In reality, Yang Hao’s current cultivation path had already diverged completely. Those shoddy foundational techniques now served merely as auxiliary tools. The true energy circulating within his body was genuine qi, cultivated through dedicated practice. In theory, this qi continuously cycled and would not diminish significantly over long periods. However, today, Yang Hao had rushed through multiple checkpoints consecutively, excessively using the Feihua Illusory Body Technique, a method notorious for consuming massive amounts of qi. As a result, he was indeed running low on energy.
“If defense fails, then attack!” Hunyuanzi also noticed Yang Hao’s physical strain.
Five flying swords fluttered like dancing butterflies. With a sudden vibration in midair, they left Yang Hao’s defensive perimeter and sped rapidly toward Jinde. As Yang Hao’s cultivation had progressed, his flying swords had indeed become terrifyingly powerful, their speed several times faster than before. If students from the academy, or even Li Bo’s Eight Great Swordsmen, were to face him now, they would likely be defeated in a single move.
But Yang Hao was now facing Jinde, the deputy commander of a swordsman regiment. Although not yet a grandmaster in the swordsman community, Jinde was undoubtedly an extremely formidable expert.
Jinde’s expression remained calm. Once again, his right hand erupted with dazzling brilliance, radiant as the sun. It was impossible to even see how he had drawn his sword. As that radiant glow emerged, Yang Hao’s flying swords immediately veered off course, spinning weakly in the air.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Jinde’s expression turned solemn. He had finally decided not to waste any more time and was preparing to deliver a decisive, ruthless strike to end Yang Hao’s life permanently.
This was Jinde’s signature, world-renowned technique. Under the cover of night, Jinde’s expression turned solemn. He resembled a dignified king slowly raising his treasured sword, as if about to unleash a final, lethal blow.
What he held was indeed a legendary sword. Embedded on this blade were one hundred and eight rare gems. These were not mere decorations for luxury but were affixed for a specific reason—Jinde belonged to the famous “Lightsaber Sect.”
The Lightsaber Sect was a swordsman school with profound historical roots. Legend claimed its origins traced back to the golden age of sword immortals, specializing in sword techniques. Although the civilization of sword immortals had suddenly vanished, taking the secrets of cultivation with it, the Lightsaber Sect’s sword techniques continued to flourish. Today, the Lightsaber Sect, together with nine other sword schools, formed the Ten Imperial Sword Schools. Their disciples occupied positions as commanders or deputy commanders within the Empire’s swordsman regiments, wielding immense power and influence.
The Lightsaber Sect’s secret lay in the word “light.” Though seemingly simple, its application was infinitely variable, giving rise to numerous levels of sword techniques. At Jinde’s level, he embedded gems into his sword specifically to gather and refract light. Each time he unsheathed his blade, his energy would flow into the gems, radiating blinding light that made it impossible for opponents to look directly at him, ultimately allowing Jinde to strike from the shadows.
However, few knew that this was merely Jinde’s minor trickery. The true purpose of those gems was for his ultimate killing move. Those who had witnessed that technique were already dead.
This was a genuine, deadly technique.
Jinde raised his sword high, lifting his head to gaze at the moon above. Moonlight poured down like water, coating his blade in a mesmerizing glow.
“Aurora!!” Jinde murmured the word like an incantation.
In an instant, the slender sword transformed. It was no longer a blade but a beam of light—a sharp, death-dealing silver beam. This light, born in the darkness of night, quivered and surged, as if ready to erupt at any moment.
It seemed capable of obliterating everything it touched, leaving no one within its range unscathed.
Only a second had passed, yet it felt like an eternity. The increasingly brilliant beam shifted into a strange, glass-like hue, rapidly splitting into dozens of thin beams of light-swords, all hurtling toward Yang Hao.
Yang Hao had no time to activate his body techniques. Even if he had, he couldn’t have dodged. Human speed, no matter how fast, could never rival a beam of light. Unless one could achieve faster-than-light travel through space compression like in interstellar navigation, no one could possibly evade Jinde’s “Aurora” technique.
Yet Yang Hao was not afraid. He had a better method of defense. In a flash of thought, the five flying swords had already encircled him, forming a seamless barrier around his body. So tightly interwoven were they that one could hardly perceive the swords themselves, only faint circular arcs appearing like a glass dome shielding Yang Hao from the outside.
This was the “Guard” technique from the Five Sword Techniques of the Dan and Dual Cultivation Sect. Although Yang Hao was still a novice, it was still an immortal cultivation technique, possessing astonishing power. Such a tightly sealed defense naturally allowed not even a breath of wind to penetrate.
But Yang Hao had been overly confident. He hadn’t considered that the Lightsaber Sect, having survived for thousands of years, naturally possessed unique and formidable techniques—techniques that might not be inferior to those of the Dan and Dual Cultivation Sect. Moreover, how could a novice’s experience compare to someone who had fought in countless battles?
Indeed, when Jinde saw Yang Hao adopting a defensive stance, his eyes flashed coldly: “Die!”
As the dozens of auroral beams struck Yang Hao’s defensive formation, they suddenly trembled, no longer moving at such incredible speed. Instead, they split again into thousands of even finer, thread-like beams of light. These delicate rays pierced outward like needles, embedding themselves into Yang Hao’s defensive barrier.
No matter how hard Yang Hao tried to control the “Guard” technique, it was impossible to block every single speck of dust in the world. Among these thousands of thin beams, one tiny ray managed to slip through.
Just one thread, but that was enough. This seemingly insignificant beam, once it penetrated the defense, radiated an overwhelming aura of death, like a venomous snake’s strike, directly aiming for Yang Hao’s throat.
In a duel between experts, even the slightest oversight could lead to death with no chance of survival. Let alone that Yang Hao, though somewhat accomplished, was still far from being a true expert.
Before coming here, Yang Hao had only applied Ice Muscle Iron Skin Ointment to his chest area. He had completely neglected critical areas like his throat. If struck by Jinde’s Aurora, his entire throat and blood vessels would likely rupture instantly, leaving even immortals unable to save him.
At this crucial moment, Yang Hao had practically no time to react. Yet, inexplicably, a surge of strange power suddenly surged within his body. His limbs felt as if floating amidst clouds, completely beyond Yang Hao’s control, lifting him into the air. At a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, he shifted sideways by just a few inches.
It was those few inches that saved his life. The beam of light grazed past his neck, leaving only a deep blood gash on Yang Hao’s shoulder. Although this beam was as thin as a wheat awn, merely grazing him was enough to cause severe injury, and blood immediately soaked through his outer garment.
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