Chapter 83: Holy Sword — Clear Sky Sword
“This Zhang He, I heard that he ate a Returning Essence Pill. His Martial Spirit not only recovered, but it became even stronger.”
“I wonder if he can defeat Xiao Chen this time? It could be said that they were evenly matched the last time.”
“If Zhang He’s Martial Spirit is destroyed again, I wonder if it is possible to save it again.”
“You guys don't understand. After a Martial Spirit recondenses, its might and strength is increased by many times. To think that the Zhang Clan was able to obtain a Returning Essence Pill. I wonder how they did it?”
Before the two of them started fighting, the sounds of discussions coming from the crowd could be heard. The referee walked up and told the two of them, “Exchange salutations.”
Xiao Chen and Zhang He exchanged salutations, “Duel, Start!”
“Zhi!”
Right after the referee said those words, Zhang He immediately executed Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique. An illusion of a heavenly roc appeared behind him, giving off a loud bird cry,
He flew off the ground and hovered in the air. Zhang He brandished his sword in his hands and four streams of sword Qi screamed in the air, heading towards Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen’s eyes were calm as a gentle breeze blows his fine black hair and clothes fluttered in the wind. He made poking motions in the air four times, and four streams of purple flames appeared on his finger tips; the flames revolved around his fingers once and then flew towards the sword Qi.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The sword Qi and the purple flames clashed in the air, giving off four explosive sounds before dissipating in all directions. Zhang He casually waved his hand and sent out a Qi wave, scattering the flames in front of him.
The Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique was extremely fast; Zhang he was able to instantly move to the front of Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen was barely able to see Zhang He’s figure moving. Actually, Xiao Chen did not have any decent Movement Techniques.
“Zhi!”
There was another loud bird cry. When Zhang He was near Xiao Chen, his body moved strangely to one side, leaving behind an afterimage. As a matter of fact, Zhang He was already behind Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes and sent out his Spiritual Sense. A gentle breeze blew as Xiao Chen’s feet remained steady and unmoving. Suddenly, the Lunar Shadow Saber burst out in light and with a flick of his wrist, the Lunar Shadow Saber moved towards the back and blocked.
“Bang!”
Xiao Chen’s saber managed to intercept Zhang He’s slash as it came from behind him. It was very precise, in the eyes of others, as though he had grown eyes on the back of his head.
Zhang He was mildly astonished, but he still remained in the air. Moving very nimbly, he switched to another position and arrived to the back of Xiao Chen’s left side.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen’s Lunar Shadow Saber was switched to his left hand and before Zhang He could make his move, a resplendent glow appeared on the Saber blade and chopped towards Zhang He; Xiao Chen’s feet still had not changed position.
Zhang he was shocked, he could attribute the earlier block as a coincidence. However, with Xiao Chen taking the initiative, it was clear that Xiao Chen was able to see the attacks coming from behind him.
Spreading apart both his hands like a huge bird, Zhang He retreated into the air. As he was about to land on the ground after making a somersault, the tip of his sword came in contact with the ground and gently sprung back into the air.
“Hu!”
He executed the Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique to the extreme, moving through the air like a sharp arrow, shooting towards Xiao Chen; the tip of his sword surging toward him.
“Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!”
In an instant, the two of them exchanged countless blows. Despite Zhang He executing the Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique to the extreme, Xiao Chen still did not move. He dealt with every blow as they came, and was not flustered at all.
After Zhang He stabbed out with his sword again, he flew backward. Seeing that Xiao Chen still had his eyes closed, he felt very helpless in his heart. The Movement Technique that he was so proud of, was actually useless against Xiao Chen.
In the previous battle, Xiao Chen was not able to catch up to his speed; he was only able to use the Heavenly Lightning Shield and passively defend. Now, he was able to hold his ground without moving and deal with Zhang He’s moves.
“Flight On Wings, One Line Chop!”
Zhang He shouted angrily, as a simple and reserved sword move chopped down towards Xiao Chen. Since he was not able to use speed to suppress Xiao Chen, then he would use force to do so.
Suddenly, Xiao Chen opened his eyes. A gleam flashed in them as he watched Zhang He descending from the sky. He smiled indistinctly and his feet pushed off the ground gently, leaping into the air.
“Flight On Wings, One Line Chop!”
“Bang!”
The saber light and sword light collided with each other, giving off a horrifying Qi wave in the air. Zhang He retreated backward by several steps. Seeing that Xiao Chen only had his movements affected slightly, he was extremely astonished, To think that I would actually lose to Xiao Chen in a competition of force.
“Zhi!”
The heavenly roc behind Zhang He cried out loudly again; Zhang He pulled to a stop in midair, cutting off the momentum of falling. He looked at Xiao Chen, who was in the air, and his grin faintly revealed derision.
Even if you are slightly stronger than me, you should not go against me in the air. I have the Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique. Let’s see how you will resist the gravitational pull.
“Flight On Wings, Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years!”
Zhang He shouted loudly and executed the Martial Technique he was so proud of against the falling Xiao Chen. He hoped to defeat Xiao Chen in the air and not give him the chance to land.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly in his heart and a stream of energy came from the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit. He brandished his saber and did a somersault, his body using the energy from the Azure Dragon Martial Spirit to abruptly rise higher.
Zhang He’s Martial Technique immediately lost its target. Zhang He raised his head to discover that Xiao Chen was already above him; Zhang He was startled.
“Flight On Wings, Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years!”
Although it was the same Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years, when compared against Zhang He’s Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years, Xiao Chen had the advantage of position. The Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years executed from above him completely suppressed Zhang He.
In an instant, the figures of the two of them kept changing position. Countless saber lights and sword lights flew around. The sounds of the sword lights and saber lights clashing with each other rang out incessantly. Within an instant, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.
“With the difference in their positions, Zhang He is going to be at a huge disadvantage. Surprisingly, Xiao Chen had a Movement Technique that allowed him to rise higher into the air.”
“Indeed, he possibly had revealed an ‘opening’ on purpose. Or else, why would he suddenly decide to battle him in the air?”
“It is very possible.”
As the crowd discussed the fight, the people of the three great clans were also anxiously watching the fight below.
In the Xiao Clan’s pavilion, Xiao Yulan was watching the two people in the air very apprehensively, her eyes filled with worry. After they executed the Disordered Dance of a Thousand Years, they moved very fast. With Xiao Yulan’s current cultivation level, it was difficult for her to see the situation clearly.
“Father, how is the situation?” Xiao Yulan asked the First Elder.
[TL notes: Not sure if I mentioned this before, but in the past, the author said that the first elder was her grandfather. After a while it seems that he became the father instead. I will use father from now on, and will change the previous chapters to father to keep things consistent.]
Xiao Qiang smiled faintly, “All’s good. Xiao Chen has the advantage.”
The people of the Zhang Clan and Tang Clan were both in the same pavilion. The Zhang Clan Head had an unsightly expression on his face, “To think that he fell for such a simple trap. Zhang He is too shortsighted.”
Tang Tian consoled him, “He only lost the advantage temporarily. It has not reached the moment where victory will be decided. Furthermore, this way, we can expose one of Xiao Chen’s skills.”
Tang Feng, who was standing beside them, grasped the Ice Fire Bow tightly as he stared at the two people in the sky. He smiled coldly, “This kind of skill will only become a sitting duck in front of my Ice Fire Bow.”
“Bang!”
Within a short moment, the two people in the sky exchanged more than 1200 moves with each other. As they finished up the Martial Technique, Xiao Chen ruthlessly planted his foot onto Zhang He’s body, pushing off with some force and causing him Xiao Chen to soar higher into the sky.
Zhang He fell onto the ground with a ‘bang’. There were many holes on his shirt created by saber lights, leaving behind many bloody wounds. He looked at Xiao Chen, who was soaring higher into the sky, and his eyes were full of shock.
What was he trying to do?
Zhang He quickly got up and cast aside the doubts in his heart. Currently, his momentum was at rock bottom. If he could not regain any of it, he would be thoroughly suppressed by Xiao Chen.
“Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings, Chasing Stars Catching Moon!”
The illusion behind Zhang He’s back suddenly let out a sharp bird cry. His clothes fluttered around non-stop as a sound-wave burst out in all directions.
The spectators who were closer to the arena instantly felt their eardrums tremble, making them feel dizzy. The people with lower cultivations even vomited blood and fainted.
“This bird cry has already achieved the charm of a divine bird cry. To think that Zhang He still has so many cards to play, even after being injured.”
“Back in the days of that expert, he used the divine bird cry to cause people to bleed from their seven orifices and to die from the rupturing of their internal organs. Although Zhang He has not reached such a level yet, it is already pretty good for him to be able to make people faint,” the crowds below discussed.
After Zhang He used the Chasing Stars Catching Moon Movement Technique, he was like a sharp arrow fired from a bow. He sprang up from the ground and chased after Xiao Chen. Despite making his move later, he managed to catch up with Xiao Chen in an instant.
Xiao Chen frowned slightly; he was astonished at the Heavenly Roc Spreading Wings Movement Technique. With Zhang He’s current cultivation level, he was able to reach such a standard. One could only imagine the might and strength of that expert from back then.
Xiao Chen had no other choice but to give up on his original plan. He originally wanted to use the Meteor Burst; if Zhang He had been late in catching up to him, he was confident that he could have used the Meteor Burst and ended this duel instantly.
Xiao Chen twisted his body and avoided a stream of sword Qi that Zhang he sent out. He quickly descended towards the ground. His Movement Technique was not as good as Zhang He’s; there were no advantages to going against him in the air.
Seeing the statue of the Tianwu Emperor in front of him, Xiao Chen’s eyes brightened. Xiao Chen moved quickly in the air and avoided the sword Qi of Zhang He as he descended towards the statue of the Tianwu Emperor.
After a few moments, Xiao Chen stood on the sword of the Tianwu Emperor. After he stabilized himself, Xiao Chen finally had the opportunity to make a counter attack. He turned around to face Zhang He, who was chasing him, as he shot out four Grade 3 Flame Talismans.
Zhang He made stepping motions in the air, and the image of a heavenly roc appeared; the image of the heavenly roc looked very real. Zhang He stood on it and moved towards the left, evading a talisman that was shot at him.
“Bang!”
Just as Zhang he thought that everything was fine, the talisman suddenly exploded in the air. Surging heat waves emanated in all directions, with the talisman as the center.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
There were another three explosive sounds as the other three talismans exploded continuously, filling the sky with thick flames. A boundless heat wave blasted out in all directions. Similar to dark clouds, it covered up the bright sun, looking like a large cloud made of flames.
Seeing the thick clouds filling up the sky, the crowd below were all astonished. The Zhang Clan Head was frightened until his face could show no expression. He trembled as he said, “Is this a Secret Treasure? The Xiao Clan actually still has such a Secret Treasure...”
Tang Tian and his son, who were at the side, were also incomparably shocked. The thick flames actually covered the entire sky above the arena; the blaze had a matchless might and power. Even from far away, they could feel the horrifying heatwave.
“Clear Sky Holy Sword, Eight Desolate Sweeps!”
Just as the crowd thought that the situation was very bad for Zhang He, a resplendent sword light suddenly appeared in the sky, scattering away the thick flames completely. The sunlight from above shone down on them once again.