I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

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Chapter 857 Innate "Selfless Realm" Sacred Body! [5100]

Aoto, who had suddenly appeared from the side, crouched down, holding his sword in his right hand and raising it above his head to block Hannya's slash, while his free left hand protected Kiryu-sensei beneath him.

The sudden change left both Kiryu and Hannya stunned.

However, in just a short while, the expressions on their faces changed drastically.

The initial stunned look on Kiryu's face was replaced by surprise and a hint of delight.

As for Prajna, only pure astonishment remained on his face.

clang!

Qing Deng secretly unleashed a fierce attack, deflecting Banruo's knife with a clang, and then followed up with a reverse kasaya slash, sweeping towards Banruo's chest.

In that instant, Prajna sensed a strong danger signal.

Driven by instinct, he immediately leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blade, and then leaped backward, covering a distance of more than 10 meters before stopping.

Qing Deng slowly stood up, then took half a step forward and shielded Boss Kiryu behind him.

He pointed his blade diagonally at Prajna, his eyes fixed on her, adopting a fierce stance ready to strike at any moment.

"Mr. Kiryu, are you injured?"

He said this without turning his head.

"Aside from feeling nauseous from exhaustion, I'm fine."

As Mr. Kiryu spoke, he raised his gaze, looked Aoto up and down, and smiled:

"Hey Orange, what happened to you? You've turned into a calico cat!"

Qingdeng chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"To be honest, if I wasn't in such a hurry to find you, I would really like to take a shower first."

It took Qing Deng a lot of effort to escape from the burning Tenryu-ji Temple.

Flames were everywhere, thick smoke was everywhere, and heat waves were everywhere... Luckily, Qing Deng was no ordinary human, otherwise he might not have been able to escape successfully.

With his exceptional hearing, he identified where the flames were smaller, and then charged out of the fire in one go.

Although they successfully escaped, they inevitably ended up in this ridiculous state.

His body was covered in embers from the burning wood, and his exposed skin was covered in black soot stains, patchy black and white.

Especially on the face, only a few areas such as the eyes, mouth, and tip of the nose are still white.

At first glance, it really does look just like a calico cat.

Under the fierce attack of the Choshu army, the Choshu army, which was powerless to fight back, began to retreat in full force.

This once-in-a-decade battle was decided in just two days, with the army that attacked Chang'e winning an overwhelming victory!

For the shogunate and the pro-shogunate faction, today's battle is largely over.

But for Qingdeng, today's battle has only just begun!

Last night, he bid farewell to Mr. Kiryu openly, and his safety has been on Aoto's mind ever since.

Therefore, as soon as the war began today, Qing Deng unleashed all his might, launching a frenzied attack on the Choshu army! All in order to find Kiryu-sensei as soon as possible and check on his condition!

After escaping from Tenryu-ji Temple, Aoto immediately followed the trail of the Choshu army, plunging into the lush Arashiyama Mountains to continue his search for Kiryu-sama.

Although the process was somewhat tortuous, the result was fortunately pleasing.

While traversing through the mountains and forests, with the blessing of the talent "Sensor of Wind +4", he suddenly heard a continuous sound of metal clashing against metal. As one of the world's top swordsmen, Qing Deng immediately recognized that this was the sound of a duel between top masters.

He immediately followed the sound and soon found the fallen Kiryu boss and Hannya raising his sword to strike.

The rest is self-explanatory.

Not far away, Prajna stared intently at Qingdeng, narrowed her eyes, and sneered:

"Ha! I was wondering who it was. It turns out to be my junior brother."

This is the second time we've met.

"It's a real pity that we couldn't have a proper chat last time we met because of special circumstances."

He had barely finished speaking when Qingdeng immediately said:

"'Chat'? What do I have to talk to you about?"

"Although we don't know each other well, I already really dislike you."

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids, his eyes flashing with cold light.

“Yamada Asaemon Katsumi… no, Hannya, you’re really crazy.”

"What were you trying to do just now? You actually intended to harm your own master?"

Although his tone was calm, his words subtly revealed an uncontrollable anger.

For Aoto, Kiryu was both a mentor and an irreplaceable elder.

This guy actually raised his knife and slashed at Kiryu, who was already powerless to fight back... The anger in Aoto's heart was like a volcano about to erupt.

Upon hearing this, Prajna shrugged vigorously, her expression nonchalant.

"Hmph, you junior are actually lecturing me."

"I admit, I did act impulsively just now."

"However, it's all Master's fault!"

"Who told Master to spout nonsense! Talking rubbish!"

"You can't even force me to use my full strength, yet you dare to say that 'your strength is stagnating'... It's really infuriating!"

"However, Master, don't worry, I will not let you die."

"I will keep him alive until my master acknowledges my strength and recognizes that I am the best successor to his mantle!"

At this point, his gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at the Vairocana in Qing Deng's palm, a hint of ecstasy appearing on his face.

“Vairocana…this knife is as beautiful as ever!”

“Junior brother… no, Ju Qingdeng, you just said that you hate me quite a bit… coincidentally, I have the same thoughts.”

"What makes you think you can wield this knife?"

"You are not worthy of this knife at all!"

A sharp, assassin-like gaze shot straight at Qing Deng.

Qingdeng glared back fearlessly and sneered:

"'Why?' Of course, it's because I'm better than you!"

"Because I am stronger than you, Vairocana is in my hands—do I really need to explain such a simple and obvious truth to you?"

In an instant, Prajna's facial expression was dominated by intense indignation, and his demeanor was terrifying.

"Hehe... that's what Master just said too..."

He was so angry that he laughed, and veins bulged out like fleshy worms on his temples, neck, and other parts of his body.

In addition, spiderweb-like red blood vessels appeared in his eyes.

"You're better than me? Ha, you really dare to say that!"

"Alright, I'd really like to see that!"

"Although your sudden appearance was completely unexpected, you've come at just the right time!"

At this point, Hannya glanced sideways at Kiryu, the boss behind Aoto.

"Master, watch carefully!"

"Watch closely how I defeat Tachibana Aoto!"

"The 'legitimate successor of your sect' that you spoke of has become my defeated opponent... I'll see what you have to say then!"

Having said that, he suddenly swung his knife, flicking away the few remaining leaves on the blade, and then pointed the tip of the knife diagonally at Qingdeng.

Seeing this, Qingdeng responded by raising his sword and pointing the tip of his blade at Prajna without showing any weakness.

"Ju Qingdeng, judging from your appearance, you seem to have just been through quite a bloody battle. Do you still have the strength to fight?"

Qing Deng said calmly:

"You don't need to worry about that."

"On the contrary, after fighting Kiryu-sensei, can you still hold your sword steady?"

"I don't want you to refuse to admit defeat after I beat you down by saying 'I just used up too much energy.'"

Prajna's face revealed a blatantly provocative expression.

"You're overthinking it! Master is already a frail old man with weak legs, and his desperate fight didn't even deplete one of my strength!"

"If that's the case... then bring it on!"

As Qingdeng spoke, he raised his chin, indicating that he was "ready to play along to the end," and his imposing aura grew stronger and stronger.

Almost at the same time, Prajna on the opposite side also experienced a surge in momentum!

"I've been looking forward to this battle for a long time."

"Ever since I learned that my master had passed on Vairocana to you, I have been looking forward to this day every moment."

"I look forward to defeating you and proving to my master that I am the true master of Vairocana!"

"Ju Qingdeng, prepare to be attacked! I'm going to... tear you apart head-on!"

Having said that, he suddenly raised his left hand and grabbed the fabric at his right shoulder—

Hiss!