Even though Lu Tianzi seemed to have spoken with much confidence, he still did not dare to let down his guard even for a single moment.
The speed at which Chengban had approached him earlier was something that had far exceeded his expectations, such that it had left a deep impression on him.
It was a burst of speed that Lu Tianzi would never be able to pull off himself without activating his beastial bloodline transformation, yet Chengban seemed to have done so with absolute ease.
On top of that, Chengban's sword slash was unexpectedly heavy as well.
Back at Bog Town, Lu Tianzi managed to withstand the Dongran couple's Dual Sword Requiem. This was a combat technique which they claimed would give them the strength equivalent to that of a Sixth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist.
That was what gave Lu Tianzi the confidence to challenge Chengban.
Since he had even broken through to the Second Cycle Origin Core realm since then, facing an opponent at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm should have been a walk in the park.
But did the Dongran couple lie?
Because Chengban's sword slash earlier seemed to be even stronger than their Dual Sword Requiem!
After their first clash, Lu Tianzi immediately realised that this fight might be far more difficult that he had initially thought.
Still, he was not the only one who had been caught by surprise.
"You bastard!" Chengban cursed as his face grew red with a mixture of both anger and embarrassment.
As if his sword slash being stopped by a Second Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist was not bad enough, the other party had even mocked him in front of all the guests present.
He was a core disciple of the Divine Storm Sect, a person who was destined to stand at the top of the world!
Throughout his life, he had always been the one to mock others, never the other way around.
Yet at this very moment, even without looking over, Chengban could imagine the vivid scene of everyone casting looks of mockery upon him, judging him for his laughable performance.
For the arrogant Chengban, this humiliating experience was bound to become a dark memory that would haunt him until the end of time!
"I don't know what lousy of trick you pulled, but it won't work a second time!"
Despite his rage, Chengban did not push forward blindly. Instead, he actually took the initiative to back away from Lu Tianzi.
At the same time, an illusory golden lion shimmered into existence behind him.
Along with its appearance came a wave of energy that was filled with an aura of royal dignity. It felt as though the golden lion was the absolute ruler of the lands, beckoning all to bow before it.
"Die," Chengban no longer bothered to hide his thoughts of malice at this point.
He raised the Cloud Splitter with a single outstretched arm, pointing it right at Lu Tianzi.
Origin Force started gathering upon the blade of the sword, forming an alluring glow that felt just as mesmerising as it was threatening.
In response, Lu Tianzi raised his weapons at the ready, a silvery light flashing across his eyes.
He might not know what was coming next, but the threatening aura coming from the Cloud Splitter was unmistakable.
Before understanding what was coming, Lu Tianzi dared not make any reckless moves.
But right at that moment, a familiar voice sounded out in his head.
"This is his signature move, Ten Thousand Swords Possession. It allows him to emit countless beams of sword light into the surroundings, cutting down anything around him. Try not to get near him when he's in that state. If you really have to, then watch out for the sword light that will be coming for you."
Lu Tianzi blinked blankly for a moment.
There was no mistaking it. That was Bocheng's voice for sure.
But why was Bocheng suddenly helping him by telling him about Chengban's combat technique?
Were the two of them on unfriendly terms?
However, Chengban did not give Lu Tianzi any time to think this through.
With a single swing of the Cloud Splitter, countless beams of sword light burst forth from the glowing blade, drawing numerous different trajectories as they headed towards Lu Tianzi in all directions.
Lu Tianzi could sense that the strength behind each and every beam of sword light was no weaker than Chengban's earlier sword strike.
Without a doubt, Lu Tianzi would be heavily injured as long as he received a direct hit from just a single one of them!
Chengban sneered in his heart.
He was confident that as long as his opponent was not ready for this, no one would be able to deal with such an attack at such a distance.
In fact, even First Disciple Dongquan Juewei who possessed a higher cultivation level than him had been fl.u.s.tered by this attack when it was used against him for the first time!
"This time, it's definitely over," Bayuen said with a confident smile. "There is no way he can defend against th-"
But even before Bayuen could even finish his sentence, the scene before him had completely changed.
All of a sudden, numerous weapons appeared in the air around Lu Tianzi.
With a count, there were at least hundreds of weapons, including a good mix of swords, sabres, spears, polearms, daggers etc.
The sudden appearance of such a great number of weapons was truly an impressive sight to behold.
Everyone present was caught by surprise – not a single one of them had expected such a showy move by Lu Tianzi.
Most importantly, the appearance of these weapons was not merely a fanciful display .
The numerous weapons moved immediately after appearing, each of them blocking a beam of sword light that was heading towards Lu Tianzi with absolute precision!
***
Despite having received an early tip-off from Bocheng, Lu Tianzi had still been caught off guard when the countless beams of sword light first exploded out from the Cloud Splitter.
Not only did Lu Tianzi not have a single move in his arsenal that was capable of dealing with numerous attacks at once, the sheer number of beams of sword light would have been overwhelming even for most martial artists who did have a technique like that.
However, Bocheng's tip-off had at least given him a bit more time to think of a countermeasure.
Back when Lu Tianzi hijacked the sacrificial ritual from the Dongran Couple in Bog Town, he had managed to collect the belongings of everyone present at the Blazing Wings' secret base. This naturally included the numerous weapons stored within their spatial rings.
And now, he was finally able to put them to good use!
With just his Origin Force as a form of control, Lu Tianzi clearly understood that he would never be able to completely block every single beam of sword light.
Even if he could direct the weapons to meet the beams of sword light, the weapons would have been too weak to withstand the might of the sword light under the control of his Origin Force.
Therefore, Lu Tianzi had directed these weapons to divert the beams of sword light from the side instead. This required far less strength than actually blocking the attack completely, though it did require a far higher level of control.
Fortunately, the one thing that Lu Tianzi was most proud of right now was his control over his Origin Force.
Be it placing inscriptions or setting formations, both required absolute precision in the control of energy within their respective systems.
Being both an inscription master and a formation master, Lu Tianzi's control of energy had already been honed to a terrifying level.
This might have been slightly affected after his breakthrough to the Origin Core realm. But over the past few months, Lu Tianzi had finally gotten used to channeling Origin Force instead of Essence energy as an energy medium.
Right now, even those at the upper boundaries of the Origin Core realm might not compare favourably to the current Lu Tianzi in terms of control over their Origin Force!
Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!
Thunderous collisions sounded out one after another as the countless beams of sword light connected with Lu Tianzi's weapons, causing their trajectories to be diverted away from Lu Tianzi himself.
Gasps of shock sounded out among the attendees of the banquet as they witnessed this incredible scene.
The country bumpkin's move was not just showy, but it was also effective!
This time, even the elders of the Divine Storm Sect could not help but frown.
They clearly understood how strong Chengban's Ten Thousand Swords Possession was. It was this exact combat technique that had allowed him to jump ranks and defeat opponents at a higher cultivation level.
Yet his opponent this time actually managed to neutralise it with absolute perfection.
Be it the composure on his face or the numerous weapons in his possession, it was almost as though his opponent had been preparing for this move since the very start!
Did Chengban get baited into a trap this time?
Compared to the elders of the sect, the psychological impact on Chengban was even greater.
He was momentarily stunned, unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.
It was said that a mometary lapse in battle could cost a soldier his life, and Lu Tianzi naturally was not intending to let such a mistake go unpunished.
This time, it was Lu Tianzi's turn to go on the offensive!
The distance between them shrank in an instant as Lu Tianzi appeared before Chengban, slashing out mercilessly with the Moon Culler.
Returning Wraith Sword!
Whoosh-!
The sound of the wind was made audible as the Moon Culler tore through the air towards its target, but Chengban had already broken out of his daze by now.
"Dream on!" Chengban roared as he slashed out without restraint to meet Lu Tianzi's attack head on.
Bang-!
This time, the strength behind Chengban's sword strike had suddenly risen to a whole new level, such that Lu Tianzi was actually no longer able to trade evenly with Chengban!
With that one exchange, Lu Tianzi's stance was blown wide open as his right arm was thrown to the side from the impact.
Lu Tianzi frowned.
This sudden burst of power was something that he certainly had not expected from Chengban!
Right before him, Chengban's eyes lit up in malice when he noticed the momentary lapse in Lu Tianzi's battle stance.
"This is why country bumpkins like you need to know your place before acting all full of yourself!" Chengban sneered.
But just as he was about to swing the Cloud Splitter back down towards Lu Tianzi, Chengba suddenly narrowed his eyes in alarm.
Behind!
Chengban immediately dodged to the side, turning around and slashing out with his Cloud Splitter as he did.
Bang-!
The Cloud Splitter cut right through the returning sword light from Lu Tianzi's Returning Wraith Sword, dissipating the sword light in an instant.
But along with the dissipationg of the sword light dissipated, Chengban felt all colours rapidly fading away from his surroundings, bringing him into a world of absolute darkness.
From the direction where Lu Tianzi had been, a ghastly apparition was baring its teeth in deathly malice as it rushed towards Chengban. Nether energy gathered around the apparition, as though it was an entity that had risen from the very depths of hell.
An illusion technique?
Chengban did not panic.
Instead, he slashed out with the Cloud Splitter, and countless beams of sword light exploded out once more.
Lu Tianzi furrowed his brows, immediately pulling his sword back to defend himself.
The burst of sword light was far too threatening, and Lu Tianzi had no choice but to abandon the Howling Wraith Sword to focus on defending himself.
With a single thought, the numerous weapons floating in the air around him quickly moved to block the beams of sword light just like before.
But at this moment, Bocheng's anxious voice sounded out in Lu Tianzi's head once again. "Watch out! He is utilising his comprehensions in the Law of Swords this time!"
Law of Swords?
Lu Tianzi tightened his grip around his two weapons.
Even if what Bocheng said was true, it was already too late to change anything. All he could do was to push through with his original plan and hope for the best!
Just like before, the weapons clashed against the numerous beams of sword light in a bid to divert them away from Lu Tianzi.
Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!
The successive collisions sounded just like the ones before, but the outcome was completely different this time.
Before the increased might of Chengban's sword light, the numerous weapons under Lu Tianzi's control were no longer able to hold up like before.
They were smashed out of position in an instant, some of them even crumbling from the impact.
On top of that, a minority of the beams of sword light directly pierced through the weapons that were in their way, continuing on their original trajectory towards Lu Tianzi!
Lu Tianzi widened his eyes in shock.
How domineering!
So this was Chengban's Law of Swords!