Yefutidaolu

Chapter 294 Contrast
Gao Jian roared, his voice like thunder from the heavens, causing dozens of giant beasts to tremble and retreat repeatedly, their hundreds-of-foot-long bodies clashing with a metallic clang!

The foremost mountain-splitting rhinoceros had its front hooves dangling in mid-air, caught between a rock and a hard place. Its golden eyes reflected Gao Jian's figure, and the white breath it exhaled from its nostrils fluctuated between rapid and slow. Its tail, as thick as a beam, swayed restlessly, leveling a low hill. Behind it, several earth dragons lowered their heads deeply, their scales shimmering and flickering.

"Hold on!" The beast tamers of the Jin family behind them began to cast spells, and the many chains on these giant beasts came to life, whipping them continuously. The grotesque beasts opened their blood-red mouths and roared, their bodies trembling, and struggles appeared in their eyes. Finally, they managed to stabilize themselves.

However, even though the giant beasts stabilized, the people on their bodies could not.

Whispers spread like a plague:
Even the Mountain-Splitting Rhinoceros dared not approach.

"Just who is this masked man? Is he an elder of some great immortal sect? A Grandmaster of two realms? Isn't that on par with the patriarch?"

"Why hasn't the elder made a move yet? Isn't he at the eighth realm?"

Some people clung tightly to the beast's scales, their knuckles turning white. Others unconsciously reached for the life-saving talismans at their waists, only to find the talismans already soaked with cold sweat. Several young cultivators even had their legs go weak and nearly fell off the beast's back, which was hundreds of feet high.

Watching such a battle, and being caught in its aftermath, the ordinary spectators around them, and the ordinary cultivators who had joined the transport team because of the Jin family's orders, all felt that the wind was particularly cold today, as if they had frozen into ice, and warmth was gradually draining from their bodies, being sucked away by the scene beneath the giant beast.

Below, the corpses of the three seventh-level cultivators still lay there.

During the battle, the air was constantly rippling like water, the aftershocks of the clash between the powerful warriors. Many young cultivators bled profusely as a result, and couldn't help but lick the blood that seeped from their lips.

Ants all around were forming a black tide and fleeing frantically. Some beetles' hard shells burst one after another as they crawled, making a crisp sound like popping beans.

However, the eighth-realm martial artist still didn't move.

Gao Jian could not remain still, and saw him reach out and raise the rusty knife.

If Gao Jian doesn't make any move, he might confirm that he's just bluffing. So, even if it's tough, Gao Jian has to make another move.

The vital energy converges, and the divine will surges!
Just then—!
That person at the eighth realm finally spoke at this moment.

"Everyone, retreat! Take the giant beasts and supplies. I'll cover the rear," the eighth-realm cultivator said.

Clearly, he has made his decision.

They couldn't let the masked man succeed, but they also couldn't start a fight here, otherwise... all the supplies, as well as the surrounding giant beasts and transport teams, would die in the aftershocks.

However, it wouldn't be right to hand everything over to Gao Jian.

Since that's the case, let the behemoth change course, and he can stay here and meet up with the other side. The request for help has already been sent, and fighting with the other side for a few days is not an unacceptable thing.

Moreover... he might not necessarily lose. As a dignified eighth realm cultivator, he also had his own pride. Although he was worried about the opponent's situation, he was not afraid if it really came down to a fight.

As for your insightful opinion...

He curled his lips.

Tsk, the other side has made the most difficult choice. It looks like a fight is really going to happen.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Then...

let's hit.

At the Eighth Realm, victory is not guaranteed, but defeat is not impossible either.

Gao Jian drew his sword, unleashing his divine will and vital energy as he charged towards his opponent!

With his divine will awakened, his physical essence expanded, supporting his divine will to unleash even greater power. Just like the strike that had just slain the giant beast, this strike now shone like an inverted Milky Way, carrying the momentum to tear apart heaven and earth, as if it would split the valley in two. Before the blade even arrived, the giant beast's scales had already cracked open with grooves several feet long, and fragments flew towards the face of the eighth-realm martial artist.

Meanwhile, the eighth-realm martial artist made his move.

He used a sword.

The sword is the weapon of a gentleman. It is used to feign weakness, to open up opportunities, to strike when the time is right, and to arrive first when the time is right. When the sword is drawn and strikes the ground, the sound is like metal and stone. In normal circumstances, the sword does not reveal its sharpness and is extremely inconspicuous. But when needed, it can be drawn instantly, full of killing intent and showing no mercy. This transformation between "concealment" and "disclosure" is just like the gentleman of the gentry, who is gentle and humble in ordinary times, but awe-inspiring in wartime.

Moreover, he cultivates 'sword qi' and has already opened his qi gate.

This was the first time Takami had faced an opponent who had truly opened his Qi gate.

When the sword and the qi are combined, the sword follows the qi. Such a sword is not like the stubborn iron used by the world, which goes straight and straight. Instead, it is forged to produce light from the sword, and then to the point where there is light but no sword. Where the light goes, the sword goes. In a short time, it can fly from the far south to the far north, which is called "vertical and horizontal".

The eighth-realm martial artist snorted coldly, opened his Qi gate to the fullest, and his martial arts internal energy surged out like a torrent, transforming into sword energy that crisscrossed. The long sword in his hand hummed softly in response to the energy, and the blade emitted a dazzling cold light. It instantly flew out of his hand, flying like a dragon, weaving an impenetrable sword net in front of him!
"Just a divine will—" he uttered in a low voice, as if to bolster his courage, his sword energy surged like a tide, meeting Gao Jian's blade light.

boom!
The blade's light and the sword's energy collided head-on, unleashing a deafening roar.

The blades flashed like mountains, their momentum unstoppable.

The sword energy was like a net, fine and sharp.

The two clashed, sending shockwaves scattering and shattering the surrounding rocks, plowing countless cracks into the ground. Gao Jian's sword strike was slightly blocked by the sword net, but the "Heaven-Turning" divine intent was so domineering and unparalleled that the sword light remained unmoved. Countless sword energies surged in but were crushed by the divine intent within. Countless 'energies' could not withstand a single 'intention'.

This is the difference between 'qi' and 'yi'.

Qi, like dragons and snakes thundering, originates from the dantian, flows through the meridians, and condenses into a sharp blade. Martial artists use their flesh and blood as a furnace, gathering the essence of the five grains to refine mercury and lead, circulating it from the Yongquan point to the Baihui point in a complete cycle. Sword qi arises from the Tanzhong point, and when it passes through the Taiyin meridian of the hand, it is like a thousand troops beating drums, the sword spine trembling and resounding like the cry of cranes in the nine heavens. This is what the "Huang Ting" describes as "blowing and breathing out cold rainbows," using muscles and bones as bows and crossbows, and true qi as arrows, breaking through thirty layers of armor is nothing more than a flick of the finger and dust.

When this energy is released, it can tear through the sky with a roar like the sound of pine trees. Before the cold light arrives, frost and snow are already cold. Its power is like a waterfall hanging from the ninth heaven, capable of destroying cities and uprooting mountains. Even ordinary iron can be used to display its power with the help of human strength. Even a three-foot-long piece of stubborn iron can break rivers.

Sword energy is more about the physical destructive force of wind and thunder, and the internal energy of martial arts is focused on destruction.

The word '意' (yì) is more about 'influence'.

When divine will is unleashed, the outside world is not substantially affected. When sword energy splits rivers, the rivers are indeed subjected to an external force and forcibly separated. But when divine will opens the sea... the sea is separated 'willingly'.

Divine will can cause the outside world to react naturally. For example, the "mountain-moving" ability of "supernatural powers" does not actually involve having the power to move mountains, but rather the mountains moving away on their own.

The same is true now.

As the divine will pressed down, the sword energies retreated on their own. Only a very few were able to truly block the blade's light; the majority were forced back by the divine will. Less than one in a hundred remained, effectively neutralizing it!

Therefore, Gao Jian's sword light was like the sky collapsing and the earth sinking, tearing a gap in the sword net and heading straight for the chest of the eighth-realm martial artist!
However, being at the eighth realm, his cultivation was far more profound than that of Gao Jian. Even though his divine will was so domineering, ordinary sword qi could only be avoided, but... if only one in a hundred survived, then there would be millions of sword qi!

With his profound cultivation, he forcefully overwhelmed them!
But then they saw that the eighth-realm swordsman had pushed his entire body's energy to its limit, his whole being seemed to transform into a moving mountain, unmoving and unshakable. Before him, sword light was like a sea, layer upon layer, pressing down on Gao Jian, forcefully using its power to suppress his divine will!
As the swords clashed, the ground trembled, and the ground within a three-mile radius collapsed, sending dust billowing into the sky. After one exchange, both men retreated hundreds of meters. Gao Jian's blade was now perfectly round, its sharpness even extending two inches beyond its original size!

On the other side, the eighth-realm martial artist's longsword trembled slightly, and cracks appeared faintly on its blade. The two exchanged a glance, and the eighth-realm martial artist was immediately stunned.

He finally spoke: “In the past, in Jingyang County, there was a dragon and a sea monster that caused trouble in the river. A sword immortal drew his sword and killed it. Afterwards, he disappeared. Later, a fisherman caught a stone in his net. It made a loud noise. He hit it and the sound could be heard for dozens of miles. He broke it and found a pair of swords. The one in my hand is called Wanren.”

"What's the origin of your knife? It's so powerful... it couldn't even withstand my sword?"

Gao Jian didn't answer; he just looked at his own blade and felt... exhilarated!

All the frustration from previous hesitations and scheming was finally released at this moment!

He had planned all sorts of things beforehand, meticulously strategizing from beginning to end, calculating the Jin family's plans, anticipating the consequences of his actions, and preparing various backup plans to conceal his identity.

All these calculations were made out of fear of the consequences of the matter being exposed. Even the previous attack on those three seventh-level cultivators was all planned out.

The battle against this eighth realm was unplanned, because he couldn't predict the reaction of an eighth realm cultivator and could only gamble.

But with that one cut, all my previous worries vanished.

He already sensed that he was very likely to lose to his opponent. His divine will was being overwhelmed by the sheer number of sword energies. The gap between his cultivation and his opponent's was too great, and even his powerful divine will could not make up for it.

but!

In a battle, there's not so much room for calculation!

Gao Jian roared, "Stop talking nonsense! Let's go again!!"

He didn't want to hear about the origin of the other party's sword, didn't want to guess what the other party's technique was, and was too lazy to think about the other party's current movements, because those things were... too unpleasant.

For his own purposes, Gao Jian was very good at being hypocritical. He often chatted and laughed with the scions of aristocratic families and various forces in all sorts of situations, discussing the distribution of benefits, and then secretly plotting against them behind their backs.

Some call this strategic planning, while others call it despicable and shameless.

Regardless of what this matter is, one thing will never change: Gao Jian dislikes this.

It's not just dislike, it's extreme disgust and loathing.

But there's no way around it; that's just how the world is. If you want to accomplish many things, you have to do many more things you don't want to do.

And now, it feels so good.

Gao Jian lunged forward again, and as he fought desperately with his opponent, the intricacies of their past banquets suddenly seemed ridiculous.

The eighth-realm martial artist opposite me had eyes that seemed to be spitting fire—such clean, pure eyes!

This was completely different from when the young master of the Jin family had been observing him from behind a folding fan during their previous drinking and dining session. Back then, he had personally poured the man a cup of wine and uttered beautiful words like "we'll weather the storm together." Now, however, he had come to abduct the man.

The eighth-realm warrior also went all out to cover the retreat of his own giant beast convoy.

Gao Jian's ribs were struck by a sword flash, causing him to grimace in pain. This pain was actually quite pleasant, much better than the throbbing pain in his temples when he listened to that 'Elder Huang' from the Netherworld speaking in official jargon while plotting to kill a billion people.

At this moment, he let the stench of blood fill his throat and let out a furious roar that he would never normally utter, which startled the giant beast and made it quicken its pace.

The 'Ten Thousand Blades' was completely shattered by the rusty blade. Gao Jian leaned on the blade, panting, blood dripping from the split between his thumb and forefinger down the hilt.

He could see Gao Jian's face reflected in the wide eyes of the eighth-realm martial artist, but there was no restraint in those eyes, only naked hatred, pure and burning hatred.

At this moment, Gao Jian actually felt a certain fondness for this hatred, at least it was more sincere than the eyes hidden behind the official tablets of those aristocratic families who came to pay their respects.

The battle continues.

As the swords clashed, the recoil force swept back, causing Gao Jian's tiger's mouth to tremble, but he was secretly laughing. Although his tiger's mouth was cracked by the recoil, the sword in his hand was a sword, and the blood was blood. There was no conspiracy wrapped in silk, no gold notes embedded in the greeting card.

With a clang.

When the blade struck the second sword, the sparks that flew from the clash were incredibly dazzling, and in the midst of the battle, he sensed a feeling that made his whole body tremble.

To be honest, Gao Jian was actually hoping that the Eight Realms before him would pierce his lungs with a backhand, so that all the compliments that had been accumulating in his chest would be spurted out with the blood.

Blood flowed down his brow bone and into the corner of his mouth, but he unexpectedly experienced pleasure amidst his heavy breathing.

There were no ornate yet blood-stained imperial edicts from the Imperial Academy, no demonic decrees stamped with official seals; at this moment, there was only one-on-one slaughter.

They came to kill me, and I killed them to kill them, like two wolves tearing at each other in the wilderness. There is no need to write about loyalty and bravery in documents, nor to glorify bloody heads as achievements.

That eighth-realm martial artist moved like the wind, his feet moving with unpredictable steps. He sidestepped the blade, and with a flick of his longsword, sword energy surged forth, transforming into dozens of arcs of light that pierced Gao Jian's vital points. His sword energy was boundless, his moves swift, and every sword light was incredibly precise. He had already opened his Qi Gate, making his killing power extraordinary.

Gao Jian's mask was shattered in half by this blow.

But in that instant, he saw half a distorted smiling face beneath the other person's shattered mask.

Is this person... crazy?
How can he still laugh? He's at a disadvantage now.

Gao Jian also realized that he was smiling, but the smile was different from the one he gave to those noblemen in front of the bronze mirror.

This is how a knife should be used.

"It's not over yet!"

(End of this chapter)