After their first exchange, Yun Ming had roughly sorted out his combat strategy.
In terms of raw strength, he was inferior to Tang Chen in total Soul Power and physical force, but with the multiple amplifications from his soul skills, Battle Armor, and Yin Yang Dual Soul Core, he could hold his own. Regarding weapons, although it was hard to believe, the Atlas Spear was indeed inferior to the Shura Sword, but it was still usable. As for speed, he did not lose out. In terms of combat technique, Tang Chen was the founder of the Clear Sky Nine Perfections, so he was certainly no slouch, though it was unclear how much of that he could manifest while using a sword. Therefore, the ultimate key to victory lay in the art and dao of their weaponry.
As possessors of Weapon Spirits, it was fitting for them to determine the outcome through the insights gained from their blades.
"Kill!!"
With a thunderous roar, Tang Chen closed the distance to Yun Ming. He held the sword with both hands and raised the Shura Sword above his head. A vast, boundless blood-red light spread rapidly, quickly overlapping with Yun Ming's World Domain. Wherever the blood light passed, Yun Ming's original perception and control—which had been omniscient and omnipotent within his domain—were greatly suppressed. Moreover, it wasn't just Yun Ming who was affected; as the blood light appeared, Tang Chen's already formidable momentum surged once more.
This was the Slaughter Domain! An upgraded, evolved version of the Slaughter God's Domain. It could not only amplify himself and suppress the opponent's momentum, but it also possessed an anti-magic characteristic. The efficiency of Yun Ming's World Domain was heavily suppressed precisely because of this. If Yun Ming's domain hadn't been strong enough to resist its effects to a certain degree, the amplification skills currently active on his body might have been suppressed and shattered.
Yun Ming felt the dual pressure on his mind and body, and his vigilance toward Tang Chen rose to a new level; this domain put him under even greater strain. But no matter how great the pressure, this deathmatch had to be fought to the end.
The distance of over six thousand meters was not exactly close for the two of them, but it wasn't far either. Soon, they re-entered each other's attack range.
At a distance of about ten meters, Tang Chen struck first. The Shura Sword in his hand carried a materialized, blood-red killing intent as he slashed down fiercely, sending a hundred-meter-long blood-colored strike crashing down.
Shura Slash!
The attack of a Shura cuts not only the body but also the soul. If this heaven-cleaving, earth-shattering strike from Tang Chen were to land squarely on Yun Ming, even with his Battle Armor, he would likely suffer heavy damage to both body and mind.
Under normal circumstances, such an attack could be dodged, and with Yun Ming's abilities, it wouldn't be difficult. But not now! It wasn't just because he would fall into Tang Chen's combat rhythm; more importantly, the clash had just begun. If he retreated now, he would naturally fall into a disadvantage in their battle of "will." This was unacceptable to him. Therefore, Yun Ming's only choice was a frontal breakthrough.
Facing the massive killing intent strike, Yun Ming flicked his spear. Following the trajectory of the spear tip, a pitch-black rift, also over a hundred meters long, formed before the sword energy.
Sky Support Space Rending!
Clang—
One red, one black; the sword energy and the space rift collided head-on in a cross shape. A sharp, piercing explosion echoed across the heavens.
Seeing this, Yun Ming raised an eyebrow. The space rift, which had been invincible against long-range attacks, had actually been blocked by a single sword strike. However, a moment's thought made the reason clear: killing intent was not elemental energy; it was a manifestation of will. The space rift could not eliminate will through natural laws, so the result naturally became a clash of power at the level of energy structure.
In an instant, Yun Ming completed his further interpretation of Tang Chen's abilities. Without stopping, he flipped the Atlas Spear, the tip pointing directly at the center of the cross. His four wings flapped in unison, his speed surged again, and he pressed forward to break through.
Tang Chen did the same, charging forward and slashing again. Having started his training with a hammer, his combat style was bold and unrestrained, heavily focused on momentum; he would never retreat!
In a flash, the two crossed the ten-meter gap and collided again on both sides of the "cross." The tip of the Atlas Spear met the edge of the Shura Sword. The sword energy and the space rift shattered instantly, and a ring of sword energy and spear light exploded, slicing the surrounding space into fragments.
Through the Atlas Spear, Yun Ming felt the astonishing force from the other side and had no desire to engage in a test of strength. Soul Power surged, and the spear tip erupted with a burst of explosive force, forcing the two divine weapons apart so he could adjust his stance for another attack. The spear light on the Atlas Spear condensed into substance, and he thrust fiercely at Tang Chen.
But Tang Chen was no pushover; Yun Ming's counterattack did not fluster him. Facing the incoming Atlas Spear, he flicked his hands, and the recoil force on the Shura Sword was instantly neutralized.
Clear Sky, Emptiness Word Incantation!
He pulled the long sword back to his chest, then shifted his hands and changed the angle of the blade. The giant sword's spine turned to act as a shield, meeting the piercing thrust of the Atlas Spear head-on.
Ding—
The Atlas Spear's light struck the spine of the Shura Sword with a crisp, clear sound, sparks flying. But it was useless; it couldn't break the defense. And before Yun Ming could retract his move to attack again, Tang Chen's counter-maneuver arrived.
Just as Yun Ming wanted to pull back his spear, red light flickered on the spine of the Shura Sword. A circle of entanglement force, characterized by twisting and spiraling energy, appeared. Tang Chen took the opportunity to dance the long sword, beginning to guide the Atlas Spear along his own sword path.
Clear Sky, Entanglement Word Incantation!
Yun Ming naturally wouldn't allow Tang Chen to manipulate his spear path like this. He also began to use entanglement force; brute-forcing his way out was pointless and would easily reveal openings. Testing their techniques now was likely the best choice.
The spear and sword that had been fiercely clashing a moment ago now began to spiral and dance in their hands. One circle after another was drawn from Tang Chen's side to Yun Ming's, then quickly drawn back. Various angles and forces swirled endlessly, just like Tai Chi, turning without pause.
Compared to their previous clashes of spear tip against blade, this exchange seemed much more harmonious, as if they were merely practicing in circles. In reality, the clash of forces within was extremely dangerous. They had to synchronize their power with the opponent's force and direction at every moment. If they were even a fraction of a second slow, they would be caught by the opponent and struck into a state of paralysis. Given the speed at which they were fighting, even a momentary paralysis could lead to severe injury.
After a dozen rounds of such gentle Tai Chi, both realized the other's mastery in force control had reached its peak. Knowing that such a soft fighting style wouldn't yield a result, they tacitly ended the contest and retreated to adjust.
"Junior, you are very strong. I was far inferior to you at your age!"
Even as an enemy, Tang Chen could not bring himself to deny Yun Ming's excellence. To be able to play at this level with an ancestor of strength like himself at such an age—if he hadn't seen it today, he wouldn't have believed it.
"I know, that's normal. You are among the closest to my level. Not bad."
Tang Chen: "(╬▔皿▔)凸"
The truth Yun Ming stated so casually sounded particularly grating to Tang Chen, making him even more furious.
He was wrong; he shouldn't have said that, giving this kid a chance to act arrogant in front of him. The problem was that he was acting so arrogant that he had nothing to say back. So, he might as well just honestly and quietly hack this kid to death!
Tang Chen stopped talking nonsense. He stomped hard on the void, his figure turning into a blood shadow as he slashed over with another fierce sword strike.
Yun Ming pressed the Atlas Spear down, blocking the blade. He took another of Tang Chen's strikes, but the force behind the sword sent him flying. Although he was sent flying, he managed to change his flight path and orientation mid-air.
A silver light flashed on the flying Yun Ming as he escaped into the void, reappearing behind Tang Chen.
Borrowing Tang Chen's momentum, Yun Ming turned and delivered a "returning horse spear" strike, the Atlas Spear thrusting fiercely at Tang Chen like a dragon emerging from the water.
Feeling the sharpness behind him, Tang Chen hurriedly changed his move. He flipped the giant sword, carrying the demonic blade on his back, and hunched his body forward, letting the Atlas Spear slide right past the Shura Sword, missing its mark.
The move wasn't graceful, but it was practical. After finishing the parry, Tang Chen shifted his feet, spun out from under the spear shaft, and tried to counter with a horizontal slash at Yun Ming, who had closed in due to the spear thrust.
Under normal circumstances, a spear user would find it hard to dodge such a close-range counter-slash, especially since the Shura Sword was over two meters long. But Yun Ming was clearly an exception.
Facing the blade slashing rapidly toward his waist, Yun Ming intended to use the same trick and teleport away again, but Tang Chen had been prepared for this.
Just as Yun Ming was about to act, the killing intent within a hundred-meter radius of the two erupted violently, churning the space under Tang Chen's control.
Since Tang Chen knew that Yun Ming's previous teleportation allowed him to change his flight direction and attack from behind, he could use this move to easily escape as well. Tang Chen would not allow such a thing to happen a second time in front of him, which was why he had a follow-up move accompanying this sword strike.
Seeing that teleportation wouldn't work, Yun Ming didn't panic; he just switched tactics. A white light flashed in his eyes, and a Space Prohibition barrier appeared, obstructing Tang Chen's movements for an instant. Relying on that split second, Yun Ming completed a rapid two-part spear thrust.
Seeing that the situation was no longer favorable, Tang Chen had no choice but to slightly turn his blade, letting the Shura Sword and the Atlas Spear slide past each other once more. The two crossed paths and retreated again.
Once again, the stalemate made Tang Chen realize the sophistication of Yun Ming's combat techniques and the depth of his experience; it would be difficult to win by relying solely on technical maneuvers. Therefore, he had to resort to high-burst exchanges, and the fact that his opponent's cultivation was inferior to his own remained his greatest advantage.
Tang Chen had found a way to win, and Yun Ming had also gained new insights. Through the techniques revealed in Tang Chen's previous sword moves, as well as how he had countered Yun Ming's own attacks, Yun Ming had gained a general understanding of Tang Chen's swordsmanship style.
How should one describe Tang Chen's swordsmanship? It wasn't bad—in fact, it was excellent—but it was unconventional. Conventional swordsmanship was characterized by lightness, agility, grace, and elegance, whereas his sword emphasized immense power and wide, sweeping movements, with all the finesse hidden within a small space. It was clear he had brought the style of using the Clear Sky Hammer into his swordplay. What was rare, however, was that he had truly integrated his hammer-wielding techniques into his swordplay, rather than simply using the Shura Sword as a hammer.
Furthermore, Yun Ming detected a hint of Qian Daoliu's swordsmanship in his style. This was natural, after all; he was the originator of using the Clear Sky Hammer to strike at the Six-Winged Angel, so how could he overcome the strong while being weak if he didn't understand his opponent's sword techniques?
Having found his path to victory, Tang Chen straightened his expression. He raised the Shura Sword in his hand, and countless killing intent condensed above his head, pressing down toward Yun Ming with a single strike.
Clear Sky, Collapse Technique!
Watching the Shura Sword wreathed in killing intent, Yun Ming felt as if a giant sword, heavy as a thousand jun but sharp and unstoppable, was crashing down. His heart grew heavy.
He gripped the Atlas Spear tightly with both hands. Streams of black light rapidly emerged on the spearhead, condensing toward the tip until they formed a single black point.
Atlas, Annihilation!
Seeing the Shura Sword descend, Yun Ming slowly thrust his spear forward. Breaking a surface with a single point—this was the answer Yun Ming provided.
Hum—
This time was different from before. Faced with the overwhelming physical destructive power of Yun Ming's point-break, even in a direct head-on collision, Yun Ming did not fall behind; instead, he shattered the killing sword qi on the Shura Sword.
Feeling the vibration traveling up the Shura Sword, it was the first time Tang Chen felt his grip falter. Yun Ming naturally would not let such a golden opportunity slip by. He retracted the Atlas Spear, and golden light surged across the shaft. An aura of Absolute Dominance, a kingly presence that was invincible and sweeping, rose up.
Absolute Dominance!
This spear strike had no frills; it thrust straight at Tang Chen's chest. Since Yun Ming had determined that the key to victory lay in the intent of his weapon, adding any flashy movements would only weaken his "intent."
Tang Chen looked at Yun Ming's seemingly plain spear strike, which was nevertheless worlds apart from his previous ones. His mind was shaken, but he was glad for it; a head-on confrontation was also his way of winning. He pointed the Shura Sword forward, and circles of killing intent spiraled and condensed at the tip, transforming into a crimson drill.
Watching the Atlas Spear draw closer, Tang Chen exerted force through his feet, flickering in and out of existence.
Clear Sky, Cessation Word Incantation, Slaughter Assault!
Roar—
The spear and sword collided once more. The kingly decree of Absolute Dominance and the evil-slaying roar of the Slaughter Assault echoed across the skyline.
Rumble—
The two clashed, neither giving an inch. However, the energy between them exploded uncontrollably.
Both Yun Ming and Tang Chen were blasted away, but the moment they stabilized their bodies, they immediately charged at each other again. Even though the sword qi and spear light in the middle were attacking indiscriminately, the two still pushed through the aftermath of the attacks to engage in fierce combat.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.
Boom.
The two fought sometimes high in the nine heavens, and other times they dove toward the vast earth. Any part of the sky could become their battlefield, and their exchanges were incredibly fast. If anyone were qualified to watch, they would only see two light shadows constantly disappearing and reappearing, and hear the incessant sounds of explosions and weapons clashing.
Tang Chen used the Shura Sword to unleash the Clear Sky, Penetration Word Incantation, each strike stronger than the last, while Yun Ming used the Atlas Spear and Hua Jie to receive each move and counterattack at any moment. Yun Ming used the Atlas Spear, Royal Power to strike at the soul, and Tang Chen countered with the Rupture Word Incantation, merging his strength to break through with sharp force.
The two traded a sword for a spear, clashing over a thousand times, parrying and countering without retreating, pushing their combat memories to the limit. But eventually, there had to be a breaking point.
Bang—
The Atlas Spear and the Shura Sword collided violently once more. A terrifying shockwave rippled through the heavens, blasting the two fierce combatants apart and revealing their battered, scarred bodies.
Tang Chen bled from his seven orifices, half-kneeling in the void.
He had many bloodstains on his body, but aside from three deeper spear wounds, the others were not serious. His primary injury was not physical, but mental; he had been left dizzy and disoriented by Yun Ming's spear art, which attacked his spirit strike after strike. There was no helping it—the Shura Sword was too good at blocking!
Yun Ming was in a much worse state. One wing of his Battle Armor had been severed, and there were seven sword marks that had pierced through his armor, each deep enough to see bone. He was bleeding profusely all over, and his left leg had three wounds, making it difficult to move. Although the other attacks had failed to pierce his Battle Armor, they had left countless scars upon it.
"Hahahaha—"
Yun Ming looked up at the equally battered Tang Chen opposite him and laughed out loud. This kind of evenly matched battle made his heart surge; even though he was severely injured, it still brought him immense pleasure.
Tang Chen suppressed the waves of dizziness and stinging pain in his head, his eyes also shining with the flames of excitement. If one wasn't a battle-hungry fanatic, how could one be the Number One Under Heaven?
"I am invincible on the continent, and I have the strength for three final moves!"
"If you take them, I die! If you can't, you die!"
"Any problems with that!!"
After a burst of wild laughter, Yun Ming made his final judgment based on his own condition.
Tang Chen grinned, revealing a mouthful of blood-stained teeth, looking very much like a true Shura crawling out of hell.
"Then you are dead."
"We'll see who dies soon enough!"
Yun Ming responded casually, raising the Atlas Divine Spear with his right hand once more as his eighth orange-gold Spirit Ring lit up.
"Severing Boundary!"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader