Chapter 377 - 374: Fighting Meng Xian
Chapter 377: Chapter 374: Fighting Meng Xian
The claw’s light tore through the air, aimed straight for his throat!
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed. With a quick shift of his feet, he fully activated the Wind and Cloud Escape.
His body, like a wisp of weightless smoke, drifted back and to the side in the nick of time.
SHHHHK—!
Five dark streaks of claw light grazed his neck, the sharp gust of wind stinging his skin.
He had narrowly avoided the attack, but Meng Xian’s assault was far from over.
As the first strike missed, Meng Xian flipped his wrist, redirecting the claw’s momentum downward from a thrust into a horizontal sweep.
The five streaks of claw light tore through the air, slashing toward Fang Han’s waist.
The switch in technique was dazzlingly fast.
Fang Han had no time to dodge. He brought the Cloud Splitting Sword horizontally in front of him, surging his Inner Qi to block the blow head-on.
CLANG—!
The explosive sound of metal striking metal rang out.
Amid a shower of sparks, Fang Han felt a massive, irresistible force travel up the blade. He was sent sliding several feet to the side, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground.
Before he could even regain his balance, Meng Xian’s figure closed in again like a phantom.
With both claws striking out, ten streaks of claw light wove into a net, sealing off all avenues of escape.
"Let’s see how many of my attacks you can take!"
Meng Xian sneered, his assault growing even more ferocious.
Fang Han’s expression was placid as he calmly met the attack.
The Cloud Splitting Sword danced like a spinning wheel, crisscrossing streams of cyan Sword Qi clashing violently with the sky-full of claw lights.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG—!
The sound of metal on metal exploded as rapidly as popping beans, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Overflowing Sword Qi and claw light carved crisscrossing chasms into the surrounding ground, sending shattered stones flying.
The two fought speed with speed, their figures flashing through the ravaged woods—colliding, separating, and colliding again.
Each exchange unleashed a deafening roar and an even more violent shockwave.
Fang Han’s Swordsmanship was incomparably sharp. He pushed the Sword Momentum of his Great Success level Nine Swords of Sky Splitting to its absolute limit. Every thrust seemed sharp enough to tear a hole in space itself.
However, Meng Xian’s Cultivation was ultimately deeper than his.
With a Cultivation at the Late-Stage Fourth Grade Limit, combined with a precise and vicious Martial Technique, each of his claws held enough terrifying power to severely injure an ordinary Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist.
Gradually, Fang Han began to fall into a disadvantage.
His Sword Techniques remained sharp, but he was slowly being suppressed by Meng Xian’s relentless assault.
With every clash, he felt a numbing ache spread through his arm.
Another head-on clash.
CLANG—!
The Cloud Splitting Sword collided with Meng Xian’s claws, letting out a piercing shriek of metal.
Fang Han felt a huge force wash over him, knocking him back three consecutive steps.
Meng Xian, however, only paused for a moment before lunging forward again.
Pressing his advantage, he unleashed a continuous flurry of claw strikes. His assault was like a tidal wave, each surge more powerful than the last.
RIIIIP—!
A streak of claw light tore through the hem of Fang Han’s cyan robe.
The attack had missed his body by a hair’s breadth.
He could clearly feel the claws graze his skin.
"I wonder how much longer you can last!"
Meng Xian sneered, his assault growing even more frantic.
He struck with both claws, filling the air with afterimages that enveloped all of Fang Han’s vital points.
Fang Han did his utmost to defend, protecting his body with a screen of sword light.
But Meng Xian’s attacks were too fierce, too dense.
Finally—
CLANG—!
Another violent collision.
Fang Han felt a numbing pain shoot up his right arm, nearly causing him to drop the Cloud Splitting Sword.
Meng Xian seized this fleeting opening. He feinted with his left claw while his right hand quietly slipped past the sword light, shifting from a claw to a palm as he struck toward Fang Han’s chest.
The angle of this palm strike was treacherous, its timing impeccable.
Unable to dodge in time, Fang Han could only twist his body slightly, causing the palm aimed at his heart to land on his upper left chest instead.
BANG—!
A dull thud, like the beat of a great drum, echoed.
Meng Xian’s palm had struck Fang Han squarely.
The left chest of Fang Han’s cyan robe instantly exploded, shredded fabric flying everywhere to reveal a suit of Silver Soft Armor that shimmered with a faint glow.
The Soft Armor flashed with light, blocking a portion of the Power.
But a significant amount of Power still penetrated the armor as a Hidden Force, slamming into Fang Han’s body.
However, what happened next was completely unexpected.
After taking Meng Xian’s strike, Fang Han’s body only swayed slightly. He took half a step back and steadied himself.
He clearly didn’t look injured.
The sneer on Meng Xian’s face froze solid.
Although the Soft Armor had dispersed some of the force from his palm, the remaining Palm Force was still enough to make an ordinary Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist cough up blood from severe injuries.
But Fang Han?
He had only taken half a step back. He hadn’t even frowned.
"You..."
Meng Xian’s pupils shrank, a trace of disbelief flashing in his eyes.
When his palm had struck Fang Han just now, besides the flash of light from the Soft Armor, Fang Han’s body itself seemed to have generated an extremely strong rebound force.
It wasn’t a defense of Inner Qi... It was pure physical defense!
"You’ve cultivated a Body Hardening Technique!"
Meng Xian blurted out, his voice filled with irrepressible shock.
Not only was Fang Han’s Cultivation progressing at a divine speed, but he had also cultivated a Body Hardening Technique to a high level.
"Are you trying to tickle me?"
Fang Han glanced down at his torn robes, then looked up at Meng Xian with a mocking gaze.
’Without a powerful Martial Artist to test it against, it’s hard to gauge one’s own physical defense, so I was never quite sure of its true strength.’
’It seems I’ve underestimated the powerful physical defense I gained from reaching the Entry Level of the Xuanwu True Skill.’
’But now that I’ve confirmed how tough my body is, I can adjust my fighting style.’
"Arrogant!"
Hearing Fang Han’s words, Meng Xian’s expression turned incredibly ugly.
"Fine. Very fine!"
He took a deep breath, the killing intent in his eyes growing even thicker.
"We’ll see just how many of my palms your body can withstand!"
Before his words had even faded, he moved again.
This time, his assault was even more frenzied.
He unleashed a chain of palm strikes, each one carrying the terrifying power to shatter stone tablets.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Realizing that his formidable physical defense made it difficult for Meng Xian to inflict serious injury, Fang Han stopped defending passively.
He activated his Wind and Cloud Escape to its fullest, his figure becoming erratic as he weaved through Meng Xian’s attacks.
The Cloud Splitting Sword transformed into streaks of cyan light, launching sharp counterattacks.
BAM!
Meng Xian’s palm missed and struck an ancient tree behind Fang Han, one so thick it would take a person’s full arms to encircle it.
The tree snapped on impact, sending splinters flying.
SHLICK!
Fang Han thrust his sword. The tip grazed past Meng Xian’s ribs, cutting through his soft armor and leaving a deep, bloody gash.
SHK!
Meng Xian grunted and backhanded with his claw, landing a solid strike on Fang Han’s unprotected left arm.
But it was like striking incredibly tough metal. His attack only left five shallow, bloody scratches on Fang Han’s arm.
Wounds continued to appear on both of them.
But Fang Han’s injuries were clearly far lighter than Meng Xian’s.
His physical defense was simply too powerful.
Meng Xian’s Palm Force could only inflict minor wounds on him.
To Fang Han, such injuries were merely superficial and didn’t affect his combat ability at all.
Meng Xian, on the other hand, suffered a real wound every time Fang Han’s sword grazed him.
Although Meng Xian’s cautious defense prevented any solid, fatal hits, the small cuts were accumulating, and his injuries were worsening.
The longer Meng Xian fought, the more frightened he became.
He clearly had a higher Cultivation and stronger attacks, yet he was completely unable to seriously injure Fang Han.
Meanwhile, Fang Han, relying on that freakishly strong physical defense, repeatedly tanked his attacks and launched sharp counters.
At this rate, even if he could win, it would come at a terrible cost.
—He might not even be able to win.
"Damn it!"
Meng Xian cursed under his breath, his assault growing even more wild.
————
Several hundred zhang from the battlefield, atop a high mountain ridge.
Three figures stood in the shadows of an ancient tree, their gazes fixed on the ravaged patch of forest below.
The three were dressed differently, but all of them radiated an extremely powerful aura, even stronger than that of Fang Han and Meng Xian.
One of them, dressed in a moon-white robe, was handsome and possessed an ethereal, otherworldly air.
He held a sheathed longsword, the Sword Scabbard inlaid with seven Gemstones that glittered in the mottled sunlight filtering through the leaves.
This was none other than the second-ranked expert on the Celestial Pride List, the head disciple of the Lingyun Sword Sect—Liu Bai.
To his left, standing at a safe distance, was a powerfully built young man.
He wore a sleeveless tunic that revealed taut, bronze-colored muscles, and he carried a broad-bladed greatsword as large as a door panel on his shoulder. His features were rugged.
This was the third-ranked expert on the Celestial Pride List, the head disciple of the Overlord Blade Sect—Mad Saber.
The fact that they stood at a distance from each other clearly indicated their relationship was not a good one.
This was normal. The rivalry between their Sects and their competition for rank on the Celestial Pride List had soured their relationship.
To his right stood a young man who appeared to be around thirty years old.
The young man was handsome, with an aloof air, his aura so restrained it was almost nonexistent.
He stood there casually, yet he seemed to have merged completely with his surroundings.
This was the number one expert on the Celestial Pride List, the third son of the Garrison Commander—Yue Lingtian.
All three pairs of eyes were currently fixed on the two figures locked in fierce combat below.
Down below, Fang Han and Meng Xian were at the height of their battle.
Sword Qi flew and claw lights raged. The roar of exploding Qi Force was still clearly audible from hundreds of zhang away.
"Interesting."
Liu Bai was the first to speak, his voice as smooth as jade but laced with a hint of unconcealable surprise.
"Meng Xian’s strength is even greater than the rumors say. His Nether Palm cultivation has reached Perfection. An ordinary Late-Fourth Grade Martial Artist probably wouldn’t last more than a few moves against him."
He paused, his gaze falling upon Fang Han.
"And yet, that Fang Han from the Qingxuan Sect can actually fight Meng Xian to this extent, and it seems... he’s not at a disadvantage?"
Mad Saber didn’t speak. His eyes were simply locked on the battle below.
He watched Fang Han tank Meng Xian’s Palm Force time and again. He watched Fang Han launch sharp counterattacks time and again. He watched as the number of wounds on both of them continued to grow.
After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice low and tinged with a complex mix of emotions.
"This Fang Han... his progress is too fast."
He remembered that at the beginning of last year, Fang Han was ranked only ninety-fourth, near the very bottom.
By the start of this year, Fang Han had already jumped to fifty-fifth.
How much time had passed since then? It wasn’t even the end of February, yet this person could already fight Meng Xian, ranked seventeenth on the Celestial Pride List, head-on without being at a disadvantage.
That rate of progress...
Mad Saber tightened his grip on the greatsword resting on his shoulder. A solemn expression, one he himself didn’t even notice, flickered across his rugged face.
Pressure.
He felt pressure.
Although he was third on the Celestial Pride List and Fang Han could only just contend with the seventeenth-ranked Meng Xian, there was still a huge gap between them.
But at this rate of progress... it was inevitable that he would catch up!