Chapter 451 - 231: Crystal (4)

Chapter 451: Chapter 231: Crystal (4)

However, that Sanqing True Talisman was a Protective Treasure given by the second-greatest Grandmaster in the world to his Closed-door Disciple. If it couldn’t even crack the Water-Stabilizing Pearl, it would have been rather unimpressive.

Xie Yuan gave a thumbs-up to Zhang Junyi as he rushed over.

"Daoist, that was amazing!"

"My master is the one who’s truly amazing."

Zhang Junyi shook his head, not taking the credit.

He looked at Qian Yangsheng and let out a loud laugh.

"Qian! I told you not to use the Water-Stabilizing Pearl, but you wouldn’t listen. Since you’ve chosen not to be graceful, I’ll have to do the honors for you!"

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’If our opponent still had the Water-Stabilizing Pearl, we probably wouldn’t be a match for him in this lake, even if Huie Jue joined us.’

Qian Yangsheng clenched his jaw, then let out a long breath.

He slowly drew his Long Sword, his expression growing calm and indifferent.

"So be it. What does it matter if I don’t have the Water-Stabilizing Pearl? Did you really think the two of you, a couple of Second Transformation Realm cultivators, could actually defeat me?"

’Yao Yilong is old and decrepit, and he wasn’t particularly strong even in his youth.’

’Do they think they’re invincible just because they chased off the remnants of the Yao family, who were barely clinging to life?’

Qian Yangsheng stood suspended in the lake water. He pointed his Long Sword forward and suddenly charged.

Xie Yuan and Zhang Junyi exchanged a look and, with practiced coordination, split to the left and right.

Both were prodigies who had fought together once before. They knew how to coordinate without a word.

Seeing them separate, Qian Yangsheng sneered and charged unhesitatingly toward Xie Yuan on the left, shouting:

"You dare to split up? Die!"

’That damn Daoist is the one who made you lose your Water-Stabilizing Pearl, so why are you coming at me all pissed off?’ Xie Yuan cursed internally.

’What a classic bully, picking on the one who doesn’t have a Grandmaster backing him up.’

A dark light flashed in Xie Yuan’s eyes, and he suddenly vanished from the water.

Qian Yangsheng watched as Xie Yuan seemed to melt into the current and disappear again. Although he could faintly sense Xie Yuan swimming away from the disturbance in the water, he no longer had the Water-Stabilizing Pearl. He couldn’t accurately track Xie Yuan’s movements and quickly lost all trace of him amidst the churning currents.

His gaze hardened. Just as he was about to turn and search, a powerful current rushed him from behind. Zhang Junyi had arrived.

Qian Yangsheng spun around, swinging his Long Sword to block Zhang Junyi’s Peach Wood Sword.

A tremor ran through Zhang Junyi. The immense force of the blow sent him hurtling backward uncontrollably. He had to kick against the water several times to stop his momentum.

Unlike on land, there was nothing to brace against underwater. When there was a large disparity in strength, it was difficult for the weaker party to maintain their stability.

Qian Yangsheng snorted coldly.

"Is that all you’ve got!"

Zhang Junyi scoffed.

"You’re so smug for someone with nothing but a high cultivation level!"

He swung his Peach Wood Sword, and a water dragon shot fiercely toward Qian Yangsheng. Daoist arts follow the course of nature. While Qian Yangsheng had lost his Water-Stabilizing Pearl, Zhang Junyi’s own Cultivation Technique allowed him to harness the natural environment.

Qian Yangsheng’s expression darkened. Just as he was about to raise his Long Sword to shatter the water dragon, he suddenly felt a subtle fluctuation in the current behind him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He instinctively spun around, extending his Long Sword just in time to block Xie Yuan’s axe. A massive shock ran through him, and this time, it was his turn to be sent flying.

As he flew toward Zhang Junyi’s water dragon, Qian Yangsheng let out a sharp cry. With a dazzling blur of kicks, he instantly shifted his position in the water and brushed past the dragon. His leg was only grazed, but blood immediately began to seep from the wound.

He grunted, not expecting the water dragon to be so powerful. Just as he prepared to defend against Zhang Junyi’s next attack, he saw Xie Yuan pressing his advantage and charging in for the kill.

Qian Yangsheng’s face was grim. He raised his Long Sword to meet the descending axe, but halfway through the motion, he saw the axe bizarrely stretch and thin out.

He thought for a moment that the water was distorting his vision, but in that instant of hesitation, the axe transformed into a Long Sword. Amidst the hazy light and bubbles, it suddenly thrust straight for his chest!

’What the hell is that thing?’

Qian Yangsheng’s expression changed dramatically. In his haste, he had no time to pull back his sword. Gritting his teeth, he could only continue to thrust his Long Sword toward Xie Yuan, as if intending to take them both down together.

Xie Yuan paid him no mind and continued his thrust. Just as his Long Sword was about to pierce Qian Yangsheng’s heart, it seemed to hit a gaseous shield. A white light flashed, and the full force of his Cloud Dragon Nine Styles attack was deflected by an invisible power. A shattering sound rang out—it seemed to be a Protective Treasure.

’Looks like this guy’s status isn’t low... With his cultivation at his age, I guess that’s not surprising.’

A glint in his eye, Xie Yuan took a light step, stirring the current. His body glided gracefully aside, nimbly dodging Qian Yangsheng’s desperate, all-or-nothing strike.

With his Sword Heart active, Xie Yuan would never have risked his life against Qian Yangsheng if he hadn’t been confident he could dodge the counterattack.

Under the influence of this unique ability, which stood at the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, any opponent who used a sword would find themselves constrained at every turn, even if their cultivation was higher than his.

Most people in the martial world used sabers, but the great, established families had a fondness for swords.

The sword: king of weapons, symbol of royalty. It was the weapon most beloved by the disciples of the great clans.

And Xie Yuan appreciated this trend. As a member of the Sword Sect, his only wish was for everyone in the world to love swords, so the Sword Dao could flourish...

’It was definitely not because he had seen every kind of Swordsmanship and could counter any Swordsman.’

Qian Yangsheng realized his strike had missed, which destabilized his posture. A cold light flashed in his opponent’s eyes, and another sword strike, swift as lightning, lunged at him.

He tried to pull his sword back to defend, but movement in the water wasn’t like on the shore, and his actions felt sluggish. Furthermore, Xie Yuan’s Swordsmanship was like mist and clouds—ethereal and unpredictable, its true intent impossible to grasp. In the blink of an eye, the sword was like a divine dragon emerging from the clouds, stabbing at his heart once more.

’Let’s see how many Protective Treasures you have. How does your fortune compare to Situ Qin’s?’