I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 157 - 155: Cheer

Qiao Qian was taken aback, not expecting Wang Meng to possess such insight. "Heh, as a reward for your sharp eye, Brother Wang, I’ll gift you another slash!"

The Hundred Spirits Sword slashed horizontally, and Sword Qi surged forth like a tidal wave. This horizontal attack was even harder to dodge.

Wang Meng retreated rapidly, but the Sword Qi was even more ferocious. Despite using multiple Body Techniques, he was still struck.

BOOM...

Wang Meng was sent flying, utterly powerless to retaliate.

’Technique?’

’Not needed. An absolute disparity in Elemental Power is absolute strength. With my Nineteenth-Layer Elemental Power and a perfect Immortal Sword, all I need is a one-hit kill!’

Hu Jing and the others exchanged glances, their hearts leaping into their throats. Staring at the radiant Hundred Spirits Sword, they felt a sense of helplessness. It was truly a Treasure Level weapon.

"Damn, this is so cheap! Brother Meng should just give up. It’s fine to let the Hundred Herbs Hall have this one!" Zhang Xiaojiang felt a chill run down his spine as he gazed at the fearsome Immortal Sword.

Hu Jing nodded, but they weren’t Wang Meng, so they had no idea what he was planning.

Just when Qiao Qian thought Wang Meng would be unable to get back up, he climbed to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.

Completely unscathed.

The Thunderlight Hall immediately erupted. What luck! But could he keep going? He had been lucky twice, and even the best luck has to run out sometime.

Qiao Qian froze, gripping the Hundred Spirits Sword with both hands. "Die!"

SWISH! SWISH!

Two piercing slashes shot out, forming a cross. The moment the Sword Qi left the Hundred Spirits Sword, it blazed forward. A Cross Slash lockdown, leaving absolutely no room for evasion.

This time, Wang Meng had nowhere left to retreat. If he ran any further, he’d end up among the spectating disciples.

The cross-shaped Sword Qi was bearing down on him. With no way to dodge, Wang Meng met the attack with the broken blade in his hand.

Wang Bodang’s hand was already halfway raised; he was about to stop the match. If anything happened to Wang Meng, Ancestor Master Lei would surely crush him.

Unfortunately, the Immortal Sword’s power was simply too great; there was no time to react. ’And Wang Meng, seemingly too concerned with his pride, isn’t even trying to run. At a moment of life and death, who has time to worry about such things?’

Qiao Qian was also stunned. ’He’s not even running?’

’Does he have a death wish? I want to defeat Wang Meng, but I have no intention of killing him. Killing an Elder, whether by accident or on purpose, is never a good thing.’

This was the difference between Saint Cultivators and Demon Cultivators; Saint Cultivators had principles.

But the arrow had already left the bow...

Wang Meng’s broken blade slashed toward the cross-shaped Sword Array. BOOM...

He was blasted back two steps as the Sword Qi exploded in the sky, dissolving into specks of shimmering Elemental Power.

...My god!

Unscathed!

The disciples from both the Thunderlight Hall and the Hundred Herbs Hall were stunned. Even Jii Fei stared in blank amazement...

What was going on???

Neither Jii Fei, Hu Jing, nor the others were Sword Cultivators. Qiao Qian himself nearly fell from the sky. ’This...’

’A fluke. It must be a fluke!’

"Die!"

He slashed twice more, trapping Wang Meng in the exact same way. And once again, Wang Meng charged forward, raising that broken sword that looked like something he’d found on the side of the road.

BOOM...

Again, he was knocked back two steps by the blast of Sword Qi, and again, the surging Sword Array detonated.

Once or twice might be a coincidence, but now, even a fool could see this was intentional.

Qiao Qian’s expression grew increasingly grim as he descended from the sky. Clearly, if he kept trying to show off, he’d just make a fool of himself.

The Hundred Herbs Hall fell silent.

’What was that technique?’

’The Sword Qi Qiao Qian released is at least twice as powerful as Wang Meng’s own strength. How could he possibly have dispelled it?’

Everyone stared at the broken sword in Wang Meng’s hand. ’Could that grimy piece of junk actually be an Immortal Sword???’

Qiao Qian couldn’t see how his opponent was dispelling his Sword Qi, but it was clear that simple, artless attacks were not going to win this fight.

The disciples of the Thunderlight Hall saw a sliver of hope. Even if it was small, to them it was a ray of dawn. ’Can he win?’

No one was confident, but in their hearts, they wanted to believe.

Though Wang Meng looked ragged, he had in fact blocked his opponent’s powerful Sword Qi.

"Senior, is that Hundred Spirits Sword a fake?" Xu Song asked blankly. "All that fanfare, but it can’t even injure him. It seems pretty bogus."

Jia Shidao shook his head slightly. "This Wang Meng has a few tricks up his sleeve, managing to neutralize the Hundred Spirits Sword’s Sword Qi layer by layer as he retreats. A pity. This will only serve to infuriate Qiao Qian. The moment Qiao Qian adds the slightest variation to his Sword Technique, Wang Meng won’t be able to counter it."

In truth, at this point, Qiao Qian had no need to hide anything. Backed by the power of the Hundred Spirits Sword, it wouldn’t matter even if his opponent knew what was coming.

Looking at the tattered Wang Meng, Qiao Qian’s anger flared. ’It’s an outrage that this piece of trash managed to worm his way into an Elder’s position. I’ll make him understand what true power is.’

His Elemental Power surged, and the Hundred Spirits Sword let out a long hum. Qiao Qian was furious. He had gone to great lengths to acquire the Hundred Spirits Sword, not for some nobody like Wang Meng to make a mockery of it. He was done playing around.

DING...

Sword Tremor!

With a sharp CRACK, ripples of Elemental Power blasted outward. A fierce wind kicked up, sending Qiao Qian’s hair flying as his Elemental Power gushed forth, forcing the surrounding disciples to retreat.

Jia Shidao waved his hand, and the Beast Hall disciples all fell back. Qiao Qian was about to get serious.

"Wood Spirit, Essence of Heaven and Earth! Indestructible and ever-victorious! Hundred-Breaking Spirit Dragon Slash!"

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH...

A milky white light shone from Qiao Qian’s eyes. The Hundred Spirits Sword hummed as countless streams of Sword Qi unfurled, like a blooming white lotus—dazzling... and deadly.

ROAR...

The countless streams of Sword Qi coalesced into a white Giant Dragon that charged at Wang Meng as if it possessed a soul of its own.

It was a Wood Attribute Advanced Sword Skill from the Holy Hall. Its basic requirement was the Thirtieth Layer of Life Mark. It was an attack imbued with a soul, capable of locking onto an opponent’s soul, Breaking Evil, and delivering an instant kill.

Having used such a powerful move, Qiao Qian’s face turned a little pale. He shouldn’t have had to risk so much, but there was no other way to save face and vent his pent-up frustration.

’What right does this Fifteenth-Layer Life Mark trash have to fight on the same stage as me!’

Zhao Ya instantly threw out a series of Talismans, and Defense Talismans shielded the Thunderlight Hall disciples, who were being sent tumbling by the gale from the sword.

The Elemental Qi Giant Dragon, more than ten times Wang Meng’s size, was upon him in an instant and swallowed him whole.

...

In that instant, the Hundred Herbs Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Qiao Qian stared intently. ’Just die! Just die! JUST DIE!’

POP...

But in a flash, a golden light erupted from the dragon’s mouth.

"Hardness overcomes softness, Gold shatters wood—Creation from Nothingness!"

FWOOSH...

A Golden Dragon Spear pierced straight through its head, and with a miserable howl, the white Elemental Qi Giant Dragon vanished into nothing.

It didn’t even make a sound...

In Wang Meng’s hand was still the same broken sword...

"Holy shit, Brother Meng, you’re the man! Take him down! Take him down!"

Everyone was still in shock, but Zhang Xiaopang had already leaped to his feet, waving his fists, wishing he could rush up there himself and kick his opponent while he was down.

Qiao Qian’s face grew even paler. "...The Golden Palace Technique... Impossible. That low-level Cultivation Technique... It’s absolutely impossible!"

"DIIIIIIE!"

Qiao Qian frantically unleashed the Hundred-Breaking Spirit Dragon Slash once more, but the result was exactly the same: it was pierced through by the Golden Dragon Spear.

It was a perfect, complete counter. The technique’s immense power was utterly useless, like a godlike punch landing on a bale of cotton.

"DIIIE!"

Qiao Qian couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t accept this reality. He was destined to defeat Ning Zhiyuan! No one could stand in his way, no one!

SHATTER...

The Hundred Herbs Hall was deathly silent. ’What’s happening? Is the Hundred Spirits Sword a counterfeit? All that thunder, but not a drop of rain. This isn’t some kind of performance, is it???’

SHATTER... SHATTER... SHATTER...

Qiao Qian, nearly hysterical, cast the Spirit Dragon Sword technique again and again, his face turning from white to ashen, then to gray.

"Hundred-Break..." Halfway through casting the Sword Technique, his Elemental Power was completely exhausted. Unable to continue, as if suffocating, Qiao Qian’s sword fell to the ground. The glow of the Hundred Spirits Sword faded instantly, revealing its true form: a Wooden Sword covered in Immortal Talismans.

Wang Meng sighed inwardly. ’This is Gold overcoming Wood. In the Five Elements Mutual Inhibition, it’s a dead-on counter.’

’If Qiao Qian wasn’t purely of the Wood attribute, it would have been much harder to apply this counter in practice. But then, if he weren’t purely of the Wood attribute, how could he have performed the Hundred-Breaking Spirit Dragon Slash in the first place?’

The two of them just stood there. The Hundred Spirits Sword lay at Qiao Qian’s feet. His goal, his ambition, was right there... but...

Jii Fei sighed. "The Thunderlight Hall wins."

The words had barely been spoken when Qiao Qian’s clenched fists went limp, and he collapsed. The very first step of his ambition to dominate the Holy Hall had been crushed before it even began.

Jii Fei flashed into the center of the arena and helped Qiao Qian up. "Get ahold of yourself! There’s still the individual competition. You still have a chance!"

Qiao Qian’s eyes remained vacant. He was supposed to challenge Ning Zhiyuan, but he couldn’t even defeat a mere Wang Meng. ’What does that make me?’

After a moment of silence, the Thunderlight Hall disciples finally realized what had happened. They had won. For years, being last had become such a habit that it hadn’t sunk in that they were no longer the perennial cellar-dwellers.

A crowd of people surged forward. Wang Meng froze. ’What are they trying to do?’

THUMP THUMP THUMP...

One by one, they piled on top of him in a human pyramid. The heaviest of all was Zhang Xiaopang, the punk who had started the whole thing.

Watching the Thunderlight Hall celebrate, the Hundred Herbs Hall disciples hung their heads in dejection. For years, they had sent the overreaching Thunderlight Hall away with mockery... Now they knew what it felt like.

Gazing at the celebrating Thunderlight Hall, Jia Shidao smiled. "Good fortune, indeed. That Wang Meng actually has a primary Gold attribute. Gold overcomes Wood. Wouldn’t you say Qiao Qian is incredibly unlucky?"

The Beast Hall disciples couldn’t help but chuckle. However, they gave the Hundred Herbs Hall some face and refrained from laughing uncontrollably. What did this imply?

With their main Body Cultivator injured, the Hundred Herbs Hall was basically crippled. It no longer mattered if they dared to challenge the Beast Hall or not. Now, the Beast Hall could focus all its preparations on the match against the Fire Cloud Hall.

"Senior, isn’t this a legendary stroke of good luck?" a Beast Hall disciple said fawningly.

"Luck is also a component of strength!"

Jia Shidao glanced dispassionately at Qiao Qian, whose eyes were like dead embers. He doubted Qiao Qian would even be able to recover in time for the individual competition.

Wang Meng had certainly done him a great service.

"This Wang Meng is certainly interesting. He even understands the Sword Dissolving Skill."

"No wonder Tianyi holds him in such high regard. He knows how to use the Five Elements Mutual Inhibition in coordination with the Sword Dissolving Skill. Qiao Qian’s defeat was well-deserved."

"It’s a shame. Qiao Qian just had bad luck. Unfortunately for them, the Five Elements Mutual Inhibition is useless against the Beast Hall, and the Thunderlight Hall’s own strength is still far too weak."

"That kid was too focused on showing off his techniques, ignoring the fundamental difference in Elemental Power. This is probably as far as he’ll go."

"Haha, Qiao Qian was too fixated on the Hundred Spirits Sword. He would have won if he had just used a normal Sword Technique against Wang Meng."

"It’s easy to lose perspective when you’re in the thick of it. That boy, Qiao Qian, is a bit lacking in Spiritual Attribute and Insight."

The voices grew faint as two figures disappeared into the cheers of the Thunderlight Hall disciples.