Zhu Qimo, having shed his armor, looked a bit large in his silver robe, his slightly darkened face as hard and cold as a rock in the Gobi Desert.
His aura began to rise again with his raised halberd, as if to pierce the clouds, sharp and unparalleled.
At this moment, he raised his thick eyebrows, and the halberd tip hung down, like a curved full moon, dazzling with light, as it cleaved towards Ning Yue.
The halberd was incomparably overbearing, and at this moment, it seemed incredibly heavy; Zhu Qimo's hand wielding the halberd was like lifting a mountain!
Effortless mastery was a martial arts true intent rarely found in a thousand armies, allowing him to wield a 218-jin heavy weapon as if it were a light feather.
But at this moment, his movements were even slower than when he was armored, veins bulging on his arms, his steps trembling slightly, as if he couldn't bear the weight.
This was borrowing strength to exert strength, making heavy things feel heavy!
Zhu Qimo's silver robe fluttered, like an unyielding battle flag raised on a high platform, and the flag was clear, vowing to slay the enemy chief!
This battle was not only to defeat the enemy but also to temper himself!
Ning Yue watched as the halberd tip cut across his face; it seemed slow, yet it was already upon him in an instant.
The long saber drew layers of dashed lines, interwoven in the air, but they were swept away by the halberd tip, unable to block even a fraction.
The martial arts true intent, newly cultivated, had not been pondered over, nor was there time to master its use; for him to entangle with Zhu Qimo until now was already due to Ning Yue's outstanding comprehension and the blessing of the Heavenly Martial Star.
Moonlight suddenly rippled under his feet, instantly flowing in all directions.
The Earth-grade martial skill, Moon Shadow Evasion, allowed him to tread on moonlight, covering a hundred meters in an instant.
Ning Yue's figure flickered, leaving behind trails of afterimages, dreamlike and illusory, which were churned by the halberd tip and then vanished.
But Ning Yue's feet did not stop, spreading moonlight across the entire high platform, and so—
Moonlight reflected sunlight, and saber edge met long halberd!
Clang!
It was impossible to tell if it was a tiger's roar or a dragon's cry, or if the saber was stronger or the halberd weaker.
The two fought fast against fast, clashing together like a dragon and tiger fighting, entangled to the death, the violent aftermath of the battle sending slabs of green jade from the high platform flying into the air.
In an instant, dust rose everywhere, and strong winds roared!
Although their vision was obscured by the sudden dust, preventing them from seeing clearly, everyone could distinctly feel an incredibly powerful force growing stronger and stronger, exuding vigorous vitality.
Torrential vital energy surged like wolf smoke; Zhu Qimo met saber edge with halberd tip, clashing head-on, and with each passing breath, his aura grew even more profound!
Everything was ready; his skin was as tough as rock, his muscles as hard as profound iron, his tendons soft and hard in perfect measure, like steel ropes.
The 218-jin halberd in his hand felt as light as nothing; each strike was like a fierce tiger unleashed, unstoppable.
And Zhu Qimo, having adjusted his entire aura to its peak, finally completed all his preparations at this moment.
There were no longer any opponents in his eyes, not even a hint of hostility.
"My martial way is invincible, domineering and unhindered! Today, I break through heaven and earth to see my true self; it is your fortune to witness it!"
The myriad halberd shadows suddenly converged into one, like ten thousand rivers returning to their source; the halberd tip was so fast that space itself was compressed, causing an explosive roar.
The distance between the two was instantly erased; on the halberd tip, a cold light surged!
Clang!
Ning Yue was struck and sent flying backward, the flowing moonlight unable to catch up, nearly falling off the high platform.
"Ah!" A young girl on the high platform let out a soft cry, seemingly utterly astonished!
But Ning Yue's right hand slammed down and swept horizontally, the Whispering Blade embedding itself firmly in the edge of the high platform, and his figure finally slowly straightened.
His eyes showed no joy or sorrow, his expression more solemn than ever before.
The empty ebony saber sheath hung silently at his waist, and the Whispering Blade also suddenly fell silent!
"I have a saber!"
Ning Yue lunged forward, his silver robe moving with the wind, the whisper resonating through the air!
"Named 'Heaven Forbids'!"
"Buzz buzz buzz!" A strange sound arose, and it was the Tiger's Might City-Breaking Halberd trembling slightly, causing Zhu Qimo, who was about to ascend to seek the Dao, to frown and look sideways!
The matter was already decided; he had already torn open the barrier between heaven and earth, and with his physical eyes, he could inwardly observe his own inner cave-heaven!
He only needed to circulate his vital energy slightly, connecting it throughout his body, and he could calmly break through.
But at this moment, he saw an extremely sharp saber light, and behind the saber light was Ning Yue, stepping lightly forward.
He unleashed a saber strike, the saber light dazzling, the saber aura brilliant; on the high platform, the sunlight actually avoided it!
Ning Yue's silver robe was dim, as if devouring the light source; his black hair flew high, and his saber edge shattered the halberd's defense, like a deity descending, an supreme divine ability reappearing in the world.
"If I do not wish it, then Heaven Forbids!"
Ning Yue's saber strike fell, and countless saber auras appeared in the void, all ringing out, causing the swords and sabers of the soldiers below the platform to also ring in unison...
Myriad Transformations Heavenly Evolution Blade, First Extreme—Heaven Forbids!
This was a peerless saber strike, an invincible strike in the perfected Outer Heaven and Earth Realm!
It was not a Celestial Mystery Art, yet it surpassed it.
Above and below the high platform, under a multitude of astonished gazes, Zhu Qimo reluctantly opened his eyes, which were in the midst of enlightenment; an unprecedented pressure set off alarm bells in his heart.
The opportunity for advancement was cut off by a single saber strike; the barrier of Outer Heaven and Earth slowly separated from his vision, gradually receding, as if time were reversing, yet his aura's ascent continued.
And Ning Yue's myriad saber auras all struck down, as if countless versions of him were attacking simultaneously, his martial might instantly expanding boundlessly!
Boom boom boom!
In that instant, Zhu Qimo didn't know how many saber auras struck; white marks were hammered onto the long halberd, and faint, imperceptible cracks spread across it!
Zhu Qimo's brows furrowed like rising strange peaks; his continuously climbing vital energy was finally terminated at this moment, the opportunity for advancement already lost.
"Aiya aiya aiya! How dare you, commoner!"
Zhu Qimo was finally enraged; the thing he could least accept had happened; his pride, his glory, and his undefeated legend would all be made a joke of after his failed advancement today!
The martial artist's fury surged, his vital energy instantly raging; he gathered his remaining courage, suddenly raised his long halberd, and instantly swept away the approaching saber auras.
"Crack! Crack!" The two crescent halberd tips finally could not withstand the immense pressure and snapped off.
Ning Yue himself, however, was dashing in his silver robe, stepping on the moonlight, taking a graceful step forward, instantly shining like a divine radiance!
"There is no second in martial arts, no second authority in Heaven!"
"Today, if Heaven Forbids, then all things shall cease!"
The Whispering Blade was like the moon in a mirror, slowly striking, ethereal and traceless!
This saber strike, returned to its original simplicity, showed no hint of martial arts true intent, yet it directly struck Zhu Qimo, cutting through his silver robe and the skin of his throat, only to be suddenly stopped by the Zongqi referee's finger from a distance.
"Clang clang!" The saber aura was incredibly sharp, causing the Zongqi's fingertips to redden as the sound of clashing metal rang out.
Above and below the platform, the entire audience fell silent in an instant!
Then, shouts of acclamation thundered.
The two new and old Zongqi had delivered a martial arts performance that severely exceeded the scope of the Yijin (Tendon Changing) Realm, truly magnificent and unparalleled!