Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Whoosh!"
At the critical moment, Ye Xuan finally turned around, his long sword intercepting Xu Taiping's slash.
"Bang!"
Despite this, the immense force behind the blade still sent Ye Xuan tumbling to the ground.
He rolled dozens of feet away before stopping himself with his sword thrust into the earth.
Witnessing this scene and feeling the fluctuations of the Gazing Abyss Realm emanating from Xu Taiping, gasps of shock filled the air.
"This lad has actually broken through to the Gazing Abyss Realm!"
Someone exclaimed in astonishment.
Zi Yan and Zhao Linglong's expressions were even more shocked than the rest.
They were among the few who knew that Xu Taiping possessed a White Spirit Bone.
"A White Bone, breaking through to Wangyou in three years? How is this possible?"
Xu Ziyan's face was a picture of disbelief.
Zhao Linglong shook her head excitedly:
"Senior Sister Ziyann, don't forget, Taiping is the disciple chosen by the Spiritual Bones Stele!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ziyan was momentarily stunned, then realization dawned on her:
"Yes, he's the disciple personally chosen by the Spiritual Bones Stele!"
Had Zhao Linglong not mentioned it, she might have forgotten this fact.
While geniuses with White Spirit Bones were not unheard of, they were exceedingly rare, and almost every one of these exceptions eventually became a formidable figure.
"Clang!"
Amidst the murmurs and exclamations of the crowd, Ye Xuan channeled all his True Qi into his treasured sword.
He leapt up and merged with his sword once more, transforming into a giant sword shadow that swept towards Xu Taiping from the east side of the platform.
Clearly, he was not ready to admit defeat just yet.
"Whoosh!"
Faced with this attack, Xu Taiping's feet exploded with power, his figure turning into an afterimage that vanished from the spot.
"Bang!"
Ye Xuan's sword hit nothing but air, striking the platform.
"Boom!"
At that moment, Xu Taiping executed the Shadow Wind Step, leaping into the air above Ye Xuan.
Then, his notched long knife, with the sound of tearing through the air, came slashing down.
"Clang!"
Ye Xuan did not back down. His face twisted with ferocity, he channeled his True Qi and thrust his sword with all his might.
"Bang!"
The collision of blade and sword sent shockwaves sweeping across the Sword Control Platform.
"Crack!"
Xu Taiping's last knife broke.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan's lips curled into a smile.
In his view, without his knife, Xu Taiping stood no chance of breaking through his Dragon Flame Armor with mere fists.
But what Ye Xuan didn't expect was…
The moment his long knife shattered, Xu Taiping used the blood on his arm to condense a blood-red ice knife with his residual True Qi, and with a "whoosh," he slashed down without hesitation.
"Bang!"
Ye Xuan was sent flying by the blow.
The slash was completely unexpected; not only was the Dragon Flame Armor shattered, but a long wound appeared on his chest.
Since beginning his cultivation, this was the first time he had suffered such a severe injury.
And more importantly…
After Xu Taiping's left hand delivered the slash, his right hand was already clenched into a fist, gathering the sound of "wind and thunder," ready to smash down on him.
In a mix of rage and panic, Ye Xuan formed a sword gesture with his hand, chanted an incantation, and then bellowed:
"Fire Dragon Sword, behead him for me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the flying sword behind him shot out of its sheath with a "clang," and like lightning, it aimed for Xu Taiping.
At this moment, he cared nothing for the rules of the duel.
All he wanted was to kill the youth before him!
"Bang!"
Xu Taiping knew he could be pierced through by the flying sword at any moment.
But he also understood that if he didn't throw this punch, the situation would become even more perilous.
So, he decided to take a gamble.
While he concentrated all his True Qi to form an Ice Armor on his body, his punch did not weaken, and he struck heavily towards Ye Xuan's forehead.
Seeing this, a hint of panic flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes, which had only shown anger before.
"Boom!"
"Bang!"
The next moment, the sound of the air being split and the impact occurred almost simultaneously.
"Whoosh!"
Perhaps due to the shock, the flying sword controlled by Ye Xuan wavered, missing its mark and merely grazing Xu Taiping's neck without hitting a vital spot.
But Xu Taiping was different.
His fist, as resolute as his gaze, landed heavily on Ye Xuan's forehead.
Ye Xuan's body jerked back violently.
"Bang!"
However, just as Xu Taiping's fist was about to shatter Ye Xuan's forehead…
A streak of green light shot out from his brow, enveloping him and blocking Xu Taiping's heavy punch.
Clearly, this was a life-saving restriction left within Ye Xuan by the Qingxuan Sect.
But Xu Taiping didn't care about anything else and roared:
"Charging Bull Formation!"
Then, he began to use both fists, one after the other, pounding against the green light screen in front of Ye Xuan.
Even if it were a mountain before him, he would carve his way through!
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang…"
Xu Taiping's fists, fast enough to leave only afterimages, struck the green light repeatedly.
The thousand-fold force in his fists shook Ye Xuan so much that he couldn't gather his True Qi, only able to watch in terror as the green light shield weakened under Xu Taiping's fists.
"Crack!"
On the one hundred and first punch of the Charging Bull Formation, a crack suddenly appeared on the rune on Ye Xuan's forehead, and blood immediately began to seep out.
In an instant, fear was all that remained in Ye Xuan's eyes.
Although he had lost his family and country, he had always been protected since childhood. He had never faced a life-and-death challenge, let alone suffered even a minor scrape.
So now, realizing he might actually die under the fists of the youth before him, he became utterly disoriented.
Even though his cultivation was half a realm higher than Xu Taiping's, even though he had yet to use his most powerful techniques.
"What do I do, what now?"
Ye Xuan lay there, his mind in chaos.
In contrast…
Even with victory in sight, Xu Taiping's mind remained clear, his gaze steadfast, never once slackening.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
With another five consecutive punches, Xu Taiping brought the Charging Bull Formation to the one hundred and seventh punch.
"Bang!"
With the one hundred and seventh punch, the massive platform carved from a single piece of azure stone trembled violently.
Dust on the platform shook into the air.
At the same time, the green light screen in front of Ye Xuan became extremely transparent, the runes that had been faintly visible on it now mostly shattered.
And the rune on Ye Xuan's forehead, along with the skin, split open, causing his forehead to bleed profusely.
"Ugh!"
Ye Xuan, who had been holding on, finally let out a pained groan.