I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 202 - 200: Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens

But a lethal intent was hidden within the magnificent sword technique. This was no easy sword dance to appreciate; one wrong move, and your life was forfeit.

Even with Flying Shadow, Wang Meng was struggling to evade. In terms of control, Yang Ying was on a completely different level than Qiao Qian. Qiao Qian, at best, had just gotten his hands on an Immortal Sword and hacked away with it mindlessly; his understanding of Sword Techniques was nowhere near hers. Yang Ying, however, consistently controlled her Elemental Power to create even greater pressure. Wang Meng had already activated his Undying Golden Body. Mere evasion was simply not enough to withstand Yang Ying’s piercing attacks. After all, Senior Sister Yang’s Elemental Power was around the Twenty-Third or Twenty-Fourth Layer. Given the ferocious power of a Sword Cultivator’s attacks, if he didn’t use a Body Cultivation Technique and took a single blow from her sword, it would be all over for Wang Meng.

The moment he activated the Undying Golden Body, Wang Meng’s movements became far swifter—he could even counterattack. The clash of his fist against her sword rang out with a metallic CLANG. The Sword Qi was instantly shattered, dissipating into the air as scattered Elemental Power.

Wang Meng began his counterattack. His Undying Golden Body allowed him to ignore attacks on non-vital areas, even those from Yang Ying. After all, Wang Meng had also surpassed the Twentieth Layer, a major threshold. At this level, a difference of three or four layers was no longer fatal.

The oppressive force generated by his Undying Golden Body began to take effect—this was the ferocity of a Body Cultivator. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Meng slammed both fists into the ground without hesitation.

A powerful Earthquake Wave surged toward Yang Ying. Her figure floated up with incredible lightness, and with a twirl of her body, she easily dodged the wave. While still in mid-air, she unleashed a volley of Sword Slashes that shot toward Wang Meng, leaving him no room to breathe.

Her transition from evasion to attack was as smooth as flowing water. Wang Meng had barely completed his Earthquake Wave when her Sword Qi was already upon him.

The difference between experts lay in their ability to turn the mundane into the miraculous. Qiao Qian and Jia Shidao exchanged a look of dismay. These simple moves, when combined with such immense Elemental Power, were something they could never hope to withstand.

This was the gap in their levels. There was no point in denying it.

A faint smile touched Wang Meng’s lips, and his figure suddenly became a blur.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...

The Sword Qi sliced through the ground as if it were tofu, leaving clean, neat gashes...

And yet, Wang Meng was still standing in his original spot, completely unharmed.

Silence fell over the Magic Arena. The experts, especially those at Mingren’s level, were watching with rapt attention.

The previous matches, including those from Hengshan Hall, had all been trash—just a bit of cheap entertainment. But this battle was different.

More explosive Sword Qi wasn’t necessarily better. Yang Ying’s Sword Qi shot out, cutting straight and true without the slightest hint of an explosion. This wasn’t a sign of weakness, but of immense strength. It meant her Life Mark Combination was executed flawlessly, allowing her to output Sword Qi with such precision.

Yang Ying landed, not having expected this outcome either. "It seems Brother Wang still has strength to spare. To think you can use a Bow Cultivator’s Flying Shadow while in your Undying Golden Body state... impressive!"

Her words were met with stunned silence from the entire arena. No one knew what to say. This was absurdly, terrifyingly powerful.

Body Cultivation is all about being simple and direct!

Flying Shadow is all about transforming Life Marks!

These were two completely opposite states of being. The fact that Wang Meng could use Elemental Power to forcefully simulate the effects of a Body Cultivator was already terrifying enough, but to think he still had enough energy left over to form a Life Mark Combination...

To put it simply, it was like eating with his left hand while practicing with a sword in his right. And the path of cultivation was far more complex than simply doing two things at once.

It wasn’t that people like this had never appeared before. After all, every discipline had its unique strengths, and combining them would surely result in incredible power. Who wouldn’t want to do that? But fundamentally, those who attempted to fuse different techniques almost always ended in failure, creating a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none result that was weaker than specializing in one.

Yet, watching Wang Meng, it was clear he had reached a level where he could do it with perfect ease.

Using Flying Shadow with the body of a Body Cultivator... his speed was now unbelievably fast. That blur from before was an afterimage left by his extreme velocity.

"The warm-up is over," Wang Meng said with a smile. "How about we get serious? I’m getting a bit impatient."

Yang Ying also smiled, a smile so dazzling it seemed to outshine the sun. "Very well. In that case, I won’t hold back any longer."

Yang Ying had been planning to give Wang Meng an opening to execute a technique, but it was clear he didn’t need one.

SHING...

The Flying Phoenix Sword let out a clear ring as a torrent of Sword Qi poured forth. Yang Ying’s figure blurred as she advanced with Sword Control, lunging to attack.

She was as swift as a whirlwind. Her charging speed was no less than that of a Body Cultivator, and most importantly, the momentum of a Sword Cultivator’s attack was second to none.

Faced with such an assault, even someone with the Undying Golden Body had to fall back.

SHING... SHING...

Yang Ying began to truly display her power, suppressing him completely. The most powerful offensive-type was undoubtedly the Sword Cultivator; as long as one had the strength, it was the discipline that could best bring it to bear.

The Flying Phoenix Sword danced with absolute dominance. Wang Meng could do nothing but dodge; he didn’t even dare to block a single strike with his Undying Golden Body. Given the sharpness of Yang Ying’s Sword Qi, to meet it was to be wounded. And once wounded, a relentless barrage of attacks would surely follow. Wang Meng understood this perfectly, and Yang Ying knew it even better.

Yang Ying now looked as ethereal as a Sword Immortal, yet she exerted an overwhelming control over the battle.

Each of her sword strikes perfectly controlled the flow of the battle, preventing Wang Meng from executing any techniques despite his Undying Golden Body. Just as the crowd had thought, Wang Meng’s control was indeed strong, but no matter how strong, he still needed time to use Flying Shadow. His earlier evasion was because he had anticipated her move and was prepared. Now that Yang Ying knew this, she wouldn’t give him another such opportunity.

Wang Meng found it harder and harder to dodge. Inevitably, his Undying Golden Body was grazed by her sword a few times. Though they weren’t direct hits, they still left marks. If he were to be struck head-on by her Sword Qi, he would absolutely be wounded.

And this wasn’t even her Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens!

Yang Ying understood Wang Meng, and had worked painstakingly to eliminate the opening in her initial stance.

’She wanted to see if Wang Meng had any other tricks up his sleeve!’

’If Wang Meng thought he could defend by simply splicing techniques together, he was being far too naive. She was Yang Ying, after all.’

SHING! SHING!

In a single breath, nine sword strikes blossomed forth. Wang Meng was instantly forced to retreat, crossing his arms to protect himself. It was an unavoidable attack.

The streams of Sword Qi slashed mercilessly into Wang Meng’s body. The only thing he could do was protect his vitals.

In that same instant, Yang Ying had already leaped into the air. The Flying Phoenix Sword radiated a dazzling light, and everyone’s eyes went wide.

At this moment, even if there were an opening, the suppressed Wang Meng would have no chance to exploit it. Besides, the Yang Ying of today had already fixed that flaw.

A suffocating pressure emanated from the Flying Phoenix Sword. Invisible streams of Sword Qi formed a cage around Wang Meng. Any struggle, like that of a cornered beast, would be in vain.

The Sword Qi began to gradually unfold like the wings of a Phoenix, piercing and radiating in all directions. But with a difference: Yang Ying had made an optimal adjustment. This unfolding wasn’t an attack, but a defense. An attack creates an opening, especially an incomplete one during the initial stance. By changing the angle and purpose, shifting it to defense, the move became perfect.

’Her Sword Technique was now perfect, but this wasn’t what she had hoped for!’

All the Sword Cultivators present stared with rapt attention at this secret Sword Technique from the Main Hall.

Mingren and Liangyuan’s gazes were the most intense. Mingren in particular had experienced it before. ’As expected,’ he thought, ’the greatest initial weakness of the Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens has been fixed!’

Once it became a defensive move, the Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens was unbreakable.