Chapter 672 - 657: Clash of Powerhouses

No one had expected Tang Yiyi to strike the moment she said she would, and for her first move to be as ferocious as a raging storm!

Her speed was incredible, like a flash of white lightning.

Her Sword Techniques were exquisite. Ice crystals burst forth, coating the entire battle stage in a slick layer of ice.

Her Momentum was astonishing. She was one with her sword, as if she herself had become a sharp blade!

Meanwhile, the Demon Beast at her side—the one Tang Wenqing had mistaken for an Ice Soul Cold Python—caught Tang Wenqing completely off guard. It struck her Sea of Consciousness with a vicious blow, causing a searing pain to rip through her mind and slowing her movements considerably!

Sensing the imminent danger, Tang Wenqing immediately retreated without a second thought.

But Tang Yiyi was already charging, her entire being focused on her sword. She and the Demon Beast were in perfect sync; how could they possibly give her a chance to recover?

An incomparably sharp sword light, seemingly capable of piercing anything, cut through the air under Tang Yiyi’s control. Carrying a bone-chilling aura, it carved a path like a Space Rift as it descended upon Tang Wenqing’s head!

Tang Wenqing’s Sea of Consciousness was still in turmoil, her head throbbing with pain. Her movements were agonizingly slow.

Seeing the sharp blade coming down, she gripped her Longsword with both hands, raised it horizontally above her head, and made a passive block!

"CLANG!"

Dazzling sparks erupted where the two Longswords met. Tang Wenqing’s face paled, and her knees buckled as she retreated in a hurry.

Her feet plowed two long furrows into the ground, sending countless stones shooting to the sides.

"SHHIIING!"

The moment Tang Yiyi’s first strike landed, the second followed immediately.

She unleashed a dozen more strikes, a furious squall of steel, each faster than the last.

Piercing screeches tore through the air. Sword Qi crisscrossed the entire battle stage, forming a net of blades that completely enveloped Tang Wenqing.

Trapped beneath the Sword Momentum, Tang Wenqing dodged left and right, but for the moment, she was completely on the defensive!

Before meeting Shen Lang, Tang Yiyi’s Cultivation had already placed her among the top disciples of her generation in the Xiu Hua Sect, second only to Jun Qiluo.

However, her attacks relied mainly on Ice Techniques. While they often appeared overwhelmingly powerful, their force was too dispersed, making it difficult to land a decisive, killing blow.

After meeting Shen Lang, she fought a great battle with him on Songdu Peak.

In that battle, Shen Lang had used a Cloth Stick as a weapon. He wielded it like the waves of the sea, a perfect blend of hard and soft, and broke through Tang Yiyi’s ultimate technique, the "Sword Dragon Dance."

That battle had completely overturned Tang Yiyi’s understanding of combat.

"In a duel between experts, the precision of your control is even more important than the raw strength of your power."

That was something Shen Lang had told her at the time.

From that moment on, Tang Yiyi began to desperately study Shen Lang’s techniques and attacks.

And later, when Shen Lang offered her guidance, she secretly committed his every word to memory.

Although Tang Yiyi was as cold as ice and kept others at a distance—much to the chagrin of many male disciples of the Five Sects—she was ruthless. When Shen Lang had accidentally seen her bathing in a pool, she had tried to kill him on the spot without a shred of mercy.

But her exceptional talent was undeniable.

Shen Lang taught everyone how to control their power, but in the past half-year, only Tang Yiyi and Mo Ge had truly grasped some of the essence of his teachings.

Though she had only advanced from the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven to the Eighth Heaven, any ordinary expert at the Spirit Martial Realm Ninth Heaven who faced her would almost certainly meet a bitter end!

Now, holding the absolute advantage, Tang Yiyi focused her entire being on her sword, clearing her mind and steeling her will.

Every swing of her sword, though it looked effortless and lacked her previous tyrannical ferocity, was now condensed with all her power. It was wild as the wind, fierce as the waves, and impossible to block!

"CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!"

The relentless assault threw Tang Wenqing into a panic; she was completely overwhelmed!

Not only that, but the Demon Beast on the other side used the gaps in Tang Yiyi’s attacks to continuously spew icy air, coating the entire battle stage in a thick layer of ice crystals!

In this battle, Tang Yiyi had the complete upper hand, while the insufferably arrogant Tang Wenqing was being passively beaten, her situation dire!

The crowd in the surrounding stands watched with bated breath, their blood boiling with excitement.

Over with the Profound Dao Sect, Shen Lang sighed and said, "Her first move capitalized on her opponent misidentifying the Ice Evil Python, leading to a successful sneak attack. It’s a pity she was still too cautious and didn’t go all out."

"If she had gone all out, Tang Wenqing would already be defeated."

"Now that advantage is gone, and the golden opportunity has been lost. Tang Wenqing will probably start her counterattack soon. The real battle is only just beginning... This woman’s Cultivation is truly extraordinary. Even without using ’Feng Mo’, among all the Martial Artists below the Xuanwu Realm on Cangxia Mountain, no more than four could defeat her."

"This Ice Evil Python’s Talent Ability is a bit weak. After being used once, it probably has a cooldown of over three minutes and can’t be fired consecutively. It’s far, far worse than the Evil Eye Lord."

"That’s why the Evil Eye Lord is one of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, while the Ice Soul Cold Python is looked down upon."

The Ice Evil Python Shen Lang mentioned was the very same serpent Demon Beast that Tang Wenqing had mistaken for an Ice Soul Cold Python.

The two types of Demon Beasts were indeed extremely similar, and both were Ice Cold Pythons.

In terms of ice-based power, the Ice Soul Cold Python was far stronger than the Ice Evil Python currently on the battle stage.

However, the Ice Evil Python’s Talent Ability wasn’t ice at all—it was a Divine Thought attack!

The Sharp Horn on the Ice Evil Python’s head could emit a ray of Divine Thought, concentrated into a needle, to bombard an enemy’s Sea of Consciousness.

And it was precisely this kind of attack that had thrown Tang Wenqing into disarray and landed her in her current predicament!

But when the people around them heard Shen Lang sigh like this, everyone except for the experts at the Xuanwu Realm and above was stunned for a moment.

Tang Yiyi clearly had the absolute advantage, so why did Shen Lang say "that advantage is gone"?

Besides, Tang Yiyi’s previous attacks seemed to be at full power already, more than twice as strong as when she was back at the Profound Dao Sect.

So how could Shen Lang say she wasn’t using her full strength?

Just as everyone was still reeling from his words, they saw Tang Wenqing on the battle stage let out a cackling laugh!

Yellow sand appeared from nowhere, suddenly swirling around Tang Wenqing like a hurricane!

Tang Yiyi’s Sword Techniques were completely blocked by the sand. The pulling force it generated even caused her footwork to falter slightly!

The next moment, the yellow sand spinning rapidly around Tang Wenqing suddenly sank into the ground!

And Tang Wenqing vanished completely!

Tang Yiyi’s expression changed. She spun around, protecting her entire body with a crisscrossing web of Sword Qi.

Her gaze swept rapidly across the battle stage, and her Divine Thought radiated outwards to cover the entire area, but she still couldn’t find any trace of Tang Wenqing!

The golden opportunity was well and truly lost!

Now, she had to wait for Tang Wenqing’s counterattack!

Just then, Shen Lang’s voice suddenly transmitted from the stands: "If your Divine Thought can’t sense her, then use your heart to sense her."

"Since you’ve already comprehended Sword Intent, why are you holding back? When your first strike succeeded, if you had fused your Sword Intent into your Sword Techniques, you would have already shattered her defense and severely wounded her."

"Use yourself as the center point and radiate your Sword Intent outwards. Rely on your Sword Momentum to feel the fluctuations of Primordial Qi in the world around you."

"She cultivates an Earth Element Technique, but any technique, when used, will create Energy fluctuations, whether large or small."

"Now that you’ve comprehended Sword Intent, you should start comprehending your Sword Momentum. Use your Sword Momentum to connect with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."

"Once you have a certain understanding of ’Momentum’, even if your Divine Thought can’t perceive something, you will know everything that happens around you like the back of your hand."

"You’ll even be able to use your comprehension of ’Momentum’ to naturally deduce your enemy’s next technique, their next move, just from their actions."

Shen Lang’s words slowly echoed in Tang Yiyi’s mind.

Tang Yiyi still held a grudge against Shen Lang for seeing her bathe, even though no one else knew about it.

She also couldn’t get over the time Shen Lang had defeated her so decisively in front of everyone on Songdu Peak. To most people, losing to someone like Shen Lang was perfectly normal and not the least bit shameful, but she still couldn’t let it go.

But when it came to Shen Lang’s guidance, Tang Yiyi had no doubts.

With a single thought, the aura of the once ice-cold Tang Yiyi changed in an instant!

In the eyes of the crowd, Tang Yiyi, who had been like a block of thousand-year-old ice, seemed to transform into a sharp sword!

An indestructible sword!

A Sword Intent, invisible to the naked eye, radiated from her body, spreading across the entire battle stage.

Though Tang Yiyi’s eyes were open, they held a vacant look...

"To the left, three meters away!"

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in Tang Yiyi’s eyes!

"Han Yue, kill!"

Following Tang Yiyi’s sharp cry, the Ice Evil Python beside her, which had been flicking its forked tongue, shot out like a bolt of lightning!

Its massive tail cracked like a whip, creating a sonic boom as it viciously slammed down on the spot three meters to Tang Yiyi’s left!

Human and python were connected by their Divine Souls, their minds linked as one. Their coordination was flawless!

"BOOM!"

A tremendous roar echoed as the Ice Evil Python’s tail smashed a huge crater into the hard ground. Amidst the flying rubble, clouds of yellow sand erupted!

The power of a Sixth Level Demon Beast was truly terrifying!

"Hmph, to think you could find my hiding spot. I guess hide-and-seek is off the table. You’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve, little sister!"

Before the shocked eyes of the crowd, a dark figure shot straight out of the ground.

Contrary to what many expected, Tang Yiyi didn’t press the attack. She just stood quietly in place, watching Tang Wenqing with a cold gaze.

Her face was expressionless as she said coldly, "You’ll find out soon enough if it’s just ’a few tricks’."

"Hehehe, such a feisty girl, can’t even give me an inch in a war of words... By the way, what exactly is that Demon Beast of yours? It has some brute strength, I’ll give it that. It even shattered my Protective Yellow Sand. And that Divine Thought attack earlier really made me suffer a big loss!" Tang Wenqing cackled.

The moment the words left her mouth, Tang Wenqing’s expression suddenly changed. "Huh? Such powerful Sword Intent! So you were accumulating Sword Intent!"

Tang Wenqing was right. Tang Yiyi hadn’t pressed the attack because she was indeed gathering her Sword Intent!

Having only just comprehended Sword Intent, Tang Yiyi was nowhere near as adept at controlling it as Shen Lang had been with his Sword Intent. She could only use this opportunity to condense her Sword Intent and focus it into her blade.

"Soughing Autumn Wind Stirs Wild Waves!"

With a soft cry, Tang Yiyi’s Soft Sword danced, carrying an unrivaled Sword Intent as it swept towards Tang Wenqing!