Chapter 378: Seven Swords, Six Taps on the Umbrella
Liang Hongzhuang had traveled a thousand miles to this place to seek revenge against Su Li. He had made it very clear—this was a blood debt for his father’s murder. As such, this battle would not be about victory or defeat; it would inevitably be about life and death.
Before a life-and-death battle began, asking the opponent to go easy, and doing so with sincere earnestness that was clearly not empty rhetoric but a heartfelt plea—Chen Changsheng’s words were truly surprising. Liang Hongzhuang had no idea how to respond and simply shook his head. But what followed held no surprises, because there was no way mercy would be shown.
The red dancing robe fluttered across the green desolate mountains. Dust and soil for hundreds of miles were all shaken into the sky. Liang Hongzhuang drifted forward like a true flame about to set the plains ablaze.
Ravaging like fire—there were few things in the world faster or more violent than the spread of flames. Could this youth see through his domain? If I move so fast you can’t even see me, how can you see through it?
Logically speaking, given Liang Hongzhuang’s cultivation level and his fame in the northern lands, he should not have needed to resort to such methods against a Tongyou realm cultivator. But Chen Changsheng was no ordinary Tongyou realm cultivator. And to kill Su Li, Liang Hongzhuang was willing to endure even humiliation, so he certainly wouldn’t mind being more cautious—even if that caution was entirely unnecessary.
A Star Gathering realm powerhouse being so cautious against an obviously weaker opponent was a terrifying thing. Watching the red dancing robe burn through the desolate mountains like flames, Su Li raised his sword-like brows again, but his expression grew faint. That faintness was both indifference and calm—indifference toward life, calm toward the outcome. He had already seen the end of this battle. Chen Changsheng had wounded Liang Hongzhuang’s earlobe with a sword earlier, but he couldn’t handle the current situation.
Hundreds of years ago, when he last left the Zhou Garden, he was already at the peak of the Tongyou realm. Even then, facing Liang Hongzhuang as he was now, he could think of no better method than trading death for death. What could Chen Changsheng do?
Chen Changsheng didn’t know what to do. No matter how great his comprehension or how diligent his cultivation, the gap in cultivation level still existed. Moreover, in terms of combat experience, Liang Hongzhuang far surpassed him. And… it was all happening too fast.
Few things were faster or more violent than the ravaging spread of fire. At the Tongyou realm, he simply couldn’t keep up with Liang Hongzhuang’s speed. But he had two things that were faster than Liang Hongzhuang—the Yashi Step and the speed of his thoughts.
—With a flicker of divine sense, one could cross a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.
He stared at the fire-like dancing robe spreading across the mountains and thought desperately.
The ancient records of the former dynasty in the Daoist Canon, the characteristics of the techniques used by the Liang royal clan when they rampaged through the north, Liang Hongzhuang’s cold gaze, his terrifying red sleeves, his surging aura, his vast true essence, the angle at which a blade of grass bent after being stepped on—countless data points or descriptions appeared in his sea of consciousness, constantly combining and matching, forming an incredibly complex star chart.
His Wisdom Sword was not yet formed. Even if he had three days and three nights, he couldn’t calculate the weak points of Liang Hongzhuang’s star domain through these, nor could he see the connections within this star chart. And in a moment, Liang Hongzhuang’s dancing robe would burn him to ashes.
He could only rely on guesswork again. No, it was deduction.
Su Li had said that deduction and blind guessing were different. Blind guessing was random; deduction was done with eyes open, looking at the world, at the starry sky, with a basis, then following intuition, or the feeling within.
He made his deduction, then moved first.
Wind in the desolate mountains all came from Liang Hongzhuang’s dancing robe. The space around Chen Changsheng was eerily still, strange and terrifying. Suddenly, he vanished from where he stood, and the next moment, he appeared before Liang Hongzhuang.
He used the simplified version of the Yashi Step.
A brilliantly beautiful sword light blazed across the desolate mountains, accompanied by a low chant, carrying a solemn and terrifying pressure that seemed to come from ancient times, stabbing into the flames that covered the mountains.
He used the new generation of the Dragon’s Roar Sword.
Compared to the powerful domain within Liang Hongzhuang’s fluttering robe, this sword intent was not strong, but it was exceptionally fierce.
The sword light suddenly illuminated the mountain wilderness like a bolt of lightning.
The short sword, at an unimaginable angle, plunged straight in, then abruptly turned, bypassing the raging flames to reach Liang Hongzhuang’s front.
A clear cry filled with rage and shock echoed through the mountain wilderness.
Liang Hongzhuang retreated in a hurry. Even midair, a clear sword wound could be seen on his left shoulder, blood seeping from the gash. Chen Changsheng’s sword had struck him again!
The fire did not weaken; instead, it surged. Liang Hongzhuang was furious beyond measure. The red dancing robe descended from the sky, enveloping Chen Changsheng. But at that moment, another brilliantly beautiful sword light flared!
Sword chants rang out continuously across the mountain wilderness, but they were not hurried—one after another, even somewhat slow, and the sword intent was not particularly strong. Yet the fire-like dancing robe could never fall, never trap Chen Changsheng inside.
…
…
Time moved forward between the sword light and the fiery dance.
No one knew how long had passed when a terrifying tearing sound suddenly echoed through the desolate mountains.
The great fire covering the mountains vanished without a trace. The sword light ceased to shine.
The two figures separated, standing dozens of yards apart across the mountain wilderness, with a gentle breeze blowing between them.
Chen Changsheng’s face was very pale, the hand holding his sword trembling incessantly.
Liang Hongzhuang’s face was even paler, covered in blood, his dancing robe completely shredded.
Chen Changsheng had struck seven swords, and not one had missed.
At this point in the battle, victory and defeat were clear.
Remnants of makeup and drops of blood stood out starkly on Liang Hongzhuang’s pale face. Blood dripped steadily from his tattered dancing robe. He stared at Chen Changsheng, eyes wide, as if he couldn’t understand how any of this had happened.
Chen Changsheng was somewhat dazed. Even at this moment, he wasn’t entirely sure what had just occurred.
Su Li looked at Chen Changsheng, his emotions complicated. A Tongyou realm youth defeating a Star Gathering realm celebrity, with the former emerging victorious—a cross-realm kill rarely seen in the history of the cultivation world had just happened before his eyes.
He had accomplished several cross-realm kills in his time. He believed that Qiushan, who had studied swords under him for a month, could do the same at the upper Tongyou realm. But that Chen Changsheng could achieve such a feat, and in the way he did, still deeply moved him.
This battle was so plain and unremarkable.
Su Li understood that precisely because it was plain and unremarkable, it was all the more breathtaking.
Chen Changsheng had achieved this cross-realm kill not through talent or bloodline, not through a heaven-granted sword path, not through gifts from heaven and the starry sky, but entirely through his own effort and understanding. This wasn’t genius, yet it was far more powerful than genius.
Had such a person ever appeared in the long river of time, on this vast continent?
Su Li looked at Chen Changsheng, silently pondering this question, his fingers lightly tapping the yellow paper umbrella.
In the end, he only tapped it six times.
…
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(After traveling all day yesterday, I was exhausted, and on top of that, my old back problem flared up. I was feeling lazy and pampered, really wanting to rest another day. But then I looked at the calendar and saw it was the 213th day… Ah, for someone who wrote “Nightfall” for nearly three years, this is truly an important day. I had to write something. So here’s this chapter—seven swords, six taps on the umbrella, making thirteen! Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and I will definitely… update, so I won’t give the youngsters an excuse to make mistakes and waste money!)