"Is that all you've got?"
The slender swords in Ripple Swift's hand was like the finest baton in the hands of a master conductor. And the Annihilation Arrows that Lu Sheng fired were like notes obediently following that conductor's command. With a gentle wave of the baton, the notes immediately obeyed. The Annihilation Arrows couldn't even get within 10 meters of her, let alone injure her.
Holding her two slender swords, Ripple looked at Sheng, shook her head, and said indifferently, "If this is the best you've got, then I'm afraid... With your current strength, you're still far from completing the King Coronation Path..."
"Is that so?"
Sheng, his face expressionless, suddenly shook his arms violently. Within the span of his arms, a dense swarm of Annihilation Arrows—numbering no fewer than a hundred—instantly rained down.
"Well, how about this time?"
Sheng tugged at the corner of his mouth, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.
Hundreds of Annihilation Arrows shot out at blinding speed. Midway through their flight, the aura of the Law of Destruction erupted from the tip of each arrow, staining the entire shaft a pure black. The once-graceful arrows once again transformed into blades of Destruction capable of obliterating everything.
This time, Ripple's expression finally flickered slightly. Yet her gaze remained unflinching. She swept her slender swords through the air, and a dense, azure light immediately surged from within their blades. A trace of the Law of Wind emerged.
"I've finally forced your Law Power out." Sheng smiled. "I thought you'd keep fighting me like this forever."
Ripple said nothing, merely manipulating her twin swords. Beneath her slender blades, the azure Law of Wind coalesced into countless crystalline, translucent blue threads which spread out behind her like wings. Like dandelion seeds suddenly scattered by a fierce wind, they burst outward.
These blue threads of the Law actively met the Arrows of Destruction fired by Sheng. The power of the Law of Destruction was overwhelmingly domineering. These were merely threads of Law condensed from the Law of Wind. In terms of tier, they were no match for the power of the Law of Destruction; even the slightest touch caused them to snap one after another.
Hundreds of Arrows of Destruction collided with the vast number of Law threads. The latter immediately began to disintegrate in large swaths. Meanwhile, the Arrows of Destruction suffered almost no damage.
But Ripple didn't care in the slightest; more threads of the Law surged from the slender swords in her hands. Her expression remained terrifyingly calm; she seemed utterly indifferent to the damage to her threads of the Law.
The slender swords in her hands tapped lightly in the void. Plucking at those invisible strings hidden within the fabric of space and the cosmos. Finally, the slender sword in her right hand gently brushed against one of the Arrows of Destruction.
It was merely a light touch. Ripple swiftly withdrew her hand. Yet the Arrow of Destruction she had touched experienced a slight shift in its trajectory, its direction and angle deflecting ever so slightly.
Then Ripple struck again. She struck a second Arrow of Destruction, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth. All within the blink of an eye.
The two slender swords in her hands made direct contact—at least once—with every single Arrow of Destruction. Throughout the entire process, Ripple's movements and posture were so fluid and graceful that it resembled a unique dance. A magnificent Starry Sky Sword Dance.
It possessed a stunning beauty that even Sheng found breathtaking. It was precisely the moment Ripple had lightly touched the final Arrow of Destruction that a strange phenomenon occurred.
Sheng suddenly realized that the hundreds of Arrows of Destruction he had fired had abruptly slipped out of his control.
Like headless flies, they scattered in disarray, colliding with one another and exploding. In the space of just a few breaths, his powerful offensive—one that would have left even a formidable foe like Dilius reeling, driven to the brink of despair, or even death—had simply self-destructed, crumbling without a fight.
"Impressive."
Sheng uttered a gasp of admiration, his eyes glinting faintly. There was no ulterior motive behind it. He was genuinely amazed by Ripple's masterful swordsmanship. He was now almost certain that her sword fighting was at the Seventh Realm. If it weren't Seventh Realm Sword Art, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve such a terrifying effect—turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
"Well then. The warm-up is over."
Sheng gently cracked his neck. His perfect physique emitted a series of crisp, cracking sounds. He took a light step forward. The moment he took that step, his black hair rapidly lengthened, each strand turning pure white. The color of his pupils also became pure and clear. A pure white crown, veined with gold, quietly materialized on his forehead. In less than the blink of an eye, he had fully completed his transformation from human to god. The First Realm of the Extreme Yang!
"To be honest, I never really liked this kind of boring, 'kite-flying' style of combat,"
Sheng smiled at Ripple, revealing a row of white, even teeth. Set against the backdrop of his Extreme Yang divinity, his smile held a touch of compassion and indulgence. It was as if a deity were looking down upon the mortal world with mercy. Yet the words that came from Sheng's mouth were of a completely different tone.
"I still prefer a fighting style where every punch lands with a satisfying thud."
With that, Sheng's figure abruptly vanished into a dazzling white light. Almost simultaneously, his figure reappeared less than 10 meters in front of Ripple. For the first time, a ripple of emotion stirred in Ripple's usually composed eyes, revealing a faint trace of surprise.
Within Sheng's martial body, over 367 million Extreme Yang Immortal Cells roared, simultaneously pumping out vast amounts of divine power. This colossal, unrestrained, and terrifying force converged entirely into Sheng's right fist in an instant.
His fist was completely enveloped in pure white light. It possessed the texture and luster of a diamond, so dazzling that one could not bear to look directly at it. Sheng's eyes burned as he stared intently at Ripple before him. He loomed over her, looking down from above, and brought his fist crashing down.
"God's Fist Descends!"
The moment that fist struck, endless pure white light nearly filled the entire battlefield.
Yet Ripple's gaze remained utterly unruffled. She crossed her slender swords. The Law of Wind, which had appeared once before, blossomed once more upon the slender swords. Only this time it no longer took the form of fine threads, but instead formed two light blades, as thin as cicada wings. These azure blades moved at a speed so rapid that even Sheng could not accurately track their frequency. They unleashed a terrifying force of cutting and sharpness.
Sheng's fist collided with the blades. Pure white energy rippled out in all directions. Yet there was almost no trace of the azure light. Sheng retreated back to his original position. He looked at his right hand, at the surface of his fist.
Two thin, intersecting white marks were slowly fading away. Not only that, but on his chest, neck, cheeks, limbs, and back… Sheng couldn't even count how many sword strikes Ripple had landed on him in the split second they clashed.
In any case, it seemed as though nearly every vital point on his body had been struck. If it weren't for the fact that the embryonic form of his Law Body had already taken shape, and the strength of his Immortal Martial Sovereign Body had been drastically enhanced, he estimated that he would have suffered severe injuries and been defeated in just that single exchange.
"Your control over energy is truly abysmal."
Ripple's voice drifted from afar. Sheng looked up and saw her, holding two swords, staring at him expressionlessly.
She said coldly, "Although your energy is practically limitless, and you don't care, so you can waste it recklessly, don't forget: you must control every single bit of energy that escapes. That, in itself, indirectly enhances the intensity of your attacks. Moreover, in this world, not every corner possesses such abundant cosmic energy for you to squander."
Sheng fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"You're right. One more time."
He gave a light shout, completely setting aside his previous disregard and casual attitude toward Ripple. He sprang forward once more. The two figures tangled together, moving at a staggering speed. Within a single second, hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of clashes and collisions occurred.
Because of the strength of his martial physique; Ripple's ordinary attacks simply couldn't break through his defenses. Sheng fought with utter recklessness, focusing solely on the offense. He realized that Ripple's pursuit of technique and control over her energy had reached a level bordering on the pathological.
Every ounce of her power was directed precisely to the most appropriate and effective spot; she never wasted a single bit. Her combat style functioned like an incredibly precise, high-speed machine. Every ounce of power within her body was a gear in this machine, working in perfect harmony with the others.
She consistently maintained the most precise and efficient methods, steadily unleashing the most terrifying attacks. Throughout this process, Sheng couldn't even manage to touch the hem of Ripple's robe.
Then he began consciously emulating her, training himself in technique and energy control. In fact, Sheng's control over his power was not bad at all; after all, he had absorbed and inherited the memories of so many level 13 martial arts masters. Although some of these memories weren't particularly outstanding or complete, they were still enough to elevate his skills far above the average level. But compared to a master like Ripple, who had already mastered the techniques of the Seventh Realm of Martial Arts by the age of thirteen, he seemed far too inexperienced.
Sheng, however, did not lose heart. He was like a parched sponge, frantically soaking up nourishment from Ripple standing before him. At the same time, he was constantly delving into the depths of his memory, his muscles, and his soul—searching for those memories and techniques he had inherited but subsequently forgotten.
It wasn't as though inheriting the memories after defeating his opponents meant that Sheng had fully inherited everything about these people. Some things still required him to integrate, absorb, and digest memories himself before they could become part of his own strength.
Sheng had always done this before, but recently, his strength had risen too rapidly. Especially with the help of the 30 Third-tier Star Cores given to him by Zi Yanxin. His martial prowess had skyrocketed, and he hadn't yet had time to look back and consolidate many of the finer details.
Fortunately, Ripple had now given him just such an opportunity. Sheng wasn't in a hurry to figure out how to end this battle; on the contrary, he secretly hoped it would last a little longer.
"Wait."
Suddenly, the two slender swords clashed explosively, sending Sheng flying backward. Ripple stood several hundred meters away from Sheng, furrowing her delicate brows as she stared intently at him. A look of confusion and shock flashed across her stunning face.
"Why is your martial body so formidable? Even a Seventh Realm sword technique can't break through your defense?" Ripple asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.
Sheng naturally lowered his hands and relaxed his entire body. He took this opportunity to soothe the parts of his body that had been subjected to Ripple's frenzied attacks. After all, while his defenses remained unbroken, he still felt the pain. Being stabbed in the same spot tens of thousands of times in a row—the sensation was still excruciating.
Sheng channeled the Extreme Yang energy, washing over his martial body again and again. Then he smiled at Ripple, revealing a gentle, completely non-aggressive expression. He spoke softly.
"Have you only just realized?"
Ripple furrowed her brows, scrutinizing Sheng's body from head to toe. Suddenly. She vanished from Sheng's field of vision.
A slight startle flashed through his heart, and by the time he regained his composure. An overwhelmingly intense sense of danger was already descending from above. Ripple's appearance had completely transformed from what it had been moments before. Her entire body was enveloped in a dazzling golden light.
The two slender swords in her hands had, at some point, merged into a single, broad-bladed greatsword. The golden light of a Law, filling the space, flowed back and forth between her and the greatsword.
For a split second, Sheng's vision blurred. In that instant, Ripple before him and the golden Law of the greatsword seemed to have truly fused into a single entity. An incredibly sharp Law Power radiated from every part of Ripple's body.
"Law Fusion Tier!"
Sheng blurted out instinctively. The final tier of the level 13s: Law Fusion. No wonder Ripple exuded an aura akin to that of a level 14 powerhouse. She had, without a doubt, reached a level approaching level 14.
A cold voice emerged from Ripple's mouth.
"Golden Star Ripples."
In an instant, the figure of her holding the long sword vanished. In its place was a dazzling golden light. This golden light evenly split the entire battlefield in two.
Sheng even saw right at the very center of the space, the void itself seemed to be terrifyingly split cleanly in two. A tremendous sense of danger surged through his body. The next moment, a terrifying, dazzling golden starry river cascaded down.
He had no time to think; he could only clasp his hands together, adopting a parrying stance, and quickly brought them up to block the attack above his head. The golden starry river, carrying a terrifying sharpness, slashed down viciously.
Sheng's figure was instantly engulfed. And the moment it struck him, it was as if it had struck a vast, pure-white ocean; countless white lights splashed in all directions, endlessly surging.
At that moment, Ripple's figure quietly materialized not far away. The slender sword in her hand had completely transformed into a greatsword, which she now gripped in her right hand. She gazed impassively at the spot where the sword had just struck.
There, with the point of impact as the center, the entire battlefield had been cleanly sliced in two. However, Ripple's control over her power was masterful; though the space was on the verge of being split apart, it had not been completely severed. This prevented the battlefield from collapsing immediately after the battle ended.
"Will anything happen?"
Ripple stared at the point where the sword light had struck, muttering to herself. That sword strike had been delivered with almost all her might. The battle space was completely cleaved open; below level 14, virtually no one could withstand it. However, she had controlled it well, anticipating that the sword strike would only severely injure Sheng, not kill him.
Just as Ripple was pondering, the surging white light before her suddenly exploded. A tall, perfect figure emerged from the white light. Sheng stood quietly in the center of the white light, head tilted back, eyes closed. His right hand was pressed against his forehead, and in the center of his handsome face, a white sword mark extending to his chest was rapidly fading and disappearing.
Seeing this, her pupils contracted sharply. Even the usually composed Ripple could no longer maintain her inner peace. A thousand turbulent waves surged within her. She took a sudden step forward, blurting out...
"How is this possible?! What...what kind of martial body do you have?"
She was staring intently at him. She could hardly believe what he had just witnessed.
Sheng, hearing her voice, slowly opened his eyes. He gently lowered his hand from his forehead. As his hand left, the magnificent pure white crown on his forehead immediately split in two, revealing two neat halves. Without the crown's restraint, Sheng's long, pure white hair cascaded down. He possessed a forlorn, handsome air, like a monarch on the verge of ruin.
Lu Sheng calmly looked at Ripple Swift and spoke softly.
"You slashed my crown. Now, I am truly angry."
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Translation notes by dhoo
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Ripple Swift aka Fei Lian
See chapter #647
Hmm, she "had already mastered the techniques of the Seventh Realm of Martial Arts by the age of thirteen", despite not having any extraordinary Physique/Blood.
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Seventh Realm Sword Art
The author actually wrote "If it weren't Seventh Realm Archery" (七境箭術), but it seems it was a mistake since Ripple has an incredible mastery of sword fighting, not archery. I changed it. Sheng does master Archery, but Sixth Realm only.
I preferred saying "sword fighting" rather than "swordsmanship" (both are synonyms) since Ripple is a swordswoman not a swordsman.
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Golden Star Ripples aka Venus Ripples
金星之漣: 金星 Venus (gold star)