror.
"Thunderclap Splitting Slash?" a faint voice murmured from "him," perhaps the surprise causing the true voice to emerge—a voice melodious, revealing that the figure was, in fact, a girl.
From the moment Dugu Qian drew his sword to the moment Ye Jingyu blocked with the Broken Blade, barely a second had passed—a mere blink for the spectators below.
When the crowd saw the two separate once more, their mouths hung open. Many found it unbelievable that their speed could be so fast.
It had almost surpassed what the naked eye could follow.
Only on Luo Xiaoyuan’s perpetually child-like smiling face did a flicker of astonishment appear, his body even trembling slightly just now.
The Dugu family’s Soul-Shocking Heaven Sword was renowned as the fastest under heaven, said to trap even the soul, yet this fellow managed to block it. Was his luck truly that boundless?
Luo Xiaoyuan’s heart filled with doubt.
Of course, besides Luo Xiaoyuan, no one present could recognize the technique Dugu Qian had just deployed.
Ye Jingyu had been dripping cold sweat down his back, for in that fleeting moment, he truly felt the opponent’s sword pierce his sternum. Just as death approached, the Shocking Thunder Saber Art surfaced in his mind.
He drew the Broken Blade instinctively, never expecting it to repel the strike, and furthermore, the saber energy that burst forth had actually sliced a piece from the opponent’s clothing.
While he was still contemplating how truly formidable the Shocking Thunder Saber Art was, he heard the other party utter those four words, and waves of shock rippled through his heart.
She… how does she know?
This saber art, besides himself, no one else knew of it! Even the widely knowledgeable Third Young Master, Luo Ruofeng, failed to recognize the technique when watching him practice. How could she recognize it after he’d only executed a single slash?
"You… how do you know?" Ye Jingyu felt his own voice tremble.
It wasn't from fear, but because…
A subtle excitement.
Excitement that someone recognized the technique!
Dugu Qian remained silent, suppressing her own astonishment. She coldly swept her gaze over Ye Jingyu, and the black silhouette suddenly moved again, giving Ye Jingyu no chance to explain. The iron sword in her hand flickered, and the otherwise unremarkable blade once again shot forth with dazzling light.
Waves of cyan sword energy tore through the air, instantly engulfing Ye Jingyu completely.
"Ten Thousand Swords Vanish?" Luo Xiaoyuan, watching from below the stage, stared in fresh astonishment when he saw this strike, his exclamation loud enough for everyone to hear.
And those nearby, upon hearing those four words, all changed expression, replaced entirely by shock.
Ten Thousand Swords Vanish was one of the Dugu family’s Four Great Ultimate Techniques, created by the most famous swordsman in Dugu history, Dugu Qiubai (Dugu Seeking Defeat).
Dugu Qiubai was an ancient figure. In his era, relying on nothing but the iron sword in his hand, he was unrivaled across the land. Having never suffered a defeat, he adopted the name Dugu Seeking Defeat—he only wished for a single loss.
Alas, his wish was never granted. At least, according to the legends passed down, no one ever heard of him being defeated.
Furthermore, it was rumored that Falak the Great, the most powerful monarch of the Western Continent, attempted to unify the Dou Hun Continent. He personally led an army of a million, crossing the desert that stretched for thousands of miles, arriving at the Eastern Continent.
Emperor Falank cut a path through all opposition, finally marching to the Storm Canyon of the Tiangang Mountain Range. Once they crossed that gorge, the fertile Eastern Continent would be completely open to him.
At that time, the Eastern Continent was a realm of warring heroes, unable to resist Falank’s million-strong army.
However, in the canyon, they encountered one person.
Yes, a million soldiers were blocked by only one man—a person dressed entirely in black, carrying an iron sword on his back… Dugu Qiubai.
(Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai—a character I once admired. I wonder if Jin Lao will mind my borrowing his character name, but… I adore him so much, hence the reference.)