Chapter 903: 902
Fujiki Naotsugu’s pupils kept contracting, for the first time in his life, he felt an intense sense of disbelief. This was something he used to impart to his opponents.
So much so that his thinking paused for a moment, had Shi Xiaole seized the opportunity to strike, not even gods or ghosts could have saved him.
"Are you really one of the Terrestrial Immortals?"
Fujiki Naotsugu’s Central Plain speech was never standard, and it was now even more disorganized.
"What do you think?"
Shi Xiaole turned around slowly, resembling a dramatic flashback in a play. In that instant, people nearly had their vision dazzled, feeling that all the stars in the sky couldn’t compare to the brilliance of the young man in green by a fraction.
"Good, very good, Mister Shi, after coming to the Central Plain, you are the first true opponent I have met, and I can finally engage in a battle to my heart’s content."
Just now he had indeed been at a disadvantage, but Fujiki Naotsugu was very clear that this was because he had not given it his all. Only such an opponent could stimulate his nerves and make him enjoy the thrill of battle.
With his long sword in hand, Fujiki Naotsugu gripped it tightly with both hands, his spirit and sword merging into one, swinging a fast and fierce strike. Not only that, but his body also bizarrely leaned forward, taking advantage of the sword’s momentum, forming a shadow that invaded the sword’s light.
"Mighty and Unreal Sword Skill, the young master has finally gotten serious; that kid won’t last much longer," said the Great Upright Lord, his fists tightly clenched and veins throbbing on the surface.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Numerous sword shadows surrounded Shi Xiaole with layers upon layers of attacks, containing an extremely terrifying burst of power. If not for the restraint of the Sky City formation, an area within a radius of ten thousand meters would have become a sea of swords, with nothing left unslain.
Responding to Fujiki Naotsugu was a kaleidoscope of Sword Qi.
Real illusion, solid and void, no one could tell the difference, only knowing that the Sword Qi waves kept canceling out the sword energy, and at the very center, a point of sword light penetrated everything, a long rainbow across the sky.
Wind Tribulation Sword Technique, third form, Wind Fury.
Although the Sky City formation restrained the destructive power of the martial artists, it did not limit their realms, so the corresponding martial arts could still be used.
Boom, boom, boom!
Under the impact of the sword and saber, even the moonlight shattered.
Thump, thump, thump.
Fujiki Naotsugu’s wooden clogs scraped the ground, sparking a trail of flames, and after a few wobbles, he finally stopped his retreat.
"No..."
A few Japanese swordsmen looked as if they had seen a ghost.
The reason the young master had previously been at a disadvantage could be said to be due to carelessness, but repeated carelessness was no longer mere inattention, it was a true lack of skill.
"Bring out your half-step Void Origin power, even nine of you wouldn’t be a match for me among peers," said Shi Xiaole shaking his head.
Everyone was deeply shocked by Shi Xiaole’s strength, of course, they didn’t agree with his words in their hearts, thinking it was just a strategy to boost morale, but it was indeed very impressive.
"Secret Sword Style, Water-like Mirror!"
His face flushed, Fujiki Naotsugu’s long sword swept across the sky as his body, like a reflection in water, suddenly scattered, with his sword energy moving outward accordingly, rolling in the depths of the void, elusive and unstoppable.
"Be careful!"
A young man with a heroic air shouted a reminder. He would never forget, his master Wang Weiguo had perished under this very move; this strike possessed an unimaginable killing force.
Before he could even finish shouting the two words, Shi Xiaole’s sword struck first, lightly and without any show of effort, before turning abruptly into a frantic, rolling windstorm, with countless changes occurring in a single thought.
What is called swordsmanship that reaches the divine? As people watched Shi Xiaole, they knew the answer in their hearts.
Thud, thud, thud.
All the ripples froze in place as they approached the range of the sword light, and during the moment of stillness between them, Shi Xiaole seemed to have calculated the rhythm, thrusting out a long-prepared sword strike, the starlight spreading through the world.
A blurred figure shifted awkwardly, drops of blood drifted in the air, and without time to adjust, the sword light arrived again.
No one present saw Shi Xiaole’s strike, only aware that the Sword Qi had formed a swath, each strand capable of killing any onlooker with no exceptions.
Shh! Shh! Shh!
His chest, shoulders, legs, abdomen—in a mere moment, Fujiki Naotsugu was covered in crisscrossing sword marks, but he felt no pain. Like a stunned ball, all he had was boundless confusion and shock.
He simply could not imagine that one day, with his soaring talents, he would be utterly defeated by someone in the same realm, not to mention fighting back, he couldn’t even struggle.
Could there really be such a master in the world?
His wrist rotated, and Shi Xiaole swung six times in a row, leaving six parallel sword marks on Fujiki Naotsugu.
"Mister Shi, be careful!"
His eyes widening, a torrential force like a landslide erupted from Fujiki Naotsugu as he unleashed his true half-step Void Origin Realm power.
There is no absolute fairness in the world; since Shi Xiaole was pressing hard, no one could blame him for being impolite.
"Secret Sword Style, Water-like Mirror, kill!"
The same move, now executed, made the void seem like real flowing water. Under the moonlight, Fujiki Naotsugu appeared instantly at Shi Xiaole’s flank and swung down with his sword.
This mysterious and strange change made everyone’s hearts stop beating.
The six heroes of Sky Mountain stared, unable to blink, because they had been defeated by this very move.
"So this is the Vigorous Air Vortex."
No one knew that Shi Xiaole, who was under attack from a killing move, still had the leisure to engage his spiritual power to secretly observe the abnormalities within Fujiki Naotsugu’s body.
Under his perception, Fujiki Naotsugu’s half body was filled with mini vortices, and with every rotation, a large amount of Vigorous Air surged out, transforming into his strength, akin to an alternative Dantian.
Shi Xiaole remembered Zhang Xiangfeng once saying that the Void Origin Realm is the process of opening vortices in various parts of the body to store Vigorous Air. Therefore, in theory, there is no limit to the Void Origin Realm because the body is an inexhaustible treasure, and the vortices can never be fully explored.
With sword in hand and employing the Crossing the River with a Single Reed with his feet, Shi Xiaole quickly increased the distance between them. He would sooner or later enter the Void Origin Realm, so it was necessary to get a head start in understanding the key to the Void Origin Realm.
Fujiki Naotsugu was a very good case study.
With each additional slash of the blade, Fujiki Naotsugu’s swings seemed to strike at everyone’s hearts, turning the area within a hundred meters into an absolute no-go zone.
"The Kirin is indeed slightly lacking, but at least he made Fujiki Naotsugu look ridiculous, not disappointing anyone."
"Hahaha, to have fought to this extent, we’ve managed to save face for the martial arts community of the Central Plain!"
"What a Kirin!"
As they watched Shi Xiaole repeatedly escape danger, the crowd couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. At this point, what more could you ask of him? He isn’t a god, after all.
"Young Master, chop him down quickly!"
A few Japanese swordsmen had their teeth bared, filled with rage, only Shi Xiaole’s blood could wash away the humiliation their Young Master suffered today.
"Kill... "
Feng Guoting gnashed his teeth, wishing he could replace Fujiki Naotsugu.
"Vigorous Air Vortex, implanted in acupoints and meridians through a strange array method, I’ve understood."
With Shi Xiaole’s current level of spiritual power, in just nearly a hundred moves, he had seen through everything he wanted to understand.
"Secret Sword Style, Fire Like Frost!"
Unable to break through for a long time, Fujiki Naotsugu’s expression turned solemn as he suddenly pulled out a second sword. Crossing the two swords, a blue fireball suddenly appeared, swelling rapidly with the wind. The alternating cold and hot forces made it feel as if one had entered the Ice and Fire Hell, surrounded by blades.
"So strong!"
The six heroes of Sky Mountain inhaled sharply. This move was much stronger than Water-like Mirror. Was this Fujiki Naotsugu’s hidden killing move?
But Shi Xiaole’s response baffled them; instead of retreating, he boldly charged forward, holding the sword high above his head with both hands and swung it in a seemingly slow but fast motion.
In the night sky, a beam of tornado-like Sword Qi condensed into a point, unleashing boundless divine power.
Fourth form of the Wind Tribulation Sword Technique, Wind Fury!
After the transformation by the Blood Yang mediator and the Heavenly Ghost Vine, Shi Xiaole’s body could contain a quantity of Vigorous Air far beyond mortal imagination, and he had only used half of his Vigorous Air before.
Boom!
The dazzling light nearly blinded everyone’s eyes.
The mist formed by the Sword Qi was quickly pierced by the moonlight.
Both figures flew back simultaneously. Shi Xiaole retreated thirty steps while Fujiki Naotsugu stepped back twenty, but besides that, both were unharmed.
"Impossible!"
"He blocked it?!"
After a brief silence, the scene erupted like boiling oil, with noisy voices reaching the sky.
Although a half-step Void Origin Realm is far less powerful than the Void Origin Realm, it still isn’t something any Terrestrial Immortal can contend with. This is the truth, a widely accepted iron rule in the Martial World.
Yet, just now, someone broke this iron rule. Facing a half-step Void Origin Realm master head-on, he was only slightly inferior.
The martial arts experts on the scene stared blankly, struggling to find words. And the noble men and women across from them felt their hearts twitching violently, as if about to leap out of their throats.
In this world where martial arts flourished, the children of officials were almost never ignorant of martial arts. Many of them knew at least the basics of cultivation, especially since many were disciples of the Jixia Martial Academy.
Therefore, the impact of that moment was nothing short of a tsunami.
"How did you do it?"
Fujiki Naotsugu closely observed Shi Xiaole, confirming that the latter was not suppressing injuries, and could not help asking, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Shi Xiaole did not respond, just walked step by step towards him.
"I will not lose, absolutely not!"
With bloodshot eyes, Fujiki Naotsugu furiously attacked Shi Xiaole, but this time, Shi Xiaole did not choose to clash head-on. With their strengths nearly equal, it took just over fifty moves before he sent Fujiki Naotsugu flying with a slash of his sword.
"Wow!"
Spewing a mouthful of blood, Fujiki Naotsugu knelt on the ground, his hair disheveled.
He lost. His journey of challenging the Central Plain did not end at the hands of a half-step Void Origin warrior, but rather at the hands of a Terrestrial Immortal. If someone had told him this before he set off, he would have scoffed at them.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Several blades of Sword Qi crazily attacked Shi Xiaole. Seeing this, Fujiki Naotsugu swept his own sword horizontally, knocking several sneak-attacking Japanese swordsmen flying. They were indeed some of the Japanese swordsmen.
"Young Master!"
With agonized expressions, they shouted incomprehensibly.
"A samurai should be honorable and upright. Today, I lost to Mr. Shi fairly and squarely, and I have no complaints even in death. By doing this, you are tarnishing the honor of the Fujiki family," Fujiki Naotsugu said.
Hearing this, the Japanese swordsmen couldn’t help but lower their heads in shame.
