Even Yan Shijun, the current Sect Hierarch of the Five Poisons Cult, had to use his extremely powerful True Qi to forcefully break through this move of his.
Yes, both of them had crossed hands with Yan Shijun, the current Sect Hierarch of the Five Poisons Cult.
However, Yang Tiansheng managed to hold on for fifty moves under Yan Shijun before retreating with his body intact.
Whereas Li Qing was "evenly matched" with Yan Shijun for a hundred moves before "narrowly winning by half a move".
Although the two Sect Hierarchs who succeeded Yan Shijun were man-made Grandmasters, called unparalleled ones, in reality, they were only marginally stronger than the Seven Heroes...
"Chief Yang praises me too highly,"
Li Qing landed back on the rocky shore, shaking his head with a smile, "The more I advance, the more I realize the vastness of the Sword Dao. My little cultivation is nothing more than the toddling child on the shores of the Sword Dao sea who has chanced upon a shell... Let’s not mention the title of Sword Dao leader again!"
"Hahaha, my second brother once said ’Excessive modesty is tantamount to extreme arrogance’!"
Yang Tiansheng laughed heartily, his aura becoming more heroic and his eight Sword Qi growing even more majestic, "Since ancient times, there’s been no first in literature and no second in martial arts. We swordsmen should sharpen our swords and contend without fear, never acting like those who are complacent, hiding their edge and dulling their sharpness... I’ve created a new incomplete move, please, Master Li, critique it for me."
He laughed as he circulated his power with both hands slowly rotating in front of his chest. The eight swords, following the movements of his hands, reversed and pointed their tips at Li Qing on the rocky shore, whistling as they spun rapidly.
The next second, he thrust his hands forward with a fierce shout, "Wind-Fire-Mountains-Forests!"
The eight swords flew forward with their rotations, stirring up a storm of Sword Qi that seemed like raging flames. As it grew in the wind, the momentum of what seemed like a tornado was already unstoppable, akin to a natural disaster!
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Li Qing faced this attack head-on, a serious expression appearing on his face. He tossed the Longquan sword upward, pinched a sword technique with his hands and pointed forward, whispering, "True mastery by non-contention, hence none in the world can contend with it!"
The Longquan sword fell handle downwards in front of him, its tip accurately tapping on the guard of the sword. In an instant, a huge Sword Qi burst forth, acting like a shield blocking in front of Li Qing.
The fierce Sword Qi storm, resembling a blazing inferno, crashed into Li Qing’s Sword Qi shield. He slid a step backward, and the Sword Qi flared up with brilliant green light, steadfastly blocking the Sword Qi storm.
The Sword Qi storm spun rapidly, its terrifying Sword Qi turning the surrounding pebbles into a spread of fragmented stone, yet it was unable to breach Li Qing’s Sword Qi shield no matter how it tried.
Yang Tiansheng, standing on the bamboo raft, became flushed and his eyes bulged as he forcefully channeled his power, pointing and exclaiming, "Open!"
As his words fell, his hairpin exploded, his hair flying wildly. Within the rapidly spinning heart of the Sword Qi storm, a detailed, substantial, and huge fiery Sword Qi tip emerged slowly. Bolstered by the powerful Sword Qi storm, it unyieldingly pierced through Li Qing’s Sword Qi shield. The dreadful aftermath swept left and right, carving two deep ravines on the rocky shore.
Li Qing again slid a step backward, and tense veins stood out on his forehead... The explosive power of this move was far beyond his expectations!
’Indeed, befriending someone like Yang Tiansheng is being friends with a monster!’
Li Qing steadied his True Qi, took a deep breath, and pronounced forcefully each word, "The Dao is empty yet utilized, ever inexhaustible!"
Before the echo died, the Sword Qi shield that was blocking the Sword Qi storm swelled suddenly. It lit up with a bright green glow, gradually forcing back the fiery Sword Qi tip that had penetrated the shield, and then pressing back against the Sword Qi storm.
Yang Tiansheng, on the other side, was desperately sustaining the Sword Qi storm, his cheeks so purple they looked almost as if they might bleed, yet he couldn’t hold back the terrifying Sword Qi that was like a collapsing mountain.
"Withdraw the move!"
Seeing this, Li Qing shouted loudly, stamped heavily on the rocky shore, and withdrew his move, soaring into the sky.
Yang Tiansheng likewise shattered the bamboo raft with a stomp and withdrew his move, also ascending.
"Boom..."
Two uncontrolled torrents of terrifying Sword Qi were extinguished together, raising a column of smoke and spray seven or eight stories high at the junction of the rocky shore and the Li River.
The next second, a blue Sword Qi burst from the smoke, cleaving the not-so-wide Li River in half...
In the distant forest, hundreds of onlookers stared agape at the scene, feeling a tingling sensation crawling from their spines up to the Baihui point on the tops of their heads.
In the crowded forest, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Only after a while did someone murmur, "Worthy of the name Sword Immortal!"
"The title of Sword Master, truly well-deserved!"
"Yan Bufan? Does he even deserve to be mentioned alongside these two?"
From that day forward...
The title of "Peerless Sword Immortal" Li Qing lost the word "Peerless".
The title of "Fierce Sun Sword Master" Yang Tiansheng lost the words "Fierce Sun".
For a time, they brought brilliance to the Sword Dao of Wei.
...
The dust had settled.
At the edge of the rocky beach, a deep pit nearly ten meters in diameter had appeared; even after the Li River’s water had poured in for a long time, it still hadn’t filled the pit...
Li Qing and Yang Tiansheng landed back on the edge of the rocky beach, simultaneously sheathing their swords.
"I lost,"
Yang Tiansheng closed his sword box, and with a carefree bow to Li Qing, said, "Indeed, Li is a notch above in skill."
"Hall Master Yang’s Sword Dao has reached a profound level..."
Li Qing also returned the gesture amiably with a clasped fist, "If you had delayed for another year or so, perhaps I would not be your match."
"No need for comfort,"
Yang Tiansheng said with a smile, "I’m aware of the problem within myself; compared to your realm of Sword Dao, I still have several mountains to climb."
Li Qing smiled and said, "Didn’t Hall Master Yang just say ’Excessive modesty is extreme arrogance’? Why have you forgotten so quickly?"
"It’s not that I’m being modest... My elder brother once told me I have no sword in my heart."
Yang Tiansheng shook his head slowly, "I’ve always been confused about this, but after sparring with you today, I finally began to comprehend it a bit."
"Oh?"
Li Qing raised his eyebrows in surprise and said with a bow, "Would Hall Master Yang care to enlighten me a little?"
"I dare not presume to enlighten you; I only hope that you won’t disdain these trivial insights of mine."
After pondering for a moment, Yang Tiansheng began with a shake of his head, "I observed that when you and my elder brother fight, there is a similarity: my brother’s knife expresses himself, your sword expresses you... but my sword is just a sword."
"Ah?"
Li Qing was taken aback, seemingly unable to wrap his head around the concept just yet, but somehow felt that there was some truth to it: "What’s the difference?"
Yang Tiansheng gave him a look, his face carrying a strange smile as he shook his head, "If you understand, you understand, if not, no amount of my explaining will make you understand; too much detail might hinder your cultivation..."
Li Qing mulled over his words, a painful grimace slowly forming on his face, thinking to himself why do people down the mountain talk just like those up in the mountains?
"Alright then, after today’s battle, I am content. I shall not detain you from continuing your journey southward."
Yang Tiansheng gave a cupped fist salute, "We part ways here; should you happen to pass by the Jianghuai, please be sure to visit Fengyang, I will be sure to welcome you!"
Li Qing hurriedly returned the salute with a clasped fist, "I am pleased to make your acquaintance today, Hall Master Yang, and if you happen to pass by Zhongnan Mountain, also be sure to come for a visit, I will definitely prepare tea for you!"
Yang Tiansheng gave a smile, grabbed his sword box, leapt up, and walked on water, waving his hand, "The future is long, we’ll meet again in the martial world!"
Li Qing waved his hand in farewell, "The future is long, we’ll meet again in the martial world!"
...
Yang Tiansheng landed on his horse, where Wei Xin, who had been waiting for a long time with a group of elite from Qingmu Hall, immediately came forward with a beaming smile and cupped salute, "Congratulations, Hall Master, your martial arts have greatly improved!"
"Your eyesight seems to have deteriorated quite a bit..."
Yang Tiansheng said with a tsk-tsk-tsk smile, "I lost the fight and you’re still congratulating me? Isn’t that like patting the horse’s hoof instead of its back?"
Feigning surprise, Wei Xin said, "What do you mean by that? That was Li Qing, the ’Peerless Sword Immortal’, the strongest under the grandmasters! To only narrowly lose by half a move after over a hundred rounds with Li, isn’t that a cause for celebration?"
Yang Tiansheng shook his head, "Li did not use his full strength."
Smiling, Wei Xin said, "Didn’t you also hold back?"
Without a reply, Yang Tiansheng turned his horse’s head and said, "Let’s go back!"
Wei Xin asked, "Hall Master, going home?"
Yang Tiansheng replied, "No, back to the headquarters!"
He looked up in the direction of Bright Summit on Mount Huang, muttering softly, "It’s time..."