260: Chapter 259 Knife and Sword

Jiang Hanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

"Connection?"

"Exactly." Master Xue Mu took out a Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou. "These are the insights I've gathered from researching the Sword Gu Secret Technique over the years. The symbiotic connection between the Sword Seed and the Divine Soul seems unbreakable, but it actually has a fatal flaw: it requires Han Qing to continuously nourish it with essence blood."

He paused and said word for word, "If you can force Han Qing to consume a large amount of essence blood during the battle, the symbiotic connection will become fragile. At that moment, strike the connection with the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber—the Sword Gu will backfire, and Han Qing will surely be defeated."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

The Jade Slip was densely packed with Master Xue Mu's research on the Sword Gu Secret Technique. One passage, marked in golden font, was particularly striking:

"The symbiotic connection of the Sword Gu is like a rope. One end of the rope is Han Qing's Divine Soul, and the other is the Sword Seed. The strength of the rope depends on the abundance of Han Qing's essence blood. The more abundant the essence blood, the tougher the rope; the more depleted the essence blood, the more fragile the rope."

"The way to break the deadlock is not to cut the rope, but to let the rope break itself."

"Force Han Qing to consume essence blood. The more he consumes, the more brittle the rope becomes. When the rope is at its most fragile—a single light strike will shatter it."

Jiang Hanzhou placed the Jade Slip into his sumeru pouch and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he looked up at Master Xue Mu. "Master, your Disciple understands."

Master Xue Mu looked at him, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes. "What do you plan to do?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "At the Sword Discussion Assembly, I won't use the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber right away. I will engage him head-on with the tiger soul saber, using the Tidal True Intent, Pure Yang True Intent, Golden Sharpness True Intent, and Heavenly Fire True Intent in rotation to force him to continuously use the power of the Sword Gu."

He paused and said word for word, "Each time he uses the power of the Sword Gu, it will consume his essence blood. The more essence blood consumed, the more fragile the symbiotic connection becomes. When his essence blood is exhausted to the limit—I will strike the connection with the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber."

Master Xue Mu nodded. "Indeed. But are you confident you can force him to consume enough essence blood in a head-on confrontation? Han Qing is currently in the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm, two minor Realms higher than you. His Sword Gu power is enough to contend with the Peak of the Dragon Fetus Realm."

Jiang Hanzhou smiled faintly.

The smile was faint, but it contained an indescribable confidence.

"Has Master forgotten?" he said calmly. "My four types of True Intent are no ordinary True Intents. The Tidal True Intent is continuous and unending, the Pure Yang True Intent is fierce and overbearing, the Golden Sharpness True Intent is peerlessly sharp, and the Heavenly Fire True Intent is ever-changing. Their Fusion is enough to fight a Late Stage Dragon Fetus Realm."

He paused, his gaze burning like torches. "Moreover—I have the tiger soul saber, the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber, and the Dragon-Slaying True Intent. Han Qing has the Sword Gu, but I have the Dragon-Slaying True Intent that counters it. The outcome of this battle is yet to be decided."

Master Xue Mu looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he laughed.

In that laughter, there was gratification, pride, and an indescribable sense of... relief.

"Good." He patted Jiang Hanzhou's shoulder. "I will wait for your triumphant return."

He paused and said seriously, "But Han Zhou, remember—at the Sword Discussion Assembly, no matter what happens, staying alive is most important. If you lose, I will find a way to protect you. If you win—I will handle things on the Heavenly Sword Peak side."

Jiang Hanzhou bowed solemnly. "Your Disciple understands."

He turned and walked out of the hall.

Reaching the door, he suddenly stopped and said without looking back:

"Master, my Divine Intent Heavenly Saber has one final form."

Master Xue Mu's brow twitched slightly. "What?"

"Heavenly Saber: Spirit Sever."

Jiang Hanzhou's voice was as calm as water, yet it contained an indescribable killing intent:

"That strike isn't aimed at the Divine Soul, nor at the connection, but at the Dao Heart."

"Han Qing's Dao Heart is already shattered. He is now merely a walking corpse driven by the Sword Gu. If I strike his Dao Heart with the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber, he will instantly lose all Battle Intent and become a lamb to the slaughter."

"But that strike requires me to pour all my Divine Soul power into it. If it misses, my Sea of Consciousness will be unable to condense any Divine Soul power for the duration of an incense stick."

He paused and said word for word, "Therefore, I will only make one strike."

"One strike to decide life and death."

With those words, he strode out of Lihuo Hall, disappearing into the morning light.

Master Xue Mu stood in the hall, gazing at the receding back for a long time.

Then, he spoke slowly, his voice so low only he could hear:

"Stupid brat, don't you dare die."

He turned, walked back into the hall, and took out a dark red token from his sumeru pouch.

On the token were engraved two ancient characters: Red Fire.

He gripped the token tightly, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.

"At the Sword Discussion Assembly, if Han Qing dares to deal a lethal blow, I will make him pay with his life even if I have to sacrifice my own."

Heavenly Sword Peak, Sword Discussion Platform.

There were still three days until the official start of the Sword Discussion Assembly.

The entire Sword Discussion Platform had been newly decorated. The defensive runes on the stage were all replaced with the highest-Rank Heaven Rank runes, sufficient to withstand a full-strength blow from a Peak Dragon Fetus Realm Cultivator. On the viewing seats around the stage, the seats for the Elders of the seven Peaks had been arranged. Red Fire Peak was in the east, Heavenly Sword Peak in the west, Bibo Pool in the south, Black Tortoise Peak in the north, and Tianji Peak, Danxia Peak, and Zixiao Peak were positioned at the four corners.

In front of each viewing seat stood a bronze mirror about ten feet tall. The mirrors were engraved with dense Formation patterns; these were the "Shadow-Recording Formations" of the Dragon Abyss Palace, which could record every move and style on the stage and store them in the Sect's archives for future Disciples to study.

Hovering directly above the stage was a golden bead the size of a fist. The bead emitted a soft golden light, enveloping the entire stage. That was the "Heart-Protecting Bead," one of the treasures of the Dragon Abyss Palace, which could save the life of the loser at a critical moment... but only at a "critical moment."

Because the wager stated clearly: regardless of life or death.

The existence of the Heart-Protecting Bead was merely an added layer of insurance for this life-and-death battle. If the winner was determined to kill the loser, the Heart-Protecting Bead could not stop them.

At this moment, the Sword Discussion Platform was empty.

Only the wind swirled in the center of the stage.

In the wind, one could vaguely scent two completely different auras.

One was as fierce as the scorching sun, as continuous as the tide, as sharp as a blade, and as ever-changing as heavenly fire.

That was Jiang Hanzhou's aura.

The other was as metallic as blood, as cold as ice, and as eerie as an insect.

That was Han Qing's aura.

The two auras intertwined, collided, and tore at each other in the center of the stage, like two fierce beasts trapped in a cage, waiting for that moment three days later.

When the cage doors open, life and death will meet.