The Blade and the Sword

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, Slovenly Truly, and Yuchi Xiyue were all discussing the various opponents in the top twenty-four in lowered voices.

“Woodborn Truly always relies on passive defense, meeting every move the enemy makes, yet he still wins,” Yuchi Xiyue sighed. “The feeling he gives me is that he hasn’t even revealed his full strength.”

“That Ninefate Recluse, his body is like a magic treasure. His enemies simply cannot do anything to him...”

“Golden Crow Truly is also extremely ferocious.”

“And that Blade Servant Truly is similarly terrifying.”

“Ji Ning, the Xia Emperor won’t set you against the Slovenly Truly, will he?”

“That’s unlikely, unless both I and senior apprentice-brother manage to break into the top three.”

No matter who they discussed, there was no one easy to deal with. After all, every single one of the twenty-four who had fought their way in was practically under the Xia Emperor’s personal observation. Although seemingly the most dazzling were Ji Ning, Ninefate Recluse, Blackstone Recluse, Xiamang Zishan, and a few others, the rest were not far behind. Any one of them might have a hidden trump card, or perhaps make a sudden breakthrough at a critical moment.

At this stage, anything was possible.

“You twenty-four,” the Xia Emperor suddenly spoke.

The entire main hall of the Xiamang Palace instantly fell silent. Everyone listened intently. The closer they drew to the end, the more cautious the assembled Celestial Immortals became. After all, this Immortal Fortunes Assembly had already produced a disciple of the Black Tortoise Emperor. Furthermore, one of the top three finalists was destined to become a disciple of Daofather Crimsonbright.

“In this third round of one-on-one duels, each of the twelve victors will receive ten million jin of Primordial Liquid,” the Xia Emperor said calmly. “I trust you will all give your utmost. At this moment, do not fall short at the final hurdle.”

Ji Ning and the other twenty-four all held their breath, waiting.

“For the third round, the first match: Ji Ning of the Black-White College versus the Loose Immortal practitioner, Blade Servant Truly,” the Xia Emperor announced.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A sea of gazes instantly fell upon them, all looking at Ji Ning and Blade Servant Truly.

Yuchi Xiyue and Yu Wei’s expressions both changed. They both looked at Ji Ning. To them, Ji Ning was the most important person in their lives. Although they had immense faith in him, the Blade Servant Truly they had witnessed earlier was truly terrifying. Moreover, they felt they hadn’t even seen his limits.

Ji Ning and Blade Servant, however, both began walking towards the sealed formation outside the hall.

...

“It’s those two?”

The countless cultivators from the three thousand commanderies and the four seas gathered in the imperial city square were now full of energy. In the past year, they had occasionally had time to eat and drink at their leisure, but now, with the final elimination rounds from ninety-six contestants down to the last few, the Immortal Fortunes Assembly had reached its most thrilling climax.

Especially now that only the top twenty-four remained. Every single one was an utterly astonishing, stunningly talented genius. Moreover, this Immortal Fortunes Assembly was far more dazzling than those of the past. Anyone who ranked in the top twenty-four this time would, in previous assemblies, have generally ranked in the top three.

Most of the cultivators, like Slovenly Truly, Blade Servant, Golden Crow Truly, and Ninefate Recluse, had originally not planned on coming. But a mysterious, fateful premonition had drawn these monstrously talented prodigies to converge here!

“That Blade Servant Truly killed Bloodfiend Truly as easily as cutting vegetables. His strength is terrifying.”

“Ji Ning is also one of the most dazzling figures within the Brightmoon Landscape Painting World, with immensely powerful strength. When these two fight... it’s truly hard to say who will win.”

Everyone was holding their breath, unable to help themselves.

The Loose Immortals and disciples of the ‘Black-White College’, who had gained such renown in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, were all incredibly tense. After all, the one fighting up there was their own fellow disciple, Ji Ning!

“Master.” Little Qing stared intently.

“Ji Ning.” Beishan Baiwei watched his good friend. When he had first met Ji Ning, Ji Ning had been just a youth from the Yan Mountains. And now, he had become the focus of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty.

...

Within the sealed formation.

Standing on the clouds, Ji Ning and Blade Servant faced each other from a distance.

Ji Ning carefully observed Blade Servant. The black-robed man clutching his chopping blade was as calm as still water, his aura retracted to its absolute limit. It was indeed easy to overlook him.

“To be able to keep his heart so calm at a time like this, his gaze as peaceful as the sea. A person who has reached such a state of mind may seem unassuming, but when he explodes, he will be absolutely terrifying. I hadn’t even noticed him before his eruption.” Ji Ning was cautiously alert.

Blade Servant Truly was also observing Ji Ning. This delicate youth before him, dressed in animal hide, looked like an aboriginal youth from the endless wilds—ordinary, with no hint of aggressiveness. But having watched the previous two rounds of combat, Blade Servant naturally knew how terrifying this delicate youth could be once he erupted.

And his eyes... they were as deep as an unfathomable pool, yet a faint hint of sharpness within was like a sword piercing straight into one’s soul!

This was a truly fearsome youth.

Moreover, according to the intelligence reports he had purchased, this youth had only been cultivating for a little over thirty years. He was truly monstrous.

“I must give it my all.” Blade Servant said to himself. He had often fought above his level, having killed quite a few Primal Daoists. But he had never encountered a Wanxiang Adept who was such a terrifying opponent.

“I must give it my all as well.” Ji Ning also thought to himself.

Boom! Boom!

The two of them shook their bodies almost simultaneously, transforming into an eighteen-zhang tall giant and a twenty-zhang tall giant respectively. It was clear that Ji Ning had spent relatively less time on Heavenly Transformation, and he was slightly inferior.

Following that, they both executed the Three Heads, Six Arms technique!

Heavenly Transformation, Three Heads, Six Arms… These were two widely circulated divine abilities within the Three Realms, and were almost mandatory for any true expert of the Fiendgod Body Refining path.

“Swoosh!” “Swoosh!”

Like two Fiendgods, they instantly charged towards each other, Ji Ning wielding six Immortal-ranked flying swords, and Blade Servant wielding six chopping blades.

The moment they closed in! They also unleashed their respective powerful divine abilities! Ji Ning naturally didn’t hold back; he had already activated the Starseizing Hand.

“Clang!” “Clang!” “Clang!”…

A series of rapid clashes between swords and blades rang out, each one incredibly crisp, echoing outward.

A total of twelve exchanges.

The six Immortal-ranked flying swords and the six chopping blades had each clashed twice.

“Whoosh.” Blade Servant Truly explosively retreated, turning into a streak of black light, directly retreating to the edge of the sealed formation. Flames seemed to be boiling faintly all over his body. His gaze was cold and sinister as he stared at Ji Ning. The base of his six hands had all split open, with blood dripping down.

Blade Servant Truly stared at Ji Ning, his pupils constricting. “This Ji Ning has such terrifying power, such terrifying sword arts. A blade has a single edge, the other side a thick spine! It is more advantageous for delivering powerful chops. In a contest of weapons, even if two combatants are of equal strength, the one using a chopping blade usually has the upper hand. Yet, I am at a disadvantage.”

Sword Dao cultivators were called ‘Sword Immortals’, elegant, ethereal, and nimble.

Blade Dao cultivators were called ‘Blade Fiends’, fierce, domineering, and swift.

These were two completely different styles!

Yet in a direct head-on clash, Blade Servant Truly was actually at a disadvantage.

“I have cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the twelfth level, my Fiendgod body is incomparably powerful. On top of that, I have the Starseizing Hand. When it comes to raw strength, across this entire Immortal Fortunes Assembly, I am definitely number one! And my sword arts are roughly on par with his blade arts. In a direct, straightforward exchange of blows, how could he possibly match me?” Ji Ning was brimming with confidence.

Although he looked like a mere youth, in terms of raw strength, he was undoubtedly number one in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly! His Starseizing Hand was a technique that caused an explosive burst of power in the hands. Moreover, it was one of the top ten divine abilities since the creation of the world.

Ji Ning didn’t believe that in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly, there would be another divine ability among the top ten of the Three Realms. That would be absurdly unlikely.

“You are the strongest Wanxiang Adept I have ever encountered,” Blade Servant Truly said in a low voice. “But life-and-death battles are not just about a straightforward clash of power.”

“In terms of finesse, the sword Dao has always been superior to the blade Dao,” Ji Ning said calmly.

The moment Ji Ning finished speaking.

Swish!

Blade Servant Truly, like a ghost, was already in front of Ji Ning. His six arms swung out his chopping blades simultaneously, each movement incredibly strange and eerie. They were like a series of phantoms, silent and without sound, some chopping down, some thrusting.

Ji Ning also activated the Windwing Evasion technique, his six hands executing sword techniques. Sword light, like threads of silk, danced and fluttered all around him, beautiful and breathtaking.

It was incredibly strange. There was no sound of clashing.

The sword light and blade light of the two men howled past each other, even separating just before they seemed to make contact.

Blade Servant’s blade techniques were unfathomably sinister.

Ji Ning’s sword techniques were nimble and profound.

Moreover, Ji Ning had the upper hand! After all, the sword Dao was indeed more suited to finesse than the blade Dao.

“The blade… is my life!” Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out.

Blade Servant Truly’s eyes seemed to be flickering with flames. His six chopping blades suddenly became incredibly fast! Faster and faster, one chop after another, they howled down towards Ji Ning. The six blades were like a wheel formed entirely of blades, an endless torrent of blade light descending upon Ji Ning. Blade Servant’s f lam e-filled gaze was filled with blazing fanaticism.

At this moment, he forgot himself. There was only the blade!

A world of blades…

Faster! Faster! Even faster!

“Clang! Clang! Clang!!!” Ji Ning clashed with him, their figures appearing in all corners of the sealed formation. The blade light and sword light were terrifyingly fast. The blade Dao, by its nature, excelled at chopping; purely in terms of speed… blades held an advantage over swords.

“Break!” “Break!” “Break!”

Suppressed by the endless, blazing, rapid blade attacks, Ji Ning finally erupted. Earlier, he had entertained thoughts of tempering himself, but now there was no room for that. His six Immortal-ranked flying swords instantly became nimble and unpredictable. Some were savage and ferocious, some were nimble like a fairy threading a needle, and some were purely supportive.

“You can’t stop me!” Blade Servant Truly was completely berserk. A fiery dragon appeared around him, coiling about and launching attacks at Ji Ning to disrupt him, again and again.

A massive Water-Fire Lotus appeared around Ji Ning, its petals blooming and rotating around each other.

Sss! Sss!

Blood splattered as the two clashed savagely.

Blade Servant Truly embodied one word—speed!

Ji Ning, however, interpreted the dazzling brilliance of the sword Dao.

“Clang!” A chopping blade suddenly flew into the air, a severed hand still gripping its hilt.

“I concede.” A hoarse voice rang out.

The two figures separated with a swoosh.

Blade Servant Truly was covered in wounds, especially a gash across his abdomen that had nearly torn it open. An ugly wound scarred his face. One of his hands had been severed, its chopping blade sent flying.

Ji Ning was in relatively better shape, with only a savage wound across his chest, and a few other wounds that had nearly healed completely.

“You hadn’t yet reached your limit,” Ji Ning said to Blade Servant Truly.

“Even with six blades I lost a hand. Now with only five blades… I fear you would have severed my entire body.” Blade Servant Truly shook his head gently. He retrieved the flying chopping blade and walked out of the sealed formation. Ji Ning followed suit.

The other Wanxiang Adepts in the great hall all wore solemn expressions.

The battle between Ji Ning and Blade Servant Truly had been too savage. The two had poured out almost every technique they had, showcasing the sword Dao and the blade Dao—two of the ‘Grand Daos’ most renowned for their offensive power—leaving a feeling of tightness in the hearts of the others. If any of them had faced Blade Servant Truly, many would likely have been defeated.

Fortunately, it was Ji Ning, a Sword Immortal of his generation, who had suppressed that blade fiend!

But with Blade Servant Truly’s defeat, what remained was an even more terrifying Ji Ning!