Chapter 180: Two Monsters

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Two Monsters

WHOOSH—WHOOSH—

Within the underground canyon were twenty-five valleys, and a fierce wind howled through each one.

In the valley where the whistling was loudest, the two sharpest swords in the Great Shang Dynasty were crossing blades!

A clear ringing of swords echoed out. Yi Xiaoyao and Shangguan Tianjian both felt an immense force travel up their blades. With a jolt, their arms trembled, and the force threw both their bodies and their locked swords backward.

The ground beneath their feet cracked under the tremendous force. In the next instant, the cracks spread out like a spiderweb as the two figures, glinting with the cold light of their blades, crashed together once more.

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze was frigid. The Spiritual Power and Sword Qi in his body surged. In that moment, his surrounding Sword Momentum swelled once again, and his Swordsmanship erupted with sudden ferocity.

Streams of black Sword Qi, as swift as the wind and as sharp as steel, burst from the edge of his blade. Each flash of the sword combined the speed of the Instant Kill Sword with the ferocity of the Nine Swords of Slaughter. In a single moment, he unleashed dozens of slashes.

Every slash was astonishingly powerful. The Sword Qi tore through the air, whistling as it flew toward his opponent with an unparalleled, razor-sharp might.

"Hm?"

Shangguan Tianjian could clearly feel the incredible speed and power of Yi Xiaoyao’s strikes. Facing this continuous barrage of magnificent Sword Qi, he didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent in the slightest. His expression turned grave as he, too, used his sword to parry and counterattack.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!...

A rapid series of metallic clashes rang out. The longswords in their hands moved like illusions, striking blow for blow. Two figures, one black and one white, flickered and teleported around the battlefield.

At the same time, the force of their attacks grew more and more ferocious as the battle intensified, their Sword Momentum arcing like a rainbow.

The crisp ring of swords echoed throughout the valley. Tyrannical and sharp Sword Qi continuously blasted out from between the two combatants, riddling the hard mountain walls with countless holes.

SWOOSH!

Amidst the repeated collisions, Shangguan Tianjian’s figure suddenly shot backward in retreat.

But how could Yi Xiaoyao let him catch his breath? A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as the power of his Bloodthirsty Sword surged. He brought his sword down in a fierce vertical slash, aimed right where Shangguan Tianjian was retreating.

Shangguan Tianjian’s pupils contracted. He forcefully dodged to the side, nimbly evading the strike.

Though the strike missed Shangguan Tianjian, its heaven-shaking power didn’t diminish in the slightest. It continued straight toward the mountain behind him.

CRACK!

The terrifying Sword Qi sliced directly into the towering mountain. A violent cracking sound echoed through the entire mountain range. Then, right along the Sword Mark left by the attack, the mountain abruptly split apart, forming a massive fissure.

The earth trembled violently, and even the ground high above the underground canyon shook.

The crowd watching the battle from the surface stared blankly at the scene, their minds reeling in shock.

What were they seeing?

’A massive, towering mountain range was just sliced in half by a single sword strike?’

One slash to split a mountain!

An attack of this magnitude was something only the equally astonished Nascent Soul Realm experts above could likely achieve.

But Yi Xiaoyao was only in the Golden Core Realm. To be precise, he was only at the Golden Core Fifth Layer.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: if he could do this now, what kind of world-destroying power would he possess when he truly reached the Nascent Soul Realm?

Shangguan Tianjian, of course, also saw this. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"It seems you really do have some skill." A hint of excitement, rather than fear, appeared on Shangguan Tianjian’s face.

Yi Xiaoyao pointed his sword at his opponent and snorted coldly. "More than enough to kill you."

"Hmph. I don’t know where you get this baseless confidence, but I can now confirm that you are indeed qualified to fight me."

An astonishing battle intent erupted from Shangguan Tianjian’s entire body. A grin spread across his lips as he said, "Next, I will shatter your confidence, one slash at a time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pointed his longsword to the sky. The surrounding Sword Momentum was instantly mobilized, gathering like a rising storm toward the golden longsword in Shangguan Tianjian’s hand.

In an instant, the longsword in Shangguan Tianjian’s hand became like a great rising sun, radiating a blinding golden light.

"Golden Gang Ascending Sun Radiance!"

Shangguan Tianjian roared, and the golden sword in his hand slashed out with furious might.

Yi Xiaoyao squinted against the dazzling light, then snorted and thrust out his palm.

"Heaven-Shattering Demon Flame Palm!"

The giant Flame palm swelled in the wind. This technique, which had already reached the high Earth Tier, was terrifyingly powerful. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a thousand-zhang-tall colossal flame, rumbling as it crushed down upon the Sword Aura that resembled a rising sun.

BOOM!

The giant Flame palm and the golden sun collided directly. A world-shaking explosion erupted overhead. The earth trembled madly before instantly collapsing.

In that instant, all the surrounding trees and boulders vanished, pulverized into dust by the explosion.

Between Yi Xiaoyao and Shangguan Tianjian, a circular crater hundreds of zhang in diameter appeared, as if a meteorite had struck the ground. At its deepest point, it was a full ten zhang deep.

Yi Xiaoyao and Shangguan Tianjian stood on opposite edges of the massive crater, their gazes and auras still locked in a fierce confrontation.

Seeing the sudden appearance of this massive crater, everyone in the audience couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

’First, he split a mountain range with one strike, and now the aftershock of an attack has blasted a crater hundreds of zhang wide into the earth?’

’Just what kind of power is this?’

"How is this possible! Are these two really only in the Golden Core Realm?"

Watching the commotion, everyone’s face turned pale with panic.

The Cultivators who were also in the Golden Core Realm found it especially unbelievable. Even if their own power were multiplied a hundredfold, they couldn’t possibly cause such devastation.

"These two guys... they’re complete monsters!"

Even the Nascent Soul Realm experts above couldn’t help but sigh with emotion as they watched the battle between these two prodigies.

Among these Nascent Soul Realm experts, aside from a few who had reached the realm long ago, the vast majority were in the initial stage. Even a battle to the death between experts of their level wouldn’t create such an astonishing spectacle.

It was obvious that this battle in the canyon had not only surpassed the level of the Golden Core Realm but had even exceeded that of the initial stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.

In the past, they would have been stunned by Shangguan Tianjian’s brilliance, marveling at his boundless future.

But now, whenever they remembered that Yi Xiaoyao was just an eighteen-year-old youth at the Golden Core Fifth Layer, a sense of profound dread welled up from their hearts.

To have such strength at his age and cultivation level...

Compared to Shangguan Tianjian, Yi Xiaoyao’s future was truly immeasurable!

...

(PS: The next update is scheduled for 8:30.)