Chapter 178 Great Swordsman Stone Lantern

Yan Xu, wearing heavy armor wrapped in chains and holding a big sword, was already waiting there. He was full of anticipation for the upcoming battle.

In the era when sword masters did not appear, great swordsmen were the pinnacle of extraordinary martial arts professions. Their skills, spirit, physical fitness, and willpower had long surpassed the limits that ordinary people could imagine. They were truly able to kill a hundred people against a thousand.

For example, Ishideng was not a traditional swordsman, but an ascetic monk who practiced since childhood, and the only thing he practiced was the naginata for self-defense.

But ever since he realized a certain state in the Buddhist scriptures, the stone lamps began to undergo a drastic transformation. After thirty years of hard training, he became calm and could not only cut off the thick stone lamps used as decorations in the courtyard with one knife, making the cut surface as smooth as a mirror, but also cut off the lit wicks in the wind and keep the lights burning.

At the same time, years of ascetic practice have made him, who is already tall and strong, have a strong physique that has been tempered through thousands of trials. He once killed a black bear with a knife with his bare hands.

He is so powerful that, with the five-foot-long and extremely heavy stone-cutting sword in his hand, he can not only create a horrific bloody storm on the battlefield, but also easily kill highly skilled swordsmen like chickens. Even inhuman monsters will be left with difficult-to-heal wounds or even killed on the spot if they are hit by his sword that is condensed with his spirit. This is a great swordsman.

But human power is ultimately limited. Ishideng clearly sensed that there were two skilled swordsmen behind him, and those hatamoto were all death warriors. There were also ninjas hiding around. As long as a war broke out, these people would be enough to hold him back until the army arrived.

Shi Deng, who witnessed the battle with his own eyes, knew very well how powerful the Moroboshi family's army was. Even if he did not use firearms, he would have been exhausted to death by those fearless soldiers.

It can be said that the moment he stepped into Onimaruyama Castle, his fate was already determined. Regardless of whether the assassination succeeded or failed, only death awaited him.

But Shi Deng's will was not shaken. Instead, it was purer than ever before. He always maintained the moment of tranquility that he had to meditate to seek in the past. Now, even death could not fear him.

"This kind of momentum." Yan Xu was a little surprised when he saw Shi Deng being escorted here with a calm expression.

Yan Xu had fought against powerful enemies before, such as the old beggar who pinned him to the ground with a hammer, the woman in the red light, and the Daimyo Fukushima who died in a spectacular manner, but he had never seen such a pure will before, and this was what he had always been pursuing.

Yan Xu set foot on the extraordinary and longed for transcendence, but this could only be said to be a desire, not an indomitable will, let alone a heart of Tao that points directly to his original nature.

So Yan Xu, who originally just planned to go through the motions, became serious. He began to remove all the benefits brought to him by his equipment, intending to fight the opponent with his true strength. This was both a respect for Shi Deng and a test for him.

Such an opponent is not easy to find. Yang Zhenze, the Tai Chi master that Yan Xu worshipped in the late Qing Dynasty, is one of them. However, the other party is already in his seventies. Even if he regains his youth, he probably can't find the indomitable mentality of the past.

Therefore, Yan Xu was willing to give up the blessing he had obtained in order to fight as fairly as possible.

Of course, although the blessing has been reduced, the essence of the equipment has not changed. It is impossible to break through the defense door with the weapon in Shi Deng's hand. The great swordsman is not omnipotent, and Yan Xu is not a martial arts fanatic who would risk his life to break through. Therefore, even though he knew that wearing armor was not effective, he had no intention of taking it off.

This is exactly what Yan Xu lacks. He does not have the faith to forge ahead and sacrifice his life. The so-called transcendence is more like a greedy desire. However, Yan Xu is also constantly changing. At least before, he could not imagine that he would suffer so much, endure so much pain, and kill so many people in order to step into the extraordinary.

"Stone Lantern of Folian Temple." The stone lantern clasped its hands together and performed a Buddhist salute.

"Guan Di Temple Yan Xu." Yan Xu did not intend to fight this precious battle as the head of the Zhuxing family, so he fought as Guan Di Temple.

Upon hearing this, Shi Deng looked up at the Qinglong Yanyue Sword in Yan Xu's hand and took a deep breath. His already tall and strong body became even more majestic, as if infinite power was surging. At the same time, he didn't know if it was an illusion, but his skin flashed with a brass-like luster.

"You are not a great swordsman. No, not just a great swordsman." After Yan Xu used incense to refine the three magical instruments, he became sensitive to certain auras. At this moment, he frowned, pointed the Guandao in his hand diagonally at the ground, and was ready to attack.

"My Buddha said, today I must kill the enemies of Buddha!" ​​Shi Deng did not answer Yan Xu's question. He took off one side of his clothes, revealing half of his arm and the angry-looking Vajra on his back. His aura suddenly changed, as if it was ignited, and was full of aggression.

Although he didn't know the other party's origins, the hostility was so obvious that there was no need for further explanation. Yan Xu opened his eyes and was not afraid at all.

It doesn't look like a Japanese-style stone-cutting sword at all, it's more like an iron rod with a certain curvature, but in Shi Deng's hand it's a sharp weapon. When he holds the sword up, it gives people a feeling that a thousand-pound gate knife will fall at any time. This is a common starting move in Japanese kendo, which is good at suppressing people with moves. Shi Deng, who is tall and strong, brings unparalleled oppression to people when he uses it.

Unfortunately, Yan Xu had an advantage in terms of size, not to mention his weapon. His Stone-Cutting Sword was only five feet long, which was already a huge weapon in Japan, as few people could use it. But facing the Green Dragon Crescent Blade that was more than two meters long and weighed dozens of kilograms, he was in a state of complete suppression from behind. Therefore, in order to gain an advantage, Shi Deng took the lead in attacking.

Although Shi Deng is tall, he is not clumsy. Not only does he move quickly in his wooden clogs, he is also very agile. As soon as he approaches, he raises his stone-cutting sword and chops it down diagonally as fast as lightning. It is the Shi Deng Chopping Skill that makes him famous. It can cut the thick Shi Deng in two, and the cut is as smooth as a mirror.

Facing the imposing stone lantern, Yan Xu twisted the hilt of the knife, and the blade of the Guandao, which was originally pointed downward, revealed its sharpness. As he exerted force from his waist, the blade went upstream and easily broke the momentum of the stone lantern, and collided for the first time with the stone-cutting sword containing a thousand pounds of force.

Following a dull metal collision sound, two equally tall and strong men, each holding an oversized weapon, launched a fatal attack on each other. Sparks flew immediately, but the terrible impact force was resisted by the two men. No one took a step back, but no one could move forward even half a step.

At this moment, Yan Xu put aside all distractions and didn't even have time to think about the so-called swordsmanship. With his mind highly concentrated, all his actions were based on instinct.

Shi Deng's well-honed mind and body have long since integrated skills and instincts. Every attack is as precise and deadly as a fang. However, Yan Xu's heavy armor is invulnerable to swords and spears. The precious sword that can cut stone and iron can only leave a streak of sparks when it falls on him. The opponent's counterattack is extremely deadly. It seems that there are countless flaws, but it forces people to deal with it with all their strength. After fighting for more than a dozen rounds, he, who can swing the sword under the waterfall for a whole day, can't help but tremble in his arms.

On the contrary, Yan Xu became more and more courageous as the battle went on. Under the pressure brought by the stone lantern, his two special physiques, the ghost body and the knife body, worked together to constantly and finely adjust the way his muscles exerted force. His nerves also deeply engraved the correct way of swinging and slashing into his instinct, leaving him with fewer and fewer flaws, and his strikes became more and more deadly.

(End of this chapter)