For one moment, the scenery in Gu Ming’s vision was constantly retreating, and the speed of that retreat grew faster and faster. Eventually, the surroundings stretched and flattened until the original appearance of the landscape was completely unrecognizable, leaving nothing but streaks of differently colored light.
‘Sword Domain?’
Gu Ming was somewhat stunned.
He had never expected that the swordsman with the shoulder-length hair had already reached such a level of attainment in his craft. This was the ultimate realm of the Way of the Sword, something that thousands upon thousands of swordsmen dreamed of but could never achieve.
Except—
‘The domain is clearly still incomplete.’
Gu Ming scanned his surroundings and muttered inwardly.
Based on his understanding, a Sword Domain could pull a person into a small world created by the swordsman. In that miniature world, the swordsman was the invincible creator. Therefore, once someone was dragged into a Sword Domain, nothing but death awaited them.
However, from the current state of things, this small world was not yet finished; the swordsman had merely touched the threshold.
Breaking it was also quite simple. One only needed to capture the swordsman’s intent at the exact moment he swung his blade.
Thus, Gu Ming closed his eyes and felt the changes in his surroundings.
A moment later, the airflow behind him shifted.
Having sensed it, Gu Ming shifted his steps slightly to the side, intending to dodge the strike. To his surprise, from the corner of his eye, he keenly caught sight of a blade coming from the front. Gu Ming’s pupils suddenly dilated.
‘The front? And no change in airflow?’
‘This fellow’s swordsmanship has already taken a half-step into the Sword Domain, hasn’t it?’
Gu Ming was greatly alarmed, but fortunately, his reactions were swift. He immediately adjusted his position and narrowly escaped disaster.
Nevertheless, the sharp blade still managed to graze his face, opening a small cut as a few drops of blood splattered. In that instant, the two of them crossed paths. As their four eyes met, Gu Ming keenly read the shock in the other man’s gaze.
However, that sliver of shock quickly transformed into excitement—the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.
*Creeeeeak.*
In that heartbeat, the pseudo-space that had erased all scenery let out a shattering sound. A white, jagged crack erupted from above, and from that center, it spread in all directions like a massive spiderweb.
*Bang!*
With a thunderous explosion, the space shattered like a mirror. The scenery of the arena reappeared instantly.
The crowds watching around the stage looked at each other in confusion. In their eyes, the two people on the stage had disappeared for a short time, and when they reappeared, they were already at the point of crossing paths at close range.
“What just happened? Did they both disappear?”
“No, the moment Sword Fanatic drew his sword, his form vanished, while Nameless seemed to be sucked in by something.”
“Is this the strength of those two? It’s too powerful.”
***
High on the platform, Shen Lingxi was stunned. The moment the two of them appeared on the stage, she keenly noticed that Sword Fanatic’s expression was off.
‘That guy…’
‘He’s clearly getting too excited by the fight!’
Shen Lingxi could not help but bite her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her eyes filled with frustration. She somewhat regretted letting Sword Fanatic come. Once this person became excited by a fight, he would lose himself and completely forget the task at hand.
One sudden change after another left Shen Lingxi feeling exhausted. The current situation was already beyond her control.
“Shen Lingxi, that man can actually enter a Sword Domain. You’ve truly picked up a treasure,” Feng Qing’er said with great interest as she pulled on Shen Lingxi’s arm.
Clearly, Feng Qing’er believed that Sword Fanatic’s strength had reached a new level.
Shen Lingxi, however, was shrouded in a layer of gloom. She no longer wanted to speak.
On the arena stage.
The moment Sword Fanatic and Gu Ming’s bodies crossed, Gu Ming opened his mouth and spat out a single word:
“FORBIDDEN.”
In that instant, Sword Fanatic’s body was frozen in place.
Great shock surged in Sword Fanatic’s eyes as he thought in alarm: ‘What’s happening? Why can’t I move?’
But it lasted for only a single moment. It was an interval shorter than the blink of an eye before he regained his freedom.
In that brief window, a whip-like kick swung toward him.
Though he immediately used his arms to block, his battle-hardened instincts could not fully negate the impact. He was sent flying by the powerful force.
Sword Fanatic’s figure flipped through the air. The moment his feet touched the ground, he gripped the surface firmly, yet he still left deep gouges in the floor as he slid back.
Such a brilliant display caused the crowd below the stage to erupt into thunderous applause.
However, high on the platform, Butler Li of the Gu family could no longer sit still. His old eyes, which usually showed no emotion, were now wide with shock.
“Who is he?” Butler Li asked, his voice trembling as he looked at Shen Lingxi.
“Hmm?”
Shen Lingxi looked at the heavy-breathing Butler Li and asked in confusion, “Who are you talking about?”
Feng Qing’er, the Ling family siblings, and Gu Tianba all turned their gazes toward Shen Lingxi and Butler Li.
“That Nameless on the stage—how does he know our Gu family’s True Words?!” Butler Li demanded.
Shen Lingxi glanced at Feng Qing’er, who shook her head slightly, equally mystified.
Among the Five Great Forces, four of them possessed their own secret weapons: the Divine Maiden Palace’s world-renowned Goddess Cultivation Technique, Lingyun Pavilion’s hidden Secret Treasure, Saintess Mountain’s immortal Inheritance, and the Gu family’s True Words.
Seeing her lack of response, Butler Li did not stand on ceremony. He flew down from the platform and landed on the arena, positioning himself between Sword Fanatic and Nameless.
Seeing Butler Li descend, a flicker of worry passed through Shen Lingxi’s eyes. She had not noticed anything herself, but judging by Butler Li’s reaction, he had certainly seen something.
‘The Gu family’s True Words?’
‘Did Brother Gu Ming use that?’
Shen Lingxi’s brow furrowed slightly.
If that were the case, things were not looking good.
Shen Lingxi was filled with immense anxiety. Currently, no one in the Gu family remembered Gu Ming. If Gu Ming had truly used the Gu family’s True Words, he might be treated as a thief and become the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the Gu family.
The Gu family might be like a setting sun now, but even a thin camel was bigger than a horse. The Gu family’s influence remained, and more importantly, the Alliance Leader was still there. If he were wanted by the Gu family, Gu Ming would have no way to survive in this land.
If that happened, Shen Lingxi’s years of planning would go down the drain. Furthermore, it might push Gu Ming into an abyss of no return.
The Demon Cult Leader was a suspicious man. Once he learned that Gu Ming could use the Gu family’s True Words, he would likely suspect Gu Ming’s identity. Even if nothing was found in the end, the Demon Cult Leader would rather kill the wrong person than let a potential threat go. He would certainly put Gu Ming to death.
The Demon Cult Leader was extremely wary of the Gu family’s True Words, the Divine Maiden Palace’s Goddess Cultivation Technique, Saintess Mountain’s Inheritance, Lingyun Pavilion’s Secret Treasure, and the Sword Saint’s supreme sword intent. He would never allow anyone within the Demon Cult to use such techniques.
Thinking of this, Shen Lingxi could no longer remain seated. She immediately stood up and flew toward the arena.
She had to stop this tragedy from happening.
Seeing Butler Li and Shen Lingxi descend one after another, the people remaining on the high platform looked at each other in bewilderment…