Chapter 478: Breakthrough in the Heat of Battle
Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Yu had already landed on the ground.
As a barrage of Flying Sword fragments rained down, he abandoned his attempts to suppress the swords and instead hurled massive chunks of earth and stone into the air for defense.
Simultaneously, he activated two magical artifacts: the Golden Jade Wall and the Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield.
Profound Cold Rays shot forth from the Golden Jade Wall, continuously disrupting the Flying Swords’ trajectories.
At the same time, the Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield spewed forth icy mist, freezing the air and further obstructing the Flying Swords’ assassination attempts.
“Even shattered to pieces, they can still fight and automatically lock onto targets. Just as Mo Shangjin said, this must be Heavenly Sword University’s Sword Spirit.”
Zhang Yu recalled Mo Shangjin’s words.
To assist with remote operation of Flying Swords, Heavenly Sword University had developed its own unique rudimentary Intelligent Artifact Spirit technology, which they called Sword Spirits.
These Sword Spirits possessed virtually no conversational, creative, or analytical abilities. Their greatest strengths lay in image recognition and automatic targeting.
When combined with Heavenly Sword University’s unique Mental Cultivation Technique, which allows cultivators to nurture their Sword Spirits, the Sword Control Technique requires no intricate maneuvers. Instead, it relies on unleashing the most violent Magic Power and ferocious force, driving the sword relentlessly toward its target.
The Sword Spirit assists the cultivator in guiding the Flying Sword through various cutting, impact, and flight maneuvers.
When paired with different Sword Control Cultivation Arts, it can produce a myriad of wondrous effects.
It is said that cultivators who have mastered this path can even construct Spirit Realm Networks using Sword Spirits and Sky-Patrolling Flying Swords, enabling millimeter-precision operations across distances of thousands or tens of thousands of kilometers.
Yue Guanqiong, though not yet at that level of mastery, found that the combination of his Sword Spirit and the Great Freedom Instant Hell sword qi allowed his controlled Flying Sword to maintain its combat effectiveness regardless of how shattered or damaged it became.
In an instant, sword qi crisscrossed the battlefield, slicing the ground beneath Zhang Yu’s feet into layers like a chessboard unfolding across the earth and sky.
However, thanks to the layered defenses of the Earth-Suppressing Seal, Thunder-Suppressing Seal, Golden Jade Wall, and Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield, Zhang Yu steadily withstood the onslaught.
Yue Guanqiong’s eyes flickered as he observed the scene. “Oh? A few more magical artifacts than last time? And specifically designed to defend against Flying Swords.”
“Let’s see how long these trinkets can hold out.”
With a flick of Yue Guanqiong’s fingertip, the sword artifacts within the Aerial Fortress below began to tremble in unison, as if answering a silent call. Their collective resonance grew into an increasingly deafening sword’s hum.
These were not true Flying Swords, merely rudimentary sword-shaped artifacts with limited durability, barely stronger than ordinary blades.
Their crucial feature, however, lay in their ability to house Sword Spirits, a design pioneered by Heavenly Sword University.
During the recent preparations, Yue Guanqiong’s teammates had repurposed local materials to mass-produce these sword artifacts on-site, infusing each with a Sword Spirit.
This was Heavenly Sword University Civil Engineering Department’s signature defensive formation — the sword formation.
Efficient, cost-effective, and surprisingly powerful, Yue Guanqiong lightly tapped his sword finger. Hundreds of sword artifacts surged into the sky, sweeping toward Zhang Yu like a raging storm.
Amidst crackling explosions, the sword artifacts slammed into the earth and rocks Zhang Yu had hurled upward. Even as they shattered into fragments, the shards continued to emit razor-sharp sword qi, relentlessly slashing at Zhang Yu.
With each collision, the sword artifacts’ offensive grew exponentially. What began as a torrent of a hundred Flying Swords quickly transformed into a swirling cloud of sword fragments, completely encircling Zhang Yu.
Hundreds upon thousands of sword shards swirled around Zhang Yu, grinding against each other. The atmosphere, heated by the countless blades’ hypersonic friction, seemed on the verge of boiling.
Zhang Yu’s magical artifacts, activated for defense, emitted a series of crackling impacts as the relentless assault continued. Each crack marked another sword artifact shattered, and each shatter fueled the ever-expanding Sword Intent.
In the spectator stands of the Spirit Realm, Wang Yin watched the battle unfold.
He watched as Zhang Yu was forced from the sky to the ground, completely suppressed by the crisscrossing sword artifacts. The occasional flicker of light from Zhang Yu’s magical artifacts resembled a tiny candle flame in a raging storm, on the verge of being extinguished.
Wang Yin muttered to himself, “Zhang Yu, if you lose here, was my long cultivation of the Dao Heart all for nothing?”
“Don’t you fucking lose.”
“What about the power you gained from the Yin Artifact?”
“If you can’t handle it, call a timeout and use the Yin Artifact again right now!”
As the sword artifact’s assault intensified, numerous warnings flashed across Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye:
Golden Jade Wall Magic Power below 5%!
Two Extremes Yin-Yang Shield Magic Power below 5%!
Thunder-Suppressing Seal Magic Power below 3%!
Earth-Suppressing Seal Magic Power below 1%! Replenish Magic Power within 30 seconds!
Bang!
With the Earth-Suppressing Seal’s aura completely collapsing, the Thunder-Suppressing Seal’s lightning strikes rapidly weakened, while Yue Guanqiong’s offensive grew even more ferocious.
At that moment, Zhang Yu’s Gang Qi suddenly surged violently, unleashing torrents of golden flames that soared skyward.
Empowered by the Great Unity Golden Liquid Pill, Zhang Yu’s Body-Protecting Qi erupted with astonishing defensive power.
As the sword artifacts collided, the Body-Protecting Qi first manifested as a solid barrier, then transitioned to a liquid state to absorb the impact, and finally dispersed as a gaseous force to dissipate the remaining energy.
Through this three-state transformation, Zhang Yu once again stabilized his footing amidst the relentless storm of attacks.
After a brief stalemate, Yue Guanqiong intensified his assault once more.
A Flying Sword, shimmering like faint azure smoke, materialized before Yue Guanqiong, its form flickering in and out of existence.
The flying sword was none other than the Splitting Light Shadow Sword, a Military-Grade weapon Wen Wuya had lent him.
Yue Guanqiong wasn’t without Professional-Grade or Enterprise-Grade flying swords, but these, especially the Enterprise-Grade ones, were quite expensive for him. Using someone else’s sword was more cost-effective and made it easier to suppress Zhang Yu.
The Splitting Light Shadow Sword soared into the sky, transforming into eighty-one streams of sword light that converged upon Zhang Yu. Each stream of sword light, while appearing to strike, flickered in and out of existence like phantoms.
Yue Guanqiong thought, “No wonder Wen Wuya treasures this Military-Grade sword.”
“When wielded, the Splitting Light Shadow Sword can split into eighty-one streams of sword light, but only one is real. The true blade can shift between these streams at will and split anew.”
“For me, any of these eighty-one streams could be a feint. The moment one is intercepted, I can instantly transfer the true blade to another.”
For Zhang Yu, any one of the eighty-one sword lights could be the real one. The moment a gap was found, any sword light could transform into a lethal blade to strike him down.
On the battlefield, the eighty-one sword lights crisscrossed like phantom illusions. Profound Cold Rays, Earthly Fiend Gravity, and Body-Protecting Qi clashed against them, yet none of these attacks could affect the illusory blades.
As the phantom sword lights pierced through Zhang Yu’s Body-Protecting Qi, they instantly materialized into solid blades, hurtling toward him with murderous intent.
With a thunderous boom, Zhang Yu activated the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, reaching for the Splitting Light Shadow Sword. But the Flying Sword had already shifted to another sword light on the periphery.
Amidst the encirclement of countless sword artifacts, the eighty-one sword lights pulsed with lethal energy.
Zhang Yu had to simultaneously resist the relentless onslaught of sword qi and remain vigilant against the Splitting Light Shadow Sword’s unpredictable movements and endless, unblockable assassination attempts. He was swiftly forced back into a disadvantageous position.
As Wen Wuya watched the competition, a thought struck him. “Is he nearing his limit?”
“It’s indeed the 16th-level Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.”
Having satisfied his curiosity, Wen Wuya nodded slightly.
As for Zhang Yu’s potential defeat due to the Splitting Light Shadow Sword?
So what?
To Wen Wuya, this was inconsequential. It was perfectly normal for the lives of ordinary people to change with a mere whim of his.
At that moment, Wen Wuya had lost interest in the competition’s outcome and began considering Zhang Yu’s intrinsic value.
“He seemed hesitant before. Perhaps another encounter would allow me to witness Myriad Laws University’s Dual Cultivation techniques…”
But the next instant, Wen Wuya’s eyebrows suddenly arched.
“Hmm?”
On the battlefield, Zhang Yu, who had been on the defensive, suddenly roared, his aura surging violently.
Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, Level 17 - Push!
The terrifying Earthly Fiend Gravity contracted abruptly, like a massive black hole swallowing vast swathes of sword qi and sword light.
“What!” Yue Guanqiong’s eyes narrowed. “He broke through?”
“He actually broke through mid-battle?!”
This sudden breakthrough in Zhang Yu’s Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power immediately disrupted Yue Guanqiong’s offensive.
The range of Zhang Yu’s Level 16 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, which Yue Guanqiong had calculated, suddenly expanded. It not only engulfed a large number of sword artifacts but also enveloped all 81 streams of sword light from the Splitting Light Shadow Sword.
However, after multiple divisions of sword light from the Splitting Light Shadow Sword, the sword light barely managed to escape Zhang Yu’s suppression.
The next moment, with a cold snort, Zhang Yu abruptly stepped forward and soared into the sky.
Fueled by the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power, he instantly shattered the atmosphere, broke the sound barrier, and shot toward Heavenly Sword University’s Aerial Fortress.
Watching this, Yue Guanqiong scoffed and glanced toward Myriad Laws University’s construction site. He saw the entire site had been fortified with layers of earth defenses.
“Hmph, so you thought that by completely blocking off the construction site, you could rush in for a desperate gamble?”
At that moment, Heavenly Sword University’s formation was complete. With the formation’s power activated, the entire arena fell under Yue Guanqiong’s observation.
Simultaneously, the sword artifacts he had secretly deployed in the high altitude activated. With a flick of his sword-pointing fingers, they pierced through the earth, hurtling toward the students of Myriad Laws University.
However, Myriad Laws University’s formation was also complete. The earth transformed into an iron wall, drastically slowing the sword artifacts’ momentum.
Yue Guanqiong’s perception instantly lost track of the Myriad Laws University students.
“They’ve blocked my senses?”
At the same time, Zhang Yu roared furiously and slammed his palm toward the Aerial Fortress.
A deafening explosion shook the fortress violently as the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power clashed fiercely with the formation’s energy.
Yue Guanqiong coldly activated the Great Freedom Instant Hell sword qi again, manipulating countless strands of sword qi to converge into eighty-one beams of sword light, attempting to drive Zhang Yu back once more.
This time, Yue Guanqiong deliberately expanded his range, ensuring his attack wouldn’t be neutralized by Zhang Yu’s level 17 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power.
But Zhang Yu suddenly retreated, then slammed his palm fiercely into the ground from a distance.
As the terrain violently shifted, the horizon began to rise bit by bit with each of Zhang Yu’s forceful exertions.
“Hmm?” Yue Guanqiong frowned, already guessing Zhang Yu’s intent. “He’s trying to seize the earth… and hurl it at me?”
“But with your cultivation level and without the enhancement of a Bionic, how much of the terrain can you manipulate?”
Before Yue Guanqiong could finish his thought, a torrent of spiritual energy surged toward Zhang Yu.
Empowered by the Formation’s energy, Zhang Yu felt his will expanding relentlessly, reaching out to the arena beneath his feet, the earth, and the layers of rock beneath.
At that moment, he sensed the range of the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power continuously expanding, the earth trembling in response to his will.
His Magic Power roared within him! The Earthly Fiend Gravity spread relentlessly, expanding further and further!
Sensing this, Yue Guanqiong urged his sword artifact forward, relentlessly grinding toward Zhang Yu and gradually tearing his golden Body-Protecting Qi into shreds.
Zhang Yu, heedless of the consequences, continued to focus his attention on the earth, maximizing the reach of his Earthly Fiend Gravity.
As the ground heaved more violently, Yue Guanqiong’s brow furrowed. “If this power keeps increasing…”
But the next moment, noticing that the earth’s convulsions had plateaued, Yue Guanqiong’s gaze shifted, a faint smile playing on his lips. “After all, it’s only a level 17 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power. Zhang Yu’s attempted assault has already surpassed his capabilities. Even with the formation’s amplification, he can’t possibly sustain it.”
Just then, Zhang Yu roared, “Level 18 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power!”
“Come forth!”
Boom!
The earth seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand.
The horizon across most of the arena shot upward, transforming into a rectangular mountain range that soared into the sky, casting a massive shadow that enveloped the entire Aerial Fortress.
Under Zhang Yu’s relentless grip, the mountain range hummed with a deafening resonance. Accompanied by howling winds, it hurtled toward Heavenly Sword University’s Aerial Fortress.