Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Young Lord-Level Strength
"Defeating Jadeite Young Master Xin Wuyue within ten moves? This Qin Honglie is quite arrogant."
"Qin Honglie stepped into the late stage of the Hell Realm half a year ago, a few months before Xin Wuyue. His foundation is indeed deeper than Xin Wuyue’s. Since he said that, he must be confident."
"Hmm, let’s see if Xin Wuyue can last ten moves."
Qin Honglie’s voice was very loud, and everyone in the square heard him clearly, immediately sparking a wave of discussion.
Luo Feng heard the surrounding voices and secretly shook his head. His opinion differed from the crowd’s. Xin Wuyue’s lightning Swordsmanship was not only fast but also ruthless and unpredictable; he was clearly a master swordsman. Although Qin Honglie could likely win, defeating Xin Wuyue within ten moves was practically impossible.
In the square, Xin Wuyue still wore a warm smile as he looked at Qin Honglie and chuckled, "Defeat me within ten moves? I think I should be able to last thirty."
"Hmph! Thirty moves? In your dreams!"
Qin Honglie’s fighting spirit blazed like fire. A flaming aura enveloped him as he unleashed a dozen crimson sword lights towards Xin Wuyue.
Xin Wuyue’s Longsword danced, and arcs of lightning wove into a large net around him.
FIZZ...
When the crimson sword lights struck the electric net, they let out soft crackling sounds before exploding and vanishing completely.
"This lightning Swordsmanship is formidable," Luo Feng murmured, witnessing the scene.
He had witnessed the power of Qin Honglie’s Swordsmanship before, but he hadn’t expected Xin Wuyue to so easily defend against his opponent’s attack. The Four Young Masters truly lived up to their reputation.
Hearing his comment, He Qin, who was beside him, explained, "Xin Wuyue’s lightning Swordsmanship isn’t a Martial Art from Changxin Academy; he acquired it during an expedition. This Swordsmanship is a low-grade Profound Level technique. It can not only manifest Thunderbolts but also refine Gang Qi. It’s rumored that when mastered, it can unleash Explosive Thunder Gang, with power comparable to a mid-grade Profound Level Martial Art, making it incredibly fearsome."
Luo Feng nodded. This lightning Swordsmanship truly is remarkable.
Seeing Xin Wuyue block his attack, Qin Honglie remained unfazed. His Yuan Qi surged violently like ripples as he gripped his sword hilt and executed a series of phantom thrusts.
CHH! CHH! CHH!...
Crimson Sword Qi burst forth, swirling into orbs of Gang Qi that resembled blood-red suns.
"Great Sun Splitting the Azure Sky!"
With a low roar, Qin Honglie sent the circular Sword Gang whistling towards Xin Wuyue at lightning speed. It tore through the air, leaving a wake behind it, looking incredibly fierce.
Xin Wuyue stood motionless, his tied-back long hair billowing in the strong wind. A sharp glint flashed in his pupils, like a streak of lightning.
"Thunder Net Python Kill!"
CRACKLE!
The lightning Gang Qi, initially finger-thick, suddenly swelled to the size of an arm, roiling violently as if enraged electric pythons were coiling around Xin Wuyue.
WHOOSH!
Xin Wuyue pointed his Longsword, and the Thunderbolt net surged to meet Qin Honglie’s incoming crimson sword light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
The continuous sword lights crashed into the electric net, erupting in a blinding glare that seared the eyes. The deafening, thunder-like rumbles made eardrums ache.
After the storm of Thunderbolts, an eerie calm descended.
"That’s two moves," Xin Wuyue said, standing his ground and looking at Qin Honglie.
"You will undoubtedly lose within ten moves!" Qin Honglie narrowed his eyes, secretly gathering power in his hands.
He had used eighty percent of his strength in that last strike, yet his opponent had parried it easily. This made him cautious.
"This time, it’s my turn!"
Before Qin Honglie could make his move, Xin Wuyue stepped forward. His body crackled with brilliant electricity as he thrust his sword towards Qin Honglie, a strike imbued with sky-rending power.
BOOM!
A clap of thunder echoed in the clear sky. All the electricity around Xin Wuyue converged at the tip of his sword, forming a colossal electric python as thick as a water bucket. Even from a considerable distance, the spectators around the square felt their scalps tingle as they watched the display of electricity.
"Sky Thunder!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
The electric python tore through the air, layer by layer, striking fiercely at Qin Honglie.
In an instant, the surrounding Martial Artists saw a Thunderbolt explode within the square, its power immense.
CRACK!
The lightning sword light struck Qin Honglie. His Protective Gang Energy flared violently as he was forced back inch by inch.
"Lightning Swordsmanship? Is that all?" Qin Honglie stood amidst the swirling electric light and laughed heartily. With a flick of his Longsword, the Thunderbolt sword light was instantly deflected, shooting towards a corner of the square.
BOOM!
The earth trembled. Where the Thunderbolt sword light struck, a deep pit, thirty feet wide, was blasted open. The area was scorched black, and arcs of electricity still danced within it.
Witnessing this, the young Martial Artists nearby swallowed hard, their gazes fixed on the two combatants with awe. Xin Wuyue’s lightning Swordsmanship is incredibly sharp, its power comparable to a strike from a peak late-stage Hell Realm Martial Artist. And Qin Honglie is no less extraordinary. To so easily deflect such a ferocious strike... terrifying!
CLANG!
After deflecting the sword light, Qin Honglie didn’t pause. A scorching aura emanated from him, causing the air around him to distort as if it might ignite at any moment.
HUMMM!
The air vibrated violently, and ten blood-red suns suddenly materialized around him.
WHOOSH!
Qin Honglie’s gaze turned incredibly sharp. The ten blood-red suns abruptly merged into a colossal crimson sword beam that shot through the air towards Xin Wuyue.
The sword beam was immensely powerful, almost tangible. The air seemed to part automatically before it as it sped towards Xin Wuyue.
Luo Feng recognized it instantly. That’s ’Great Sun Shine on the Azure Sky’! The technique Qin Honglie used to kill a late-stage Hell Realm Martial Artist with a single strike!
"Thunderbolt Thousands of Calamities!"
Xin Wuyue dared not underestimate the sword beam’s power. The electric light around him intensified severalfold, roiling violently as four thick bolts of lightning formed a barrier before him.
BOOM!
The Gang Qi manifesting as Thunderbolts scattered violently. The immense fluctuation of Yuan Qi caused the faces of some younger Martial Artists with lower Cultivation to turn pale.
THUD THUD THUD...
Xin Wuyue was driven back more than ten steps but remained unharmed.
"Qin Honglie, your Great Sun Divine Illumination Sword isn’t all that impressive," Xin Wuyue said, steadying himself and casually brushing off his slightly disheveled clothes.
Hearing Xin Wuyue’s words, an unnamed rage surged within Qin Honglie. His eyes reddened, and he roared, "It’s only been four moves, don’t get cocky! Taste defeat!"
A sword light flashed. Fiery Sword Qi, hot enough to scorch the air, shot towards Xin Wuyue.
Though Xin Wuyue appeared like a frail scholar on the surface, his spirit was exceptionally strong. He gave a cold snort and, instead of retreating, advanced to meet the attack head-on.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
In the square, Qin Honglie and Xin Wuyue clashed fiercely, their attacks like a torrential storm, battering against each other.
Qin Honglie’s Great Sun Divine Illumination Sword was sharp and mighty, each strike like a blazing sun that shook one’s spirit.
Meanwhile, Xin Wuyue’s lightning Swordsmanship was unpredictable and ever-changing. His lightning Sword Qi could even refine Qin Honglie’s Gang Qi, a truly profound ability. Though his Cultivation was lower than Qin Honglie’s, he consistently managed to navigate through danger unscathed.
Five moves!
Six moves!
Eight moves!
In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged nine moves. The entire square was now riddled with terrifying fissures from their battle.
BOOM!
After another clash, Xin Wuyue drifted backward, landed lightly, and let out a deep breath. He looked at Qin Honglie and smiled, "Nine moves. You have one chance left."
Qin Honglie’s face darkened. I thought I could defeat Xin Wuyue easily! His Cultivation doesn’t seem to have improved much, yet the power of his lightning Swordsmanship is unbelievably strong!
Gritting his teeth, Qin Honglie glared at Xin Wuyue and snarled, "Don’t celebrate too soon! This next move, you will definitely lose!"
The moment he finished speaking, Qin Honglie’s aura surged. His Yuan Qi erupted without reservation, and the faint red glow around him blazed into a towering inferno, vying with the sun in the sky.
BOOM!
With a heavy stomp, Qin Honglie shot into the sky, sword held before his chest. The raging flames engulfing him expanded dramatically, threatening to incinerate everything.
Xin Wuyue watched Qin Honglie, the smile vanishing from his face for the first time. Not good! he thought. His aura alone is making my heart pound. This is bad, very bad.
Taking a deep breath, Xin Wuyue’s body suddenly crackled. A fierce wind welled up within a three-foot radius around him. His cyan hair ribbon was blown away, and his hair cascaded down, whipping wildly in the wind.
CRACKLE!
Influenced by the fierce wind, the electric pythons around Xin Wuyue swelled in power, coalescing into a violently rotating sphere of lightning and thunder, twice the height of a man.
Zhou Zhiyun, who had been silent, nodded to herself and murmured, "That’s the Fierce Wind Technique from Changxin Academy. So Xin Wuyue also cultivated this Martial Art. ’When the wind rises, thunder follows’—the Fierce Wind Technique and his lightning Swordsmanship complement each other. No wonder his lightning Swordsmanship can stand against Qin Honglie’s Great Sun Divine Illumination Sword." Then, she looked at Luo Feng and said, "Luo Feng, watch carefully. This will be helpful for your cultivation of the Condensation Yuan Technique."
"Yes," Luo Feng acknowledged, his gaze fixed intently on Xin Wuyue.
Just now, when Xin Wuyue used the Fierce Wind Technique, I felt the Yuan Qi in my Dantian stir. Perhaps I can gain some insight from this duel, Luo Feng thought.
Seeing Luo Feng’s focused expression, Zhou Zhiyun nodded inwardly. His comprehension is even better than I imagined.
"Great Sun Destruction Sword! Be defeated!"
At the apex of his ascent in mid-air, Qin Honglie’s entire form transformed into a terrifying Sword Shadow, over ten meters long, which then plunged down from the sky towards Xin Wuyue.
WHOOSH!
The Sword Shadow moved so fast that friction caused the air around it to ignite violently, resembling a torrent of celestial fire descending from the heavens, poised to engulf Xin Wuyue.
HISSS! A collective gasp swept through the crowd in the square. The Sword Shadow Qin Honglie unleashed was almost tangible; a single glance was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
Xin Wuyue’s robes billowed in the wind. He looked up at Qin Honglie and abruptly thrust his sharp sword skyward.
"Wind and Thunder Shake the Sky!"
A storm seemed to gather over the entire square. The sphere of thundering light, crackling with electricity, soared into the sky. Space itself trembled along its path as arm-thick bolts of lightning danced in all directions, threatening to destroy everything—a truly heart-shaking sight.
"So strong! Their power is terrifying! This is the strength of the Young Master level!"
"Even ten of me wouldn’t be their match. I’d likely be crushed to pieces, not even bones left, in half a move!"
"I actually thought I could compete with them. Now I see that was just wishful thinking. The difference between Quasi-Young Master level and Young Master level is like heaven and earth! Among the younger generation in our two territories, I fear no one is their match!"
In Red Maple Lead, the young talents who possessed Quasi-Young Master level strength were all dumbstruck.
We could never have imagined that Qin Honglie and the others, whose Cultivation is only one level higher than ours, could unleash such devastating power! Even some peak late-stage Hell Realm Martial Artists might not be this formidable! they thought.
Zi Yuan and the others also looked grim. We had hoped Luo Feng could contend with the Four Young Masters, but seeing this... Any confidence they had was now gone.