Chapter 222 An Utter Rout

Chapter 222: Chapter 207: An Utter Rout

Body Shifting Technique.

One of the Liuyun Sword Sect’s most supreme Body Techniques below the Innate Realm, it was a simplified version derived from an Innate Realm Body Technique.

Although its power was reduced after simplification, it remained a top-tier technique at the Refining Organ Realm level.

This Body Technique was indispensable for Zhao Jiuchu to hold his position as second on the Sword Heart Ranking.

When he fully unleashed the Body Shifting Technique, the vast majority of peak Refining Organ Realm Martial Artists couldn’t discern the location of his true body for a short period.

Even if someone managed to identify his real form, they couldn’t possibly keep up with his movement speed.

This was the source of Zhao Jiuchu’s confidence.

He knew he was no match for Chen Yue in a head-on clash, but he was fairly confident that as long as he avoided a direct confrontation, the sophistication of his Body Shifting Technique would see him through.

However, faced with the tide of afterimages flooding his vision, Chen Yue’s gaze was as calm as still water.

His eyes didn’t linger on the afterimages for even a moment. From the instant Zhao Jiuchu activated the technique, his Heart Spirit had already locked firmly onto his opponent’s true body.

The next instant, Chen Yue vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was standing directly in front of Zhao Jiuchu’s true body, perfectly cutting off his next path of movement.

Zhao Jiuchu’s heart lurched in shock!

He had never imagined that Chen Yue could see through his Body Shifting Technique so easily and intercept him in such a manner.

Zhao Jiuchu had no time to ponder how Chen Yue had done it. His body’s instincts reacted before his mind could, pushing the Body Shifting Technique to its absolute limit. His figure shot backward like a willow catkin carried by the wind.

’I can’t fight him head-on.’ From the very beginning, his plan had been clear: tie him down, wear him out, and create an opportunity for He Linxi.

But as fast as he retreated, Chen Yue pursued even faster.

One step.

Chen Yue’s body clung to Zhao Jiuchu’s retreating path, advancing in perfect sync. The distance between them, instead of widening, shrank from an initial ten feet to less than five in an instant!

A storm raged in Zhao Jiuchu’s heart. He had never expected Chen Yue’s Body Technique to be this refined.

During Chen Yue’s fight with Guan Duhai, he had shown a glimpse of his footwork, but from Zhao Jiuchu’s perspective, it was merely impressive, nowhere near the level required to catch him.

Besides, Chen Yue had broken through to the Refining Organ Realm less than a month ago. His strength was already unbelievable; logically, he shouldn’t have had the time or energy to raise every aspect of his skills to the highest level.

’But the Body Technique Chen Yue is displaying right now... is even better than mine?’

It wasn’t just Zhao Jiuchu who was shocked. On the Observation Platform, the Elders of both sects watched this unfold, their gazes flickering with astonishment.

They too had never imagined Chen Yue’s Body Technique could be this powerful.

Even with the Wenda Corridor accelerating the cultivation speed of his techniques, Chen Yue’s rate of progress was simply too incredible to believe.

On the Martial Arts Arena, Zhao Jiuchu no longer had the luxury of thought.

Chen Yue’s pursuit was too fast, so fast that he had no time to organize an attack or create distance.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, his five-foot-long Soft Sword whipped through the air like a silver snake, tracing a bizarre arc as it lashed toward Chen Yue’s ribs from an exceedingly tricky angle.

This strike wasn’t meant to injure, only to force Chen Yue back and buy himself a moment to breathe.

However, Chen Yue’s reaction was faster.

The Jinghong Saber in his hand swung down in a single, unadorned chop!

TINK!

An extremely light clash of metal rang out.

Zhao Jiuchu had put little power into his strike, and combined with the unique properties of the Soft Sword, the blade bent like a supple snake upon contact with the Jinghong Saber, deflecting the force and recoiling almost instantly.

He even cleverly used the power from Chen Yue’s chop to propel himself backward at an even greater speed.

Chen Yue watched Zhao Jiuchu use his force to retreat, his eyes narrowing slightly.

’This Body Technique of his is somewhat similar to the Willow Catkin Following the Wind Step I’ve seen before. Both focus on borrowing and redirecting force, using softness to overcome hardness.’

Moreover, Zhao Jiuchu’s technique contained a layer of illusion, blending the real with the unreal, making it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Paired with his unpredictable Soft Sword, an ordinary Refining Organ Realm Martial Artist would likely be cut down by its tricky strikes before they could even touch the corner of his robes.

’Second on the Sword Heart Ranking. He certainly lives up to the title.’

But against Chen Yue, a Body Technique like this was still not enough!

The grade of the Violent Star Soaring Void Step was a notch higher than even the Pan Yuan Infinite Skill, just a hair’s breadth away from the Innate Level.

Chen Yue stomped his right foot hard on the ground!

BOOM!

The greenstone floor beneath him instantly fractured, sending shards of rock flying. Harnessing the explosive rebound, Chen Yue’s figure instantly caught up to the retreating Zhao Jiuchu.

The distance between them closed once again.

Chen Yue raised the Jinghong Saber high, the sharp Saber Intent emanating from the blade threatening to split the very sky.

The next instant, the Jinghong Saber came crashing down!

Zhao Jiuchu watched Chen Yue close the distance in a flash, his eyes widening involuntarily.

’What kind of Body Technique is this? Does the Panshi Sect even have a technique this fast?’

But he had no time to think. Chen Yue’s blade was nearly upon him, the piercing Saber Intent like a tangible, icy wind. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the Soft Sword in his hand went taut like a startled silver snake and lashed out with all his might.

This time, he couldn’t afford to borrow force and retreat again.

There was a limit to how much force his Body Technique could borrow. In such a short time, the power he had redirected from Chen Yue’s blade hadn’t fully dissipated from his body.

If he tried to forcibly borrow force again, his own meridians would be damaged by the chaotic energy, which would severely hinder his movements.

Thunderous Waves Sword Technique, pushed to its limit!

Zhao Jiuchu also cultivated the Thunderous Waves Sword Technique, but his style was completely different from Guan Duhai’s.

Guan Duhai’s Thunderous Waves Sword Technique was direct and ferocious like a tsunami, seeking to crush opponents with absolute power.

Zhao Jiuchu’s version, however, when combined with his five-foot Soft Sword, manifested as endless, overlapping layers of fine waves.

Before one wave could recede, a second followed, then a third, a fourth... layer upon layer, they ultimately formed an overwhelming torrent of sword waves.

CLANG!

A deafening clash of metal exploded across the Martial Arts Arena!

A violent shockwave of air swept out in all directions like a physical blast, sending the rubble on the ground flying!

Zhao Jiuchu’s layered sword waves were brutally cut apart by Chen Yue’s meteor-like strike before they could even reach their peak.

The Soft Sword in his hand was knocked back by a brutally unreasonable force, and the layers of Sword Aura coating its blade instantly shattered and dispersed!

Zhao Jiuchu was horrified. He tried to channel his Power and make the deflected Soft Sword curve in mid-air to strike at Chen Yue again.

This was an instinctive technique he had honed over many years of practicing with the Soft Sword. The weapon’s advantage lay in its unpredictability; even when parried, it could change direction in an instant to attack again from an unexpected angle.

But this time, his well-practiced technique failed.

The power contained in Chen Yue’s strike was too immense. It blasted right through the Power he had infused into his Soft Sword, making it impossible for him to execute a maneuver he could normally perform with ease.

Zhao Jiuchu’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Without any hesitation, he instantly activated the Secret Technique within him: Sword Waterfall!

As the second-ranked on the Sword Heart Ranking, Zhao Jiuchu had naturally also mastered this ultimate Life-or-Death Secret Technique of the Liuyun Sword Sect.

At this moment, the Power within him, which had been thrown into chaos by Chen Yue’s attack, was forcibly reconnected by the Sword Waterfall Secret Technique. A violent surge of energy erupted from his Dantian and poured into his right hand holding the sword.

He gripped the Soft Sword tightly, wrenching it back under his control!

The blade traced a silvery-white arc through the air, and immediately after, layer upon layer of Sword Aura once again formed a water curtain-like defense in front of him.

Zhao Jiuchu no longer held any hope of defeating Chen Yue. He didn’t even dare to think about prolonging the fight.

Those few short exchanges had made him truly understand the terrifying pressure Guan Duhai must have faced against Chen Yue.

It wasn’t a duel between equals. Chen Yue’s strength, speed, Body Technique, and Saber Intent—every single aspect had reached the pinnacle of the Refining Organ Realm, and perhaps even faintly surpassed it.

His only thought now was to use the power boost from the Sword Waterfall Secret Technique to defend against this one attack.

Chen Yue looked at the layered defense of sword waves before him, and without the slightest pause, thrust the Jinghong Saber straight forward.

This thrust had no fancy techniques. It was simply the most direct, most ferocious method, concentrating all his power onto the tip of the blade and brutally stabbing into the torrent of sword waves.

RRRIP!

A piercing, tearing sound erupted!

Chen Yue’s saber tip tore through the first layer of Zhao Jiuchu’s Sword Aura defense as if it were bamboo! Then the second! The third! The fourth!

Chen Yue’s right hand flipped, his wrist twisting sharply!

Inside the sword waves, the Jinghong Saber began to spin violently!

Stirred by Chen Yue’s immense power, the torrent of sword waves was instantly shattered. The defense Zhao Jiuchu had painstakingly erected was brutally ripped apart in this completely unreasonable fashion.

A violent backlash surged up the Soft Sword and slammed into Zhao Jiuchu’s entire right arm.

Even with the power of the Sword Waterfall Secret Technique, he couldn’t suppress the impact, which felt like a flash flood. Zhao Jiuchu felt a sharp pain in his right arm as the web of his thumb split open, gushing blood.

He let out a muffled groan as a spray of blood mist escaped his lips. Losing control of his body, he staggered backward.

Chen Yue’s figure stuck to him like a shadow.

Horror filled Zhao Jiuchu’s expression. He instinctively tried to whip his Soft Sword at Chen Yue in a last-ditch effort to resist.

But before Chen Yue, his movements were far too slow.

He had just raised his hand when Chen Yue’s saber was already chopping down!

CLANG!

Another explosive sound rang out!

The web of Zhao Jiuchu’s right thumb completely burst, splattering blood everywhere!

He could no longer hold the Soft Sword that had been with him for so many years, and it flew from his grasp.

Immediately after, Chen Yue followed through with a kick to Zhao Jiuchu’s chest.

CRACK!

The crisp sound of cracking bone echoed clearly across the entire Martial Arts Arena.

A visible depression appeared in Zhao Jiuchu’s sternum.

The immense force sent him flying backward. He cut an arc through the air before slamming heavily onto the ground, tumbling wildly and leaving a long trail of blood in his wake.

He didn’t stop until he crashed into the stone steps at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena.

Zhao Jiuchu struggled, propping himself up on trembling arms as he desperately tried to stand.

But he only made it halfway up before he coughed up another mouthful of blood, staggered, and collapsed weakly back onto the ground.

He lifted his head and stared at the figure in green in the center of the arena, his chest heaving violently, his face as white as paper.

Only a Refining Organ Realm Martial Artist’s abundant Life Force could withstand such a heavy blow. Any Martial Artist below the Refining Organ Realm would have died on the spot from such grievous injuries.

But even so, Zhao Jiuchu was now a spent force, having completely lost the ability to fight.

Around the Martial Arts Arena, there was dead silence.