Chapter 168: Showdown! Kong You
The air within the battlefield seemed to freeze solid.
Song Yan and Kong You stood facing each other, separated by over a dozen zhang.
At that moment, the teardrop pendant hanging from Kong You’s chest began to emit a faint glow.
Within the ancient vine forest, a thin mist began to rise, and the moss on the rocks gradually grew damp.
The mist grew thicker and thicker. Kong You’s gaze was solemn, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, with the faint gathering of lightning in his palms.
Song Yan raised his right hand slightly, shielding Gu Qingqing behind him.
“Qingqing, step back.”
Gu Qingqing nodded frantically like a chick pecking rice, then scurried backward in a flash.
Kong You also spoke: “Ah Yun, move further away.”
“…”
Kong Yun cast a wary glance at Song Yan, then silently retreated as well.
This scene left the surrounding spectators rather baffled.
“These two… are they going to settle it one-on-one?”
“I know Senior Brother Kong, but who is this fellow across from him… to make Senior Brother Kong take him so seriously?”
An inner disciple from Taiping Peak furrowed his brow. “He’s a stranger to me, but he dares to face Senior Brother Kong head-on. For that alone, this fellow has some nerve.”
Beside him, another cultivator who recognized Song Yan spoke up. “Hm? I’ve seen this person before. His name is Song Yan.”
“Song Yan?”
“The one from the rumors about Changping…?”
“That should be him.”
The man looked toward the field, his voice laced with wariness. “I heard that before the Sword Trial began, this person defeated Senior Brother Kong in three moves on the Dueling Sword Stage.”
“What?”
“Junior Brother Ye, you must be joking. Senior Brother Kong is at the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining, on the verge of breaking through to the ninth. The other party is merely at the seventh level…”
“This… I was not aware.”
“Heh.”
Someone nearby let out a cold laugh. “If battles were decided by cultivation level alone, why bother competing at all? Just rank everyone by their cultivation, and be done with it.”
“That…”
The man was rendered speechless for a moment, though once he recovered, he still tried to save face with a few stubborn words.
“I’m afraid Senior Brother Kong You was merely caught off guard and underestimated his opponent—he hadn’t shown his full strength.”
“…We’ll soon enough.”
“…”
Kong Yun stood at the edge of the battlefield, his expression shifting between light and dark.
He fixed his gaze on Song Yan, his teeth clenched. “My brother will not lose again—not this time!”
Within the battlefield, Kong You actually spoke. “Junior Brother Song, our previous bout on the Dueling Sword Stage taught me the truth that pride leads to defeat.”
“That day I underestimated you. This time, I will hold nothing back.”
Song Yan merely nodded slightly. “That day, I had no opportunity to experience the full measure of Senior Brother Kong’s formidable techniques. Today, I am fortunate enough to have this chance, and I will certainly give it my all.”
These words sounded exceedingly grating in Kong You’s ears.
It was as if Song Yan were saying that on that day, Kong You hadn’t even had room to fight back.
Kong You wasted no more words. His hands immediately formed seals, and brilliant lightning blazed forth.
His entire body’s spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave.
“Hum.”
Purple lightning coalesced rapidly in Kong You’s palms, then hurtled toward Song Yan like something out of control.
Song Yan’s sword qi flared around his body, and amid the chaos of crackling lightning arcs, he evaded with ease.
Then he raised both hands slightly, traced a line with his sword fingers, and two sharp streaks of cyan sword qi shot toward Kong You.
At the same time, from the sword case behind Song Yan, a dozen or so white sword shadows slowly emerged.
They clashed with Kong You.
In truth, the sword shadows Song Yan could currently command numbered more than eighteen.
However, eighteen sword shadows were more stable, and secondly, they were already sufficient to handle the vast majority of situations.
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands beyond the realm at Sword Trial Peak, a disciple cried out in surprise.
“Sword light division?”
“Eighteen sword lights? What formidable divine sense…”
At that moment, a disciple nearby scoffed. “This fellow imitates ancient sword cultivators by carrying a sword case, yet he doesn’t even possess a flying sword…”
Flying sword?
Indeed, with such exquisite sword control, why didn’t he summon a flying sword?
In the elders’ pavilion, one elder stroked his beard in contemplation.
“This youth’s sword qi is remarkably dense. No wonder he can stand against Kong You.”
“Kong You’s thunder techniques have not yet been unleashed in full. The outcome remains uncertain.” Another elder from Zuowang Peak was less impressed.
A female elder leaned toward Qin Xijun beside her and chuckled softly. “Xijun, your final disciple certainly shows his sharp edge.”
Qin Xijun replied evenly, “The Sword Trial is precisely meant to let these disciples display their edge. Let us simply watch.”
The elder continued, “It’s a pity. If he must fight Kong You at full strength now, I fear he’ll have his spirit patterns taken and be eliminated before long.”
Song Yan’s name was no longer particularly unfamiliar to the assembled elders.
When Xu Ziqing had recounted the events at Changping, many elders had heard this name.
This person’s strength was, by all accounts, genuinely commendable.
Yet under the rules of the Sword Trial, encountering a formidable opponent at this juncture—he would likely lack the stamina to carry on.
“Heh…”
Qin Xijun gave a cold snort, offering no comment.
But inwardly, he was screaming: “That’s my boy… knock them all flat!”
BOOM—
In the blessed realm’s battlefield, dark thunderclouds had begun to roil above the ancient vine forest without anyone noticing when they had gathered.
Three bolts of purple lightning crashed down from the clouds.
Within his sleeve, Song Yan’s sword fingers moved subtly. The eighteen sword shadows abruptly merged, converging in midair to form a single, intensely condensed streak of sword light.
It shot upward against the lightning!
BOOM!!!
The explosion was blinding, impossible to look upon directly.
The spectating disciples turned their gazes away, and someone exclaimed, “This power…”
Before the words had faded.
The wind pressure detonated in an instant. A shockwave whipped up a gale that radiated outward from the battlefield, sweeping across the ancient vine forest.
Laced with stray wisps of razor-sharp sword qi, it dispersed the mist within the battlefield entirely.
“Such power…”
Cultivators who had never heard Song Yan’s name before now wore expressions of disbelief.
“Can a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage truly possess such strength…”
“Excellent!!!”
Just as everyone watched the two duel with rapt attention, a hearty laugh rang out.
“Hahahaha…”
A young man in black, bearing a great halberd on his back, stood atop a hill on the hunting ground, watching the battle from afar.
He laughed with unrestrained delight, clapping his hands together.
The spectators murmured, “Is that… Li Yi?”
“He arrived quickly.”
“Heh, I’m afraid Song Yan and Kong You are about to be swept up by this one.”
At the ninth level of Qi Refining, having ascended to Demon Subjugation Peak…
This super combat maniac with ninety-seven consecutive victories on the Dueling Sword Stage would absolutely not let either of them go.
But strangely, from beginning to end, Li Yi made no move.
Instead, he watched their battle with meticulous attention.
“He’s probably waiting for the two to wear each other down further, so he can seize the most spirit patterns with minimal cost.”
The distant spectators speculated among themselves.
Yet Li Yi showed not the slightest intention of acting.
For in his view, both had already expended some of their strength. To claim victory now would bring no glory.
“I have never fought Junior Brother Kong before. I didn’t expect his personal grudge to involve another fascinating junior brother.”
“Wonderful! Hahahaha…”
For him, this Sword Trial was proving to be endlessly entertaining.