Chapter 158: Contending with a Single Sword

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Contending with a Single Sword

Expressions of immense interest appeared on everyone’s faces. They were all incredibly eager to see what would happen between these two, both of whom were ranked quite high on the Hidden Dragon List.

The other experts on the Hidden Dragon List all felt their faces twitch. They didn’t dare provoke Ye Qingqing, but Yi Xiaoyao had stepped forward.

’This guy... he’s probably overestimating himself, isn’t he?’

Zhang Yu, ranked fifty-third, wore a strange expression. He had heard that this young lady, Ye Qingqing, was not only incredibly powerful but also extremely willful. No one who provoked her had ever met a good end.

Besides, although there was only a ten-rank difference between thirtieth and twentieth place, the gap in strength was enormous.

Therefore, no one believed Yi Xiaoyao could possibly contend with Ye Qingqing.

At that moment, a flicker of surprise crossed Ye Qingqing’s beautiful face. She clearly hadn’t expected anyone to actually dare compete with her for the Sword Cleansing Pool.

"You? Yi Xiaoyao?"

Standing in the Sword Cleansing Pool, Yi Xiaoyao looked up at Ye Qingqing and smiled nonchalantly. "My apologies, but I’ve already claimed this Sword Cleansing Pool."

Ye Qingqing’s expression instantly turned cold, a hint of fury surfacing.

"You’ve claimed it? On what grounds?"

She suddenly sneered, her voice cold. "Yi Xiaoyao, don’t think that just because your Cultivation broke through by one layer, you’re now qualified to contend with me. The gap between us is not something a mere First-Layer Cultivation can bridge."

Yi Xiaoyao’s expression was calm. Ye Qingqing had actually hit the nail on the head. He had just broken through to the Golden Core Fourth Realm and truly did want to test the strength of the person ranked twentieth. It would also be a good opportunity to estimate the gap between himself and the number one ranker, Shangguan Tianjian.

Seeing that Yi Xiaoyao wasn’t taking her seriously, Ye Qingqing’s brows knitted in a frown.

"Yi Xiaoyao, I’ll give you one last piece of advice. Give up the Sword Cleansing Pool, and you can still occupy the best Sword Cleansing Platform. Don’t throw your life away out of sheer arrogance!"

If she hadn’t previously been rather interested in the story of Yi Xiaoyao’s rise to fame, Ye Qingqing would never have wasted so many words on him.

Upon hearing this, Yi Xiaoyao paid it no mind, simply letting out a faint chuckle.

"Miss Ye, since you think the Sword Cleansing Platform is so nice, then just let me have the Sword Cleansing Pool. If you want to try and take it from me, I’d be happy to oblige."

Yi Xiaoyao’s words left everyone in the plaza stunned. Even the experts currently fighting over the Sword Cleansing Platforms couldn’t help but glance in their direction.

"Considering Ye Qingqing’s proud and pampered nature, she was actually giving Yi Xiaoyao a chance, yet he completely refused her kindness. He’s so arrogant!"

"For someone so young to climb so high on the Hidden Dragon List, it’s no surprise that Yi Xiaoyao is a little arrogant. But this time, I’m afraid he’s made the same mistake as Lv Mu and provoked someone he shouldn’t have."

"It looks like this Yi Xiaoyao is really determined to clash with Ye Qingqing!"

When Lv Mu provoked Yi Xiaoyao, it was because he was ignorant of Yi Xiaoyao’s status. Otherwise, he would never have dared to antagonize him in the slightest.

But Yi Xiaoyao knew Ye Qingqing’s rank perfectly well and was actively choosing to confront her. The nature of this situation was completely different from what happened with Lv Mu.

That’s why everyone thought Yi Xiaoyao had gone mad.

Regardless of what anyone around him thought, Yi Xiaoyao’s expression remained perfectly placid.

To have a greater chance of breaking the seal on the Bloodthirsty Sword, he was determined to claim this Sword Cleansing Pool.

"You want me to cede the Sword Cleansing Pool to you?"

Ye Qingqing’s brows arched in anger, her beautiful eyes flashing with a cold light. She spoke no more, but the longsword at her waist abruptly shot out of its sheath.

SHING!

A blindingly cold sword light flashed, accompanied by an eruption of terrifying Sword Qi.

Everyone in the path of the Sword Qi was struck with terror.

Even the pupils of the other Hidden Dragon List experts standing nearby contracted sharply when they saw the sword light flare. An instinctive fear and dread rose in their hearts.

The expressions of the many experts in the vicinity changed drastically, every one of them filled with dread.

"What a powerful strike!"

"I’m also at the Golden Core Ninth Realm, same as Ye Qingqing, but if I were to face that attack, I’d be utterly powerless to resist."

"So this is the power of the twentieth-ranked expert on the Hidden Dragon List? It’s terrifying! Can Yi Xiaoyao possibly withstand that?"

"Are you kidding? How could number thirty possibly contend with number twenty? Do you take the people who compile the Hidden Dragon List for fools?"

Everyone watched the attack in horror, imagining the scene in the next moment: Yi Xiaoyao, cleaved in two beneath the sword light.

Yet, as the beam of light and its accompanying Sword Qi swept toward him, Yi Xiaoyao’s expression remained as tranquil as ever. He narrowed his eyes, raised a hand, and drew his own sword.

His Sword Momentum, at the Great Success stage, suddenly unfurled, increasing his attack power tenfold.

Nine Swords of Slaughter, Third Technique!

SWOOSH!

The air was instantly sliced apart. A terrifying Sword Shadow, trailing streaks of black Sword Qi, slashed out furiously.

All the Golden Core Powerhouses nearby felt as if a colossal mountain was pressing down on their heads, crushing them to the point where they could barely breathe.

The next moment, the two opposing currents of Sword Qi, like twin rainbows, collided head-on.

BOOM!

In that instant, the very space around them trembled.

Countless shattered streams of Sword Qi shot out wildly in all directions, lashing toward the surrounding crowd.

"Fall back!"

"Get back, quickly!"

Everyone, their faces filled with horror, desperately threw up their defenses to resist. Still, a number of weaker individuals were struck and killed by the aftershock.

In the end, the Sword Qi that had filled the air vanished as quickly as it had appeared, the two forces having completely annihilated one another, as if nothing had happened at all.

But the numerous cracks crisscrossing the ground and the few unlucky corpses were proof that the astonishing clash had indeed taken place.

In the brief silence that followed, a series of sharp gasps broke the air.

"He... he actually blocked it?"

"Yi Xiaoyao took Ye Qingqing’s attack head-on?"

"Not only did he block it, he didn’t even take half a step back!"

"That Yi Xiaoyao... he actually fought Ye Qingqing to a draw?"

All eyes snapped to Yi Xiaoyao, whose expression was still as tranquil as an undisturbed well. Their gazes were filled with utter shock.

They simply couldn’t believe that such a terrifying attack had been successfully parried.

The thirtieth-ranked expert on the Hidden Dragon List had fought the twentieth-ranked to a standstill. Were the people who compiled the rankings really fools?

Of course not. The Hidden Dragon List was the most credible ranking in the Great Shang Dynasty, with every placement based on hard evidence.

When Yi Xiaoyao was first ranked thirtieth, he was only at the Golden Core Second Realm. Now that he was at the Golden Core Fourth Realm, he could naturally no longer be judged by his past performance.

In truth, Yi Xiaoyao was feeling quite emotional himself. ’If I hadn’t broken through to the Golden Core Fourth Realm and if my Sword Momentum hadn’t reached the Great Success stage, it would have been absolutely impossible to block that attack with my regular strength.’

’Ranked twentieth, and her strength is truly formidable!’ Yi Xiaoyao marveled inwardly.

At this moment, Ye Qingqing’s beautiful eyes were also brimming with astonishment.

"It seems you really do have some skill."

Ye Qingqing looked at Yi Xiaoyao, a peculiar glint flashing in her eyes as she said coldly, "It seems if I want to claim the Sword Cleansing Pool today, I’ll actually have to put in a little effort."

"I’ve already said it. I’m claiming the Sword Cleansing Pool. It’ll be useless no matter how much effort you exert," Yi Xiaoyao replied with a faint smile.

...