Chapter 697 - A Reunion with Gong Chao
“Spotted.” Jian Wushuang turned his sights toward Cloud Sea Asgard’s contingent and nodded his head gently.
He had long noticed the aforementioned trio, who each exerted immense pressure on him and were obviously superior Divine Realm experts.
“I know all three of them. They’re the most outstanding disciples of Cloud Sea Asgard, especially Wu Dao, whom I’ve traded blows with. Unfortunately, I lost, and lost terribly, in that fight. He’s considered to be one of the most powerful among the superior Divine Realm experts, and is comparable to the Vice Palace Masters of Dao Palace,” Liu Chong spoke in a deep voice.
“And, the three of them are considered within Cloud Sea Asgard to be disciples of the previous generation. Though they haven’t been to the Eternal Zone before, Cloud Sea Asgard has all along prioritized developing a new generation of disciples, and so for one disciple of the previous generation to come to the Eternal Zone would have been noteworthy. Why would three of them come at the same time? Odd.”
Liu Chong was somewhat puzzled.
Jian Wushuang, however, squinted his eyes delicately upon hearing this.
He lifted his head and took a glance at the trio. They were among those he had noticed directing veiled gazes at him.
He began to suspect that the trio might have come for him.
Of course, this was only a suspicion which he could not confirm.
As he continued to ponder to himself, a figure from Cloud Sea Asgard’s contingent charged toward him all of a sudden.
“Jian Wushuang.”
Jian Wushuang looked toward the direction which the voice came from, and instantly saw a purple-robed youth, who carried a Stone Cudgel on his back, standing in front of him.
“Ha, Gong Chao.”
Jian Wushuang revealed a smile upon recognizing the arriver.
The purple-robed youth was Gong Chao, the super genius who impressively clinched first place in the Firmament Territory Feast eight years back.
Jian Wushuang had fought with him during the Feast but lost because he held back much of his strength. However, later on, during the fourth round of the cultivation age test, he became the definition of a monster and completely stole the limelight from the latter.
In the end, he joined the Ancient Sect together with Xuan Yi, whereas Gong Chao went over to Cloud Sea Asgard.
Eight years had passed. The two geniuses who put in the most dazzling performances during the Firmament Territory Feast were once again reunited.
However, by this time, Gong Chao had already attained the Divine Realm, whereas Jian Wushuang had still only attained the Skyscraping Realm.
“We haven’t met for eight years. Do you still remember what I said to you during the Firmament Territory Feast?” Gong Chao regarded Jian Wushuang with his gleaming eyes.
“Eh?” Jian Wushuang raised an eyebrow.
“I said that I would fight for superiority with you the next time we meet. Eight years have passed…” Gong Chao paused before continuing, “During these eight years, I’ve done everything possible to increase my strength, while always looking forward to the day we meet again. That day has finally arrived.”
“What do you want to do?” Jian Wushuang laughed faintly as he looked at Gong Chao, who was a genius he quite appreciated.
“You know the answer.” As Gong Chao raised his head to look at Jian Wushuang, a gush of battle intent shot out of his eyes. “Jian Wushuang, let’s fight.”
Gong Chao deliberately raised his voice as he uttered that last sentence, causing the experts and disciples from the various sects to quickly look over.
Their expressions got weird when they saw that Gong Chao had approached Jian Wushuang.
“Jian Wushuang from Ancient Sect and Gong Chao from Cloud Sea Asgard. These two were the most outstanding performers during the last Firmament Territory Feast!”
“During the last Firmament Territory Feast, Jian Wushuang was defeated by Gong Chao, and so by right, it should be him issuing the challenge this time. Who would’ve thought that Gong Chao would be the one to propose instead?”
“It’s normal. Although Jian Wushuang lost during the Firmament Territory Feast, he displayed a lot more exceptional talent than Gong Chao, and later on, his extraordinary performances in the Ancient Sect led Palace Master Gong Yi to take him in as a personal disciple. Gong Chao probably knows that Jian Wushuang is no weaker than him and may even be stronger, and that’s why he proposed the challenge.”
Many of the experts standing around the two geniuses were busy in their private discussions.
And when the experts from the Ancient Sect and Cloud Sea Asgard saw what was happening, they simply exchanged looks and showed no sign of preventing it.
It was an open secret that the two sects had long enjoyed a rivalry. Thus, neither side thought much about a duel between their disciples so long as it was not a life-and-death battle.
“Jian Wushuang, you won’t refuse this duel, right?” Gong Chao looked at Jian Wushuang and spoke solemnly. “Of course, I can tell that you haven’t attained the Divine Realm, and so for fairness’ sake, I shall hold back my strength and not exert anything beyond the scope of the Skyscraping Realm. How about that?”
“Hold back your strength deliberately?” Jian Wushuang could not help laughing as he looked at Gong Chao, whose battle intent was surging. “You don’t have to do that. Just come at me with all you’ve got.”
“Are you sure?” Gong Chao’s complexion darkened.
“Of course,” a very confident Jian Wushuang replied.
“Alright, watch out.”
Without delay, the Stone Cudgel which Gong Chao carried on his back appeared in his hands. A vast aura gushed from his body and formed a strange suppressive force which charged toward Jian Wushuang.
“Gong Chao… over these eight years, his strength has indeed increased considerably.” Jian Wushuang looked indifferent.
Gong Chao was a true genius. After eight years of cultivation in Cloud Sea Asgard, which was the Firmament Territory’s premier sect, he was by now at least no weaker, and most likely already stronger, than Feng.
“Let’s begin.”
As soon as Gong Chao spoke, his figure disappeared and reappeared right in front of Jian Wushuang, following which the Stone Cudgel struck out mercilessly. All that could be seen in the void was a thick black shadow which seemed to be formed from a bunch of overlapping cudgel shadows.
A brutal power immediately swept forth.
“An advanced Divine Realm expert who’s probably the best among his Realm.”
Jian Wushuang was able to gauge Gong Chao’s strength at the very instant that the latter made a move. The longsword behind his back immediately appeared in his hands.
This was the Heart-killing Sword. As for the Emperor Sword, Jian Wushuang kept it in an Interspatial Ring and did not draw on it.
With a longsword in his hands, the Sword Heart in his sea of consciousness shook gently. In an instant, Jian Wushuang was able to summon 50 percent of the Sword Heart’s power.
“50 percent of the Sword Heart’s power should be about enough.” Squinting his eyes, the longsword in his hands swept forth at the very next moment.
Clang!
The tip of the Heart-killing Sword collided with the front of the Stone Cudgel, creating a low-pitched noise. With a twist of his wrist, Jian Wushuang pulled back the sword and casually swung it once more. It swept toward Gong Chao’s chest in a smooth motion that caused Gong Chao’s complexion to change dramatically.
“Terrifying skill.”
Although shocked, Gong Chao remained composed as he forcefully drew back the Stone Cudgel and struck out once more.
With a faint smile, Jian Wushuang abruptly lowered the longsword and easily evaded contact with the Stone Cudgel. The tip of his longsword then flitted in a ghost-like fashion as it swung toward Gong Chao’s throat at lightning speed.