Chapter 435: The Momentum of Defeat

Wang Tuo had learned from Li Yuan’s match and decided to focus his efforts on defense.

Wu Chen was strutting on about counting the match as a loss if any of the three sects could hold out for longer than ten moves. Although Wang Tuo intensely despised Wu Chen’s arrogance, given Li Yuan’s previous showing, Wang Tuo didn’t dare take things lightly and so decided to first make it past ten moves.

When he saw Wang Tuo’s posture, a trace of contempt filled Wu Chen’s eyes. He grasped at his waist and pulled out a whip.

This whip was a good ten meters long and hummed through the air when Wu Chen shook it slightly. It was as if he held a legendary green water dragon in his hand. Once infused with spirit qi, it seemed to come alive, giving off a vitality as indomitable as a dragon and as lively as a tiger.

“Will cowering in your shell take you past ten moves?” Wu Chen smile’s was a cold thing as he stepped forward, the long whip drawing out a beautiful arc through the air.

The whip whistled through the air and churned up countless currents of air, sending rocks and dust flying and closing off all paths.

Wang Tuo had wanted to close in on Wu Chen using a pincer tactic with his contract beast, but that whip’s movements sealed any opening he could find.

The attacks of a long whip were very difficult to defend against, especially as its attack range was quite large. It would be a nightmare to a defender once the attacker started exerting himself.

Wang Tuo was suffering unspeakably at the moment.

He’d thought that Wu Chen would continue using those mysterious gloves and had planned on employing a defensive strategy. He hadn’t thought that Wu Chen would have so many tricks up his sleeve and would take out a long whip instead.

The whip continuously ate away the space he could move as it cracked down. Spirit power formed into shadows of the whip as each image severed the air further.

Wang Tuo could only feel that his range of movement growing more and more constricted. At this moment, he knew that his downfall would be the same as Li Yuan and he wouldn’t make it past even one move.

He whistled and exchanged some messages with his contract beast. Wang Tuo suddenly howled lowly as the contract beast actually drilled into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

Wang Tuo’s hand flickered as he brought out a treasured blade with a tiger’s head at the hilt.

The blade danced furiously as beams of light spurted out, sweeping away all of the afterimages of the whip in an attempt to widen Wang Tuo’s range of movement.

As his blade carved the way forward, he knew that his attack wouldn’t threaten Wu Chen at all. However, there was hope in him gaining a bit of space of himself.

As long as the contract beast could leverage Wang Tuo’s aura to distract Wu Chen, then Wang Tuo would have a chance after all.

Wu Chen smiled coldly as his ears suddenly twitched, as if he’d caught something.

His gaze suddenly grew frosty as a sliver of a smile stretched his lips. He shook the whip and suddenly stabbed it into the ground, the whip suddenly as hard and as durable as metal.

Whoosh!

The whip seemed to be alive as it sank into the ground with ample spirit power.

Rumble!

In the next instant, Wu Chen’s arm shook once, and flung his arm viciously upwards. The long whip broke free from the earth like pulling out a daikon root. Chunks of earth flew everywhere as the contract beast was hauled out of the ground

The long whip was wrapped tightly around the contract beast like a trussed up chicken.

The contract beast was whining and growling, fear and panic in its eyes as it kept crying out for Wang Tuo to save it.

Wang Tuo and the contract beast had stuck together, and helping each other through many difficulties. They were as close as brothers. And now that he saw the contract beast being tied up, Wang Tuo was enormously shocked. Discarding all thoughts for his own safety, he charged crazily at Wu Chen, raising a blade to chop down on his face.

“Hmph, one couldn’t do anything to me, and neither can two!”

Wu Chen’s tone was harsh as a layer of golden radiance suddenly washed over his arm. The radiance instantaneously reached the whip and flashed, a tremendous explosion sounding afterwards.

Wham bam!!

The contract beast’s body immediately exploded into shreds like a chunk of crushed tofu, flinging blood and flesh into the air.

Wang Tuo’s momentum had been exceedingly fast. He was caught up in the gory rain and ended up drenched in the bloody remnants of his contract beast.

There was even a strand of intestines hanging off his neck.

His eyes almost split apart with their pain amidst this blood and gore. Wang Tuo almost fainted dead away.

The contract beast that had followed him for so many years had been made into meat paste with one move and flung all over him!

Wang Tuo had been in the world for so long, and had dominated the four sects—when had he ever come off this worse for the wear in a match?

He ground his teeth and almost sank into insanity, bellowing like a tiger’s roar, “I’m gonna kill you even I die!”

Wang Tuo’s treasured blade flashed in the air, as his momentum reached its peak. Like an enraged tiger, he charged forward giving off an aura of laying his life on the line. The blade sliced down a devastatingly powerful frost qi, cutting down at Wu Chen’s neck.

However, without the contract beast’s cover, Wang Tuo was like a fierce beast with no claws. He was hardly a bigger threat than Li Yuan at this point.

Wu Chen stepped aside as casually as he would when taking a stroll in his backyard. He leaned backwards, out of the way of Wang Tuo’s blow, and lifted his foot. The foot came down directly onto Wang Tuo’s buttocks.

Bam!

Wang Tuo’s body shot high into the air like a rubber ball.

No!

Forefather Ninelion could no longer bear to watch as his body flickered. He reached out with a hand and grabbed Wang Tuo.

It was a good thing that although this kick had been fierce, it hadn’t been fatal. However, it was still enough to confine Wang Tuo to bed for several months.

Ninelion had a fiery temper. He glared fiercely at this overweeningly proud young man with his head held high. “So vicious at such a young age?”

Wu Chen smirked contemptuously. “It wasn’t that I’m vicious, but that they’re too trashy. Do I show mercy to even trash?”

He then completely ignored forefather Ninelion and looked in the direction of the Flowing Wind Sect. “Who else?”

The head elder on the Flowing Wind Sect who’d been readying to take the field completely lost her will to fight after seeing Li Yuan and Wang Tuo’s defeat.

She knew that it would just be a lesson in self humiliation if she stepped forward. There was no chance of winning at all. With a soft sigh, the elder moved soundlessly behind Venerated Icemist. It was apparent she wasn’t going to fight.

The scene sank into awkwardness again. No one had the guts amongst the three great sects to answer the call. This made the forefathers both infuriated and resigned.

Wu Chen was so dominating that almost no one in the ninth level spirit realm could fight him. Whoever did so was asking to be humiliated, and was close to courting death.

“Forefather, now that things have come to this stage, only I can take the field now.”

Precious Tree Sect head Xie Tianshu smiled ruefully. He knew that it’d be unrealistic for him to look to others to make a move instead of himself.

A gray-clad man behind Wu Chen sneered when Xie Tianshu stepped forward and jumped out himself. “Wu Chen, you can go rest now.”

There were two stars embroidered on the newcomer’s chest. His position was obviously higher than Wu Chen’s.

Wu Chen chuckled when he saw the other’s move. “Brother Gu, you couldn’t hold back anymore, huh? That’s just as well, this trash is yours!”

Xie Tianshu was of the peak of the spirit realm, as was the two star gray-clad man. They were the ones who should face off, logically speaking.

“Sky Sect second rank inspector envoy Gu Xiong. Challenger, report your name! I do not beat nameless pawns.” This gray-clad man was tall and stocky with firm muscles. Although he wasn’t as childish or biting with his tone as Wu Chen, his words were still filled with pride.

“Envoy Gu, this person is Xie Tianshu, head of the Precious Tree Sect.”

Spiritual Master Zixu on the Purple Sun Sect side seemed to offer a reminder in a fawning manner.

Gu Xiong gaze was arrogant as he surveyed the scene in front of him, his well built body giving him the advantage of one in a superior position. He sized up Xie Tianshu and laughed coldly, “Do the so-called sects only have this little bit of foundation to them? The sect head himself has to take the field? Heh heh, you call yourselves a sect? What an insult to the name! If you come to your senses, you should join the Purple Light Division earlier rather than later. Otherwise, the fact that you dare call yourself a sect is the greatest blasphemy of all, utterly worthy of death!”

The sect head of the Precious Tree Sect was one in which all the attentions and fortunes of the sect were focused on. He wasn’t someone that the vice sect head could measure up to.

The sect head’s strength, cultivation level, and equipment were all at the apex of the sect.

Xie Tianshu was unassuming before he made a move, but soared to the height of the skies when he finally did. The light from his sword dancing was filled with spirit power, as if a spirit snake on the prowl, attacking with uncanny moves.

Gu Xiong was firmly rooted in his posture and faced Xie Tianshu with empty hands.

He punched out with his fists and could actually block Xie Tianshu’s fierce sword qi with that alone.

Xie Tianshu’s heart was calm. He knew that he was shouldering an important mission, the like he’d never taken on before. It had to do with the life and death of the sect! Therefore, his every stroke was filled with all of his comprehension of the dao of swords he’d accumulated in his life.

He actually managed to free himself of the overwhelming pressure in that moment and began to slowly showcase all the meanings behind the sword that he had yet to comprehend.

Xie Tianshu’s sword technique was named the “Tender Rain Sword”. It was as gentle as the spring winds and rain, as if all things on earth were coming back to life, as if spring revisiting the world, as soft as a drizzle of light rain.

When the meaning behind the stroke was completely demonstrated, the battle situation became embroiled in the conception of gentle rains drifting through the air.

The sword qi acted like strands of silk, permeating every bit of the air with countless numbers of thin rain drops.

Gu Xiong was at a disadvantage because he’d been empty handed to behind with, having given the first move advantage to Xie Tianshi. He was actually forced backwards in the face of Xie Tianshu’s display of uncommon skill, limited to just passive defense.

“Gu Xiong, can it be that this little bit of meaning behind the sword is enough to make you lose the guts and courage of a cultivator?” Blue-clad Zuo Lan was exceedingly put out by what he saw and not quite shouted.

Gu Xiong’s body trembled as he seemed to attain some sort of inspiration, some kind of clarity from Zuo Lan’s words.

Pfft pfft pfft pfft pfft!

Gu Xiong shook as several strikes in a row connected with him, drenching him in his own blood.

“Fantastic!”

The Precious Tree Sect erupted in a hubbub and cheered when they saw Gu Xiong wounded by the sword qi.

Zuo Lan; however, revealed a mocking smile. He knew his provocation had worked.

Gu Xiong reached out with his tongue and licked off the blood that had sprayed onto his face, his expression becoming even more of a grimace.

“Is the power behind the sword qi of a so-called sect head this mediocre?” A broadsword with a rather ridiculous design appeared in Gu Xiong’s hand.

When he gripped the sword, Gu Xiong’s presence suddenly increased multiple times. He was like a violent beast awakening from slumber as man and blade became one, his form as if a demon god from ancient times emanating a dominating aura.

“Eat my blade!”

Gu Xiong leered, raising his hands up high and brandishing the sword over his head. He seemed to have gathered all the forces across the galaxies for this strike as he cleaved through the air, like a bright wheel of suns ripping through the dark of the night. He split the air with a beam of light. Xie Tianshu’s carefully nurtured atmosphere was completely shattered by this strike.

Clang!

Blades collided with each other as the dominating presence of the sword qi actually increased by three, four times and hurtled towards Xie Tianshu.

“Ah!!”

Xie Tianshu’s chest felt muffled as the sword qi invaded his body.

Pfft!

He spat out fresh blood and tumbled from the sky.

Gu Xiong had been hemmed in by Xie Tianshu’s sword qi a moment ago, but a mysterious power seemed to have awakened in him. The momentum of his blade burst forth spontaneously as it crashed forcefully and suppressed the meaning behind Xie Tianshu’s sword. With one move, Gu Xiong had broken apart Xie Tianshu’s defenses and wounded him!