Chapter 705 – Desolate Fortress Lord (5)

Mount Song’s seventy-two peaks.

This land was what the northern jianghu would smash after the Ming imperial family and Desolate Fortress. Naturally, Fighting God had the geography carved into his mind long ago. Through the intelligence of the Thirteen Evil Sects’ Yu Ling.

The one-eyed cripple thought.

‘It resembles my homeland.’

Having arrived at the place where he had bounced Desolate Fortress Lord away, he saw that the saying “Mount Song lies like a reclining Buddha” was correct. Not only the ruggedly rising terrain, but also the ridges extending endlessly on steep land as if a Buddha were lying down.

Shaolin was built at about the ankle of that Buddha-like mountain range. Therefore, Fighting God had flown quite a distance from there.

Right now he was hammering down with his fist on the peak corresponding to the energy center of the vast ‘mountain Buddha.’ At the spot where Desolate Fortress Lord had suddenly stepped backward like a leaf floating on valley water.

Boom!

Dust rose from the ground where his fist struck.

It was full power.

Energy waves that dug into the earth for a full hundred li before driving down to bottomless depths. The molten rock pooled deep in the distant underground churned violently. If it erupted outside Mount Song, which was made of feldspar granite, it would immediately turn to lava, but Fighting God’s Internal Heavy Hand technique was flawless.

No aftereffects surged up.

This was the result of refining his tyrannical great strength with techniques like those of the Six Star Lord Literary Star and Martial Star, allowing him to handle his ancient and modern finest physique freely. To his opponent, it was a fist technique of instant death with one punch.

Thud!

He followed in one step to right before Desolate Fortress Lord, who was floating low in retreat from avoiding his punch. Fighting God looked down at the forehead of the world’s greatest and said.

“Face me.”

Her Enter The Extinction Sword curved gracefully like a moonlit tree branch. Moon Spirit Divine Art’s First Glimmer. Movement as if the sword moved first, the arm afterward.

Swish.

She sliced his waist with her blade edge to pull herself in, spun like a pinwheel, and in an instant was behind Fighting God’s back. Blood burst forth as the sword strike penetrated like light into his protective energy Northern Power Primordial Desolation.

It went deep. Just a light sword strike reached muscle. Even though the foremost external cultivator’s body was augmented with internal energy techniques like the Southern Emperor’s.

Fighting God whirled around like a whirlwind with eyes filled with excitement and surprise. Controlling the momentum of his forward movement technique that seemed ready to advance like a meteor with Transcending Martial Art, his body that emitted a hazy storm from the aftereffects met Desolate Fortress Lord’s sword strike that was flowing down like moonlight again.

Simultaneously, Fighting God’s fist that followed like a giant waterwheel in the same direction struck the sword surface of Enter The Extinction Sword.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

The peak beneath their feet was completely crushed by shock waves that swelled like clouds, and in the sky the pale sea of clouds scattered in the form of ash. Beyond that, the upper atmosphere made faint thunder sounds like the sneeze of the giant Pangu.

Aftereffects of a punch that had no room for technique.

There was no leisure to focus power only into the sword. Though Desolate Fortress Lord and Fighting God, Divine Sword Group Leader and Empress Dowager could switch mental technique formulas even in split seconds, at this moment their fight was surpassing even such speed.

“Hah!”

Even so, full power naturally dwelt and pushed away Desolate Fortress Lord’s sword. The natural body state that Fighting God had achieved. The muscles throughout his body and the flow of his full-body energy moved that way by themselves.

It wasn’t even over. The internal energy mental techniques of beings who had reached human limits were capable of unleashing extreme continuous combinations even without breathing.

Fighting God didn’t even regain balance of his arms and body that had bounced off Enter The Extinction Sword in that brief moment. Like a thoroughly drunk scoundrel causing trouble, he simply kicked out his front foot in that posture. This time it also carried the Internal Heavy Hand technique that had driven down to the depths earlier.

Crack-

The space struck by his toe tip created glass-like cracks before scattering them.

“…!”

Green robe hem swirling caught in Fighting God’s single eye. Desolate Fortress Lord spiraling up his massive leg as an axis and flowing in gently. Movement like leaves caught in the evening sunset breeze. Simultaneously Fighting God felt déjà vu.

Until Desolate Fortress Lord, who had lightly stepped on his shoulder with the Perfect Graceful evasive movement technique, naturally severed his collarbone with the sword tip of Enter The Extinction Sword gripped downward as she soared upward.

Thunk!

She cut bone, blood vessels, and muscle, yet a roar like metal being severed arose. Like cutting through hundreds of layers of ten-thousand-year cold iron at once, blade work deserving reverence even in the north. Without his innate physique and Northern Power Primordial Desolation, it would have reached his carotid artery.

‘Divine technique Wind God?’

Fighting God was already turning without delay with vitality like the Northern Dipper, and immediately roughly grabbed Desolate Fortress Lord’s ankle. A grappling technique that struck in an instant without any form or style.

Kurrrrrrrrr!

Transparent lightning streaks flickered with vibration from the friction between protective energies. It was truly tremendous repulsive force. Though this didn’t strip away Fighting God’s internal energy barrier, Desolate Fortress Lord only looked down at him indifferently from midair.

Even as the wrinkled jade trouser cuff at her ankle gradually crumpled.

“That movement just now, I’ve experienced it before.”

Fighting God’s face held suspicion.

“While master and disciple having the same movements is natural, the order seems strange. Though your side is far more lethal and possesses seamless perfection, somehow…”

Whoosh.

Even as Desolate Fortress Lord’s sword blurred like mixing with wind, Fighting God concluded his words along with his internal energy breathing.

“Your movement technique doesn’t feel like the source flow.”

It was upper energy center insight.

He had never considered his feelings to be false.

If a premonition was related to an enemy, he dug into it more persistently, and even if called despicable in the process, he treated it as nourishment for victory. The nickname Fighting God was the same.

Crack-

The sound of fabric twisting. It arose from Desolate Fortress Lord’s ankle. Transcendent divine power was crushing her skin along with her protective energy.

“Certainly you too are a great master.”

He grinned and continued speaking.

“Contemporary Central Plains’ greatest’s sword strikes possess both overwhelming perfection and independent character. To influence such a being to this extent… it could only be from distant childhood.”

The afterthought ‘so even a monster like you had such times’ disappeared between Fighting God’s yellowed teeth. Because pale light rippled and carved his elbow like a chunk of meat.

Pshh-!

Moon Spirit Sword Energy.

The sword technique school that had long been the world’s strongest.

Fighting God caught his severed arm with his intact opposite hand before it could even fall. Simultaneously raising his true energy Towering Yellow Power to bind the acupoints, fine channels, and all muscle strands at the cut like a mechanical formation. His innate energy like the Northern Dipper responded intensely, naturally.

Kugugung!

The northern Fighting God.

There was no way to lose. He always had to win.

He looked up at Desolate Fortress Lord, who had been freely stepped into the void, and smiled.

“You should have added Samadhi True Fire to your blade work.”

Soon her lips also moved slowly.

“You calculated correctly. You realized something you need not know.”

“Ghostly tree.”

Fighting God spoke as if throwing a trivial joke.

“Now I know that heaven’s fortune must follow me to kill you. Naturally I must use anything, mustn’t I? Anyway, knowing there’s a small but bright flaw like the Big Dipper in your flawless martial learning, from now I intend to discover what the ‘source flow’ that influenced you is.”

It was while they measured each other’s distance.

Desolate Fortress Lord was versatile like a tree with roots throughout the world, and Fighting God too had long reached the edge of heaven-permitted power like her.

The one who best handled that power was the ancient and modern greatest.

Literally the most capable being.

Though Desolate Fortress Lord, who combined World Tree’s knowledge and techniques, couldn’t help but surpass Fighting God, Fighting God also had a chance of victory. Because if fortune aligned, he possessed the power to strike her down.

“It doesn’t matter if we exchange blows all seven days and nights. A breakthrough method will surely appear, and rather you might tire first.”

The more his words continued, the more his previously severed arm returned to its original state. Though he lacked the ability to manifest existence from nothingness through regeneration, it was possible to repair his own body like an inspired blacksmith. The Fighting God of field battles was a being who had experienced such situations countless times.

“……”

As Desolate Fortress Lord, who had been quietly looking down at him, suddenly descended and Fighting God clenched his fist while briefly flexing his shoulders here and there.

Kwaaaaaaaang-!

Without any warning, a great sword that charged while exploding space pale several times embedded in Desolate Fortress Lord’s waist. Her form that twisted her body in an instant was pushed away like a meteor, then grew small while collapsing several mountains on distant ridges.

First, she had been pouring her energy perception only toward Fighting God.

Second, the man who had charged in sword-body unity posture with tyrannical sword power was transcendentally powerful.

“Tyrant Sword Sect Master Dan Seong-eum. They called him a half-wit under heaven.”

Fighting God, who looked up at him in bewilderment, clenched and opened his fist.

“If I had struck with that momentum, I might have been able to destroy her body.”

“……”

The gaunt swordsman didn’t answer.

Though his eyes, even the pupils murky, came down to Fighting God briefly, that was all. The sight of him remaining in midair gripping his great sword with one hand. Fighting God felt no particular emotion. Dan Seong-eum raised his head toward the direction where Desolate Fortress Lord had disappeared.

Fighting God, who had been observing him closely, grinned wickedly.

“Calling him a half-wit was hasty. He was a madman.”

Whether clumsy at both Transcending Martial Art and the art of treading empty air, he was barely supporting his body with the momentum of one sword and his full-body muscles. Literally a sword ghost.

Fighting God asked.

“Will you join forces? Since I follow righteousness rather than honor, everything is permitted.”

The next moment, Tyrant Sword Sect Master Dan Seong-eum had vanished. Because he had flown toward Desolate Fortress Lord, who had returned like a mirage as if nothing had happened. Very noisy roaring sounds exploded in succession, and following colorless circular ripples, the earth’s surface was overturned.

At that edge, the great sword swung diagonally directly hit Desolate Fortress Lord’s shoulder.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

Instantly driving her straight down to the distant canyon bottom. Along the straight hazy trajectory, shattered grayish-white rock fragments fell in overlapping circles, and Fighting God stood before her as she stepped on dead grass leaves. While extending his fist toward the head of the true world’s greatest.

The realm of jianghu’s peak.

Whoosh-

White breath scattered along intensely heated air. He was raising literally divine spirituality along with internal energy breathing.

[I will determine the world’s greatest with your disciple.]

In spacetime that seemed pressed together like eons as if splitting instants dozens of times, four movements each converged to one point.

World-opening power entered Fighting God’s fist like a roughly carved rock fragment.

Desolate Fortress Lord struck Enter The Extinction Sword upward toward his arm with an indifferent face.

While Tyrant Sword Sect Master with his great sword in front descended like dark lightning as if to cut both of them completely.

“…!”

The Enter The Divine Sword that miraculously manifested at the exact center of those trajectories received all the ultimate techniques and shattered to pieces.

[Myriad Heavens.]

Even so, the time perceived by absolute beings was viscous like a swamp, still slow enough to contain two more words of Jeong Yeon-shin’s thoughts.

[Flower Rain.]

The scents of grass and steel mixed.