Chapter 506: With All One's Strength

Two girls stood facing each other.

Yuan Yao clasped her hands toward Sikong Banxue, saying, "I am Yuan Yao."

Sikong Banxue gave a slight nod, her response brief, her voice clear and cold like jade stones striking, without a trace of mortal air: "Sikong Banxue."

Just four words, yet they carried an aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

And after the referee announced the start of the match, Yuan Yao summoned her Phantom Spirit Sword.

On Sikong Banxue's pale, sickly beautiful face, her expression remained indifferent, as if nothing around could stir any ripple in her.

When she saw Yuan Yao tap her toe, the Phantom Spirit Sword swooped toward her with a sharp, tearing-through-the-air sound——

Her lips parted slightly, and she uttered four words, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet carrying an undeniable force: "Sensory Deprivation."

Word becomes law!

An invisible ripple instantly spread, attempting to deprive Yuan Yao of her sight, hearing, and even perception.

In that instant, Yuan Yao closed her eyes and instantly released her vast, mighty mental power, like an invisible great net, firmly blocking the incoming Sensory Deprivation force and fiercely resisting it!

Hum!

Two invisible forces collided in midair, stirring up circles of ripples indistinguishable to the naked eye.

"One Layer of Drunken Life and Dreamlike Death!" Almost simultaneously, Yuan Yao closed her eyes, unified mind and spirit, and swung her Phantom Spirit Sword forward fiercely!

In an instant, countless strands of condensed sword qi crisscrossed, bursting forth with blinding, intense white light, like an ocean of light spreading across the sky and earth toward Sikong Banxue, the sword qi icy and chilling, carrying an intoxicating yet deadly intent.

Sikong Banxue's expression remained unchanged; she merely lifted her eyes slightly, her lips parting to utter another word: "Bind!"

Her voice was extremely soft, yet it seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth, as an immensely strong invisible binding force suddenly descended, like tough chains, instantly locking Yuan Yao's crisscrossing sword qi in place, leaving it suspended in midair, unable to advance even an inch.

At this moment——

Yuan Yao suddenly opened her eyes, using her divine sense to shatter Sikong Banxue's Word Spirit Technique, then she smiled and said, "I heard Fellow Daoist Sikong is also a sword cultivator?"

Sikong Banxue did not respond, merely gazing silently at Yuan Yao, and for the first time a faint ripple appeared in her clear, cold eyes.

She clearly felt the terrifying spiritual pressure of Yuan Yao's divine sense; the opponent's mental power was so strong that it could easily block her Word Spirit Technique, which was beyond her expectation.

As Yuan Yao shattered the technique, raised her sword again, and her figure turned into a streak of light rushing forward——

The white cloak that Sikong Banxue had always draped over her body instantly turned into specks of white light, scattering away like snowflakes.

All that could be seen was the girl's slender frame, her complexion perpetually deathly pale, as if a gust could topple her, appearing extremely frail and pitiable.

Yet, the aura emanating from her was so powerful it made one's heart race.

"Light Blade."

As soon as her voice fell, countless white light blades from all directions surrounded and attacked Yuan Yao.

Swish swish swish——

Yuan Yao quickly raised her sword to block.

And under everyone's gaze, Sikong Banxue slowly raised her jade-like white hand, her fingertip lightly tapping, and immediately a lustrous white longsword landed in her palm.

The crowd murmured in surprise.

"Sikong Banxue has finally made a move!"

"In previous matches, Sikong Banxue always dealt with opponents using Word Spirit Technique, yet now she actually draws her sword!"

"If she didn't act, relying solely on Word Spirit Technique would be hard to counter Yuan Yao! Yuan Yao's mental power is practically the bane of Sikong Banxue's Word Spirit Technique!"

"Who do you think will win?"

"Definitely Sikong Banxue! She is a direct disciple of the Formless Immortal Venerable!"

"Hah, Yuan Yao is still a disciple of the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord!"

"The Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord is merely an Immortal Lord; how could he compare to the Formless Immortal Venerable?!"

"The Six Disciples of Thousand Mountain all participated in this Immortal Sect Grand Competition, yet the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord himself didn't even show up!"

Opinions diverged.

On the dueling platform, Yuan Yao's Phantom Spirit Sword gleamed with flowing light as she gazed at Sikong Banxue, who had already summoned her sword.

Yuan Yao then broke into a smile, her expression tinged with eagerness to try: "Finally going to draw your sword?"

In the next instant, the two moved almost simultaneously!

Clang——

Two spirit swords clashed in midair!

The clashing sound was piercing and nearly deafening, bursting forth with a visible shockwave that spread outward, making both of their robes flutter loudly.

Yuan Yao felt a tremendous force transmitted from the sword blade, numbing her tiger's mouth, nearly making her lose grip on the hilt, her chest also felt a slight tightness, her qi and blood somewhat surging.

She secretly marveled: Sikong Banxue looked slender, yet the force behind her sword was astonishingly heavy and condensed!

Meanwhile, Sikong Banxue's figure did not pause; she lightly turned her wrist, the lustrous white sword like a spirit snake emerging from its hole, instantly transforming into countless points of light that stabbed fiercely at Yuan Yao's vital spots.

Sikong Banxue's sword movements, each gesture, exuded a sense of returning to simplicity and authenticity; anyone with a keen eye could tell they were almost all personally transmitted from the Formless Immortal Venerable.

Thus, as soon as she drew her sword, that unique sword intent and aura made one unmistakably sense the shadow of the Formless Immortal Venerable—steady, fierce, and containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

The two figures darted and collided rapidly on the platform, sword lights flashing, sword qi crisscrossing, and the "ding ding dang" of their clashes rang continuously.

Sikong Banxue's cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, far surpassing Yuan Yao's early stage.

From childhood she had been personally guided by the Formless Immortal Venerable in swordsmanship, and she herself was a once-in-ten-thousands sword prodigy, so her understanding and mastery of the sword naturally far exceeded Yuan Yao's.

As soon as they clashed, Yuan Yao felt immense pressure, quickly finding herself overwhelmed and gradually falling into a disadvantage.

Sikong Banxue's slender figure darted through the sword light, coming and going like the wind, swift beyond compare, yet her sword techniques were unusually overbearing and ruthless; each strike aimed straight at Yuan Yao's openings, forcing her to defend with all her might, leaving her in a sorry state.

"Swish!

A soft sound rang out as Sikong Banxue seized an opening Yuan Yao couldn't dodge, thrusting her sword; the lustrous white tip sliced through Yuan Yao's sleeve, leaving a bloody line on her smooth forearm.

A sharp pain instantly spread.

Yuan Yao let out a muffled groan, quickly retreated to create distance, looked at the blood seeping from her arm, and her eyes narrowed.

Before Yuan Yao could even launch a counterattack, she saw Sikong Banxue's already pallid face take on a sickly flush, which quickly faded to an even deathly pallor, as a faint thread of crimson seeped from the corner of her mouth, thread by thread, shocking to behold.

"What is this..." Yuan Yao, seeing this, couldn't help but be slightly startled, and halted her attack.

Sikong Banxue, however, was unwilling to say more; she merely pressed her pale lips together, her gaze growing ever colder, and directly swung her sword to attack again, cutting off Yuan Yao's words.

Her sword momentum not only did not weaken; it became even more fierce.

Clang clang clang—

Yuan Yao, seeing this, continually blocked Sikong Banxue's storm-like attacks.

At this point, anyone could tell that Sikong Banxue's body seemed indeed off; her breath was no longer as steady as at the start, her complexion fluctuating between red and white, obviously she was forcing herself.

Yuan Yao understood the emotion in her eyes, realizing that the other party did not wish to forgo this match because of her own condition, or was being deliberately let win by someone.

Then, to respect the opponent, one should give it one's all!