Chapter 993: Chapter 992 Witch God Eight Methods_1
As the opening move of the Witch God Eight Methods, Heart Nightmare, true to its name, caught people off guard, and even opponents of the same level could suffer a major disadvantage if they were not careful enough.
To many, since Min Tianliang had exerted his full strength, it was not something that Kirin could withstand.
But the result exceeded expectations; suddenly, a sword light appeared, striking an invisible force and pulling it back forcefully, eventually stretching it into a huge semicircle as if the void had been folded several times over.
Thud!
The sword light pierced through the invisible force, which exploded in the air, but the sword light itself had expended ninety percent of its strength and slowed down considerably, allowing Min Tianliang to swat it away with a palm.
"I’ve heard that Kirin has created a unique sword control technique that combines swordsmanship with mental power. Could this be the move?"
The horse-faced elder of the royal family murmured to himself, his senses already numb to surprise, so whatever astounding technique Shi Xiaole would use next wouldn’t seem out of place to him, as if it were to be expected.
For everyone else, though, there was much to marvel at.
The Witch God Eight Methods was a martial arts legacy left by the Witch Queen, each technique overwhelmingly powerful. For instance, the Heart Nightmare could easily rank in the top ten of the human list, but the Ancestral Temple always kept a low profile and thus did not participate in the rankings of the ultimate moves list, little did they know that Kirin would break it with ease.
Thought was instantaneous.
With a flash of his figure, Shi Xiaole gripped the Spring Fury Sword and, without a second thought, executed the Wind God’s Dance. At the same time, his left hand brought the index and middle fingers together and, with an upward sweep, unleashed another Wind God’s Dance, one deadly move following the other.
Containing the supreme teachings of both the Wind Sword Way and the Illusion Martial Way, the moves surged forward, enveloping the void like a bubble popping repeatedly with ’pop, pop’ sounds. Numerous extremely fine sword holes peppered the space, each filled with terrifying Sword Qi.
"Heart Nightmare!"
Min Tianliang hadn’t expected Shi Xiaole to respond so quickly, but he wasn’t slow either; he squatted slightly, retracted his left hand rapidly, and then thrust it forward, propelling himself into the air.
Boom!
The sky shook continuously as transparent Vigorous Air enveloped Min Tianliang, bursting forward and shattering the sword holes in its path. Once the Sword Qi collided with the Vigorous Air, it was like a needle piercing an iron plate—either deflected or stuck together, with most of it torn apart.
The next moment, Shi Xiaole’s unguarded body appeared beneath the Vigorous Air.
"With the Witch God Eight Methods, after years of hard training, Tianliang has only mastered the first three techniques, each one several times stronger than the last. There is no way to block them."
Min Yunshu, the current head of the Ancestral Temple and father of Min Tianliang, saw this scene and let out a slight smirk.
The Ancestral Temple and the royal family only mastered the first four techniques of the Witch God Eight Methods, but even these four techniques had consumed most of Min Yunshu’s life energy. No one was more aware of their terrifying potency than he was.
In his view, though Heart Nightmare might not make it to the Earthly list, it was not far off, and with Min Tianliang’s skills, many Earthly Realm Martial Emperors would not be able to defend against it.
As a tidal surge approached, although the transparent Vigorous Air had not arrived, its Qi had already locked the entire void, drilling madly towards Shi Xiaole, but Shi Xiaole remained calm throughout.
In the blink of an eye, he raised his long sword and swung it down in one fluid motion. If at that moment there had been a camera to capture it all, and the footage slowed down tenfold, what one would still see was only a blur of sword shadows.
Another Wind God’s Dance, a triple killing strike in succession.
Thump!
The previous transparent Vigorous Air had already been mostly spent, and now, under the impact, the point of collision with the Sword Qi caved in a full thirty feet, approaching dangerously close to the top of Min Tianliang’s head, and continued to deepen.
As Min Tianliang reached out with his hand and vibrated it fiercely, the Sword Qi dispersed, but his momentum was also completely dissipated.
"Blocked it?!"
A wave of shock and disbelief surged within Min Tianliang’s mind.
If previously he had to accept that his talent was not as good as Shi Xiaole’s, now that sense of defeat increased more than tenfold.
There is no comparison more direct than that of strength. Min Tianliang found it unacceptable that despite his advantage in the great realm, he still couldn’t decisively defeat Kirin.
The combat power of his opponent was remarkably strong, unprecedented, and shocking.
At this moment, Min Tianliang felt extremely frustrated.
If he won the battle today, it would bring him no glory since that should be the norm. But if he withdrew now, he would only be stepping stones for Kirin’s further fame, which was not a result he could tolerate.
Therefore, he could not lose, he must not lose, and of course, it was not possible for him to lose; it was just unnecessarily troublesome.
Frustration and depression transformed into a raging fury with nowhere to vent. Min Tianliang’s face was ice-cold, his eyes flickered with intense killing intent, and waves of emotions—confusion, excitement, dejection, sorrow—poured out of his pores.
Shi Xiaole even heard the hissing sound of burning—that was the witch’s blood incinerating, propelling Min Tianliang’s aura to skyrocket unrestrainedly to an insurmountable peak.
"He has mastered the third move, Repel Enemy?"
"Not good, Kirin, retreat quickly!"
"Danger!"
The royal faction’s experts all had drastically changed complexions, many shouting loudly with expressions full of anxiety.
If the second of the Witch God Eight Methods, Heart Nightmare, cannot be considered an Earthly Realm killing move, then the third, Repel Enemy, certainly deserves the title.
Earthly Realm strength combined with an Earthly Realm killing move is something one can never fathom the horror of without having witnessed it firsthand. At this moment, Min Tianliang might not rank among the top Earthly Realm Martial Emperors but was at least second-tier, easily able to crush the weakest among them.
"Too late to run."
A mocking curve appeared on his lips, and in the next instant, Min Tianliang exploded into a pile of black mist on the spot. Threads of mist spread outward at the speed of lightning, lashing out, coalescing, and in an instant enveloped Shi Xiaole. Perhaps a single thread of mist wasn’t deadly, but what was terrifying was their endless number and the relentless force behind them, enough to break any opponent.
Having used the move, Min Tianliang’s heart carried a mix of regret and distress. The activation of this move had cost him a full thirty percent of his witch blood, but fortunately, today was the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony. With the help of the stepped array system, two hours should suffice for his recovery.
"A very strong killing move, but alas, still not enough to suppress me."
Just as Shi Xiaole was about to be entangled in the black mist with no avenue of escape, his expression remained blank, unfazed by the impending danger, his long sword quickly vibrating three times in his hand.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mist mingled with Sword Qi burst forth like a Category 20 typhoon, a display of the Wind Sword Way, but only half-executed before transforming into the second layer of Illusion Sword Qi, and afterwards, a third layer emerged. With the Wind Sword Way propelling the Wind Sword Way, it wasn’t a sequence of killing moves but a push of one killing move by another, combining the three into one!
"How can this be?!"
The onlookers were astoundingly shocked. They had never seen a killing move of this form – maybe some had thought about it, tried it even, but to have such control, along with such rapid circulation of Vigorous Air, was impossible.
Of course, outsiders were unaware that Shi Xiaole’s ability to execute this move stemmed from the transformative powers of the Illusion Martial Way; without it, even if his control were up to par, Vigorous Air wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Clang...
This was the first collision between the Sword Qi’s resonance and the black mist strands, causing many hearts to convulse. Following closely was an even more intense and horrifying collision sound, as if heaven and earth were being shattered.
Even with many layers of arrays on the steps to contain the destructive force, the talents from the Ancestral Temple below still turned pale and their legs went weak – not from the physical impact of the force, but from the overwhelming pressure of it.
If asked to put themselves in the shoes of either Min Tianliang or Shi Xiaole, they feared they would already be bruised and battered under the other’s assault, their bodies torn asunder.
The gap, that stark undeniable gap.
Min Tianliang possessing such prowess was still somewhat acceptable; after all, his top-tier talent had been evident from a young age, and he had now reached the ripe age of eighty-two.
But the Kirin, rumored to be under forty, creating such a heart-shaking spectacle... When the ages of the two were compared, everyone felt an indescribable force of impact, their very souls trembling.
Bang!
Another thunderous sound pierced the sky, echoing in everyone’s ears.
Amidst the tempered chaos of the fight, shaped by the array system, two figures flew back in opposite directions, almost simultaneously halting in mid-air. Aside from their faces being a bit pale and their breaths a bit weak, nothing appeared amiss.
Min Tianliang inwardly regulated his breathing. With his cultivation, he could only perform Repel Enemy twice in short succession; any more and his body wouldn’t bear it.
Raising his head, he fixed his gaze on Shi Xiaole. After a long moment, convinced that the latter was uninjured, his face turned an iron shade of blue, as unpleasant to look at as could be, his fists cracking with the force of his grip.
A draw.
In the face of revealing his trump cards, resorting to every measure at his disposal, he had ended in a tie with the Kirin, not yet even a full Void Origin!
His breathing turned heavy, the taste of iron and sweetness rising in his throat, but Min Tianliang suppressed it with his strong willpower. His eyes reddened, his expression no longer aloof or calm.
Compelled by an impulse, Min Tianliang wanted to strike again, but what would be the point? His Repel Enemy could only be executed once more, and if he could not defeat Shi Xiaole, he would exhaust his strength and be harmed by it instead. It was a gamble he couldn’t afford.
Remembering the actions he had taken earlier in an effort to suppress his opponent’s momentum, Min Tianliang’s face went from green to red, a mixture of shame and anger. Embarrassment didn’t even begin to describe it.
Equally embarrassed were those from the Ancestral Temple. From Min Yunshu at the top down to the talents present, their faces twitched and eyes throbbed.
Today was supposed to be a day of great victory for them. Yet, because of the arrival of one person, the situation had drastically changed. Although they hadn’t lost to the royal faction, what difference was there from a loss?
Contrary to the Ancestral Temple, the royal faction, after their initial shock, began to break into smiles.
"The Kirin, a rare phenomenon seen only once in ten thousand years, is the most dominant young person I’ve seen in my lifetime."
"I’d say he’s not only the Flying Horse Dynasty’s number one talent but also, looking across the entire Daxia Dynasty, how many could compare?"
"Hahaha, exhilarating, truly exhilarating!"
A chorus of unabashed praise, accolades, and exclamations of admiration blended together, highlighting even more the silence and oppression of the Ancestral Temple faction.
"My power is still not a match for Min Tianliang."
Atop the seventh step, Shi Xiaole was inwardly sighing. He had managed to withstand his opponent’s killing move thanks to the Illusion Martial Way; relying solely on the Wind Sword Way and the Illusion Martial Way would have left him severely injured at the hands of the other.
Even so, at this moment, Shi Xiaole had expended much of his Vigorous Air. If his opponent launched another major killing move, Shi Xiaole didn’t think he could withstand another.
