Lin Jiulao's retching could be heard amidst the swirling dust.
A trace of blood dripped from the corner of Lin Jiulao's mouth as he propped himself up with one hand. Sitting up amidst the billowing dust, he couldn't see any sign of Stormqueller.
Waves of intense pain surged from his chest. Lin Jiulao reached out to touch the area, feeling a slight depression under his skin. It was likely that two of his ribs were broken.
"Heh..." Lin Jiulao chuckled, which only aggravated the pain, causing the corners of his mouth to twitch downward. "Speed is invincible. How interesting..."
Before he could finish his words or get up fully from the ground, a sudden sense of danger surged through him. Without thinking, Lin Jiulao instinctively rolled to the side!
A sharp blade sliced through the air right above his back, leaving a deep slash in the ground where he had just been sitting!
Stormqueller stood nearby, still holding his striking position. The moment that the first attack had missed, he immediately pressed the assault.
Lin Jiulao appeared rattled, not expecting Stormqueller to be so relentless. The Tang blade advanced on him step by step and swung without any mercy, leaving no room for him to catch his breath.
Lin Jiulao's temper flared. When had he ever been in such a dire situation?
Before Stormqueller Ye Beizhi could close the distance, Lin Jiulao took a deep breath, raised his zhanmadao with one hand, and pushed off the ground with the other, somersaulting backward to his feet.
"Well done, Stormqueller! Truly ruthless! I think your aim could use some work. Why not humbly ask for my guidance?".
Lin Jiulao stopped taunting his opponent when he saw a figure darting out from the dust, rushing straight at him! Who could it be but Stormqueller!
Though his words were flippant, the seriousness in Lin Jiulao's eyes never wavered. Seeing Stormqueller approaching, he gripped his zhanmadao with both hands and braced himself.
In his line of sight, Stormqueller Ye Beizhi dropped in again, the gust of wind he stirred up causing the settling dust to swirl violently once more.
Stormqueller held his Tang blade in his right hand, restraining its menacing momentum. The blade lay flat against his left shoulder, the edge facing outward and the spine pressed against his left cheek.
His gaze was sharp and unwavering as he fixed his eyes on Lin Jiulao, standing not far away. Man and blade had become one, exuding an aura like a tiger, the king of the jungle, descending the mountain, scattering the prey in its path!
Lin Jiulao held his breath, knowing from Ye Beizhi's aggressive posture that this strike would be extraordinary. With absolute concentration and preparation, he fully intended on reversing his previous disadvantage with this one move.
In a flash, Ye Beizhi was already upon him. Lin Jiulao saw the Tang blade's glint in the sunlight, flashing coldly. His eyes involuntarily squinted, and when he looked again, Ye Beizhi had suddenly vanished from sight!
Before he could panic, Lin Jiulao caught sight of a figure in the corner of his eye. He quickly looked down and saw Stormqueller bending slightly, his steps shifting as his body spun in a full circle. His feet slid out in an arc, allowing him to slip behind Lin Jiulao in an instant!
Lin Jiulao immediately sensed danger and, without waiting for Ye Beizhi to make a move, pivoted and swung his blade straight down behind him!
As Lin Jiulao's zhanmadao came down, Ye Beizhi also swung his blade. As he spun, his Tang Blade swept out horizontally, emitting a chilling gleam that traced a glowing arc, dazzling like a crescent moon on the horizon.
The Tang blade struck hard against the back of the zhanmadao, halting its momentum and producing a deafening clash.
Lin Jiulao felt a numbness in his hand as blood began to seep from the cracked skin at the base of his thumb. His hands were already a bloody mess.
The blade in his hand continued to tremble from the residual force, emitting a mournful hum. Upon closer inspection, a gash about an inch in depth had been carved into the back of the blade.
What a tyrannical strike!
Lin Jiulao's heart was filled with shock. He knew his own weapon well. He was proud of his zhanmadao that was forged from an incredibly tough, exotic iron from the Western Regions. Since the day it had been forged, nothing had been able to leave even a scratch on its surface, let alone carve out a gash this deep!
Lin Jiulao drew in a sharp breath, taking two steps back as he looked at the Tang Blade in Stormqueller Ye Beizhi's hand. "Your blade?!"
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly recalling what Shi Wufeng had said to him, That Tang blade is the sharpest blade in the world.
Ye Beizhi stood up straight, with fresh blood trickling from the base of his right thumb too and flowing down the hilt of the blade. Even he had felt the strain from that clash.
He slowly exhaled, transferring his Tang Blade to his left hand while wiping the blood off his right hand onto his clothes. Fixing his gaze on Lin Jiulao, he took up his blade once more.
Lin Jiulao could feel that familiar killing intent once more engulfing him, knowing that Ye Beizhi's next offensive was imminent. He tightened his grip on the hilt and steadied his breathing. Just before Ye Beizhi could make his move, Lin Jiulao suddenly shouted and leaped into the air!
"Stormqueller! Now it's your turn to take a strike from me!"
The zhanmadao, a weapon characterized by its wide and long blade, was built for brute strength. The one in Lin Jiulao's hand was much larger than the typical zhanmadao.
As he swung it down with all his might, its speed nearly matched Ye Beizhi's Tang blade, creating gusts of wind that stirred the forest!
Facing the thunderous blow, Ye Beizhi dared not meet it head-on. He pushed off with his feet, preparing to evade.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Lin Jiulao roared!
As the enormous blade lashed out, it created a dense flurry of blade shadows that clung to Ye Beizhi like a leech. No matter how he dodged or shifted, it was like he couldn't escape the reach of the blade.
At this moment, the huge blade seemed like it came to life as it pursued Ye Beizhi like a ravenous wolf determined to rend the flesh from its prey.
Lin Jiulao seemed secondary to the blade, as if it were the massive blade dragging him along rather than him controlling the blade.
The blade shadows grew denser and denser, making it increasingly difficult for Ye Beizhi to continue evading.
Lin Jiulao, on the other hand, looked at ease. His rippling muscles showed no sign of fatigue despite swinging his massive blade for so long. Seeing Ye Beizhi struggling, his excitement mounted.
"Ha! Is that all you’ve got? Stormqueller, would you like to know what kind of blade technique this is? Do you want me to teach you?"
As Lin Jiulao gloated, he suddenly felt resistance against his zhanmadao, and sparks abruptly flew from the dense flurry of blade shadows.
He looked up and saw Ye Beizhi's Tang blade scraping along the length of his blade's edge, sending sparks flying as it honed in on his forehead!
Behind the Tang blade were Ye Beizhi's cold, sharp eyes.