Chapter 758: Two-Person Battle, Two-Nation Battle (3)

Tuoba Pusa was thrown out of the city by a sword strike resembling an earth dragon's roll. Xu Fengnian followed him out, temporarily taking the offensive. This resembled a battle between Liang and Mang forces, with Tuoba Pusa attacking and Xu Fengnian defending.

In the end, Xu Fengnian still forgot to bring two flasks of wine.

Of the more than one thousand swords from the city, only over a hundred remained after repeatedly striking Tuoba Pusa out of the city. These now orbited Xu Fengnian like two snakes biting their tails, forming two parallel circles. For Tuoba Pusa to engage in close combat, he first had to cross these "moats" of turbulent sword energy. After stabilizing himself, Tuoba Pusa was not eager to retaliate. His gaze subtly followed the two sword circles as he patted dust from his chest. A moment later, Tuoba Pusa stepped forward. Simultaneously, the sword river at Xu Fengnian's waist height instantly expanded. However, Xu Fengnian looked upwards, and the second sword river, level with his chest, tilted to block in front of him. The next instant, Tuoba Pusa indeed appeared above Xu Fengnian's head, his five fingers spread, precisely gripping a critical long sword that acted as the core of the formation amidst the swirling sword energy. The moment this long river sword formation slightly froze, Tuoba Pusa seized the opportunity and thrust his sword downwards!

With one hand behind his back, Xu Fengnian gently shook the sleeve of his other hand in front. Strands of red silk, like fine, needle-thin red snakes, appeared on the blades of over forty flying swords. As Tuoba Pusa broke through the formation and thrust his sword, Xu Fengnian subtly shifted two steps to the right. He then used his qi to guide the forty-plus flying swords to encircle behind Tuoba Pusa, while simultaneously extending the hand that had been behind his back. He dodged the direct thrust, then pressed his palm against Tuoba Pusa's chest, whose feet were still airborne. With a backward push of his palm, he sent Tuoba Pusa over ten zhang away. During this, Tuoba Pusa's back repeatedly struck the sharp tips of the forty-plus swords. The sound of the flying swords shattering echoed like a landslide, and the dense red snakes entwined on their blades were reduced to powder.

Despite having the upper hand since the start of the battle, Xu Fengnian showed no hint of complacency. In his view, the tall man, repelled three times in a row, still had his clothes intact. He had taken the full force of the "First Line Sword," the "Ground Sword," and the fifty-plus sword tips unleashed by the final palm push, almost as if deliberately withstanding them head-on. This meant Xu Fengnian's sword energy had failed to penetrate his defensive qi in the slightest, all three times. Of course, Xu Fengnian was also far from exerting his full effort. Both seemed to be making cautious and reserved "probing moves." Since neither had the certainty of a fatal blow, they intended to slowly wear each other down. While ordinary martial artists often circle each other in arena fights for a long time without landing a punch, this level of initial testing between Xu Fengnian and Tuoba Pusa, as two of the four great Grandmasters, was undoubtedly astonishing.

Tuoba Pusa was still holding the long sword, which belonged to an unknown swordsman from the city. He looked down and saw red threads still swirling on its blade. These were both Xu Fengnian's lingering sword energy and the unique technique Han Diaosi of Liyang had once used to kill Heavenly Phenomenon realm experts. Tuoba Pusa tightened his grip on the sword slightly, and the tiny red snakes, parasitic on the blade, trembled and instantly vanished into dust. Instead of shattering the sword, Tuoba Pusa gently tossed it back to Xu Fengnian. This silent gesture was profoundly arrogant, implying, "You, Xu Fengnian, are connected to two generations of Liyang's sword gods, Li Chungang and Deng Tai'a. Your sword intent and techniques are among the best of this era. So, display them to your heart's content; I, Tuoba Pusa, will face them all."

Without any discernible movement from Xu Fengnian, the two sword rivers dispersed. Over a hundred swords landed in a wide circle around the two men, stuck into the ground, forming what resembled a forbidden zone.

Only the long sword that Tuoba Pusa had tossed remained in front of Xu Fengnian, hovering by his shoulder with its tip pointing directly at Tuoba Pusa.

Tuoba Pusa twitched the corner of his mouth. "So, you're finally no longer just controlling swords with qi? Is it finally worth gripping the hilt yourself? What a show of arrogance."

Xu Fengnian smiled, raised his arm, and grasped the long sword. Yet, he made no preliminary sword stance; the sword was already unleashed the moment he gripped it.

Sword energy burst forth, piercing the air like a long rainbow.

A streak of sword energy, as thick as a dragon's waist, shot directly at Tuoba Pusa's face. The latter, with splayed fingers, casually patted the fierce sword rainbow. The immense sword energy exploded in front of him, incredibly dazzling. In an instant, Tuoba Pusa's feet rooted to the ground, and his body tilted to the right, poised to fall but not quite. A streak of light flashed and disappeared from the area where his heart had been, then burst with a thunderous roar a hundred zhang away. It turned out Xu Fengnian had thrown the long sword, treating himself as the bow and the sword as the arrow. Before Xu Fengnian went west of Qingcang City to fight the sword-near-expert Huang Qing, Liu Gui's army had used giant ballista bolts to intercept the "Purple Qi from the East," their bolts reputed to possess the formidable power of "a sword immortal's strike." When he was young, Xu Fengnian read in a discourse on poetry that gaining the form is not as good as gaining the momentum, and gaining the momentum is not as good as gaining the charm, hence the saying that only by depicting the form can the spirit and charm be vividly expressed. Xu Fengnian had naturally not reached the realm of a Confucian Saint, but after encountering Xuanyuan Jingcheng, Cao Changqing, and Xie Guanying, he had long understood a principle: books contain not only beautiful women, golden houses, and endless grain, but also the Heavenly Phenomenon realm itself!

While Tuoba Pusa dodged that "arrow," Xu Fengnian went to the edge of the forbidden zone. He swiftly drew a sword from the ground, swung his arm in a semicircle, and hurled another sword at Tuoba Pusa. The force of each "arrow" was slightly inferior in both charm and power to a "land immortal's strike," but it was no match for Xu Fengnian's rapid and frequent "drawing of swords"! Regardless of whether an "arrow" missed or if Tuoba Pusa dodged, Xu Fengnian continued like a diligent old farmer harvesting crops, pulling out swords one by one, swinging his arm in a semicircle, and shooting them out. Xu Fengnian knew well that these were merely crude "immortal flying swords" and that one shouldn't expect them to decapitate enemies from a thousand li away. To cause significant damage to Tuoba Pusa, the range could not exceed eighty zhang, and Tuoba Pusa's position at the center of the forbidden zone was perfectly within this range. Since Tuoba Pusa had adopted the stance of a willing target, Xu Fengnian had no qualms about making him utterly discomfit himself.

Over a hundred immortal swords, fired in a continuous volley.

Tuoba Pusa indeed did not deliberately leave the forbidden zone. After dodging over sixty "earth immortal strikes," he probably started to get irritated. Most of the subsequent thirty-plus lightning-fast flying swords were smashed to pieces by his fists; only the last two were merely deflected. Xu Fengnian, having used up all his "arrows" in one go, found their positions largely unchanged: Xu Fengnian still had his back to the city, and Tuoba Pusa still faced the city gate. Xu Fengnian's right arm, which had thrown the swords, trembled slightly, but he did not rub it – not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. Both men simultaneously took a fresh breath. However, although the timing for replenishing their energy was identical, Tuoba Pusa was still imperceptibly faster by a hair's breadth. This seemingly negligible difference often determined the outcome of life or death in battles between Grandmasters.

When a martial artist enters the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, they are said to be like a grand ladder resonating with heaven and earth, or like rivers flowing into the sea. Theoretically, as long as there is an opportunity to replenish breath, qi can be continuously drawn from between heaven and earth. This is the true, hidden meaning behind the ancient saying, "If the saint does not die, the great thieves will not cease." However, in battles between those of the same Heavenly Phenomenon realm or even above, even if one can replenish qi and transcend into a saintly state, one is still ultimately a mortal's seven-foot frame of flesh and blood. The internal reserves are limited, and consumption often still exceeds replenishment. This is why Xu Fengnian used the secret flying sword technique from the Wu Family Sword Mound, "Where the heart desires, the sword goes," as his opening move in this battle: he intended to exchange his own vitality to deplete Tuoba Pusa's qi flow and physical strength.

Unfortunately, with the previous three sword strikes and the hundred-plus immortal swords unleashed by his fourth grip, Tuoba Pusa's speed in cycling old qi for new was still faster than Xu Fengnian's.

Xu Fengnian quickly raised his arm and angled his elbow to block his forehead. The next moment, his entire body was sent flying backward towards the city wall.

Instead of hitting the tall city wall with his back, he shifted his posture mid-flight, and his feet "landed" on the wall. They rapidly bent upon contact with the surface, effectively dissipating the brutal force.

Xu Fengnian merely squatted on the wall, the surface beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb.

Xu Fengnian did not back down. His legs suddenly straightened, propelling him towards the approaching Tuoba Pusa.

Then Xu Fengnian was punched back into the city wall by Tuoba Pusa, his entire body embedded in the stone.

This magnificent city in the Western Regions was like an old man in his twilight years, now constantly battered by thunderous explosions and torrential downpours overhead. Even having endured countless trials, it was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, those two ultimate martial artists, the culprits, finally spared it and moved their battle outside the city. However, this sudden, violent storm had already awakened everyone within the city. Many curious people, unafraid of danger, rushed towards the city wall, drawn by the sounds. But when the bravest among them attempted to climb the wall for a closer look, an invisible, immense wave of qi slammed them to the ground. Four or five individuals, lacking strong martial arts and internal energy, burst into blood, dying on the spot and collapsing into pools of it. The remaining survivors only regretted that their parents hadn't given them more legs. They didn't even bother to wipe away the continuous streams of crimson blood pouring from their seven orifices as they frantically fled back into the city, wanting nothing more than to be as far as possible from the city wall's "gate of hell." These people, with blood-stained faces, ran through the night streets like wandering vengeful spirits, scaring away any remaining curious onlookers from joining the spectacle.

Suddenly, these wretched individuals heard a whistling sound overhead. Caught in a fierce gale, they were all lifted off their feet and swept away, then crashed heavily to the ground, their fate unknown.

Such a battle between powerful beings was not something mortals could easily watch. Even if one wanted to observe from afar and cheer, one needed considerable luck.

It turned out that after Xu Fengnian had been embedded in the wall, Tuoba Pusa, pressing his advantage, had completely smashed him through the thick wall.

Tuoba Pusa slowed his pace after entering the city.

"Northern Liang is supposed to guard these city gates for the Central Plains, so you should obediently stay locked inside. How dare you fight outside the city? Do you truly think the Northern Mang's million-strong army is to be trifled with?"

"Do you, Xu Fengnian, truly believe I, Tuoba Pusa, have the heart of a Bodhisattva?"

"Wang Xianzhi cares about the survival of the martial world, but I, Tuoba Pusa, have never been a part of it. Why should I care if you, Xu Fengnian, can extend its vitality?"

Tuoba Pusa looked into the distance and finally spoke, asking in a deep voice, "Your thousand swords are used up. Will you continue borrowing swords, or switch to a saber? If you can use Gu Jiantang's 'Inch Thunder' or Qi Lianhua's 'Spring Autumn Blade Armor' moves, I don't mind waiting a moment to allow you to catch your breath."

Clearly, Tuoba Pusa intended to use Xu Fengnian, the culmination of Liyang's martial arts, as a way to contend with the entire Liyang martial world. This was why he had so patiently endured the attacks.

Xu Fengnian stopped outside the city gate, at the junction of the outer and inner cities. Not only his sleeves, but his entire robe swelled and flapped wildly in the wind and rain, seemingly offsetting Tuoba Pusa's fist qi and leaving his body unharmed.

Tuoba Pusa's voice was distinctly not loud, yet everyone inside and outside the city felt their eardrums vibrate, every word penetrating their ears. Even covering their ears was futile; the sound still resonated like a clanging bell.

A streak of white light sped from Mount Lantu. Just outside the city, the Six-Pearl Bodhisattva, her face pale, heard Tuoba Pusa's words. She had traveled without a moment's delay, only managing to catch two breaths. She suddenly came to a stop and threw a sword high from her hand. She had intended to deliver it into the hands of the young man, who shone like a firefly star in the night sky of the Western Regions. However, she was at the end of her strength and could not control the sword after throwing it. It failed to reach Xu Fengnian, instead its trajectory twisted, causing it to pierce into the inner city wall behind him. As for the other saber in her hand, with her ashen face, she was absolutely unable to throw it for now.

Xu Fengnian turned his head to gaze at "Fangsheng," the ancient sword forged in the Great Feng Dynasty, lost in thought.

He found himself inexplicably recalling the cicada chirping he had heard in Wutong Courtyard during his youth, the chirping he heard on his first journey through the martial world before his coming-of-age, and the last time he heard it while carrying wine to the Tide-Listening Pavilion when his master, Li Yishan, was still alive.

The autumn wind was bleak, and high on the branches, cicadas chirped mournfully in the cold.

At the first level, people found it noisy.

At the second level, people called it sorrowful.

At the third level, people revered it as a grand song.

Let it resound for the human world!

He also remembered someone, one day, grinning and making a heroic declaration to him under a tree.

"If one day in the martial world, you hear of an unparalleled swordsman named Wen, don't doubt it – that will be me!"

Xu Fengnian did not retrieve the famous sword "Fangsheng." Instead, he laughed loudly and called out, "If anyone in the city has a wooden sword, please hold it high!"

In the city, a young woman named Sima Tiehe happened to be tidying up her family's storeroom. Among the items were several long, narrow wooden swords she had used for practice when she was young. Upon hearing the somewhat familiar voice, she instinctively grabbed one of the wooden swords and held it high. Regardless of whether the person could hear her, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Here! Here!"

The next moment, the wooden sword seemed to gain a life of its own, piercing through the roof and flying out of her hand.

The dumbfounded girl murmured, "Mother didn't lie to me; so it really was you!"

Then the girl added with a hint of a pout, "But he really didn't look handsome back then."

Xu Fengnian grasped the wooden sword and walked towards Tuoba Pusa.

The human world is full of melancholy, and worldly affairs are joyless.

But what does it matter?

I have the Joyous Sword!

Xu Fengnian's face was full of smiles.

Brother, the martial world you turned your back on, whether you like it or not, I will walk a part of that path for you.

That night, in that moment, the entire city heard but one declaration: "Tuoba Pusa! I, Xu Fengnian, have a sword technique, learned from the Central Plains swordsman Wen Hua. With this sword, I ask you to leave the city!"

They had never heard of anyone named Wen Hua, nor were they even aware of the Liyang martial world. However, the names of Xu Fengnian, the King of Northern Liang, and Tuoba Pusa, the Military God of Northern Mang, were certainly legendary.

So, if Xu Fengnian truly forced Tuoba Pusa out of the city with a single sword strike, then that swordsman named Wen Hua must be quite extraordinary, mustn't he?