Chapter 235: Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword
Gan Luozhi could no longer stand still at this point.
Executing the Xuanwu Movement Art, he charged forward with the Flowing Water Sword raised.
In response, Zhao Yunxiao immediately retreated.
Since cultivators could easily cover large distances in a short amount of time, the stage was naturally not small by any measure. Otherwise, every duel on the stage would just end up being an all-out brawl in close proximity.
Zhao Yunxiao made full use of this to run circles around the stage. It was clear to all that he had opted to take an evasive stance instead of meeting Gan Luozhi in a frontal exchange.
"Hmph!" Gan Luozhi harrumphed in disdain.
After that bold declaration, he had suspected that Zhao Yunxiao might have something hidden up his sleeves, but this was all he had?
What a joke!
At this point, Gan Luo finally understood the reason behind that bold declaration from earlier. Zhao Yunxiao was just trying to find an excuse to explain his eventual loss!
But if Zhao Yunxiao believed that he could end things with a simple loss, then he was completely mistaken.
Now that things had come to this, there was no way that Gan Luozhi would allow him to leave without first breaking a limb or two!
Otherwise, how was he supposed to show his face around the outer sect in the future?
Essence energy burst forth from within Gan Luozhi, gathering in his hand that was holding the Flowing Water sword.
[Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword]
The gentle spring breeze that had been blowing across the stage picked up all of a sudden, instantly picking up in intensity. It did not take long before getting to the point where ordinary adult males would be swept away by the wind!
These strong winds seemed to be coming from all directions, greatly hindering Zhao Yunxiao's movements and pushing him towards the centre of the stage.
He could still resist it to a certain extent. But with this hindrance in play, it was not going to take much for Gan Luozhi to catch up with him.
Thud-! Thud-!
Zhao Yunxiao dropped two daggers, sticking them into the ground behind him.
"Tch!" Gan Luozhi quickly deviated from his original path, avoiding the two daggers just in time.
Boom-!
The two daggers exploded behind Zhao Yunxiao. Though they failed to hit the vigilant Gan Luozhi, it still increased the distance between the two.
"Do you only know how to run? Too bad for you, but there is no running from me!" Gan Luozhi waved his sword, and the winds blowing into the arena further increased in intensity.
Zhao Yunxiao frowned as his movements slowed down immediately.
Just as expected, the Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword truly lived up to its name. It was extremely troublesome to deal with!
In fact, this was a high-level sword technique that someone like Gan Luozhi would never have had access to under normal circumstances.
The Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword was a sword technique developed by Elder Feng Wanjia, passed down to members of her faction in the inner sect. In a way, this technique could be considered an identifier of sorts, whereby anyone who used this technique could be considered a member of her faction.
And with her approval, Hua Shui in turn taught this technique to Hua Sheng and his close companions.
Just like that, someone like Gan Luozhi not only managed to get his hands on the powerful Flowing Water Sword, but also a sword technique that was usually only taught to inner disciples of the sect.
This was the power of connections.
By having a good relationship with people in high places, it became possible to obtain benefits far beyond what one would ever be able to get through mere hard work and determination!
Under the effect of the Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword, Zhao Yunxiao understood that it had become impossible for him to keep avoiding Gan Luozhi. Therefore, he decisively turned around to face his opponent.
Zhao Yunxiao did not rush into close combat. Instead, he chose to stand still in his battle stance, allowing the strong winds to slowly drag him over.
Seeing this, Gan Luozhi could not help but let out a smirk. "Finally realised that you can't run any longer?"
He stood tall and steady. Except for his fluttering robe and hair, he seemed completely unaffected by the strong winds that were slamming against Zhao Yunxiao.
Zhao Yunxiao did not respond to his taunt, silently keeping his eyes locked on Gan Luozhi and his Flowing Water Sword.
Every change in expression, every flex of the muscle, every bit of change in distance, every movement of the eye... Zhao Yunxiao made sure to pay close attention to every last detail.
Slowly but surely, the distance between the two began to decrease.
The audience watched with bated breaths. It was only a matter of time before they entered each other's attack range. Considering the difference in cultivation levels, this might just be where the fight will end!
With a sword in hand, Gan Luozhi's attack range was naturally longer than Zhao Yunxiao's.
And the moment Zhao Yunxiao got close enough, Gan Luozhi thrust his sword forward without hesitation.
Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes in concentration.
Sword thrust to the forehead: 66%
Sword thrust to the left shoulder: 29%
It was the former – Gan Luozhi's sword pierced straight towards Zhao Yunxiao's forehead.
The latter reacted instantly, promptly crouching down while sidestepping to the right, cleanly avoiding the Flowing Water Sword.
A dagger appeared in his hands, and he slashed up towards Gan Luozhi.
However, the powerful winds suddenly changed direction at that moment, pushing him away from Gan Luozhi. His attack would still have connected had he been using a halberd, but the range of a dagger was simply too short.
Of course, its range was only short when used like a sword.
Whoosh-!
The moment he realised that the distance between them was increasing, Zhao Yunxiao threw the dagger without hesitation, aiming for a slight opening that Gan Luozhi had revealed after piercing out with the Flowing Water Sword.
"In your dreams!" Gan Luozhi scoffed.
While he might not have enough time to bring his sword back as a guard, he still had his other hand free. A red cloth appeared in Gan Luozhi's hand, which he threw open in the direction of the oncoming dagger.
The red cloth spun in the air after unravelling, looking like a spinning red wall that stood between the dagger and Gan Luozhi. When the dagger hit the cloth, the cloth instantly wrapped around it, catching it and slowing it down to a halt within moments.
Poof-!
The cloth trembled a little, but it easily withstood the explosion of the dagger that had just happened within.
Zhao Yunxiao had expected as much, but he still wanted to try his luck.
Unfortunately, it would appear that Gan Luozhi had not been exaggerating the defensive capabilities of his treasures.
The winds reversed once again, pushing him back into the attack range of the Flowing Water Sword.
Downward slash to the neck: 96%
The blade shone with a silver glint under the spring sun, reflecting the light on Zhao Yunxiao's neck. It was almost as though this was some sort of ominous mark that foretold the connection of the sword.
Zhao Yunxiao knew better than to block the Flowing Water Sword with his daggers.
After all, these daggers were made with regular steel. Even when imbued with essence energy, they were unlikely to be able to endure a clash with the treasure sword.
[Unyielding Stone Bind]
Two chains made of earth and rocks shot out from the ground, creating a blockade between him and the sword.
Slash-! Slash-!
The two earthen chains were directly sliced apart, falling back to the ground as four portions. Still, it bought just enough time for Zhao Yunxiao to dodge out of the way.
Zhao Yunxiao's mastery of the Unyielding Stone Bind was already rather decent by now, but the combination of the Flowing Water Sword and the Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword was on another level altogether.
"Haven't you realised it already? There's nothing you can do!" Gan Luozhi deliberately taunted while slashing out once more.
He was not entirely wrong, either.
In everyone's eyes, Gan Luozhi had maintained control over the fight ever since the very start.
All Zhao Yunxiao did was dodge around the stage, with all of his attack attempts neutralised with relative ease.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before he slipped up. And considering the various advantages that Gan Luozhi held, just one clean strike was probably all it would take to incapacitate Zhao Yunxiao.
If the crowd could see this, so could Gan Luozhi and Zhao Yunxiao.
That was also the reason why Gan Luozhi had been repeatedly taunting Zhao Yunxiao. He wanted to stir up Zhao Yunxiao's emotions, especially his sense of self-respect and dignity, so that the latter would choose to keep fighting instead of giving up.
After all, Gan Luozhi was planning to use this chance to send a message to everyone, warning them to never mess with him in the future.
But in order for that to happen, Zhao Yunxiao had to first remain on stage so that Gan Luozhi would even have the chance to deal some real damage!
Zhao Yunxiao easily saw through his intentions, but he did not mind it one bit.
In fact, this was what he preferred as well.
Rather than going all out from the start and quickly deciding things through a rapid exchange of moves, drawing out the fight made it easier for him to confirm the veracity of his data.
Just like when hunting a prey out in the wilderness, he wanted to be certain of his opponent's behavioural patterns before truly making his move.
The winds howled, and Zhao Yunxiao found himself being pushed towards Gan Luozhi once more.
"You actually dared to challenge me with just this much?" Gan Luozhi said mockingly. "All right, this has gone on long enough. It's time to properly teach you the consequences of disrespecting your seniors."
Winds started to spin around the Flowing Water Sword, dense enough to turn visible as they encased the blade like a mini tornado.
This was a move that the inner disciples present recognised immediately.
Heavenly Wind Slash – the signature move of the Wind Immortal's Nine Directional Sword. By summoning a tornado around the sword that could extend freely, this move effectively increased the range, area of effect, and destructiveness of the impending sword strike.
When facing disciples from Elder Feng Wanjia's faction, this was a move that one definitely had to be wary of!
Gan Luozhi's execution of the technique was far lacking as compared to the inner disciples, but most were still curious as to how this version of the sword art would fare against outer disciples.
Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes upon seeing this.
It would appear that Gan Luozhi was starting to lose his patience, which explained why he was starting to use more advanced combat techniques.
Most would feel that Gan Luozhi was intending to strike him down with the next attack, but Zhao Yunxiao understood that such a thing was not Gan Luozhi's aim. Instead, Gan Luozhi was probably thinking of injuring him just enough to significantly slow his movements, making it easier to continue tormenting him on stage.
But regardless of Gan Luozhi's aim, Zhao Yunxiao could not afford to be struck by that next attack.
The main problem that people faced when confronting the Heavenly Wind Slash was the fact that the summoned tornado could move independently of the sword. This meant that it was effectively two attacks disguised as one, making it much more difficult to avoid.
And when struck by the Heavenly Wind Slash, its sheer destructive capability was something that few could truly stand up to.
Zhao Yunxiao had always been confident in his endurance ability, but he was definitely not intending to test the might of this attack on such an important stage!
But since Gan Luozhi had decided to take things up a notch, Zhao Yunxiao decided that perhaps it was time for him to start making his move as well.
"Watch my sword!" Gan Luozhi cautioned, though the sinister light in his eyes betrayed his true intentions.
The Flowing Water Sword slashed down mercilessly.
At the same time, the loud howling of the winds could be heard throughout the entire Snow Moon Arena as the mini tornado escaped the confines of the sword and swept out in all directions, leaving almost no safe spots remaining on the entire stage.
All attention fell onto Zhao Yunxiao at this moment.
Unless he possessed spatial capabilities, it seemed nigh impossible for him to avoid Gan Luozhi's attack.
Now, there was one question on everyone's mind – just how would Zhao Yunxiao defend against the Heavenly Wind Slash?
Unfortunately, they did not get the answer they wanted.
Under everyone's gaze, Zhao Yunxiao dived straight into the ground in response, causing both attacks to hit nothing but air.
He still avoided it in the end.
"Do you only know how to run?!" Gan Luozhi roared in frustration. "Don't you realise that you are just delaying the inevitable? You would have to come out eventually, so why don't you save everyone's time and do so right now?"
Rumble-!
As though responding to his taunts, the floor of the stage broke open as Zhao Yunxiao rose from the ground.
"That's more like it!" Gan Luozhi smirked. "Everyone here has gathered to watch us, so let's not wast-"
His words were cut short when the floor of the stage started to break open in various other spots.
Rumble-! Rumble-! Rumble-!
Gan Luozhi felt the corner of his lips twitch as the ground started breaking in various spots around him.
One by one, Zhao Yunxiaos started appearing on the stage until there were five of them surrounding Gan Luozhi.
"What a waste of time!" Gan Luozhi gnashed his teeth in irritation. "Do you really think that this kind of petty trick will ever work on me? Just who the hell do you think I am?"
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