Chapter 144: Opponent For The Ultimate Battle, Secret Talks Between Both Sides
True Martial Mountain.
Unprecedented bustle.
Countless martial artists from the martial world all heard the news and came from thousands of miles away.
After all, this time was different from the past.
Both powerhouses were top-tier in the world.
One was Heavenly Sword True Person, who also emerged out of nowhere, successively showcasing his might, and half a year ago he even killed Heart-Seeking Sword, becoming famous throughout the world.
Everyone knew his strength far exceeded Fourteenth on the Heavenly Human Ranking, and some even said he could already stably claim the throne of the world’s number one swordsman, though it wasn’t publicly acknowledged yet, after all, Sun Chasing Sword King’s strength was equally terrifying, and his prestige accumulated over months and years wasn’t so easily shaken.
The other was Blade Demon, who twenty years ago upon appearing killed the then Third on the Heavenly Human Ranking, and after twenty years reappearing, he exploded onto the scene again, with one Heavenly Human Ranking powerhouse after another defeated under his blade, and to this day no one has forced him to draw a second blade.
Such a clash between two peerless experts naturally filled people with anticipation.
Someone said.
This was very likely to be the strongest battle Blade Demon would face, and future great battles might not be more exciting than this.
Many people had already seen through Blade Demon’s plan.
This was accumulating momentum.
Through battle after battle, adjusting his essence, qi, and spirit to peak condition, then fighting the strongest opponent, thereby borrowing external force to push his blade dao to an unprecedented realm.
And this strongest opponent.
Some thought it was Sun Chasing Sword King, others thought it was Heavenly Sword True Person.
Therefore.
True Martial City was unprecedentedly booming, with many arriving early, even skipping the previous battle to camp here ahead of time.
For True Martial Sect, it was naturally a mix of pros and cons.
The cons were too many people and eyes, with some possibly causing trouble, even spies from Demonic Sect and Southern Border mixed in, but the benefits were not small either, with world experts gathering, further accelerating True Martial City’s development, and also bringing much fresh blood to True Martial Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower.
Some powerhouses inevitably wanted to go up the mountain to see these two famous enlightenment sites in the world.
This provided nourishment for Ning Qi.
Ning Qi naturally also learned of Blade Demon’s impending challenge.
But his heart was undisturbed.
He was getting closer and closer to Heavenly Human Realm, with breakthrough just around two months away.
However.
Even if Blade Demon came to challenge before he broke into Heavenly Human Realm, he wouldn’t panic; with his current cultivation, no one in Heavenly Human Realm would be his opponent, and he even somewhat anticipated it, having heard so much about Blade Demon’s demonic single blade, he also wanted to witness it firsthand.
This Blade Demon was absolutely a stunning blade dao prodigy of this world.
Time slowly passed.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Blade Demon’s last appearance.
Countless people awaited eagerly.
The congregation’s mood gradually grew impatient.
“Why hasn’t Blade Demon come yet?”
“Could our guess be wrong?”
“Don’t be hasty, I’ve observed Old Senior Blade Demon’s challenge timings, they’re usually around half a month, but not completely fixed, after all, he might have gained some enlightenment from the previous battle and spent time on it, and travel distances vary with some margin for error.”
The congregation’s minds bubbled with various guesses.
This day.
In Seeker’s Courtyard.
Ning Qi was using heaven and earth power to condense the great mill for spirit tempering when suddenly his mind stirred, a strange color flashing in his eyes; he stepped out, and silently he had already left True Martial Mountain.
In the distant mountain range from True Martial Mountain.
A disheveled barefoot elder walked slowly, his eyes unfocused, as if immersed in some contemplation, his pitch-black pupils carrying an indescribable demonic quality.
“Everything can be a saber? Leaf is a saber, flowers and grass are sabers, stones are sabers, clouds can also be sabers? But not in form, but in spirit reaching it, everything can transform into saber intent…”
Blade Demon stroked the slightly shorter saber hilt at his waist.
His eyes regained some clarity.
He realized.
He had already entered True Martial Mountain territory.
Just as he was about to soar into the air.
His footsteps suddenly halted.
Despite being thousands of zhang apart.
But his gaze fell on that sword stele at once.
True Martial Sword Stele wasn’t particularly tall; initially Ning Qi had casually chosen a boulder, just dozens of zhang, but at this moment in Blade Demon’s eyes, it shone like a bright moon among fireflies, dazzling; let alone dozens of zhang, even if three inches, he could see it clearly.
Blade Demon stopped.
His pitch-black pupils became even more profound and deep.
He was looking at the sword stele, or rather, perceiving the sword intent within it.
Unknowingly.
A demonic saber intent swirled and rose from the saber hilt at his waist, lingering around Blade Demon’s side; if not for a force restraining it, it would have shot into the sky, remotely resonating and clashing with the sword intent in True Martial Sword Stele.
But even so.
The sword stele thousands of zhang away suddenly rippled.
The swordsmen nearby who had been comprehending were startled awake by this fluctuation, each bewildered and at a loss, not knowing what happened; they looked at the sword stele with rising sword intent, their hearts greatly shocked, various guesses arising.
“Could Heavenly Sword True Person have gained another enlightenment in sword dao?”
“I heard that when Heart-Seeking Sword came to True Martial Mountain back then, True Martial Sword Stele rippled; could another great enemy be coming, has Blade Demon arrived?”
Many thought of this possibility.
They stood up one by one, looking around.
But scanning sky and earth, there was no trace of that terrifyingly peerless figure, leaving them even more puzzled.
Who was Blade Demon; if he didn’t want to be discovered, naturally no one could detect him.
Except Ning Qi.
He had sensed it when True Martial Sword Stele fluctuated and now appeared silently, his aura like silent void, watching this Blade Demon from the shadows.
His gaze held some surprise.
This Blade Demon truly lived up to his reputation; from that erupting saber intent, it was clear this saber intent was unmatched in the world, carrying a strange demonic nature, as if the saber had come alive.
“However… he’s still half a step from the realm of everything can be a saber. Looks like my guess was right; he challenges world powerhouses to refine his saber intent to perfection, then use it to step into Martial Saint Realm?”
Ning Qi felt somewhat eager to try.
This was a powerful opponent; the likes of Heart-Seeking Sword weren’t fit to carry his shoes.
Perhaps clashing with such a powerhouse could yield him gains, shortening the time to step into Heavenly Human Realm.
Since Blade Demon had come here.
He would probably challenge soon.
But immediately, Ning Qi was stunned.
He saw Blade Demon slowly withdraw his gaze, the previously erupting saber intent on him gradually receding, his pitch-black pupils carrying a joyful gleam, that of ‘wine meets confidant’ and ‘general meets talent’.
He grinned, smiling silently.
It was precisely the battle between Heavenly Sword True Person and Heart-Seeking Sword that spread throughout the world, sparking his thought of enlightenment through battle; originally he had placed Sun Chasing Sword King last as the ultimate battle target, but seeing True Martial Sword Stele today, he realized he had greatly underestimated this Heavenly Sword True Person.
“Such sword intent is unmatched in the world, even my demonic blade saber intent falls half a notch short; only such an opponent deserves my full effort!”
Blade Demon was immensely fanatical.
He had the intent to retreat.
Not out of fear of Heavenly Sword True Person, but feeling it shouldn’t be such a muddled battle; his current state wasn’t at peak, he needed to face this yet-unmet peerless swordsman with his strongest side, that would be respect for both.
He turned.
Slowly walking away.
No one knew Blade Demon had already come.
Ning Qi’s gaze showed slight astonishment.
He had already prepared for battle, but didn’t expect this Blade Demon to retreat; but with a second thought, Ning Qi roughly understood Blade Demon’s idea.
He chuckled wryly, not taking it to heart.
Blade Demon coming anytime wouldn’t affect him, but now choosing not to challenge, and waiting two months later to come, then he would be far beyond what he was now.
“However… he glanced this way just now, did he discover me? Or was it just instinct?”
Ning Qi shook his head slightly, also drifting away.
No battle then no battle, returning home to enlighten the dao was also a fine thing.
No one knew that Heavenly Sword True Person and Blade Demon had already silently confronted once in the shadows.
At this moment.
With Blade Demon leaving and saber intent subsiding, True Martial Sword Stele returned to calm again; many were baffled, not knowing what had happened, their various guesses mere rootless weeds without confirmation, helplessly continuing to comprehend the sword stele.
…
Several days passed.
Blade Demon’s delay in appearing at True Martial Mountain left even some calm people uncertain.
“What’s the situation, could Blade Demon have retired to the mountains?”
“Or, do you think it’s possible Blade Demon just doesn’t want to challenge Heavenly Sword True Person now; after all, though Heavenly Sword True Person ranks Fourteenth on Heavenly Human Ranking, everyone knows his strength is more than that.”
This guess abruptly stopped two days later.
Everyone was stunned.
Because.
Blade Demon appeared again, but not at True Martial Mountain, instead challenging Twelfth on Heavenly Human Ranking, Night King Saber Master.
This time.
Finally someone withstood Blade Demon’s first blade, but only by one extra blade.
In an instant, the world was in uproar, all excited.
They realized Blade Demon had skipped Heavenly Sword True Person; what did that mean?
It meant in Blade Demon’s mind, Heavenly Sword True Person’s status was stronger than Night King Saber Master’s.
“This is obvious, it means Blade Demon is challenging in order from weak to strong.”
“But do you think Blade Demon decided to skip Heavenly Sword True Person from the start, or after arriving at True Martial Mountain?”
“I think it was after arriving at True Martial Mountain.”
Someone discovered some clues.
First, several days ago True Martial Sword Stele inexplicably bloomed with sword intent.
Second, this time the interval before Blade Demon’s challenge was unusual, clearly later than before.
With these speculations.
The loyal fans of Heavenly Sword True Person immediately got excited.
“Looks like Blade Demon has decided to make Heavenly Sword True Person his final battle opponent! This shows in his heart, Heavenly Sword True Person is the true number one swordsman!”
Sun Chasing Sword King’s fans naturally wouldn’t accept it.
The two sides debated, but neither could convince the other.
Thus.
While everyone followed Blade Demon’s challenges, they also had a new anticipation: who would be the opponent Blade Demon finally selected.
Regarding this.
Ning Qi just shook his head with a smile.
To him, these held no meaning.
He knew Blade Demon wouldn’t come challenge in the short term, so he focused on spirit tempering, striving to successfully step into Heavenly Human Realm within two months.
…
Time quietly passed.
Another half month plus went by.
Blade Demon challenged Tenth on Heavenly Human Ranking, Arrogant Sky Sword; Top Ten Heavenly Human Ranking powerhouses’ strength clearly rose a level, Blade Demon drew five blades, while Arrogant Sky Sword returned three swords, but ultimately retreated heavily injured.
Blade Demon’s aura grew even more like the midday sun.
All eyes were on him, with one peerless expert showdown after another keeping the entire Great Yan World continuously boiling.
Thus.
Only eighth Divine Wind Saber Master, sixth Canghai Sword Sect, and fifth Sun Chasing Sword King remained, plus Heavenly Sword True Person, full count just four battles left, but so far no one had seen Blade Demon’s full power.
The congregation anticipated immensely.
But beneath this fervor, the Imperial Court, Demonic Sect, and Southern Border’s three factions’ covert struggles hadn’t stopped; if including True Martial Sect, it was four-way, though True Martial Sect without Ning Qi could be ignored compared to these three.
Atop a thousand-zhang cliff.
Palaces layered, resplendent in gold and jade.
One by one powerful aura martial artists gathered here, all high-level figures from Demonic Sect and Southern Border.
Demonic Sect side had three vice sect masters present, though no Qin Yun, while Southern Border side besides Southern Border Saintess and Snake Granny, had two others on equal footing with Southern Border Saintess.
One was a bald middle-aged man, his exposed muscles robustly terrifying, like a small mountain, even his face muscles bunched together.
The other was an elder wearing a silver crown, with dignified demeanor, faintly the leader of Southern Border crowd.
But at this moment, the atmosphere was somewhat silent.
Finally.
Xiang Tianxing broke the deadlock, saying gravely:
“Everyone, we’re gathered here today not to put on a mute play; the current situation is clear to all, if you have any ideas, speak freely, what do you think, Elder Lan He?”
Elder Lan He was precisely that silver-crown elder; hearing Xiang Tianxing’s words, he nodded slightly:
“Indeed, now Great Yan Dynasty has seen through our plan, lately biting at our heels like mad dogs, greatly delaying our cultivation of Blood Emperor Gu; we must have a countermeasure.”
The congregation all showed angry faces.
Originally after allying everything was fine, yet somehow the wind leaked, drawing Great Yan Dynasty’s attention.
“It’s all that damned True Martial Sect’s fault, I only regret not exterminating them years ago! Once Martial Saint is born in the future, we must slaughter True Martial Sect entirely to vent our anger!” Ghost Mask said coldly.
He had been extremely frustrated lately.
The Qin Yun he had high hopes for turned out to have divided loyalties, wavering on True Martial Sect matters, and now True Martial Sect had become a major problem; through their informants they learned this intel was leaked to the court by True Martial Sect.
The bald middle-aged man named Black Rock, his voice somewhat muffled and deep:
“However, how did True Martial Sect learn of our plan? Vice sect masters, you still need to thoroughly investigate yourselves; the great cause allows no sloppiness.”
Hearing this.
Ghost Mask and Lin Xueshuang’s expressions changed, looking extremely ugly.
Whether Southern Border or Demonic Sect, both had vast power and far-reaching tentacles; since they could trace some clues, it involved Qin Yun and Lin Ruhua, though Black Rock didn’t spell it out, just giving some face.
Xiang Tianxing inwardly delighted, but at this moment needed unity against outsiders; he smiled to ease the atmosphere:
“However, this might not be a bad thing.”
Seeing everyone look over, he revealed a knowing smile:
“Everyone think carefully, Great Yan Dynasty pressing so tightly, doesn’t it just show their bluster hiding weakness? They fear us! Fear that we’re about to birth a Martial Saint!”
“If we think deeper, doesn’t it mean that Great Yan Martial Saint is even weaker than we imagined? A hundred years ago our Sacred Sect already tested once, back then he was far from the invincible might of two hundred years ago, and now another century passed, perhaps he’s even more pathetic!”
“So, as long as we endure this period, once our two factions’ Martial Saints are born, the situation will suddenly reverse!”
The congregation all nodded slowly.
This speculation had some reason.
They had strenuously probed for Great Yan Martial Saint’s news, but Great Yan Dynasty guarded tightly, unable to glean anything, but the tighter, the more it proved Great Yan Dynasty’s guilt.
Southern Border Saintess Lan Yiyi gazed coldly:
“But if this continues, whether Blood Emperor Gu or your Saint Pill, who knows when they’ll succeed; likely more than double the expected time, delay breeds change, what if Great Yan Martial Saint recovers much in this period, then what?”
“Remember, we’re racing against time.”
Elder Lan He nodded:
“Indeed, we need a feasible countermeasure.”
Demonic Sect crowd’s gazes flickered slightly.
Cultivating Blood Emperor Gu required Blood King Gu, and Blood King Gu needed absorbing human blood essence, while their Saint Pill required massive exotic beast inner cores; relatively, under Great Yan Dynasty’s pursuit this time, cultivating Blood Emperor Gu was more affected.
Ghost Mask slowly spoke:
“How about this? You help us complete Saint Pill refining first, once our Sacred Sect’s Martial Saint is born, we’ll immediately go all-out to help you refine Blood Emperor Gu; this way both sides win.”
Words fell, the hall silent.
