Chapter 26: The Three Realms of Martial Artists
Whoosh—
Qin Jue had just struck down an enemy and, before he could catch his breath, he keenly sensed a sudden rush of wind from his left.
Looking up, he saw a Third-Stage warrior approaching rapidly from his front left. The man swung a broad saber horizontally, his internal energy and blood surging with tremendous impact. Qin Jue’s eyes sharpened; he sidestepped instantly while holding his straight blade upright before him.
"Clang!"
The broad saber slammed violently against his blade, and in an instant, the sound of clashing metal rang out across the surroundings. Qin Jue stood motionless, his gaze locked firmly on his opponent, his muscles coiled and ready to strike.
Just then, a flash of cold light appeared to his right. Another man, wielding a long spear, thrust it toward the vital point of Qin Jue’s neck with the force of a splintering bamboo.
Qin Jue’s eyes turned icy. His arm muscles bulged as he exerted sudden force, knocking aside the broad saber in front of him. Immediately, he flipped his wrist and swung his blade again, striking the spearhead.
"Clang!"
With a thunderous crash and a shower of sparks from the fierce collision, the man’s hand split open. Unable to maintain his grip, his spearhead clattered to the ground.
However, the crisis was not yet over.
A third man seized the opportunity, lunging from directly in front. He flicked his spear, thrusting it out like a dragon emerging from the sea. The sharp tip aimed straight for Qin Jue’s heart with the speed of a shooting star.
Qin Jue reacted swiftly, twisting his waist to nimbly dodge the lethal strike. Following up, he stomped hard on the ground, using the momentum to surge forward. He slashed his blade toward his opponent with cold, fierce intensity.
The man retreated rapidly, while the two warriors on the flanks closed in, surrounding him once more. The three exchanged a glance and launched a simultaneous attack. Despite being besieged, Qin Jue felt no fear. He swung his blade to meet them, holding his ground against all three...
Seeing their captain surrounded, Xiao Wushan and the others prepared to rush forward to help. But soon, they were intercepted by two Third-Stage Perfection warriors, who looked ready to wreak havoc.
Nearby captains arrived just in time to relieve them. They glanced toward Qin Jue’s direction, intending to provide support, but were blocked by other enemies.
On the battlefield, the combined assault of the three Third-Stage Perfection warriors was formidable. Qin Jue was only at the Third-Stage Great Completion; he was outnumbered. Realizing he could not hold out alone, he did not hesitate to spend points on his cultivation technique.
As 35 Victory Points vanished!
Qin Jue immediately felt a warm current flowing through his body. His muscles trembled slightly, and his fatigued physique rapidly regained its vitality, as if he were being reshaped entirely.
Tendon-Refining Stage, Perfection!
With his realm elevated, Qin Jue’s strength underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.
At that moment, the three men’s attacks descended again. The warrior on the left leaped high, swinging his broad saber down with sharp, aggressive momentum.
The warrior on the right held a long spear, his movements fluid as he thrust toward Qin Jue’s ribs. The warrior in the center also wielded a spear, thrusting it like a dragon straight for his throat.
Qin Jue’s eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, he advanced. With agile footwork, he rushed toward the right, dodging the broad saber on his left while flicking his straight blade upward at a cunning angle.
With a "clang," the immense force sent the spear flying. The warrior was stunned.
Qin Jue lunged forward. Aided by his heightened agility, he reached the man in an instant, delivering a swift cut that ended his life.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully killing an enemy. Gained 1 Victory Point!]
At this moment, the center spearman’s attack arrived. Qin Jue reacted with lightning speed, sidestepping as the spear tip grazed his shoulder, striking his armor and throwing off sparks.
Seizing the opening, he swung his blade again. His ghostly speed made the warrior’s pupils contract, but before he could defend, Qin Jue’s blade was upon him.
With his immense strength, the sharp edge swept across the man’s abdomen, leaving a bloody trail. Qin Jue closed in rapidly and delivered another strike to his neck, killing him.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully killing an enemy. Gained 1 Victory Point!]
Seeing this, the warrior on the left turned pale and scrambled to retreat. Qin Jue pursued him with his blade and slew him in an instant.
[Congratulations to the host for successfully killing an enemy. Gained 1 Victory Point!]
With the three dealt with, the squad regrouped, shifting from their initial arrowhead formation into a long snake formation. Qin Jue took his position in the center, continuing to fell enemies...
At this point, reinforcements from the right arrived, forming a pincer movement!
The battle intensified. Faced with the fierce Qingfeng Stronghold soldiers, the Black Mountain Stronghold men were forced to retreat, eventually backed against the city walls.
Seeing this, the Chief of Black Mountain Stronghold was consumed by rage. He could no longer sit still and leaped down from the three-zhang-high wall.
In the next second, a vast aura surged from him, sparks flickering in his eyes with blinding intensity.
The third stage of martial arts: refining furnace fire into starfire.
Surrounded by starfire, his body was empowered!
"Bang!"
The Black Mountain Chief landed steadily, his entire body glowing with specks of starlight. A searing heat flooded the field.
He immediately spotted a nearby captain and charged forward, a phantom of starfire flickering behind him, radiating immense pressure. His speed was so terrifying that he appeared as nothing more than a blur.
In a blink, he arrived and threw a punch, his massive fist glowing with starlight. The Second-Stage captain’s head was struck directly and exploded like a watermelon, flesh and blood splattering everywhere—a grisly sight!
Qin Jue, who was in the midst of fighting, was horrified to see this.
"Retreat, retreat quickly!" Then, Wu Mi’s panicked voice rang out.
Seeing his colleague killed in a single blow, he turned deathly pale, his face full of terror as he retreated repeatedly.
A peak Third-Stage warrior; even the commander was no match for him!
The army retreated rapidly. The Black Mountain Chief, his face as cold as ice, struck out with several palms. Each strike contained the terrifying power of starfire. Any warrior hit had their bones shattered and died on the spot.
The field fell into chaos!
Just then, Gao Yue, who had been lurking in the shadows, finally made his move.
He leaped high from the top of a tree...
In an instant, water vapor as thick as substance burst forth from his body!
The vapor seemed to possess a life of its own, spreading rapidly to surround a small area in the blink of an eye. Within this white mist, a faint blue light shimmered, glowing like the light of a brilliant galaxy and wrapping tightly around Gao Yue.
As he appeared, a surging, immense pressure emanated from him, sweeping across the world like a tidal wave. Wherever it passed, the air seemed to be compressed, emitting whistling sounds, and the surrounding grass and trees were forced to bow.
Everyone present instinctively looked up, their gazes fixed on the tall, imposing figure in mid-air.
They saw Gao Yue standing steadily upon rippling water!
The water acted like a loyal servant beneath his feet, supporting his body and creating crystal-clear ripples.
Everyone stood dumbstruck, their hearts trembling.
Power of the Five Elements, Fourth-Stage warrior!
The Black Mountain Chief was also shocked; he had not expected his opponent to have broken through to the Fourth Stage.
He panicked and turned to run. With starlight flickering around him, he leaped, attempting to clear the city wall and return to the stronghold.
High above, Gao Yue’s eyes turned cold. He hurled his spear; the water vapor gathered, transforming into a galloping water dragon.
It arrived in a blink, carrying terrifying power!
The Black Mountain Chief had no way to resist. The sheer force of the whistling water vapor felt like thousands of blades, causing him agonizing pain.
With a squelch, the body of a Third-Stage warrior, now as fragile as paper, was pierced through.
The horrific impact carried the Black Mountain Chief’s body backward.
"Bang!"
With a loud thud, he was pinned straight against the city wall behind him. Blood flowed down the shaft of the spear, and he breathed his last!