Free Web NovelChapter 518: Chapter 511: Annihilation
In that split second, Zhou Yuanjue’s thoughts blurred and froze. His vision swam for an instant, and somehow, Beichuan Xuanxin was already standing before him, just inches away.
It was as if his opponent had used Instant Teleportation, or perhaps, as if he had severed the very "time" it took to cross that distance.
’My sword... can sever time...’
At that moment, the words Beichuan Xuanxin had spoken earlier flashed through his mind.
’Could his ability really affect time?’
’No, an ability like that would completely defy all logic. If his opponent’s power had reached that level, he must have already broken through the shackles binding a mere lifeform of Earth.’
However, reality afforded him no more time to think. In that brief moment of hesitation, he had already fallen a step behind his opponent.
And when facing the Iaido of Tianhe Country, being even a split second too slow meant the difference between life and death.
SWOOSH!!!
An ear-piercing sound of slicing air rang out. Beichuan Xuanxin had drawn the "Sharp Sword" from the "Sword Scabbard" of his left hand.
Shi Lan!!!
SLICE!!!
The drone cameras in the sky captured a shocking scene.
As Beichuan Xuanxin struck, a massive, crescent-shaped Qi Blade materialized in the desert sky, rapidly expanding and emitting a piercing, slicing sound.
And the arm that had unleashed it all struck Zhou Yuanjue squarely in the chest!!
BAM!!
The tremendous force sent Zhou Yuanjue flying backward. He smashed into a distant sand dune, his body sinking deep into the sand and sending a cloud of dust into the air.
UPROAR!!
Audiences around the world witnessed this, letting out a collective gasp. In Tianhe Country, however, the Martial Arts Realm erupted in near-fanatical cheers.
A direct hit!!
His opponent hadn’t even managed a basic defensive maneuver!
This was the power of Tianhe Country’s strongest Sword Saint!!
It seemed this single blow might have decided the match. After all, Iaido was inherently a powerful technique designed for one-hit kills.
「Meanwhile, on Zixiao Mountain in Shangjing Prefecture, Donghua Country.」
The Chief Commissioner and Chen Qingmu took in the scene, their eyes narrowing slightly.
"I didn’t expect that fellow’s ability to affect even that kid... His power seems to have grown even more terrifying,"
the Chief Commissioner said gravely.
"To extinguish thought, to sever all distracting ideas... Back in the day, no one could ever evade his ’formless’ Sharp Sword. I’m afraid Yuan Jue is in for some trouble now..."
Chen Qingmu’s expression also turned grim.
「Back at the scene.」
Beichuan Xuanxin stood his ground, his eyes narrowed as he watched the dust-shrouded sand dune where Zhou Yuanjue had crashed. He did not give chase.
And the whole world watched, waiting with bated breath.
Just how much damage had that terrifying, direct hit inflicted on Zhou Yuanjue?
As the cameras zoomed in, the dust gradually settled, and a figure slowly emerged from the cloud.
By now, the figure no longer had the normal appearance of a human.
His body, shrouded in silver-white starlight, had become semi-translucent, like a Divine Spirit descending from the heavens to the mortal realm.
A vast, silver-and-red light billowed from his body like a signal fire, constantly rising and spreading. The surrounding air currents began to shift violently, and the drones in the sky started to shake wildly, caught in the immense turbulence.
"Climb! Climb! Get to a higher, safer altitude!"
The drone operation teams all issued urgent commands, sending the drones climbing rapidly. The cameras, however, never wavered, clearly capturing everything happening on the ground.
Across the chest of the god-like figure, a massive wound was clearly visible, spanning his entire torso. Through the gash, one could even see his bones, muscles, and internal organs.
Without a doubt, this was the horrific injury caused by the earlier slash. Zhou Yuanjue’s muscles, as tough as steel rebar, had been sliced clean through. On an ordinary person, such a terrifying wound would have been fatal.
But now, the wound on Zhou Yuanjue’s body was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye. In less than five seconds, it had sealed completely, vanishing without a trace and leaving his skin as it was before.
"Tsk. I must say, of all the things I have ever cut, nothing has been harder than your body and bones. You truly are an incredible man."
"And that exceptionally fast Recovery Ability... You’re truly a handful,"
Beichuan Xuanxin said, shaking his head.
"To think you could affect my senses and my will... Destruction Stream, so that’s its secret. A Sword Dao and will like yours are beyond anything I expected."
Zhou Yuanjue walked forward, step by step. His voice was calm, yet it seemed to hold a strange sense of joy.
After having experienced a dual sublimation of both body and Spirit, he had never imagined there was still something in this world capable of directly affecting his bio-magnetic field and his will.
That’s right. After experiencing it firsthand and giving it a moment of thought, he had begun to understand the nature of the Destruction Stream’s power.
’Sever time?’
’That’s impossible. If his opponent truly possessed the power to sever time, that last strike would have been fatal.’
’What his opponent severed wasn’t time itself, but my ability to perceive its flow.’
’In other words, in that instant, the Sharp Sword formed from his opponent’s will and bio-magnetic field briefly severed some of my sensory and cognitive functions, causing me to misjudge the passage of time.’
’To extinguish thought, to sever all distracting ideas.’
’This was the true horror of the Destruction Stream.’
’His strongest sword wasn’t in his hand, but in his mind.’
"To be honest, I am overjoyed. In the very instant I was struck, I could faintly perceive the mysteries of will and thought. That door is starting to come loose."
"You can become even stronger, can’t you?"
Zhou Yuanjue lowered himself into a fighting stance, spreading his arms slightly like a soaring Divine Bird.
VMMMM!!
Reflected in Beichuan Xuanxin’s constricting pupils, the billowing silver-and-red light behind Zhou Yuanjue twisted and contorted. A massive, lifelike Immortal bird spread its wings and raised its proud head.
Zhou Yuanjue’s fingers intertwined, forming a complex and profound Hand Seal.
At the same time, his bio-magnetic field erupted like a cosmic explosion.
Infinite Starry Sky.
OH MY GOD!!!
The drones captured an utterly stunning scene, causing viewers around the world to cry out in astonishment.
A giant Immortal bird, its wingspan stretching several hundred meters, had appeared out of thin air before everyone’s eyes.
Its sheer size and majesty, transcending all common sense, delivered a profound shock to the human soul.
"The fight has only just begun. In return for that stunning strike, allow me to show you something real."
Secret Technique: Crosses the Sky!!
