59 Chapter 1216: Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship (1/2)
”What?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in astonishment as sweat poured down his body.
The sword qi was extremely swift, moving as fast as a streak of lightning. Not only that, it also harnessed formidable might within it. Even with Zhang Xuan's recent surge in cultivation, he instantaneously realized that it would be difficult for him to clash with that sword qi face on at a whim.
Thus, with a slight step, he executed the Unbounded Voyager. As if space had been compressed, that slight step allowed Zhang Xuan to cover three meters in an instant, placing him right next to the wall.
Huala!
At the same time, the sword qi flew by him with a cold gale, vanishing into the distance.
That was a close one!
It was fortunate that he had recently gained a deeper comprehension of the laws of space and the Unbounded Voyager, or else that single surge of sword qi might have just left him severely wounded!
That should be around… Leaving Aperture realm primary stage! Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly as he made a rough estimate.
It was a very brief encounter, but it had allowed Zhang Xuan to verify the strength of the enemy—Leaving Aperture realm primary stage, as well as an expert in swordsmanship.
He was already capable of facing such an opponent with his current strength, but there was still a need for him to be wary around them. In a clash between experts, the slightest moment of carelessness could cost one's life.
For example, if he had not reacted swiftly to the sudden assault, he would have fallen there and then!
Tzzzzzz!
Barely after Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, a powerful killing intent suddenly permeated the area as two more surges of sword qi flew over, one from the front and one from the back.
In this narrow tunnel, these two surges of sword qi were more than enough to seal his path, leaving him nowhere to hide.
”Humph!”
Knowing that he could not dodge as he did previously, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and whipped out his Glacier Rain Sword. With a powerful slash, he collided with the two surges of sword qi.
While the Glacier Rain Sword was only a Saint low-tier artifact, it was still able to display astounding prowess when paired with Zhang Xuan's mastery in swordsmanship. A deafening sonic boom echoed in the air, and the resulting powerful shockwave blasted the top layer off the walls of the tunnel.
Weng!
Zhang Xuan's Glacier Rain Sword creaked under the overwhelming pressure it was placed under against the two surges of sword qi, nearly shattering. Nevertheless, it still managed to fend off the two surges of sword qi.
Knowing that he would remain at a critical disadvantage if he continued clashing with the enemy within the narrow tunnel, Zhang Xuan swiftly made use of this opportunity to advance forward.
Hualala!
His movements were quick, but the enemy's sword qi was even quicker. Barely after taking two steps, he felt sword qi tearing toward him once more. This time, there were four surges. If he forced his way through, there was a good chance that he would be sliced into tiny pieces.
Thus, Zhang Xuan flicked his Glacier Rain Sword to fend off the sword qi once more.
However, it seemed as if the opponent was simply getting started and was building up more momentum as the battle continued. After four surges, the enemy flung six surges of sword qi at him, and astoundingly, the strength of each sword qi was even stronger than the previous wave.
This seems to be a type of Sword Formation or some kind of unique sword art!
Even though Zhang Xuan had no idea who was behind the attacks, he could tell that the sword qi was the product of some kind of formidable Sword Formation or sword art.
Not daring to get careless, he drove the zhenqi within his body and tapped the area ahead of him lightly.
Weng!
In an instant, it felt as if space itself had turned viscous. The six surges of sword qi significantly slowed down, posing no more threat to Zhang Xuan.
With a series of slashes with the Glacier Rain Sword, Zhang Xuan managed to overcome each of them. Just as he was about to advance once more, eight surges of sword qi arrived in his vicinity.
Following the previous pattern, the eight surges of sword qi were each stronger than the previous six. With their overwhelming might, they actually caused the viscous space that Zhang Xuan had just set up earlier to shake intensely, and with a resounding 'huala!', it dissipated altogether.
Deng deng deng deng!
Suffering a power backlash, Zhang Xuan was forced to retreat two steps before coughing up a mouthful of blood. He swiftly stretched a hand forward and gathered his zhenqi before his palm in the form of a sphere to defend himself from the powerful onslaught of sword qi.
The powerful surges of sword qi had really taken him by surprise this time around. Upon reaching Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle, his fighting prowess was already comparable to a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivator. Yet, despite his strength, he ended up being knocked back by just a couple of sword qi surges!
A thought suddenly came to Zhang Xuan's mind. Each wave of sword qi is faster and stronger than the last. Could this be the legendary Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship?
Having read all the books in the Qingyuan Empire Combat Master Hall, he was rather familiar with the legendary formations and battle techniques that had appeared in the history of the Qingyuan Empire
Many years ago, there had been two extremely talented sword practitioners in the Combat Master Hall. They had managed to earn the opportunity to head to the Qianchong Empire's Sword Lagoon, and over there, they had comprehended a unique Sword Formation known as the Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship.
In a sense, it could also be considered as a collaborative formation centered around swords. Through the sheer might of the Sword Formation, they had been able to overwhelm even Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivators with ease!
But more than a thousand years ago, the duo had abruptly gone missing without leaving behind their heritage, and there were many who presumed that they had died.
However, to see this legendary Sword Formation appear here… Could it be that the duo had been killed by Vicious, and their bodies had been forged into Soulless Metal Humanoids?
If that was the case, Zhang Xuan would truly be in a bad position.
If I can't see them in action, I won't be able to compile a book on them and analyze the flaws in the battle technique. This won't do. If I continue wasting time here, once the battle on the other side ends, the threads will disappear along with the only clue we have leading to Vicious at the moment, Zhang Xuan thought grimly.
Knowing that he could not afford to waste any time, he decisively flicked his wrist to take the massive Golden Origin Cauldron out.
”Pave a way forward!”
”Roger that! Don't worry, Master. They are only a bunch of weaklings. Watch how I, Ding Ding, crush them into smithereens!” Roaring furiously, the Golden Origin Cauldron began on a ferocious charge through the tunnel.
Ding ding dang dang!
The sword qi produced a resounding metallic echo upon coming into contact with the Golden Origin Cauldron, but it did little to slow its movements.
After being infused with the Black Goldcrystal Ore, the defense of the Golden Origin Cauldron had been enhanced by leaps and bounds. On top of that, the Golden Origin Cauldron's cultivation had also reached Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, two cultivation stages higher than the assailants. As powerful as the enemies' sword qi was, they were still unable to overcome the Golden Origin Cauldron's defenses.
Seeing how the Golden Origin Cauldron was able to deal with the Sword Formation with ease, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief as he followed closely behind it. The narrow tunnel was roughly eighty meters long, so it did not take him too long to arrive at the other end.
What he was met with was another large hall.
This hall had clearly been manually dug out, and it was roughly a hundred meters in diameter.
Upon entering the hall, Zhang Xuan's Spiritual Perception was no longer limited by the previous formation. Thus, he extended it, and he soon noticed two figures swiftly retreating from him.
While those two figures appeared no different from ordinary humans on the surface, be it in terms of skin, hair, or flesh, the lack of expression on their faces betrayed their identities as Soulless Metal Humanoids.
”Do you think that I'll allow you to get away that easily after assaulting me?” Zhang Xuan sneered coldly as he raised his palm.
Boom!
An imposing force burst forth with astounding momentum toward the duo.