Chapter 225 - 224: Irresistible Momentum

Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Irresistible Momentum

Faced with the Ice Soul Needle from the Super Grade Middle Stage Elder, Xia Wuyang’s expression remained calm.

He gave his Bamboo Sword a gentle flick. There was no Sword Qi, no fluctuation of Qi and Blood Power—just a simple flick, a parry, and a sweep. And just like that, the streams of Ice Soul Needles, each one potent enough to pierce through solid metal, vanished into thin air as if they had never been.

"What?" The Celestial Human Elder who had attacked turned pale with horror. ’He’s so strong!’

Xia Wuyang floated down from the flying eaves, landing as silently as a falling leaf.

Without so much as a glance at the surrounding Xuan Nu Palace Elders who were watching him like tigers, he turned to Yun Liyue and said gently, "I happen to have some skill in the Sword Control Skill as well. You can observe my demonstration. It might help you break through to the Realm of Perfection."

After his recent period of comprehension and arduous Cultivation, he had brought his Sword Control Skill to a level nearing the Great Success Realm. While he couldn’t yet match Yun Liyue’s raw proficiency, Xia Wuyang’s understanding of the art itself surpassed hers.

Xia Wuyang was also quite familiar with Yun Liyue’s struggles with the Sword Control Skill. He knew which aspects she still found confusing, which were preventing her from reaching Perfection.

Therefore, when he demonstrated the Sword Control Skill, he would be sure to focus specifically on those areas.

Aided by his epiphanies and his almost supernatural powers of understanding, Comprehension, and memory, Xia Wuyang’s Sword Control Skill was advancing by leaps and bounds. It wouldn’t be long before he caught up to Yun Liyue.

As he spoke, before Grand Elder Xuan Ping and the others could make a move, Xia Wuyang casually slashed with his Bamboo Sword, launching streams of Qi Blood Swords.

The slash seemed casual, yet it contained the profound principles of the universe.

Where the Bamboo Sword passed, the air rippled like water. Seven emerald-green Sword Qi silently coalesced—the Qi Blood Sword, which could only be formed when one’s Qi and Blood Power reached a certain level of potency.

Each strand of Sword Qi was only three inches long and as thin as a hair, yet it was so condensed it looked solid.

"Go!"

The seven strands of Sword Qi shot forward at his command. They didn’t aim for the elders’ vital points; otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a demonstration. With their level of strength, Grand Elder Xuan Ping and the others couldn’t possibly withstand a full-power strike from Xia Wuyang.

The Sword Qi carved profound trajectories through the air. One moved like a roaming dragon, nimble and unpredictable. Another danced like a phoenix in the heavens, beautiful yet deadly. Yet another fell like a Star River, vast and infinite...

The display was a perfect exhibition of both his potent Qi Blood and the intricacies of the Sword Control Skill.

Yun Liyue’s beautiful eyes were wide, and she stared unblinking at the Sword Qi, completely transfixed.

’Those trajectories... I’m so familiar with them. How could I not be, after practicing them for decades?’

’They’re the seven fundamental sword paths of the Sword Control Skill. But in the hands of this man in black, these basic forms are evolving into infinite variations. Every single one highlights an area I’ve previously overlooked, and he’s even added his own improvements and innovations.’

"First Form: Wind Tiger, Cloud Dragon!"

Xia Wuyang’s voice rang out, clear and bright, as his Bamboo Sword moved once more.

The strands of Sword Qi merged, forming sword phantoms in the shape of dragons and tigers. They circled and danced, and the very air roiled in their wake, seemingly unable to withstand their Sword Intent.

Grand Elder Xuan Ping’s expression changed drastically. "Quick... Form the Array!"

The seven Elders hastily formed the Seven-Star Dragon-Locking Array. Pillars of Qi Blood shot skyward, weaving together into a giant net that sought to trap the Dragon and Tiger Sword Qi.

Xia Wuyang chuckled. "Dragon-Locking Array? You think you can lock anything with that?"

With a light tap of his Bamboo Sword, the Dragon and Tiger Sword Qi suddenly split into seven parts. Each one transformed into a three-foot blade that pierced into the Array from seven impossible angles.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT...

Following a series of soft thuds, the seven Elders stumbled back with muffled groans. A small, bloody hole had appeared on each of their shoulders. Though not deep—just enough to break the skin—the attacks had precisely pierced the key nodes of their Qi Blood circulation.

The Seven-Star Dragon-Locking Array shattered instantly, rendered completely useless.

"Second Form: Star River Reversal!"

Without a glance at the seven battered Elders of Xuan Nu Palace, Xia Wuyang continued his demonstration.

The seven strands of Sword Qi converged in the air, transforming into a brilliant Star River that poured down. This time, the Sword Qi did not wound them. Instead, it flowed around the seven Xuan Nu Palace Elders, trapping them firmly within the Sword River.

No matter how they struggled, they were like figures caught in a mire, unable to move a single inch.

Yun Liyue watched, completely mesmerized and almost beside herself.

’I’ve cultivated the Sword Control Skill for decades and thought I had grasped its essence. Only today do I truly understand that there’s always a higher heaven, always a stronger person.’

’Every move, every form this man in black makes is a demonstration, highlighting the very details I’ve overlooked—my own weaknesses. It’s like a sudden, profound awakening.’

"Third Form: Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root!"

Xia Wuyang’s Bamboo Sword quivered. The Sword Qi that filled the air suddenly converged, reforming into the seven three-inch Qi Blood Swords.

But these seven Qi Blood Swords were completely different now. They hovered in the air, their tips trembling, and let out a keening sound like the roar of a dragon.

At the sound of the blades’ cry, the seven Xuan Nu Palace Elders felt as if they’d been struck by lightning. They all spat out a mouthful of blood, not wounded by Sword Qi, but utterly overwhelmed by the Sword Intent, leaving them powerless to resist.

"Did you understand?"

Xia Wuyang withdrew his Bamboo Sword, and all the Sword Qi vanished. He turned to Yun Liyue and asked with a small smile.

Yun Liyue bowed deeply. "Senior, your Sword Dao is divine. I have benefited immensely."

"There is no limit to the sword," Xia Wuyang advised. "The highest realm of the Sword Control Skill isn’t Perfection. It’s improving upon Perfection to make the art uniquely your own." Although his raw proficiency in the Sword Control Skill was not yet a match for Yun Liyue’s, he had already begun modifying it long ago.

That was why, even though his Sword Control Skill had yet to reach Great Success, his version of it already surpassed hers.

Hearing this, Yun Liyue grew thoughtful. "I will take Senior’s teachings to heart."

Xia Wuyang nodded. His gaze swept over the seven Xuan Nu Palace Elders who had collapsed on the ground, and he lightly tapped the ground with his Bamboo Sword.

CRACK...

With the tip of his Bamboo Sword as the epicenter, the bluestone slabs within a hundred-foot radius simultaneously fractured. The cracks spread like a spiderweb, finally converging at the feet of the seven Xuan Nu Palace Elders to form a single, clear word: DEATH.

As the word finished forming, the eyes of the seven Elders rolled back into their heads, and they all fainted dead away.

This was yet another ingenious application of the Sword Control Skill. Yun Liyue was captivated, her gaze locked on the cracks in the stone. She was stunned to discover that the patterns clearly illustrated the very aspects of the Sword Control Skill that she had failed to comprehend.

When Yun Liyue finally came back to her senses, she found a pair of eyes as deep as the stars staring at her without blinking. Her heart fluttered. ’What a strange feeling.’

’This mysterious person before me seems to be shrouded behind a thick mask. Everything about him feels unreal, as if he’s hiding something.’

’This man... his height, his aura, his strength, his Cultivation... none of it matches anyone I know. It’s as if it’s all a deliberate disguise. But why?’

The moonlight reflected off Xia Wuyang’s mask, casting a faint, pearlescent glow.

A thought suddenly struck Yun Liyue. ’It’s only been a few breaths since I activated my Jade Pendant, yet he’s already here in my Lizheng Hall. Just how close must he have been?’