Chapter 235: Failing to Seek Death

Sword light.

Sword light from all directions.

Peerlessly sharp sword light.

The long-renowned Third Young Master has finally crossed swords with the rising Yu Liancheng.

Different swordsmen have different paths of swordsmanship.

Yan Nantian's swordsmanship is powerful, tyrannical, and peerless, shaking the heavens and earth. Ye Gucheng's is flawless and immaculate, brilliant and resplendent. Ximen Chuixue's swordsmanship is sharp and keen, enough to move ghosts and gods.

As for Xie Xiaofeng, his swordsmanship is natural and seamless, leaving no trace to be found.

One cannot find a single flaw in his swordsmanship.

Perhaps there are flaws.

But these flaws are like a rushing spring atop a high mountain; when the spring water cascades, you might discover the gaps between the water, but when you reach your finger in, the gap has already been covered by the flowing spring.

What seems to be a flaw is actually the most lethal killing move.

But there is no such thing as perfect, flawless swordsmanship in this world.

At the very least, this Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship is not.

Furthermore, no matter how exquisite a sword technique may be, it still requires a person to execute it.

An exquisite sword technique may not necessarily be broken.

But a person may not necessarily be unbreakable.

Clang, clang, clang!!

A series of sparks burst forth as the two swords clashed repeatedly.

In reality, for Yu Liancheng to break Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship, a simple "suppressing others with force" would suffice. Since one cannot find the gaps in the flowing spring, then simply destroy the spring itself.

Drawing a blade to sever water only makes the water flow more.

That is only because the blade is not strong enough, not tyrannical enough.

Others' swordsmanship might not be able to achieve this step.

But Yu Liancheng can.

His sword can no longer be described by "slashing" or "stabbing"; it is more accurately described as smashing, swinging, sweeping across...

Although the sword is light and agile, the sense of weight condensed within that agility is incomparable.

Every time Yu Liancheng strikes, it is as if he is not holding a long sword, but wielding mountains and rivers as his weapon, striking while carrying wind and thunder.

Once the sword is out, even ghosts and gods can hardly block it.

Not to mention Xie Xiaofeng, who has been starving and freezing for a long time; although he adjusted himself overnight, his inner body is still weak.

As the two fought, Xie Xiaofeng's face grew paler, his Qi and Blood surged within him, and the web between his thumb and forefinger was almost split open.

He had never encountered such an opponent; every sword strike was difficult to block, and every strike carried the force of a thousand jun.

If it were an ordinary expert, Xie Xiaofeng would be very confident in winning by relying on his exquisite swordsmanship.

But Yu Liancheng's seemingly simple swing seemed to contain infinite changes; the Great Dao is simple.

Yet Xie Xiaofeng was not discouraged; he retreated continuously.

This is only because he understands one principle—that which is full cannot last long.

By driving his True Qi and physical strength in this manner, there will sooner or later be a time of exhaustion.

When that time comes, he can take advantage of the momentum to unleash his long sword and decide the outcome in one strike.

But whether he would perish first or the opponent would exhaust their strength first, Xie Xiaofeng could not be certain.

Suddenly.

Yu Liancheng's storm-like offensive ceased.

Xie Xiaofeng finally had time to catch his breath, looking at Yu Liancheng with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The opponent clearly still had strength in reserve, so why did he suddenly stop his sword? He had pointlessly given him extra time to recover and regulate his breath.

Yu Liancheng wore a faint smile: "Breaking a sword with force—I fear that even if I could defeat you, you would not be convinced in your heart."

Xie Xiaofeng shook his head and said: "A loss is a loss, a win is a win. True Qi and physical strength are also keys to a duel. If we only relied on the exquisiteness of sword techniques, we might as well just sit and deconstruct moves. You need not be concerned; just strike with your sword."

Yu Liancheng laughed: "But I want this move of mine, 'Heavenly River', to decide the outcome."

"'Heavenly River'?"

"Correct, the infinite Heavenly River." After the words fell, Yu Liancheng extended his long sword again. By now, he had polished this sword strike to be extremely proficient and perfect; there was no need to use "City-Toppling" as an opening move. The sword momentum had transformed into an offensive like a Heavenly River pouring backward, surging and undulating, adding a sense of magnificent momentum that was impossible to resist.

Xie Xiaofeng's eye for talent was naturally extraordinary, and he saw the unusual nature of this sword strike at a glance. But he was not flustered; instead, he was delighted to see such a challenge.

He had traversed the world, and his own swordsmanship was exquisite. Now that he had encountered such a sword strike, his fighting spirit surged forth. In an instant, his sword was unleashed again.

—Earth Shattering, Heaven Startling; Heaven and Earth Both Burn

This was his most masterful sword technique, and also the essence of his swordsmanship.

Yet his sword still had flaws.

The spring water flowed, and although the gaps were moving, they did indeed exist.

And this sword strike of Yu Liancheng's was infinite; as long as the flaw remained, the "Heavenly River" could find it.

As the two fought, trees fell one by one, and withered yellow leaves drifted about.

Xie Xiaofeng's ceaselessly flowing sword light suddenly underwent a strange change, becoming heavy and clumsy.

A "clang" rang out.

The sword light collapsed, and the two constantly moving figures also came to a halt.

Xie Xiaofeng looked at his own sword, and a complex expression that was hard to describe suddenly bloomed on his face—it looked like astonishment, like disappointment, like relief...

The gap in his sword had been pierced through by another sword.

The changes in his sword had been nailed shut.

But Xie Xiaofeng had not yet lost; he suddenly let out a great shout, driving his True Qi to shake Yu Liancheng's sword away.

Yu Liancheng swept backward, he did not strike again, but only watched Xie Xiaofeng quietly.

Xie Xiaofeng was also looking at himself, looking at his own sword.

He suddenly raised his head to look at Yu Liancheng: "Thank you."

After saying these words, he twisted the long sword in his hand, hilt facing out, tip facing in.

The sword had already pierced into his own chest.

The sword tip sliced through his skin, a cold and sharp stinging pain piercing straight into the depths of Xie Xiaofeng's heart.

His duel with Yu Liancheng had not yet been completely decided.

But he already knew that he would undoubtedly lose.

Others could lose, but Xie Xiaofeng could not lose, the Third Young Master could not lose.

There is only a dead Third Young Master.

There is no Third Young Master who has lost.

This is a form of obsession, and also the price he must pay for bearing the glory of the Xie Family.

Xie Xiaofeng stabbed very slowly, the muscles on his face twitching constantly due to the pain.

Since he was already going to die, why not experience the feeling before death a little more.

Yu Liancheng, however, suddenly shook his head: "I once thought that you casting aside the identity of the Third Young Master might be to temper your heart in the mortal world. But I never expected that you are truly a coward. Escaping the glory of the Third Young Master, escaping the burden of fame, escaping the pain of failure. A person like you is simply not worthy of dying by my hand."

Xie Xiaofeng's facial muscles twitched.

Blood had already soaked through his lapels, like blooming plum blossoms.

A streak of black light flew out, "Clang!" striking Xie Xiaofeng's sword; he was already injured, and he could not hold onto the long sword in his hand, which fell to the ground.

"You cannot die!"

Suddenly, a black figure drifted out; "he" wore a strange bronze mask on his face and was draped in a wide black robe, his voice hoarse and grating, clearly having used a special method to disguise it.

It made people unable to know "his" appearance, and even unable to tell whether he was a man or a woman.

"It's you!" Xie Xiaofeng recognized this person at a glance, surprised: "Don't you want me to die?"

That black figure gritted his teeth and said: "I want you to die, I want to kill you with my own hands, not let you commit suicide so easily. Furthermore, your debts have not yet been repaid, how can you die?"

Xie Xiaofeng said: "I do not owe anyone any debts, including you."

"But you do owe me." A child of thirteen or fourteen years old suddenly walked out, the gaze he directed at Xie Xiaofeng holding a complexity and depth that did not belong to his age.

Xie Xiaofeng looked at this child, his heart stirred: "What is your name?"

"I have no name, I am a little brother, a little brother that no one wants."

Xie Xiaofeng's body trembled, his hand covering his wound: "You... you..."

"Two peerless swordsmen fighting, how did it turn into a soap opera." Yu Liancheng watched this scene, couldn't help but shake his head, sheathed his sword, and drifted away.

PS: Four chapters today, two more to go, asking for monthly votes.