The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Part Four (Newly Revised)
"It seems to be over." Li Letian said somewhat disappointedly, "But thank you anyway, Brother Su."
On the sword-testing platform, He Zian was enveloped by the wind of the sword and lifted into the air. He couldn't move an inch; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was like a fish on a chopping board.
Li Letian took a deep breath and quickly composed himself. "But don't worry, I will do my best no matter what."
Those eyes were filled with a do-or-die determination. That resolve was no less than that of Xiang Yu on the banks of the Zhang River.
“I understand,” Li Letian said, looking at He Zian, whose body was covered in wounds. “For them, this may just be a failure. But for us, this is our only chance in this lifetime.”
These words caused Su Yishan's resolve to waver. For the first time, Su Yishan looked away from the sword-testing platform and saw Li Letian's resolute eyes at close range.
"Is this the only chance I'll ever have?" Su Yishan avoided Li Letian's gaze and murmured in a very low voice, so low that only he could hear it.
Su Yishan lowered his head, and finally his gaze returned little by little to the center of the sword-testing platform.
He Zian kept his energy focused in front of him to resist Du Taibai's sword intent that came from below.
“I’ve heard that the Beggars’ Sect’s ancestor had a move where he stepped on the right foot with his left foot,” Wang Boyu noticed the two of them and squeezed past the other spectators to get to their side. “If Young Master He knows this move, he might have a chance to escape the sword wind and turn the tide.”
Wang Boyu was an old acquaintance of both of them, and the three of them nodded slightly in greeting.
At this moment, they were unaware that in the most inconspicuous corner of the Black Mountain's main peak, the three sharp blades that would later stir up the world's political landscape had gathered for the first time.
"However, it is too early to admit defeat now." Su Yishan did not directly respond to the determination of his fellow swordsmen, but instead bravely made a judgment on the situation.
Du Taibai's sword intent broke through He Zian's defense and struck He Zian's left shoulder with perfect precision.
"Oh!" A gasp rippled through the crowd. Even those seated around the testing platform stood up involuntarily, watching the rapidly changing situation unfold.
The heavy slash caused He Zi'an to lose his balance. He flipped in mid-air, exposing his back completely to his opponent standing on the ground.
The sword wind relentlessly rose upwards. At this very moment, their fates diverged.
The old sword case was shattered into countless wood chips.
The sword wind shattered the sword box on He Zian's back! The powerful thrust, however, carried He Zian away from the inescapable net woven by Du Taibai.
With the shattering of the sword case emerged a longsword that no one in the Sword Forging City could forget. If even one person from the Sword Forging City were present, they would be able to recognize that sword without hesitation.
Li Letian was no exception. He just didn't understand that this "Shattered Star Sword" must have been shattered into pieces by his own hands in the Sword Forging City, and then cut by the divine sword that Meng Jizhen had sacrificed himself to forge.
But right now, He Zian is firmly gripping the Shattered Star Sword in his left hand.
Unlike the confident Su Yishan, Wang Boyu, upon seeing the appearance of the Shattered Star Sword, became certain of He Zian's inevitable defeat.
"If this is your last trump card, then you're doomed." Only Wang Boyu knew that what He Zi'an held in his hand was no longer the real Shattering Star Sword.
*
“That’s right, Brother Zian.” Xin Ruien had already clenched his fists. “With the Shattering Star Sword, as long as we can hit him once.”
He Zian channeled his energy into the Shattered Star Sword and immediately noticed something amiss.
In just a moment of confusion, Du Taibai's sword intent roared and sent him flying once again.
“Not bad, you actually managed to break free from my control.” The three mud figures walked side by side, their steps firm as they approached He Zi’an, who was shakily rising from the ground. “However, your defeat is already decided. I can see your sword intent clearly, and I can avoid ninety percent of your attacks.”
He Zi'an's left hand trembled. Not because he was afraid, but because he had reached his limit.
“One percent is enough,” He Zian said.
"Hmm?" Du Taibai frowned. "Don't you understand? With that tiny bit of insignificant sword intent, you can't even hurt me right now."
He Zian raised his right hand and swung his sword.
His sword slashed at the Shattered Star he held in his left hand!
*
Time and again, He Zi'an clashed the swords in his hands together.
Dark red sparks flew, like flowers blooming in the rain. Longswords clashed, their clanging sounds echoing through the mountains.
Such a frenzied and unrestrained momentum caused Du Bai to stop in his tracks for a moment.
The clouds of Yunxia Peak finally reached the main peak of Black Mountain, carrying raindrops.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky. Even heavier rain fell from ten thousand meters above.
The sudden downpour plunged into the muddy sea, beating a rapid drumbeat. Du Bai was suddenly awakened; the increasingly powerful rain gave him renewed confidence in his victory.
He Zian's right hand swung the sword at different parts of the Shattered Star Sword each time.
Du Taibai understood that He Zian was definitely not making a futile struggle. He must be preparing a plan that would severely damage him.
However, I won't give you that chance. Du Taibai's clay body dispersed again, rushing towards his opponent from three different angles.
The first attack.
He Zian struggled to hold on, using the sword in his right hand to block the attack. With the help of Du Taibai, he flew to a place further away from him.
He Zian raised his hand and slashed at the Shattering Star Sword.
The second attack.
He Zi'an suffered several penetrating wounds. He used the Shattered Star Sword to support his body and swung his sword back with his right hand. Du Taibai's mud figures scattered, causing He Zi'an's counterattack to completely miss.
He Zian raised his hand and slashed at the Shattering Star Sword.
Du Taibai's eye twitched, and a bone-chilling cold rose from the depths of his heart.
The third attack. The mud body moved so fast it lost its human form, leaving behind mud specks like raindrops.
He Zian spun around and flew backward, crashing into the muddy sea.
Using the Shattered Star Sword for support, He Zian staggered to his feet again.
He Zian raised his right hand and slashed at the Shattered Star Sword.
“Master Li, Prime Minister,” said the monk Wuxin from Xinyuan Temple on the judging panel, feeling a pang of pity, “Should we call a halt to this battle? It seems that Young Master He’s condition is no longer sustainable.”
Zhao Zheng's face turned ashen.
Calling a halt to the fight at this point would undoubtedly signify He Zi'an's defeat. It would also mean that Zhao Zheng had completely lost control of the sword-testing tournament and the opportunity to dominate the Central Plains martial arts world.
If Ji-won or Yoo-jung were present, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. Zhao Zheng was only furious at He Zi'an's incompetence; he had been so arrogant in the camp that day, yet now he had suffered a complete defeat.
But he still lost to the Beggars' Sect, who betrayed him.
“I don’t think so,” the old man from Canghai Sword Manor said first. “Young Master He’s fighting spirit is still very strong. Master, you must not ruin a young man’s life for a moment of kindness.”
“Yes, Master Wuxin. You and I both know what stopping at this point means.” Another judge chimed in, “Isn’t doing this too cruel to this young man who is still striving?”
"Amitabha." Several eminent monks from Xinyuan Temple looked worriedly at He Zi'an, who was struggling to hold on in the arena, and said nothing more.
Du Taibai launched six attacks, but He Zian still managed to stand up from the filthy mud. The original color of his clothes was no longer discernible.
"Give up, Young Master He," Du Taibai advised. "Although we are on different sides, your perseverance has truly moved me. Don't continue to serve Zhao Zheng. He can even kill a dog after it's done with a rabbit, let alone you who are fighting alone."
The light in He Zi'an's eyes had dimmed, and he raised his tired eyes to look at the clay figure in the distance.
"If you're willing, you can join my Beggars' Sect," Du Taibai said. "I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help the He family regain its former glory."
He Zian raised his right hand and gripped the longsword, which was already full of nicks and cracks.
Du Taibai shook his head: "If you continue like this, you will die."
Without hesitation, He Zi'an brought his longsword down.
The mud churned, and Du Taibai launched a decisive attack.
Sparks flew through the rain, and the longswords in He Zi'an's hands shattered.
*
Upon reaching the mountainside, Pei Jiangxi turned directly towards the campsite.
Han Yizhi felt the vibration of the true energy at the mountain peak and stopped in place to look up.
“Seeing you like this,” Pei Jiangxi said, “I suddenly remembered a story.”
"What story?"
"Emperor Changwen was not only the ruler of a country, but also a first-rate martial artist. Yet he not only lost his country, but also his life. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Han Yizhi was completely confused by her.
"Emperor Changwen was a rare romantic. She was his treasure and his weakness."
“I’m not worried about Boyu,” Han Yizhi said.
“He’ll have to leave eventually,” Pei Jiangxi continued forward, waving her hand without turning her head, and said, “Get used to it in advance.”
*
The fragments of the iron sword did not fall; instead, they flew straight towards Du Taibai's three clay figures.
“I’ve said it before, it’s no use.”
The clay body underwent a twist that a human could never achieve, evading He Zi'an's final attack attempt. Only a few scattered fragments struck the clay body, which were ultimately swallowed up without causing a ripple.
He Zian was already unarmed.
"If this is your last attempt, I am very disappointed," Du Bai said angrily. "To do what you know is impossible is not the mark of a hero, but of a reckless fool."
He was only inches away from He Zi'an.
The longsword, forged from black mud, cleaved through the wind and rain, slashing towards He Zi'an from three directions.
He Zian couldn't even lift a finger.
At this point, Du Fu had ample time to spare. If he were observant enough, he would have noticed that not a single spectator had left. If he were cautious enough, he would have considered how unusual it was that the area of shards that hadn't even made a ripple.
Of course, at this point, everything is just a hypothetical scenario, and can only remain a hypothetical scenario.
Du Taibai's sword was only an inch away from He Zian, and only an inch away from victory.
The next moment, all three clay figures shattered into dust.
Countless fragments of longswords surrounded He Zi'an, and even the black mud beneath his feet was shredded to pieces.
Du Bai, in the distance, had just begun sculpting a new clay figure when he was immediately sliced to pieces by the oncoming fragments of longswords. No matter how many times he tried, he would be cut into tiny pieces.
He Zi'an did not make a single further movement.
No matter how Du Taibai twisted his body or changed his form, the fragments would still hit him.
Even the rain surrounding Du Fu was constantly cut off until it disappeared.
“You have already been marked by me.” He Zian lowered his eyes and no longer looked at Du Taibai.
That was a never-ending rain of swords, slicing through everything.
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