NOVPUBWhen the broadsword was raised, Xu Zimei casually waved her hand in mid-air, and Blade Qi sketched out a transparent barrier ahead.
All myriad of swords were blocked by the barrier.
Opposite her, Jian Ming’s gaze became solemn as a polar light shot straight into the sky from the Three-foot Blue-White Sword.
The entire longsword was crisscrossed with Sword Qi, splitting the surrounding clouds apart.
She saw him rise into the air, his white robe fluttering in the wind.
"Heaven-shattering Shadowless Sword," young master Jian Ming uttered softly, and his figure completely disappeared from the Combat Stage.
At this moment, the Combat Stage was filled with lingering echoes of light from swords and shadows of blades.
The dense brilliance of countless swords occupied the entire Combat Stage, as if space in front of them had been fragmented into myriad pieces.
"These are all showy but insubstantial moves," Xu Zimei shook her head gently.
He extended his right hand, holding the sword and merely blocked lightly in mid-air, without any other visible movement.
A "roar" resounded all around, and the entire space of the Combat Stage was utterly subjugated to it.
The spectators all around could hardly see anything clear; Sword Prison had surrounded the entire stage.
With a loud "boom," the Combat Stage completely collapsed.
When every Sword Intent shattered that entire space, a passing mosquito could have died a million times over—it was only then that the spectators slowly began to discern the scene within.
One after another, cracks spread from the Combat Stage at their feet, accompanied by a "crackling" sound.
The stage was collapsing bit by bit to the crowd’s astonishment, for this stage was specially constructed for combat, with an extremely strong capacity for endurance.
"Young master Jian Ming has grown stronger," someone muttered to themselves. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
Xu Zimei still stood calmly at the center of the Combat Stage.
Accompanied by a streak of Sword Qi falling from the void, only then was Jian Ming’s figure slowly revealed to the side.
He raised his right hand, and the Sword Qi transformed into his personal sword, settling in his grasp.
"No one of my age can withstand my sword," Jian Ming said indifferently.
He looked at Xu Zimei, seemingly waiting for something, yet the anticipated scene of Xu Zimei’s body torn apart had not occurred.
With a "puh," suddenly, her robe at the abdomen burst apart, and a line of blood shot out.
"How could this be, when did it happen?" young master Jian Ming fell to his knees, his eyes filled with shock as he looked at Xu Zimei.
In his vision, Xu Zimei had only been holding her sword, she hadn’t moved at all.
He had clearly dodged, yet why was he struck by the blade?
He looked at that figure standing in the center of the Combat Stage and felt an inexplicable shiver.
"Could it be that from the moment I made my first strike, she had already seen through the trajectory of all my sword techniques.
So her sword did not move, because that was where the path of my sword technique was bound to pass," Jian Ming speculated boldly.
Otherwise, there was no way to explain the cut he had suffered.
"Sometimes, even the eyes can deceive," Xu Zimei turned around and spoke indifferently.
"Why are you unharmed?" Jian Ming asked, somewhat unwilling to accept defeat.
"Because you are too weak," Xu Zimei shook her head slightly and said, "I am on the fifth level, while you’re only on the first."
Seeing this scene, the audience below erupted in disbelief, hardly daring to trust the spectacle before them.
"Young master Jian Ming was defeated? How is that possible?"
"Who is that guy? Never seen him before."
At that moment in the spectators’ seats, the young man in splendid clothes who had lent Xu Zimei the sword narrowed his eyes.
He then turned and asked his subordinate, "I remember Jian Ming is a scion of Sword Tomb, right?"
"Yes, he is one of the direct lineage, but he seems to be unpopular in the family," a subordinate beside him nodded.
"Now that’s interesting, I remember the Sword Tomb supposedly holds some things," the gentleman in luxurious clothes said with a smile.
...
Jian Ming looked down at his abdomen, watching drop by drop of fresh blood fall; it had been a long time since he had been injured or even felt pain.
"You really are strong," Jian Ming took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
"I also admit, if we were to fight normally, I would not be your match."
"So what?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I don’t like the feeling of defeat, just like the scene when I left the Sword Tomb," Jian Ming said calmly.
"No one wants to be defeated," Xu Zimei replied.
"Right, which is why I have decided to show you my strongest move, even if it means risking my life," Jian Ming said.
Jian Ming picked up the sword in his hand, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
Sadness or longing, or perhaps the madness that lurked deep within.
He picked up the blue-and-white longsword, and in that moment, the longsword seemed to feel something too, its blade trembling gently as if lamenting.
The blue-and-white longsword turned a blood-red color, completely transforming from its original purity to something incredibly sinister.
He lifted his head, his eyes a blazing crimson, veins on his forehead bulging as spiritual energy from all around converged on the sword.
"Blood Sacrifice Sword," Jian Ming roared angrily, his own blood flowing into the longsword along with his cry.
The blood-red hue of the longsword became even more startling while Jian Ming’s face grew paler, appearing as though he was being drained of everything.
"Come, let me see how powerful you are," Jian Ming gripped the longsword, seeming to concentrate all his strength into this one strike.
And with that, he slashed down.
The blood-red Sword Qi seemed to cover even the sun, a kilometer-long blast of Sword Qi erupting from the Blood Sword.
The sound of a thunderous explosion reverberated all around.
The blood-red Sword Qi charged toward Xu Zimei with an unstoppable force, as if it could topple mountains and overturn seas.
After that slash fell, Jian Ming seemed to have had all his strength withdrawn, collapsing directly onto the ground.
He struggled to lift his head, silently watching this one strike.
The power of this sword even exceeded the Combat Stage, frightening the audience watching nearby into panic, as they scattered in all directions for shelter.
The judge by the side raised a defensive shield, enveloping the entire Combat Stage within it.
As the sword approached with a force that seemed to destroy the heavens and the earth, Xu Zimei countered with a simple blade strike.
Nothing else, just pure suppression of realm, and a transcendence of Vein Skills comprehension and vision.
This blade strike aimed right at the weakest part of the Sword Qi, and with a loud "boom,"
the blood-red Sword Qi shattered, splitting from the center.
Both the might and the killing intent of the Sword Qi were extinguished in an instant.
Xu Zimei stood there, his demeanor casual, indifferent.
As if such an attack didn’t even qualify to make him take it seriously.
"You," Jian Ming coughed heavily several times, staring at Xu Zimei in disbelief.
This Blood Sacrifice Sword technique was a secret not passed down in the Sword Tomb, each swordsman born connected to a sword.
A sword to accompany them for life, only to be used in this way when facing a life-and-death crisis; the swordsman would integrate all their blood essence into the sword, risking everything in one final battle.
Although Jian Ming was only a Venerable in terms of his realm, this strike was a true attack on the level of Melting Heaven.
"Wouldn’t it be better to concede early? You’re giving yourself such a big blow," Xu Zimei sighed and shook his head.
