142: sneak attack

"This is the divine artifact of your Great Xia? It is said that the last time it was deployed was when a level 100 demon beast went berserk, and it was slain with just one strike. I didn't expect to have the honor of being its opponent today." William said warily, pulling the three divine artifacts close to him.

"I think you should worry about whether you'll end up like that demon beast," Xiao Sheng said, holding a halberd in one hand and a sword in the other.

"I don't think it'll come to that. After all, I also have artifacts that suppress national destiny in my hands now, and three of them at that." Despite his words, the vigilance on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

"Then today you might learn something new: even divine artifacts have grades! Fusang's three divine artifacts are nothing but trash!"

Following that, Xiao Sheng lunged forward with his sword.

William repeated his previous tactic; a beam of light emerged from the yata no kagami once more, attempting to restrain the weapon in Xiao Sheng's hand as before.

However, the xuanyuan yu sword merely vibrated slightly, and the beam that Xiao Sheng had been unable to handle was instantly sliced into dozens, then hundreds of segments, before dissipating into specks of light.

The luster of the yata no kagami, whose beam had been broken, dimmed instantly. Although it began absorbing light particles from the air to recover, it clearly wouldn't be able to produce that powerfully restrictive beam again in a short time.

"Your tricks are useless now, and this is my return gift to you!"

Xiao Sheng violently threw the azure dragon halberd, aiming it straight for William's heart.

It moved so fast it created a sonic boom, but William still managed to react in time. The yata no kagami swiveled to his chest like a breastplate, blocking the strike.

As for the other divine artifact, the kusanagi-no-tsurugi, it was not by his side.

With a slight hook of William's finger, Xiao Sheng felt danger rapidly approaching from an imperceptible spot behind him; it was the kusanagi-no-tsurugi, which had quietly circled around.

He was preparing to react, but the xuanyuan yu sword in his hand seemed as if it had been provoked, taking the initiative to block the kusanagi-no-tsurugi's attack.

"Clang!" The sound of the blades clashing was crisp. The kusanagi-no-tsurugi was instantly knocked away, while the xuanyuan yu sword remained as steady as a mountain.

The aura of a king among swords enveloped this entire small world. Whether they were Great Xia Spirit Guards or Fusang Dark Guards, any beasts that had undergone Weaponization into sword blades were forced to cancel their transformation and return to their original forms.

Even the kusanagi-no-tsurugi was trembling incessantly, like a child being scolded by an adult.

A massive notch had appeared where it had just collided with the xuanyuan yu sword; in contrast, there wasn't even a scratch on the opponent's blade.

William pulled the three divine artifacts back in front of him. In just one exchange, two of the three divine artifacts had their power damaged. Only the yata no kagami remained intact, and that was only because it hadn't actually clashed with the xuanyuan yu sword.

Furthermore, perhaps because the damage came from a collision with the true body of the xuanyuan yu sword, unlike the yata no kagami which could recover its power, the damage to the kusanagi-no-tsurugi was permanent.

"Is this why the Old fellows are so wary of Great Xia? This sword is indeed excessively strong..." William said, his eyes burning as he looked at the xuanyuan yu sword in Xiao Sheng's hand.

However, he also knew that the current situation was very unfavorable, and preserving his life was the most important thing.

And he wasn't the only one in a bad spot.

The Dark Guard Captain General facing off against Lin Xi had originally wanted to see Xiao Sheng taken down, intending to strike suddenly when Lin Xi's guard was down.

But who would have expected that Holy Sun's appearance with the xuanyuan yu sword would shatter his delusions.

Most crucially, among the three of them, he happened to be the one responsible for the kusanagi-no-tsurugi.

Through years of nurturing it with his heart's blood, a subtle connection had formed between him and the kusanagi-no-tsurugi.

Consequently, the moment the kusanagi-no-tsurugi was damaged by the xuanyuan yu sword, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and his mind went into a daze for a split second.

Even though it was only for an instant, he realized things were bad. After all, his current opponent was the Dream Demon Lin Xi, a unique existence in the field of spiritual attacks.

"I don't seem to have entered a dream. Could it be he didn't notice? It was only for a second after all..." He breathed a sigh of relief.

But then he felt something was wrong. Quiet. It was far too quiet around him.

He was clearly on a battlefield filled with hidden dangers; logically, the sounds of killing and shouting should be mixed together in a massive din.

But he couldn't hear anything.

No, there seemed to be sounds around him, but they felt dragged out extremely long, sounding like ethereal, incomprehensible echoes.

"Is Lin Xi moving? Is he walking toward me? But why are his movements so slow? Is he looking down on me?"

Amidst his fear of the unknown, he no longer wanted to wait and tried to launch an attack, only to find that his own movements had also become incredibly slow.

He clearly wanted to swing his weapon quickly, but he could only watch as his arm rose at a snail's pace.

This intense sense of disconnect was so agonizing it felt as if his soul was being torn apart.

"I really did fall for a trick, didn't I? What kind of spiritual attack is this? It slowed down my senses?"

He seemed to see Lin Xi's lips moving as if saying something, but the sound reached his ears as an interminably long drawl.

To everyone else, however, it sounded perfectly normal: "I didn't expect a brief opening to appear in your spiritual body; otherwise, using this move really wouldn't have been easy."

"Thank me, for I have let you experience the legendary Superman Moment!"

"Does it feel like you've become sluggish? It's actually not that at all. On the contrary, your thoughts are currently running dozens or even hundreds of times faster than a normal person's."

"It's said that only during the life-and-death moments of a duel between masters does someone enter this state. The opponent's moves seem to turn into slow motion, allowing one to turn defeat into victory. That is the Superman Moment."

"In the span of an instant, countless thoughts flash through your mind, but the body cannot keep up with the high-speed processing of the mind."

"This intense derailment prevents the body from reacting in time, making it appear sluggish instead. I suppose this is the legendary 'extremes meet'."

"I've talked a bit too much. It wouldn't be good if the effect wears off. Let me send you on your way."

Lin Xi took a weapon from someone nearby and walked up to the man.

This had actually only taken about ten seconds, but in the opponent's eyes, it was an agonizingly long time.

And so, without any resistance, he watched as Lin Xi's weapon pierced through his body.

"Is Teacher Lin's ability this terrifying..." Xu Yao said, somewhat shocked.

Because she remembered Lin Xi saying that after her Mermaid evolved into a Lord, it would also be a standout among spirit-type demon beasts.

"Does this mean I can have this kind of strength in the future?" Just as everyone was cheering in amazement at the power Lin Xi had displayed...

His body swayed, looking as if he might fall at any moment.

Xiao Xu, being quick-witted, reached out to support him.

"Whew... influencing the spirit of an opponent of this level isn't easy, even when he showed a opening." Lin Xi said, pressing his temples and frowning. Clearly, he had just consumed a great deal of Spiritual Power.

Xiao Xu said with a smile, "Teacher Lin, you're joking. Who else but you could kill a level 90 Beast Tamer without a scratch? Unless it was a sneak attack?"

Then, a sharp blade pierced through Lin Xi's chest, the bright edge emerging from his front stained with bright red blood.