Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation
chapter-661

Death Blade

Feng Xingsheng’s stern face was expressionless. Then he smiled coldly and said, “Just some minor parlor tricks. If the five of you attack together, it would still be nothing.”

“How arrogant! Let’s see if you will still be so arrogant later.”

Ren Hua snorted coldly and stomped heavily on the mountain peak. As he shot forward, he drew out a black ruler.

[TL note: The ruler is a flat-sided cudgel that looks similar to a blunt practice sword. The name is derived from its resemblance to Chinese straightedge rulers. Like swords and sabers, they come in various sizes as well. For an example, see http://mandarinmansion.com/iron-ruler]

From far away, the distance between the nine mountain peaks seemed very short. But in fact, they were at least a kilometer apart.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Every time Ren Hua passed a mountain peak, he pushed off against it to boost himself, increasing his speed each time. Crunching sounds came from the mountain peaks.

The mountain peaks crumbled under the force of his thrust, becoming slightly shorter. The dust-filled sky was a terrible sight.

Such a vast battleground was rather suitable for the people of the battle realms, matching their violent style.

Although it took a long time to describe the action, Ren Hua’s figure only flashed four or five times before he arrived in front of Feng Xingsheng.

The heavy black ruler seemed to contain a potent force, carrying a berserk aura as he hacked down at Feng Xingsheng.

When the black ruler landed, it seemed to tear the air in half. Visible ripples spread out on both sides like the air was water.

Feng Xingsheng turned slightly and drew his saber partially, blocking the ruler descending towards his head.

A loud collision resounded, shaking everyone’s eardrums. Feng Xingsheng remained unmoving. This force seemed like it could even break an attack from heaven, yet he blocked it so easily.

Ren Hua chuckled. He said without concern, “Your hand must be numb already. This is only the appetizer.”

Feng Xiansheng said coldly, “You overestimate yourself. I still haven’t even had time to say you are not worth much. Your ruler is really weak.”

“Ka ca!”

A bright saber light, like the flickering stars, appeared as Feng Xingsheng completely drew his saber. A sharp saber intent merged with Quintessence to form a jet-black saber Qi.

Ren Hua’s expression changed slightly. He had not expected Feng Xingsheng to be able to draw his saber so easily despite Ren Hua’s heavy ruler pressing on it.

Ren Hua’s figure flickered and retreated. The friction of his body against the air produced a dull sound.

The corners of Feng Xingsheng’s lips curled up slightly as he moved his right hand, which was holding the saber, in a very artistic manner. He swung it forward with a certain sense of rhythm.

That strand of jet-black saber Qi immediately launched out. As the saber Qi moved, it formed a black arc.

When Ren Hua retreated, the black arc followed him. As time went by, the arc expanded. There was a strange beauty to this arc.

Ren Hua’s expression became very unsightly. The arc formed by the black saber Qi seemed to expand endlessly, staying five centimeters away from his face at all times.

The strong wind from the saber Qi blew Ren Hua’s hair all over the place, and his skin hurt.

The black saber Qi was like a death blade. If Ren Hua slowed down slightly, his head would fly off immediately.

Furthermore, the black arc stuck very close to Ren Hua. He did not even have time to use his heavy black ruler to deflect it. He could only keep retreating.

At this moment, Ren Hua’s life hung on a line. He could only bet on the saber Qi weakening with time before he ran out of Quintessence.

To others, this scene did not seem like much. It was just an arc-shaped saber Qi forcing Ren Hua to retreat endlessly.

No one would expect that Ren Hua’s current situation had already reached the point where just the slightest carelessness would mean his death.

Feng Xingsheng revealed a disdainful smile. His right hand moved in a flash and sheathed his saber.

“Xiu!”

When the saber was seated in the scabbard, the black arc-shaped saber Qi instantly turned into a black ring and flickered for a while before disappearing into nothing.

“Ren Hua, you found the wrong person to use as a stepping stone to fame. If you want to defeat me, you will have to call the top three geniuses of the ten great battle realms. You are not qualified yet.”

Feng Xingsheng smiled gently. Before everyone’s doubtful gazes, he immediately turned and left like an arrow.

“What’s going on? Is the battle over?”

Several people could not understand what had happened. They had not expected that this battle that they held so much anticipation for would end this quickly. Most of the people were not even clear on who was the victor.

Only a few people noticed that Ren Hua, who had landed miserably on a mountain peak, had a pair of matching wounds on both sides of his face from the saber Qi.

It looked like someone had taken a brush and drawn a black line on both cheeks; it looked very comical.

In just one move, the top bladesman of the eighteen southern provinces, Feng Xingsheng, someone second to the seven giants of the Proud Son of Heaven Ranking, defeated the genius from the ninth battle realm.

Such strength and the short battle greatly disappointed those who were prepared to see an earthshaking battle.

They had not expected the battle to end in such a manner. Ren Hua did not even get the opportunity to use the giant’s bloodline that the battle realms were famous for before he got defeated.

“Damn, what is going on?! This is too unexpected!”

“Feng Xingsheng was right. Ren Hua had found the wrong person to use as a stepping stone to fame.”

“The top bladesman of the younger generation in the southern provinces truly lives up to his title. Probably, in a few years, he will challenge the seven giants and become even more famous.”

“Recently, the newcomers from the ten great battle realms have been flourishing. They have challenged several local cultivators and defeated them. Feng Xingsheng managed to protect the honor of our eighteen southern provinces.”

“However, given that Feng Xingsheng humiliated Ren Hua like that, the strongest genius of the first battle realm, Hao Lang, will definitely come and avenge him.”

The battle started very fast and ended just as fast. Many people took a long time to react. Eventually, their discussions slowly picked up speed.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Xiao Chen maintained a calm expression and revealed a look of contemplation. He seemed somewhat out of place in this energetic scene.

Feng Xingsheng’s earlier attack gave Xiao Chen a lot of inspiration. Others might not understand it, but as a genius bladesman himself, he understood what happened quite well.

That seemingly simple attack contained many exquisite techniques. The thing that awed Xiao Chen was the perfect sixty-percent-comprehended saber intent.

A sixty-percent-comprehended saber intent could already be considered Great Perfection. However, when Feng Xingsheng bound it to the saber Qi, it did not leak at all.

This guaranteed that the arc-shaped saber Qi would grow larger continuously. When it became a circle, its energy, the saber Qi, and aura all did not diminish in the slightest.

Next was Feng Xingsheng’s state of wind. Xiao Chen felt that he had touched the threshold of the will of wind already. Otherwise, that attack would not have sealed off Ren Hua’s counterattack.

The most horrifying thing was that Xiao Chen distinctly felt a terrifying force when Feng Xingsheng withdrew the move and the black saber Qi turned into a circle. Xiao Chen did not think that he would have survived that attack if he had been in Ren Hua’s shoes.

However, such a powerful attack left only two faint marks on Ren Hua’s face. How strong did one have to be to have such control?

There was always someone better. This Kunlun Realm was indeed a land of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

[TL Note: Crouching tigers and hidden dragons is a Chinese idiom for hidden talents.]

If Xiao Chen wanted to fight that Ren Hua, he would find it very difficult and would only have a sixty percent chance of victory. Furthermore, he would need at least five hundred moves.

However, Feng Xingsheng used only one move. Xiao Chen continued pondering; he wondered about the strength of the seven giants, who were stronger than Feng Xingsheng.

Then, there were the Holy Scions that always occupied the top three positions.

The road ahead was arduous. Xiao Chen had expected this long ago, so he did not think about this point too much. Feng Xingsheng’s attack had given him a lot of inspiration.

Xiao Chen was prepared to rush back and train himself. He had already been able to bring out the might of a sixty-percent-comprehended saber intent for some time. However, he could not control it perfectly. This was an excellent opportunity for him.

He had not watched this battle for nothing. Not only had he broadened his horizons, but he also gained some aid in his comprehension of saber intent.

Xiao Chen quietly left the bustling scene and flew towards Sky Mound City alone. His white figure looked very plain and simple. His brilliance was withdrawn; no one paid any attention to him.

Local heroes and all sorts of lower-realm experts filled the rich and diverse Tianwu Domain, revealing their strength and brilliance. They made their mark on this vast stage, leaving their name in history for ages to come.

For now, Xiao Chen was just an observer. He could only watch fights of Feng Xingsheng’s level like the others.

The bustle had nothing to do with Xiao Chen; he only watched silently, never saying anything. However, he would not stay still and do nothing. His surging blood never stopped. He had merely buried his pride. The dragon would eventually burst through the nine heavens.

The transportation formation that had its roots in the epoch of Immortal Cultivation allowed Xiao Chen to arrive at the Supreme Sky Sect in one breath despite a separation of a few million kilometers.

After Xiao Chen returned, he immediately headed to the mission hall to turn in his completed mission. There was also a reward of fifty thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones for him to collect.

Although Xiao Chen was, in a sense, a millionaire, when he got around to using the one-million-odd Superior Grade Spirit Stones, they would not last long, so he still valued these fifty thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones.

At the same time, Zhuo Yushi and his group of friends had safely completed their escort mission. After splitting the one hundred thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stone reward, each of them obtained about ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones; all of them rejoiced.

“The escort mission had no danger at all. With the fame of the Supreme Sky Sect, no one dares to do anything. I think the escort mission suits us the best.”

“That is right. We easily obtained ten thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones and even got to see the sights. This trip was worth it.”

Zhuo Yushi and his friends chatted happily, clearly in high spirits. On this journey, they had eaten well and had fun. They had seen many beautiful sights and girls.

Suddenly, Zhuo Yushi recalled something. He went to the counter and asked, “Senior, I have a question. I have a companion called Xiao Chen. He apparently accepted a mission to kill loose cultivators previously. Has he returned yet?”

The black-clad administrator revealed an expression of displeasure, but he still replied, “Not yet. The mission your friend took was to kill the Seven Black Wind Killers. It has been more than half a month; he is probably not coming back.”

When Zhuo Yushi heard this, his expression could not help but change. No matter what, he still felt a lot of gratitude to Xiao Chen.

Back when their friendship was still shallow, Xiao Chen had been willing to help Zhuo Yushi buy the Quintessence Gathering Pill. Because Xiao Chen was afraid of hurting Zhuo Yushi’s pride, he declared it a loan. With such a character, this person was definitely worth making friends with.