Chapter 55: The Sword Stirs
Though it seemed Ye Zhao Zhao held the sword, everyone in the arena knew the truth.
Ye Zhao Zhao was but a vessel for the spirit. The true warrior, hidden in mystery, was Long Yan.
A Sword Spirit clashing with its old master—what a legendary sight!
Long Yan’s heart burned with fierce desire. His mind beat as one with Ye Zhao Zhao’s, and she was the one who struck the first blow.
In a blink, elegant sword techniques danced in the air.
Li Shuang called forth her Sword Domain, her blade, Black Abyss, meeting the fierce attack with unyielding resolve.
Both warriors moved like masters of the ancient Sword Dao.
Soon, Meng Yi Fei and the others sensed a change.
“On that stage, it is as if two Li Shuangs are dueling,” Meng Yi Fei quietly observed.
Long Yan had been raised entirely under Li Shuang’s guidance. Every secret of the Sword Dao he knew had been gifted by her. His swordplay echoed her style.
As the duel deepened, it felt as if Li Shuang was facing a mirror of her own past.
On the Arena, Li Shuang stood strong with her Sword Domain, while Long Yan drew upon Ye Zhao Zhao’s spiritual power and the keen edge of his sword, Dragon’s Roar.
For a time, their strength was equal.
Long Yan focused on the graceful flow of Dragon’s Roar.
Then, an impatient voice from within Ye Zhao Zhao’s mind suddenly shouted, “Long Yan, stop wasting time and knock her off the Arena!”
Her cultivation shone brighter than Li Shuang’s, so why had victory not come yet?
Had he not boasted of his might? Then why this delay?
[Questions gnawed at his heart.]
Her spiritual transmission startled him, and in that moment, his guard slipped.
Black Abyss lunged forward. He barely blocked the strike and answered, “Zhao Zhao, give me a little more time. Li Shuang is not so easily defeated.”
“Not so easily?” Her tone cut sharp as a honed blade. “Did you not say her mastery of Sword Dao was yours to shape? Did you not claim that with you by her side, she would fall? Now you say she is too strong? Tell me, do you still hold feelings for Li Shuang? Do you long to return to her, holding back your true might?”
Panic flashed across Long Yan’s face. “Zhao Zhao, you know my heart belongs to you! I would never—”
But Ye Zhao Zhao interrupted, “Everyone is watching! I must win, and I must win decisively! End this fight now, or I will know where your true loyalties lie!”
His face hardened. “Zhao Zhao! On Snow Mountain, I already struck against Li Shuang. How can you still doubt me?”
A Sword Spirit forsaking its old master—this deed bore a stain that could never be washed away.
Yet, for Ye Zhao Zhao, Long Yan had been ready to cut off his past—even to end Li Shuang’s life.
And still, she questioned him?
[How could he bear such doubt in this critical moment?]
In another life, Ye Zhao Zhao might have forgiven him. But now, this duel was too important, and there was no room for feeling soft.
Her cold voice echoed in his mind, “And yet, what was the outcome? Li Shuang still lives, does she not? Long Yan, do not tell me you have defied me.”
“I—” Long Yan tried to speak, but Li Shuang’s relentless attack grew. Blow after blow pressed him back. Though her spiritual energy faded, her determination pushed her on, leaving him struggling.
On the Arena, the battle turned.
It was clear that Ye Zhao Zhao was losing control.
From the sidelines, Luo Ming Yue watched with a gleam in her eyes, chanting Li Shuang’s name. The crowd roared like an unyielding tide.
The sound of Li Shuang’s name echoed in Ye Zhao Zhao’s ears, darkening her face.
“Long Yan!” she snapped. “Can you win or not?!”
Anger filled her words, cutting deep into his mind.
Long Yan’s eyes burned red with silent agony.
At first, the duel was balanced.
But Ye Zhao Zhao’s constant inner voice distracted him, and small flaws crept into his swordplay. With Li Shuang’s skill, no opening could be wasted.
“Hurry up!” Zhao Zhao’s inner voice gritted like stone.
Li Shuang’s strikes surged like an endless tide. Each blow struck harder than the last. Even Ye Zhao Zhao’s hand, tightly gripping her sword, began to ache.
“If I had known you were so weak, I would never have taken you in!” her voice thundered inside his head.
“Were all your boasts just empty words?”
“Long Yan! You have truly disappointed me!”
Her words cut sharper than any blade.
Long Yan’s eyes flashed crimson.
Within the Sword Spirit Realm, his gaze fixed on Li Shuang, unyielding.
This battle—he must win.
He had to win.
He would make Li Shuang suffer for every doubt.
He would bring honor back to Zhao Zhao.
For this, he was ready to sacrifice everything.
A ghostly blue flame suddenly danced along Long Yan’s spirit. In the next heartbeat, the eerie fire leaped along the blade of Dragon’s Roar.
The sword’s power surged like a roaring river.
With one swift, decisive stroke, Li Shuang was caught off guard—her arm was slashed open, a scarlet line drawn upon her flesh.
“So, you were holding back all along!” Ye Zhao Zhao cried with twisted delight. “Long Yan, continue!”
Long Yan had no words left. With Dragon’s Roar blazing in his hand, he unleashed a storm of strikes.
The common disciples could not see the change, but among the higher masters, Meng Yi Fei and the others turned pale.
Lin Qing Ling shot a sharp look at True Immortal Ling Xu. [Burning his soul body? This is a desperate move, only for life or death. Yet Ye Zhao Zhao forces a Sword Spirit to use such a forbidden technique in a sect tournament.]
Once the soul body burns, there is no turning back.
Its power may soar, but the cost is grave—Long Yan’s physical form will vanish, leaving him as a spirit.
Worse, his very essence as a Spirit Being will be scarred.
To unleash such ruin in a sect duel—it is madness.
True Immortal Ling Xu stayed silent before saying in a calm tone, “This may not be Zhao Zhao’s intent. It seems Long Yan’s thirst for revenge against Li Shuang has clouded his mind.”
“The soul body is burning now. There is no stopping its flames,” Meng Yi Fei said softly.
For the sect, as long as there was no immediate threat, they would not break into an Arena duel once it had begun.
Ye Zhao Zhao knew none of this.
All she saw was that Dragon’s Roar had grown terrifyingly potent.
Long Yan had hidden his true strength all along! If she had not provoked him, who knew how long he would have kept it hidden?
The tide of battle had turned.
Ye Zhao Zhao smirked at Li Shuang. “Senior Sister, earlier I merely played with you. Now, I show you my true power.”
Li Shuang only glanced at her with quiet indifference.
This foolish spirit knew not the true workings of fate.
But…
This was Long Yan’s choice. Li Shuang respected his decision and wished him well.
The flame of his soul body burned on.
He could not hold this state for long.
Gathering every bit of his inner strength, he guided Dragon’s Roar and struck a final, devastating blow.
Lin Qing Ling’s body tensed; her fingers curled into a fist.
This move…
Should she stop it?
If she did nothing, would Li Shuang’s life be lost?
Yet, if she interfered, Li Shuang would surely fall.
Did she even wish to step in?
Her hand clenched, her body trembling with the weight of choice.
Li Shuang faced the coming, earth-shaking slash—and smiled.
She had planned to hold back some of her strength,
but it seemed even the heavens demanded she show her full might today.
Very well then…
Let all witness the sword technique she had only just mastered.
As Dragon’s Roar fell like a golden dragon soaring through the skies, Li Shuang lifted her gaze as if embraced by the beast.
Then, her hand and sword moved.
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