Chapter 199: Do Not Harm My Lord!

"Good, that's enough!"

Sasaki Kojirō's eyes gleamed with joy, then his expression hardened; a faint blue-purple light flashed across the long blade in his hand.

"Secret Sword—"

"Swallow Returns!"

In an instant, three brilliant blade lights flared up simultaneously, blooming in a way humans could not comprehend, each striking Zhao Yun's chest, throat, and brow.

This was an ultimate sword technique Sasaki Kojirō had inadvertently comprehended while slicing a flying swallow.

It could flash a single strike from the real world, then, disregarding the concepts of time and space, perfectly overlap two strikes to produce simultaneous cuts from three directions.

This was a multi-dimensional distortion phenomenon surpassing speed, precision, and feints.

It was also a powerful sword technique capable of reaching the level of a Noble Phantasm through skill alone!

Gazing at the three brilliant blade lights blooming before him, Zhao Yun's expression changed for the first time, seemingly stunned by this strike that transcended the mortal realm.

Yet even so, he still swung the Qinggang in his palm, fearlessly charging forward to meet it.

And this time, the Qinggang Sword in his hand erupted with brilliant cyan light—

"Voom!"

Accompanied by the sword's hum, the middle blade light was steadily blocked by the Qinggang Sword.

The other two blade lights struck Zhao Yun's body solidly, yet they lost their intended power, as if they were merely two false illusions rather than real blade lights.

【True Qinggang Sword】

【Rank: B+】

【Type: Anti-Personnel】

【Noble Phantasm Effective Range: 1】

【Maximum Capture: 1 Person】

【Description: One of the two swords forged by Cao Cao's master smith in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," paired with the Sky-Splitting Sword; it cuts iron like mud, severs hair with a breath, and remains unscathed after hundreds of battles.】

【When the Noble Phantasm is activated, it grants maximum penetration against weapons and armor; anything below Rank B will be severed, and any activated Noble Phantasm or ability will be nullified.】

"Pfft—"

The sound of a blade slicing through flesh and blood rang out.

Zhao Yun's figure flashed past, appearing behind Sasaki Kojirō; he slowly sheathed the Qinggang in his hand, stepped forward, walked upward without looking back, and said calmly:

"I admit that relentlessly pursuing speed can indeed create miracles beyond mortal reach."

"Pity your weapon is not a Noble Phantasm; it does not match your stunning strike that transcends the mortal realm..."

His footsteps grew more urgent, and his voice, tinged with regret, drifted further away from behind.

Sasaki Kojirō fell to his knees with a thud; blood blossomed profusely from his shoulders and torso, his entire right arm fell to the ground, and both it and the broken Wu Shidao were submerged in the pool of blood on the ground.

"Just because of the weapon..."

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth; recalling that sword strike, he shook his head and said, "Not just that!"

The Qinggang Sword possesses the ability to nullify activated Noble Phantasms, but what he used was not a Noble Phantasm, but a sword technique comparable to one.

Strictly speaking, the Qinggang Sword cannot nullify a sword technique.

The reason the other two blade lights caused no harm was not due to this nullification ability, but rather the Qinggang Sword's power to destroy and penetrate weapons.

Unlike the Gae Bolg that reverses causality, his sword technique was three simultaneous strikes.

Since it was a strike, it required a weapon as a medium to inflict damage; even though his weapon underwent dimensional distortion and three long blades appeared simultaneously, in essence, they were still a single existence.

Zhao Yun activated the Qinggang Sword's ability, destroying the three simultaneously appearing long blades at the same instant, thus neutralizing the damage from the other two blade lights and causing them to lose their intended power.

From this perspective, Zhao Yun achieved a similar dimensional distortion phenomenon through the mechanism of the Qinggang Sword.

And when he made such a countermeasure, it meant he saw through Sasaki's sword technique with a single glance...

"Indeed, there are always those beyond men, and heavens beyond heavens..."

"To die in the hands of Zhao Zhao Zilong of Changshan is not a wasted life, I suppose?"

Sasaki Kojirō let out a bitter smile, gazing at the sky with a mix of melancholy and satisfaction; his blood-stained body gradually turned transparent, finally dissolving into countless points of light that vanished in the air.

Meanwhile, in Ryūdō Temple, Bai Ze Ming, clad in silver-red battle armor, floated in the air; the reactor on his chest emitted blue light, and arcs of blue-white electricity crackled all over his body.

Opposite him, Medea in a purple robe held a metal staff with nested sun and moon symbols; her cloak spread like bat wings, and colorful circular magical arrays swirled around her as she too floated in mid-air, confronting Bai Ze Ming across the void.

Gazing at the blue-white electricity crackling on Bai Ze Ming's body, Medea furrowed her delicate brows, seemingly somewhat surprised.

"What, didn't expect this?"

Bai Ze Ming glanced at Medea and said coldly, "Using Dragon Tooth Warriors, those cannon-fodder monsters, to drain my energy, then, while Uncle Yun dueled the Heroic Spirit you summoned in violation of the rules, using spatial magic to teleport me into Ryūdō Temple..."

"I must say, your plan was quite beautiful, and your insight was good; you knew I am the core of this alliance."

"But pity, this young master was prepared long ago!"

Before his words finished, the electricity crackling on his body surged into the reactor, continuously replenishing energy.

These blue-white arcs were not the Five Thunder Zheng Fa of the one beneath the heavens, but the basic lightning spell he had just mastered!

Yes, after the artificial spiritual root of Lin Yu was implanted, Bai Ze Ming obtained the rare Thunder-attribute variant spiritual root.

However, since the Qi of the first layer of Foundation Establishment could only release three basic spells, and Bai Ze Ming had to supply a Heroic Spirit, he hid the spells as a trump card, daring not to use them easily.

Until just now, when Medea suddenly teleported him here and, by some means, drained the energy from his armor.

Bai Ze Ming knew he could no longer hide his trump card, so he activated the basic spell 【Thunder Shock Seal】, summoned Lei Ting, repelled Medea who was draining energy, and replenished the Lei Ting into the reactor.

Recalling the encounter just now, Bai Ze Ming, though outwardly calm, felt considerable fear in his heart.

Fortunately, fortunately, Laozi is a Thunder-attribute cultivator!

If it had been a spiritual root of another attribute, perhaps Medea would have truly crippled his strongest armor!

Hearing Bai Bai Zeming's cold words, the corner of Medea's lips curled beneath her cloak, and she laughed lightly, saying, "Very well, I indeed did not expect that after expending such immense energy, you would still have a reserve move..."

"However, since it is a reserve move, I assume you cannot use it many times?"

"I wonder how long you can last within my Magic Workshop!"

Upon speaking the final sentence, Medea's tone suddenly turned sharp, and she waved the metal staff with nested sun and moon symbols in her hand forward.

In an instant, the circular magic array surrounding her erupted with multicolored light, and countless mana projectiles shot forth from it, covering Bai Bai Zeming ahead like a barrage of cannon fire sweeping the ground.

High-Speed Divine Words!

The ability to cast Instant Magic without needing incantations or connecting magic circuits!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Continuous deafening roars came from the Ryoudou Temple below, stirring up dust and firelight that filled the sky.

Bai Bai Zeming activated the propulsion device of his battle armor to Dao Zui Da Gong, dodging and weaving in the air while aiming at Medea, firing streams of pale blue palm-beam columns.

The mysterious energy beams struck Medea.

The mana shield, swirling with red light, shattered instantly like foam.

But unfortunately, releasing such a mana shield was as simple as breathing for her.

Bai Bai Zeming's palm beam had just shattered one layer of the shield, and the next layer immediately appeared, continuing to weaken that mysterious energy.

Thus, the two, like two artillery turrets, engaged in an aerial battle of mutual bombardment high in the sky.

Gazing at the magic missiles that almost overlooked the sky ahead, Bai Bai Zeming dodged perilously while secretly cursing in his heart.

This fellow has already taken at least a hundred lives, and the accumulated mana is vast as the sea.

Yet his reactor had only twenty percent of its energy remaining; even with Lei Ting spells to recharge, he could not hold out for long.

However...

Bai Bai Zeming, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly showed a slight change in expression, and a smile appeared on his face beneath the visor.

"Sorry, time's up!"

Medea's face changed; she seemed to have sensed the disappearance of Sasaki Kojirou.

The next second, a roar filled with anger came from below, echoing through the Ryoudou Temple like Lei Ting.

"Do not harm my Master!"

Before the words had fully faded, Medea instinctively turned her head to look, and saw a streak of silver light suddenly appear on the road outside the Ryoudou Temple.

It was a valiant general clad in silver armor, riding a divine white steed, holding a bright silver spear; his originally black hair seemed dyed with flames named anger, presenting a dazzling golden-red hue.

In a single instant, Zhao Yun, having activated some unknown skill, transformed into a brilliant silver light, piercing through the entire battlefield in a flash, and arrived before Medea as if teleporting.

Medea, shocked in her heart, hurriedly waved her staff to release magic.

'High-Speed Divine Words: Spatial Exchange!'

The dazzling mana light struck the valiant general, but had no effect; instead, it shattered with a crash as if tofu had collided with a stone.

And that valiant general, just as he was about to reach her, swung the silver spear in his hand without hesitation.

A point of cold light arrived first, followed by the spear emerging like a dragon!

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the mana shields swirling with red light shattered layer by layer.

The silver light pierced through the layers of mana shields, tore apart the cloak also swirling with mana light, flashed past the graceful figure in the sky, and returned to the Master's side.

"Pfft—"

Blood bloomed in the air; Medea's figure shot backward rapidly, appearing in the sky dozens of meters away.

At this moment, the cloak on her body had already been torn apart by the silver light, revealing the elf-like face beneath the hood.

Unfortunately, the originally exquisite and beautiful face had clearly been ruined by those several long bloodstains, destroying its beauty.

Her pale blue hair had been slashed diagonally by the silver light just now, and a gruesome blood hole appeared on her graceful body; scalding blood gushed out from it, making one's heart tremble at the sight.

Gazing at Medea, severely injured by a single strike, and Zhao Yun charging through the air to his front, Bai Bai Zeming, while marveling in his heart, could not help but reveal a smile on his face.

"So, Caster..."

"Next, is the second round!"

(End of this chapter)