Chapter 183: Chapter 180: Sword King Chu Bai’s Challenge

Sword King Chu Bai, once number one on the Innate List and the foremost expert in Cyan Cloud Country.

Ten years ago, he defeated two Kings at Qingjiang, taking the top spot on the list. Afterward, he vanished for a full decade.

For ten years, there was no word of him.

But his existence was like a legend, known to all in the Cyan Cloud Country.

Any Martial Artist knew that at the pinnacle of power in Cyan Cloud Country stood a Sword King named Chu Bai.

Now, someone had seen a middle-aged man on the Qingjiang River who, with a casual wave of his sleeve, parted its waters.

Upon hearing of someone with such power, countless people immediately thought of Sword King Chu Bai.

"Could it be? Is Sword King Chu Bai emerging from seclusion?"

"Did you get a clear look? What did he look like?"

"He was said to be gentle and refined, like a scholar."

When these descriptions spread, the entire Cyan Cloud Country erupted, for this was the very image of Sword King Chu Bai.

Immediately, numerous Martial Artists rushed toward the Qingjiang River, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sword King.

Compared to Young Master Wushuang, Ning Jiang, who was currently at the zenith of his fame, Sword King Chu Bai had built up his prestige in the Cyan Cloud Country over many years and had countless admirers.

Duan Wuya and the Vajra King also headed for the Qingjiang River, their fighting spirit blazing.

Ten years ago, they had lost to Sword King Chu Bai. For that very reason, they had both gone into seclusion for a decade, all for the hope of one day defeating him.

...

"Grandpa, who is he?"

By the banks of the Qingjiang River, a little girl of about ten asked in confusion.

Her grandfather had always been a lofty figure, the Patriarch of a First-Class Noble House, yet at this moment, as he gazed at a middle-aged man on the riverbank, his eyes were filled with nothing but respect.

The middle-aged man wore the tall cap and wide sash of a scholar, his large sleeves fluttering in the breeze. His whole demeanor was refined and elegant, like a frail, gentle scholar, distinguished only by the longsword strapped to his back.

"Sword King Chu Bai!"

The old man slowly uttered three words.

"Ah?"

The little girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even at her young age, the name of Sword King Chu Bai resounded like thunder.

This was a legendary Sword King!

Afterward, people began to arrive in a constant stream. To the little girl’s astonishment, many of them came by Flying in the Sky.

Flying in the Sky—this was a sign of the Innate Limit.

One, two, ten, thirty...

By nightfall, the number of experts at the Innate Limit who had arrived already exceeded one hundred!

Beyond them, countless other Martial Artists gathered, forming a veritable sea of people.

Heroes had gathered from all over, recreating the grand spectacle from August 1st, when Ning Jiang fought the two Kings.

As night fell, two figures streaked across the sky, their auras immensely powerful.

"Chu Bai, it really is you!"

As Sword King Duan Wuya spoke, with a CLANG, the Tiger Soul Blade was unsheathed, releasing a piercing aura.

"Chu Bai, I lost to you ten years ago. A decade has passed. Let’s see how much you’ve improved!"

The Blood Qi in Vajra King Meng Bubai’s body surged, condensing into a suit of Battle Armor as he prepared to go all out.

"A decade has passed, and you two are still the same."

This Cyan Cloud Sword King, once the number one expert in Cyan Cloud, had not a hint of a sharp aura about him. He was just like a frail scholar. Even his eyes held no strange glint; he seemed utterly ordinary.

"You can attack me together."

Chu Bai said slowly.

"Arrogant! I will fight you alone."

Duan Wuay let out a long cry, moving as one with his blade. His body erupted with Sword Qi that shot toward the heavens, sharp beyond compare.

Chu Bai smiled faintly, raised a slender palm, and pointed a finger from a distance.

FZZZZT—

In the empty air, Sword Qi arched like a rainbow.

A beam of Sword Qi, like a white rainbow over a hundred feet long, shot from Chu Bai’s finger toward Duan Wuya.

The piercing Sword Aura was so intense that even from dozens of yards away, the surrounding Martial Artists felt a stinging pain on their skin, as if they were being cut. The Sword Aura was brilliant, condensed as if it were solid, powerful enough to slice through metal.

BANG.

A massive boom echoed.

Though Duan Wuya’s strike was incredibly sharp, he was blasted back several steps by the Sword Qi and couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt.

WHOA!

A wave of shocked gasps rose from the crowd.

Sword King Duan Wuya was repelled by a single finger from Chu Bai?

Countless people were left dumbfounded.

This was a legendary Sword King! Even though he had lost to Young Master Wushuang, Ning Jiang, he was still one of the top figures in the Cyan Cloud Country.

He had gone into seclusion for ten years to challenge Chu Bai, improving his strength even further, yet his all-out attack couldn’t even block a single finger from him?

’Looks like it wasn’t just the Sword King and the Vajra King who improved over the last decade,’ someone thought. ’Sword King Chu Bai has become even more terrifying. His progress has been far greater!’

The crowd was shaken to the core.

Ten years ago, although Sword King Chu Bai was stronger than Sword King Duan Wuya, it had still taken a bitter struggle to defeat him.

Now, this casual point of a finger left everyone in shock.

"Could Chu Bai have entered the Spirit Realm?"

"No, this isn’t the Spirit Realm. I can’t feel any fluctuations of Spiritual Qi from him. If I had to describe it, it’s a kind of overwhelming presence!"

"My turn!"

Vajra King Meng Bubai bellowed and took a heavy step forward. His Blood Qi billowed, causing his clothes to puff out and his hair to stand on end like sharp blades.

His terrifying might forced the surrounding people to fall back again and again.

But Sword King Chu Bai, with his eyes downcast, simply pointed a finger again.

FZZZT—

A condensed Sword Aura bloomed forth, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, and slammed into Meng Bubai’s body.

Cracks appeared on the Battle Armor covering Meng Bubai. His entire body shuddered, and he was forced back.

A dead silence fell over the Qingjiang River.

The expressions of the many masters on the Innate List changed drastically, and the other Martial Artists gasped in shock.

"Such strength... I’m afraid it’s close to the Spirit Realm, isn’t it?"

A master from the Innate List commented.

Of course, there was still a gap when compared to a true Spirit Realm expert.

If it had been a true Spirit Realm Master, the power of a single finger wouldn’t just repel them—it would have severely injured them.

In the battle at Cyan Cloud Mountain, the Shattering Gold Finger demonstrated by the Lin Family Master could have killed an expert like Duan Wuya with a single finger.

"Good! Excellent! Sword King Chu Bai, you truly are the greatest rival I have ever faced!"

Duan Wuya let out a long cry and raised his long blade. "Thunderbolt Slash!"

At the same time, Vajra King Meng Bubai stomped his foot, and his body shot forward like a cannonball.

The two Kings joined forces, charging at Sword King Chu Bai.

"The two of you together might be able to withstand a single strike of my sword."

SHIIING!

A clear sword cry, like a Dragon’s Roar, echoed across the sky above the Qingjiang River.

The Cyan Cry Sword. It was three feet and seven inches long, its entire body a deep cyan.

SWOOSH.

Chu Bai struck out with his sword.

With a sword in his hand, Chu Bai’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. The scholar was gone, replaced by a Sword King whose sharp edge was now fully revealed.

Sword Qi surged to the heavens, piercing the endless sky.

A cyan Sword Aura streaked across the void like a bolt of azure lightning.

Countless people were blinded by the light. Their eyes could see nothing but that incomparably brilliant cyan Sword Aura. It was as if it had flown in from beyond the heavens, a single strike that could cleave the world in two.

BOOM!

After the strike, the two Kings spat blood as they were violently thrown back.

A hush fell over the area.

"Too strong... They’re not on the same level at all. To think that after ten years, the two Kings are even more helpless against him."

"This kind of power... doesn’t it surpass even Innate Invincibility?"

The crowd was both awed and terrified.

"Now it seems we can’t be so quick to say who Cyan Cloud’s number one Sword Cultivator really is."

People discussed it animatedly. When Ning Jiang killed the Lin Family Master, they had already placed him above Sword King Chu Bai in their hearts.

But now, Sword King Chu Bai had reappeared, displaying a peerlessly powerful Sword Technique.

A Sword Technique like this was more than enough to contend with Ning Jiang.

"I never thought that after ten years, the gap between us would have only grown larger."

Duan Wuya gave a bitter smile, then his gaze hardened. "However, in the Cyan Cloud Country today, someone even more monstrous than you has appeared. I imagine you’ve heard of him!"

"Young Master Wushuang, Ning Jiang. Yes, I am aware of him."

As he mentioned Ning Jiang’s name, a slight stir entered Chu Bai’s calm tone. He spoke slowly:

"Three days from now, I will challenge Ning Jiang to a battle here!"

August 18th.

Night.

Sword King Chu Bai emerged, defeated two Kings with a single sword strike, and displayed invincible power.

And finally, he issued a challenge to Ning Jiang on the Qingjiang River!

When the news spread, all of Cyan Cloud was shaken.

...

"Sword King Chu Bai has emerged! He’s going to compete with Ning Jiang for supremacy in the Sword Dao!"

"That’s not surprising. Any Sword Cultivator will constantly challenge other experts to temper their own Sword Dao."

"That’s right. Only those who dare to issue challenges can reach greater heights."

The entire Cyan Cloud Country was in an uproar.

Sword King Chu Bai was once number one on the Innate List, revered as a legendary Sword King. For such a peerless expert to emerge and display an unbeatable Sword Technique was naturally a shocking event.

"This Ning Jiang has really stirred up a storm in the Cyan Cloud Country."

People exclaimed in amazement, recalling the recent string of major events, all of which were related to Ning Jiang.

"I wonder who will come out on top in this battle, Young Master Wushuang, Ning Jiang, or Sword King Chu Bai?"

"I think it’ll be Young Master Wushuang. After all, he killed a Spirit Realm Master."

"It’s hard to say. Although Young Master Wushuang killed a Spirit Realm Master, he used a Spiritual Artifact to do it. If he only had a Top Grade Treasure Artifact, he wouldn’t necessarily be stronger than Sword King Chu Bai."

Debates over who was stronger—Ning Jiang or Sword King Chu Bai—rang out in every corner of the Cyan Cloud Country.

Those who believed Ning Jiang was stronger were mostly from the younger generation.

After all, Ning Jiang’s rise represented the younger generation beginning to completely surpass the older one.

Meanwhile, supporters of Sword King Chu Bai were mostly from the older generation. "The new waves of the river push the old," as the saying goes, and it was hard for the older Martial Artists not to feel that their time was passing.

They hoped Sword King Chu Bai could turn the tide.

"I hope Sword King Chu Bai beats this brat and knocks him down a peg."

Some who were hostile toward Ning Jiang couldn’t wait for him to lose to Sword King Chu Bai and fall from his lofty perch.

As time went on, the atmosphere in the Cyan Cloud Country grew increasingly intense.

Sword King Chu Bai and Young Master Wushuang, Ning Jiang.

These two experts, whose fame shook the era, were about to determine who was superior.

"The impact of this battle will be far greater than Ning Jiang’s fight with the Spirit Realm Master! This is a battle between Sword Cultivators, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a thousand years. This fight is destined to go down in history!"

Before the three days were even up, both banks of the Qingjiang River were already a sea of people.

A legendary Sword King versus Cyan Cloud’s most monstrous talent. Who was stronger?

PS: I took yesterday off. We’re at a turning point in the plot, which has been a bit difficult to write. Also, I’ve been updating in the wee hours of the morning and making everyone wait, which I don’t feel great about. So, I took a day off to get the update schedule back on track.