Chapter 592: Waiting for What?
The lake wind surged into the sleeves of his Daoist robe, flapping loudly like a banner.
The Stainless Sword shot through the air, as if about to ignite.
Out of respect, and also due to the demands of strength, Chen Changsheng left no backup plan. His opening move was his most powerful Burning Sword, and the angle and direction he chose were, of course, the Wisdom Sword.
This strike appeared straight, but in truth, it constantly shifted its trajectory.
Guan Bai stood silently in place. His sword had not moved, but his domain was already formed.
With a sharp tearing sound, a small rip appeared in Chen Changsheng’s sleeve.
His sword had already arrived before Guan Bai.
Su Li had once said in the wilderness that perfect star domains were rare in the current world.
But the situation now was completely different from his words. It wasn’t that Chen Changsheng’s sword had found a flaw in Guan Bai’s star domain; rather, Guan Bai had voluntarily dispersed his domain.
It was the same decision Liang Wangsun had made in Xunyang City when facing Chen Changsheng’s sword.
Both were experts on the Free Travel List, and their tactical wisdom often shared common ground.
Though Guan Bai’s sword cultivation was profound, he did not believe he could surely and steadily defeat Chen Changsheng, who had received personal guidance from Su Li in the way of the sword.
Unable to hold an absolute advantage in the subtlety of sword techniques, rather than forming a star domain and passively waiting to be attacked, it was better to rely on his superior cultivation to take the strike head-on.
Guan Bai’s sword thus came down forcefully and directly.
He paid no heed to Chen Changsheng’s sword.
Because his cultivation realm was far higher than Chen Changsheng’s, he believed his sword would surely be faster and heavier than Chen Changsheng’s, forcing Chen Changsheng to withdraw his sword for defense.
No amount of talent or exquisite sword technique could change this fact.
Guan Bai’s sword descended like a waterfall from the sky, accompanied by the rumbling sound of thunder, crashing down toward Chen Changsheng. He had no choice but to halt his advance and pull back his sword.
The sword that had charged forward without looking back was forcibly withdrawn.
Both the Burning Sword and the Wisdom Sword lost their meaning. The two most powerful sword techniques he had learned from Su Li were thus easily broken.
Fortunately, Su Li had taught him three swords in total, and the third was best suited for defense.
—The Stainless Sword seemed awkwardly to return before him, raised clumsily at an angle toward the sky, meeting the waterfall descending from the heavens.
Waterfalls always form on mountains. Even the hardest stone mountain will be carved into a deep pool by a waterfall’s force.
But in the pool, one always sees some stones, covered in moss, washed by the water for a thousand years, yet still unmoving and unyielding, steadfast in their place.
Like the short sword in Chen Changsheng’s hand.
This was a sword that even Su Li had not learned.
Guan Bai’s sword momentum surged like a tide, but it could not break Chen Changsheng’s defense.
The sunlight spilling over the lakeshore dimmed in that instant.
Because between the two swords, countless golden sparks burst forth, beautiful as a tree of fire.
With a thunderous roar!
Chen Changsheng was driven back dozens of zhang before he could barely steady himself.
His Daoist robe was torn, his leather boots shattered, and a clear mark was left on the stone platform.
Guan Bai gave him no chance to catch his breath, following with his sword.
He used the Radiant Light Sword of the Heavenly Dao Academy. In terms of speed alone, it was unmatched.
Countless beams of sword light dazzled people’s eyes.
Like the countless golden threads on the lake surface under the setting sun.
Clear sword chimes rang out continuously, densely packed, eventually merging into a single straight line—monotonous and dry, yet eerily unsettling, like a xiao pipe hitting its highest note.
Guan Bai’s powerful sword intent rose higher and higher with the clear chime.
The sword light on the stone platform grew increasingly blinding, impossible to look at directly.
The watching crowd grew more and more tense.
Guan Bai’s sword cultivation was too formidable.
No matter how exquisite Chen Changsheng’s sword technique was, how long could he hold out?
Given the current situation, the final outcome of this duel seemed already decided.
Xu Yourong sat behind the gauze curtain. No one could see the worry deep in her eyes. The Nanxi Zhai disciple attending nearby, seeing her hand clenched tightly, thought she was excited to see Chen Changsheng about to lose to his opponent, as if her wish had been fulfilled.
The formation pre-arranged by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion had already been triggered. Countless powerful auras emerged from the blue stones by the lakeshore, and faint clear light isolated the two combatants from the outside world.
The sword chime that had been a single straight line finally broke. This did not mean Guan Bai could no longer sustain such a violent attack; rather, it signified that his sword intent had reached its peak, no longer needing to deliberately gather momentum, becoming more free and effortless.
The sword intent grew even more chilling. The blue stone ground was carved with countless smooth cracks, and even the clear light enveloping the arena showed faint signs of being cut through.
Chen Changsheng and Guan Bai moved faster and faster, almost turning into two streaks of light, darting rapidly across the arena. It was hard to see clearly. As for the specific sword techniques they were using, aside from a few like the Old Man of the Heavenly Mechanism and the King of Linghai, no one could understand.
No one knew how much time had passed when the two figures finally separated.
The dust gradually settled. They stood facing each other, more than ten zhang apart, in silent confrontation.
Guan Bai was unchanged, as before. Chen Changsheng, however, looked terrible. His Daoist robe was slashed with countless cuts, his face pale, and the hand holding the Stainless Sword trembled slightly.
Everyone could see he was seriously injured and would soon be unable to hold on. But no one felt contempt or disappointment toward him because of this. To have lasted this long under Guan Bai’s sword was already an extraordinary feat. Do not forget—though he was the next Pope, a genius everyone had high hopes for, he was ultimately a young man not yet seventeen.
Countless gazes fell on Chen Changsheng. People waited to hear him admit defeat.
Admitting defeat was not shameful. No one could win forever. Even figures like Zhou Duofu and Su Li had to go through such things when they were young.
Yet, in the next moment, Chen Changsheng said something no one expected.
He looked at Guan Bai and said, “Could I trouble you to wait for me a little longer?”
Guan Bai’s expression was calm, because he had already anticipated this. He had been waiting for Chen Changsheng all along, for an entire year. Why would he mind waiting a little longer?
He sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes.
That was his answer to Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng looked at him with sincere emotion and said, “Thank you.”
After saying this, he also sat cross-legged on the ground and began to meditate with his eyes closed.
The sword duel had reached this point, and suddenly both sides sat down to meditate.
The scene was truly bizarre.
People were puzzled, and murmurs of discussion gradually arose.
Many did not understand what Chen Changsheng meant by asking Guan Bai to wait for him.
But some vaguely understood.
The King of Linghai’s face turned extremely ugly.
Mao Qiuyu’s face showed a look of relief.
Gou Hanshi was first slightly startled, then smiled silently.
But the Old Man of the Heavenly Mechanism frowned.