Unnoticed, Zhang Yu had already landed on the ground.
As waves of flying sword fragments bombarded him, he no longer focused on suppressing them directly. Instead, he raised vast amounts of earth and stone to form a layered defense.
At the same time, he activated two artifacts: the Goldfilament Jade Disk and the Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Shield.
From the Goldfilament Jade Disk, chilling rays of energy shot out, constantly disrupting the movement of the flying swords.
Meanwhile, the Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Shield unleashed bursts of freezing mist, congealing the surrounding air to further block the sword strikes.
“Even shattered into dust, they can still fight and auto-target. Just as Mo Shangjin said… so this is the sword spirit technology of Heavenly Sword Sect University?”
Zhang Yu recalled what Mo Shangjin had once told him.
To aid remote control of flying swords, Heavenly Sword Sect University had developed its own proprietary basic intelligent artifact spirit system, which they called sword spirits.
These sword spirits had near-zero capabilities in dialogue, creativity, or reasoning, but excelled in image recognition and auto-targeting.
The sword spirit would assist the cultivator in guiding the flying sword through all kinds of maneuvers, slicing, crashing, and maneuvering.
Combined with various sword-controlling Techniques, the sword spirit system could create astonishing effects.
It was said that cultivators who had deeply mastered this art could, with sword spirits connected through the Sky-Piercing Flying Swords network, perform millimeter-precision operations across distances of thousands of kilometers.
Though the Yue Guanqiong before him clearly hadn’t reached such a level, the combination of sword spirits and Great Freedom Instantaneous Prison Sword Qi had allowed his flying swords to retain combat capability no matter how badly they were damaged or shattered.
In the blink of an eye, sword qi slashed in every direction. The ground beneath Zhang Yu’s feet was carved layer by layer, like a crisscrossing game board laid out across the heavens and earth.
But with the Ground-Stabilizing Seal, Thunderquell Seal, along with the Goldfilament Jade Disk and Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Shield providing layers of defense, Zhang Yu managed to hold his ground against this barrage.
…
Watching the scene unfold, Yue Guanqiong’s eyes gleamed. “Oh? A few more artifacts than last time? And all of them specialized in defending against flying swords.”
“Let’s see how long your toys can hold out.”
With a flick of his finger, the airborne fortress below began to hum. Numerous half-finished sword devices trembled in response, releasing a crescendo of resonant sword cries.
These weren’t true flying swords—just roughly sword-shaped constructs with a bit of durability. They weren’t even stronger than standard blades.
But the crucial part was that these devices, engineered by Heavenly Sword Sect University, could house sword spirits.
Thanks to earlier preparation, Yue Guanqiong’s teammates had used materials on-site to hastily manufacture a large batch of sword devices and imbued each with a sword spirit.
This was the Civil Engineering Department’s signature defense formation—Sword Array.
High efficiency, low cost, but still packing a punch. With Yue Guanqiong’s sword pointer activated, over a hundred sword devices shot into the sky, descending on Zhang Yu like a violent storm.
With loud crashes, the sword devices slammed into Zhang Yu’s earth-and-stone barriers. Even when shattered into pieces, the fragments still radiated sharp sword qi, continuing their assault on Zhang Yu.
As the attacks collided again and again, the sword offensive grew ever more ferocious.
At first, it had been merely a stream of a hundred flying swords. But as more and more sword devices shattered, the fragments thickened into a swirling cloud of flying swords that encircled Zhang Yu entirely.
Hundreds, then thousands of sword fragments formed a deadly vortex around Zhang Yu, shredding relentlessly. The air itself began to boil under the friction of so many high-speed strikes.
Zhang Yu’s defensive artifacts rang out with harsh clanging sounds—proof of the sword devices continuing to break down and the sword storm continuing to swell.
…
In the Spiritual Realm spectator seats, Wang Yin was also watching.
Seeing Zhang Yu forced from the skies to the ground, suppressed on all sides, the occasional glimmers of artifact light flickering like a lone candle in a storm, Wang Yin’s heart grew tense.
“Zhang Yu, if you lose here, what the hell was the point of all my bitter cultivation?!”
“Don’t you dare freaking lose.”
“Where’s the power you gained from that Yin Artifact?”
“If it’s not enough, just call for a timeout and whip it out on-site!”
…
As the sword onslaught reached a crescendo, warning alerts flooded Zhang Yu’s EyeNet feed.
Goldfilament Jade Disk mana below 5%!
Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Shield mana below 5%!
Thunderquell Seal mana below 3%!
Ground-Stabilizing Seal mana below 1%! Replenish within 30 seconds!
Boom!
With the Ground-Stabilizing Seal’s aura collapsing entirely and the Thunderquell Seal’s power fading fast, Yue Guanqiong’s assault intensified once again.
Just then, a surge of golden Protective Qi burst from Zhang Yu’s body, blazing skyward.
With the boost from the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill, his Protective Qi suddenly reached astonishing levels of defense.
The sword strikes slammed into him—but his Protective Qi first hardened like a solid shield, then liquefied to absorb impact, and finally vaporized to dissipate force.
This seamless transition between solid, liquid, and gaseous states let Zhang Yu stabilize his footing once more amid the raging storm.
After a momentary stalemate, Yue Guanqiong raised the pressure again.
Floating before him was a flickering flying sword, as faint and insubstantial as a wisp of smoke.
This was the former military-grade flying sword on loan from Wen Wuya—the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword.
Yue Guanqiong actually had access to professional- and enterprise-grade flying swords.
But those weren’t cheap—especially the enterprise-level ones.
Borrowing someone else’s sword was simply more cost-effective—and better suited to suppressing Zhang Yu.
With a flash, the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword soared skyward, instantly splitting into eighty-one sword lights that swarmed toward Zhang Yu.
Each one flickered like a mirage—now real, now illusory.
Yue Guanqiong smirked to himself. “Worthy of Wen Wuya’s collection.”
“This Light-Dividing Illusion Sword can split into eighty-one sword lights, of which only one is real. And the real sword can jump between them freely and even re-divide at will.”
“For me, any sword light can be fake—because the moment one is caught, I can instantly shift the real sword elsewhere.”
“But for Zhang Yu, any one could be real—because if he slips even once, any of them can become the killing blade.”
The battlefield glowed with a web of phantom-like sword lights, slicing through freezing rays, Earthfiend Gravity, and even Zhang Yu’s Protective Qi—none of it could block them.
Once a sword light pierced the Protective Qi, it would solidify instantly into the real sword and stab toward Zhang Yu.
With a bang, just as Zhang Yu used his Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might to grab for the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword, it had already shifted to another sword light on the periphery.
Surrounded by sword fragments and with eighty-one sword lights weaving through them, Zhang Yu had to defend against both the relentless fragments and the unpredictable strikes of the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword—quickly placing him at a disadvantage once more.
…
Watching from the sidelines, Wen Wuya sensed something.
“He’s almost at the limit?”
“That’s definitely Level 16 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might.”
He nodded, satisfied with having confirmed that much.
As for whether Zhang Yu would lose to the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword?
So what?
In Wen Wuya’s eyes, the lives of the poor were shaped on a whim—it was perfectly normal.
At this point, he had little interest left in the competition and was instead thinking of Zhang Yu’s potential value.
“He hesitated before, but maybe another meeting will let him witness the dual cultivation techniques of Wanfa University…”
But just then, Wen Wuya’s brow suddenly twitched.
“Hm?”
…
On the battlefield—
Just as he was being forced back again, Zhang Yu suddenly let out a roar. His aura skyrocketed.
Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might, Level 17—Advance!
A terrifying surge of Earthfiend Gravity contracted inward, like a black hole swallowing up vast swaths of sword qi and sword light.
“What?!” Yue Guanqiong’s expression changed. “He broke through?”
“A breakthrough in the middle of battle?!”
That single leap to Level 17 completely disrupted Yue Guanqiong’s offense.
He had calculated for the coverage area of Level 16 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might—but now, Zhang Yu’s range had suddenly expanded, enveloping swathes of sword devices and even the eighty-one sword lights of the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword.
Despite repeatedly splitting to escape, the Light-Dividing Illusion Sword only barely slipped out of Zhang Yu’s suppression.
But in the next instant, Zhang Yu let out a cold snort and launched himself into the sky.
With Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might coursing through him, he pierced the atmosphere like a cannonball, tearing through the sound barrier, soaring straight toward the airborne fortress of Heavenly Sword Sect University.
Yue Guanqiong snorted in turn, glancing toward the Wanfa University construction site—now sealed off under layers of earth defenses.
“Hmph. Think you can just storm in because your base is protected?”
At the same time, Heavenly Sword Sect’s array had been completed. With it, Yue Guanqiong now had full surveillance of the battlefield.
Sword devices hidden high above suddenly activated. With a flick of his finger, they plunged through the earth, targeting the students of Wanfa University.
But Wanfa University’s array was also finished. The ground hardened like iron, drastically slowing the incoming sword devices.
What’s more, the array severed Yue Guanqiong’s senses—he could no longer detect Wanfa University’s students at all.
“They blocked my perception?”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu let out another roar, slamming a palm toward the airborne fortress.
Boom!
The fortress quaked as Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might clashed violently with its array defenses.
Yue Guanqiong shouted coldly and launched another wave of Great Freedom Instantaneous Prison Sword Qi, merging with the eighty-one sword lights to drive Zhang Yu back.
This time, he expanded the coverage to avoid being caught again by the Level 17 suppression.
But Zhang Yu suddenly retreated and slammed his palm toward the earth below.
With a massive upheaval, the terrain began to rise.
“What?” Yue Guanqiong frowned. “He’s trying to grab the land… and hurl it at me?”
“But with your cultivation—and no Law Husk support—how much can you even lift?”
Before he could finish the thought, immense Spiritual Energy surged toward Zhang Yu.
With the array’s support, Zhang Yu’s will expanded outward, extending into the ground, the battlefield, and the very crust beneath him.
He felt his Technique’s range grow. The land trembled under his command.
Mana roared in his veins. Earthfiend Gravity expanded—more and more!
Yue Guanqiong attacked again, shredding Zhang Yu’s golden Protective Qi, but Zhang Yu ignored it, focusing everything on drawing in the terrain.
As the shaking worsened, Yue Guanqiong began to frown.
“If this keeps escalating…”
Then, just as the upheaval seemed to plateau, Yue Guanqiong’s eyes narrowed, and a smirk curled his lips.
“It’s just Level 17. He’s overreaching. Even with the array’s help, it’s too much.”
But then—
“Level 18 Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Might!”
“Come forth!”
Boom!
It was as if an invisible giant hand had gripped the land itself.
Half the battlefield’s terrain surged upward, forming a colossal, mountain-sized rectangular block.
With a deafening roar, it soared skyward, casting its shadow over the airborne fortress.
And under Zhang Yu’s command, that mountain came crashing down like the fist of a god… aimed squarely at the heart of Heavenly Sword Sect University.
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