Demon Miyahide

Nagahide Miyahide's physical reflexes outpaced his conscious thought. He snapped Liuruoqie up in a rapid parry, meeting the blade almost right against his face with a sharp clang. Yet immediately afterward, he felt a surging, colossal force flood into his body. It jolted his jin to the verge of scattering, forcing him backward in an uncontrollable stumble. His pupils constricted sharply. *This strength...* The force of this blow was far greater than before, and a mental impact slammed into his mind along with it. It wasn't overwhelmingly ferocious, yet it was exceptionally dense and solid, forcing him to guard his heart jade at the same time. Yet his opponent's attack clearly brought more than mere strength—the speed had accelerated just as drastically. Before he could rally his scattered jin, the second slash was already upon him. Under such circumstances, he could only surge his vital essence and forcefully drive his jin to block. He did possess exceptional fundamentals, after all. He parried several powerful slashes in succession, continuously harnessing the surrounding currents of air to assist his body's movements while diffusing force and falling back. By neutralizing each wave of oncoming ferocious power, he managed to keep his stance from crumbling. Yet no matter how steady his defense or how great his resilience, failing to stem his opponent's momentum meant he could only endure it passively—and there would always come a breaking point. When he took another strike from the Xuejun Saber, Liuruoqie trembled slightly in his grasp, almost slipping from his hands, and his jin could not be gathered and adjusted in time. At that exact moment, he caught sight of the blade's gleam flashing in once more. A wave of terror seized him, hairs standing on end. He knew that if he could not block this strike, his head would be severed clean off! Right then, his heart beat violently, and a crimson hue welled in his eyes. His speed abruptly surged, and like a flickering shadow of light, he flashed backward in a leap. The Xuejun Saber slashed through the air. A pair of snapped spectacles flew into the air and landed on the ground with a clatter, the lenses shattering to pieces. Nagahide Miyahide had retreated to his original spot. With his head hung low, wisps of blood dripped down from his brow, pattering onto the ground. He said slowly, "Mr. Chen's martial prowess pleases me greatly. Only like this is this battle worth proclaiming to the world!" Saying so, he jerked his head up. But unlike his previous gentle countenance, veins bulged across his face now, and even the exposed muscles and tendons on his forearms stood out in sharp relief. The slash between his brows could be seen closing in an instant, leaving only the bloody trail behind, making his visage appear extraordinarily sinister and hideous. He took a step forward, angling Liuruoqie back toward the sky. Facing Chen Chuan sideways, he assumed Fenglin Dojo's Solitary Stance. At the same time, a faint black mist rose from his body, and the gravel and sand at his feet were swept up by some unseen current, swirling and drifting around him. Unbeknownst to anyone, his hair had actually grown several inches, turning from short to medium-length in an instant and partially veiling his cheeks. As the black smoke billowed upward, it coalesced behind him into a demonic face that seemed to roar. Watching this, Sancheng Huang grew grave. "Demon Miyahide..." The four Fenglin Dojo disciples now showed fear on their faces, unconsciously stepping back. For they knew Senior Brother Miyahide had unleashed Fenglin Dojo's secret art, the Demon Heavenly Power. Only in this state was Senior Brother Miyahide at his most terrifying. Chen Chuan glanced up at the massive demonic face above. He drew a breath, and instantly, white vapor began to seep from his own body as well, forming a milky-white mist that coiled upward, refusing to dissipate even in the wind. At the same time, he held his saber horizontal before him. The gleaming blade reflected his deep, serene eyes. An instant later, his figure blurred, and he vanished from everyone's sight once more. A faint gleam spilled from Nagahide Miyahide's eyes. Enhanced by the Demon Heavenly Power, his reaction speed and strength had leapt drastically. In his perception, the world seemed to slow down. He could clearly see Chen Chuan charging straight toward him, closing the distance inch by inch. He slowly raised his blade as well, leaning his body forward, and brought his weapon up to intercept the Xuejun Saber. In the next breath, the world abruptly accelerated. The black and white currents violently collided in an instant, explosive shockwaves rolling outward wave upon wave, while the gale and light venting from nearby fissures churned and flickered with intense turbulence. Nagahide Miyahide's arms trembled violently as he gripped his blade. His expression became even more monstrous, veins bulging outward across his skin. He had thought that unleashing the secret technique would allow him to block or even counter Chen Chuan, but the outcome was beyond his expectations. In this clash, it was as if he had slammed into an impenetrable bulwark, and his entire person was stopped dead in his tracks. From the point where the two blades met came a grinding, screeching friction, and Liuruoqie was steadily and inexorably pushed back. Sensing something amiss, he let out a furious roar. Spurred by his vital essence, he heaved outward violently to fling the Xuejun Saber away. Yet Chen Chuan's force flowed smoothly with the motion. Letting the saber draw back along the direction of Miyahide's exertion, Chen Chuan channeled the momentum to gather power before slashing in again with even greater speed. Seeing this, Miyahide could only channel his jin into a downward chop. Yet this inevitably led to another head-on clash; his body shuddered, and the demonic face above wavered alongside him, showing signs of instability. He knew in his heart that Chen Chuan had seized control of the tempo, using his superior strength to force a direct contest of power. In combat, if one could receive incoming strikes with composure, every step could be adjusted with ease, foreseeing what lay ahead and behind. But now that he had lost the initiative, he could only be led around by the nose. It was not an inferiority in skill, but a flaw in anticipation that had cost him the opportunity in a single exchange. Now Chen Chuan gave him no chance to rally his jin; before he could finish dealing with the previous slash, the next was already descending. The Xuejun Saber wheeled along Liuruoqie, seemingly about to sweep it aside. Nagahide Miyahide immediately tried to steady his blade, but the clash of force nearly knocked his center of gravity off balance. Gliding along the saber's spine, the Xuejun Saber swept toward him in a fluid slice. Veins pulsed across Nagahide Miyahide's face. It was too late to bring his saber back to parry. Twisting his hips and waist, he whipped out a concealed short blade from his waist and blocked the Xuejun Saber with a sharp clang. This technique was originally called "Hidden Shadow Lock." The short blade and Liuruoqie formed a cross to block an opponent's incoming weapon and then twist together to disarm them. Yet the sheer force behind the saber made merely blocking it a struggle; he had no room to execute the follow-up maneuvers. Chen Chuan looked straight at him. The mutated tissue inside his body worked in layered tandem, driving forward to project a surge of jin through the blade. Nagahide Miyahide could not withstand the force. Both of his blades were jolted outward, and his torso leaned backward. Yet in that very moment, he snapped a foot upward, slicing the sole toward the side of Chen Chuan's knee. This was the Foot Blade Stance; the force behind this kick was enough to sever a person's leg clean off. Yet when the kick landed squarely against Chen Chuan's leg, it failed to produce the intended effect. As the jin struck, it was instantly diffused layer by layer by the mutated tissue there. By then, Chen Chuan's saber was already thrusting forward. Miyahide shifted his kick from a slash into a hook, using the brief contact with Chen Chuan's calf and the exertion of part of his mutated tissue to execute a midair half-spin right off the ground. Evading the Xuejun Saber sweeping above, he thrust the short blade upward from below straight toward Chen Chuan's neck! This was the "Life-and-Death Turn." Paired with the Foot Blade Stance, it was a desperate reversal meant to wrest life from death. Unleashing it required surging vital essence and the changeless mind in unison to guarantee supreme precision and speed. Yet before it could reach Chen Chuan's throat, a hand caught it out of thin air and snapped outward. With a brittle crunch, the short blade shattered to pieces beneath the five fingers, leaving nothing in front of him. Having spent his momentum, Miyahide inevitably froze for a fraction of a second. Next, he saw Chen Chuan charge forward and slam into him with his entire body. With a thunderous boom, an explosive force poured into his torso. A series of fracturing crunches sounded from his bones, and he went flying through the air. Before he could fly clear, however, a hand grabbed and yanked him back. At the same time, a bone-chilling cold pressed against his neck. He raised his eyes weakly to look up. Chen Chuan's gaze fell upon him, and he said apologetically, "Sorry, but I'm pressed for time." With a backhanded draw of the Xuejun Saber, a wet shhk rang out, and Nagahide Miyahide's head flew from his shoulders. The smoky demonic face hovering above lingered for a moment, then dispersed as a howling current of air swept through. Right at that moment, a gunshot abruptly cracked in the distance. As if anticipating it, Chen Chuan swatted his hand out before the bullet arrived, knocking it to the ground. He glanced toward the origin of the shot. Just then, another gunshot rang in his ears. A flower of blood bloomed through the goggles of a sniper stationed on a distant building, while on their side, Qin Qingque held her gun steadily raised, the echo still lingering in the air. The moment the sniper fired at Chen Chuan, she had reacted instantly and eliminated the shooter. After a glance, Chen Chuan sensed something amiss. Looking down, he saw a tentacle-like appendage reach out from a nearby fissure, coil around Nagahide Miyahide's corpse and severed head, and yank them inside with a swift jerk. His eyes glinted, and he brought his foot down on Liuruoqie in Miyahide's grip, keeping the blade from being dragged away as well. Carrying Miyahide's body, the tentacle vanished swiftly, and the fissure closed up shortly after. He stared at the spot, thoughtful. *That sensation just now... it felt like...* *Forget it.* Regardless of what it was, there was no need to dwell on it now. He took a moment to inspect his condition and discovered that after defeating Nagahide Miyahide, under the guidance of the continuously operating Spiritual Luminance Reflection, his spirit had ascended a step higher, allowing him to gather even more essence than before. Battling was indeed effective. The stronger the opponent, the more his spirit could be propelled upward—and in such battles, his second self was pushed forward along with it. Yet it was still not enough. He needed even more formidable opponents to help him continue climbing higher. Just then, footsteps approached from the perimeter. He looked outward and saw that the four fighters from Fenglin Dojo had not retreated following Nagahide Miyahide's death. Instead, bearing grim, resolute expressions of suicidal determination, they drew their blades one after another and walked toward them. ... ...