Yet, Xiang Bei’s eyes sprang open.

Encased in swirling patterns of black ghost-markings, his eyes, double-pupilled and piercing, appeared even more profound and unfathomable. He cast a fleeting glance at Jiang Wang. His knotted right hand, mighty with power, merely twisted. The halberd-blade of the Peerless Halberd recoiled and straightened in an instant!

A terrifying, immense force counterattacked Long Xiang Si. Jiang Wang, along with his sword, was flung several *zhang* distant!

That was the sound of Xiang Bei’s footfall. His foot descended upon the martial field with the heavy thud of a battle drum. The very next moment, he was upon Jiang Wang, the great halberd raised high, ready to cleave down!

In mid-air, a flash of the Azure Cloud mark appeared and vanished. Though Jiang Wang was clearly still in inverted flight, he moved as if treading on solid ground, executing a light turn that caused the halberd strike to fall short. Then, with a turn of his body, he unleashed a horizontal cut!

This sword strike was beautiful, truly beautiful. So free and unrestrained! Before a halberd that could only be described as terrifying, he floated like an immortal, like a wild, untamed madman, drunk on wine, splashing ink with a brush.

Only one stroke, a horizontal one. The Human Dao Sword Style: Scholar Down and Out! Ten years of hardship fallen, life and death pledged to settle grievances. The very sword that had cleaved a single rider into an array diagram within the Tongtian Palace now reappeared upon this field!

Xiang Bei’s halberd stroke fell empty. He immediately released his left hand, gripping the halberd’s tail with his right, holding the weapon inverted, and merely thrust it forward! He blocked this sword!

But merely blocking the sword body wasn’t enough. It failed to block the sword’s momentum and intent. Thus, roaring black smoke surged from within the Peerless Halberd, and a terrifying halberd-intent erupted. His right hand flipped, his left hand grasped, and the Peerless Halberd spun in a grand circle in the air, suddenly roaring with infinite killing intent!

The Eight Wastelands No Return Halberd’s West Pole Style! The spectral image of a grim, killing White Tiger flickered into existence and vanished, the Peerless Halberd roaring straight for Jiang Wang’s face!

Everyone, including Xiang Bei himself, awaited Jiang Wang’s reaction.

And Jiang Wang, as if struck senseless, precisely at that moment, withdrew his body, retreated, and returned his sword to its sheath!

Two figures, one high and one low, swiftly flew through the air. One advanced, one retreated. One held a halberd, angrily chopping; the other returned his sword to its sheath. One’s body was wreathed in black smoke, like a god, like a demon; the other, in a green robe, remained composed, his steps more leisurely than strolling in his own courtyard. Only the wind howled!

“What does he intend to do? Throw the match?” In the Qi Country observation team, someone asked. This person was a side branch disciple of the Cao family, specially come to Guan He Terrace to observe the ceremony. Save for a few battles, he wasn’t intimately familiar with Jiang Wang. For his country’s heaven’s pride to win, he naturally held high hopes. But at this moment, it seemed as though this Jiang Qing Yang was deliberately throwing the match! It left him utterly bewildered. Facing this halberd strike, no matter what, he shouldn’t retreat! This contradicted his expectations, leading him to utter such malicious words as “throw the match”!

What kind of occasion was the Huang He Assembly? Who would dare to abandon national dignity and throw the match on Guan He Terrace? Some people are simply like this, their minds so barren they lack the capacity for thought. As long as they don’t witness what they desire, they open their mouths and say “throw the match.” But it’s also hard to discern whether such a person is stupid or simply wicked.

Chong Xuan Sheng said blandly, “There’s no need to ask what Jiang Qing Yang intends. In battle, he always does the correct thing.” He turned his head, looking at the speaker, “What is your name?”

If they are stupid, they should be scolded; if they are wicked, they should be killed!

That person stammered, not daring to speak.

Li Long Chuan’s voice then rang out, though much colder and far more succinct: “Divine ability.”

This served as an explanation for others who shared similar doubts. He, possessing the Candle Wei’s power, could easily perceive details invisible to ordinary people. Including, at this very moment, the faintly trembling fire yuan surrounding Jiang Wang’s body!

And as for Jiang Wang, stepping on the Azure Cloud and swiftly retreating vertically, he himself was utterly without the heart to abandon the fight, utterly without fear in his battle actions. Among all the Human Dao Sword Styles, the sublimated Scholar Sword and Youth Sword were now the two swords with the strongest killing power. One sword a horizontal cut, one sword a straight vertical. One sword held the bitterness of being down and out for years, a heart full of hatred; the other was the carefree delight of youth, a life of effortless success. One sword carried the momentum of splitting life and death, the other an unstoppable charge.

These two styles, before an absolute peak halberd technique like the Eight Wastelands No Return Halberd, were almost not inferior. Or more accurately, in Jiang Wang’s hands, they could contend with the Eight Wastelands No Return Halberd technique wielded by a heaven’s pride like Xiang Bei. He had unleashed the peak of the Human Dao Sword Style, yet Xiang Bei had not truly displayed the perfection of the Eight Wastelands No Return Halberd.

But this was already an immense achievement, demonstrating that the Human Dao Sword Technique now possessed the posture of becoming an absolute peak sword technique!

But it stopped here, temporarily. Facing the Swallowing Thief Hegemonic Body driving the Eight Wastelands No Return Halberd, the existing Human Dao Sword Style could no longer continue to hold its own. A sword-weapon like Long Xiang Si was also not meant to be smashed against a heavy halberd like the Peerless Halberd.

Thus, Jiang Wang sheathed his sword, concealing his intent within his heart. With the immortal technique of Ping Bu Qing Yun, he swiftly retreated five *zhang*.

Xiang Bei’s West Pole halberd also pursued those five *zhang*. This was a distance of five *zhang*, filled with hidden dangers. One’s momentum was declining, the other’s rising. The battle situation seemed to be reaching its climax, that massive halberd almost upon him, face to face.

Eight Wastelands, Six Harmonies, exhausting the West Pole.

And Jiang Wang opened his mouth and exhaled! This was a scene of wondrous spectacle. A single red seed, blooming into a beautiful flame flower.

*Cheep cheep cheep!*

As the flame flower bloomed, like flame sparrows carved from red jade, they chirped and flew out. The foundation of fire, the vitality of fire. Star power surged into the sky, totem power solidified as earth. Heaven round, earth square, unique to this realm. Volcanoes erupted, seas of fire roared. Meteors streaked across the sky, flame sparrows cried out in all directions.

The world of fire, descended!

情 He Yi Shen reminds you: After reading, please collect it (), then continue to read for convenience.