King of Assassins

Liu Sheng Wu Jian appeared somewhat ugly, but when he wielded his saber, his entire aura transformed completely.

The Five-Ring Saber in his hand was an unparalleled divine saber left by the Sword God of Yun Country, containing the highest Five Rings Saber Intent of the Sword God.

It was precisely because he obtained the Five-Ring Saber that Liu Sheng Wu Jian inherited the Sword God's Five Rings Saber Intent, which allowed him to leap from Martial Saint to Martial God level.

This time, Liu Sheng Wu Jian traveled eastward, intending to use the Five-Ring Saber to intimidate Daqian. Although he had made ample preparations beforehand, seeing the two Martial Gods, Zuo Bubei and Luo Tiangang, his heart still sank.

Even worse, Daqian surprisingly had a third Martial God emerge.

This exceptionally young Martial God was particularly fierce and domineering. He killed Human Immortal Mengtu with one move. Howling Moon Blade Saint Mengge couldn't even withstand one punch from Gao Xuan and was directly shattered.

The whole process was extremely brief. While Liu Sheng Wu Jian was still considering whether to join the fight, the battle was already over.

Now, Gao Xuan had directly sought him out.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian couldn't say he was afraid. Reaching this point, he had experienced countless battles.

However, the extremely domineering power of Gao Xuan aroused deep caution in him.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian even had an intuition that he was no match for Gao Xuan. If they fought, he would certainly lose.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian also understood this meant his heart had unconsciously developed a shadow under Gao Xuan's imposing aura.

This was also because his sword technique was not pure, as he achieved the Martial God level by borrowing the Five Rings Saber Intent. Although his own learned sword techniques and the Five-Ring Saber matched, they ultimately were not insights he attained on his own.

When he advanced to a higher level using the power of Saber Intent, facing powerful enemies revealed the problem of his impure Saber Intent.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian's sword technique was extraordinary and spiritual, allowing him to immediately realize his own shortcomings.

The problem was that realizing the shortcomings was useless. In his clash of Divine Intents with Gao Xuan, the imperfection in his Saber Intent was a gigantic flaw. This wasn't something he could immediately resolve or improve.

Only after this battle could he find time to purify his Saber Intent and digest the combat experience based on the insights he gained.

If he could survive this battle, his cultivation could definitely take a significant step forward. Surpassing the Five Rings Sword God wouldn't be impossible.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian felt a slight regret, but after all, he was the Sword God, suppressing all distracting thoughts.

At this point, there was only the pursuit of survival through facing death.

Overthinking and reluctance to battle would certainly lead to death. Letting go of life and death and using all courage and wisdom in a full battle might still offer a sliver of hope.

In Yun Country, the samurai spirit was esteemed, and the realization in the face of life and death made Liu Sheng Wu Jian's momentum even fiercer.

Gao Xuan was slightly surprised as Liu Sheng Wu Jian, who had initially been intimidated by his Martial Arts Divine Intent, adjusted in such a short span of time. Moreover, he displayed high morale and a determination to fight to the death at all costs.

Confronted with battle, transcending life and death, seeking only one fight.

Such bold and decisive bravery was commendable: truly worthy of being a Martial God.

Gao Xuan felt a bit of joy. Killing the opponent with one punch wouldn't be much fun.

Bullied adversaries might be satisfying, but it wouldn't lead to any self-improvement. Only strong enemies could enhance oneself.

Even though Gao Xuan believed he was already invincible, he still hoped the enemy would be stronger. Only then could battles yield personal gains.

The subtle change in Liu Sheng Wu Jian's momentum was also noticed by Zuo Bubei and Luo Tiangang, both strong experts.

They were somewhat astounded, witnessing Liu Sheng Wu Jian having real prowess. However, this was a good thing.

Gao Xuan was excessively dominant and formidable. If he defeated Liu Sheng Wu Jian in just a few moves, they would be in trouble.

Zuo Bubei and Luo Tiangang, although confident, felt a bit heavy-hearted seeing Gao Xuan's unmatched power.

They were even considering whether to lend Liu Sheng Wu Jian a hand.

Compared to Liu Sheng Wu Jian, Gao Xuan was the real threat. With Liu Sheng Wu Jian's spirit lifted, these two were secretly pleased.

The clash of Divine Intents among Martial Gods was concealed and mysterious. Especially with Gao Xuan's Martial Arts Divine Intent, extremely refined, entirely converted into unmatched domineering horizontal training power.

Unlike Zuo Bubei and their Martial Arts Divine Intent, which condensed into various phenomena, magnificent in appearance.

Even Martial Arts Grandmasters couldn't discern the mysteries of Gao Xuan's Martial Arts Divine Intent. They only felt a dominating presence in his every move.

However, Liu Sheng Wu Jian's momentum suddenly surged, and behind him naturally appeared five light rings of black, white, red, green, and yellow.

The five light rings interconnected and formed a large circle. The five light rings rotated on their own, and the huge circle also rotated independently. However, the five light rings either rotated forwards or backward with different speeds, and the huge circle's rotation speed differed from the five light rings.

This peculiar rotation of the light rings was extremely uncoordinated. Although seemingly integrated, it was divided into six parts.

Others felt their gaze forcibly divided into six fragments as they looked on, causing extreme discomfort.

Not to mention the distinct imagery of each light ring: heavy or light, ethereal or fiery.

Ordinary people would find their brains overwhelmed with just a glance, unable to analyze or comprehend such complex phenomena.

Even a Martial Saint like Sun Shangdao felt dizzy when witnessing Liu Sheng Wu Jian's five-ring phenomenon.

Ye Jinxiu looked, feeling as if her Divine Soul was about to be shredded by the six light rings. She asked Sun Shangdao in surprise, "What is this? This person is impressive. Can Brother Xuan defeat him?"

"Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Void—five rings. Earth embodies weight, water represents flow, wind's dissemination, fire's intensity, and void accommodates all. The most important is actually that largest light ring."

Sun Shangdao stated seriously, "The five rings represent the ultimate sword technique, but the giant wheel formed by the five rings indicates the five rings are not unified, reflecting that the world is constantly changing, and we must continually adjust according to specifics. The principle itself is not what matters..."

The Five Rings Sword God was very famous, and his work, the Five Rings Book, circulated in the Central Plains. The Five Rings Book was actually quite straightforward and clear, but few truly understood it.

Partly due to cultural barriers, and partly due to different martial and strategic inheritances.

Sun Shangdao had extensively researched the Five Rings Book and admired its teachings.

There is no absolute truth in the world. Experience, reasoning, and knowledge are the crystallizations of wisdom, but they are not applicable in all situations.

The key is the mindset, not fixed reasoning.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian can showcase such an abstract path of military strategy through the Martial Arts Divine Intent, and it's so clearly manifested, which shows how formidable his sword technique is.

This person still holds the Five-Ring Saber. It's an unparalleled divine saber. With the saber in Liu Sheng Wu Jian's hand, he has already gained the upper hand.

Even if Gao Xuan's Thirteen Grand Protectors' Cross Training reached the Martial God Realm, he absolutely cannot physically withstand the opponent's divine saber.

Moreover, Zuo Bubei and Luo Tiangang are also watching like hawks. Sun Shangdao couldn't help but worry about Gao Xuan.

"Worthy of the Martial God, growing stronger when faced with a stronger opponent."

Gao Xuan, however, was filled with fighting spirit. He laughed loudly and was already in front of Liu Sheng Wu Jian.

The distance between them was about a hundred zhangs, yet Gao Xuan closed it in one step. He didn't jump, nor did he soar; it was just a single step crossing the hundred-zhang distance.

Gao Xuan was undoubtedly extremely fast, yet he appeared calm and elegant, showcasing the demeanor of a noble scholar.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian could understand the language of the Central Plains and could also speak it. But he didn't want to chat with Gao Xuan.

The opponent crossed the hundred-zhang distance in one step, not through any divine technique, just because Gao Xuan was extremely fast and powerful, which to outsiders made it seem like he skipped the intermediate process, akin to a divine technique.

In fact, to Liu Sheng Wu Jian, this body technique seemed almost like a divine technique as well...

Facing such a powerful Gao Xuan, Liu Sheng Wu Jian dared not be distracted by talking.

So, Liu Sheng Wu Jian directly unsheathed his blade and slashed.

The unsheathing slash combined with the Kasaya Slash are the two most basic saber techniques in the Five-Ring Saber.

In Yun Country, even the most ordinary samurai would know these two saber moves.

However, the two saber techniques are actually precisely opposite. The unsheathing slash is an upward diagonal slash, while the Kasaya Slash is a downward diagonal slash.

The unsheathing slash takes the swift speed of the wind wheel, the Kasaya Slash the fiery heat of the fire wheel, and these two opposite saber stances are fused by the empty wheel.

The bright saber light of the Five-Ring Saber crisscrossed up and down, completely enveloping Gao Xuan.

Gao Xuan did not evade nor yield, he directly punched like a spear, driving it forcefully forward.

Every drop of blood in his body was releasing endless power, gathering with the strength of muscles, bones, skin, and viscera, thrusting out sharply in the punch.

The Thirteen Grand Protectors' Cross Training has no intricate changes. It is all about overpowering others with force, breaking enemies with strength, sweeping away all adversaries with unmatched power in the world.

The changes in the Five-Ring Saber were profoundly exquisite, yet Gao Xuan also admired them. He could have used intricate moves to spar and engage with the opponent. But then, what would be the meaning?

He directly challenged the four great experts to verify what he had learned.

Gao Xuan's punch directly struck the center of the intersecting saber lights, the unparalleled fist power directly destroyed the exquisite saber lights, vibrating the Five-Ring Saber with a resonating hum.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian could not withstand the fist power, retreating seven steps in succession. The spinning six wheels on his body also kept tremoring, each light wheel seemed to be accelerating its rotation.

The energy and blood around Liu Sheng Wu Jian spurted from the acupoints, forming a faint red mist on the surface of his body.

Gao Xuan's punch, like a spear thrust, almost made Liu Sheng Wu Jian cough up blood.

However, Gao Xuan could not press the attack right away. There were two deep saber cuts on his right fist, not only cutting open the skin but also severing the phalanges.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian held the Five-Ring Saber, and he himself was a Martial God; how sharp the blade was. Of course, Gao Xuan would suffer for confronting it with bare fists.

Gao Xuan shook his hand, the fractured phalanges rapidly healed, the split skin returning to its original state.

In the blink of an eye, Gao Xuan's fist injury was completely restored.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian's gaze involuntarily fixated; such a Horizontal Training Golden Body was terrifying. If he couldn't decapitate Gao Xuan with one slash, there would be no way to kill this guy.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian didn't intend to give Gao Xuan time to adjust either, but the problem was his internal energy and blood were surging and boiling, his body felt like it would explode, and he needed time to adjust as well.

Seeing Liu Sheng Wu Jian's old face reddened as if on fire, Gao Xuan smiled, "Being able to take one of my punches, you're much stronger than Mengtu. Don't rush, I'll wait for you to catch your breath."

Gao Xuan's tone was casual, yet carried an air of superiority. This made the Yun Country delegation feel immensely humiliated.

But Liu Sheng Wu Jian didn't mind; in a life-or-death battle, it's good to catch one more breath. Only the living have the right to talk about dignity.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian took a deep breath, the six wheels behind him spun rapidly, the Five-Ring Saber in his hand transformed into five blade wheels slashing fiercely at Gao Xuan.

In an instant, five slashes, either heavy or light, fiery or elusive, fully demonstrated the essence of the Five-Ring Saber's divine essence.

Gao Xuan disregarded the opponent's changes, only focusing on punching forward like a spear.

The fist edge and the five blade wheels met, the five blade wheels momentarily halted, then shattered into fragments of flowing light.

The Five-Ring Saber, suppressed by the domineering and unparalleled fist power, inevitably stagnated. It was caught by Gao Xuan's left hand's five fingers. He then punched towards Liu Sheng Wu Jian's chest.

No matter what kind of protective treasure armor Liu Sheng Wu Jian wore, he could not resist this unparalleled Tyrant Fist.

Liu Sheng Wu Jian also knew he couldn't block it, yet his eyes remained calm. Even at the last moment, he didn't give up counterattacking.

The Five Rings Saber Intent stimulated the acupoints, Liu Sheng Wu Jian tried his best to activate the Five-Ring Saber. At this moment, only activating the Five-Ring Saber would give him a chance to perish together with Gao Xuan.

However, Gao Xuan's five fingers holding the blade edge, like five divine mountains, firmly suppressed the Five Rings Saber Intent. Liu Sheng Wu Jian couldn't wield the Five-Ring Saber, and he knew it was over.

At this moment, a sudden twist occurred.

(Thanks to "Spiky Leek" for the generous reward, thanks to the supporters for the tips~ Sorry, there's only one update today. I suffered from insomnia last night, lying in bed unable to sleep, listening to storytelling and cross-talk didn't help, and playing games made it even more impossible to sleep~ I feel exhausted today. I'll take a break, more updates tomorrow~)