Chapter 588 - 588: The Terrifying Startled Swan Slash

"You studied it for ten years? That just means you're an idiot!" Zhao Yuan sneered.

"Such a braggart! Let's see just how powerful this Divine Strike Secret Technique you learned on the fly really is!" With a roar, Yanbei Village retreated more than ten meters, then mustered all his strength and raised Guan Gong's Great Saber high!

This time, he channeled all the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi and Guan Gong's Divine Thought—borrowed through the Divine Strike Secret Technique—into his saber.

Yanbei Village knew how powerful the Divine Strike Secret Technique was. So, while his words were dismissive, he was actually taking this very seriously. He poured everything he had into this attack, hoping to settle it all with a single strike! Otherwise, the situation could quickly turn against them.

"Watch me, the True Guan Gong, cut you, the Fake Guan Gong, down!" Yanbei Village roared, charging at Zhao Yuan. Aided by his momentum, Guan Gong's Great Saber whistled through the air as it came down, fast as lightning and sudden as thunder. It carried the power of a landslide and the fury of a tsunami—a strike that seemed utterly beyond human capability!

In that instant, the entire reception hall was thrown into turmoil!

Hao Li and the others felt as if their very bodies and souls were being sliced apart by the sheer force of the blow.

And they were only feeling the aftershocks. The pressure on Zhao Yuan, the true target of the strike, was far greater.

But with the enhancement from the Divine Strike Secret Technique, this pressure was nowhere near enough to overwhelm him. In fact, a strangely familiar feeling rose within him.

Because he too had borrowed Guan Gong's Divine Thought, he knew every detail of the attack Yanbei Village was unleashing.

Zhao Yuan snorted. "This is the Startled Swan Slash, the same technique Emperor Guan used to slay Yan Liang! But you're a far cry from him. Even with Guan Gong's Divine Thought, you can't unleash the full power of this attack!"

Yanbei Village roared back, "It may not have the same power Emperor Guan used to slay Yan Liang, but it's more than enough to take your head!"

"Is that so? Don't forget, I've also channeled Guan Gong's Divine Thought. I know this technique, too!"

Zhao Yuan took a deep breath and poured Heaven and Earth Essence Qi into his Wind and Thunder Whip. With a series of booming thunderclaps, brilliant arcs of lightning erupted from the whip, coalescing into a lightning version of the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade. He swung it to meet Yanbei Village's Guan Gong's Great Saber!

"What?!"

Yanbei Village was shocked to discover that Zhao Yuan's Startled Swan Slash—in both speed and power—was somehow faster and stronger than his own.

BOOM!

The Thunderbolt Great Saber and Guan Gong's Great Saber crashed into one another!

CLANG!

With a sharp crack, Guan Gong's Great Saber—undefeated until now—was snapped in two by the Thunderbolt Great Saber!

If Yanbei Village hadn't reacted so quickly—sensing danger and instantly letting go of his saber to leap back—he would have been sliced in half.

Even so, he didn't escape unscathed. A powerful jolt of electricity coursed through him, making his hair stand on end and smoke. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"How can this be? I'm clearly stronger than you! Why was your technique better than mine?!" Yanbei Village shrieked, refusing to accept it.

He didn't understand, but Zhao Yuan knew exactly why.

The reason was actually quite simple. Zhao Yuan's Divine Strike Secret Technique came from the Information Leaf left by Wu Peng. It was countless times more profound than the version Yanbei Village had learned. Thus, even though Zhao Yuan's base strength was lower than his opponent's, once he activated the Divine Strike Secret Technique, he became far more powerful.

To put it simply, Yanbei Village's Divine Strike Secret Technique was like a handgun. Zhao Yuan's, on the other hand, was a heavy sniper rifle.

How could the two possibly compare? How could he ever hope to win?

"That was just a hasty attack. Now, watch me execute the *complete* Startled Swan Slash!"

Zhao Yuan kicked off the ground, transforming into a bolt of lightning as he shot toward Yanbei Village.

The Thunderbolt Great Saber in his hand slashed out at a speed the naked eye could not follow.

The strike could be described in a single word: fast.

So fast it made no sound and gave off no perceivable aura.

It was so fast that the onlookers only saw a blur before Zhao Yuan reappeared behind Yanbei Village.

"Wh... What happened?"

The crowd was dumbfounded. They had no idea what had just happened or whether Yanbei Village had even been hit.

"Hahaha! Is that your Startled Swan Slash? How ridiculous! You didn't even touch me!"

After a moment of silence, Yanbei Village burst out laughing and turned to face Zhao Yuan.

It was at that exact moment that the crowd let out a collective gasp.

"My God, how is that possible?!"

"Is that the true Startled Swan Slash? It's terrifying... absolutely terrifying!"

"So fast! So powerful! So horrifying!"

Hearing their cries, Yanbei Village was baffled. "What are you all babbling about? How was that strike strong? He didn't even manage to hurt me!"

Que Shichao and his two companions, their faces deathly pale, said in trembling voices, "Yanbei Village... look at your body."

"Look at my body? What's there to see?" Yanbei Village asked, confused. But he still lowered his head to look at himself.

The sight left him frozen in place.

Because he could see his own back. And his own rear. And even his own heels.

'How is this possible?'

Yanbei Village's face drained of all color. A horrifying guess surfaced in his mind, one he couldn't bring himself to believe. Just then, an excruciating pain shot through his neck. He then saw a fountain of blood erupt from his throat.

'I've... been beheaded?'

The thought surfaced in his mind, but he still couldn't believe it.

Zhao Yuan finally spoke, his voice cold. "The key to the Startled Swan Slash is speed. Back then, it was with a strike of ultimate speed that Emperor Guan took Yan Liang's head from amidst a legion of soldiers. The version you just used focused only on power, neglecting speed entirely. You haven't even scratched the surface of the technique. And with that, you have the gall to claim you've channeled Guan Gong?"

"I..." Yanbei Village opened his mouth to speak but found that he could no longer make a sound.

His head slid from his neck and rolled to a stop at Zhao Yuan's feet. His small eyes were wide with disbelief.

Only then did a deafening thunderclap finally echo through the reception hall.

It turned out that Zhao Yuan's Startled Swan Slash hadn't been silent after all. It was simply so fast that the sound couldn't keep up. Only after the blade had taken his enemy's head did the thunderous boom finally arrive.

The onlookers stood with their mouths agape, faces etched with shock. "What a terrifying attack," one of them murmured. "Truly worthy of being the Startled Swan Slash that Emperor Guan used to behead Yan Liang."

Zhao Yuan raised the Wind and Thunder Whip in his hand, pointing it at Que Shichao and his two companions. "Now," he said coldly, "it's your turn."