Chapter 725: The Peach Blossom Divine Sword

This battle ended far faster than anyone had imagined. The twin-tailed girl Kayako, who ranked among the top three in combat and survival skills among the Jiepeng delegation’s superhumans, was obliterated in mere seconds. She was reduced to nothing but scattered ashes in the lightning storm.

The fight lasted barely ten seconds. Li Guorui’s merciless, no-nonsense approach and his instant, overwhelming display of power had caught everyone, including Kayako, completely off guard.

By the time the spectators even registered what had happened, it was already over. A deathly silence fell over the arena. It was as if the terrifying flashes of lightning and deafening thunder still lingered in the air. Everyone stared blankly at the arena.

To be honest, by now, the existence of superhumans was no longer a secret. Discussions and footage of superhuman abilities had begun circulating on the internet over the past six months.

But what they had just witnessed, a Sky level superhuman unleashing his full power with no restraint was beyond their imagination. The sheer destructive force and lethal precision left every witness utterly shaken.

The fading remnants of the purple thunderclouds and crackling lightning etched themselves permanently into their minds. It was an image that would never be erased for the rest of their lives.

And there, on the stage, stood Li Guoruim, still wearing his Balitai University uniform. His storm was now subdued, yet he had the presence of an ancient god of war emerging from a sea of lightning.

He remained motionless. And in his silence, the entire audience felt an oppressive weight of fear and suffocation.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

On the VIP platform, the high-ranking officials of both nations sat with grim expressions, their eyes filled with heavy concern. This was the first time they had witnessed a Sky level superhuman’s power so directly. No amount of cold, detailed data could compare to the raw visual and emotional impact of what they had just seen.

Both sides found themselves pondering the same question.

Is it a blessing or a curse for a nation for such god-like power to be placed in the hands of unpredictable individuals? For society?

And more importantly, it made them realize that a new social order, a new national order and even a new global order was now more urgent than ever.

In the Jiepeng resting area, Tōan Ritsu stood frozen in place, grief washing over his face like a tidal wave. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Kayako, who had been entrusted with such an important role would be defeated so quickly and so brutally. It had been so fast that he hadn’t even had a chance to save her.

As a rising pillar of the New Group, Kayako had only recently completed her third awakening. She was a Sky level superhuman of the Dark Light system and possessed extraordinary destructive power, corrosion abilities, defensive skills and even entrapment techniques. She should have at least been able to hold her ground against most superhumans of similar level, if not outright win against them.

That was precisely why, after the life-or-death battle agreement was signed, Tōan Ritsu had chosen her to secure an early victory. But he had made a fatal mistake.

"Hahahaha!"

"What a joke!"

"A worthless trash who couldn’t even last twenty seconds, dead is dead!"

"Superhumans are nothing but rootless fools, thinking they can stand tall. How pathetic."

Maeda Daisen and the disciples of the Sword Sect had finally found an opportunity to mock and berate the superhumans. Their arrogance and scorn instantly enraged the Jiepeng superhumans.

Tōan Ritsu took a deep breath. He didn’t bother wasting his words on these corrupt, ignorant fools. Because it was pointless.

These people had lost both their minds and their conscience if they were ridiculing and humiliating a warrior who had just sacrificed her life for her country. How could they even be worthy of calling themselves samurai?

If these ignorant and shallow fools continued to hold high positions in the State Religion and influenced the policies and governance of the Jiepeng Empire in the upcoming new era, wouldn’t that be tantamount to courting disaster?

Tōan Ritsu forcefully restrained his superhuman subordinates while rapidly revising his next move. The superhuman battle was far from over. They needed a plan.

At that moment, the next battle had already begun. This time, it was a contest between martial artists. Great Xia’s representative was none other than Qi Honglei, the Void Swordmaster, widely acknowledged as the strongest ancient martial artist in the delegation.

Jiepeng’s chosen fighter was Maeda Daisen, a disciple of the Sword Sect. Maeda had spent the longest time in the sect among his peers and was also the most powerful. He was known as the closest disciple to the old Sword Saint.

It was clear that both sides were no longer sending in just anyone after the life-and-death battle agreement was signed. Only the strongest available warriors were stepping into the ring.

The opponents faced off in the arena. Qi Honglei stood tall and slender, his face sharp and ascetic, exuding an ethereal and transcendent aura befitting a true swordsman.

His weapon was a stone sword. It came from an unnamed Daoist temple, where it had been embedded within the heart of an ancient tree that had long turned to stone.

Back then, Qi Honglei had drawn the sword from the petrified tree, and by doing so, he had successfully entered the temple without harm.The stranger part was after he pulled out the stone sword, the completely petrified tree had slowly begun to revive.

Three years later, it was covered in blooming peach blossoms, their petals drifting across the temple grounds. It had never once withered since that day, as if it had been waiting for someone.

Whenever Qi Honglei practiced his sword beneath the peach tree, his skills would advance at an astonishing pace.

Ten years later, the mystical peach tree had grown to an immense size, its canopy sprawling like a vast celestial umbrella, shading the entire Daoist temple. Qi Honglei had never seen a peach tree so enormous.

Ten years. And yet, its peach blossoms remained in eternal bloom. Never withering, and never bearing fruit.

"Great Xia warrior... Today, I will have your life." Maeda Daisen’s voice was cold and cutting.

But before his words could even fully leave his lips, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air. It was as if peach blossom petals had danced fleetingly across time itself, vanishing into the regrets of an ungraspable past.

Maeda Daisen's voice abruptly choked off. His eyes flickered with confusion as he glanced at the stone sword in Qi Honglei’s hand. Instinctively, he touched his chest. There, in his palm, was a single crimson stain.

"I... was struck? When?"

Stunned beyond belief, Maeda Daisen looked back up at Qi Honglei. His expression shifted from bewilderment to rigid disbelief. His pupils dilated. Then, he collapsed.

Qi Honglei turned and left the arena. From start to finish, he hadn’t spoken a single word. It was as if even exchanging words with his opponent would have been an insult to his blade. His battle had ended even faster than Li Guorui’s. Most spectators hadn’t even seen how the Void Swordmaster had drawn his sword.

But Li Xiaofei had seen everything clearly. A ripple of shock stirred in his heart.

Such speed. Such beauty.

This kind of swordsmanship and this kind of sword should not exist in this era, nor on this Earth. Qi Honglei, the Void Swordmaster, was far stronger than Li Xiaofei had initially imagined.

In that single moment when Qi Honglei drew his sword, Li Xiaofei realized that he had underestimated this silent Mount Hua swordsman. Qi Honglei’s true strength was already nearing the Dao Union Realm. It was unbelievable.

Earth No. 1818 is a realm with almost no spiritual energy tides, a world too shallow to nurture true cultivation. How could such a martial powerhouse emerge? What kind of secret is hidden within that Daoist temple?