Chapter 103: A Challenge Spanning Two Levels

Xiao Leng's eyes flickered as well. To Long Yun, he felt not only close but genuinely admired him. He never imagined that after this near-death crisis, Long Yun had simply left him far behind.

Thinking of this, Xiao Leng let out a bitter smile. He recalled that half a year earlier, in his eyes, Long Yun had been nothing more than a novice junior brother who had just entered the gates. Yet now, he had reached a level that made him look up to him in awe.

The world abounded with geniuses, but those like Long Yun were few and far between.

Shadow Killer refrained from using the Shadow Stealth Technique. After all, that set of kung fu relied solely on the bizarre interplay of body techniques and qi, using assassination to forge miraculous achievements. But since his opponent could see through his concealment, it was better to fight openly and fairly. He refused to believe that, with his cultivation exceeding the opponent's by two full ranks, he could not cut him down beneath the sword.

His resolve solidified, Shadow Killer roared, unleashing his thin sword into the air where it detonated into a storm of pitch-black light rain. Each droplet of light was a seed of sword qi, clashing violently with Long Yun's swirling sword shadows across the sky.

Clang after clang! The sounds of sword qi colliding echoed without cease, exploding like rain on banana leaves, their impacts multiplying in rapid succession until they had clashed over a thousand times in the space of a breath.

Long Yun remained unmoved. A faint smile curved his lips. The opponent's assassination arts were indeed formidable, yet his own sword intent was the sharpest of the three senses.

Sword intent enveloped a radius of twenty to thirty zhang around him. Any trace of qi that stirred would be sensed with perfect clarity. Shadow Killer, however, cultivated an evil path, his qi completely reversed from that of the righteous cultivators. Long Yun could therefore discern his hiding place at once and deliver the most devastating blow.

Seeing that Shadow Killer had abandoned the assassination approach, Long Yun secretly deemed it an ideal moment. Since forging the Seizing Heaven Technique and breaking through to the Innate Qi Merging Realm, he had desperately needed a true trial of arms to validate his gains. This clash with Shadow Killer was precisely the perfect test, so he gave it no mercy. He stomped hard on the ground, blue stone slabs fracturing into a web of cracks beneath his foot.

His body was propelled outward like a cannonball, the Green Willows Without Edge Sword spinning before him to release a dense curtain of sword qi that sealed all escape routes.

Shadow Killer's form and retreat path were sealed within that single strike.

Shadow Killer's gaze flickered, yet his firm and calm nature remained intact. Though surprised by Long Yun's power, he showed no trace of panic. His thin sword thrust forward, sword light erupting from the tip to form a slender, razor-sharp black thread that pierced deep into Long Yun's swirling sword shadows.

Point to shatter the surface! Shadow Killer's approach was clear, and this move was wise. Long Yun's sword shadows were dispersed; only highly condensed true qi could break them.

Yet Shadow Killer's plan landed squarely into Long Yun's calculations. Long Yun's battle experience was a priceless hoard, distilled from countless life-or-death struggles.

One move out, ten moves calculated!

From the instant he struck, he had mapped every possible response Shadow Killer might unleash, and this very point-to-shatter technique was among them. A low, cold hum escaped Long Yun's lips. The Green Willows Without Edge Sword shifted its stance, the flattened tip resting lightly atop the sword qi that had pierced his shadows.

Crack! A sharp friction tore through the air as Long Yun channeled his true qi into the blade without releasing a drop externally. Sacred qi flowed along the sword's length into Shadow Killer's thrusting light. Where the blade passed, the thin sword's radiance dissolved like melting ice and snow. Long Yun stepped through the Ascending Dragon Form, closing the distance in an instant to sever Shadow Killer's mysterious qi.

The clash unfolded in the space between thought and motion. Only when Long Yun stood before him did Shadow Killer react, his face paling in shock.

Shadow Killer, however, was no fragile foe in the Innate Third Realm of Tongtian. Especially since his Shadow Stealth Technique hinged so heavily on bodywork. In that fleeting instant of disbelief, he retreated violently, his speed matching Long Yun's Ascending Dragon Step with eerie precision, the two maintaining perfect distance.

One pursued, one withdrew, locked in stalemate.

Yet during the retreat, Shadow Killer reversed his internal qi, drew a deep breath, and stabbed his thin sword madly forward, launching more than a dozen sword qi bolts toward Long Yun simultaneously.

Long Yun could not help but sigh inwardly. Shadow Killer's body techniques truly were profound. His own Ascending Dragon Step, crafted by Qiu Niu, ranked among the most mysterious he had witnessed. Only the last time he evaded the pursuit of Cheng Rong and Qi Ling had he relied on this very step to match the wind-riding speed of an innate cultivator. Its terror was undeniable.

Yet Shadow Killer's bizarre movements matched the Ascending Dragon Step exactly. Such skill, combined with his unpredictable assassination arts, suggested that even an Innate Fourth Realm powerhouse might find themselves outmatched in a sudden clash.

Thoughts settling, Long Yun faced the counterattack head-on. The Green Willows Without Edge Sword thrust forward and clashed directly with Shadow Killer's sword strike.

Mind entering the crystalline, translucent realm of supreme sword intent, Long Yun poured his full strength into the blow—no subtlety, only raw directness.

Qi erupted. Shadow Killer felt the same intent. He too wished to clash head-to-head. The boy's swordplay was exquisite, its bizarre cunning surpassing even his own assassination technique. Headache bloomed in Shadow Killer's mind. He refused to prolong the stalemate, for Long Yun's cultivation was two full ranks below his own—the decisive factor in victory.

Boom! Two lights met in a thunderous collision. Boundless waves of qi rolled outward, shattering the surroundings in chaos.

Originally confident, Shadow Killer felt an overwhelming force slam into him at the instant of qi burst, a pressure that made his heart stutter. Like a tidal wave, it hurled him backward, blood spraying from his mouth in great gouts, his face drained of color.

Long Yun stepped once, his figure bursting forth at the peak of the Ascending Dragon Seven Steps, pursuing the flying form of Shadow Killer with merciless eyes. He raised his sword toward the man's chest.

A bitter smile curved Shadow Killer's lips. He remembered using the same move to knock that woman away and end her life. Fate had reversed; the same technique now struck him. He had never expected Long Yun's true qi to reach such density. Even with two ranks higher cultivation, he had been repelled in one blow, meridians shattered.

Shadow Killer did not know that this was no ordinary strike. Long Yun had unleashed a condensed version of the Dragon God Creation, far from its complete form, minimizing backlash. Had it been the full technique, even Shadow Killer's cultivation would have rendered it impossible for Long Yun to achieve such a feat.

Mid-air, Shadow Killer struggled to gather qi, yet searing pain in his meridians blocked every attempt. He could only offer a helpless smile and surrender.

As the Green Willows Without Edge Sword descended toward his chest, Long Yun's wrist twisted at the last moment, the flat of the blade striking Shadow Killer's chest instead. Seizing Heaven True Qi flooded in, sealing his meridians shut.

Shadow Killer crashed to the ground heavily, feeling as though every bone had been shattered. His eyes fixed on Long Yun, burning with hatred.

Long Yun smiled faintly. "You still have some use. I'll spare your life for now. We'll settle this later."

He seized Shadow Killer and tossed him beside Shangguan Yu and the others. Xiao Leng had risen as well, his gaze toward Long Yun filled with fervent excitement.

Long Yun approached him, placing both hands heavily on his shoulders. "Senior brother, you haven't let me down. I'm still alive."

Xiao Leng nodded without speaking, though his lips trembled.

"Watch over him for me, Senior brother. I'll go check on Xiao Xiao's injuries!" Long Yun said, then turned toward Liu Xiao Xiao.