In the cultivation world, while secret techniques weren't commonplace like cabbage, they could be found with diligent searching.
However, secret techniques that could instantly boost combat power were much rarer.
Like Wang Qingyu's "One Blade Extreme Speed Instant Light Kill," if wielded skillfully, it could even defeat opponents that normally required a prolonged struggle in a single move.
If Zhang Yufei had known about this move earlier and been prepared, he wouldn't have lost the duel so easily.
This was the uncertainty in combat, never knowing if your opponent still had other trump cards up their sleeve.
Finally, Zhang Yufei also departed.
...
On this continent, only Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu remained.
Creak...
Wang Qingyu didn't dare to underestimate Wu Tao. As soon as they clashed, he activated his water-attribute spiritual energy. The astonishing coldness caused the ground to begin freezing.
Countless rice-sized ice crystals scattered in the air, flying in all directions, like innumerable tiny flying daggers.
"Snowfall Through the Mortal World—Ten Thousand Blade Kill!"
With everything prepared, Wang Qingyu initiated the offensive first, his blade intent surging. He wielded his ice blades, his figure flashing and darting towards Wu Tao.
Buzz!
Wu Tao was not to be outdone. He took a step forward, the Chuxi sword in hand. His sword intent hung suspended in the air, amplified by the secret technique "Sword Immortal Possession." His combat power became unparalleled as he unleashed a heavy strike.
"One Sword's Cold Shakes the Nine Provinces!"
Rumble!
Ice shards flew everywhere. Wang Qingyu was forced back, while Wu Tao only retreated three steps.
After repelling Wang Qingyu with a single sword strike, Wu Tao's figure split into eight in the next second, transforming into eight afterimages that attacked from all angles.
"A petty trick, daring to show off."
Wang Qingyu immediately recognized the difference between the afterimages and the true body, sneering.
Despite identifying Wu Tao's true body, Wang Qingyu remained cautious. He stabilized his stance, his surrounding icy aura intensifying as he unleashed his widest-ranging attack.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
It sounded like the shattering of loose rocks. The surrounding area within hundreds of meters was under Wang Qingyu's attack, leaving no blind spots.
"You guessed correctly, but you were too cautious!"
Wang Qingyu had indeed pinpointed Wu Tao's true body.
Unfortunately for him, Wu Tao hadn't intended to confuse his opponent. He had done it deliberately, to make the opponent wary of his true qi afterimages and disperse their attacks.
As he had anticipated, Wang Qingyu did just that, even though his primary target remained Wu Tao.
But Wu Tao wasn't concerned about dispersed attacks; it was like exposing a flaw to him for free.
Of course, if Wang Qingyu had chosen to ignore the afterimages, Wu Tao would have suffered no loss. This battle had only just begun.
Swish!
The Chuxi sword was slashed vertically, a surge of sword qi appearing. The ice along a straight line was cleaved apart.
In the next moment, a massive gap appeared in Wang Qingyu's protective spiritual energy.
Wu Tao had nearly broken through his defense with a single sword strike.
The power contained within the sword qi made Wang Qingyu's blood surge, revealing more openings.
...
"Not good!"
In fact, Wang Qingyu regretted his move the moment he unleashed it. The power of sword cultivators was renowned throughout the cultivation world.
And Wu Tao, as a pure sword cultivator, would find it a thankless task to disperse his attacks against him.
His protective spiritual energy had almost been broken. Wang Qingyu took a deep breath, resealing his defenses.
Immediately, his ice power erupted. Then, Wang Qingyu halted his retreat, leaping into the air, his blade intent soaring, and striking down from above.
This series of actions was completed in the blink of an eye, giving the impression that Wang Qingyu had counterattacked instantly after Wu Tao's sword strike.
"Ice Heaven and Snow Earth... Blade Freezes the Heart!"
This move, used previously against Zhang Yufei, unleashed a blade strike filled with killing intent, immensely powerful. It was one of the ultimate moves from the "Ice Heart Desireless Technique."
Facing the incoming blade light, radiating a bone-chilling coldness, Wu Tao, under immense pressure, saw his sword intent once again ascend, achieving a breakthrough on the battlefield.
Wu Tao's face was filled with coldness and ruthlessness. His body bent and straightened between heaven and earth, exuding a terrifying sharpness that could shake the very heavens, awe-inspiring!
Chime...
The sword's hum sounded again. With a great stride, Wu Tao gripped the sword with both hands. The sword qi was almost tangible, a pure golden sharp sword qi that cleaved through everything, instantly shattering and breaking the bone-chilling, boundless blade light.
At this moment, Wu Tao truly embodied the demeanor of an unparalleled sword cultivator, capable of breaking ten thousand techniques with a single sword.
For sword cultivators, sword intent was not merely an additive effect.
It not only strengthened their attack power but also compensated for the flaws in their sword techniques, elevating them to another level.
Therefore, the presence of sword intent was not just about the attack power of a sword cultivator; it could elevate their overall combat ability in offense, defense, and speed by a notch.
...
Wang Qingyu's protective true qi was pierced by the tip of the Chuxi sword, and blood stained his clothes.
Turning around, Wang Qingyu touched his back. There was a shallow blood hole, about half an inch deep.
As a trickle of blood oozed out, he said in a cold, low tone, "Good, very good. Now I'm getting serious."
Wang Qingyu was thoroughly enraged. Wu Tao had injured him repeatedly, finally pushing him over the edge.
Wang Qingyu flipped his hand, retrieving a primordial remnant treasure, the Ice Blade "Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink," from his storage bag.
This Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink exuded a bone-chilling coldness. Ice power materialized upon it, causing the vacuum itself to crack and shatter, unable to endure.
Wang Qingyu let out a cold shout. He thrust the Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink into the air, unleashing a blade strike that erupted with immense killing intent.
The cold and killing intent merged into one, ravaging the land for thousands of meters. The vacuum cracked and spread for dozens of feet, locking Wu Tao in place, leaving him no room to retreat.
No matter what danger he faced, Wu Tao remained undeterred. The Chuxi sword was unsheathed, its sword qi flowing horizontally. The ancient, weathered aura of the sword dao seemed to awaken from millennia of dust, fully revealing the killing intent of a sword.
His surging blood qi burned, and terrifying power erupted from every bone and sinew.
Wu Tao strode forward. With each step he took, the sword qi above his head became more condensed and powerful, until it reached its peak.
The Chuxi sword descended, and Wu Tao's battle intent burned fiercely.
Clang!
Blade and sword met, unleashing terrifying power. Ice light scattered, and sword qi shattered. Both Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu were forced back eight steps.
Bang!
Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu, one wielding a saber, the other a sword, both with the heaviest killing intent, and both with strong, proud personalities.
As their figures interweaved, their blades and swords clashed continuously, sparks flying and the sounds of their struggle echoing endlessly.
Around Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu, two distinct colors appeared: a deep blue and a golden yellow, clearly defined and unwilling to yield.
Boom...
Fierce air currents reverberated. Blade and sword met again, the void distorting and shattering once more.
Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu used the recoil to leap backward.
After adjusting the turbulent qi and blood within their bodies, they let out long cries, one after the other, each raising their Chuxi sword and Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink respectively, and charged at each other again.
The golden sword light roared like a true dragon, while the deep blue blade light descended like a tiger from the mountain. Instantly, fierce winds swept, and dust flew.
In the blink of an eye, Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu had exchanged dozens of moves, still without a victor. Both were increasingly astonished.
They both felt that the other was growing stronger with the passage of time, as if they were undergoing a transformation under this pressure.
Realizing that this couldn't continue, Wang Qingyu suddenly let out a roar, gripping the Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink with both hands. After accumulating power, his blade light surged over a hundred feet, sweeping wildly.
"Pseudo Divine Ability—Blade Cleaves Heaven and Earth!"
With a deafening "boom," the surroundings exploded as if a bomb had gone off. Rocks and earth shot into the sky, and a rift several feet deep suddenly split open in the ground.
From afar, a dominant blade light that pierced the heavens slashed down, carrying rolling thunder and wind, fiercely cleaving towards Wu Tao.
Wu Tao was greatly alarmed, muttering "Not good." He saw the dominant blade light strike him with lightning speed.
A world-shattering roar erupted at the spot, and the air currents surged violently. Wu Tao was instantly lifted by this surging air, flying like he was riding clouds and mist, and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Although he had blocked the blade light with the Chuxi sword, Wu Tao was still not lightly injured, having suffered a small loss.
Wu Tao leaped up from the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and laughed instead of getting angry, "Wang Qingyu, as one of the Nine Great Holy Sons, you indeed have some skill. But it's my turn next."
As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding golden sword qi flashed across the Chuxi sword.
Wu Tao gripped the Chuxi sword with both hands, a fierce wind roaring. His speed was unparalleled. He transformed into a massive meteor, instantly appearing before Wang Qingyu and slashing his sword.
This was "Pseudo Divine Ability—Meteor Speed!" which Wu Tao had learned after perfecting the sword techniques from the Star River Secret Scroll.
Wang Qingyu also raised his Blade·Cold Immortal Snow Drink, barely managing to block the blow.
...
As Wu Tao and Wang Qingyu continued their fierce exchange, their auras seemed to climb ceaselessly, soaring madly.
Their combined auras clashed and repelled each other within the continental fragment, creating a terrifying aura field.
This caused the entire continental fragment to undergo terrifying, earth-shattering changes at this moment.
Wu Tao's sword spirit energy surged, unleashing his combat power. The sword qi emanating from the Chuxi sword grew even more vast and potent.
As a sword cultivator, Wu Tao's sharp aura was unmatched.
In close-quarters combat, unless their realms were vastly different, no one of the same level could gain any advantage over him.
Wu Tao shouted loudly, "Wang Qingyu, what other trump cards do you have? Hurry and use them, otherwise, I fear you won't have the chance!"
"Arrogant and presumptuous!"
Wang Qingyu heard this and let out a furious roar, his eyes growing colder. His ice power evolved as he unleashed even more formidable saber techniques.
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