Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 279: Chapter 174: Seeing the Female Sword Immortal Again, Formidable Secret Words

Its mouth gaped open, revealing two rows of jagged teeth. Black mucus from deep within its throat sprayed out with each breath, landing on the ground with a SIZZLING, corrosive sound.

Its hind legs kicked off the ground, and its whole body charged at Wan Ze like a runaway truck.

Wan Ze did not retreat.

He lightly tapped his toes on the ground, sidestepping the moment the Deceitful Beast charged, narrowly avoiding the pair of flailing claws.

The Deceitful Beast’s claws scraped past his ear, stirring up a foul wind.

In the same instant he sidestepped, Wan Ze’s right hand gripped the hilt of his sword again.

Pulling Slash!

The third sword!

This strike landed on the side of the Deceitful Beast’s neck, where its keratinous layer was thinnest.

The flash of the sword fell, and the keratinous layer cracked on impact. A deep gash appeared on its grayish-white skin, and black blood gushed from the wound.

The Deceitful Beast’s body lurched to a halt. Its four legs staggered, nearly causing it to fall, and its head lolled to one side.

Wan Ze gave it no chance to recover.

Pulling Slash!

The fourth sword...

The fifth sword...

The Sixth Sword...

The Seventh Sword...

One hundred swords!

One strike after another, each faster than the last.

The flashes of the sword wove an airtight net in the forest, enveloping the Deceitful Beast within.

An overwhelming torrent of sword light rained down like a silvery-white storm.

Every strike carried the explosive force of the Heaven and Earth Sword Pulling Slash, and every strike landed precisely on the same line on the Deceitful Beast’s neck.

”BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—”

The massive explosions echoed endlessly through the mountain forest, as if a hundred cannons had fired at once.

The air currents, stirred up by the sword light, whipped frantically through the woods, kicking up a sky full of shredded leaves and dust.

The ground was carved with deep furrows by the Sword Qi. Debris flew and broken branches sailed through the air, leaving the area for dozens of yards around in complete chaos.

The Broken Sword was stunned.

It hung in mid-air, its blade slightly tilted, like a person cocking their head to watch the show.

It stared blankly at the area engulfed in sword light, then at the figure weaving through it, and its entire blade went rigid.

It knew Wan Ze could use the Heaven and Earth Sword Pulling Slash, but it never imagined he could use it like *this*.

Suddenly, a turbulent gust of air rushed over, and the Broken Sword was sent flying before it could react.

It tumbled several times in the air before managing to stabilize itself. It quickly shot behind the Female Sword Immortal, its tip peeking out to cautiously observe the battle.

Countless streams of air carrying debris and broken branches surged toward the Female Sword Immortal, but when they came within three meters of her, they were stopped as if by an invisible barrier.

The moment the currents touched the barrier, they were torn apart, disintegrated, and dissipated, turning into a harmless breeze that flowed past on either side.

The Broken Sword peeked out from behind the Female Sword Immortal. Its tip began to rapidly scratch on the ground, the characters messy but urgent:

[Wow, so strong!!!]

It then drew a crooked exclamation mark, its tip poking a hole in the ground as if to express some ineffable excitement.

The Female Sword Immortal silently ”gazed” in Wan Ze’s direction.

”His Swordsmanship Talent is not bad,” she said slowly, her voice soft as if talking to herself. ”It seems he wasn’t lying. He has no sect or master guiding him.”

The Broken Sword nodded frantically, its blade bobbing up and down in the air like a chick pecking at grain.

’That’s right, that’s right! Otherwise, how could he not even know how to kill a Deceitful Beast? Anyone with a proper sect inheritance wouldn’t make such a mistake. This guy is truly self-taught, figuring everything out on his own.’

The Female Sword Immortal nodded slightly. She didn’t speak, but her gesture carried a sense of approval.

The Broken Sword immediately shot out. The Flying Sword’s body came to a stop not far from Wan Ze, and its tip began carving words into the ground. The movements were fast and frantic, the dirt groaning as it was tilled:

[Take its damn head!]

Wan Ze saw the words.

He took a deep breath and tightened his right hand on the hilt.

He flicked the beads of blood from the blade.

The Deceitful Beast was now covered in wounds. The gash on its neck was deep enough to show bone, and black blood pooled on the ground. Its movements had become sluggish, and the growl in its throat had turned into a low, whimpering sound.

But it was not dead yet. The creature’s life force was astonishingly tenacious. Although its armor-like keratinous layer was shattered, it was still protecting its most vital spot.

Wan Ze looked at it, his gaze calm.

He slowly raised his right hand, hilt up, tip down. The body of the sword rested against the outside of his right arm, its edge facing out.

The sword would build up Power as it was sheathed, then unleash it all at the last moment, delivering the final blow over the shortest distance, at the fastest speed, and with the greatest Strength.

Wan Ze’s left hand held the mouth of the scabbard while his right hand slowly guided the blade in.

”HISSS—”

The sound of the blade slicing through leaves was very faint, but in the now-quiet mountain forest, it was exceptionally clear.

The Deceitful Beast seemed to sense something. It instinctively recoiled, its four legs scrabbling at the ground as it tried to flee.

But now, its body would no longer obey its will. The wound on its neck made every movement excruciatingly costly, and the blood loss was causing its Power to rapidly fade.

The blade entered the scabbard.

The final inch.

Wan Ze’s fingers tightened slightly on the hilt, his knuckles turning white. The Qi inside him was compressed to its absolute limit, like a spring coiled to its breaking point, ready to snap at any moment.

The Deceitful Beast let out a desperate shriek and lunged at Wan Ze with the last of its Strength.

Wan Ze moved.

His left hand released the scabbard, his right hand drew the sword—

A flash of sword light.

”SHLICK—”

The flash of sword light was too fast, so fast the naked eye couldn’t possibly track it.