"Sword of Life and Death!"
Lin Beichen swung his hand, gathering sword Qi at his fingertips, as if converging immense power in an instant. Though it wasn’t overwhelming like roaring waves, it was capable of cutting through anything.
Lin Beichen had used this move to kill Qin Wenwu and the Death God Cobra.
But Song Hualong, being a master who understood the true essence of spiritual energy, was undoubtedly a supreme strongman in the Celestial Gate Realm.
He calmly slid his hands, drawing in the water and fire around him, instantly transforming them into the power of countless runes.
Lin Beichen’s Sword of Life and Death, although immensely powerful, was like a blade being crazily grinded against the unending power of the runes, and was worn down to nothing within moments.
"With this move alone, you indeed have the power to kill Qin Wenwu. You are truly a once-in-a-millennium genius."
Song Hualong flew back a hundred meters from the lake’s surface, standing stably and coldly staring at Lin Beichen.
He didn’t dare to get too close to Lin Beichen.
Although he had appeared calm and collected with that move, only he knew that without putting some distance between them, he wouldn’t be able to contend with Lin Beichen.
The power of the Sword of Life and Death was beyond ordinary means to counter.
He had to use space to gain an opportunity.
This way, while he avoided being immediately slain by Lin Beichen’s sudden attack, it also made him extremely passive.
Because of this, he could not launch a surprise attack in return, and could only look for other opportunities.
"I underestimated you. Even though you control spiritual energy better than Qin Wenwu, you lack his combat talent."
Lin Beichen sighed softly, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
With a casual wave of his hand, a bizarre water and fire dragon appeared in the mist around him.
This move was, surprisingly, an imitation of Song Hualong’s technique.
Song Hualong’s eyes widened, just as he was about to speak, but then he calmed down again.
Lin Beichen was stronger than he had imagined, so it was no surprise that Lin Beichen could learn his techniques.
"Lin Beichen, I don’t know where your talents come from, but you are underestimating the heroes of the world."
Song Hualong said coldly.
"I’ve ascended to the Death Gate, not just because I understand self-preservation. Now, let me show you the means by which I achieved the Death Gate."
Before he finished speaking, Song Hualong made a move, and a white long blade coalesced from the mist he expelled.
This long blade, formed from the mist, glimmered on the water’s surface, reflecting the light of the sun and moon.
The long blade moved gracefully across the lake surface, raising a hundred-meter waterfall in an instant, then diving beneath the surface, transforming into a massive vapor dragon when it resurfaced into the sky.
"This is the Dragon Transformation Blade. I achieved the Death Gate because I understood this move."
Song Hualong stood on the blade and water dragon, speaking coldly.
"Those who died under this move are no less than a hundred. Even you can only become a ghost beneath my blade. Do you have any last words?"
The long blade dragon, under Song Hualong’s feet, appeared like a divine beast that connects heaven and earth, charging towards Lin Beichen.
Song Hualong was extremely confident. His Death Gate long blade, nurtured for a hundred years, would strike with full force whenever unsheathed.
Some people accumulate a hundred years of effort for the flash of a star.
Others waste a hundred years, learning countless techniques, only to die in an instant.
He looked down on Qin Wenwu because, in his view, Qin Wenwu’s learning was too eclectic despite living for a millennium, while he had spent a century training only one blade.
He achieved the Death Gate, not to evade life and death, but because cultivating this path requires over a hundred years.
Even those in the Mystic Sect Realm would be split in two if they were unprepared for this blade’s strike.
"It’s a pity that I was poisoned and then my dantian was injured, preventing my power from returning to its peak. Otherwise, this one blade would have allowed me to break through to the Mystic Sect."
As he recalled past events, killing intent flared in his eyes when he turned to Lin Beichen.
He saw Lin Beichen as an enemy and a whetstone.
If he could kill Lin Beichen, who had touched the Mystic Sect Realm, he would have hope for revenge.
In a few years, once his injuries healed, he could head to the Northern Desert for revenge.
But as he thought of this, he saw an unbelievable scene.
Facing the long blade dragon, Lin Beichen dispelled the protective aura around him, standing on the water as if he intended to take the attack with his body.
The hundred-meter-long blade dragon fell like thunder, slamming fiercely onto Lin Beichen’s chest.
With a thunderous explosion, the blade dragon did not tear Lin Beichen apart but dissipated, transforming into countless droplets of water raining down on the river.
"Impossible!"
Song Hualong exclaimed, staring at Lin Beichen, nearly falling into the river.
The long blade dragon, which he had nurtured for a hundred years, couldn’t even break Lin Beichen’s skin. What kind of body did he have?
Could he have achieved flawlessness? Even horizontal refining masters with bodies as strong as iron couldn’t withstand this move head-on.
"I told you long ago, you’re just an ant compared to Qin Wenwu."
Lin Beichen said coldly.
He acknowledged that Song Hualong was indeed strong, even stronger than Qin Wenwu.
But this comparison was inherently unfair.
When Qin Wenwu fought him, he had just opened the Celestial Gate.