That was a blade’s gleam, yet also a flash of lightning, or perhaps a colossal blade forged entirely of thunder and light…
"Sss-sss-sss!" Even before the blade-light reached its target, it hissed audibly, streaks of lightning sparking vivid fire as, in the blink of an eye, that single arc elongated to thirty or forty feet, bearing down on Xuanyuan Jing with incomparable might.
"The Startling Thunder Saber Art truly lives up to its reputation!" Witnessing such astonishing power, Xuanyuan Jing’s face remained utterly composed, betraying no hint of alarm. Yet, in his hand, a longsword materialized—a silver-white blade, exceptionally thin, long, and ancient. It seemed less a weapon of war than an ornamental sidearm.
But the moment Xuanyuan Jing gripped that longsword, a seismic shift occurred within him. At this instant, he was no longer merely a man; he was a sword, a sharp edge yearning to pierce the very heavens…
This sensation evoked in Ye Jingyu the feeling he’d experienced when confronting Dugu Bachén at the Bai family estate. While Xuanyuan Jing's aura was significantly less imposing than Dugu Bachén’s, he had undeniably attained that presence.
This was a state of being, a frame of mind. Even though his actual cultivation remained that of a Martial Saint, a primary-level one at that, such an inner clarity was sufficient to contend with mid-level Martial Saints, perhaps even those at the pinnacle.
With a slight flick of his sword-wielding right hand, a silvery-white flower of sword energy blossomed from the tip, rapidly expanding into a massive bloom, intercepting the colossal blade of lightning.
"CRASH…" With a tremendous sound, Ye Jingyu’s full-force cleave struck the dazzling sword-blossom, shattering completely. Despite having reached the peak of his current realm, the sheer depth of his True Essence simply could not compare to Xuanyuan Jing, who had already ascended to the Martial Saint realm.
The sword-blossom, though dimmed slightly, continued its trajectory, enveloping Ye Jingyu.
At this juncture, Bing Ming’s figure materialized before Ye Jingyu. He too held an iron sword, which, in contrast to Xuanyuan Jing’s magnificent weapon, appeared utterly dull and lifeless—the difference between a beggar and a prince.
However, a sword qi of piercing sharpness shot forth from this iron blade, aiming directly at the brilliant flower of energy.
A sword is meant to kill; any sword capable of killing is a good sword…
"SHING!" The razor-sharp sword qi pierced directly through the blossom and continued forward, but Xuanyuan Jing had already vanished from his original spot.
Simultaneously, Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming felt an intense chill descending from above. Looking up, they saw Xuanyuan Jing, clutching the silver longsword, arcing downwards in a mighty strike.
Veins of sword energy erupted around him like a volley of arrows, completely engulfing Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming below. Furthermore, a towering sword manifestation, dozens of feet wide, plummeted straight toward the crown of Ye Jingyu's head…
Facing such overwhelming force, Bing Ming shot upwards, his iron sword meeting the gigantic sword-light without hesitation. Simultaneously, a water-blue luminescence enveloped his body, warding off the assault of the myriad surrounding sword energies.
As for Ye Jingyu, he employed the soul technique Heaven’s Edge Within Reach. A single step took him a hundred yards away. His left hand shot forward, manifesting a black longbow, while his right hand drew back gently, an arrow of silver already nocked…
"RUMBLE…" Bing Ming’s sword-light collided violently with Xuanyuan Jing’s attack. Both combatants were thrown back. Ye Jingyu, about to loose his arrow, found himself unable to lock onto Xuanyuan Jing’s form.
Xuanyuan Jing seemed to sense the danger from that direction, his figure flickering uncertainly as he rushed over. Though his movement appeared unstable, it was in fact an exquisite footwork pattern; no matter how hard Ye Jingyu focused his spiritual energy, he could not accurately target his outline. Within a few steps, Xuanyuan Jing was back before Ye Jingyu, his longsword shaking, launching a stream of sword qi that shot forth like a meteor tearing through the void…
A shock resonated in Ye Jingyu’s heart; sensing unprecedented peril, his body instinctively shifted sideways. "Chhh," a spurt of crimson blood erupted from his left shoulder…
"Brother Ye, how do you find my technique, One Trace Left Behind?" Xuanyuan Jing’s voice continued as he pivoted to meet the rapidly approaching Bing Ming. His longsword flipped, unleashing several more streams of sword qi that tore through the air. These not only enveloped Bing Ming entirely but also struck the injured Ye Jingyu. Faced with such lethal energy, how could the wounded Ye Jingyu possibly loose the Heaven and Earth Star Spirit Arrow?
"Hmph, do you imagine you are a Martial God, daring to face both of us alone!" Ye Jingyu roared, clutching the Heaven Sovereign Saber, yet he charged directly into the incoming torrent of sword qi.
"Sss-sss-sss…" Several arcs of sword energy carved wounds across his body, but his physical form was so robust that the blood barely emerged before the gashes healed completely, even the puncture wound in his shoulder rapidly knitting itself back together.
"Die for me now, Startling Thunder Cleaving Slash!" Ye Jingyu shouted. The Heaven Sovereign Saber flashed, its obsidian blade once again erupting with purple light—a dazzling violet blade-gleam cleaved directly towards Xuanyuan Jing’s torso.
Xuanyuan Jing, whose face had maintained a faint, detached expression, finally showed a flicker of surprise. His movement toward Bing Ming was forced to reverse course to meet this blade-light, which carried an aura of pure annihilation.
He shook his longsword in rapid succession, sending forth wave after wave of sword qi that rippled outward like expanding water, surging toward the single purple blade-light.
"Sshh…" The first wave of sword energy was neutralized; then the second, the third…
Xuanyuan Jing managed seven full waves before he utterly negated Ye Jingyu’s formidable strike. But by then, Bing Ming had appeared behind him, his iron sword stabbing directly toward his back, the sharp sword qi already slicing through the fabric of his robes…
Faced with this dire situation, Xuanyuan Jing reacted without thinking, driving his body directly into Ye Jingyu, his longsword aimed squarely at Ye Jingyu’s heart, as if intent on taking his opponent down with him.
A trace of surprise flashed in Bing Ming’s eyes; he clearly hadn't expected Xuanyuan Jing to choose such a seemingly dangerous yet supremely safe maneuver to evade that imminent strike.
A flicker of surprise also crossed Ye Jingyu’s face. He raised both hands on his saber, meeting Xuanyuan Jing’s oncoming sword. He knew that buying Bing Ming even a fraction of a second would be enough to wound Xuanyuan Jing…
To gain that fleeting moment for Bing Ming, the True Essence within Ye Jingyu surged madly, causing his already dimmed saber light to flare anew…
(Three chapters today and tomorrow! Six chapters on Thursday! This is not catching up; I promised a minimum of six thousand characters daily. Only if I fail to complete those six thousand is it considered catching up. However, unless there are exceptional circumstances, I won't dip below six thousand words. Perhaps some are still dissatisfied, but I won't dwell on it. After pushing myself for three months, my body is completely exhausted. I suffer frequent headaches, my finger joints often cramp, and the mental pressure is immense. When I update slightly less and share some heartfelt words with my readers, I am met with curses accusing me of not trying. It’s infuriating when you pour your heart out, yet people claim you haven't put in any effort; I feel deeply wronged, even contemplating abandoning writing. But then I realize these are a minority, and why should I bother arguing with such selfish people? I've been truly worn out lately; I feel like I can’t breathe. So, I will state the future update schedule now: a minimum of six thousand characters every day. If I update less than that, you have every right to curse me. Of course, I will still strive for updates between eight and nine thousand! But if I only manage three chapters, I hope you can be understanding; I don't want my body to collapse prematurely at such a young age! I hope for your understanding. To those friends complaining about slow updates, please check other novels and compare; is Star’s update speed truly slow? It’s almost three in the morning. Good night, everyone!)