Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)
chapter-152

Although Patriarch Frost-Drake was initially shocked by Yang Qi’s sword, after a moment, a vicious grin spread out across his face, “Quite a powerful technique, ugly as it is! I can't believe you actually combined a fire-type sword art, the Cosmic Sunflare Sword, with the Ice-Soul God-Sword! The power of that fire and ice taiji symbol is incredible. Sadly, cultivation levels are still cultivation levels. You’re in Quinary Lifeseizing, placing you so far beneath me you couldn’t ever hope to reach my level.

“Furthermore, that abomination of a sword technique you've created is simply appalling to behold. Watch and learn. I’ll show you what a real sword technique is supposed to look like. I practiced my cultivation without any special sword to use. I used pure technique! That’s my path to the Legendary level. Presumably, you have no idea that in the East Sea, Frost-Drake is known as being so skilled with the sword that he can freeze the entire world with a single attack!”

POP!

Even as the fire and ice taiji symbol descended on Patriarch Frost-Drake, he drew a sword. Although it was impossible to tell exactly what type of material it was made from, it was clearly some sort of cold steel. Etched on its surface were designs that looked like snowflakes, as well as two words: Haughty Snow.

This was no energy weapon, it was an actual sword.

“It took me two sixty-year-cycles and an entire batch of snowflake steel to forge my Haughty Snow Sword. And now, boy, I’ll draw your blood with it!”

As soon as that sword was out in the open, snowflakes filled the sky, and oppressive sword energy weighed down. From the way Patriarch Frost-Drake stood there in the snow, he looked like a consummate swordsman, the type of proud, lonely individual who would search his entire life for a worthy opponent.

Sword light flashed, and the fire and ice taiji symbol was vanquished.

Neither the Cosmic Sunflare Sword nor the Ice-Soul God-Sword were a match for Patriarch Frost-Drake. Next, he attacked, using his Haughty Snow Sword to reveal the countless variations of his sword art. As the snow fell, he hacked, chopped, sliced, crushed, stabbed, and spun. He used dozens of techniques, each one filled with immense power and speed. The Ice-Soul God-Sword was clearly not inferior to the Haughty Snow Sword, and yet, also seemed incapable of dealing with it.

It didn't take long for Yang Qi to realize that Patriarch Frost-Drake fully deserved the reputation he had mentioned. He was obviously the best of the best when it came to skill with the sword.

However, that meant that he was the perfect opponent to help Yang Qi improve his own sword skills. Without any hesitation, he released two more streams of sword energy.

“Your middling sword skills are like child’s play,” Patriarch Frost-Drake said, his eyes flashing with vicious light. “Take this move. Freezing Night!”

His sword technique transformed; the Haughty Snow Sword suddenly stopped moving, and a true energy vortex sprang up around it. The flowing energy caused the light to distort, casting the entire island into pitch black night. Then, Patriarch Frost-Drake vanished into the darkness.

No light was present at all; even the burning fire of Yang Qi’s Cosmic Sunflare Sword was incapable of shining, let alone other types of energy.

This move from Patriarch Frost-Drake’s sword technique, Freezing Night, seized good fortune from heaven and earth to bend light, and make people lose their senses. Not even mystical sixth senses could do anything against it.

Of course, this was not a technique invented by Patriarch Frost-Drake himself. His technique was actually a sword art from the distant past, created by some spectacular Great Sage.

Yang Qi could tell that he was in great danger, and quickly pulled his two streams of sword energy back into him to form a defensive barrier. He didn’t resort to the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, as he was mostly interested in improving his sword technique, and wanted to see exactly what Patriarch Frost-Drake was capable of.

Even as he retracted his sword energy, a burst of coldness stabbed through his shield, vanquishing the Cosmic Sunflare Sword and passing through his skin into his meridians.

“Flying Stars!” Patriarch Frost-Drake said in a cold voice.

Bam!

Yang Qi swept his Ice-Soul God-Sword out, hoping to find the Haughty Snow Sword. After all, the Haughty Snow Sword seemed to appear and disappear randomly. Suddenly, just when the Ice-Soul God-Sword was just on the verge of reaching it, it vanished, and everything turned bright and sunny again.

Yang Qi stood there, his clothing in tatters, his shoulder bleeding from where the Haughty Snow Sword had struck it. Obviously, his own sword technique had just come out on the losing end, and had been unable to block Patriarch Frost-Drake’s sword, which could shake heaven and earth to the point where ghosts and gods wept.

Some distance away, Patriarch Frost-Drake stood there, looking at the blood dripping off of his sword. Smiling, he said, “Ever heard of the expression jack of all trades, master of none? That’s exactly what your sword technique is. Not even getting the Ice-Soul God-Sword will help you.”

In reality, Yang Qi’s blood was pure and nearly transparent, like porcelain sagefire. But because of the Devil-God Seal, it appeared to be bright red, just like any ordinary Lifeseizer.

“What sword technique is that?” Yang Qi replied coolly. “It definitely wasn’t invented by you. You might be a Nonary Lifeseizer, but you couldn’t possibly come up with moves like that. Come on, at least tell me the names of the stances. It's obviously some sort of ancient sword art.”

“You have sharp eyes, brat,” Patriarch Frost-Drake said, his eyes glittering. “This sword technique is from the remnants of a sword manual I came across, something invented in the distant past. It has seven moves: Freezing Night, Flying Stars, Rustling Wind, Broken Moon, Shocking Clouds, Ravage Law, Ravish Heaven. The only moves I used so far are Freezing Night and Flying Stars, and already, you’re wounded. And that's because I was holding back. So, what do you think? You won't last long with my sword energy inside of you. Let me tell you, once my sword energy enters an opponent, it’s impossible to drive away. Unless I personally help, you’ll die sooner rather than later. Eventually, it will detonate your sea of energy, so unless you drop to your knees and respectfully hand over the Ice-Soul God-Sword, you’re dead.”

“It’s a nice sword technique,” Yang Qi said, ignoring the threats. A solemn expression on his face, he held his sword up and saluted Patriarch Frost-Drake. “Regardless of whether in terms of energy arts or sword technique, you are my superior. Your sword is marvelous and worthy of respect, and I can only offer my thanks for the fighting tips you’ve provided. Please show me the rest of your moves. Don’t hold anything back. And if you end up getting killed, don't worry, I’ll leave your corpse intact.”

“What?” Patriarch Frost-Drake blurted, visibly shocked. “Aren’t you having problems because of my sword energy?” Looking over, he realized that the area where Yang Qi’s skin had been sliced up was completely healed, and there was no sign of blood. His skin looked just as lustrous as before, and in fact, seemed to thrum with even more energy than before, like the rising tide crashing against the seashore.

“Please, go on with the rest of your moves,” Yang Qi said, holding his sword out and looking very solemn. At the moment, he seemed like he was one with his sword, and vice versa. He was simply waiting there calmly for Patriarch Frost-Drake to make a move, which made him seem even more intimidating than if he had launched an attack.

All of a sudden, Patriarch Frost-Drake felt himself trembling.

Yang Qi seemed to have transformed into a different person, reaching a higher level in terms of both sword energy, sword will and sword stance. It was as if being stabbed had transformed him from a simpleton into a consummate genius.

“Freezing Night, Flying Stars, Rustling Wind, Broken Moon, Shocking Clouds….”

Patriarch Frost-Drake had a bad feeling, and therefore, flew up into the air and held nothing back, attacking with five moves in quick succession, each one of them designed to kill his opponent. In the blink of an eye, the island was smashed, boulders transformed into dust, and the ground razed flat.

After experiencing these five sword moves, the former island of peach blossoms would soon vanish into the East Sea and become a thing of the past.

Yang Qi had already merged his thinking and mind with his sword, and was thus unconscious of the boundary between himself and his weapon. In that moment, his Cosmic Sunflare Sword and Ice-Soul God-Sword truly fused, becoming a single sword, the mixture of yin and yang, the ultimate expression of the power of the origin of the universe.

Clanging sounds rang out as his sword countered the twisting power of Freezing Night. Whatever moves Patriarch Frost-Drake made, it seemed like Yang Qi was capable of locating his Haughty Snow Sword and meeting it head-on.

Yang Qi could now directly sense the mysterious aspects of the sword technique, and thus, was easily able to vanquish Freezing Night and Flying Stars.

When Rustling Wind came, the sword energy became like rain falling in the wind. Before Yang Qi could even detect where it was coming from, the sword light was suddenly right at his throat.

As for Broken Moon, it seemed to Yang Qi like some consummate swordsman flying through the sky and splitting the full moon in half.

Finally was the last move, Shocking Clouds.

He suddenly found himself in the midst of a sea of clouds, filled with millions upon millions of crashing waves.

Facing these moves seemed to incite his potential even further, pushing him to another peak. The Cosmic Sunflare Sword technique and the Ice-Soul God-Sword were like twin dragons coursing through the sky, launching forth countless streams of sword energy.

Bam!

Finally, Yang Qi and Patriarch Frost-Drake separated, flying away from each other to land on either end of the island, placing them several kilometers apart.

The island was now filled with countless crisscrossing ravines, into which the sea water flowed. The spring had been destroyed as well, releasing massive amounts of frigid energy into the area.

More wounds could be seen on Yang Qi, including on his neck, forehead, and abdomen. Those three came from Rustling Wind, Broken Moon, and Shocking Clouds.

However, none of the three wounds seemed particularly serious.

By now, Patriarch Frost-Drake was too shocked to speak. That was especially true when he saw Yang Qi’s wounds healing up in front of his own eyes. Within a few breaths of time, they were completely gone.

Patriarch Frost-Drake was very familiar with his own sword technique, and knew how deadly all of the moves were. In fact, the blow he had landed on Yang Qi’s throat should have been powerful enough to cleanly cut off the top of a mountain.

And yet, it was like a mere scratch to him.

As for Broken Moon and Shocking Clouds, they were profoundly formidable, but inflicted only temporary wounds.

“Alright,” Yang Qi said, “you have two more moves, right? Ravage Law and Ravish Heaven? Let’s see them.”