Chapter 365 - Su Li's Gaze (Part One)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Nora
At present, the northern stretches of the Tianliang County were somewhat cold. Although the sorghum had not grown that high, it was still enough to conceal a person. Presumably, this person was a true assassin that was highly skilled in concealing his traces.
Su Li paid no attention to that assassin concealed in the fields. That sort of guy who could not even bear to see the light of day, no matter how dangerous, in his eyes was still not as dangerous as the dazzling Xue He.
Xue He continued to walk towards the pair, his armor clanking as he stepped. His blade intents whistled through the air and his footsteps were firm and steady. As he got closer and closer, he warily asked Chen Changsheng, "And just who are you?
Chen Changsheng had not intentionally withdrawn his Qi, so Xue He could see that he had already entered the upper level of Ethereal Opening.
To be able to enter the upper level of Ethereal Opening at such a young age, this was by necessity no ordinary person. Xue He had never encountered this sort of person before. He impassively uttered, "If I did not know that Qiushan Jun, because of the matters of the Garden of Zhou, was heavily injured and far away in Mount Li, and if you did not have such a commonplace appearance, I really would have suspected that you were Qiushan Jun."
Chen Changsheng had finally confirmed that the demons, or the enigmatic Black Robe, for some sort of reason, had not transmitted the news to the south that he was traveling with Su Li. He could not but begin to ponder, if Xue He knew his identity, would he halt his steps? Just at this moment, Su Li's voice rang out. "If your elder brother Xue Xingchuan was here, you absolutely wouldn't mistake him for Qiushan Jun. This guy is only at the upper level of Ethereal Opening, while my family's Qiushan Jun has already succeeded in entering Star Condensation! Are you saying that you can't even see through this level of difference?"
It was only a person like Su Li who would use the word ‘only’ in his comments to describe a youth already in the upper level of Ethereal Opening, and it was probably only Qiushan Jun amongst this current generation of young cultivators that could steadily suppress Chen Changsheng by a full head.
This was a fact, but for some reason, Chen Changsheng felt somewhat depressed. Perhaps it was because when Su Li mentioned Qiushan Jun, his voice was very affectionate. In a moment, he had completely forgotten to tell Xue He his identity.
And it was just at this moment that Xue He had reached a position that was barely less than ten zhang from them. His hand had already completely grasped the hilt of his blade, becoming one with it. Those six blade intents were still fused into one, forming their own world.
Xue He had already finished preparing his blades. His Qi was at its peak. Only a Star Condensation expert could summon such a perfect Star Domain.
He used the blade, so his Star Domain was a Blade Domain.
Chen Changsheng could be even more of a genius, but he was still too young in the end. There was a limit to the time he could cultivate, and there was the inherent problem with his meridians, limiting the amount of true essence he could use. It was simply impossible for him to pierce through this perfect Blade Domain.
There were many times when the difference in cultivation could not be made up with by things like courage, willpower, determination, or skill.
He stared at Xue He's armor that shined like the sun in the morning light, and slowly took his dagger out of the sheath.
In this very brief period of time, he had performed many calculations in his sea of consciousness. The countless examples of battles he had seen in the Daoist Canon and the library of the Orthodox Academy transformed into images that flitted past his eyes, yet he still could not find a way.
The continent's twenty-eighth Divine General, Xue He. This was unquestionably the strongest opponent he had ever encountered after he began his cultivation. Solely in terms of cultivation, he was on the same level as the Demon General couple in the Garden of Zhou. However, for the sake of entering the Garden of Zhou, the Demon General couple had used some sort of secret method to forcefully suppress their cultivation. Because of the Garden of Zhou's restrictions, when they battled with him, they had not displayed the true strength of the Star Condensation realm.
The Golden-winged Great Peng which was roused by the burning of Nanke's divine soul had been cut down in the sky by his ten thousand swords turned dragon, but the vast majority of the power in the blow had come from the several hundred years of amassed longing accumulated by the ten thousand broken swords in the Sword Pool. The sort of will and strength had nothing to do with him, and moreover, the opportunity was no longer there. Right now, the ten thousand broken swords in the sheath of his dagger could no longer exhibit such might.
How could he defeat this powerful opponent?
Chen Changsheng gripped his dagger and stared at the approaching Xue He, his mind growing increasingly tense.
Xue He knew that he was his opponent, yet his focus was not on him. His vision rested behind, from the beginning to the end, looking at Su Li.
Not to mention being heavily injured, even if he was on the verge of death, clinging onto his last breath, as long as Su Li was still alive, he was still the continent's most formidable expert!
Su Li was also looking at him.
But in reality, Su Li was not looking at him, but at his Blade Domain.
Suddenly, Su Li's gaze rested on a space in front of him. Simultaneously, he extended his hand to grab the handle of the Yellow Paper Umbrella.
In the Yellow Paper Umbrella was the Heaven Shrouding Sword. The umbrella handle was the hilt of the sword.
Back in the snowy plains, when Su Li gripped the hilt of his sword, sword intent had encroached like fire, directly beheading a Demon General several dozen li away.
At the moment, Xue He was right in front of him, so he could even more perceive the intense danger.
Without the slightest warning, a purely instinctual vigilance caused Xue He to explode with an incomparably powerful Qi.
Just like with the previous morning light, the armor on his body instantly began to shine. With a clatter, the metal sword left its sheath and then, next to Chen Changsheng's shoulder, it slashed down at the hand with which Su Li held the umbrella.
A violent gale kicked up amongst the verdant sorghum.
Having been at his side this entire journey south, Chen Changsheng best understood Su Li's condition. Let alone moving his sword and slaying enemies, he could not even walk on his own.
He did not understand why Su Li would grip the handle of the umbrella and use his sword intent to compel Xue He to burst forth with his blade.
This was a question that Su Li posed to him.
Chen Changsheng only needed a moment of thought to find the answer. Because Su Li had taught him so much and he had learned very seriously, he could remember every word that was said.
A few days ago, Su Li had once told him that the most important moment in battle was the instant when defense shifted to offense. If one could truly catch their opponent off guard, even the strongest foe might lose. Xue He had taken out his blade seemingly because of Su Li's actions. Because of his vigilance and unease, he was compelled to act this way, but in truth, he had also been taking advantage of the situation. It was because this was the only way could he truly catch Su Li off guard. To kill an expert at Su Li's level, before Xue He had attacked, he had by necessity calculated all the details.
As expected, that most important moment in battle was precisely when defense shifted to offense, but could it bring benefits merely because it was done? No, Chen Changsheng had clearly remembered that after saying these words, Su Li had also given another explanation: the strongest opponent, in the moment when shifting from defense to offense, will always put his entire mind into it. As a result, it was also the moment where mistakes occurred easiest.
In other words, the enemy whose power was nigh perfect would always, in the moment of shifting from defense to offense, become somewhat less perfect.
Chen Changsheng's eyes began to shine.
This was because Xue He's blade glowed like snow, and also because of the gradually flourishing morning light.
His dagger had already pierced forward.
Three Forms of Wenshui, Hanging Sunset.
The dagger hummed, carrying with it all the morning light in the sorghum field, shuddering at high speeds as it pierced towards Xue He's abdomen.
As a Star Condensation expert, Xue He had used his seven blades to form an impregnable domain. Even if it was that moment where defense shifted to offense, where there might be a point that was relatively more fragile, how could he let Chen Changsheng see through it?
Chen Changsheng was indeed unable to see through it, but there was someone who could.
Su Li only needed a glance to see where the weak point of Xue He's Blade Domain was.
He extended his hand to grasp the handle of the Yellow Paper Umbrella, inciting Xue He to attack, but his gaze had always been fixed on that place in the air in front of Xue He.
Chen Changsheng's dagger, following Su Li's gaze, thrust out.
There was a light pop, like a leather bag full of wine that had been punctured, or like a swollen sugar figurine that had been popped by some naughty child with a bamboo stick.
In that dazzling morning light which enveloped Xue He, there suddenly appeared a path.
The sharp flash had already reached his abdomen.
On that shining armor, one could even see the reflection of that dagger.