Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 611 - Three Hundred and Ninety-One: All’s Fair in War

Chapter 611: Chapter Three Hundred and Ninety-One: All’s Fair in War

"Clang!"

A crisp echo of metal clashing against metal rang out, and in the darkness, a brilliant spray of cherry blossoms burst forth.

Without any surprise, the second assault utilizing Step Void Slash combined with the technique of the Blood Ink Jade Sword failed.

Seeing that his strike missed, Xu Yuan did not hesitate for a moment and immediately retreated like a shooting star.

In a battle of this level, many times the outcome was already known in the instant the combatants crossed swords.

He was no match for this Tang Ruofu.

Even though the other party had stabbed himself for the sake of so-called fairness, he still wasn’t an opponent for the madman before him.

In the moment their sword blades clashed, Xu Yuan instantly perceived that twenty-three Slash Strikes had already formed in his opponent’s hands.

Even the slightest delay would result in these strikes descending upon him like a tempestuous storm.

However, what Xu Yuan found strange was,

out of the twenty-three Slash Strikes, only nine came from Tang Ruofu’s sword, while the remaining fourteen came from all directions.

Is this... a Dao Domain?

After retreating over thirty yards, Xu Yuan halted his momentum and asked,

"Was that your Dao Domain just now?"

"What do you think?"

Tang Ruofu didn’t pursue and instead stood his ground with his sword, looking at Xu Yuan with a somewhat disappointed tone:

"Kid, is that all there is to your swordsmanship, just these two moves?"

While he spoke,

Tang Ruofu’s tone carried a trace of contemplation:

"However, the Dao Charm contained in your last sword strike doesn’t seem to be on the Integration Path; without the Integration Path’s Primordial... You seem to be harboring quite a few secrets, kid."

"...."

Xu Yuan had no intention of responding; the dance of his sword ended, and he stared calmly at the other party:

"Old man, you sure talk a lot. Even without the Integration Path, I have enough to kill you."

"On what basis, the half-baked Enchantress Divine Taoist Charm, or your sword moves that haven’t grasped the essence of ’Will-spirit’?"

Upon hearing those words, Tang Ruofu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a smirk appeared on his lips: "If you’re thinking of triggering the Charm Poison within my body, you can drop that idea. With my cultivation level, I can suppress it for half a day even with severe injuries. How do you plan to withstand it for that half day?

"If you have other moves up your sleeve, you’d best use them quickly. I can wait while you gather your power."

"......"

Xu Yuan clenched the hilt of his sword a little tighter.

Such fondness for bluster, Kakarot, isn’t it?

"Ruofu."

As Xu Yuan pondered, Xia Qing suddenly spoke up from the lakeshore, calling out to Tang Ruofu with a cold voice: "Stop playing around. Make it quick. This matter cannot be taken lightly."

Tang Ruofu glanced at Xia Qing and muttered in a low voice:

"Shut up, woman. I have it under control. Don’t disturb me."

"..."

After speaking,

he turned his gaze back to Xu Yuan and said with a smile:

"Women don’t understand the romance between you and me, kid. My apologies. You shouldn’t doubt my offer to wait for you to gather your power; it does come with a condition."

"What condition?"

"I’ll stand my ground and take a strike from you, but you’ll have to tell me why Jiatiange and Taiqing Tao Palace want to capture the two of you alive and are forbidden from destroying the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Heh, so they were waiting for this.

It seems that Jiatiange didn’t disclose to these people the news that the two of them could cultivate the Enchantress Divine Tree Spirit...

But whether the other party’s words could be trusted was still to be confirmed.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan asked with a light laugh:

"In this world ruled by Sects, uncle, how have you managed to survive so long with such reckless behavior?"

Tang Ruofu didn’t take offense at the taunt and replied with a smile:

"Simple. Those who wanted to kill me either disappeared without a trace or became ghosts under my sword."

"....."

At those words, a hint of skepticism crossed Xu Yuan’s eyes, but he didn’t speak immediately.

With numerous (dark) and outstanding (coin) figures appearing in the world, the reason for his opponent’s survival could not possibly be as simple as he claimed.

There must be something he was relying on...

Seeing Xu Yuan remain silent for a long time without speaking, Tang Ruofu became somewhat impatient and poked his ear with his little finger:

"Kid, do you accept my proposal? If not, I’m going to take action."

After a brief stare, Xu Yuan nodded slightly:

"Why wouldn’t I agree?"

With that, Xu Yuan turned his hands over, sheathed the clear-edged blade he held, and took out a thick, three-foot-long branch instead.

At the sight of the branch, Xia Qing immediately placed her hand on the strings of the ancient guqin at her side and said in a low voice:

"Tang Ruofu!"

She recognized what Xu Yuan was holding,

the limb of the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed.

With Tang Ruofu seriously injured and already under the influence of the Enchantress Divine Daoist Charm, if the alluring power of the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed were to stir, the two of them might really face defeat at the hands of these juniors.

The casual expression on Tang Ruofu’s face instantly turned grave, but he still stood by his choice:

"Shut up. I know what I’m doing."

"....."

Watching the two below argue, a trace of amusement flashed through Xu Yuan’s mind.

Primordial Realm’s vast Origin Qi began to circulate, transforming the branch into a sword and infusing it with both Origin Qi and Dao Charm.

As the Origin Qi continued to flood in, luminescent pink lights began to disperse around the Enchantress Divine Tree branch...

Being a naturally born spirit seed, the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed could withstand a certain degree of Origin Qi infusion. However, because it was not tempered by smelting or inscribed with engraved Formation runes, the continual pouring of Primordial Realm’s vast Origin Qi pushed it to the verge of collapse.

One strike...

After one strike, this limb of the Enchantress Divine Tree would vanish into thin air.

Clutching the "blade" in his hand that could only be swung once, Xu Yuan softly began:

"Uncle, are you sure you still want to wait for me?"

With a stubbled grin, Tang Ruofu laughed brightly:

"I, Tang Ruofu, have always kept my word. I hope your sword technique won’t disappoint me, and I expect you to keep your promise after your defeat."

"Heh, if you survive, I naturally will tell you, Uncle, and the Enchantress Divine Tree Seed will be yours too."

"That’s enough. Hurry and prepare, it seems your technique hasn’t fully taken shape yet."

"I hope you won’t regret it."

"......"

With that, there was no more sound within the Bell Sound Black Realm.

In the silence,

Layer upon layer of spellcraft circuits started to silently overlay within Xu Yuan’s meridians.

This was a derived sword technique he had researched based on Qin Mo’s ’Step Void Slash’ to ensure he wouldn’t hold Tianyan back.

As a bug-like skill found within the ’Cangyuan Chronicles’, Step Void Slash was very useful, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it divine. But it also had significant flaws.

In the real world, there are no cooldowns, only the requirement of ample Origin Qi in the Dantian and resilient meridians for one to cast any spellcraft they wish.

But the absence of cooldowns doesn’t mean there isn’t a casting time.

The deployment of various spellcraft is predicated on the circulation of Origin Qi through the meridians, and the most fatal flaw of Step Void Slash was its lengthy circulation time.

Even in Xu Yuan’s current Primordial Realm cultivation, it would take roughly one-tenth of a second to complete.

One-tenth of a second is brief, but in battles above the Primordial Realm, it can decide the outcome of a fight.

Like the second time he struck at Tang Ruofu just now.

He had teleported using Step Void Slash but could only return using the Pure Yang Art’s movement technique because the opponent simply wouldn’t give him the time to perform a second Step Void Slash.

The sword technique he was now amassing would allow him to pre-stack the Step Void Slash spellcraft circuits inside his body to achieve the effect of instantaneous, consecutive releases.

One layer...

Two layers...

Four layers...

Seven layers...

In the midst of the quietude, Xu Yuan suddenly lifted the Enchantress Divine branch in his hand and cautioned:

"Here it comes."

As he spoke,

In the first instant,

Xu Yuan appeared silently behind Tang Ruofu.

But before Xu Yuan could swing the Enchantress Divine branch, the opponent’s Slash Strike unexpectedly overtook him, and seven invisible Slash Strikes were already slashing toward the position where he appeared.

Without pausing, Xu Yuan disappeared again.

In the second instant,

Xu Yuan arrived above Tang Ruofu, but this time he was met with a sword blade emitting a cold gleam.

The sword’s speed was as fast as lightning, creating visible distortions in the layers of the air as it cut through space.

With this sword,

The vast gap in hard strength between a Semi-Saint and the Primordial Realm meant Xu Yuan couldn’t avoid it.

Three inches from the sword, the Sword Qi had already torn open the flesh of Xu Yuan’s waist and abdomen.

But before it could pierce through his body, Xu Yuan had already disappeared once more.

In the third instant,

Xu Yuan’s figure appeared just outside Xia Qing’s Dao Domain, but before he could deal with the Sword Qi’s aftershocks invading his body, a gap opened in the nearby Bell Sound Black Realm.

And in the next moment,

Tang Ruofu’s figure had already arrived in front of him.

Looking at the stubbled middle-aged man before him, Xu Yuan’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Impossible...

Based on the injuries Tang Ruofu had just revealed, even as a Semi-Saint, it shouldn’t be possible for him to maintain such a lightning-fast speed.

Unless, the Sword Madman had been deceiving him from the start.

But Tianyan had not warned him, which meant the opponent’s self-inflicted stab had been real.

Realizing this, Xu Yuan finally understood one thing.

It was the Dao Domain...

At that moment,

Tang Ruofu’s Spirit Sword had already transformed into a sequence of strikes as swift as a serpent’s tongue, seizing the brief moment of Xu Yuan’s contemplation.

Whirring—

Step Void Slash.

He teleported a hundred zhang away once again, landing on a towering tree trunk as he projected loudly:

"So, that’s how it is. Those invisible Slash Strikes were just your sword technique, and now this is your true Dao Domain."

Tang Ruofu chased after him through the void. The sword Qi and Wind around him slashed numerous treetops into dust, and his voice, laced with amusement, reached out:

"You’re quick on the uptake, lad,

"As long as I, Tang Ruofu, am alive, the Feline Without Dao Domain keeps my combat strength at its peak. And against the peak me, that sword in your hand will never get the chance to swing."

"....."

Cursing in his heart at two old schemers, Tang Ruofu’s sword was already poised at Xu Yuan’s throat.

This was a clear disparity in absolute strength.

The insurmountable gap between a Semi-Saint and the Primordial Realm.

He looked at him and said cheerfully:

"Don’t blame me, lad. In war, all tricks are fair. Shall we continue? If we prolong this, I might have to take you down for real due to my injuries."

"...."

Xu Yuan glanced at the sword blade at his throat and suddenly chuckled, conveying through his Will-spirit:

"Uncle,

"Now... I’ve got no psychological burdens."

"...."

Tang Ruofu’s pupils suddenly constricted, and by then, Xu Yuan’s figure had already vanished.

Without any delay, three successive Step Void Slashes carried him hundreds of zhang in the blink of an eye; Xu Yuan, holding the Enchantress Divine branch, plunged into that part of the Bell Sound Black Realm......