Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1491. Monsters in this World

The sound of blades clashing echoed through the empty sect. Men Shi was forced to admit it; the other was stronger than him. Their swordsmanship was rough and undeveloped, and that was the only reason he was able to stay alive.

At first, Men Shi was able to predict their moves, but the pure speed and strength had him hard-pressed to keep up. Maybe the fight would have been more even if he had been able to use his techniques properly, but the constant noise the attacker emitted made the use of intricate techniques, or his domain, almost impossible.

Were he to lose his focus in this kind of state, he might suffer a recoil which would spell his doom. Especially considering that none of the hits he was able to land so far even left a scratch on the shell they were covered in.

In his domain, he could cut space, but not that shell of equipment. He could project energy blades, but not precisely enough to aim for the gaps. Even worse, if he hit, he suffered wounds covered in foreign power himself.

To win, he would have had to end it in one move. Maybe the Heavy Blade would have worked, but the ongoing fight made it impossible for him to focus.

He had dropped any notion of dominating this fight. After several exchanges, the Sect Leader knew that he was not going to win this. He couldnʼt damage them, but all of their strikes were lethal to him. He switched to evasion and deflection to stay alive, but every time their blades touched, his muscles quivered.

Even when he subsisted under the noise, there was this gnawing feeling on the edge of his consciousness. Insecurity and doubts were eroding his mental fortitude, worsening his focus further. The time he could keep going like this was shortening.

When he attained the early stage of the Dao Seeking Realm at 321, he was praised as a genius, and people were sure that only the old monsters would be able to suppress him, but he had already learned a long time ago that he couldnʼt rely on just his cultivation realm.

There were monsters in this world that went against common sense, and this foul creature was one of them. Despite mindlessly swinging the sword in its hand, it easily overpowered him.

Even when he tried to use the dao of the blade to cut it, his attempts were simply denied. Facing it, his strikes were no different from when he was in the Soul-Severing Realm. He also suspected that every artifact on its body was actually heaven-grade. It was the only explanation that made sense.

Where in the XiGuang Province would such a creature emerge from? What place was this Urth it mentioned, to be able to birth such a calamity? Just who brought this wrath upon their sect? These were questions that appeared in his mind early on during the fight.

As he blocked and evaded, the only thought left in his mind was hope that he would be able to buy enough time. He couldnʼt beat her, but the ancestor could! Casting forth sword energy to buy some time, he sent a silent sound transmission with his divine sense.

~How much longer, Grand Master?- he asked the old master. He had contacted him once he realized that he couldnʼt take this thing, but the master was in the middle of secluded training and couldnʼt just come out, as he needed to consolidate his advancements first.

~Give me another one or two incense sticks of time.- The grand master answered after a while. Men Shiʼs heart lightened a little. If it were like this, maybe he could do it! Suddenly, the wild beast raining blows down on him stopped moving.

“Looks like something good happened. Did your old monster answer or something?” the figure suddenly asked, her words dripping with cold mockery.

“How does she know?! I can read it on your face. Shouldnʼt you, cultivator, be a little better at hiding your emotions? I hear you did excessive mental training...” it commented with a hint of disappointment.

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He was slightly offended. If it wasnʼt for the infernal cacophony constantly attacking his mind, he would not have made such a mistake! However, he didnʼt speak up. He needed more time, and if the creature kept talking on its own, it only aided him.

“Well, anyway. I guess that old monster will probably appear soon, so I should get a little more serious. Warm-upʼs over. Letʼs see how long you can keep up.” He grit his teeth. Had this thing only been playing with him? Was he supposed to believe that?

Clang!

He didnʼt even have time to properly process what his opponent said before the singing of blades joined the cacophony. The attacker had suddenly vanished, and the blade appeared right before his face. In the very last moment, he was able to use his dao to force it to slow down and block it with his own sword, just before it could slice his eyes.

“Hmm, you have been trying that this whole time, but this is the first time it really got in the way. Interesting,” his attacker praised, pulling back their blade. A sudden feeling of faintness overcame him after a huge chunk of his true essence was sucked from his body.

Manipulating the laws was the privilege of a Dao Seeking Expert, and the nature of the Dao depended on oneʼs cultivation method, foundation, and insights. His own was a perfect example of the Blade Dao created by the Southern Blade Azure Breathing Technique and the recommended severings.

The Dao was vast and elusive, and Men Shi had just begun his journey. The Dao of the Southern Blade was supposed to make the world bow to his blade. Other weapons would surrender control, and everything in the world would give way to its edge.

However, it was not working with his current opponent. Twisting the rules to even just deflect this blade was much more taxing on his mind and true essence than doing so himself with his sword.

He was still in the early stage of the Dao Seeking Realm. Although the dao made him untouchable to anyone below him, he had to choose when and how to use it against an equal or stronger opponent. He could feel something almost like a clash of rules in this fight.

“Letʼs see how long you can use it to save your life,” the being in the blue shell mocked him, and he lost sight of it again! He expanded his divine sense to aid his failing vision, but even then, he could only catch glimpsed on the incredibly fast predator charging at him.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Just three exchanged, and his true essence was quickly being consumed. Even if he didnʼt use the dao or his domain, his body was failing him, too. He felt his muscles burn, from the arms all the way to the legs. Anything involved in blocking these terrible strikes was reaching its limits.

~Oh, ancestor, I donʼt think I have even half a joss stick of time left...- He sent a last message. He needed his remaining focus and energy to stay alive. As the exchange continued, Men Shiʼs heart actually began racing. Not because of hope, but because he came to a cruel realization.

The creature was not just faster and stronger than in the beginning; its skill with the sword was also vastly better than he gave it credit for earlier. It was simply that it didnʼt need anything but a simple strike to push him into the defense. No, if this kept going, he was truly doomed.

Collecting all his remaining energy, he exploded it outward to blow away his attacker and buy a moment of time. Without hesitation, he decided to use his second-to-last resort. A dark pill appeared in his hand, and he quickly swallowed it.

The orb made by Immortal Zi, an Advanced Alchemist, transformed the moment it touched his tongue. The pill turned into a stream of energy that felt like liquid as it ran down his throat. It burned like strong alcohol, and this burn spread through his whole body.

Like an itching, burning pain that traveled along his blood vessel all the way from heart to finger tips to toes, filling his whole body with new strength. He felt his true essence not just recover but even rise beyond his wildest dreams.

“Finally, I was already questioning when you would pop a pill,” his opponent commented with the confidence of someone who clearly had the upper hand and didnʼt fear foul tricks. But it was wrong not to worry.

After all, this pill burned 100 years of his life span, to triple his strength for the next hour. He didnʼt want to use this, as it not only cost his life span, but also destabilized his realm. Most importantly, he didnʼt even know whether he could beat the other with this.

However, it was better than dying. Even if he didnʼt win, he would buy enough time for help to-

“Urgh! How?” A quick, barely predictable strike suddenly circumvented his defense and cut deep into his thigh. A terrifying energy of death entered his body, causing the wound to rot immediately. The blade was poisoned?!

“If you get serious, I should also do that. Anything else would be disrespectful~” the beast said with a chuckle. He swallowed. His mouth was dry. The pain spread. His heart raced. The fear and doubts, the intangible dread that had lurked at the edges of his consciousness, had finally found a crack to seep in.

As hope waned, the figure before him became a towering source of existential fear until the wish to escape dominated his every conscious thought.