“Shink!” The sound of a blade unsheathing was followed by a flash of metal.
A sheet of white blocked Chu Li’s view, making him unable to make out anything.
This all-enveloping light came from the flash of the blade – it was everywhere, making it impossible to dodge. He suddenly felt a minor urge to surrender.
Chu Li suddenly realized that this sword could affect one’s spirit. Just a glance at the blade’s intent was enough to make most people give up. Truly, the man’s legendary reputation was not all just myths.
“Ding…” Chu Li’s long sword intercepted the tip of the blade.
The all-enveloping light disappeared as quickly as it came. Yue Jintao took a step back and looked at Chu Li in astonishment.
This slash of his was an accumulation of knife technique accumulated throughout his entire life, its destructive capability was unmatched by anyone else. Even if Chu Li wasn’t affected by the knife’s intent, he had to rely on his technique to take a step back and meet his blade. If he had not done this, then it would have been impossible to accurately strike the tip of the knife.
What Yue Jintao did not know was that even though he was blinded by the flash of the blade, he still had the Omniscient Mirror.
The trajectory of Yue Jintao’s blade and the motion of his heart technique were clearly visible in Chu Li’s mind. He was able to precisely track the tip of the knife, after which he intercepted it with a swing of his own.
“Good, so you do have the skills to hold your own!” Yue Jintao huffed. With another slash, the all-enveloping flash from his blade blinded Chu Li once more.
Nevertheless, Chu Li drew his sword again.
“Ding…” The all-enveloping flash faded.
Chu Li dismissed the thoughts he had about Yue Jintao, which was that Yue Jintao’s inner energy was pure. Though he was one level below that of the High Duke Lu, Chu Li still struggled to hold his own against it.
Even though his inner energy was not as pure as his opponent’s, he had the advantage in that whenever his meridian was damaged, it immediately recovered. The Art of White Tiger, Sentient Menace, and Life and Death Scripture had combined to create a sturdy, fortified body.
“Ding ding ding ding…”
Once Yue Jintao noticed that his knife technique couldn’t overwhelm Chu Li, he immediately begun swinging his blade non-stop. One slash after another was forced upon Chu Li to intercept, each slash struck with an immense amount of pure inner energy.
“Ding ding ding ding…”
The flash and faint silhouette of blades kept the two locked firmly in place as the howling from the clashing of steel overpowered the sound of the rushing river.
Yue Jintao vigorously swung his blade, his mind in a rage.
If he doesn’t take down this bastard, then the shame would follow him all the way back to his homeland. Hence, it seemed like he had to resort to his finishing move.
“Buzz…” The blade suddenly vibrated, as if it had come to life.
This shook Chu Li’s spirit, and his Omniscient Mirror froze.
Yue Jintao’s cinnabar field released a bizarrely-colored inner energy which followed the flow of another heart technique. Its speed was astounding and unmatched.
Based on its color, it seemed to be even purer than conventional inner energy.
“Schring!” A beam of pure light flashed by.
The long blade transformed to look as though it were made of water, dazzling magnificently under the sun rays. The sound of water swirling accompanied the newly-formed liquid blade.
Chu Li retreated a step as Yue Jintao swung his blade. However, he was unable to avoid this attack.
“Shwak!” The blade brushed past his left shoulder.
A finger-length wound appeared on his skin as fresh blood oozed out from it.
The Heavenly Demon aura that was previously dormant within his heart rushed to the wound and halted the blood flow in the blink of an eye. Then, it quickly attached itself back to the heart, going dormant again as if didn’t exist.
Chu Li frowned. These were truly impressive knife techniques.
Yue Jintao swung his blade randomly as buzzing sounds sounded out. Suddenly, a beam of light slashed downward once more.
Chu Li took one step forward and immediately reappeared behind him.
The reason why he didn’t use the God’s Limbs earlier on was because wanted to see the power of this attack to decide whether or not it was worthy of learning.
For his current body, a wound such as this was not a big deal.
“Ding…” The knife blocked the long blade.
Yue Jintao’s knife moved faster and faster as a field of pure light started flashing rapidly.
The dazzling beams of the light bounced off the serene surface of the lake. However, it did not seem to give off the same pressure as the attacks from before. Rather, it gave off a refreshed feeling, with no killing intent whatsoever.
“Ding ding ding ding…” Chu Li’s blade struck faster by the minute, yet every single strike was blocked.
He unleashed the God’s Limbs and waited for the tip of his opponent’s blade to come closer. Yue Jintao’s knife could strike at any given moment.
The ferocity of his slashes grew faster, but Yue Jintao’s knife began to strike even faster as well.
Soon after, nothing but the sound of metal clashing could be heard. However, the shapes of their blades could not be seen by the naked eye, only two blur figures could be made out repeatedly colliding with each other.
“Bang!” A raging palm energy was sent toward Chu Li’s back.
Chu Li had blinked away and subsequently reappeared behind Yue Jintao’s back.
Yue Jintao had his entire focus on Chu Li’s sword. However, as Chu Li vanished, he immediately turned his focus to his back. Chu Li was caught off guard, and as such, he did not manage to dodge the palm energy in time.
“Ding…” The long knife moved according to his will and deflected the palm strike.
After this, the tip of Chu Li’s blade stopped right in front of Yue Jintao’s neck. However, he sheathed his long blade immediately after this.
Chu Li then looked up and sighed loudly. “Senior Gu!”
The Omniscient Mirror had spotted Gu Yue earlier on. He had hidden three kilometers away in a forest.
Taking advantage of the moment as the two immersed in battle, he had begun to move forward.
When the most critical moment arrived, he had suddenly stretched out his palm precisely and cruelly. If not for the fact that Chu Li had the Omniscient Mirror activated, then there would have been no way for him to dodge it. Thankfully, he had managed to jump away and finish the match almost immediately after.
Gu Yue donned a robe as he chuckled a little. “Both of your knife techniques are undoubtedly the best.”
“Did King An send you?” Yue Jintao asked coldly.
He gazed deeply into Chu Li’s eyes, but in his mind, he was surprised.
The harsh words he laid upon Chu Li had certainly tarnished his own reputation. Since his opponent’s blade did not pierce him just now, it was clear that his ten years of vigilante justice had been shown mercy by this man.
Gu Yue smiled as he said, “King An was concerned that there might be another unexpected turn of events, so, I was sent over to observe.”
“Kudos to King An!” Yue Jintao smiled coldly. “There’s no good in him at all!”
Gu Yue smiled. “Come, old man Yue, let us work together and end this lad!”
“Work together?” Yue Jintao scoffed.
Gu Yue was confused. “Are you suggesting that you could perhaps take him down on your own?”
He was aware that Chu Li had already killed three Grandmasters, but he had always assumed that the lad was assisted in secret by a Grandmaster from the High Duke’s Public House. He did not actually think that this man’s sword technique was as impressive as it was.
“You, who goes by the name Gu, leave us alone!” Yue Jintao growled coldly. “Otherwise, do not blame me for not showing mercy to you!”
Gu Yue’s face reddened in rage as he replied in a hostile manner, “Old man Yue, are you insane?”
“I do not have such a thick face like yours!” Yue Jintao coldly replied. “Not as shameful as you are, nor as King An. I kill my prey, you kill yours, and you’re asking to combine our efforts? Ha, what a joke!”
Gu Yue was frustrated when he heard this indifferent reply. “You, named Yue, can you really win against Chu Li? If I don’t make my move, your heroic legacy will be shattered!”
“No need to worry about me!” Yue Jintao waved his hand dismissively. “My knife technique is equal to Chu Li’s. Since we’re even, I shall now take my leave! I will personally seek forgiveness from King An. Farewell!”
“Hold on!” Chu Li said.
Yue Jintao gazed at Chu Li.
Chu Li continued. “Senior Yue, I have a request to ask of you!”
“Say what you must!” Yue Jintao snorted with a stern expression.
Chu Li said, “Senior Yue, I ask of you to not harm any more people from the Yi Public House.”
Yue Jintao met his gaze before grunting. “Very well, I shall avoid the people from the Yi Public House if I encounter them. Farewell!”
Chu Li gave a fist salute.
Yue Jintao didn’t wait for Gu Yue to speak. With one leap, he dived into the gushing river stream, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Gu Yue grit his teeth and glared menacingly at the surface of the water.
Chu Li observed Gu Yue as he asked coldly, “You want to kill me?”
“Sigh…” Gu Yue shook his head. “Logically speaking, you are the Princess’s most trusted servant, Chief Chu. You could say that we are family. It’s a pity that I am under my Lord’s orders and am left with no other choice! I shall now take my leave!”
He left as soon as he was done talking.
Chu Li jumped and reappeared two steps in front of him, almost as if he had stuck himself to him. “Are you just going to leave, Senior Gu?”
“Unless Chief Chu wishes for me to stay?” Gu Yue’s face turned gloomy. His entire body froze as his eyes fell upon Chu Li’s sword.
After witnessing Chu Li’s ways with the blade, his mind went blank with fear of what was about to happen next.
Chu Li shook his head and sighed, then flicked his left hand outward.
“Schring!” With a soft whistle, a silver beam of light instantly struck Gu Yue.
Gu Yue stared at the sword, prepared to guard against it.
His mind was on edge, and he was about to dodge, but the distance between them was too close and the aerial blade too fast. He could barely move his body a few inches away before the aerial blade went right through his right shoulder.