808: Chapter 797: Guigu Sword Technique, please enlighten!
808: Chapter 797: Guigu Sword Technique, please enlighten!
Ning Fan actually laughed.
The Second Elder couldn’t believe his eyes.
This brat could still laugh at such a moment—utterly fearless!
His smile was not only incomprehensible to the Second Elder but also baffled everyone else present.
Only Ning Fan himself knew how excited he was inside.
A battle like this was exactly what he craved.
Though life and death still weighed on his mind, the benefits of this sword-to-sword clash far surpassed any concerns about victory or defeat.
Especially when facing someone who had already grasped the embryonic form of Sword Intent, Ning Fan could glean a plethora of insights.
“Guigu Sword Technique, please enlighten me!”
Ning Fan murmured softly, his voice too faint for anyone to discern.
The others were too fixated on the smile on his face to notice that he was, in fact, showing the utmost respect toward their Second Elder.
Not that it mattered; even if they had noticed, they would likely have scoffed disdainfully.
The Second Elder, however, narrowed his eyes and hummed coldly.
In a flash, he thrust his sword forward with intensified killing intent.
A man like Ning Fan could not be allowed to live.
If he were a friend of the Yunteng Family, it might have been tolerable; but as an enemy, he was a mortal threat!
“Brat, I underestimated you, but today you won’t escape!”
The Second Elder declared as he lunged, his hair waving wildly, his demeanor bordering on madness.
The power behind his sword seemed as though it would shred Ning Fan to pieces on the spot.
Clang!
In the nick of time, Ning Fan’s Soft Sword shifted ever so slightly, just barely deflecting the Second Elder’s thrusting longsword.
Yet, the opposing blade still pointed unwaveringly at Ning Fan’s throat.
Furrowing his brow, Ning Fan stared at the Second Elder in shock.
His heart skipped a beat, and alarm bells rang in his mind.
If he didn’t evade this strike, he would undoubtedly fall prey to the enemy and die under the blade!
Boom!
As the blade closed in, time within Ning Fan’s vision seemed to slow.
The swift-moving sword now appeared sluggish, as if in slow motion.
Simultaneously, something seemed to explode in his mind.
Accompanied by the rumbling within his head, Ning Fan’s eyes gradually turned sharp and clear.
In this critical moment, he made a shocking move.
The Soft Sword in his hand, which had failed to fully deflect the Second Elder’s blade earlier, flipped suddenly.
Then, with a crisp clang, the flat of his sword blocked the thrust of the Second Elder’s longsword.
Gripping the hilt tightly with one hand and pinching the blade-tip with the other, Ning Fan staggered back repeatedly, his face full of strain, while the Second Elder relentlessly advanced.
They only came to a stop when Ning Fan was nearly backed into a corner.
The Soft Sword had bent into a crescent shape.
Beads of cold sweat formed on Ning Fan’s forehead.
Even he had no idea how exactly he had fended off the Second Elder’s strike.
When he regained clarity, his body had already moved instinctively.
Eyes wide, the Second Elder stared at Ning Fan in disbelief.
That last sword strike was, in his view, his most assured attack—a move he was one hundred percent confident would pierce Ning Fan’s throat.
When Ning Fan failed to fend it off with his Soft Sword initially, the Second Elder was certain that the strike would claim Ning Fan’s life.
Who could have imagined Ning Fan would still have a countermeasure, using the flat of his sword to block the attack?
“Impossible!”
The Second Elder growled through gritted teeth, his wrinkled face a mask of shock and incredulity.
The inescapable killing blow had been skillfully defused by Ning Fan.
Ning Fan chuckled faintly, his figure flickering as he took the opportunity to sidestep to a safer spot.
“My apologies for disappointing you!”
Ning Fan’s voice carried a touch of mockery, which hit the Second Elder like a slap.
As a master swordsman, to have his certain-kill strike foiled was an unbearable humiliation.
Nevertheless, by this point, Ning Fan was showing faint signs of wear, whereas the Second Elder still appeared composed and unrestrained.
From a bystander’s view, the odds seemed to favor the latter.
But then, Ning Fan curved his lips into a cryptic smile.
“Since you’re already halfway into the grave, wouldn’t it be better to retire peacefully?
Why insist on wading into this muddy water?
How long do you think you can hold out?”
Teng Zhuhai and his group were utterly baffled by Ning Fan’s comment, but the Second Elder’s expression changed drastically.
“You… Who exactly are you?!”
The Second Elder exclaimed in shock.
Impossible!
How could this boy know his secret?
Ning Fan’s eyes carried a piercing, all-knowing gleam, causing the Second Elder’s heart to race in panic.
The elder’s reaction only confirmed Ning Fan’s earlier suspicion.
“Perhaps you don’t realize—it happens to be my profession.
I am a doctor.”
Ning Fan’s smile deepened.
Half-step True Origin Realm—true.
But that still couldn’t change the decaying state of the Second Elder’s body.
With each swing of his sword, he wasn’t depleting True Qi; he was burning time itself!
“Bah!
Lies and nonsense!
I don’t know what exactly you’ve surmised, but no matter what you say, it won’t change the fact that this will be your burial ground today!”
The Second Elder’s expression turned ominously dark.
Teng Zhuhai watched the elder, utterly bewildered.
He had no idea what was being exchanged between the two combatants.
Likewise, the rest of the onlookers had puzzled expressions.
Though none openly showed it, they were silently hoping Ning Fan would offer some sort of explanation.
Seeing the Second Elder so agitated after having his deepest secret exposed was crystal clear to Ning Fan—this was his chance to stall for time.
“As a physician, I can’t help but feel pity for the hidden illness in your body.
What a waste.
A Half-step True Origin Realm practitioner, yet so far from True Origin that nothing can be changed.
The Gu Insect inside you is both your lifeline and your noose, just like your Life-Claiming Rope!”
Ning Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of ghostly blue light radiating from their depths as he scrutinized the Second Elder’s deteriorated body, which now lay bare in his view.
By all logic, someone with such a broken physique should have long been bedridden.
Yet, he could move, albeit forcibly—this was nothing short of a miracle.
Credit was due to both the Second Elder’s Half-step True Origin Realm cultivation and the Gu Insect within him.
However, such power did not come without cost.
As Ning Fan had pointed out, each sword swing was burning through the Second Elder’s remaining lifespan, not drawing from his strength.
This was the Second Elder’s darkest secret.
He had precious little time left.
If not for the Yunteng Family falling into grave peril—if not for the threat to Teng Zhuhai’s life—he would never have broken seclusion.
Without advancing to the True Origin Realm, his broken body would eventually be completely consumed by that Gu Insect.
Years ago, in a desperate bid for survival, the Second Elder had cultivated the Heavenly Silkworm Gu within himself, gaining an extension to his life.
But now, the Gu Insect could no longer satisfy its requirements, and he couldn’t extract it from his damaged body.
All he could do was watch it deteriorate day by day.
His sole hope lay in reaching the True Origin Realm and Returning to the Original True State.
Every passing moment was infinitely precious to him, which was why he had remained in seclusion for so many years…