496: Chapter 496 Don't underestimate me!

"I've heard that sentence once before."

"Without a doubt, it's true."

That bad premonition was confirmed; Yun Zexuan also looked toward Li Xuan.

Li Xuan froze on the spot.

He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound; only his pupils were trembling violently.

"My... Divine Ability Sword?"

"But you've only seen it for the first time, only exchanged one blow..."

Qin Wangchuan was a monster; Li Xuan had always known this.

He had known it five years ago.

But only today did he suddenly realize—

The monster he had imagined was the Qin Wangchuan from five years ago.

And the one before him was the Qin Wangchuan from five years later.

A monster among monsters.

One glance.

Just one glance.

And the Divine Ability Sword, which he had pondered for years and cultivated through countless days and nights, became someone else's.

A blade solidified in front of him.

It wasn't formless and substance-less like Li Xuan's, but a tangible, physical entity.

The sword was slender, its body translucent white like jade, with golden Dao patterns flowing ceaselessly on the blade.

The hilt was wrapped in layers of dragon scales.

A cold luster moved between the scales, as if something alive was breathing.

Qin Wangchuan held the sword in his left hand and lightly brushed his right hand over the blade.

Where his fingertips passed, five words slowly emerged on the sword—

"This Worlds Wonderful Law Sword"

He took a glance and nodded.

Then he switched the sword to his right hand and casually twirled it.

Sword light poured out.

With just a casual twirl, the pouring sword light tore hideous gashes into the ground.

Rubble splashed, and dust rose everywhere.

On the spectator stands, discussions broke out.

"Is it a New Law?"

"It doesn't seem so; it's similar to that Li Xuan's."

"But look closely, it seems different. Li Xuan's is formless and substance-less, while his is physical."

"Those dragon scales on the sword... is it True Dragon power?"

On the stage.

Li Xuan took a deep breath.

Then, he stepped forward alone.

He didn't look at anyone or say a word.

Just holding that formless and substance-less sword, he walked toward Qin Wangchuan step by step.

At this moment, no tactics or odds of winning were needed anymore.

Ye Lingchuan, holding the immortal burying coffin, subconsciously took a step forward.

He wanted to follow.

But as he passed by Chu Wujiu, a hand reached out and stopped him.

Ye Lingchuan turned his head, his gaze filled with questions.

Chu Wujiu didn't speak, only shook his head with a grave expression.

Ye Lingchuan was stunned for a moment.

Then, he understood.

He looked at Li Xuan's back, then at Qin Wangchuan in the distance, and silently withdrew his step.

On the arena stage.

Qin Wangchuan looked up as if sensing something, watching the figure walking toward him alone.

He didn't speak.

But that Sword Intent had already arrived first.

Like a tide overflowing the banks, silent and soundless, yet instantly enveloping him.

It contained no hostility, nor even a hint of testing.

It was just the purest invitation.

Qin Wangchuan understood.

Li Xuan was yearning for a duel.

A pure, unreserved duel between sword and sword.

He didn't speak.

He just stepped forward.

As he took a step, the Sword Intent on his body also spread out.

The two Sword Intents collided in the air.

The distance shortened with every step.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

Three steps.

The next moment.

The two figures instantly collided!

Fast.

So fast that only afterimages remained.

On the spectator stands, most people didn't even see what happened, only hearing a crisp sword chime.

Ding!

Following that was a continuous sound of clashing metal.

Ding ding ding ding ding—

Sword light poured out, tearing through everything around them.

Rubble flew, and dust danced wildly.

But those two figures constantly wove through the dust, so fast it made one's eyes blur.

No flashy Daoist arts.

No earth-shattering techniques.

This was the purest competition between two Sword Cultivators.

Parrying.

Attacking.

Being parried.

Attacking again.

Both held a Divine Ability Sword; with no difference in weaponry, what remained was a contest of sword skills.

Li Xuan gritted his teeth hard.

His movements were extremely strained.

The force was too great.

Every strike from Qin Wangchuan was as heavy as a thousand pounds, making his arms numb and the skin between his thumb and forefinger split.

His internal organs felt as if they were shifting; every parry felt like enduring a heavy blow.

Yet the opponent's offensive remained fierce.

One strike after another, each faster than the last.

There was simply no chance to breathe.

'This won't do.'

'It can't go on like this.'

Li Xuan whispered in his heart.

He knew that if he continued to hold on like this, he would lose within ten strikes.

He had to change his strategy.

Dealing with Qin Wangchuan couldn't be like dealing with others.

He couldn't just take it head-on.

He had to deflect.

He had to dissipate the force.

His blade met Qin Wangchuan's edge, and at the moment of contact, he suddenly turned—

Not a direct block.

But landing on the side.

Dissipating the force.

And then—

Borrowing the force!

Counterattacking with an even more fierce offensive!

Ding!

At a certain moment, Li Xuan's His eyes suddenly went vacant..

It wasn't a loss of focus.

It was as if the person inside the shell had temporarily stepped back, leaving everything to instinct.

His gaze was still locked onto Qin Wangchuan, but there were no longer any emotional fluctuations.

No Battle Intent, no killing intent, even the thought of victory or defeat had vanished completely.

Only the sword remained.

He had entered a strange state.

Qin Wangchuan's sword became clear in his eyes.

The trajectory of every strike, the landing point of every strike, the force of every strike.

He saw everything clearly.

Not just seeing clearly.

He could even anticipate.

Anticipating where the next strike would come from, how to dissipate the force, and how to counterattack.

It was a transformation in just an instant.

Li Xuan's offensive suddenly became violent.

One strike after another, each faster than the last.

No longer barely parrying.

But a true mutual offensive.

Qin Wangchuan's brow twitched slightly.

He noticed the change in Li Xuan.

In those eyes, his own sword was reflected.

But he himself was not.

Only the sword.

A pure, focused sword without any stray thoughts.

The dragon form combined with the Divine Ability Sword was indestructible and could cut through anything.

He should have been the one with the advantage.

But Li Xuan's offensive grew fiercer and fiercer, his sword heavier and heavier.

That figure gradually became taller in his eyes.

The directness and sharpness of a Sword Cultivator were displayed to the fullest in Li Xuan.

Attacking only the front.

And only attacking the front.

No matter who the opponent was, no matter how strong they were.

He only attacked the front.

As they fought.

Qin Wangchuan suddenly paused for a moment.

Not a physical pause.

But a mental one.

That sliver of Karma belonging to Li Xuan was activated.

He saw it.

He saw images of Li Xuan tempering his sword skills through countless days and nights.

While he was exploring Secret Realms, Li Xuan was tempering his sword skills.

When he went to the Lower Realm, Li Xuan was tempering his sword skills.

After losing to him, he went back to continue tempering his sword skills.

Day after day.

Year after year.

No stopping, no slacking.

Only the sword.

Only that formless and substance-less sword.

Qin Wangchuan suddenly realized:

'It seems this is the first time I've actually competed with him in sword skills.'

Li Xuan wasn't proficient in Daoist arts and such.

But without a doubt, in terms of sword skills—

He might just be the strongest.

Bang!

A muffled sound.

Qin Wangchuan was struck in the chest by a sword.

Although the Dragon Gauze blocked the blow, the massive force belonging to the Heaven and Earth Law still sent him flying.

He flipped in mid-air and landed steadily ten zhang away.

He looked up at Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's eyes were vacant as he stared intently at him.

It was a strange state—the State of No-Self.

Immersed heart and soul in the battle, discarding all stray thoughts, leaving only the sword.

He raised his sword and pointed it at Qin Wangchuan.

His voice was soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears:

"You got distracted."

He paused.

"Don't see me as too weak!"