Chapter 480: Breakthrough at the Frontline (Thanks to 'Salted Fish No. 1' for Zhang Yu)

Chapter 480: Breakthrough in the Heat of Battle (Thanks to 'Salted Fish No. 1' for donating heavily to Zhang Yu and becoming a patron)

Before he knew it, Zhang Yu had already descended to the ground.

Amidst the bombardment of countless shards of flying swords, he ceased trying to suppress the blades, instead heaving up great mounds of earth and stone to serve as his bulwark.

Simultaneously, he activated two magical treasures: the Golden Thread Jade Wall and the Yin-Yang Shield of Duality.

Beams of frigid, piercing light erupted from the Golden Thread Jade Wall, relentlessly hindering the movement of the flying swords.

At the same time, the Yin-Yang Shield of Duality spewed forth torrents of icy mist, freezing the very air to further obstruct the blades' lethal strikes.

"Shattered into dust, yet still capable of combat, still capable of autonomous targeting—just as Mo Shangjin said. Is this the true nature of the Sword Spirits from Sky Sword University?"

Zhang Yu recalled the words Mo Shangjin had once spoken.

To assist in the remote operation of flying swords, Sky Sword University utilized their own proprietary, entry-level intelligent artifact spirits, which they called Sword Spirits.

These spirits possessed almost zero capacity for conversation, creativity, or abstract thought; their greatest strengths lay in image recognition and automated targeting.

When paired with the university's unique mental cultivation techniques, which allowed a practitioner to nurture the spirit, the pilot no longer needed delicate, precise control. One only needed to channel the most violent mana and the most ferocious power to hurl the blade toward the target.

The Sword Spirit would then assist the practitioner, guiding the blade through various maneuvers of slicing, colliding, and flight.

Combined with different sword-art techniques, this could produce a myriad of miraculous effects.

It was said that masters of this discipline, utilizing the spirit-realm network built by Sword Spirits and patrol-class flying swords, could execute millimeter-precision operations from thousands of miles away.

Yue Guanqiong, of course, was not yet that formidable, but with the Sword Spirits integrated into his Great Freedom Instant-Prison Sword Qi, the blades under his command maintained their combat efficacy no matter how thoroughly they were shattered or destroyed.

In the blink of an eye, sword qi crisscrossed the field; the earth beneath Zhang Yu’s feet was sliced into layers, unfolding like a vast, intersecting chessboard across the world.

Yet, relying on the layered defenses of the Earth-Suppressing Seal, the Thunder-Suppressing Seal, the Golden Thread Jade Wall, and the Yin-Yang Shield of Duality, Zhang Yu held his ground against the onslaught.

...

Watching this scene, Yue Guanqiong’s eyes flickered. "Oh? Compared to the last match, you’ve added a few more treasures? And specifically to defend against flying swords, no less."

"Let us see, then, how long these trinkets of yours can hold out."

Yue Guanqiong flicked his finger lightly. Within the aerial fortress below, sword after sword trembled as if hearing a call, emitting a growing, thunderous chorus of blade-song.

These were not true flying swords; they were merely crude forms possessing a certain degree of hardness, barely superior to common steel.

But the key lay in the fact that these blades, designed by Sky Sword University, were capable of housing Sword Spirits.

Following the brief period of construction and preparation, Yue Guanqiong’s teammates had utilized local materials to manufacture a vast quantity of these blades, each infused with a Sword Spirit.

This was the signature defensive fortification of Sky Sword University’s Civil Engineering Department: the Sword Array.

High efficiency, low cost, yet formidable in power. As Yue Guanqiong pointed his finger, hundreds of blades soared into the sky, sweeping toward Zhang Yu like a torrential storm.

With a crackling explosion, the blades slammed into the earthworks Zhang Yu had raised. Even as they shattered into pieces, the fragments continued to radiate sharp sword qi, hacking away at him.

With each collision, the momentum of the sword assault seemed to swell.

If it had begun as a mere torrent of a hundred blades, the constant shattering of the weapons soon turned the air into a swirling cloud of sword-shards, encircling Zhang Yu completely.

Thousands of fragments swirled around him, grinding and slaughtering; the atmosphere seemed to boil from the friction of countless blades moving at hyper-velocity.

The defenses raised by Zhang Yu’s treasures emitted a continuous, frantic clattering under this high-speed assault—the sound of blades being pulverized, and the sound of the sword-tide expanding.

...

In the audience stands of the Spirit Realm, Wang Yin was also watching.

He saw Zhang Yu forced from the sky to the earth, utterly suppressed by the crisscrossing blades. The flickering light of his treasures looked like a tiny candle flame in a storm, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Wang Yin muttered to himself, "Zhang Yu, if you fall here, was the Dao heart I’ve cultivated for so long all for nothing?"

"Don't you dare lose, damn it."

"Where is the power you gained from that Yin-artifact?"

"If you can't handle it, call for a timeout and bring the Yin-artifact out to use again."

...

As the sword assault grew more violent, a stream of warnings flashed across Zhang Yu’s vision.

Golden Thread Jade Wall mana below 5%!

Yin-Yang Shield of Duality mana below 5%!

Thunder-Suppressing Seal mana below 3%!

Earth-Suppressing Seal mana below 1%! Please replenish mana within 30 seconds.

Bang!

As the aura of the Earth-Suppressing Seal collapsed entirely, the lightning strikes of the Thunder-Suppressing Seal weakened rapidly, and Yue Guanqiong’s offensive grew even more ferocious.

At that moment, the internal energy surrounding Zhang Yu surged violently, and pillars of golden flame erupted into the sky.

Bolstered by the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill, Zhang Yu’s protective aura burst forth with astonishing defensive power.

Under the impact of the blades, the protective aura first defended in a solid state, then shifted to a liquid state to absorb the shock, and finally transformed into a gaseous state to dissipate the force.

Through this three-state transformation, Zhang Yu stabilized his stance once more amidst the torrential storm of blades.

After a brief stalemate, Yue Guanqiong intensified his assault.

A sword, flickering in and out of existence like faint blue smoke, drifted before him.

This blade was the former military-grade flying sword borrowed from Wen Wuyai—the Light-Splitting Shadow-Casting Sword.

In truth, it was not that Yue Guanqiong lacked professional or corporate-grade swords.

But those blades, especially the corporate-grade ones, were not cheap for him.

By comparison, using someone else’s sword was more cost-effective and made it easier to suppress Zhang Yu.

The Light-Splitting Shadow-Casting Sword shot into the sky, flickering once before dividing into eighty-one beams of light, which swirled toward Zhang Yu.

The beams of light slashed and ground, appearing and disappearing like mere phantoms.

Yue Guanqiong thought, "As expected of a former military-grade sword from Wen Wuyai’s collection."

"Under my command, this sword can split into eighty-one beams, yet only one is real. And this true blade can shift between the eighty-one beams at will, and re-divide."

"To me, any beam can be a fake, because the moment one is targeted, I can shift the true blade to another."

"But to Zhang Yu, any beam could be the real one, because the moment he leaves an opening, any beam can manifest as the true blade to deliver the killing blow."

On the battlefield, the eighty-one beams of light crisscrossed like phantoms; the frigid rays, the gravitational pull, and the protective aura could find no purchase against these illusions. Yet, the moment a phantom beam pierced his protective aura, it instantly solidified into the true blade, stabbing toward Zhang Yu.

With a resounding boom, just as Zhang Yu activated the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power to grab at the Light-Splitting Shadow-Casting Sword, the blade had already shifted to another beam on the periphery.

Amidst the encirclement of the sky-filling blades, the eighty-one beams of light darted in and out.

Zhang Yu had to resist the grinding of the sword qi while remaining wary of the infinite changes of the Light-Splitting Shadow-Casting Sword and its unpredictable strikes; in an instant, he fell into a disadvantage once more.

...

Watching the competition, Wen Wuyai’s heart stirred. He thought, "Is he reaching his limit?"

"It is indeed the 16th-level Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power."

Having satisfied his curiosity, Wen Wuyai nodded slightly.

As for Zhang Yu being defeated by the Splitting Light and Shadow Sword?

What of it?

To Wen Wuyai, this was of no consequence; the lives of the poor shifting with their every whim was the most mundane of affairs.

At this moment, Wen Wuyai had lost interest in the outcome of the competition, his mind turning instead to Zhang Yu’s intrinsic value.

"He hesitated before; perhaps with a bit more contact, I might catch a glimpse of the dual-cultivation techniques of the Ten Thousand Laws University..."

But the very next instant, Wen Wuyai’s brow suddenly twitched.

"Hmm?"

...

On the field.

Zhang Yu, previously suppressed, suddenly let out a thunderous roar, his aura surging violently.

Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, Level 17—Activate!

A terrifying terrestrial gravity contracted abruptly, like a massive black hole swallowing swathes of sword qi and light.

"What!" Yue Guanyong’s gaze sharpened: "He broke through?"

"He actually broke through in the heat of battle?!"

This breakthrough in the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power immediately disrupted Yue Guanyong’s offensive.

The range he had calculated for Zhang Yu’s Level 16 power suddenly expanded, not only engulfing the vast sea of blades but also wrapping around the eighty-one rays of the Splitting Light and Shadow Sword.

Though the sword light managed to break free after repeated divisions, it was a narrow escape.

But the next moment, with a cold snort, Zhang Yu lunged forward and soared into the sky.

Infused with the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, he shattered the atmosphere and broke the sound barrier, shooting directly toward the Sky Sword University’s aerial fortress.

Watching this, Yue Guanyong sneered and glanced toward the construction site of the Ten Thousand Laws University, seeing it already fortified by layers of earthen defenses.

"Hmph, you think that by shielding the site, you can charge over and stake everything on one throw?"

Meanwhile, the Sky Sword University’s formation was complete, and under its enhancement, the entire arena lay within Yue Guanyong’s perception.

Simultaneously, the blades hidden high above were triggered; with a flick of his finger, they pierced the earth, streaking toward the students of the Ten Thousand Laws University.

But the Ten Thousand Laws University’s formation had also finished, turning the ground into an iron wall that drastically slowed the blades.

In a blink, Yue Guanyong’s insight lost track of the students entirely.

"They’ve actually shielded themselves from my senses?"

At the same time, amidst Zhang Yu’s roar, he slammed a palm toward the aerial fortress.

With a deafening boom and a violent tremor of the fortress, the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power collided fiercely with the formation’s energy.

Yue Guanyong let out a cold cry, unleashing the Great Freedom Instant-Prison Sword Qi, manipulating countless rays of light to drive Zhang Yu away once more.

This time, he deliberately widened the range to avoid being caught in one sweep by the opponent’s Level 17 power.

But Zhang Yu retreated abruptly, then struck the earth with a palm from afar.

As the terrain heaved violently, the horizon itself began to rise, inch by inch, under the force of his exertion.

"Hmm?" Yue Guanyong frowned, guessing his intent: "You want to seize the earth... and hurl it at me?"

"But with your cultivation, without the aid of a Dharma Corpse, how much terrain can you possibly move?"

Before Yue Guanyong could finish the thought, surging spiritual energy gathered toward Zhang Yu.

Bolstered by the formation, Zhang Yu felt his consciousness expand, reaching out across the arena floor, the soil, and the bedrock beneath.

In that moment, he felt the reach of his Mountain-Moving Divine Power stretch further, the earth trembling in rhythm with his will.

The mana within him roared! The terrestrial gravity spread! Spread! And spread further!

Sensing this, Yue Guanyong drove his blades to shred Zhang Yu, gradually tearing his golden protective aura to pieces.

Zhang Yu ignored it all, focusing his attention on the earth, pushing the influence of his gravity to the limit.

As the ground heaved with increasing ferocity, Yue Guanyong’s brow furrowed.

"If this power continues to rise..."

The next moment, seeing the upheaval stall, Yue Guanyong’s eyes flickered, a smile touching his lips: "After all, it is only Level 17; the attack Zhang Yu attempts is beyond his capacity, even with the formation’s aid."

But just then, Zhang Yu bellowed: "Level 18 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power!"

"Rise!"

Boom!

The earth was seized by an invisible, gargantuan hand.

The horizon of the arena surged upward, a rectangular mountain rising into the sky, casting a massive shadow that engulfed the entire aerial fortress.

Then, under Zhang Yu’s violent command, the mountain groaned, carrying a howling gale as it crashed down upon the Sky Sword University’s fortress.

Demons, strange tales, immortals, gods, and the pugilistic world—hidden in the gaps of history, vying for the secrets of immortality.

Zhou Yan comes from Mount Tai, bearing the Jade Records, wielding a long sword, breaking through the path ahead.

The True Monarch has arrived; nothing is forbidden.

"The True Monarch Has Arrived," the new book by the great Yan zk, go take a look~~

(End of chapter)