Ye Qiu felt the threat of death.
This sensation was akin to when he faced Miyamoto Musashi years ago.
“You are indeed strong, but unfortunately, you met me.”
Ye Qiu, fearless, brandished the Emperor Sword.
In an instant, a startling sharpness flashed.
Ye Qiu’s entire being transformed, his body radiating brilliant golden light, like a deity, inviolable in divine majesty.
“Hmph, even if you have tricks up your sleeve, you can’t escape death.”
The young man’s blade swiftly descended, accompanied by endless blade light.
As it seemed Ye Qiu would be engulfed by the blade light, suddenly, his figure vanished from the young man’s sight.
Where did he go?
The young man was stunned.
He couldn’t fathom how a living person could disappear without a trace.
Even if he used ninja techniques, there would be some mark left behind, but Ye Qiu left nothing.
Moreover, Ye Qiu vanished under the cover of the blade light, which was utterly illogical.
This moment of hesitation weakened the blade light’s momentum by a third.
That strike carried an invincible conviction, and any disturbance in mindset would affect its execution.
“Since you’re hiding, I’ll kill your friends first.”
The blazing blade light changed direction, heading towards Long Eyebrow True Man and Xiao Zhan.
But at that moment, a sword aura abruptly appeared behind the young man.
“I knew you wouldn’t abandon your friends.”
A cruel smile appeared in the young man’s eyes as he quickly turned, redirecting his blade.
Unbeknownst to him, this turn weakened the blade light by another third.
Be it a blade, a sword, or a fist, only when moving forward relentlessly is it at its strongest; constant changes in direction inevitably affect speed and power.
After turning, the young man didn’t see Ye Qiu, only a sword aura that appeared out of nowhere.
This sword aura was instantly shattered by the blade light.
“Where is he?”
As the young man puzzled, another sword aura came from the side, forcing him to redirect his blade again.
Pfft!
The sword aura shattered, yet Ye Qiu’s figure was still nowhere to be seen.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Sword auras relentlessly assaulted the young man.
Time and again, they were shattered by his blade.
“Petty tricks, utterly ineffective.”
The young man scoffed, dismissing the sword auras, unaware that his blade light had weakened significantly.
Even his own momentum had diminished.
“Are you looking for me? I’m right here.”
Ye Qiu’s figure appeared out of thin air behind the young man.
The young man spun around, only to see a golden fist.
Ye Qiu smashed his fist towards the young man.
“Seeking death.” The young man swung his blade at Ye Qiu’s fist.
Clang!
The blade struck the fist, erupting in a thunderous roar.
A thrilled smile appeared on the young man’s lips; he didn’t believe anyone could block his blade with a fist.
However, his smile soon froze.
After the blade struck Ye Qiu’s fist, a tremendous force rebounded, sending him and his blade flying.
“Ah…”
The young man screamed, flying backwards, spitting blood.
“Once your fighting spirit weakens, you’re no match for me,” Ye Qiu said with a smile, watching the young man fly back.
Earlier, he noticed the young man’s strike was formidable, sparking a competitive urge to use his Peerless Sword Technique for a direct clash.
But soon, Ye Qiu realised this was foolish.
A head-on fight, even if he killed the young man, would leave him injured.
So why not use strategy?
Thus, Ye Qiu used an invisibility spell to evade the blade light’s coverage, then employed the Six Meridians Divine Sword to harass the young man.
He knew the Six Meridians Divine Sword couldn’t harm a master like the young man, nor kill him. His sole purpose was to disrupt him.
Fighting strength and momentum must be sustained in one go, or they wane with each interruption.
Ye Qiu’s interference aimed to repeatedly weaken the young man’s strength and momentum.
Moreover, the Six Meridians Divine Sword allowed long-range attacks, keeping Ye Qiu safe from the blade light.
Finally, when the time was right, Ye Qiu struck with a fierce fist.
With the young man’s momentum and strength diminished, and his samurai sword no divine weapon, Ye Qiu had no fear.
Besides, punching someone felt exhilarating.
“Boom!”
The young man’s body crashed heavily to the ground, as if his frame had collapsed, suffering severe internal injuries and several broken bones.
Before he could rise, Ye Qiu threw another punch.
The young man gritted his teeth, slashing at Ye Qiu.
But, gravely injured, he was no match for Ye Qiu and was sent flying again.
“Strange, how did his fighting strength drop so quickly?”
For a master of this level, even injured, they should retain seventy to eighty percent of their strength.
Ye Qiu noticed the young man’s strength was now only half of what it was.
“I see, that earlier strike consumed much of his energy, just like when I used the Grass Sword Technique, draining my strength completely.”
Realising this, Ye Qiu strode towards the young man, smiling as he walked:
“It seems the one to bid farewell to this world isn’t me, but you.”
The young man’s face was grim, his heart filled with fear.
“Spare my life, I don’t want the Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus anymore,” he pleaded.
He knew, as a samurai, begging was shameful, but he didn’t want to die here.
He was still young, a genius of the Meichuan family, having cultivated ten strands of true qi. In time, he could become an immortal cultivator, revered by all.
Most crucially, he hadn’t yet married the girl he loved.
Thinking of his junior sister’s long black hair, beautiful face, fair skin, and graceful figure…
He didn’t want to die.
Besides, he wanted to return after a breakthrough to exact revenge on Ye Qiu and wash away today’s shame.
“Pfft!”
Before he finished, Ye Qiu struck him with the Emperor Sword, sending him flying, spitting blood.
Ye Qiu sneered, “You were so arrogant before, vowing to kill me. Now, unable to win, you don’t want to die, so you beg?”
“Where’s your samurai spirit?”
“Please, this is a life-and-death battle, not a children’s game. Don’t be naive.”
“Besides, I’m a conscientious Chinese person. I won’t show mercy to little devils.”
Boom!
Ye Qiu raised the Emperor Sword, striking the young man with a heavy blow.
Instantly, the young man’s body was smashed into pulp, a bloody mess.
At that moment, a rich fragrance filled the air, overwhelmingly aromatic.
The Nine-Leaf Golden Lotus had ripened!
