Chapter 898: Chapter 897 No One in the Central Plain_1
King Huan sprang to his feet, his complexion undergoing a swift change. The sword was already sheathed, yet a flash of astonishing and chilling sword light still flickered before his eyes.
Princess Miaoyan gripped an exquisite pastry in her hand, bringing it halfway to her lips, but her movement froze at that moment. Her beautiful eyes emitted a dazzling and profound light, brightening up the entire room.
"Brother, his strength must have reached the level of two hundred men slain. In the entire imperial palace, such experts won’t exceed twenty," she said.
King Huan nodded mechanically, his fists quietly clenching.
The status of an Invincible Earth Immortal was indeed weighty, but in Sky City, it was not as significant as two hundred men slain, because even the Invincible Earth Immortal might not possess such strength.
This Shi Xiaole, time and time again, had refreshed the outsiders’ recognition of him. If he could be won over, it would be like holding the sword that could conquer the heavens, making many actions in the future easily accomplished.
"This strong?"
Du Ziyan inhaled a cold breath.
That day, when she heard Mei Junyi speak of the might of a single sword, she had fantasized about it many times over, but it still couldn’t compare to the shock of witnessing it with her own eyes.
A whiff of fragrance that could quicken one’s blood wafted slowly towards her.
Without turning her head, Du Ziyan simply said, "Junyi, have you made your choice?"
The newcomer was clad in a white gown, tall and voluptuous, standing there enchanting, even a curving arc at her waist could spark flames deep in a man’s heart. Her porcelain-like skin shone brightly, making one marvel at the creator’s particular favor towards her.
"Any of them, aren’t they all the same?"
It was unbelievable to Du Ziyan that such words of self-abandonment could come from Mei Junyi’s mouth. Yet while speaking, her expression was still as cold as time itself, compelling a sense of pity.
"Sometimes I truly despise this body, but without it, I probably wouldn’t have caught the eye of the Great Dragon Head, and would have long since died in some unknown place," Mei Junyi mused to herself.
Unnoticed by Du Ziyan, within her seemingly lustrous, seductive eyes flashed an unnamable look, almost bordering on madness.
"You’re lost in your delusion. When Brother returns, he won’t let you off," the red-armed gunman staggered to his feet. The shock on his face had not faded, and despite the loss, his tone remained strong.
The others, including Feng Guoting, were all pale as if in mourning. They were elites from Jixia Martial Academy, whose reputations in the Martial World were not prominent due to their identities. Aggrieved, they tended to look down upon the inhabitants of the Martial World.
But that sword strike a moment ago had thoroughly awakened them to the realization of what being the number one person in the Divine Barrier Realm meant, and what being without equal in the world entailed.
The Kirin could have killed them all with a single move.
A silent moment fell over the street. Whether it was those watching in secret or the disciples of Jixia Martial Academy who had come along, all were dumbfounded, not daring to make the slightest sound. Their previous bluster now seemed as laughable as a surreal dream.
Your elder remains your elder, and as it turns out, the Kirin is still as domineering as ever, no matter where.
Shi Xiaole shook his head internally.
The threat posed by the Six Righteous Assembly, he simply did not take it to heart, even if it was General Shentu who personally came he would not fear.
Because there was really nothing between him and Mei Junyi.
With less than two months left to Shi Xiaole, he had pondered over it and realized it was impossible to make Mei Junyi develop affection for him, and he did not wish to use her either.
Therefore, these past few days, he had been adjusting his relationship with Mei Junyi, leaning more towards friendship, and without leaving traces, had subtly probed about Gui Nanyan’s matters and indeed made some gains.
At this critical juncture, no one should try to stop him.
...
In Sky City, within a dilapidated temple, two figures stood facing each other.
The surrounding air currents surged like whirlpools, utterly disordered, indicating that the two had been fighting for quite some time. Their energies soared rapidly, solidifying into chunks, while the temple’s straw was shredded and the broken pillars in the corner trembled slightly.
Between them, an invisible force gathered, awaiting the earth-shattering final strike.
"I have one last move to request your guidance," the man on the right, who donned a white headband and wore a loose Japanese kimono, brandished the strange longsword in his hand. Its blade reflected the sunlight, seemingly merging into one. With a slash, the light surged like magma bursting forth, and sword energy filled the air.
"Divine Heavenly Slash!"
The sword wielder on the left, dressed like a Central Plain native, furrowed his brows and swung his own sword.
Crackle and pop!
With the explosive sounds, the sword energy shattered like glass, scoring inch-deep fragmented marks on the green stone slabs below them.
"A Sword Separates Worlds, kill!"
The Central Plain swordsman suddenly accelerated. Countless phantoms pushed his body forward, passing through the body of the Japanese swordsman. The Japanese warriors behind him, upon seeing this, hastily drew their swords.
"Secret Sword Style, Water-like Mirror!"
The Japanese swordsman, now split in two, suddenly fused back together like a smoothed-over reflection in the water. Not until now did the sound begin to slowly emerge, as he sheathed his sword.
Spurt!
Six yards away, the Central Plain swordsman suddenly spat blood towards the sky, his head rolling off, leaving a cut as smooth as a mirror.
"Master!"
A loud cry rang out as several young men rushed to the corpse, their eyes red and bodies trembling with a blend of hate and rage as they stared at the Japanese swordsman.
A few Japanese warriors let out a cruel chuckle, ready to take action, but were stopped by a wave of the swordsman’s hand, "I came to the Flying Horse Dynasty to challenge the heroes of the world, to meet the heroes of the Central Plain, to determine victory and defeat, and to decide life and death, but calamity should not befall family and friends. Remember, if I fall in battle, you must not seek revenge."
"Yes, Young Master!"
The Japanese warriors bowed their fists, not daring to express any dissent.
"Don’t leave, leave your name, one day I will avenge my master and wash away this humiliation!"
As the group of Japanese departed, a strapping young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes by the corpse shouted angrily.
"I am Fujiki Naotsugu, and I welcome your challenge at any time."
As his voice fell, the man had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only bloodstains on the earth, and in the distance, a solitary sun was about to set.
"Little junior brother, our master was ranked fifth on the Earth Immortal list, had resided in Sky City for twenty years, and was half a step into the Void Origin Realm. Moreover, his swordsmanship had advanced a step further, but he still was no match for this man. You must not act rashly."
Another composed middle-aged man said, suppressing his grief.
What he didn’t say was that Fujiki Naotsugu had two swords at his waist, but only used one during the fight. He didn’t believe the other sword was merely for show.
But to say such things would be too cruel to his little junior brother.
"No matter who he is, whether he is the Void Origin Sword Emperor or not, if he can walk out of Sky City alive, I swear I will have my revenge!"
The youthful man spoke with determination.
The few shared a look.
Fujiki Naotsugu had proclaimed his intent to challenge all the heroes of the Central Plain, and as far as they knew, aside from the Void Origin Martial Emperors who were prevented from interfering due to rules, there were still several old monsters within Sky City who had reached Half-step Void Origin and were even more skilled than their master. Perhaps they could defeat him.
The fifth-ranked Earth Immortal, ’A Sword Separates Worlds’ Wang Weiguo, was killed.
As soon as the news broke, it swept through Sky City and beyond, quickly reaching the surrounding major cities.
Even more shocking to the Martial World was that, according to several disciples of Wang Weiguo, the killer was a guest from Japan, a swordsman whose skills were at the pinnacle of perfection, so profound that even Wang Weiguo lasted fewer than two hundred moves against him.
That day, Fujiki Naotsugu’s bold declaration to challenge the Central Plain was widely promoted, and the Martial World was deeply shaken.
Trouble followed trouble.
Just as people were still immersed in the shock of this battle, another earth-shattering news spread.
The Snow Mountain Eccentric was split in two with a single stroke in the secluded forest of the eastern market.
Three hundred years ago, an odd man emerged from the endless Snow Mountains, with a natural divine strength capable of uprooting mountains with a single hand. One night, he fought eighteen peak Earth Immortals in succession, a terrifying feat.
Many later speculated that among those eighteen peak Earth Immortals, at least five were Invincible Earth Immortals. Yet even such a force could not withstand the Snow Mountain Eccentric’s palms.
Three hundred years passed in a flash, and no one would have thought that such a haughty figure of the Martial World would choose to lie low in Sky City, and even less so that the day he re-emerged would mark his farewell to the Martial World.
Witnesses claimed that the Snow Mountain Eccentric had unleashed an aura that had reached the Half-step Void Origin Realm, powerful enough to be considered invincible below the Void Origin Realm. Yet still, he fell to the sword of Fujiki Naotsugu.
"In the Japanese Martial World, the Fujiki stand supreme. This family not only leads the martial scene but also holds the lifeline of the Japanese royal family. Their descendants are also remarkably distinguished. It is said that the second son, Fujiki Naoaki, is a prodigy in both the sword and the sword art, and he entered Rainbow Island in the West Sea several years ago, his whereabouts unknown ever since. The eldest son is this Fujiki Naotsugu, who at the age of fifty-nine has reached Half-step Void Origin, a true genius!"
In a matter of days, basic information about Fujiki Naotsugu spread throughout the Martial World, and everyone marveled.
"Hmph, what’s so great about being Half-step Void Origin at fifty-nine? If he’s so strong, let him challenge the Young Dragon."
Some people were unconvinced.
"The Young Dragon is already a Void Origin Sword Emperor, transcending the mortal world, and by the rules of the Golden Abyss Covenant, he cannot take action."
If possible, nobody would want a Japanese to swagger around the Central Plain, slaying the elites of the Central Plain’s martial community, but the Martial World has its own rules.
The destructive power of a Void Origin Martial Emperor is too great; wanton action by one could throw the world into chaos, and nobody could set such a precedent.
Over the course of a few days, through word of mouth and the information dissemination of the Divine Strategy Academy, Fujiki Naotsugu’s name had already been heard throughout the Flying Horse Dynasty.
It was said that several reclusive experts and remarkable hermits had received the news and were making their way to Sky City. The entire Martial World awaited someone to step forward and defend the dignity of the Central Plain martial community.
In the midst of this, a third Half-step Void Origin Expert fell to the sword of Fujiki Naoaki.
This time it was a dwarf-like unnamed master, but many said his abilities surpassed even the Snow Mountain Eccentric’s.
"Where are the heroes of the Central Plain? Fujiki’s servants await with swords, to settle victories and deaths, merely seeking to stain their swords with blood, not dishonoring the warrior’s name, in life or in death."
On that day, Fujiki Naotsugu issued such a declaration.
The Flying Horse Dynasty trembled.
Too arrogant, too reckless—disregarding the Central Plain’s martial community as nothing, his seemingly serene words carried contempt and mockery for the experts of the Central Plain.
Nobody from the Central Plain!
That was the underlying meaning of Fujiki Naotsugu’s words.
Against such a backdrop, an army of twenty thousand in black armor, armed with sharp spears, even their steeds clad in full iron tread armor, strode mightily toward Sky City.
In the middle, a pale-faced man with an aggressive aura—even his pores seemed to exude a metallic bloodiness—looked ahead, the corners of his mouth displaying a cold curve.
