…What just happened?
This was the question echoing in the minds of every onlooker. Everyone was dumbfounded, their expressions frozen in place for a long time, unable to snap out of it, as if they had seen a ghost.
It wasn’t just Little Drunkard, Bai Kedi, and Qingxu Taoist; even Lion King, Christina, and her followers, Archbishop Frank and the cardinal in the bright red robe—all of them had their eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the scene before them, their minds endlessly replaying that moment. But no matter how much they replayed it, they couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened.
Yagyū Munenori’s final, ultimate killing move—that massive dragon formed from countless snow swords—possessed a momentum that seemed capable of destroying the world. None of them present would have dared to block it head-on.
So why did that dragon simply disintegrate when it struck Jiang Fei?
A snow dragon of such overwhelming power ended up being nothing more than a paper tiger, impressive only in its appearance.
No one could understand what kind of technique Jiang Fei had used to instantly neutralize the ultimate move Yagyū Munenori had executed with all his lifelong accumulated power.
While others hadn’t seen clearly what happened, the two combatants, Jiang Fei and Yagyū Munenori, knew exactly what had occurred.
Yagyū Munenori’s final, ultimate killing move transformed each snowflake into countless swords, then converged those countless swords into a torrent of sword shadows resembling a massive dragon.
To those who didn’t understand swordsmanship, or weren’t true masters of the sword, it seemed as though Yagyū Munenori had taken the principle of “plucking flowers and leaves to wound” to its absolute peak, controlling power so perfectly that he could achieve such a feat.
But that wasn’t the case.
This move of Yagyū Munenori’s wasn’t so much an evolved version of “plucking flowers and leaves” as it was the ultimate realm of swordsmanship. The state of ‘no-sword surpassing the sword’ could ultimately form a Sword Dao Domain. Within this domain, anything in the surrounding space—whether a blade of grass, a tree, or a single snowflake—could be turned into his sword, to be used at his command!
So, the torrential dragon formed from countless sword shadows was Yagyū Munenori’s personal Sword Dao Domain. This move conformed perfectly to his cultivated swordsmanship. Within this domain, he was virtually invincible.
Whether it was Little Li’s Flying Dagger or Jiang Fei himself, anyone who entered his Sword Dao Domain would be doomed. No matter how sharp and exquisite Jiang Fei’s Dugu Nine Swords were, or whether he could find its flaws, everything was futile against the countless sword shadows, everything would turn to nothing.
However, when Jiang Fei elevated the Dugu Nine Swords to the third level, reaching the state of Great Perfection, everything became different.
The first level of the Dugu Nine Swords is about mastering all its moves and grasping the essence of breaking the opponent’s techniques. The second level reaches the realm of the wooden sword, where one can wield a light wooden sword with the power of a heavy sword, and do so even more smoothly and flawlessly.
The third level truly achieves the state of ‘no-sword surpassing the sword’ and forms one’s own Sword Dao!
Therefore, after Jiang Fei upgraded the Dugu Nine Swords, his swordsmanship instantly elevated, reaching the same level as Yagyū Munenori. He, too, could now pluck flowers and leaves to wound, could command anything in the world to become his sword.
Moreover, Jiang Fei’s Sword Dao was clearly far more profound than the one Yagyū Munenori had comprehended. After all, the Dugu Nine Swords was created by Dugu Qiubai; its inherent depth was naturally unmatched.
When the sword dragon formed by Yagyū Munenori’s Sword Dao Domain reached Jiang Fei, and the countless sword shadows lunged to slice him apart, Jiang Fei simply waved his hand lightly.
Countless snow swords, surging with immense power, suddenly collapsed! It was like mice seeing a cat; they were instantly controlled by a stronger force, suppressing the original one.
It was as if Yagyū Munenori was controlling those swords with a certain field, making them act according to his will. When another, more powerful field intruded upon his, it immediately disrupted and even suppressed his field.
Naturally, he could no longer control the snow swords to kill.
This is precisely why the scene just now occurred. The originally awe-inspiring sword dragon melted away instantly, like snow under a scorching sun.
This meant that Jiang Fei’s Sword Dao Domain was stronger than Yagyū Munenori’s, completely suppressing it!
In that instant, Yagyū Munenori was also shocked to his core.
This represented his truly most powerful attack! This was his ultimate trump card, utilizing all the achievements from his decades of arduous swordsmanship. How could it suddenly fail?
Within his own Sword Dao Domain, how could anyone be more powerful than him?
There was no unwillingness in Yagyū Munenori’s heart. He simply couldn’t bear to believe that the swordsmanship he had devoted his life to could be defeated by another. Moreover, that other person was also a practitioner of the sword, a young man a generation younger than himself.
So, even though his Sword Dao Domain was broken by Jiang Fei, Yagyū Munenori did not retreat. He chose to attack again. Just as he had said earlier, he would fight with all his might. If he could slay Jiang Fei, he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment, even if Jiang Fei wasn’t his match.
And if the outcome were reversed, and Jiang Fei defeated him, he would absolutely not retreat half a step, nor would he beg for mercy out of cowardice. This was the ideological resolve of a true master, a true swordsman.
The snow dragon disintegrated; the surging, rolling torrent of countless sword shadows dissolved into nothing, transforming into a swirling, bewitching wind that enveloped Jiang Fei and Yagyū Munenori.
Within it, Yagyū Munenori gripped his final snow sword. Once again, he abandoned defense, leaving no room for retreat, pouring his entire being into one final strike.
This sword was still his strongest. This time, infused once more with his Sword Dao Domain, its momentum was even greater, its speed even faster.
It was as if the sky itself was torn apart by this sword, a rift slashed open in the air. Its speed was so extreme that even Jiang Fei’s naked eye couldn’t see or track it, let alone block it.
However, while Yagyū Munenori’s previous all-out attack, abandoning defense, had resulted in mutual injury, the outcome this time was vastly different.
Having elevated the Dugu Nine Swords to the third level of Great Perfection, Jiang Fei no longer merely found the flaw without the time or ability to exploit it. This time, he could break it.
As the snow dragon dissolved, Jiang Fei thrust his sword forward plainly. It wasn’t dazzling, nor as brilliant as Yagyū Munenori’s, but it was utterly lethal. With unerring accuracy, the seemingly fragile wooden sword sliced through, shattering Yagyū Munenori’s final snow sword before piercing into his chest.
Yagyū Munenori’s form solidified. The broken snow sword in his hand scattered again, falling gently as snowflakes.
He looked down at the wooden sword embedded in his chest, sighed, and spoke softly, “You won.”
“I told you I would win,” Jiang Fei said.
“Did you know from the beginning, or did you comprehend it in that instant just now?” Yagyū Munenori asked.
What he comprehended was, naturally, ‘no-sword surpassing the sword’ and forming his own Sword Dao Domain.
That was the essence of Jiang Fei’s final explosive strike.
This was what puzzled Yagyū Munenori the most. In Jin City, Jiang Fei’s swordsmanship was clearly far inferior to his, relying only on lightness skills and flying daggers to contend with him.
And today, on Mount Emei’s Golden Summit, Jiang Fei initially only showed the realm of the wooden sword, not the power of ‘no-sword surpassing the sword’.
“I knew from the start that I would win. As for comprehension, though, that only happened in that very instant just now,” Jiang Fei said.
Yagyū Munenori stared at Jiang Fei, silent for a long moment after hearing his answer. Then he shook his head, speaking with both regret and admiration, “To be certain of victory before the battle even begins… such confidence is truly rare for an ordinary person! But to be able to achieve a breakthrough at the moment of death during a decisive battle proves you are a true, unparalleled genius. Even fate itself was willing to help you at the final moment. Losing to you, though it leaves some unwillingness in my heart, I accept it.”
The tall, imposing figure with flowing hair, as spirited as a reincarnation of an ancient, heroic poet, seemed to age decades in an instant. The vitality and spirit within him appeared to vanish, leaving him utterly dejected.
Of course, as a martial artist, as a swordsman, even in death, Yagyū Munenori would not kneel and beg for mercy, nor would he passively offer his neck to the blade.
He needed to die while charging forward!
He formed his index and middle fingers into a sword blade, slicing off the wooden sword Jiang Fei had embedded in his chest. Then, he swung that hand-sword in a chopping strike toward Jiang Fei.
It was still a powerful strike, but it posed no threat to Jiang Fei, whose Dugu Nine Swords had reached Great Perfection.
Whoosh!
Jiang Fei made a simple movement, dodging Yagyū Munenori’s attack while simultaneously driving his wooden sword into the man’s body once more.
“Can you not seek death like this, okay?” Jiang Fei looked at Yagyū Munenori sideways, his eyes holding an indescribable emotion.
It seemed… full of pity and reluctance.
Like a man looking at a woman.
Yagyū Munenori was startled and asked, “You’re willing to spare me?”
If he could avoid death, of course, it was better not to die. Even Yagyū Munenori, the contemporary sword master of the island nation, didn’t want to die.
Life is only lived once; wanting to die is foolish.
The stronger a person is, the more they cherish their life. Of course, this is only true when dignity isn’t compromised.
The surrounding onlookers had just snapped out of their shock, temporarily accepting Jiang Fei’s sudden reversal, only to be stunned again by this scene.
Could it be that Jiang Fei had developed… genuine feelings for Yagyū Munenori?
