Chapter 449: Wilful

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Lou Sanfeng did not expect that the old man in front of her, who appeared to be nearing the end of his life, would still possess such power.

If Zhou Zixuan’s aperture cultivation at this moment was also above a hundred, coupled with his current sword technique, the outcome of this strike would probably have many more variables.

However, in all matters, there are no “ifs.” It is what it is, and there’s no changing that fact.

Although Zhou Zixuan had perfected the Zhongyuan Sword to its peak, the number of his apertures hadn’t changed much in recent years. Now, he possessed exquisite swordsmanship, but lacked the necessary cultivation to support it, which was truly regrettable.

Within Lou Sanfeng’s body, the Suspended Water Technique surged like a torrent, and a terrifying power instantly spread throughout her entire body.

The location where the accessories and the dagger had clashed just a moment ago had been vibrating intensely. However, as Lou Sanfeng exerted the Suspended Water Technique with all her might, it suddenly calmed down.

The elders of the Primordial Sword Sect and the Sunken Water Pavilion watched as Zhou Zixuan’s aura soared, as if he were about to annihilate Lou Sanfeng right in front of him.

But as Lou Sanfeng’s aura rose, the illusion that they could win vanished. Zhou Zixuan’s aura remained suppressed, but in front of Lou Sanfeng, it somehow seemed lacking.

It was this slight deficiency that made Zhou Zixuan’s strong aura appear as if it were a castle in the air, not grounded in reality.

“Boom!”

With Lou Sanfeng’s shout, the dagger in his hand lifted and, despite Zhou Zixuan’s continuous attempts to push it down, Lou Sanfeng easily swept it aside.

Zhou Zixuan involuntarily slammed into the wall, causing the main hall’s formation to tremble continuously. A spray of blood escaped from Zhou Zixuan’s lips as he slid down from the wall, half-kneeling on the ground.

In a clash of skills, a clear victor emerged.

Lou Sanfeng chuckled, her figure flashed, and he appeared in front of Zhou Zixuan. The dagger in her hand, like the antlers of a deer, pierced towards Zhou Zixuan’s neck.

With a low roar, Zhou Zixuan’s sword began to vigorously retract the power of the Giant Spirit Sword and the Zhongyuan Sword, condensing it solely onto the tip of the blade.

Zhou Zixuan raised his head and thrust the sword towards Lou Sanfeng’s head, disregarding Lou Sanfeng’s attack.

Every inch counts in strength, and every inch short poses danger. Although Lou Sanfeng initiated the attack earlier, her dagger’s reach was shorter. Judging from the situation, it seemed that both their attacks would land simultaneously on each other.

“Heh!”

Understanding Zhou Zixuan’s plan, Lou Sanfeng sneered and suddenly shook her entire body. In an impossible instant, her entire figure seemed to teleport half a step forward.

“Ah!”

Qiu Qingsheng, watching from a distance, sighed deeply. There was such a significant difference in their cultivation levels. In terms of techniques, the subtleties of the Suspended Water Technique couldn’t be forcefully surpassed just by merging the two techniques of the Primordial Sword Sect. In this battle, the outcome had already been determined to some extent. The remaining factors were that Lou Sanfeng had vast combat experience and displayed no less than Zhou Zixuan in battle. These remaining factors were insufficient to change the outcome.

“Boom!”

Lou Sanfeng’s dagger pierced Zhou Zixuan’s sword, and realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Zhou Zixuan could only helplessly defend.

However, as this thrust landed, even though the spiritual sword provided some resistance, a terrifying force still penetrated through it and reached Zhou Zixuan’s body.

Zhou Zixuan once again crashed harshly into the wall, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking. He collapsed to the ground, seriously injured and unconscious.

The elders from the two sects watching from afar felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. Both were at the late aperture cultivation stage, yet Zhou Zixuan had only exchanged three moves with Lou Sanfeng.

If even those at the late aperture cultivation stage were struggling like this, what about those at the mid or early stages of Aperture Tempering realm cultivation? Would they be easy prey for Lou Sanfeng?

Qiu Changtai watched Lou Sanfeng’s performance and nodded slightly.

Several tens of miles away on Primordial Water Island, Chen Fei’s figure was almost like a blur, and the sound of his breaking through the air echoed in all directions.

Chen Fei glanced down at the messaging jade stone in his hand. There were no more messages coming through it now. However, he couldn’t relax because he didn’t know if this meant the danger was over or if Qiu Qingsheng simply couldn’t put his energy into the messaging jade stone anymore.

With a solemn expression, Chen Fei looked in the direction of Primordial Water Island. He needed just a bit more time, only a little more!

Inside the main hall of the Primordial Sword Sect,

Lou Sanfeng glanced at Zhou Zixuan with a contemptuous smile, then turned back to his original position and looked towards Qiu Qingsheng and Ji Ruiqing. “Who among you two will go first?”

“Ji Ruiqing of the Sunken Water Pavilion, please enlighten me!”

Qiu Qingsheng was about to step forward, but Ji Ruiqing had already taken the initiative.

The elders of the Sunken Water Pavilion saw their sect leader stepping forward, and their hearts immediately tightened. In this battle, the Sunken Water Pavilion would inevitably be involved.

However, as they looked at the dominant Lou Sanfeng in the distance, they couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Go ahead!” Lou Sanfeng looked at Ji Ruiqing, whose elegance still remained, and raised her dagger slightly.

Ji Ruiqing remained calm, her footwork resembling a stroll of a blue lotus. She gracefully appeared in front of Lou Sanfeng, and the blade of her sword quietly moved towards Lou Sanfeng.

The Sunken Water Technique, the foundational technique of the Sunken Water Pavilion. Compared to the majestic and forceful Suspended Water Technique, the Sunken Water Technique leaned more towards gentleness and entanglement.

“Clang!”

The spiritual sword and the dagger collided, producing a clanging sound. Ji Ruiqing’s figure stepped back half a step, leaving behind an illusory body formed from elemental energy in her original position.

This illusory body couldn’t withstand the immense force of Lou Sanfeng’s dagger. It trembled for a moment and then dissipated directly. With the release of this illusory body, the exchange of blows from earlier had left Ji Ruiqing completely unharmed.

“Not bad!” There was a slight change in Lou Sanfeng’s expression.

Having practiced the Suspended Water Technique, a technique that could open up 108 apertures, Lou Sanfeng had naturally set his sights high. Both Zhou Zixuan’s technique from earlier and what Ji Ruiqing was displaying now had impressed him.

However, these two individuals were still weaker in cultivation.

When practitioners of the same level had weaker cultivation and their techniques couldn’t surpass their opponent’s in subtlety, there was only one possible outcome in a fight – victory for the one with the higher cultivation.

The only difference was who could secure victory within a few moves.

Lou Sanfeng lowered her body and seemingly teleported in front of Ji Ruiqing. Her dagger rapidly thrust out, and in the blink of an eye, Ji Ruiqing was faced with a multitude of sharp and chilling glimmers.

Can she handle the force?

Lou Sanfeng was curious to see if Ji Ruiqing could successfully deflect the power of her attacks each time.

Ji Ruiqing’s expression grew solemn as she moved her sword. All the attacks coming her way seemed to slow down.

“Clang, clang, clang!”

The sharp clashes of blades filled the air. In just a few exchanges, Ji Ruiqing’s complexion turned slightly pale.

The Sunken Water Technique was meant for defense and utilizing the opponent’s force against them. However, with Lou Sanfeng’s continuous attacks, Ji Ruiqing could only exhaust herself in defense. Even attempting to muster any strength for counterattacks became an impossible task.

As the short-range combat continued, the formidable force attached to the Suspended Water Technique kept accumulating on Ji Ruiqing’s body. Trying to unload the force with the Water Element Illusion Body of the Sunken Water Technique became increasingly difficult. Even the flow of elemental energy started to be affected.

Lou Sanfeng sensed Ji Ruiqing’s predicament and a slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth. His attack frequency increased rapidly.

In the tenth exchange, Ji Ruiqing’s Water Element Illusion Body couldn’t withstand the force and shattered. The condensed force dispersed in all directions, and Ji Ruiqing took several steps back.

With each step, Ji Ruiqing left deep craters in the ground as she channeled the force that had attached itself to her into her feet. If she didn’t unload the force, she felt like her internal organs would be crushed.

“Snick!”

Lou Sanfeng’s blade tore through the Water Element force in front of him and swiftly appeared in front of Ji Ruiqing. Her dagger thrust out, and the force of the Suspended Water Technique completely concentrated at the tip of the dagger.

Ji Ruiqing had no choice but to block with her spiritual sword in front of her.

“Boom!”

Ji Ruiqing’s spiritual sword struck her own body, and the tearing and crushing force spread throughout her. She sprayed a mist of blood and crashed heavily onto the ground in the distance.

Ji Ruiqing’s head lifted slightly, and her cheeks were covered in countless scars, as if she had been mercilessly slashed a thousand times. Another spray of blood mist erupted from her mouth, and her head thudded onto the ground with a dull sound.

“Sect Leader!”

Elders from the Sunken Water Pavilion rushed to Ji Ruiqing’s side, helping her up. They looked at the numerous wounds on her face, clearly inflicted deliberately by Lou Sanfeng.

Someone glared at Lou Sanfeng with anger, but then they emitted a muffled groan, blood streaming from their seven orifices, their mental state directly shattered as they fell to the ground.

Lou Sanfeng sneered. Who dared to glare at her?

“Qiu Qingsheng of the Primordial Sword Sect, please enlighten me!” Qiu Qingsheng stepped forward with a solemn tone.

“You’re the last one standing. After I’m done with you, let’s see if there’s anyone else with the courage to step forward.” Lou Sanfeng looked at the elders of the Primordial Sword Sect and chuckled softly.

Qiu Qingsheng remained silent, swiftly appearing in front of Lou Sanfeng, and thrusting his sword.

The powers of the Zhongyuan Sword, the Giant Spirit Sword, and the Blade-Slaying Sword were unleashed from Qiu Qingsheng’s hands. While the Blade-Slaying Sword hadn’t reached its peak, and the time spent with it was relatively short, the amalgamation of these three techniques undoubtedly gave Qiu Qingsheng more strength compared to Zhou Zixuan.

“Not bad at all!” Lou Sanfeng nodded slightly as she sensed Qiu Qingsheng’s strike. She was about to make her move when she suddenly felt a lack of elemental energy within her body. She raised her head and noticed a tower-shaped spiritual weapon in Qiu Qingsheng’s hand.

The Soul-Locking Tower!

“What a splendid spiritual weapon!”

Qiu Changtai’s voice suddenly rang out, and the Soul-Locking Tower trembled slightly. The sealing power was suddenly cracked open.

Lou Sanfeng once again felt the elemental energy in her body. Her eyes showed a mix of anger and embarrassment. The Suspended Water Technique reversed unexpectedly, and her strength swelled.

“Boom!”

Every fiber of Qiu Qingsheng’s being quivered as his internal organs were instantly crushed by tremendous force. He couldn’t control his body anymore and staggered backward step by step.

“Boom!”

Lou Sanfeng followed, her dagger sweeping past, and Qiu Qingsheng was sent flying into the midst of the Primordial Sword Sect’s disciples. Many of them, attempting to catch him, were all struck by the tremendous force, spitting out blood as they were knocked over.

Qiu Qingsheng strained to lift his head and looked at Qiu Changtai, who had a smile on his face.

“It seems that the outcome is already decided. This sword belongs to me after all!” Qiu Changtai walked step by step toward the statue, speaking in a leisurely manner.

“What sword belongs to you?”

Amidst a fierce gust of wind, a figure appeared in the hall..