CHAPTER 564: CHAPTER 528: A SLASH BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

Wu Li and Nakagiya Osamu had made their first move, it was so fast that at first glance it looked like they simply exchanged horizontal slashes with each other, rare were those who could discern the changes within.

As for Nakagiya Osamu’s second thrust toward Wu Li’s arm, only Yang Yu and one of Nakagiya Osamu’s closed-door disciples among the spectators could understand the intricacies involved.

If there were no range restrictions, Wu Li could choose to retreat to evade at this point, but the problem was that retreating one step would take him out of bounds. If he did not want to lose, it seemed he could only choose to allow Nakagiya Osamu to injure his arm.

However, once his arm was injured, facing this Sword Saint, losing would only be a matter of time.

In an instant, the blood in Wu Li’s body circulated quickly, surging toward his arm. At the same time, Wu Li’s forearm, which had momentarily stiffened, regained movement ahead of time and with a faster speed and greater strength, he spun the Tang Sword in his hand to slash at Nakagiya Osamu’s blade.

Sumeru Seal!

This ultimate move was something Wu Li had long since mastered to the point where he did not need to use his hands to make the seal to assist him. After his power value exceeded 180, he could even perform it instantly—what is known as "Instantaneous"!

Thanks to the Sumeru Seal, Wu Li timely blocked Nakagiya Osamu’s second thrust. According to the agreement, he only needed to receive one more strike from Nakagiya Osamu before he could counterattack.

Nakagiya Osamu showed no hint of annoyance. Without any warning, he pulled back his momentum, retreated a step, grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands, raised it high above his head, and assumed a grandiose upper stance.

"Slash!!!"

Nakagiya Osamu’s eyes bulged in fury, and with a vehement shout, his arms swung to the extreme, his entire body’s tendons and bones exploding like thunder as he furiously brought the sword down!

This slash carried such a majestic aura that, in Wu Li’s view, it seemed as if the heavens and earth were shaking with the opponent’s movements, the world quaking.

After reaching the second realm "Spirit," one can speak of Borrowing Momentum from the world, also known as Unity of Heaven and Man. At first, one can often only borrow momentum from a part, like a tall mountain, the vast ocean, or the wind and rain...

And as one’s realm progressively deepens, a martial artist can sometimes merge entirely with the heavens and the earth. For example, when Wu Li and Xing Jun joined forces to break into the Mandela family’s manor, in a forest, facing dozens of combatants looming in the darkness, Wu Li had merged completely with the heavens and earth, truly embodying an Asura lurking in the shadows.

That mental state was extremely rare; at that time, Wu Li could only occasionally enter it and couldn’t actively control it.

But now, when Wu Li first saw Nakagiya Osamu, he realized that the other party was in that state of merging with all of creation, and at this moment, using that state to launch an attack, it was like wielding the entire world to slash at him!

For the first move, Nakagiya Osamu demonstrated what fast and clever meant.

For the second move, Nakagiya Osamu showed what precision entailed.

For the third move, Nakagiya Osamu was presenting what commanding momentum truly was!

Faced with Nakagiya Osamu’s heaven-and-earth slash, Wu Li remained unmoved; he was no longer the same person as he was back in the Mandela Manor. Now, he wouldn’t need to join forces with Xing Jun; he could break in and take down the target alone!

Swoosh!

Wu Li was unaffected by Nakagiya Osamu’s sword momentum and swung his blade to meet it from below.

However, just as the two swords were about to clash, Nakagiya Osamu’s slashing momentum suddenly changed. The sword, which had been moving as if carrying the weight of the heavens and the earth, suddenly became gentle and shifted direction, deftly avoiding Wu Li’s Tang Sword!

From the heaviness of the world to the lightness of a breeze and drizzle, this extreme transition was completed in an instant, making the onlookers feel as if they were about to cough up blood, even a sword master like Yang Yu exclaimed in amazement, "How is it possible?!"

"Truly worthy of the title Sword Saint!"

Wu Li inwardly exclaimed in admiration, while in the same moment, the blood in his body instantly flowed to nine different spots, completing the stimulation.

Transformation of Peng!

With the explosive power technique of Transformation of Peng, Wu Li once again forcefully pulled back the Tang Sword in his hand.

Clang!!!

Another spark flashed by, and as the crowd fixed their eyes to see, Wu’s Tang Sword was positioned right against his body, barely blocking Nakagiya Osamu’s slash.

Nakagiya Osamu’s third move was blocked by Wu, who quickly retreated into a defensive stance. Having just redirected the full force of his "Heaven and Earth Slash," the strain on his body was immense. If he had been younger, it might have been feasible to launch another attack, but at his current age, a second burst of force was out of the question.

Facing Nakagiya Osamu’s retreat and defense, Wu took a step forward, raising his own sword high overhead before bringing it down with a fierce chop!

Whoosh!

Nakagiya Osamu’s expression changed drastically. If his previous slash had been a cut wrapped in the might of heaven and earth, heavy with momentum, then Wu’s slash at this moment was like the dawn of the universe, when heaven and earth were a chaotic blur, suddenly split asunder by a single stroke!

Confronting the 73-year-old Sword Saint, Wu chose not to use "Heavenly Tilt" or opt for an overpowering brute force approach. Instead, he decided to use the force of momentum:

"You slash with heaven and earth behind your blade, but I slice heaven and earth apart!"

Before Wu’s sword, Nakagiya Osamu was forcefully expelled from the state of ’Unity of Heaven and Man,’ his mind utterly captivated.

Whoosh!

A sword passed, and blood suddenly sprayed.

Nakagiya Osamu’s throat was sealed by Wu’s sword!

Thud!

As Nakagiya Osamu fell heavily to the ground and blood began to spread, the surrounding spectators finally snapped back to reality.

"Teacher!!"

"Nakagiya!!"

People from Japan rushed forward, a group of them sobbing around Nakagiya Osamu on the ground.

"Sigh."

Wu let out a small sigh. This was the second Grandmaster Level figure to die at his hands, and who knew how many more there would be in the future.

To be the World’s No.1, it was inevitable that the path would be lined with the bones of countless experts!

In truth, given Nakagiya Osamu’s skill level, if someone like Xing Jun or Bai Tao were to duel with him, they would most likely lose, because his swordsmanship was truly remarkable, particularly that final move. If it had been Wu half a year ago, before he had cultivated the "Eight Locks Life Gate," he too would likely have been beheaded by a single slice.

It was just that Wu had almost reached the peak of Grandmaster Level in training his body, with a circulation speed of blood and qi, and explosive power, that was beyond belief; after accepting the title of World’s No.1, his mental state was even more unfathomably profound.

But Nakagiya Osamu was already 73 years old. Had he been twenty years younger, perhaps Wu would have faced a tough battle. But now, after using his final move, Nakagiya Osamu’s mental state inevitably declined, naturally unable to withstand Wu’s cut that seemed to split heaven and earth.

"I challenge you!!"

Before Wu was surrounded by martial artists from Hua Country to congratulate him, a man from Japan, with eyes red with blood, stood out, brandishing his sword at Wu and said loudly.

It was Nakagiya Osamu’s closed-door disciple, Uehara Shusei.

Someone next to him tried to calm Uehara Shusei, but Uehara Shusei broke free and took another step forward, his long sword pointed at Wu, and repeated, "I challenge you!"

Wu glanced at the people from Japan, almost all wearing faces of grief and anger.

He nodded and replied, "I do not wish to kill anyone else today, but I will be in Tokyo for three days. If anyone feels dissatisfied within these three days, they can come to me."

"I’ll accept all challenges."