Chapter 148: Di Huang Cang’s True Form

“Stupid disciple, what are you thinking about?”

Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was slightly urgent.

However, her words only elicited a faint smile from Meng Yingxing.

His crimson-gold eyes never left Chi Zhanyue for a moment, the corners of his eyes revealing a subtle fighting spirit.

Yet, the slightly upturned corner of Meng Yingxing’s lips reserved his affection for Xiu Qingcheng.

“Master, you said it yourself earlier; you won’t act until the very last moment.”

“Right now, I haven’t reached my limit yet.”

Only then did Xiu Qingcheng remember that she had indeed said that before they set off for Zhongyang Town.

It was her concern that had thrown her into disarray.

Xiu Qingcheng suddenly wanted to slap her own face twice and ask herself what she was doing.

She had clearly established high-pressure cultivation rules for Meng Yingxing, yet now she thoughtlessly wanted to keep her disciple under her wing all the time.

But she still wanted to save some face for herself.

“Before was before, now is now. It’s all up to me.”

Xiu Qingcheng’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the side, her mouth as hard (stubborn) as the material of the Ting Tian Sword.

“Master, and you still say your mouth isn’t hard!?”

The smile at the corner of Meng Yingxing’s lips was tinged with a bit of helplessness, then immediately returned to calmness as he faced Chi Zhanyue.

Perhaps noticing the fighting spirit flowing in Meng Yingxing’s eyes, Chi Zhanyue felt the demon blood within his body boil as well.

A weak human youth could stand before him so fearlessly, wanting to exchange moves with him—

Even if he was holding back to fight the youth due to his agreement with the sword spirit, he found this youth interesting.

At least much more interesting than those inexplicably confident humans just now.

“Good! Human brat, this time I will completely crush you into the dust!”

As Chi Zhanyue’s booming voice fell, his massive body transformed into a gust of wind, arriving in front of Meng Yingxing in the blink of an eye.

The Savage Moon Great Sword was held under his left arm as lightly as a feather by his right hand. The violent power on the blade edge was aimed at Meng Yingxing, ready to be unleashed.

A dark gleam flashed through Meng Yingxing’s eyes. Sword intent was already surging on the Ting Tian Sword, and he reacted faster than ever before.

This move is… Waning Moon Strike!

A warning had already sounded in Meng Yingxing’s mind a step ahead. The next second, Chi Zhanyue roared and cleaved the Savage Moon Great Sword in a wide, thick arc.

“Waning Moon Strike!”

It was exactly as Meng Yingxing had predicted. Meng Yingxing, having prepared long ago, used all his strength to block Chi Zhanyue’s strike.

But the difference in strength between Meng Yingxing and Chi Zhanyue was simply too great. Even though Meng Yingxing parried Chi Zhanyue’s Waning Moon Strike, he was still knocked flying into mid-air by the impact.

And this was exactly what Meng Yingxing wanted.

He adjusted his posture in mid-air, allowing himself to fall straight down. The Ting Tian Sword in his hand spun a sword flower, and the starting stance of the Enemy-Killing Sword locked onto Chi Zhanyue on the ground.

In this battle, Meng Yingxing held nothing back, exerting his utmost effort with every move.

The first form of the Enemy-Killing Sword, ‘Sever’, descended. Chi Zhanyue grinned ferociously, showing no intention of dodging, and swung the Savage Moon Great Sword directly to meet Meng Yingxing.

Enemy-Killing Sword.

The moment it clashed with the Savage Moon Great Sword, the crimson light of the Enemy-Killing Sword technique burst forth, as if to swallow everything around Chi Zhanyue, but it failed to unfold completely.

After landing, Meng Yingxing withdrew from Chi Zhanyue’s attack range in time, watching as the unscathed demon swung the Savage Moon Great Sword to disperse the thick dust raised by the battle.

Seeing this, Meng Yingxing actually took the initiative to attack, attempting to guide Chi Zhanyue into using sword moves.

Move by move, even when Meng Yingxing attacked proactively, he could only be forced back by Chi Zhanyue’s unadorned sword strikes.

But something seemed different from before.

Xiu Qingcheng watched silently as Meng Yingxing clashed move for move with Chi Zhanyue.

Being a sword herself, she knew the situation in the battle better than anyone.

Now, Meng Yingxing didn’t even need her to voice reminders about Chi Zhanyue’s attacks; he could intercept them all, even if his insufficient strength meant he couldn’t completely absorb the damage.

In other words, Meng Yingxing was gradually becoming familiar with Chi Zhanyue’s sword moves.

Even in every lift of his hand, when he swung basic sword moves that belonged neither to the ‘Cloud-Coming Four Swords’ nor the ‘Enemy-Killing Sword,’ Xiu Qingcheng began to sense the shadow of Chi Zhanyue in those moves.

Even if just a little bit, even if the paths of a great sword and a regular sword were not the same.

Meng Yingxing had truly begun to imitate Chi Zhanyue’s sword.

Meng Yingxing still clenched his teeth tightly, showing no slack in his movements.

Compared to just now, he could now occasionally force Chi Zhanyue back, although perhaps only by a single step.

I can do it, I can do it.

He was gradually becoming familiar with Chi Zhanyue’s sword moves. His hands began to subconsciously imitate Chi Zhanyue’s attacks, providing assistance outside of the Cloud-Coming Four Swords and the Enemy-Killing Sword.

He could, as his master said, imitate the enemy’s sword moves.

But what about breaking the moves?

Under Chi Zhanyue’s sword, every strike carried incredibly domineering and disparate power. Meng Yingxing simply couldn’t find any flaws in Chi Zhanyue’s sword moves.

Meng Yingxing began to feel anxious in his heart.

After battling fiercely with Meng Yingxing for a long time, Chi Zhanyue also gradually felt something was wrong, and he frowned slightly.

Why were the moves used by the human brat before him looking more and more familiar?

And obviously, his sword moves back and forth were beginning to be forcibly absorbed by Meng Yingxing.

Meng Yingxing suddenly launched a sword strike from below, the sword qi like a rainbow.

Chi Zhanyue’s demonic eyes widened abruptly.

Waning Moon Strike? Human brat, you actually…

Imitated the move!

Quickly realizing this, Chi Zhanyue swung his sword forward, knocking Meng Yingxing several meters away.

Meng Yingxing gasped for large breaths, his crimson-gold eyes biting onto Chi Zhanyue relentlessly.

Facing Chi Zhanyue’s question, Meng Yingxing did not answer.

Chi Zhanyue looked at Meng Yingxing and suddenly laughed inexplicably again.

It had been a long time since he encountered such an interesting opponent; what an unexpected joy.

It was the first time Chi Zhanyue had met someone who could gradually imitate his sword moves during battle, and he was curious too.

Curious about what it would be like when his own sword moves were slashed at himself.

“Come again, human brat! Let me see my own sword moves!”

Chi Zhanyue’s movements suddenly became faster.

Meng Yingxing raised his sword to meet him but was knocked flying by Chi Zhanyue’s wide-sweeping sword moves.

The two fought for another dozens of moves. Every time Chi Zhanyue swung his sword, it carried earth-shattering power, and Meng Yingxing found it increasingly difficult to cope.

Flaw… where is the flaw!?

Meng Yingxing’s gaze darted around Chi Zhanyue’s movements but couldn’t find a focal point.

“Disciple, don’t rush—”

Xiu Qingcheng could see that Meng Yingxing was getting anxious for some reason, as his sword moves clearly began to become impetuous.

The more anxious one was, the more one would expose one’s own flaws.

And just as Xiu Qingcheng’s voice fell, Meng Yingxing’s sword move failed, exposing his open defense to Chi Zhanyue.

Chi Zhanyue immediately seized this momentary flaw, a fierce look appearing in his eyes. He swung the Savage Moon Great Sword in a circle, slashing straight at Meng Yingxing.

Xiu Qingcheng hesitated no longer and flew out of Meng Yingxing’s hand on her own accord.

Sword light rose continuously, completely blocking Chi Zhanyue’s attack.

The sudden sharpness of the sword edge was too piercing; even Chi Zhanyue had to temporarily avoid its edge, retreating several steps in succession.

Chi Zhanyue recognized a sword edge of such power. His gaze instantly turned cold, staring dead at the ancient blue long sword that slowly floated down from mid-air, uncontrolled by anyone.

It was clearly the same sword in Meng Yingxing’s hand, yet the sharpness this sword just displayed was several times greater than when held by Meng Yingxing.

Chi Zhanyue knew this was the strength of that sword spirit.

That sword spirit who had severed his limbs and shattered the Savage Moon Great Sword in a breath.

“Come on! Sword Spirit! I have already defeated that human brat; you should appear and fight me!!”

Chi Zhanyue pounded his chest with a fist, swinging the Savage Moon Great Sword to tear at the ground beside him, looking particularly agitated.

“What’s the rush? Isn’t this me appearing?”

A clear, cold girlish voice sounded like the music of forests and springs. The ancient blue sword enlarged amidst blinding light, transforming into a black-haired girl with bare legs and feet, dressed in white robes with red accents.

There was no expression of nervousness or tension on Xiu Qingcheng’s face, as if facing a powerful Demon King seeking revenge was as normal to her as eating and drinking.

Her beautiful gray eyes lingered on Chi Zhanyue only briefly before shifting to Meng Yingxing behind her.

Xiu Qingcheng extended her hand toward the blood-stained Meng Yingxing.

“Disciple, are you alright? Can you stand up?”

“Take my hand.”

His master’s face remained clear, as if engraved on his heart.

He reached out to Xiu Qingcheng without hesitation, letting her pull him up from the ground.

“Not bad. I am very satisfied with your performance just now.”

“Next, let Master show you something.”

Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was like the murmuring of a clear spring, gentle as water.

Meng Yingxing watched as Xiu Qingcheng smartly swung her sword and turned around. Her slender body, slightly taller than his, blocked the front, occupying his entire vision.

Xiu Qingcheng raised her sword forward. The Ting Tian Sword seemed one with her in her hand, emitting a brilliance of the sword that swept unreservedly across Chi Zhanyue’s demonic eyes, piercingly bright.

“Chi Zhanyue, if you want to die, no one can stop you.”

Facing Chi Zhanyue, Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was cold, icy as the sword edge in her hand.

Her figure was so frail, seeming as if a single punch could send her flying.

But the Sword Spirit stood there, beautiful and peerless before Chi Zhanyue, like a towering, majestic mountain, pressing down on Chi Zhanyue until his breathing stagnated slightly.

Chi Zhanyue could feel the demon blood in his body boiling continuously, about to break through his body and surge out from within.

“Sword Spirit, Sword Spirit—this time, I will kill you!”

“This time, I will hold nothing back!”

Chi Zhanyue roared, his resonant voice almost piercing the firmament, heard by all the heavens.

The demonic power he had been suppressing was no longer restrained, surging out from his body violently.

Thick demonic power was like a monstrous wave, crashing down overwhelmingly.

For a moment, the color of the surrounding world changed slightly, and burning sparks fell continuously from the sky.

Chi Zhanyue’s roar gradually turned into a scorching bellow. Amidst the firelight that stung human eyes, Chi Zhanyue actually transformed into a demonic leopard covered in flames, its body several times larger than Miao Miao!

Xiu Qingcheng looked at Chi Zhanyue in his demonic leopard form and casually swung her sword, extinguishing all the fireballs falling around her and Meng Yingxing.

Sharp teeth were exposed in Chi Zhanyue’s mouth, his claws were massive, and black cloud patterns burned on him. Substantial demonic fire flowed in his dangerous demonic eyes.

His thick tail bore a series of spikes, and the tip was a steel-like sword edge; a light wave could tear the air and crack the earth.

“Is this… Di Huang Cang’s true form?”

Xiu Qingcheng murmured softly.