While Xu Ziyang and Xu Hu were locked in battle, Chu Liang had already entered the third corridor. After a brief moment of rest, he encountered his third opponent.

"

Wahahahahaha!

" A hearty laugh came from the other side. "Brother Chu, I can't believe it's you!"

It was none other than Yun Chaoxian.

As Chu Liang stared at the dude across from him, who was laughing heartily, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile. He hadn’t expected to run into one of his closest brothers from the Great Astral Sect.

However, of the ten teams competing in the Battle at the Imperial City, five of them had been Chu Liang's allies. Therefore, the odds of encountering one of the allies were fairly high.

"Brother Yun, since it has come to this, I guess I'll have to fight you," Chu Liang said. Even though it was against Yun Chaoxian, Chu Liang had no choice but to draw his sword.

Having reached this stage, even if it was his closest friends, he would have to engage in a fierce fight, like the clash of a dragon and tiger.

Boom!

Yun Chaoxian slammed his World-Dominating Halberd heavily on the ground and spoke earnestly, "I've never had a real fight with you."

Chu Liang concentrated his sword intent, the edge of the Dustless Sword gleaming sharply as a way to warn Yun Chaoxian to stay on guard.

Despite his relaxed demeanor, Yun Chaoxian was fully alert. He raised his halberd high, a grin spreading across his face. "Here I come!"

Boom.

The massive halberd tore through the air, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder.

Chu Liang’s response was swift and decisive—he met it head-on with a single, powerful sword strike!

Hiss—

Sword light flared once again, and a dragon-shaped sword qi erupted, carrying the full might of the Great Dao of Severing Void. The force was overwhelming, nearly unstoppable.

As Yun Chaoxian charged forward, he immediately felt the immense power of the strike. When he realized it was indestructible, he instinctively tried to change his path to dodge the attack.

Even as he did that, he had a gut feeling that no matter where he went, this sword would follow and he would never be able to escape this strike.

In that fleeting moment, Yun Chaoxian relied on his instincts to make the best possible choice.

He swung his halberd with precision, meeting the sword light head-on. As the overwhelming sword intent rushed toward him, he twisted his halberd, redirecting the sword light to the side just in time.

This move was called Redirecting the Dragon to the Sea!

This was one of the martial arts techniques of the Great Astral Sect. It was a move that relied on the precise control of foundational qi to redirect powerful attacks that would otherwise be impossible to withstand. This technique allowed the user to deflect a forceful strike with the least amount of strength. ř

This technique demanded precise control over qi, as it involved redirecting sword qi with the force of a halberd without activating its sharp edge. This was a highly challenging move.

Yet, in the hands of a core disciple of the Great Astral Sect, it appeared effortless.

As he redirected the attack, it caused Chu Liang's sword light to crash into the wall, shattering a section of the corridor.

Boom!

But Chu Liang could already tell something was off.

As soon as Yun Chaoxian completed that move, Chu Liang immediately followed up with another wave of attacks.

Although another strike generated through the Great Dao of Severing the Void couldn't happen in quick succession, Chu Liang easily switched to other sword seals.

As Yun Chaoxian looked back, he saw a rain of sword light flying toward him.

Chu Liang had used the Ten Thousand Swords Seal!

Having just used the technique of Redirecting the Dragon to the Sea, Yun Chaoxian was momentarily caught off guard by the Ten Thousand Swords Seal. He couldn't raise his weapon in time to block the torrent of swords. With a stomp of his left foot, a surge of augmented qi erupted from him, expanding over a zhang and forming a protective barrier around his body.

Augmented qi, of course, was a specialty of the Great Astral Sect disciples.

An ethereal layer of augmented qi enveloped Yun Chaoxian, creating a swift gust of wind. As the countless sword lights rained down upon him, ripples formed on the surface of the shield, but none could penetrate Yun Chaoxian’s defense.

Following the Ten Thousand Swords Seal, Chu Liang had already closed in!

"Be careful, Brother Yun!" With a clear shout, two clones of Chu Liang closed in, attacking Yun Chaoxian from both sides.

Yun Chaoxian was slightly surprised. Even though he hadn't expected that Chu Liang would engage in close combat, it was fine.

Using the Immortal Art: External Manifestation, Chu Liang created two clones. One clone wielded a sword, while the other clone held a brick, and both attacked Yun Chaoxian together.

Yun Chaoxian swung his halberd fearlessly, taking on both of the clones without hesitation.

In truth, the Brick Combat Technique was a martial arts technique Yun Chaoxian had created for Chu Liang on a whim. When it came to martial arts, Chu Liang still lagged far behind this core disciple of the Great Astral Sect.

Yun Chaoxian defended from both directions, spinning his halberd with precision and unleashing three consecutive strikes at the brick-wielding Chu Liang. As the wind of augmented qi howled, he swiftly redirected his halberd to block the sword-wielding Chu Liang.

In terms of physical strength and resilience, Chu Liang was on a higher level than Yun Chaoxian. His physique, fortified through various means, surpassed even that of fifth-realm martial cultivators.

However, sheer physical strength alone was not enough to overcome the vast difference in their martial arts techniques.

With two resounding booms, both of Chu Liang's figures were shattered by Yun Chaoxian's halberd.

But as soon as the explosion rang out, both Chu Liangs transformed into Puppet Pills, falling to the ground.

They were both fake?

Yun Chaoxian was momentarily stunned.

He had thought Chu Liang had used the immortal art External Manifestation, but it turned out to be a simple Army of Beans technique.

But the question remained.

Where is the real Chu Liang?

He soon got his answer.

A figure erupted from the ground, clad in intricate scales. As it emerged at close range, flames erupted from the armor!

Boom—

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

When Chu Liang had first obtained the Inferno Devil Armor, he had considered using it to counter martial cultivators, and now it was proving its worth.

Flames engulfed a two-zhang radius, forcing Yun Chaoxian to retreat. Though he was not particularly afraid of the Divine Dragon Fire, prolonged exposure would inevitably lead to injuries.

An unusual scene then unfolded.

The martial arts cultivator Yun Chaoxian was pursued down the corridor by Chu Liang, a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, with a sword in hand.

He gripped his halberd upside down and sprinted down the long corridor as fast as he could.

Unfortunately, the corridor came to a dead end. Realizing there was nowhere left to run, Yun Chaoxian suddenly spun around, thrusting his halberd backward over a zhang!

Back-thrusting halberd strike!

It turned out that Yun Chaoxian had been pretending to flee.

His escape had been nothing more than a facade, a way to set up this sudden strike.

When the brothers of the Great Astral Sect fight, they certainly know how to use their brains!

Fortunately, Chu Liang was well aware of this. He had witnessed Yun Chaoxian's combat prowess years ago when he defeated a high-ranking demon envoy, so he never underestimated him.

While Yun Chaoxian's back-thrusting halberd strike was immensely powerful, it came as no surprise to Chu Liang. With quick reflexes, he swiftly dodged back, dodging the attack just in time.

Boom—

Yun Chaoxian’s upper garments tore apart, his body radiating a fierce aura as qi flames surged around him. The wind of augmented qi swirled, and he swiftly shifted into counterattack mode!

He had ripped his shirt!

This was the moment that Chu Liang had been waiting for!

He knew that Yun Chaoxian was now going to exert his full strength. And so, he immediately moved a step back.

The tables had turned. Now, it was Chu Liang who was escaping, while Yun Chaoxian was pursuing.

The chase continued down this end of the corridor to the other end.

The spectators, watching the entire scene unfold, couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity. The chase added a surprising layer of comedy to the otherwise ancient and solemn azure-colored corridor.

As Yun Chaoxian chased Chu Liang to the opposite end, Chu Liang suddenly spun around.

Though he didn't know how to perform a back-thrusting sword strike like Yun Chaoxian, he had another move prepared.

Sword Strike of Severing Void

It was truly difficult for Chu Liang to fully unleash the power of the Great Dao of Severing the Void. As a result, this strike drained a significant amount of his vitality, qi, and spirit. He could only use it once within a short span of time.

The reason he had engaged Yun Chaoxian in close combat earlier was to buy time to restore his Sea of Qi.

Thanks to the Large-Headed Dolls circulating qi frantically, his Sea of Qi was nearly replenished in mere moments. Without hesitation, Chu Liang swung his sword again!

Hiss—

Yun Chaoxian did not think it was possible that Chu Liang could unleash such a powerful strike a second time within such a short period.

This might have felt short to Yun Chaoxian, but for the Large-Headed Dolls, it likely felt like an eternity.

This time, Yun Chaoxian found it even harder to defend.

During the first Sword Strike of Severing Void, he had enough time to use the technique of Redirecting the Dragon to the Sea, but now, there was no time for that—he could only face the attack head-on.

For the first time, a trace of doubt crept into his mind.

He couldn't help but think,

Can I really withstand this?

Boom—

The sword qi, taking the form of a dragon, clashed directly with Yun Chaoxian’s World-Dominating Halberd, unleashing a deafening explosion. The sword qi scattered in all directions, and Yun Chaoxian, covered in wounds, was sent flying through the air before crashing violently to the ground.

What a vicious strike!

After a long moment, as the dust settled, Chu Liang approached to check on him. "Brother Yun?"

"I'm fine," Yun Chaoxian replied firmly, hearing Chu Liang's concern. "I just suddenly feel like lying down for a bit."

"Then... can you still fight?" Chu Liang asked again.

Yun Chaoxian paused and replied, "Rest for a bit."

"If you can fight, then fight; if you can't, then you can't. What does rest for a bit mean?" Chu Liang asked.

"Then... let's say I can't," Yun Chaoxian exhaled deeply, sighing. "I once thought we were evenly matched in both wits and courage. But now, it seems your strength surpasses mine... I'll just have to win with my intelligence from now on."

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT