N-A-A Chapter 1159 The Battle, Ye Liuyun!
Chapter 1159 The Battle, Ye Liuyun!
Gao Yao let out a long roar and unleashed both fists simultaneously. His left fist was like a dragon, his right fist like an elephant—a combined attack of dragon and elephant! A dark golden light emanated from his fists, a manifestation of his qi and blood circulating to their fullest extent. His fists slammed into the waterspout, actually tearing the swirling water apart.
"boom!"
The waterspout exploded, and rain shot out like arrows, leaving countless holes in the courtyard wall. Gao Yao stood in the mist, his clothes intact, but the bluestone slabs beneath his feet were shattered into a spiderweb pattern.
Si Gu Jian's sword stance changed.
He no longer stood still, but began to move. His steps were peculiar, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, each step landing on the most inconspicuous spot in the courtyard—a loose stone slab, a patch of slippery moss, or even a puddle of water. But his figure became increasingly blurred, until finally, it seemed as if a dozen or so Si Gu Jians appeared simultaneously in the entire courtyard.
Each one is real, and each one is fake.
This is a profound realm where sword intent manifests, and form is condensed from intent. Each phantom carries real sword intent; even if you defend against ninety-nine, if you miss just one, you will suffer a fatal blow.
Gao Yao closed his eyes.
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill granted him not only strength, but also perception beyond that of ordinary people. When his vision failed, his other senses became even more acute. He heard the sound of raindrops falling to the ground, the sound of his robes fluttering as he looked around, and even the imperceptible vibration of his wooden sword as it sliced through the air.
He moved.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight at the densest array of afterimages. His fists rained down like a storm, each punch precisely striking one of the afterimages. The afterimages shattered as the force of his fists passed, but the shattered afterimages transformed into even finer sword intent, piercing Gao Yao like fine needles.
"Ding ding ding ding..."
A dense, pattering sound, like raindrops pounding on banana leaves, rang out. The sword intent pierced Gao Yao's protective aura, sparks flying. His aura was being rapidly depleted, but Gao Yao's life force seemed inexhaustible; as soon as his aura weakened, it was immediately replenished.
Thirty moves have passed.
The courtyard was in a terrible state. The bluestone slabs were all shattered, the trunk of the old locust tree was covered with sword marks and fist imprints, the courtyard wall was about to collapse, and faint cries of alarm could be heard from outside the wall—the disciples of the Sword Pavilion had been alerted, but no one dared to come in.
The number of illusory figures of Si Gu Jian dwindled until only three remained.
Three illusory figures simultaneously unleashed their swords, thrusting towards Gao Yao from three different directions. The sword strikes were simple and unadorned, merely straight thrusts, yet the trajectories of the three swords sealed off all of Gao Yao's space to dodge. Even more terrifying was that the sword intent of the three swords continuously merged along the way, until, by the time they reached Gao Yao, they had coalesced into a single, perfectly condensed sword beam.
The sword's light was colorless and transparent, yet Gao Yao felt a sense of impending death.
He dared not be negligent, pulling his fists back to his chest and then suddenly spreading them to the sides. This movement was strange, as if he were about to embrace something, but as he moved, a dark golden light shone brightly around him, faintly forming the phantom images of a dragon and an elephant surrounding him.
The highest secret of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung Fu is the Dragon Elephant Body Protection!
"clang--!"
The sword's edge struck the illusory dragon and elephant, producing a deafening roar. The sound waves swept across the entire courtyard, and the walls finally gave way, collapsing with a crash. Amidst the billowing dust, Si Gu Jian's three illusory figures merged into one, revealing his true form.
He took three steps back, and a crack appeared at the tip of the wooden sword.
Gao Yao also took three steps back. His protective aura shattered, a tear appeared in his clothes on his chest, and a white mark appeared on his skin—a mark left by the sword intent. If it were any deeper, it would draw blood.
"What formidable external skills!" Si Gu Jian looked at the cracks on the wooden sword, his eyes filled with excitement, not heartache. "You are the first to withstand my 'Three Talents Sword Intent' without injury."
Gao Yao looked down at the white mark on his chest and smiled: "As expected of the number one swordsman in the world, you have shown me what it means to be invincible."
The two looked at each other and smiled, then moved at the same time.
This time, there was no more probing, no more holding back. Si Gu Jian's wooden sword transformed into a sky full of sword shadows, each sword carrying a different sword intent—some as sharp as lightning, some as dense as rain, some as heavy as a mountain, and some as ethereal as clouds. It seemed that all the sword techniques in the world had been integrated into this one wooden sword.
Gao Yao's fist techniques have also changed. No longer simple straight punches, but a combination of fists, palms, fingers, and claws. The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill is not only a power-based technique, but also includes accompanying martial arts skills. The dragon fist is fierce and powerful, the elephant palm is heavy and substantial, the dragon claws are sharp, and the fingers are like spearheads. His moves are expansive and powerful, each strike carrying a resonance like the roar of a dragon and the howl of an elephant.
Fifty moves have passed.
The courtyard was completely destroyed. Not only had the walls collapsed, but three feet of ground had been eroded away. Rainwater mixed with mud, forming a quagmire. The two fought in the mud, yet their movements were completely unaffected. Si Gu Jian's sword grew faster and faster, so fast that the wooden sword seemed to disappear, leaving only countless sword intents weaving through the void. Gao Yao's fists grew heavier and heavier, each punch causing the earth to tremble and mud to fly everywhere.
The Sword Pavilion disciples who had been watching retreated a hundred feet away could still feel the sharp sword intent and the powerful fist force. Wang Xi clutched his chest—the injury from the previous attack hadn't healed yet—his eyes filled with shock. Was this what a battle between Grandmasters was like? It had completely transcended the realm of martial arts, approaching the Dao itself.
Seventy-five moves.
Si Gu Jian's wooden sword suddenly slowed down.
It wasn't exhaustion, but rather a different realm. The wooden sword drew a circle in the air, very slowly, very smoothly. But the instant this circle was completed, all the sword intent in the courtyard suddenly vanished. No, it didn't vanish, but rather merged into this circle.
Completed.
Heaven and earth are silent.
The rain stopped, the wind died down, and even the sounds seemed to be sucked away by the circle. Gao Yao sensed an extreme danger; he couldn't dodge or block this sword strike.
He neither dodged nor blocked.
He did something that surprised everyone—he clenched his fist, stood still, and closed his eyes.
His Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill circulated rapidly, his blood and qi surging like a river within his body. His skin turned dark gold, his muscles bulged, and his bones crackled and popped. He was gathering strength, preparing for a powerful strike.
The circle of Si Gu Jian finally moved.
It wasn't a stab, nor a slash, but a push. The wooden sword pushed that invisible circle, slowly towards Gaoyao. Wherever the circle passed, space distorted; mud, gravel, rainwater—everything was sucked into the circle and vanished.
Gao Yao opened his eyes.
His eyes turned gold.
Then he threw a punch.
It was a very simple punch, the power originating from his waist, transmitted through his spine, to his shoulder, to his arm, and finally to his fist. As he threw this punch, enormous phantom images of a dragon and an elephant appeared behind him, merging together and roaring to the sky.
A punch is thrown.
There was no sound, because the circle absorbed it. But all the spectators "heard" it—a tremor from the depths of their souls, like the roar of an ancient beast awakening.