Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 128: Clash

Clang!

The divine sword in the swordsman's scabbard suddenly vibrated and shot out.

In an instant, the swordsman grabbed it with his right hand.

"I began my sword training at twelve, dedicating myself to a single style. I progressed from one hundred sword forms a day to ten thousand. For thirty years, I have trained without fail, rain or shine, every day without rest.

"Don't blame me for using a weapon against you. I only know swordsmanship and nothing else. Throughout my career, I have always faced my opponents with my sword. I have faced countless evildoers, from grandmasters to Martial Saints, and all have fallen to my blade. When I strike, none can evade, none can parry."

Qi Feng calmly went on, "I believe you should have figured out by now the identity of the person behind me. So, I'll give you one last chance to bow your head and make peace with him. Once my sword strikes, there will be no turning back."

"No need," Li Pin responded, smiling slightly. He looked at the sword-wielding Qi Feng and began, "Before you, Grandmaster Zhou Chaoguang tried to disrupt my mind with his Light Thunder Fist while I was battling a Core Formation expert, but I ended his life with a single blow. Then, Martial Saint Qiu Chufeng, with his fiery and overwhelming Solar Vermillion Force, was no match for me and fell within a few moves.

"Now that I've truly entered the Aura Cultivation realm, ordinary Aura Cultivation experts are no match for my strength. Even the martial society's deputy chairman, Chi Xingyu, renowned for his mastery of the Aura Cultivation realm, could only leave the world with regret after facing me. For me to meet an expert swordsman like you is indeed fate's design."

Hearing Li Pin brag about his victories, Qi Feng squinted slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

"Perhaps you are trying to shake my resolve by asking me to lower my head, or you genuinely mean what you say, but it doesn't matter. What matters is, once you draw your sword..." Li Pin looked fixedly at Qi Feng, "don't hold back, or I will kill you!"

Every word Li Pin said came from his heart. Master swordsmen were truly rare, especially ones like Qi Feng. His mere presence exuded deadly sharpness.

Li Pin didn't doubt Qi Feng for even a moment when he said he had killed Martial Saints before. Li Pin could tell he possessed the skill to back up his boasts.

Qi Feng let out a cold sneer at Li Pin's words. "Li Pin! You are too arrogant!"

In the next instant, his sword sliced through the very fabric of space like a streak of white light. With a thrust of his sword, his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit condensed into a single, blinding point!

Blood surged! Killing intent boiled! And Sword Intent exploded!

These three elements merged perfectly. It was as if the first rays of dawn had pierced through eternal night, illuminating everything in its path. The world was awash in the brilliance of his attack.

Sword Intent! This was the Sword Intent in its most refined form!

Like the rising sun in the east, the Sword Intent blazed forth, invincible! With one strike, the world was plunged into twilight. The sword's blinding radiance eclipsed the colors of the world, leaving only the splendor of the sword.

Li Pin hadn't had time to say anything when Zhang Hengqiu exclaimed in utter shock, "The Rising Sun Sword!? You are the Rising Sun Swordsman!?"

He had always wondered why Lin Yuzhi was so confident in defeating Li Pin despite knowing how powerful this supremely talented genius was. After all, Li Pin had already killed his master, Qiu Chufeng, and the vice president, Chi Xingyu.

Now, seeing Qi Feng's dazzling, sunrise-like Sword Intent, he finally recognized who this man truly was. At the same time, he also understood the source of Lin Yuzhi's confidence.

The Rising Sun Sword was one of the most powerful swordsmen in the capital city over the past decade! More than a dozen martial arts grandmasters had fallen victim to Qi Feng's sword! Even more shockingly, he had once slain two Martial Saints head-on!

Unlike Zhang Hengqiu's master, these weren't aging Martial Saints with diminishing combat strength, but ones in their prime, capable of unleashing Spirit Force when in good condition.

"This is the sword! This is the sword that slays grandmasters, great grandmasters, and even Martial Saints! The rising sun that illuminates everything, where man and sword become one, and the Sword Intent merges with heaven."

Rumble, rumble!

Before Zhang Hengqiu could finish his exclamation, a terrifying aura mixed with dreadful pressure erupted from the Sword Intent that illuminated the heavens and earth.

If the Sword Intent was like the rising sun at dawn, bathing the world in light, then the terrifying aura was akin to a peerless demon god hidden in the darkness, completely awakened by the brilliant light.

The demon god reached out with its colossal hand, large enough to cover the sky and overshadowed the first ray of dawn that pierced the darkness.

It was Li Pin! Li Pin made his move with a single punch!

Facing the great grandmaster with thirty years of experience in swordsmanship, he neither dodged nor retreated! He charged forward, unleashing his most powerful punch!

As the saying goes, "In a deadlock, the bold will triumph."[1]

When Sword and Fist Intents clashed, there must be no room for hesitation. The mind had to be free from all impurities.

It was just like how Qi Feng had suggested at the start that they settle this conflict peacefully. What he had tried to do was to plant hesitation in Li Pin's heart, to leave a flaw in his mind. That seed of hesitation would emerge when their fight reached its peak. It would keep Li Pin thinking he had an option of retreat.

But once his heart hesitated, his fist would falter. In such a confrontation, even a moment's hesitation could mean the difference between life and death

Fortunately, Li Pin's heart remained firm from start to finish.

If he was going to fight, he would fight to the fullest! If he was going to battle, he would do it with all his might!

Would his punch kill his opponent? Or would he be slain by the opponent's sword?

All of these were irrelevant. All that mattered was the battle itself.

Rumble, rumble!

Blood Core Eruption!

The vast, surging qi and blood crashed like a meteor into a calm sea, giving rise to unprecedented colossal waves that turned into a tsunami, flooding every corner of his body. At the same time, a fiery spark flashed. In the next instant, the qi and blood, raging like a tsunami, exploded!

Blood-Seething Secret Art!

Li Pin's ignited qi and blood surged like a fire dragon wrapped in flames, carrying a terrifyingly intense heat toward his right fist.

Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Bifang!

However, this wasn't the usual Bifang! It was Bifang infused with the ultimate killer move of the Solar Vermillion Force, the Vermillion Phoenix Rise!

In addition, his internal organs resonated in unison. The force generated within them stacked layer upon layer. It followed his punch and erupted just a fraction of a second later.

Double-layered force!

Buzz, buzz!

Qi Feng's sword was like a rising sun, while Li Pin's punch shattered the air. But the real confrontation was between their sword intent and fist momentum.

It was a clash of mental spirits and a collision of wills!

The Sword Intent and fist momentum clashed in the air. The moment they met, it was as if an unrivaled demon hiding in the darkness had blanketed the first ray of dawn. Li Pin's overwhelming aura covered and crushed Qi Feng's Sword Intent.

The swordsman's sword was like the sun, invincible and unstoppable. Yet the flames of Li Pin's fist were a tempest that could boil the oceans and scorch the sky. It was an unimaginable force.

Even unparalleled swordsmanship only had one possible outcome when it went up against such overwhelming natural power, and that was to be swallowed whole!

Qi Feng's sword intent was shattered! Qi Feng might have refined his Sword Intent, but it wasn't as pure as he claimed. If he truly had absolute confidence in his sword, he wouldn't have resorted to attacking Li Pin's mind from the start.

Having spent countless days and nights in meditation, Li Pin had cultivated a mental spirit of nineteen points. He never lost sight of his purpose; his mind remained firm, ensuring his unshakeable position in this mystical confrontation.

Li Pin's Fist Intent and momentum instantly shattered Qi Feng's Sword Intent. While Li Pin's Fist Intent also collapsed after the clash, it managed to cause Qi Feng's sword skill to become disorganized.

His sword, now in disarray, combined with the dispersal of his Sword Intent, had driven its sharpness to an unprecedented low.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Pin moved in swiftly. The Bifang, formed from the Eight Enormities True Fire Force, descended like a blazing meteor, carrying a searing inferno as it crashed heavily onto Qi Feng's sword.

Rumble!

The collision of fist and sword erupted with a thunderous roar, like a kilogram of explosives detonating at the point of impact.

Zhang Hengqiu, attuned to the subtlety of "intent," saw the flames of their clash scattering in every direction.

Blazing firelight mixed with shattered sword beams splattered wildly, while visible shockwaves and rolling surges of air continuously swept outward from the two combatants.

Before the outcome of this blow, one of the strongest beneath the level of Martial Saints, could be determined, Li Pin unleashed a second burst of power, resonating through his organs, and struck Qi Feng's sword with force.

In the next moment, countless cracks appeared on the blade of this legendary sword. The fissures spread rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, the sword snapped.

Boom!

Watching his treasure sword break, Qi Feng's eyes widened with horror, and he let out a furious cry, "No!"

At this moment, he was torn between the sadness he felt over the loss of his long-time companion and the wrath he felt being subjected to such a life-threatening danger.

He immediately unleashed his Sword Intent once more. His strength surged to its peak, striving to counterattack even as his sword shattered. In a split second, his energy was nearly depleted.

But... a single misstep could lead to ruin.

This desperate outburst only worsened his predicament. Li Pin's Fist Intent had the upper hand. No matter how fiercely Qi Feng flared his Sword Intent, it was like a firefly before the full moon, burning brightly yet unable to compete.

Not only did the following shockwave shatter what remained of Qi Feng's sword, but it also decimated it into dozens of pieces.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The splintered fragments, propelled by the terrifying force, scattered like bullets. Even the residual pieces cut multiple blood streaks into Li Pin's arm, with blood misting the air.

However, compared to Qi Feng, such superficial wounds were insignificant.

Qi Feng didn't just have his arm cut by the splintered fragments; a broken section of the sword blade shot through his rapidly dodging shoulder like a crossbow bolt under the crushing force of the powerful punch. It tore through his back with a splash of crimson blood and lodged itself in a wall fourteen meters away, sending stone debris splattering everywhere.

1. Means courage is the key to victory in an evenly matched situation. ☜