As a powerful sword of ice condensed, it flew out over fifty meters in an instant, its biting sword qi rushing straight towards Chen Changkong’s face.
Such a swift sword, for others, might leave no time to react, just as Dongfang Yuchu, eliminated by Yan Yu in the previous round, was instantly killed.
But Chen Changkong could.
For he was also a swordsman.
Chen Changkong’s expression remained unchanged. Facing the sword strike from Yan Yu, he too unleashed a sword strike.
"Rumble!"
The wide sword body descended, its whistling sound like an approaching warship, heavy and powerful.
"--Clang!"
The two sword lights collided in mid-air. Ice and rock layers scraped against each other, then exploded, scattering into countless dangerous sword intents that flew outwards, finally imprinting themselves on the walls surrounding the Heavenly Pond.
After the first exchange, Yan Yu’s figure had already surged forward, closing in on Chen Changkong. His sword flashed out thousands of times in an instant, the terrifying intent of ice freezing everything it touched.
"Hand over the Gan Jiang sword, and I'll spare your life!"
Yan Yu’s voice was furious as he savagely unleashed blow after blow, each aimed at a vital point. Chen Changkong, unable to cope, could only weakly parry.
"There is no sword you seek here; you have the wrong person!"
As the sword marks on Chen Changkong’s body increased and his injuries worsened, he too became enraged. Gripping his sword with both hands, he unleashed a full-powered sword strike. Where the sword qi passed, even the water of the Heavenly Pond flew up hundreds of feet, forcing Yan Yu back a hundred meters. But in mere moments, Yan Yu charged forward again, facing the sword intent as heavy as a mountain. His eyes were bloodshot, his sword intent icy, his demeanor utterly frenzied.
"If you don't hand it over, I'll beat you until you do!"
"This madman!" Chen Changkong gritted his teeth, glancing at Xu Mu, who was meditating and healing behind him. He suddenly darted out, intending to bypass Yan Yu and strike him down. But Yan Yu gave him no such opportunity, a sky full of sword light flashing, constantly sticking close to his front.
Wherever he was, Yan Yu’s sword would fall.
After repeated failed assaults, Chen Changkong’s sword wounds only grew, and Yan Yu’s attacks became fiercer with each passing moment.
Helpless, Chen Changkong had no choice but to temporarily abandon Xu Mu and focus on dealing with Yan Yu.
"You are truly courting death."
Chen Changkong said with a serious expression, charging towards Yan Yu. His sword momentum grew heavier as he ran, his aura climbing steadily until it reached its peak. Then, he slashed down with his sword.
The sword light blazed, as heavy as the vast cosmos. Before it even made contact, the bones in Yan Yu’s body began to crackle and pop, a result of the pressure from this single sword strike.
"It is you who is courting death if you do not hand over the sword."
Yan Yu spoke coldly, reversing his sword in his right hand, and similarly slashing out a terrifying sword light in the air. It was chillingly cold, freezing all the pond water along its path. It collided head-on with the heavy sword, then exploded with a roar.
The heavy sword continued its forward progress, unstoppable. So Yan Yu unleashed a second sword strike, then a third... until he could no longer count how many he had unleashed in a single second. Finally, Chen Changkong's sword strike was halted.
But awaiting Yan Yu was the second, even heavier sword strike that followed.
Chen Changkong hovered in the sky, exuding a terrifying sword momentum from within and without. Even his gaze was sharp enough to scare people, causing the rocks he fixed his eyes on to crack.
Below, Yan Yu showed no weakness. He had no intention of stalling, sword in hand, he instantly flashed before Chen Changkong and began his assault.
"Clang clang clang clang clang!!!!"
Without any fancy footwork, the two engaged, relying only on the most basic sword techniques: cleaving, hacking, lifting, and thrusting. In a blink of an eye, they had clashed countless times. Terrifying sword intents eroded each other’s bodies, and only blurry afterimages could be seen in the sky and earth.
Outside, countless people anxiously watched the sword duel in the Yaochi, including the five highly respected judges. They all wanted to know who would emerge victorious.
Would it be Chen Changkong, the young sword saint from the Chen clan, or Yan Yu, the sole disciple taken in by the Human King of Baiyun Taoist Temple?
"Having fought to this point, no matter who wins, they can be declared the strongest young swordsman in the world today!"
A middle-aged nun shook her head in admiration. Half an hour had passed since Yan Yu and Chen Changkong began their fight, and their duel had reached its most intense stage. All sorts of terrifying sword moves were unleashed, with frost encroaching, weight as heavy as a thousand jun, and killing power reaching the heavens. It struck fear into all the young geniuses who had been eliminated previously.
Because if they were caught in such sword qi, they might not even survive for a single breath before being instantly killed!
...
Another hour passed.
Within the Immortal Realm of Yaochi, Yan Yu and Chen Changkong were still fighting, sword strike after sword strike. The sword qi extended hundreds of meters and then surged, shattering countless rocks that fell into the pond water. Their wounds had stained their robes red.
"Damn it, you forced my hand!"
Seeing Xu Mu's condition gradually recovering, his complexion becoming rosy, with signs of awakening, Chen Changkong could no longer hold back. He directly retracted his original sword and replaced it with a bronze sword, entirely azure in color, inscribed with a double-hooked turtle-patterned talisman.
This was the Gan Jiang sword.
"It truly is you!"
Upon seeing the sword, Yan Yu's somewhat tired nerves tensed up again, unleashing infinite energy. Frost surged out instantly.
"It has been a long time. I didn't expect you to survive," the sword spirit of Gan Jiang said, looking at Yan Yu with a sigh. "There is no deep enmity between you and me, nor do I necessarily want to kill you."
"Now, step aside. Let me kill this brat, and all will be well."
"You wish!" Yan Yu said nothing, raising his sword and slashing out again. Dao origin flowed along the sword, and frost and lightning erupted instantly, terrifying.
Yan Yu's eye sockets were red, his eyes splitting. His hatred for the sword spirit stemmed not only from its betrayal but more importantly, because that betrayal had caused him to lose the Shore Flower, and the only chance to revive his wife.
Therefore, from the moment he awoke in Baiyun Taoist Temple and began cultivating, Yan Yu had thought of nothing but killing the sword spirit of Gan Jiang, and had made many preparations for it.
For instance, he had prepared many talismans targeting spirits and cultivated many Daoist techniques specifically for spirits, all in preparation for the day he could personally slay it.
And now, the opportunity had arrived.
The Gan Jiang sword was right before him, held by Chen Changkong, and its spirit was within.
"Courting death."
Both the sword spirit and Chen Changkong uttered these words simultaneously. Then, a sword qi like a mountain peak stretching ten thousand zhang instantly appeared in space. The entire Yaochi began to tremble violently. Before a single sword strike could be unleashed, Yan Yu's frost-laden sword qi was suppressed and its power rendered null.
"Hahahaha, this is the sword worthy of me!"
Chen Changkong laughed heartily, a trace of madness in his laughter. The world knew him as a peerless talent, the young sword saint, but they didn't know that from childhood, Chen Changkong had never possessed a suitable sword.
Yes, he had seen many swords, but none that he liked.
The young sword saint, without a sword, for many years. Even the one he wore now was just one he had casually taken from the Chen family ancestral land.
Now, he had finally encountered a sword he liked, one that resonated with his heart – the Gan Jiang sword.
Therefore, no matter the cost, he had to obtain this sword.
Even if that cost was to kill someone!