Against the Gods - Volume 03 - Name that Shakes the Profound Sky

by Mars Gravity

  It was not just him; even the entire audience, including the Ling Wugou who had seen the entire exchange the most clearly, had an expression filled with disbelief. All of them had personally witnessed Xiao Nan’s full-powered strike piercing onto Yun Che’s body. As for the sharpness of the sword, even if the target were to protect himself with a profound energy defense at the peak of the Spirit Profound Realm, there was still a possibility of being penetrated through. But, Yun Che, who simply had only had the strength at the True Profound Realm, had evidently received a mere flesh wound.

  “What’s going on?” The smile on Xiao Kuangyun’s face fell, and asked with a frown.

  “… It’s definitely because Yun Che’s wearing some sort of armor! That’s the only explanation possible!” Xiao Kuanglei said.

  Naturally, Yun Che was not wearing any sort of armor on his body, and had only a single thin layer of clothes. Although his protective profound energy defense was only at the True Profound Realm, his body had the protection of the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha, and earlier, he had even refined the Dragon God’s blood within his body —— That was not just blood from any ordinary dragon, but the blood of an actual Dragon God! Currently, Yun Che possessed a part of a dragon’s bloodline power and physical body strength, and was already completely not inferior to an actual True Dragon… And, could an Earth Profound sword wielded with the profound energy at the Spirit Profound Realm, be able to penetrate through the body of a True Dragon?

  Of course not!

  Forget about Yun Che using his True Profound Realm’s profound energy to protect his body, even if he did not have that layer of profound energy, and was simply standing defenseless while allowing Xiao Nan to attack him, Xiao Nan should throw away the thought of using his Wind Spirit Sword to penetrate Yun Che’s body.

  “Not a bad sword.” Yun Che glanced at the wound on his left shoulder with a calm expression, and said with a praising tone. This strike, had given him a sound warning as well. One main reasons why the Four Major Sects were large and strong, was because of the strong profound arts in their sects. Although this Xiao Nan before him was considered to be at the bottom in terms of strength among the participating disciples from the Four Major Sects, he should definitely not be careless. If not for the tyrannical defenses his body had, if it was someone else, that person would have already suffered really terribly from that strike.

  With nothing more to say, Yun Che stepped forward, and slashed his sword.

  Following the trails of the slashing heavy sword, as though the airwaves produced were given actual forms, the space slightly distorted as the airwaves charged towards Xiao Nan. Xiao Nan quickly regained his senses from the shock earlier, stared head-on at the approaching waves, and slashed out his Wind Spirit Sword consecutively, producing a heavy storm of sword silhouettes to quickly scatter the incoming blasts of air… But, Xiao Nan had to slash a total of more than twenty times to completely disperse the force created by one of Yun Che’s simple slashes. This truth, once again tightened Xiao Nan’s heart.

  In the earlier two rounds of small group matches, he had once paid attention to Yun Che’s matches, and had simply given a snort of contempt to each and every one of those sect disciples who was easily defeated by Yun Che.

  And now, only after personally exchanging blows with him, did he clearly understand why those people would always be defeated so quickly… Because he had now understood that a terrifying might was hidden in every single one of Yun Che’s simple sword strikes.

  He had only exchanged a few blows with Yun Che, but the consecutive shocks he had received was already causing the mental barrier in his mind to soon collapse. He once again looked at Yun Che and the gigantic pitch-black sword in his hands as a terrifying seed of “victory was basically impossible” sort of thinking quickly grew in his heart.

  “Hawk of the Storm!!”

  Xiao Nan took a deep breath, and sword energy began to surge towards the top of the Wind Spirit Sword; every single thread of that energy like a sharp steel needle capable of piercing deep into one’s bones. He gave a long howl, leapt high in the air, and thrusted towards Yun Che’s head with his sword. Yun Che, however, did not even attempt to dodge or avoid the attack, and simply took the incoming Wind Spirit Sword head-on with a swing of his sword…

  Boom!

  The airwave brought about the heavy sword actually brought along a dull explosive sound. Even though Xiao Nan had already personally experienced that terror of Yun Che’s airwaves, he was still greatly frightened. A green light flashed on his body, and with a quick spin of his body, he shifted his direction of attack to Yun Che’s feet. However, like a fluidless shadow, Yun Che’s heavy sword quickly slashed down, forcing Xiao Nan to have no other choice but to retreat with full force, and barely escape the danger.

  Xiao Nan was very definite that if he had been swept by the windstorm caused by his opponent’s heavy sword, getting away with heavy injuries would have been the least that could’ve happened!

  From the heavy sword’s terrifying strike, Xiao Nan was able to imagine how heavy that heavy sword was. And, when wielding such a big sword, the movements of the user would be correspondingly slow, and both openings and energy consumption would be especially large. So then, the best tactic against it would naturally be using speed to pin the opponent down, and find an opening to undergo a sure-kill attack.

  Xiao Nan’s profound energy attributes were that of “Wind” and “Lightning”, and among the two, he trained in “Wind” the most. “Heavenly Eagle Art” was a type of mysterious profound art capable of allowing the user to gain a large boost in his physical speed. Initially, Xiao Nan had used a speeding-increasing profound movement skill, and a light and swift sword technique to deal with Yun Che. However, he quickly realized that even when Yun Che was wielding such a heavy sword, his speed was not even the least inferior than his, even when he had activated his profound movement skill… This was still fine, but even the speed of his sword-wielding was completely above his. Even though he was incapable of producing several numbers of slashes in an instant, from idling to completely releasing his sword and from releasing to pulling his sword back, all of these happened in the shortest moment, causing people to feel that there was basically not the slightest hint of heaviness in the sword.

  Xiao Nan attacked dozens of times, and all of them were forced back by one of Yun Che’s casual swings. Not only were the attacks ineffective, Xiao Nan had to tiredly retreat time and time again, so as to prevent any dangers from falling upon him.

  Although the might of heavy swords was enormous, there should still be a large weakness as well, right!? Why did this person not have a single opening even when he is using such a heavy sword… Xiao Nan’s forehead was drenched with sweat. Then, he secretly smiled with gritted teeth.

  “Heavenly Eagle Limitless Strike!”

  Xiao Nan leapt high in the air, the silhouette of an eagle appeared behind him, and with an aerial strike, he pierced towards Yun Che’s chest… This was the strike he used earlier to scatter Yun Che’s force blast. In his heart, he knew very clearly, the reason why he managed to deal a blow to Yun Che the first time was due to the element of surprise, and the second time would hardly be effective as the first. However, the longer he faced Yun Che, the more he felt a deep sense of powerlessness in his heart. What he could rely on, was only this strike.

  RIIIP~~~~~

  The Wind Spirit Sword sliced apart air and sliced apart space, bringing about an ear-piercing screech as it fell. This was a strike capable of even slicing apart a blast of energy. Since he had experienced it previously, Yun Che should dodge it immediately, and counter-attack from the side. However, Yun Che still stood at his original position without any intentions of moving away. He fiercely lifted up the Overlord’s Colossal Sword, and said indifferently. “Why don’t you try slicing apart this blow of mine!!”

  In this strike, Yun Che used sixty percent of his strength. If we were to call that earlier strike a fier
ce gale, then, this strike was an absolute hurricane. With Xiao Nan’s strength, he was capable of cutting through the fierce gale. However, when faced with a hurricane, being shredded into pieces was the only possible conclusion.

  The Wind Spirit Sword’s sword energy and force were completely dissipated cleanly in an instant, and a trembling buzzing sound was produced by the sword’s blade. Xiao Nan’s expression paled. His down-swooping body suddenly spun and turned as he wildly poured out all of the profound energy in his body, but he was still unable to completely defend himself against the force brought about by Yun Che’s strike. His profound defenses weakened bit by bit, and in the end, they finally collapsed completely. The force of energy that had yet to be dissipated, blasted onto his body, and caused his entire body to violently tremble.

  Xiao Nan landed onto the ground thirty meters away. His face was entirely pale, and a mouthful of blood was discharged outwards as it slowly slid down the corners of his lips.

  At that moment, the entire arena was in complete silence, and all six people from the Xiao Sect stood up with horrified faces.

  Yun Che did not take the opportunity to deal another blow, and simply stood at his original position… And at this moment, everyone was shocked to realize that, during this entire match, his two feet had been at the same position the entire time, and had not moved a single bit!!

  Xiao Nan’s expression was frightening as he heavily panted. However, on the other side, Yun Che’s breathing was steady, and his calm expression was unbroken. He completely did not look fatigued at all. The corner of Xiao Nan’s lips moved, and in the end, his hand still drooped down onto the ground…

  “You’re much stronger than I had imagined… I admit defeat.” Xiao Nan said dejectedly.

  “You’re a little stronger than I had imagined as well.” Yun Che smiled slightly, glancing at the wound on his left shoulder.

  Hearing Yun Che’s words, Xiao Nan actually had a faint feeling of satisfaction in his heart, and even the dejectedness from his tragic loss had lightened quite a bit. He raised his head, and gave Yun Che a smile.

  “Xiao Nan surrenders. Blue Wind Imperial Family’s Yun Che wins… He will enter the elimination round’s Round of 16 tomorrow!”

  When this result came out, the Sword Discourse Arena which was silent for a period of time, was once again replaced by hustle and bustle. Every single pair of eyes watched Yun Che, who was safely walking down the stage, until their eyes became vertical… That’s right! This person, who had the weakest profound strength out of all the participating disciples there, had once again easily defeated a Xiao Sect disciple, and charged into the top sixteen!

  “Little brother Nan, don’t be dejected. If he had not worn a high-grade armor, you would have won with your second strike. Unfortunately, I belong to Group Two, otherwise, I might have been able to exact vengeance for you.” Xiao Kuanglei patted on Xiao Nan’s shoulders, and consoled him.

  “No.” Xiao Nan shook his head. “He was not wearing any sort of armor at all. He had basically blocked that strike completely with his own body. His body, was as though it was made of steel!”

  “What!?” Xiao Kuanglei frowned. He made eye contact with Xiao Kuangyu, and both of them revealed shocked expressions.

  “Junior Brother Yun, are you alright? Is your injury heavy?” The moment Yun Che came down, Cang Yue went over to greet him with an expression filled with worry and anxiousness. In her hands, she was holding onto a large amount of medicine and Profound Recovery Pellets, which she had prepared long beforehand.

  “I’m fine.” Yun Che laughed without a care. “It’s just a flesh wound, and it has already stopped bleeding. It doesn’t need to be treated with any medicine, it will be fully recovered before the sun sets.”

  These words were definitely not Yun Che’s exaggeration. Since he had reached the second stage of the Great Way of the Buddha, a light wound like this would recover to a sufficient degree in just a few minutes.

  However, Cang Yue would naturally not be relieved from her worry so easily. In the end, Yun Che was still dragged by her to a side. She carefully applied some medicine on his wound and wrapped a roll of bandage around it.

  On the Sword Discourse Arena, the second match had already begun.

  The two competitors were respectively, Ling Jie from the Heavenly Sword Villa and Mu Xiongyi from the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress. The former was at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, while the latter was at the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Based on profound levels alone, the latter was the strongest disciple outside of the Four Major Sects!

  Chapter 217: Bullying to an Intolerable Extent

  Outside of the Four Major Sects, if there was a need to choose a fifth sect, then the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress, whose name shook throughout the North, had the most right among the various sects. The Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress had two supreme techniques —— one was the “Heavenly Spear” and the other was the “Thunderfire”. This time, the Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress had also lived up to its reputation with two disciples in the final thirty two rankings, and both disciples were also at the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Their average strength was far greater than the general level of the ranking tournament and out of all the competing sects, it was only weaker than the Four Major Sects.

  His first opponent in the Round of 32 was a member of the Four Major Sects, so there was originally a tight feeling in Mu Xiongyi’s heart. However, looking at Ling Jie, who was only sixteen and only at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, he let out a large sigh of relief and laughed in a pleased way: “Hehe, this Ling Jie is clearly here to gain experience for the next ranking tournament. This match is mine to win.”

  “It’s better to be cautious. The strength of Heavenly Sword Villa’s disciples cannot be judged simply by their level of profound strength.” Mu Xiongyan, who had also entered the top thirty two ranks, said in a low voice.

  “Haha! Relax big brother. If I can’t even defeat a child at the sixth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, I may as well kill myself with a stab of the spear… I’m going now!”

  Mu Xiongyi jumped up onto the Sword Discourse Arena with a loud shout. WIth a swing of his stout right arm, a bronze longspear that was nine foot long came dancing out and pointed at Ling Jie: “Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress of the North’s Mu Xiongyi. Please guide me!”

  “Good speech, good speech.” Ling Jie did not display any of the nervousness one might have when facing a strong opponent, but rather replied with a face full of laughter. Then, he slowly withdrew his weapon —— Space Splitting Sword. This sword was a high grade Earth Profound Weapon that he just obtained from the Sword Management Terrace a month ago. Even though it could not compare to the incomparably rare Sky Profound Sword, among Earth Profound Weapons, it was definitely one of the best of weapons with a might that inspired awe.

  “Elder Ling, we can start now.” Ling Jie said.

  “Good!” Ling Wugou nodded : “Heavenly Sword Villa’s disciple Ling Jie —— versus —— Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress’ Mu Xiongyi, match start!”

  Mu Xiongyi attacked first. Without any restraint in his movements, a spear shot out in a straightforward manner. With a sharp swish sound in the air, the spear point pressed towards Ling Jie’s throat like a suddenly striking snake. Ling Jie’s eyes narrowed. The Space Splitting Sword directly struck out towards the longspear in a piercing movement. The bursts of clattering and banging sounds of the profound energy collisions reverberated through the air. The shadow of the sword and the tip of the spear struck together tens of times within a few breaths as a sound like thunder jolted the ears of those present.

  The sword was like a fierce tiger. The spear was like a poisonous dragon. The struggle between dragon and tiger grew ever more intense. There were a few hundred strikes in the blink of an eye, and in the deadlock, neither side could prevail over the other.

  “This Ling Jie is really outstandin
g. To think that he can compete against an opponent whose profound strength is higher than his by two levels for so long without going into a disadvantageous position.” Cang Yue could not resist praising.

  Yun Che’s gaze left the Sword Discourse Arena and said in a calm manner: “Senior Sister, it’s actually the opposite of what you said. It should be said that Mu Xiongyi is very outstanding. He can actually face so many of Ling Jie’s sword strikes. However, the critical point is that Ling Jie is being lenient. Otherwise Mu Xiongyi would have lost long ago.”

  “Ah?” Cang Yue blinked her beautiful eyes, as her entire face filled with surprise.

  Yun Che had fought against Ling Jie before. Even though it was only for the short extent of three sword strikes, it was enough for him to generally have a rough idea about Ling Jie’s true strength. He slowly said: “Heavenly Sword Villa’s sword is strong at “sword intent”, not simply just the sword forms activated by profound strength. Right now, Ling Jie is only relying on sword forms and can fight on par with Mu Xiongyi who is two levels higher than him in profound strength… If Ling Jie unleashes his sword intent, Mu Xiongyi will inevitably lose very quickly.”

  Yun Che’s words were quickly fulfilled. After the sword clashed with the spear a few hundred times, Ling Jie appeared to have lost his patience. The gaze in his eyes changed ever so slightly, and the sword shadows he struck became more fleeting. In the end, the sword shadows could not really be seen any more, and there was only a faint glimpse of the small afterimages that were neither here nor there.

  If a third party saw this change, they would only feel surprised, but Mu Xiongyi felt as if his opponent had suddenly changed into someone else. Everytime he struck his spear out with his full strength, it made a swishing sound. However, when it struck Ling Jie’s sword, it no longer made a loud reverberating sound as before; it only made a soft “ding” sound and then the force he put into his spear disappeared with no hope of it ever returning. He could not guard against the way his force had just disappeared. The empty feeling in his thrust made him very uncomfortable. Even more shocking was the fact that his eyesight could no longer grasp the whereabouts of Ling Jie’s sword shadows. Even the swish of the sword could no longer be heard, as if the sword in Ling Jie’s hands had mysteriously disappeared.