"Uh?"
Liu Zhengming had already used thirty-six moves, but Lin Mo showed no signs of defeat. Although Liu Zhengming had been suppressing him, Lin Mo seemed to grow stronger as the battle drew on.
He had started practicing Sword Dao since childhood and had been a famous Second Generation Sword Saint for a century.
Yet Lin Mo was just a teenager. Even if he had begun his Martial Arts Cultivation in his mother's womb, he couldn't possibly be so strong. Moreover, Lin Mo's understanding of swordsmanship almost surprised him.
Cultivation and the understanding of swordsmanship were different. To grasp swordsmanship, time was needed for it to settle, but Lin Mo's understanding of swordsmanship seemed even greater than his?
Could he be some old monster reincarnated?
Liu Zhengming couldn't help but think of a terrifying possibility. There were records in ancient texts from Han Country that real superpowers could disembark from their bodies and reincarnate while retaining their memories from the previous life.
However, that was merely a legend from Han Country mythology. Even he had never heard of anyone in the history of Han Country achieving such a realm. If Lin Mo were not the reincarnation of an old monster, then he must be a true genius, a one-in-a-million kind.
"Blood Blade Strike!"
Suddenly, Liu Zhengming shouted loudly, his voice thundering across the landscape.
Martial Artists stationed a kilometer away heard this roar and were momentarily bewildered.
Those who had come here to spectate were renowned experts from the Martial Arts World of Han Country with excellent eyesight. Moreover, with other Divine Skill sects' Heavenly Masters employing Mirror Magic Artifacts, the battle was projected in the sky like a movie.
With Liu Zhengming's roar, the lingering afterimages in the courtyard suddenly moved, displaying various sword strikes—lifting, stabbing, chopping, slashing, and cleaving. Each afterimage seemed like a Liu Zhengming, executing different techniques.
These figures then started to merge continuously until a final afterimage successfully merged onto Liu Zhengming, who then delivered a direct sword slash downwards.
This sword exhausted the ingenious variations of swordsmanship—change within unchangeableness; moreover, Liu Zhengming's supreme killing intent had already locked onto Lin Mo, making it impossible for Lin Mo to dodge no matter how he tried.
The spectating Martial Artists and Heavenly Masters showed expressions of excitement and shock on their faces.
"As expected of a Sword Saint, who could block such a sword?"
"Only Sword Master Liu could execute such exquisite swordsmanship, almost like the sword methods of an Immortal."
"Lin Tanyu is definitely doomed this time!"
Everyone's face showed reverence; this was the real sword technique of a true Sword Saint, terrifying as such!
Outside the courtyard, Lu Xing, Li Yang, and Wu Yihan also displayed alarmed expressions. This sword looked ordinary, yet it contained vast and intense killing intent, as if it could shatter a god itself.
"Liu Sheng's understanding of the Sword Dao is too strong," said Lu Xing with furrowed brows, "This sword almost forms his unique Domain. The entire area has turned into a vacuum, and Lin Mo might not even be able to use his Magic or True Qi."
The crowd gasped again.
The Sword Dao Domain, within a certain range, effectively made Liu Zhengming the god of that domain. Lin Mo could neither utilize the True Qi nor the Spiritual Energy of the domain, leaving him to face the sword with his physical body alone.
A smile of impending victory emerged on Liu Zhengming's face.
Lin Mo positioned the Xuanyuan Sword across his chest to meet Liu Zhengming's matchless strike.
"Bang!"
Sword Qi swept across, devastation followed, dust rose, and Lin Mo's figure disappeared into the smog.
"Is Lin Tanyu dead?"
"We finally won."
"The demon is finally dead," said the Sword Master. "How could he possibly still be alive after that?"
Some of the Han Country Martial Artists who watched the battle even started to dance with excitement, while others cried tears of joy. Even the Heavenly Masters breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Mo had been in Han Country for a month and had already extinguished more than a dozen families. It would have been infuriating if he had not died.
"Master," Yingzi said, clenching her white fists. Although she always believed in Lin Mo, considering him invincible,
this was also the first time she saw such a powerful opponent while accompanying her master.
"Brother Lin," Li Yang frowned.
"Lin Mo," Zhuang Ziruo gripped her treasure sword.
"Lin Tanyu, you can't just die so easily. I still have to defeat you," Chen Yanghao gritted his teeth.
Lu Xing, Wu Yihan, and Zhang Yesheng also looked tense as they watched the ancient courtyard fill with smoke and dust.
"How could I, Lin Mo, possibly die so easily?" Suddenly, a faint voice rose from the midst of the smoke and dust.
As the wind dispersed the smoke, slowly a figure began to emerge more clearly.
"Master," Yingzi's eyes reddened as she tearfully looked at the familiar figure.
"Brother Lin."
"Lin Tanyu."
"Lin Mo!"
Lu Xing, Zhuang Ziruo, Wu Yihan, Zhang Yesheng, and others all showed a hint of joy, clenching their fists tightly, their blood boiling. Lin Tanyu now represented not just himself, but the honor of the Huaxia Martial Arts World.
"How could you still be unscathed?"
Liu Zhengming tightly held the Tai Sword, veins bulging on his arms, his pupils suddenly dilated, staring intently at the figure, his tone full of disbelief and astonishment.
He had lived secluded in the Heavenly Palace for decades, detached from the mundane world, meditating and comprehending the Dao daily. This strike, which exhausted the variations of the Thirteen Swords, was like thirteen versions of him slicing at once. He believed that even the previous Sword Saint could not have easily blocked this strike.
The people from the Han Country Martial Arts World also widened their eyes in shock.
That devastating strike, which could destroy everything, had not killed Lin Mo.
"Could he really be a God or Demon that humans simply cannot kill?"
Lin Mo slowly walked out, though his clothes were torn to shreds by the violent Sword Qi, revealing his smooth muscled lines and healthy wheat-colored skin, his body shimmering with a faint golden glow, pure and flawless like crystal.
Lu Xing, Zhuang Ziruo, Xiao Zhu, seeing his body, couldn't help but feel their faces heat up.
Yingzi, who often saw him, naturally felt nothing unusual.
"Boy, if you are willing to sign the oath in blood, I can spare your life. After all, you are a genius, and maybe in ten years, you could become the youngest Sword Saint," Liu Zhengming said, his tone tinged with a hint of regret.
Lin Mo averted his gaze from the wound and scoffed, "Do you think you're capable?"
Saying this, Lin Mo clenched his fist tightly around the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand, his arm veins bulging.
The Xuanyuan Sword, seeming to feel its master's unyielding will, quivered slightly.
"Incurable fool," Liu Zhengming shook his head, the look of regret in his eyes instantly swept away, replaced by endless murderous intent.
Lin Mo was too strong. If he was not killed, he would ultimately become a great threat to the Han Country Martial Arts World.