Chapter 206: A Mantis Trying to Stop a Chariot
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei heard the sound, just as Zeng Zaiwen did. Despite having combined the Soaring Heaven Technique with the Sword Drawing Technique to the utmost, he still couldn’t break through Chen Fei’s defense.
However, at this moment, upon hearing the sound, a hint of joy appeared on Zeng Zaiwen’s face. It was the prelude to Chen Fei’s sword, which was in a state of near-breaking due to its heavy burden.
After all, it was just an ordinary fine steel longsword. Even though it was enveloped in Chen Fei’s internal energy, the fact that it could contend this strongly against Zeng Zaiwen’s half-spirit sword and now showed signs of breaking was already a testament to Chen Fei’s exceptional swordsmanship.
But ultimately, it was still an ordinary iron sword. At this point, it could no longer withstand such a powerful impact.
No sword? Let’s see how you’ll defend yourself!”
Zeng Zaiwen couldn’t help but burst into laughter. A weapon was indeed a part of one’s strength; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many experts forging spirit swords. Chen Fei’s lack of a half-spirit weapon was his own fault for underestimating the importance of weaponry.
Most of the inner disciples around were somewhat bewildered at the moment, not knowing what had happened. Only some peak Visceral Tempering realm disciples had noticed the anomaly in Chen Fei’s sword blade. Especially those true transmission disciples, their gazes turned sharp, sensing the situation.
For a swordsman, how could one wield sword techniques without a sword? Using hands as a substitute for a sword? Even a martial practitioner at the Visceral Tempering realm couldn’t achieve this.
Even the practitioners at the Aperture Tempering realm, while they could use plants and trees as makeshift swords, they were mostly bullying those with lower cultivation levels. If you made an Aperture Tempering realm practitioner face an equal-level expert and use plants and trees, they’d be ridiculed immediately.
“Not good, Junior Brother Chen’s sword blade is about to shatter!” Ge Hongjie’s brow furrowed.
“Junior Brother Chen should have brought an extra sword.” Zhang Fangqiong looked worriedly at Chen Fei, fearing that his sword blade would break any moment now.
Guo Linshan clenched his fists on the side, unsure of how to help Chen Fei.
“It seems your disciple is about to lose.”
Even though they were hundreds of meters apart, Huo Zhongdao could still observe the details of the martial arena.
During Zeng Zaiwen’s prolonged attack just now, Huo Zhongdao had grown slightly anxious. A surge, followed by a decline, and then exhaustion. If Zeng Zaiwen ultimately couldn’t break Chen Fei’s defense, this duel might end in a tie.
A tie would be a loss in disguise, because Zeng Zaiwen was ranked tenth among the true transmission disciple. Being tied by a bottom-ranking true transmission disciple like Chen Fei would only tarnish Zeng Zaiwen’s reputation, which was unacceptable.
Chen Fei didn’t know what cultivation technique he had been practicing, but his strength was solid, allowing him to withstand Zeng Zaiwen’s attacks without showing signs of defeat. Impressive indeed. However, his weapon was lacking.
Once the sword blade shattered, victory was undoubtedly out of reach.
Feng Xiupu remained silent, his gaze fixed on Chen Fei’s expression in the distance. Chen Fei remained calm, devoid of panic.
“Let’s watch and see!” Feng Xiupu said with a smile.
“Sure, let’s watch and see!”
Seeing that Feng Xiupu was obstinate, Huo Zhongdao chuckled lightly. Let’s continue to watch then, to see who wins and who loses in the end!
On the martial arena.
“Shatter for me!”
Zeng Zaiwen stared at Chen Fei, who still appeared calm and composed despite the fact that his weapon was on the brink of breaking. Zeng Zaiwen’s anger surged. Your weapon is about to shatter, and yet you maintain such an appearance. Who are you trying to impress?
Later, when I truly shatter your weapon, let’s see what kind of expression you’ll have then!
Zeng Zaiwen harbored hidden resentment. He forcefully swung his half-spirit sword toward the sword shield, aiming to shatter Chen Fei’s weapon in a single strike!
“Chi!”
The Sword Drawing Technique slashed through the air, but the anticipated appearance of the sword shield didn’t occur. Chen Fei’s figure swayed, moving toward Zeng Zaiwen.
“Compared to me in terms of footwork, you’re still lacking a bit!”
Zeng Zaiwen was momentarily taken aback, then burst into laughter. Now you’re scared? Where were you just now? Do you think you can approach me and settle the score relying solely on your footwork?
Well, I won’t give you that chance!
Zeng Zaiwen’s figure flickered as the Soaring Heaven Technique reached its peak. Five illusory figures maneuvered back and forth, with the figure facing Chen Fei always maintaining a distance of several meters. The other figures attacked Chen Fei.
Chen Fei’s feet danced, and sword beams slashed into the ground, creating large trenches.
Although Chen Fei’s footwork was slightly inferior to Zeng Zaiwen’s, his mental power was far greater. During the battle, he could grasp details that far surpassed Zeng Zaiwen.
Hence, although Zeng Zaiwen was attempting to encircle and attack Chen Fei, none of his strikes managed to land on Chen Fei. They were all easily evaded.
However, even though Chen Fei could avoid attacks, it was quite unlikely for him to catch up to Zeng Zaiwen.
Moreover, such evasive maneuvers left little room for error, and any slight misstep could result in serious injury for Chen Fei.
“Sigh!”
With a light sigh, Chen Fei suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Initially, Chen Fei had planned to defeat Zeng Zaiwen using the techniques he had displayed. The Thorn Sword could reflect damage, and the Soaring Heaven Technique could also disperse force, but it couldn’t completely negate the reflected damage.
Over time, as the accumulated injuries mounted, Zeng Zaiwen would inevitably reveal vulnerabilities. At that point, Chen Fei could naturally use Sword Nine.
However, ultimately, Chen Fei had underestimated Zeng Zaiwen and underestimated the Soaring Heaven Technique. As it stood now, Chen Fei could at most maintain an undefeated stance. To achieve victory would be exceedingly difficult.
Challenging Zeng Zaiwen to maintain an undefeated stance—how could that satisfy Chen Fei? It would be a fruitless effort.
Zeng Zaiwen was left somewhat puzzled by Chen Fei’s sigh. However, Chen Fei seemed to have given up on getting close. Ignoring Chen Fei’s thoughts, Zeng Zaiwen shouted loudly. Astonishingly, his five illusory figures split once again, charging toward Chen Fei.
The six illusory figures were both real and unreal, each one being a true body, yet also an illusion. As long as Zeng Zaiwen wished, all six illusory figures could unleash the Sword Drawing Technique. This was the essence of the Soaring Heaven Technique.
“Suppress!”
Standing in place, Chen Fei exhaled lightly. Suddenly, an overwhelming force of gravity descended upon all directions, encompassing all six of Zeng Zaiwen’s illusory figures.
The abrupt surge of gravity caught Zeng Zaiwen off guard, causing four of the illusory figures to dissipate instantly, leaving only two remaining figures in the vicinity.
Using his mental power, Chen Fei sensed the illusory figure to his right rear and thrust his sword.
The gravity that had suppressed all directions dissipated instantly, but the illusory figure to Chen Fei’s right rear was held in place by an even stronger force, causing the other illusory figure nearby to disperse immediately.
“Zhongyuan Sword!”
Several true transmission disciples, including Yan Shijin, widened their eyes. Chen Fei practicing the Zhongyuan Sword wasn’t surprising in itself, but reaching such a level where he could significantly affect Zeng Zaiwen’s movements in a short span of time left them astonished.
Was it possible to attain this level within just two or three months?
Yan Shijin himself practiced the Zhongyuan Sword. After nearly six or seven years of honing, he had only managed to reach this level. How had Chen Fei accomplished this feat?
Yan Shijin couldn’t fathom it, and neither could the other true transmission disciples. The remaining inner disciples were left puzzled, not comprehending what was happening.
Huo Zhongdao, hundreds of meters away, unconsciously took a step forward. The stones under his feet silently shattered, revealing his inner astonishment.
The eyes of Feng Xiupu lit up. In just a span of two or three months, Chen Fei had actually mastered the Zhongyuan Sword to this extent. Feng Xiupu had initially worried whether Chen Fei could maintain his level of comprehension for advanced techniques, especially those of the true transmission inheritance.
But now, seeing this, Chen Fei wasn’t just maintaining his past performance; he was surpassing it. His rate of comprehension had even accelerated.
What incredible comprehension and aptitude!
On the martial arena, where the sword’s edge pointed, Zeng Zaiwen struggled frantically. The Soaring Heaven Technique had finally allowed Zeng Zaiwen to regain his mobility, but compared to his previous agility, his current speed was noticeably slower.
While Zeng Zaiwen’s footwork had initially been superior to Chen Fei’s, their positions had now reversed. Chen Fei’s footwork had become superior to Zeng Zaiwen’s.
Just as Chen Fei had been unable to escape from Zeng Zaiwen earlier, Zeng Zaiwen was now similarly unable to evade Chen Fei. He had to face Chen Fei’s impending strike.
“Got you!” Chen Fei whispered.
“Let’s see you clash head-on! I’m not afraid of you!”
Realizing there was no escape, Zeng Zaiwen’s eyes turned crimson. He raised his longsword, and a mighty sword radiance surged toward Chen Fei.
Sword Break Technique!
The finishing move within the Sword Drawing Technique. In this situation where paths had crossed, the essence of the offensive Sword Drawing Technique was perfectly demonstrated.
Like a thunderclap blooming in silence, in the eyes of many inner disciples with slightly lower cultivation levels, Zeng Zaiwen’s longsword seemed to emit a white light, charging madly toward Chen Fei.
Zhongyuan Sword!
Chen Fei’s figure remained still as the oppressive gravity that had affected Zeng Zaiwen’s movement suddenly dissipated, concentrating entirely into the iron sword in Chen Fei’s hand. The sword’s color changed from its original silver-white to pure black, resembling an abyss with its depths unseen.
“Boom!”
The immense force and the sword radiance of the Sword Break Technique clashed with the black sword. Upon contact, the sword radiance instantly retreated and dissipated.
As the black sword touched Zeng Zaiwen’s half-spirit sword, there was no standoff. Zeng Zaiwen felt as if he had struck an imposing mountain. The half-spirit sword rebounded immediately, striking Zeng Zaiwen’s own chest.
A mantis trying to stop a chariot!
“Puh!
In mid-air, Zeng Zaiwen couldn’t suppress a mouthful of blood, which spurted in all directions.
“Bang!”
Zeng Zaiwen crashed onto the ground, creating a dull thud. However, the tremendous force was far from over; carrying Zeng Zaiwen’s body, it rolled over the ground for dozens of turns before gradually coming to a halt.
“Ding ding dang dang!”
The iron sword in Chen Fei’s hand shattered, falling to the ground and making a sound.
Struggling to prop himself up, Zeng Zaiwen looked at Chen Fei, wanting to say something but only managing to cough up another mouthful of blood. His strength completely drained, he fell to the ground and lapsed into unconsciousness.
If Chen Fei hadn’t slightly held back his strength and if the Soaring Heaven Technique hadn’t absorbed some of the force, Zeng Zaiwen would have died from that strike just now.
“Chen Fei, victory!”
Ru Lutao looked at Chen Fei and announced softly.
Just as others couldn’t understand how Chen Fei had managed to master the Zhongyuan Sword to this extent within such a short time, Ru Lutao didn’t comprehend it either. However, Ru Lutao knew that he didn’t need to understand. He only needed to understand one thing.
That was that Chen Fei was truly a peerless genius.
Anyone who could master the Zhongyuan Sword to this level within two or three months was undoubtedly a peerless genius.
No wonder he dared to challenge Zeng Zaiwen. If it weren’t for the rules in place, mastering the Zhongyuan Sword to this level would make him a contender even for the top spot!
The numerous disciples around, who were initially absorbed in watching Chen Fei’s final strike, erupted with excitement as Ru Lutao made the announcement.
Many inner disciples didn’t understand the specifics of Chen Fei’s final move, but that didn’t matter. What they saw was that Chen Fei had defeated Zeng Zaiwen with a single sword strike, leaving Zeng Zaiwen severely injured and unconscious.
And Chen Fei himself seemed completely unharmed?