Chapter Forty-Six: The Outcome Decided

Mo Yi’s weapon was a long blade, cold as a dragon, gleaming with a chilling radiance. Xu Xing’s sword was being slowly drawn, and at that moment, every sword at the waists of those within the Bagua Arena began to hum in unison.

Beyond the domain, the crowd was stirred.

“What’s going on? Why are our swords reacting? Does Xu Xing’s sword have some connection to that short sword in the sky?”

“Do you remember the rain last night? There was a strong sword aura and resentment in it. Until just now, when our swords trembled, I thought it was due to that short sword in the sky, but now it seems the reason lies with Xu Xing’s sword.”

“Yes, it’s definitely not the sword in the sky. His sword feels so familiar—I can’t recall where I’ve seen it before.”

“Wait, could it be one of the broken swords from the burial grounds beneath our Shushan Sea?”

“What! Impossible.”

All eyes turned to Xu Xing’s sword within the domain, marveling at it.

“Xu Xing, today we settle this—life or death. Do you dare?” Mo Yi drew his long blade, pointing it at Xu Xing.

Thirty paces apart, Xu Xing smiled faintly, regarding Mo Yi with disdain. “There are always some who won’t live to see tonight’s moon.”

“How interesting. I hadn’t planned to cut you down so soon—wanted to wait until Mo Xi saw you fall at dusk and finally gave up on you. But it seems your death will serve the same purpose.”

Xu Xing chuckled softly, fully aware Mo Xi was present. Yet he had never regarded Mo Xi as important; all these obsessions were but Mo Yi’s imaginings.

“All of this is your doing, isn’t it? You framed Xu Hai, you arranged for Hang Ri and me to come to Shushan, and the incident with Ziyan earlier was also your secret hand at work, wasn’t it?” Xu Xing spoke calmly, without much emotion.

In truth, he had already suspected Mo Yi’s schemes; now he was only confirming his suspicions.

“Does it matter whether it’s true or not? Can you survive to the end? I tried to destroy you through others, but you broke every trap. Knowing so much is useless; today, your name will be erased, and history will not change for you.”

The music ceased—a signal the battle had begun.

Xu Xing wielded his sword, lightly pushed off the ground, and turned into a flickering shadow.

“Come!”

Cold sword light flashed, and the sounds of blades clashing rang without end.

Xu Xing slashed laterally at Mo Yi’s neck, but Mo Yi, a skilled swordsman himself, parried the blow with ease.

In the flurry of sword and blade, they exchanged hundreds of moves, neither weapon dulled in the slightest, both still sharp as new.

Locked in a stalemate, both leaped into the air, each unleashing their full strength.

A metallic clang resounded—the clash of sword and blade.

Sound waves rippled. Within the domain, yellow sand swirled, shrouding everything in haze. For a moment, it was impossible to tell who held the upper hand.

No figures could be seen, but the relentless sounds of clashing blades echoed continuously.

Yellow sand whirled around Xu Xing. Suddenly, a wind from nowhere swept through, clearing the field.

Their earlier exchanges had been mere probing. Xu Xing now realized Mo Yi’s strength exceeded his expectations.

He glanced sideways—Mo Yi stood with his great blade planted in the earth, eyes closed, as from his crown grew a towering tree over two hundred feet tall.

Xu Xing swallowed hard, sensing the divine patterns he had just comprehended on the Black Tortoise Tablet. A bodhi tree, three yards tall, sprouted beside him.

Compared to Mo Yi’s tree, Xu Xing’s spiritual root seemed small, but its aura was in no way inferior!

At that moment, countless leaves fell from Mo Yi’s tree, condensing into a liquid golden core.

“What? Mo Yi has actually reached the Foundation Establishment stage!”

Xu Xing was inwardly shocked—no wonder Mo Yi’s power had been so overwhelming just now. With his treasured sword and secret techniques, Xu Xing had thought he could contend even with someone at the mid-Foundation stage.

But Mo Yi was strange! He could suppress Xu Xing.

If Mo Yi had entered the Foundation Establishment stage, combined with his formidable family heritage, everything made sense.

Seeing Xu Xing so difficult to deal with, Mo Yi declared, “Enough. I won’t hold back anymore. I’ll use my strongest move to bury you!”

“Cross Scripture, Second Form: Light of Destruction!”

Mo Yi’s entire body shone like a newborn star. His meridians were aglow, his body crystalline and dazzling.

Now, the two-hundred-foot tree of his spiritual root began to converge.

Endless spiritual energy surged into him—he was gathering power for his ultimate attack.

Xu Xing’s heart clenched. Mo Yi was starting with his strongest move? He wasn’t holding back at all.

Xu Xing closed his eyes, communed with his treasured sword, and tried to draw in spiritual energy from the three-yard bodhi tree.

Outside the arena, the crowd discussed in awe.

“Mo Yi really has broken through to Foundation Establishment, though his cultivation is unstable. Look, the liquid golden core isn’t fully formed yet—just an embryo. Only when it’s complete will he truly be at that level.”

“So what? Don’t forget, he’s a descendant of the Mo clan, and he’s already mastered the second volume of the Cross Scripture, a rare treasure.”

“That’s not it—look at Xu Xing. Though he hasn’t yet refined his body and cleared his meridians, the spiritual energy he gathers is in no way inferior to Mo Yi’s. It’s still too soon to say.”

Meanwhile, Hang Ri and his companions watched anxiously from the sidelines, worried for Xu Xing.

They knew the gulf between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement was vast—tens of times the strength separated them. Even if Mo Yi had just entered Foundation Establishment, his power was not something Xu Xing could withstand head-on.

Hang Ri fretted. “Why isn’t Xu Xing dodging? Why are they both charging up for a final strike? Does Xu Xing really plan to go blow for blow?”

Su Mei replied, “I know him too well. He’s always reckless, never admits defeat. Even when facing a stronger opponent, he acts the same.”

Xu Xing meditated, attuning himself to the sword. In his swordplay, he could vaguely sense the sword spirit.

But he had not yet reached that realm. If in this battle he could truly commune with the sword spirit, his odds would greatly improve.

Only through battle! Only on the edge of life and death could he break through faster and become stronger.

In his mind, an old and both familiar and strange voice resounded: “Child, wield the sword of justice to punish evil.”

Xu Xing was startled. Was this the sword spirit? That aged voice must belong to the sword spirit—why could he not see it?

A sword manual flooded into Xu Xing’s mind at that moment.

Outside the domain, someone shouted, “Is Xu Xing a fool? Mo Yi has already unleashed the second volume of the Cross Scripture, and he just stands there like an idiot!”

The vast difference in strength made everyone tremble in apprehension.

Usually silent, Zhou Yuankai looked up at the sky and shouted at the aged elder, “Old man, aren’t you supposed to be so powerful? Can’t you see Mo Yi is cheating, using Foundation Establishment to challenge Xu Xing’s Qi Refinement? Hurry up and save Xu Xing!”

“This is between the two of them. I cannot interfere.”

Hang Ri and the others protested. This wasn’t even a contest of equal strength!

They humbled themselves, pleading, “Please, save Xu Xing!”

“Begging me is useless. Beg Xu Xing. Everything depends on him.”

Li Chunyi laughed maniacally at them. “So these are the criminal clan’s lackeys? Xu Xing’s death today is inevitable! No one can stop it!”

“What’s done is done! No one can save him now.”

Inside the domain, Xu Xing’s bodhi tree drew in no spiritual energy.

Mo Yi was primed to strike, his towering tree pouring immense spiritual power into him, his whole body aglow with gold.

“Second Form: Light of Destruction!”

Mo Yi roared, sending a thick, dazzling beam of light from his hands. The beam flooded the arena—Xu Xing had nowhere to hide.

The brilliance swept forth, its aftershock both mesmerizing and deadly, crashing toward Xu Xing like a falling meteor.

Thunder rumbled in the domain, the earth trembling.

Outside, no one could look away from this overwhelming contest.

The disparity was plain to see.

“Such a pity—such a genius, ruined by pride. Couldn’t he have endured humiliation for a few years?”

“Mo Yi is ruthless, scheming against Xu Xing for so long. If their strength were equal, who knows who would win?”

“Wait—you all forget, Xu Xing is of the criminal clan.”

All eyes turned to the domain.

At that moment, Xu Xing opened his eyes, glanced eastward, and smiled, “Senior Sister Ziyan, this move is splendid.”

Bang! A tremendous collision shook the domain’s barrier, even causing the Bagua Arena to sink several inches.

Within the chaos, nothing could be seen.

The aged elder waved his hand, and the domain gradually cleared.

The crowd gasped in shock.

“What!?”

“My god!?”

“That’s impossible!”

Within the domain—

A man knelt, clutching a broken blade.

A man stood, holding a steadfast sword.