Chapter 499: A Sword Strike to Kill Iron Tiger
Chapter 499: A Sword Strike to Kill Iron Tiger
Just as Iron Tiger boasted and displayed his prowess with the Whip Chain Fist, Tie Kaicheng drew his sword.
Although Xie Xiaofeng had demonstrated a strategy against Iron Tiger in the original story, Tie Kaicheng chose a different approach.
In the original narrative, Xie Xiaofeng had consumed alcohol and had not practiced his martial arts for a long time. More importantly, he was also injured, far from his peak condition.
Thus, Xie Xiaofeng relied on skill over brute force. He seized the initial burst of momentum from the Whip Chain Fist, exploiting the momentary gap in its defense, and used Iron Tiger's own power against him, shattering every bone in his body.
However, Tie Kaicheng had no need for such a strategy, especially since he had long been seeking a top-notch opponent to test his sword skills against.
And who better than the formidable Lei Houtian, the Thunder Tiger?
Tie Kaicheng's sword sliced through the air, tracing an elegant arc. Its speed seemed deceptively slow, allowing everyone to almost follow the trail of the sword light, but by the time they reacted, the sword light had filled their entire field of vision.
Iron Tiger, in particular, was acutely aware of this.
As Tie Kaicheng drew his sword, Iron Tiger had already unleashed his Whip Chain Fist. Logically, the force of the whip-like strikes should have coursed through his body instantaneously, transforming him into an invincible, powerhouse.
But time seemed to slow down for him. The expressions of the onlookers appeared frozen, leaves fell leisurely, and the swaying of the treetops seemed to be in slow motion. Even the gentle breeze on his skin felt like a series of intermittent, feeble gusts.
Simultaneously, the circulation of his internal energy slowed, and he could distinctly feel it traveling through his body in a segmented, sluggish manner, as if trapped in thick mud.
Iron Tiger was astounded to find that his thoughts were racing faster than the passing of time.
But his astonishment quickly turned to terror as he realized that one thing remained unaffected by the slowdown: Tie Kaicheng's sword.
Tie Kaicheng's sword traced a graceful arc, moving slowly yet resolutely towards his throat.
Iron Tiger could see the sword's approach and wanted to block it, but he couldn't lift his hand. He tried to dodge, but his legs wouldn't move. Meanwhile, his internal energy continued to circulate along the path of the Whip Chain Fist.
It felt like it would take an eternity for the energy to course through his entire body, and yet it also seemed like it would never reach its destination.
Sheer terror shone in Iron Tiger's dilated pupils.
Given his martial arts skills and experience, he knew exactly what this signified.
Sword Intent! Mental Oppression!
Tie Kaicheng's martial arts had reached the legendary realm of Sword Intent, the ultimate pursuit of those in the martial arts world. Compared to conventional tactics like behavioral cues, verbal taunts, and mental conditioning during duels, this oppressive "will" was supreme.
"Break! Break! Break!"
"Open! Open! Open!"
Iron Tiger screamed frantically in his mind, knowing that this "will" was merely an illusion. If his mind was strong enough and his spirit resolute, he could break free from this oppressive force.
However, no matter how fervently he screamed internally, his body refused to budge. The flow of the Whip Chain Fist's energy within him did not bring a sense of security; instead, it felt like a ticking time bomb, counting down to his demise.
The harmony between Tie Kaicheng's sword light and the crackling sounds of Iron Tiger's joints was unnerving. Iron Tiger could sense that the moment his Whip Chain Fist coursed through his entire body would also be the moment Tie Kaicheng's sword pierced his throat.
To the onlookers, time was passing normally, but for Iron Tiger, every second felt like an eternity.
Nothing around him had changed, except for the addition of a sword in Tie Kaicheng's hand, its tip buried an inch into his throat, blood yet to spill.
The look of awe and fear in Iron Tiger's eyes had not dissipated as he stared incredulously at the sleek spine of the sword, reflecting his disbelieving gaze and expression.
Across from him, Tie Kaicheng sighed, marveling at the power of the 15th Death-Seizing Sword, a testament to the transformative effect of sword intent, sword momentum, and mental oppression.
If he hadn't used this ultimate move, along with other formidable techniques like the Flying Fairy, he could have still defeated Iron Tiger, but the battle would have been prolonged.
Iron Tiger's martial arts were not to be underestimated, and with his sturdy defense, it would have taken Tie Kaicheng several dozen moves to defeat him otherwise.
However, with this move that inherently carried mental oppression, the difference of a millimeter meant life or death, and victory was decided in the blink of an eye.
Of course, executing such a move was no easy feat. It required intense concentration of one's qi, spirit, and intent, and unleashing such a strike was exhausting, perhaps even more so than engaging in dozens of rounds of combat.
This was why Simon Chuxue could defeat Ye Gucheng and Gu Song with a single move but had to cross swords 49 times with Shi He.
And this was why Li Xunhuan carried only a few flying knives, for each knife he threw was a deadly technique.
This was further evidenced in "Curved Blade in the Moon's Shadow," where Ding Peng, having acquired the demonic sect leader's power, always resorted to the God-Slaying Blade technique, but could only manage a few dozen strikes in a short period.
Who among the mighty warriors that shook the world would tire after a mere few dozen strikes?
Iron Tiger finally averted his gaze from the sword, looking instead at Tie Kaicheng. The fear in his eyes had faded, replaced by a calm demeanor, and he regarded Tie Kaicheng with curious eyes.
"This is the Death-Seizing 13 Swords," Tie Kaicheng explained.
Iron Tiger's eyes flickered with understanding, a hint of sadness, and a touch of self-mockery. He finally realized that he had always been a clown; even eight years ago, facing Yan Shisi, he was already a clown.
Tie Kaicheng offered no words of comfort, for eight years ago, even if Yan Shisi hadn't defeated Iron Tiger so effortlessly, the outcome would have remained unchanged.
Iron Tiger took a step back, pulling his neck away from the sword.
As blood splattered, he finally managed to utter a few words in a hoarse voice, "Fine swordsmanship!"
The next moment, Iron Tiger fell backward, his life force dissipating, his eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Everyone stared at Tie Kaicheng and Iron Tiger, feeling as if they had just blinked, and Iron Tiger had died.
Old Miao stammered, "He's not that powerful, is he...?"
Jin Lanhua nodded, unsure herself of Iron Tiger's true strength. She felt that he had boasted a lot earlier, but to be defeated in a single move was somewhat comical.
However, Xue Keran understood the kind of person Iron Tiger was, and from this, she realized why Tie Kaicheng had dared to mock Xie Xiaofeng.
Sun Xingyu's gaze towards Tie Kaicheng was filled with a myriad of emotions. "So that's how it is. You only wanted to take one of Iron Tiger's hands, but he insisted on keeping his life!"
(End of Chapter)
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