Chapter 95: Chapter 30: Win at All Costs!
 

Facing attacks from three directions, Lin Duanshan’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly formed hand seals.

The longsword blocked the assault of the Thunder Punishment Sword, while the light flashed on the Kaiyue Sword, suddenly splitting it into two.

One blade entangled with the Green Duckweed Sword, while the other protected Lin Duanshan’s rear, blocking all of the Water System Sword Qi.

This was one of Lin Duanshan’s signature Sword Dao Techniques of the Kaiyue Sword, “Twin Peaks Forming Mountains,” which could instantly activate the Earth System’s True Yuan, forming a second Kaiyue Sword. It was flexible in operation, as responsive as if it were one’s own limb, and its power was no different from the original.

When opponents dueled with him, they would often just manage to use their Flying Swords to block the Kaiyue Sword, only to see a flash of light on it and another sword flying out, swiftly circumventing the defense to slash at the enemy. Even if one knew it in advance, it was almost impossible to guard against.

Ling Yunpo initiated a three-pronged assault right from the start to force out his “Twin Peaks Forming Mountains,” otherwise, it would be too mentally taxing to remain vigilant during the course of the sword duel.

Upon seeing the second Kaiyue Sword appear, Ling Yunpo immediately fell silent and chanted an incantation, activating the “Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains.”

A dense fog suddenly rose up on the field, thick as white silk covering the face, so dense that one could not see one’s own fingers.

But Lin Duanshan was well-prepared and also silently chanted an incantation, activating the second layer of Sword Dao Techniques on the Kaiyue Sword, “Earthshaking Strike.”

A swirling mass of sand and stones emerged, sword Qi flew in all directions, creating a tornado close to three zhang high on the spot, directly sweeping open a circle in the thick fog.

Ling Yunpo was not surprised by this and quickly retreated in silence.

As the duels unfolded, his frequently used swordsmanship and Daoist Magic had already been thoroughly analyzed by the watching Shushan Sect disciples.

It was not unusual for them to be prepared for his “Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains.”

While he remained composed, Lin Duanshan exclaimed in surprise because the area cleared by the Earthshaking Strike was much smaller than he had expected.

Although the Green Duckweed Sword was Tenth Rank and the Kaiyue Sword only Ninth Rank, within the Five Elements Earth overcomes Water, and given that Ling Yunpo was only at the Marrow Cleansing Rank, with True Qi that couldn’t match True Yuan, he should have been slightly inferior in a contest of Daoist Magic.

The fact that “Earthshaking Strike” was clearly suppressed by the opponent only meant that the sword suspected to be the Green Duckweed Sword might have a higher Rank than imagined, such that the fog was not confined to the realm of Daoist Magic, and was likely a higher-ranked Forbidden Technique!

With this in mind, the Daoist Magic of Earthshaking Strike had already come to an end, and the dense fog spread once more, swiftly enveloping Lin Duanshan.

Lin Duanshan surveyed his surroundings with a calm and composed expression, silently chanting another incantation.

The Myriad Forms Sword lineage excelled in calculation and would certainly not stake the outcome on a single move.

The third layer of Sword Dao Techniques on the Kaiyue Sword, “Earthshaking Strike,” was another lethal move he had prepared for Ling Yunpo!

Crowds of dense, earthy yellow Sword Qi burst from the Kaiyue Sword, fanning out in all directions.

Where the Sword Qi passed, the dense fog roiled, not from being suppressed by spells, but from the shock waves of the Sword Qi itself.

Although Ling Yunpo was covered by the dense fog, he couldn’t ignore the harm from the Sword Qi and had to dodge in embarrassment.

Dodging one wave after another, Lin Duanshan abruptly utilized the full force of the Sword Dao Techniques on his sword, launching a continuous, indiscriminate strike across the entire dueling field!

Although the audience outside the field couldn’t see the positions of the two within the fog, they could still see waves of Sword Qi piercing through the fog, continuously striking the Restrictions outside the field and then dissipating into nothingness.

The power and consumption of Earthshaking Strike’s Sword Qi could be adjusted by Lin Duanshan at will. He had now set both to the lowest, seeking only to maximize the number and coverage area to penetrate the surrounding layers of dense fog.

Even if the visibility was insufficient, the Sword Qi could still tear open the dense fog!

Once Sword Qi from any direction was blocked, it meant Ling Yunpo’s position would also be exposed.

Since the Sword Qi covered the entire field, he would have to keep moving to avoid getting hit.

And even if he simply ran away, Lin Duanshan could still use precise calculations to gradually cut down and reduce his range of movement with a large amount of Sword Qi, until Ling Yunpo had nowhere to retreat and then launch a fatal attack on him.

With Duan Fenhai’s experience as a warning, Lin Duanshan would certainly not engage in a purely swordsmanship-duel under such circumstances!

After dodging several times, Ling Yunpo realized his range of movement was rapidly shrinking under the onslaught of the Sword Qi.

The strategic thinking of the other side was also instantly clear to him.

He must not be hit by the Sword Qi!

But merely running away would still play into the opponent’s hands, and he would definitely be forced into a dead end eventually.

What to do?

Ling Yunpo’s mind raced.

If he was attempting a feint, he could deploy the Green Duckweed Sword or the Thunder Punishment Sword to destroy these sword Qi from a distance, preventing his location from being exposed.

But Lin Duanshan would not likely fall for this. He only needed to shoot out his spear-like sword in time, entangling the revealing Flying Sword, and I would have no choice but to divide my attention, controlling the Flying Sword to fend off the attack while maintaining my own movement and evasion!

Hmm?

“Ah Jing,” Ling Yunpo suddenly said, “Let’s save our location here first, then I’ll run to another spot to load the save, and you can teleport me back to the last saved location, that’s okay, right?”

“No way,” the Kunlun Mirror was essentially speechless, “This is after all a fair and square sword duel, you want me to help you cheat, wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate…”

“How could this be considered cheating?” Ling Yunpo’s eyes widened as he argued, “A sword duel is all about using every possible means at your disposal, going all out to achieve victory! That’s a sign of respect for your opponent!”

The Kunlun Mirror was at a loss for words, finally responding after a long pause:

“I can teleport you to a location without time-traveling… but you can’t abuse my teleportation, it does consume spiritual energy after all.”

“Hmm, I can only teleport you once during this duel.”

“Once is more than enough!” Ling Yunpo laughed heartily, “Let’s save here!”

After saving the location, Ling Yunpo began to dash away.

He quickly activated the Sword Control Technique and flew straight to the edge of the sword Qi range, slashing out with the Green Duckweed Sword in a swift motion.

The Green Duckweed Sword struck the sword Qi directly, annihilating it in an instant.

Almost at the same time, Lin Duanshan had already looked in his direction. The spear-like sword turned into a blazing stream of light, shooting towards him!

Ling Yunpo smiled slightly, then started to control the Green Duckweed Sword to entangle with it, while simultaneously continuing to move.

Lin Duanshan was not about to let him go. As he besieged him with the long weapon sword, he continued to unleash a massive amount of Earthshaking Strike sword Qi, completely sealing off the surrounding space.

Then he silently recited the incantation, preparing for a one-hit kill.

In the blink of an eye, Ling Yunpo had already charged halfway across the field, grasping the Green Duckweed Sword and immediately calling on the Kunlun Mirror to load the save.

In the next instant, both he and the sword disappeared from the spot.

Lin Duanshan had just performed a Daoist formula, only to find his spear-like sword had lost its target.

He assumed Ling Junior Brother was trying to break line of sight again and immediately invoked Daoist magic with full force. Countless earthy-colored sword Qi suddenly converged into a giant sword, slashing fiercely across a huge area ahead!

This strike covered a full one hundred and eighty degrees, nearly encompassing half the field!

The result, however, failed to hit anything, causing Lin Duanshan to freeze for a moment, then his expression changed dramatically.

It was too late to react, as behind him, the Thunder Punishment Sword accompanied by Jade Pivot Thunder came roaring in, blasting him directly out of the arena.

Outside the arena, Lin Duanshan looked up in a daze, his expression one of utter disbelief.

To his specialized Wan Xiang Sword lineage, calculation was the very foundation of swordsmanship. Even in defeat, he had to figure out why he lost.

However, in the battle just now, he had no clue how the other party had escaped his attack range.

Keep in mind, before the giant sword was unleashed, I had already covered the remaining space of the dueling area with sword Qi, leaving no place for him to hide!

How did he manage to appear behind me?

Unable to fathom the answer, Lin Duanshan gathered his spirits, intending to approach Ling Junior Brother for an explanation.

Even if the other party kept things secret to maintain confidentiality and didn’t reveal the specifics, getting even a hint would be beneficial.

He had only taken a few steps toward Ling Yunpo, raising his hand to call out “Ling Junior Brother,” when he saw An Zhisu had already gone over to meet him, smiling and chatting.

Since the great Shushan competition, whenever either of the siblings finished their match, they would go to the other’s arena to wait.

After exchanging a few words of affection, An Zhisu took his arm and together they soared away on a sword light.

Lin Duanshan: ???