Chapter 159: Gale Slash

Facing Yu Wenxiao's full-strength assault, even Fierce Eagle dared not treat it lightly.

What he never anticipated, however, was that someone would launch a sneak attack at such a critical moment!

Not to mention him, even the remaining few individuals on the altar failed to react in time.

"Plop!"

Caught in a pincer attack from front and rear, a mouthful of fresh blood spewed from Fierce Eagle's mouth, and his body was violently slammed into the ground by the tempestuous force.

A massive, deep crater instantly formed on the altar.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Fierce Eagle, who had been arrogantly supreme just moments before, was now trampled directly into the earth by someone's foot. This nearly one-hundred-eighty-degree reversal left not only the remaining divine emissaries on the altar, but even Yu Wenxiao and his subordinates in the distance, staring in utter bewilderment.

Clearly, they had not yet fully processed what had happened.

In the plaza, whether they were the temple attendants of the Moon Wheel or the remnants of Loulan, almost everyone stared blankly at the massive crater beneath Ning Xiu's feet.

For a moment, the noisy plaza fell into a dead silence.

After a long while, Yu Wenxiao was the first to snap out of his shock. Looking at the cyan-robed figure on the altar, he shook his head and let out a wry smile. "It seems my judgment of people is still lacking."

Under the clear moonlight, Ning Xiu stood upon the altar, looking down indifferently at Fierce Eagle, who had collapsed into the deep crater.

While the previous attack was enough to inflict heavy injuries on his opponent, it was not enough to kill him.

An expert of the fifth heaven of the Mortal Shedding realm was not so easily slain.

"Cough, cough..." Violent coughing mixed with crimson blood spilled from Fierce Eagle's mouth.

Supporting his forehead with one hand and shaking his head, he finally regained his clarity. He abruptly raised his head, glaring ferociously at the cyan-robed man standing above, and hissed, "I'll have you dead!"

"What a coincidence, that's precisely what I was thinking," Ning Xiu replied with a faint smile, the corners of his lips curling upward.

No sooner had the words fallen than Fierce Eagle's pupils violently constricted as crisscrossing sword qi enveloped the entire crater.

"Kill him for me!" Fierce Eagle desperately resisted the overwhelming sword qi, adding several more wounds to his body. The excruciating pain twisted his entire face into a horrifying, ferocious expression.

He roared furiously at the other divine emissaries.

In truth, there was no need for his reminder; the three divine emissaries had already launched their assault on Ning Xiu.

A bloody giant handprint, a fierce sword glare, and a sky-filling shadow of whips came hurtling toward Ning Xiu from various directions.

Facing these attacks, Ning Xiu paid them not the slightest heed. A dark-gold phantom of a giant bell suddenly materialized around his body, appearing as solid as reality.

A continuous series of clashing metallic sounds rang out.

All the attacks from the three divine emissaries slammed into the golden bell, yet they failed to shake it by even the slightest fraction.

Energy surged outward, and chaotic shockwaves raged.

A figure shot out from within, instantly piercing through the offensive maneuvers of the three temple emissaries. Ning Xiu gripped the hilt of his Longevity Sword in his right hand and drew it with lightning speed.

A brilliant, dazzling sword light flashed like a shooting star and a streak of lightning, simultaneously sweeping past the eyes of all three men in an instant.

Three heads soared into the sky, and three experts of the Mortal Shedding realm perished beneath Ning Xiu's sword in a single breath.

Seeing this, Wuku in the distance turned deathly pale with shock. He wanted to come to their rescue, but was powerless to do so.

Yu Wenxiao's strength was on par with Wuku's. Although Yu Wenxiao had sustained some minor injuries, holding Wuku back posed no problem at all.

"I'll have you dead!"

Fierce Eagle, having managed to crawl out of the deep crater, saw this scene and felt his heart split with rage. With eerie, glowing iron claws strapped to both hands, he gnashed his teeth and charged at Ning Xiu.

At that exact moment, Ning Xiu had just finished off the three divine emissaries. He slowly turned around and watched as Fierce Eagle—radiating a bloody glow and wearing dark, menacing iron claws—charged toward him.

Fierce Eagle moved with extreme speed, transforming into a bloody blur.

Coupled with those two icy, chilling iron claws, from a distance he looked precisely like a charging, raging flame-hawk.

Ning Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he slanted the Longevity Sword in his right hand.

This was not a conventional sword-drawing posture.

Ning Xiu took a deep breath, slammed his right foot fiercely forward, and with a booming explosion, the Longevity Sword in his hand—laden with an indomitable, fierce momentum—slashed ruthlessly toward the charging Fierce Eagle.

"Gale Slash!"

Though Ning Xiu's sword stroke appeared measured, its actual speed had reached the absolute ultimate, which was precisely what created the illusion of it being "slow."

The sharp, piercing wind qi tore at the air currents, forming a sword momentum akin to a raging tornado. This caused Fierce Eagle's already pale face to turn even grimmer, yet at this juncture, there was no retreat left for him.

Fierce Eagle knew deep down that fighting head-on might still grant him a sliver of survival; if he harbored any thoughts of retreat, even taking a single step backward would plunge him into eternal damnation.

With a shrill roar, true qi surged wildly within his body, the blood-red light around him soaring. He raised his pair of chilling iron claws and met the inescapable storm head-on.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In a fraction of a second, countless crisp sounds of metal clashing rang out.

The terrifying power contained within the storm caused Fierce Eagle's expression to instantly sink.

The immense pulling force threatened to suck his entire body right into the vortex.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Sparks flew in all directions, and the metallic ringing grew ever more intense.

Fainting cracks began to appear on the pair of iron claws strapped to his hands. As time passed, these cracks widened until, with a crisp snap, they abruptly shattered.

The dark iron claws worn on Fierce Eagle's hands were shredded into pieces by the storm.

One had to know these were weapons blessed by the Moon Goddess. Seeing his dark iron claws torn to shreds by this gale, a look of sheer terror surfaced on Fierce Eagle's face, and he hurriedly retreated on his heels, attempting to withdraw.

"Thinking of leaving now? Do you think you can?" Ning Xiu sneered coldly.

Before his voice faded, Fierce Eagle's entire body was swallowed by the storm. Like a meat grinder, it sliced him into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp in the blink of an eye.

Gazing at the puddle of flesh on the ground, everyone in the plaza felt a chill involuntarily rise in their hearts.

This was simply too ruthless!

As the mastermind behind all this, Ning Xiu stood in place with his sword held in both hands, his chest heaving slightly—it was evident that this single sword strike had also consumed a considerable amount of his stamina. Yet his eyes were currently shining with a brilliant radiance.

To be precise, this move was not a sword technique, but a saber technique.

It was a saber technique Ning Xiu had created by simplifying the "Storm" stance of the Seven Perils. He named it the "Gale Slash."

Compared to the original "Storm" stance of the Seven Perils, the physical exertion required for the Gale Slash was significantly smaller. Given Ning Xiu's current realm and strength, he could easily bear it without worrying about exhaustion.

Ning Xiu had conceived this idea long ago, and this was the first time he had used it since its creation. Fortunately, it did not disappoint him.

In the distance, the battle between Wuku and Yu Wenxiao naturally saw Wuku holding the upper hand. However, Wuku was in no mood to fight at the moment; after easily forcing Yu Wenxiao back, he retreated to a safe distance, drew a bloody jade flute from his bosom, and began to play it.