Chapter 1208: In an instant
Iaido.
A rather famous technique in Neon Pirate swordsmanship.
Although similar techniques existed in the Huaxu Kingdom's ancient tis, they were never particularly popular.
During duels, warriors typically did not wear armor, so their swords did not need armor-piercing capabilities, and the contest was about who could strike faster.
Liang Yue was proficient in the martial arts of many nations, taking their essence and discarding their dross.
Iaido could indeed deliver an ultra-high-speed slash in an instant.
This was currently her best choice for counterattacking Cheng Lanlan.
After her battle with Tsukamoto Nobunaga, the Moon of Corrosion's Niten Ichi-ryū nkyo Kaiden master, she had gained a great deal. Combining Nobunaga's techniques with her own insights, she had developed a new technique: [Blade Domain].
With her at the center, everything within a ten-ter radius was within the range covered by her blade.
In an instant, her blade could reach any point within that area.
After combining it with the abilities of the [Qi Sect], even if she closed her eyes and could not see, she could still sense the movents of everything within her ten-ter Blade Domain.
Now, she was going to gamble.
On whether Cheng Lanlan's [Peregrine Falcon] ability was faster, or her blade was faster.
And she would only have this one chance to draw her blade. If she lost, she would surely die!
Cheng Lanlan sensed this desperate resolve. Her gaze grew even sharper, but she was not afraid in the slightest.
Even an ant clings to life; no one willingly goes to their death.
But Cheng Lanlan had absolute confidence in her own strength!
Even if that blade was drawn from its scabbard, it absolutely could not catch up to her speed!
At that mont, Liang Yue seed to detect Cheng Lanlan's hesitation. She raised her head and gave her a contemptuous smile.
Then, she raised her hand, deliberately exposing the left side of her neck to Cheng Lanlan.
"You want to take my neck, don't you?"
"Co on!"
This act of exposing her own weakness to her opponent thoroughly enraged Cheng Lanlan.
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
She gauged Liang Yue's speed once more and made a judgnt in her heart.
Even if Liang Yue drew her blade at her fastest, she still wouldn't be faster than her.
Iaido had a major flaw; using it carried a very high risk factor.
Similar draw-cut techniques were not popular in the ancient Huaxu Kingdom because standard swords of that era could be drawn easily, and the primary battlefield lees required holding the sword with both hands.
Therefore, Iaido mainly relied on surprise assassination.
Once the long sword was drawn from its scabbard and failed to land a hit, the force would dissipate, leaving the user with a huge opening.
A mocking glint flashed in Cheng Lanlan's eyes.
"I'll give you this chance, then lose!"
In the next instant, her figure vanished from the spot once more. A silver thread streaked through the air, the trail of light and shadow left behind her unable to catch up due to her extre speed.
In less than 0.1 seconds, she had already closed in on Liang Yue, her target directly pointing at the side of the neck Liang Yue had deliberately exposed.
The beak was sharp, and the blade was drawn from its scabbard at the sa ti. The gleaming flash of the sword instantly illuminated the surroundings.
"Clang!"
The sound of tal clashing rang out.
Dragon's Roar swept past Cheng Lanlan's head. The chilling killing intent made her shudder uncontrollably.
But at this critical mont, her body actually twisted violently in mid-air, dodging Liang Yue's thunderous strike!
"How could I be so stupid as to fight you to the death?"
Cheng Lanlan sneered inwardly.
She was unwilling to give Liang Yue even the slightest chance.
A life-or-death struggle? Ridiculous!
What the strong sought was perfect victory.
Liang Yue's blade swept past Cheng Lanlan's head, actually severing a few feathers. The gleaming long sword, wrapped in blue qi, was incomparably sharp.
Yet, it was forcefully struck aside by Cheng Lanlan's claws, which had been prepared all along.
With a "clang!", Dragon's Roar was actually sent flying by Cheng Lanlan!
After the Iaido missed, half of Liang Yue's body was completely exposed before Cheng Lanlan.
Especially her slender neck, which was the perfect target for Cheng Lanlan.
At this mont, Liang Yue had lost her sword and had beco a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Cheng Lanlan opened her sharp beak. That beak, comparable to a guillotine blade, could shear Liang Yue's head from her neck in one snap.
"Die! Your head is the price Zhang Yi will pay for his actions!"
Cheng Lanlan launched her fatal strike. At this mont, almost nothing could stop her from killing Liang Yue.
A Martial Arts Master without a weapon was like a tiger that had lost its claws and fangs.
But she failed to notice that there was not a trace of fear in Liang Yue's eyes. Instead, they had beco even sharper and brighter.
Even at the brink of life and death, she could remain incredibly calm, because fear would cloud one's judgnt.
Facing Cheng Lanlan's attack, she raised her arm to block in front of her neck as if she had anticipated it all along.
"Crack!"
A crisp snapping sound rang out. Liang Yue's left arm was severed directly. Her body, tempered through countless trials, her reinforcent-type physique, had helped her protect her vital spot.
Cheng Lanlan bit through her arm and was about to deliver the fatal blow to the now-crippled Liang Yue.
But at that very mont, a chilling sensation pierced through her chest and abdon!
"Thud!"
A sharp blade pierced through her from the back, erging from her chest, revealing a cold, gleaming tip.
Cheng Lanlan stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from her chest. In the next instant, a trendous force erupted from the blade, shattering her internal organs from within!
"Pfft!"
Cheng Lanlan, the Northwest Region's Sky War God, had fallen!
In that brief instant, less than a second, her triumphant, savage smile was still frozen on her face, but her eyes held only confusion and terror.
Until her death, she did not understand where that blade had co from.
Liang Yue, a reinforcent-type, did not possess telekinetic-like abilities.
And a simple telekinetically-controlled flying knife could not have silently pierced her body.
But she would never get an answer.
Because as she fell to the ground, her internal organs had already turned into a pulp of minced flesh. Her body reverted to human form and landed on the ground with a "splat", like a lump of smashed at paste.
Liang Yue's face was sowhat pale. One of her arms lay on the ground, while her other hand was tightly gripping sothing.
Only by straining one's eyes could one see it was an extrely thin thread. The other end of the thread was connected to the hilt of the long sword.
Cheng Lanlan had died due to her own ignorance.
In martial arts, there existed a legendary realm: Flying Swords.
This was not a baseless rumor, because true masters of the Qi Sect could use their qi to influence objects.
According to legend, the most top-tier martial artists could use qi to control swords.
This was not comparable to ordinary object manipulation. With the thods of the Qi Sect, qi was an extension of the body.
Therefore, using qi to control a sword was like holding the sword in one's hand, and the power of the techniques would not diminish but instead increase!
Throughout history, how many masters longed to reach this realm, yet how many prodigies failed to achieve it in their entire lifetis.
"I cannot yet use qi to control a sword."
Liang Yue forcefully pulled the thread in her hand. Dragon's Roar flew back from Cheng Lanlan's corpse into her grasp.
"But using qi to control a thread, and using the thread to control a sword... that I can do."
Author's Note
User Comments
0 comments from readers