Chapter 518 – Heaven and Earth (2/2)
Countless clangs rang out over the Luo River, followed soon after by the crumbling sound of swords cutting through all firm objects.
This Bridge of Helplessness, which with the protection of a powerful array could not even be smashed apart by a warship, seemed quite fragile in the face of the ocean of light and enormous waves stirred up by these two swords. Countless cracks appeared on the firm surface of the bridge, the fragments of rock sent flying instantly being crushed by the sword energy. The two handrails lining the bridge were covered in a dense spiderweb of cracks. Those sculptures in the shape of beasts that had quietly watched the Luo River for many years suffered even more damage from the haphazardly flying sword intent. Stone chips were sent flying, leaving behind mutilated ears and shattered faces.
The people on the two banks of the Luo River were somewhat far and couldn't see clearly what was occurring on the bridge. They could only see the rays of light in the falling snow and hear those sounds. Despite this, they still felt agitated and uneasy. The people on the boat were closer, and were thus more prone to cry in amazement at the exquisite swordplay displayed in the rain and snow.
”That's the Heavenly Pool Sword Style!”
”The Three Chants of the Fisherman's Song!”
”How does he know the sword style of the Emotion-Severing Sect?”
All these excited yells came from below. Those standing at the bow of the ship watched the Bridge of Helplessness in silence.
Yes, there truly was no sword style in this world that could completely break the Sword of Great Light, because this sword technique of Holy Maiden Peak was truly too inconceivable. When the light first appeared in the fog of snow and Chen Changsheng recalled the records in the Daoist Canon, he had a similar feeling. He had never seen such a sword technique that was so complex as to embrace almost all things and yet so simple as to already be in accord with the Heavenly Dao. He hadn't even imagined such a technique before. The Sword of Great Light was already the final frontier of the path of the sword. In his life of cultivation, the only time he had a similar feeling was when he saw Su Li cut a path south with the Heaven Shrouding Sword in the snowy plains of the demon realm.
With his current level of cultivation, he had two methods of breaking the Sword of Great Light. These were to use the final move of the Mount Li Sword Style or, as he had done in the Garden of Zhou and in Xunyang City when confronting Zhu Luo, to use the ten thousand swords of the Sword Pool resting in the Vault Sheath. However, the former could only end in the both of them dying, so it was not an option. Regarding the latter, it was impossible for him to control the consequences of the ten thousand swords simultaneously attacking. This required more time to calculate than was possible in seven days. As a result, this choice was also out of the question.
Ultimately, the method he used was the third sword that Su Li had taught him, the sword that Su Li could never learn. But this time, he used the sword intent, not the sword itself. He also did not use the sword to defend himself, only using the stupidity of the sword, because regardless of what angle one looked at it from, this method was very stupid.
He would use countless swords to break Xu Yourong's one sword.
The light shone over the mortal world, able to imitate every sword intent between heaven and earth.
Then he would just display every sword technique between heaven and earth.
This method was very stupid, but could someone who could learn all these swords, know when to use these swords, where to use these swords, and thus, in the face of this light, break the shapeless shapes and intentionless intent, truly be a stupid person?
The students and teachers standing on the lower decks of the great ship could not understand this, but those important figures at the bow of the ship clearly understood this point.
So when they stared at those sword intents above the snowy bridge that crisscrossed the sky, they remained silent for a very long time.
The Minister of Rites was not a cultivator, and couldn't restrain his question, ”How many swords?”
Linghai Zhiwang expressionlessly replied, ”Principal Chen has used forty-three sword techniques.”
With a complex expression, Daoist Siyuan declared, ”He hasn't even completed one sword technique.”
Both of these Prefects of the Orthodoxy had spoken correctly, and it wasn't because one was speaking of Chen Changsheng and the other of Xu Yourong.
Xu Yourong's Sword of Great Light truly had not been fully displayed.
Of course, Chen Changsheng's forty-three swords could be understood as a single sword.
The bow of the ship was silent, but in reality, from the very start, someone had always been talking.
When Chen Changsheng used his sixth sword, Su Moyu murmured, ”I lost.”
When Chen Changsheng used his ninth sword, a Divine General who had returned from Temple Pass to report to the court wrinkled his brow and shook his head.
When Chen Changsheng used his eleventh sword, Xue He's hand gently caressed his severed arm.
When Chen Changsheng used his twenty-seventh sword, Zhexiu shook his head. If he were to confront Chen Changsheng head-on, he would have lost here. Of course, this was only in swords, not a life-or-death battle. He then glanced at Tang Thirty-Six, rather confused, thinking, could it be that you can last even longer than me?
All this time, Tang Thirty-Six had never said anything about how he had lost, but now he sighed, ”Have all of our sword techniques been learned by a dog?”
Many people at the bow of the ship showed ugly complexions, yet no one could refute him.
Everyone knew that Chen Changsheng knew the Daoist Canon from back to front, but could it be that he had also learned all the sword styles of the world?
……
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