Chapter 342: Intense Battle
Qian Daoliu furrowed his brows. He had a bad premonition, which grew stronger as the Angel's Holy Sword slashed down.
With a "whoosh," the sound of air being split rang out, and Ning Bei's body was sliced into two pieces by the sword. Below, Qian Renxue suddenly covered her red lips and gasped in shock.
However, just a few seconds later, the shattered ice in the air reformed into Ning Bei's figure, grinning maliciously at Qian Daoliu.
"Grandpa Qian's move is not bad, but it's now mine."
"Hmph, you little brat, such arrogant words! Come again!"
Qian Daoliu summoned a smaller version of the Angel's Holy Sword and, with a flap of his wings, it flew rapidly toward Ning Bei. Ning Bei showed no intention of retreating. He formed an ice sword in his hand and met the incoming attack head-on.
"Let's have a sword duel. I've studied swordsmanship for quite a while."
Before obtaining his second martial soul, Ning Bei had trained with Chen Xin for a long time in the Seven Kill Sword Art. Although he couldn't match Chen Xin, he could still face Qian Daoliu for a brief moment.
The two figures began to clash in the air, their sword skills exchanging with flashes of movement and the crisp sound of blades colliding, while the elders below could only catch glimpses of the aftermath.
"This kid is a freak! He's actually able to match my elder brother's speed."
"Yeah, shouldn't he be a control-type soul master?"
Thinking back to how the six of them were defeated by Ning Bei at the Ice God Temple, several of the elders couldn't help but wonder what kind of soul master this kid was, or whether he was some kind of all-rounder?
In the air, the more Qian Daoliu fought, the angrier he became, glaring at the young man in front of him.
"Kid, you still look down on me? Using something you're not good at to fight me?"
Qian Daoliu recognized Ning Bei's swordsmanship. He had fought with Chen Xin's father, and even Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword Qi required his full attention. Compared to that, Ning Bei's version seemed amateurish, full of flaws, and lacked real depth. It was clear that Ning Bei hadn't mastered it.
But what made Qian Daoliu frustrated was that although Ning Bei's swordplay was full of openings, he always seemed to react in time, countering his attacks with that sloppy swordsmanship. For a moment, it seemed like they were evenly matched, their sword skills close to each other.
But only those in the know could tell that Ning Bei's swordsmanship was leagues behind Qian Daoliu's, with a difference as vast as 648 Qian Renxues. Yet, for some reason, Ning Bei kept up with his Angel's Holy Sword, which deeply frustrated the old man.
"Grandpa Qian, feel it."
"Hmm?"
At these words, Qian Daoliu was momentarily stunned, then extended his spiritual power outward. He noticed that the snowflakes gently falling around them were imbued with soul power fluctuations. This meant that Ning Bei had been using those snowflakes to predict his moves and counter them.
"Good, you sly little brat."
Qian Daoliu ground his teeth in frustration. He had initially thought that the falling snowflakes were just an effect of Ning Bei's martial soul. He never imagined that there was such a hidden tactic.
"Haha, old man, the warm-up time is over. You'd better watch out now."
"Soul Bone Fusion Skill: Ice and Snow Emperors' Pride."
As Ning Bei's voice fell, Qian Daoliu's pupils trembled. A small storm began to form in Ning Bei's hands, growing at a terrifying speed.
As Ning Bei raised his hand and threw the storm at Qian Daoliu, the small windball quickly expanded into a powerful ice crystal storm, engulfing the entire valley.
"Old man, since you like to shed your wings, I'll just mess them all up for you."
Qian Daoliu, reacting swiftly, had already retreated as Ning Bei gathered the storm, but he couldn't escape the terrifying storm. He had a bad feeling that his recent use of the Shedding Wings technique wouldn't be enough against this attack.
With a glance, Qian Daoliu clenched his teeth and entered his martial soul true form.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Angel's True Body."
A dazzling light erupted from the ice crystal storm, and the massive angelic figure wrapped itself around Qian Daoliu, protecting him from the biting cold.
Understanding the massive boost a martial soul true form gave to soul masters, Ning Bei didn't dare to take it lightly. He activated his own Ice Empress True Body.
The figures of the Ice Goddess and the Light Goddess faced off in midair, with gold and blue fighting for dominance in the sky, neither willing to yield.
"Eighth Soul Skill: Angel's Glory."
Qian Daoliu knew that battles between soul masters of the same level were a matter of every inch. When he sensed he was starting to fall behind, he immediately activated his eighth soul ring.
Endless holy light gathered in the sky, forming a nearly 1,000-meter-long golden sword, locking onto Ning Bei's figure.
"My elder brother is really getting serious, we should stand further back."
"Yes."
Qing Luan, who had been preparing to lead Qian Renxue to the back, turned around to find that the annoying woman had already moved, and before he could react, the mother and daughter were already several kilometers away.
Without time to think, the other elders also immediately moved to stand beside them and turned to watch the two combatants in the sky.
Opposite the thousand-meter-long golden sword, a massive sword of ice formed from the cold air appeared, the two swords once again facing each other across the sky.
"Third Soul Skill: Imperial Sword - Ice Extreme Unmatched."
The Imperial Sword, Imperial Palm, and Imperial Cold Heaven. The Ice Goddess not only became Ning Bei's martial soul but also granted him three extremely powerful soul skills. The Imperial Sword was perfectly suited to counter Qian Daoliu's Angel's Glory.
"Hmph, let's see whose sword is sharper."
Qian Daoliu, unwilling to be outdone, slammed his right hand down, and the golden sword in the sky instantly descended, targeting Ning Bei.
"Let's have a good comparison then."
Ning Bei, unafraid, pointed his sword directly at Qian Daoliu!
The thousand-meter ice sword in the air collided with the Angel's Glory in a brilliant explosion of light. The flash was so intense that the group several kilometers away had to cover their eyes, the gusts of wind from the two storms cutting their faces painfully with both warmth and cold.
When the aftershocks settled, the once-flat mountain valley had a massive crater several kilometers wide, telling the story of the two combatants' ruthless and cold power.
The two continued to face each other across the sky, but it was clear that Qian Daoliu was at a disadvantage, his breathing already becoming erratic.
Without saying a word of mockery, Ning Bei still kept his eyes locked on Qian Daoliu. The old man had not yet used his ninth soul skill, and Ning Bei wondered if it was similar to Poseidon's technique.
Qian Daoliu didn't speak much either, fully cloaked in golden light, he suddenly disappeared from his position. Ning Bei's pupils contracted instantly. He couldn't even sense the old man's movements.
"So this is the real power behind Sky Dominance? The terrifying speed of the true body."
His instinctive warning made Ning Bei tilt his head instinctively. The next moment, the golden sword flew past, grazing his hair and taking two strands of brown hair with it.
After missing, Qian Daoliu quickly disappeared from Ning Bei's side, and once again, Ning Bei couldn't sense where he was.
"Old man, as expected, you've already become a Limit Douluo. Forget about the ninth soul skill, you still have this trick hidden up your sleeve."
"Well then, I won't hold back anymore, old man. Mo Ke Bo Te Mo!"
(END CHAPTER)
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