books44 Chapter 132: Bowing in Admiration
Chapter 132: Bowing in Admiration
Although this battle was not spread, it caused a great shock within the Tianzong. Those who were selected to study the Tiangang Sword Formation were all top disciples of the Tianzong. Now they were all suppressed by Zhang Liang's sword, so the other disciples were naturally no problem.
Even though Zhang Liang's previous plan was brilliant, in this world that values strength, people would only be amazed at his wisdom and not necessarily truly convinced. However, this battle really established Zhang Liang's prestige.
While everyone was still sighing, Chisongzi suddenly suggested, "Elder Zifang, how about we have a discussion?"
Zhang Liang was a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect Chisongzi to suddenly challenge him. Bei Mingzi had said before that if Zhang Liang was willing to join Tianzong, the position of the leader would be his in the future, as long as he waited until Chisongzi stepped down or Zhang Liang could defeat Chisongzi.
However, Zhang Liang was not too interested in the position of Tianzong's leader. He only needed to have a certain degree of decision-making power in Tianzong, which was not difficult for him.
Now with the support of Bei Mingzi, his decision-making power has been guaranteed; even if Bei Mingzi leaves in the future, Zhang Liang believes that he will be able to continue to retain the decision-making power with his own strength.
However, facing Chisongzi's challenge, although Zhang Liang didn't know the other party's purpose, he would never avoid it. "It just so happens that I also want to learn from you!" Zhang Liang laughed loudly, and his figure instantly appeared in the middle of the martial arts arena like a phantom, and shouted loudly: "Please teach me!"
Chisongzi smiled slightly. As the head of Tianzong, he was not suitable to fight with others casually, let alone with an opponent like Zhang Liang. Whether he won or lost, it would not benefit Chisongzi at all, but would enhance Zhang Liang's reputation.
However, considering what Tianzong Su Lao and Bei Mingzi had said before, Chisongzi knew that he could not avoid this battle. Rather than delaying and losing confidence in winning, it would be better to take advantage of the opportunity he still had to win and fight Zhang Liang.
Chi Songzi moved lightly, as if teleporting to the center of the venue, standing like a pine tree, with an extraordinary temperament. He also uttered a word concisely and forcefully, "Please!"
At this moment, Chisongzi gave Zhang Liang the feeling of a swordsman rather than a sect leader, as if he had concealed his edge and turned into a reclusive top swordsman.
"Flowing water..." Zhang Liang shouted softly, and his long sword broke through the air, like a winding stream, unpredictable yet continuous. The sword light flashed past, giving people a feeling of eternal flow.
"Clang!" The Xueji Sword in Chisongzi's hand also came out of its sheath. At this moment, Chisongzi was like a precious sword that had been sealed for a thousand years and reappeared in the world today. Once it was unsheathed, it immediately shocked the world.
"Pine needles!" Chisongzi also shouted softly, and stabbed with his sword. The tip of the sword shot out suddenly like a bunch of pine needles, so dense that it was impossible to avoid.
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!" The sounds of swords clashing came one after another. The two men fought with their swords countless times in an instant. However, at this stage, the two sides were just testing each other. It seemed extremely fierce on the surface, but in fact there was no real danger.
Zhang Liang took three steps back, secretly surprised while holding the sword. The Chisongzi in front of him was probably the strongest swordsman he had ever seen. The exquisiteness of his swordsmanship and the profoundness of his swordsmanship far surpassed Wei Zhuang, with whom he had fought before.
In this duel, Zhang Liang was slightly at a disadvantage.
"Come again, open the mountain!" Zhang Liang roared again, swung his sword, the sword's force was like a mountain overturning, like a giant axe splitting the sky, the sword chopped down with one blow, giving people a feeling of unstoppable pressure.
Before the sword move even landed, the power of heaven and earth around it had already begun to gather, as if the sword had received assistance from heaven and earth. Before it got close, a powerful force of heaven and earth had already rushed towards him.
"Okay! Then let's try my pine standing move!" Chisongzi immediately changed his sword skills. The sword just now was like a continuous attack of pine needles, but at this moment he was like a solitary pine tree standing alone between heaven and earth, still standing firm despite the wind and rain.
This sword is a defensive posture.
When the two swords collided, Zhang Liang felt that his sword was like cutting towards the laws between heaven and earth, or attacking the eternal and immortal pine tree.
The ground-breaking offensive was resisted head-on for the first time.
"He is indeed a master!" Zhang Liang smiled but was not discouraged.
"Then give me another sword!" Zhang Liang shouted, and his figure changed. In an instant, five figures of Zhang Liang appeared around Chisongzi.
"Opening mountains, flowing water, dead wood, broken metal, raging fire!" Zhang Liang shouted softly, and the five Zhang Liangs each used a different sword technique. The five moves were coordinated with each other tacitly. It was obviously a very advanced and mysterious formation.
Chisongzi is not as good at formations as Zhang Liang, and it is difficult for him to distinguish Zhang Liang's real figure and illusion in a short period of time. He can only rely on his unfathomable swordsmanship and profound cultivation to fight with Zhang Liang.
In a one-on-one contest, Zhang Liang was indeed slightly inferior. Chisongzi had practiced for seventy years, and his skills far surpassed Zhang Liang's, and his swordsmanship was also higher than Zhang Liang's. This was not a gap that Zhang Liang's skills and foundation could make up for.
However, Zhang Liang could choose other ways of fighting, such as the current combination of three thousand phantom bodies and formations. This tactic was mysterious and unparalleled. Even Chisongzi was trapped in it for a while and unable to escape.
The confrontation between the two seemed to be in a stalemate, and neither could do anything to the other.
Zhang Liang's sword formation and body movements were so mysterious that Chisongzi could not break them in a short time, let alone defeat Zhang Liang. However, Zhang Liang also found it difficult to penetrate Chisongzi's defense, which was as solid as a thousand-year-old pine tree, motionless. Zhang Liang's offensive continued, but Chisongzi only dodged cleverly within three feet without revealing a single flaw. Not only that, Zhang Liang had to be on guard against Chisongzi's counterattack at all times.
"Grand Elder, who do you think will win this match?" Qingxu, who was standing aside and watching the fight, had no way of judging the strength of both sides at this moment. He only felt that the two men were incredibly fast. If he were to go up alone, he might not be able to withstand a single blow.
Several grandmaster-level elders around also looked at Bei Mingzi. Although they could see some clues, they could not determine which side had the upper hand. In the past, they were sure that Chi Songzi would win without a doubt. After all, they knew Chi Songzi's strength. In the realm above ordinary people, Chi Songzi could be said to be among the best. Even when facing a true immortal master, he could still fight him with one or two moves.
But now, the strength displayed by Zhang Liang made them feel extremely shocked. None of the six elders dared to say that they could definitely defeat Zhang Liang, and most of them even felt that they were no match for Zhang Liang.
Bei Mingzi smiled calmly and replied, "Why are you in such a hurry? This is just the beginning and everyone hasn't fully demonstrated their unique skills yet. If you want to see who wins and who loses, then keep reading."
"What? You haven't used your full strength yet?" Qingxu couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise.
He was at the top of the young generation of Tianzong, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Great Zhoutian. Although there were many geniuses among the various schools of thought, Taoism emphasized the importance of accumulation and success. He believed that he would not be inferior to those geniuses in twenty years. However, seeing Zhang Liang in front of him, Qingxu had to admit that even in twenty years, he might not be able to catch up with Zhang Liang now, and he could not help but sigh secretly.
Bei Mingzi saw the tangle in Qingxu's heart, but he didn't say much to comfort him. This kind of thing can't be solved by other people's words alone. Unless you understand it and untie the knot in your heart, you will never be able to become a master in your life. Taoist practice requires a very high state of mind.
If Qingxu can figure out his inner knot, he will have a chance to be promoted to Grandmaster.
On the field, the battle between Zhang Liang and Chisongzi continued, but the situation remained stalemate and nothing changed.
"do my best!"
Zhang Liang failed to capture the city after a long time and realized that continuing like this would not only fail to break Chisongzi's defense, but might also create opportunities for the enemy, which would be disadvantageous to him.
"Hundred Deaths Battle Body!" Zhang Liang roared, instantly activating the Hundred Deaths Battle Body and increasing his strength dramatically.
"Mountain opening style!"
Following Zhang Liang's loud shout, the five phantoms of Zhang Liang changed their sword techniques at the same time, and all performed Zhang Liang's most proficient mountain-opening style.
At this moment, it seemed as if the whole world was left with only Zhang Liang's sword shadow. The vast pressure from heaven and earth made Chisongzi feel oppressed. The young people watching the battle around stepped back a few steps and dared not approach.
"The sword is stained with red blood, the body is like a green pine, the Red Pine Avenue!"
Chisongzi's body seemed to be rooted in the earth, and his sword skills changed accordingly, as if he controlled the endless power of heaven and earth. As he swung the sword, he was like a blood-stained pine standing proudly.
"Bang bang bang!"
The sound of swords exploded, and the power of heaven and earth between the two people surged, and the rolling aftermath spread in all directions. The originally solid training ground under their feet instantly shattered into ruins.
After an unknown amount of time, the smoke and dust cleared, and Zhang Liang and Chisongzi stood facing each other, each five feet apart, holding swords.
There were a few spots of blood on Zhang Liang's body, and his clothes were stained red with blood, but he did not look tired at all. Instead, his eyes became more piercing and sharp like a sword, and his momentum was as majestic and vast as the abyss and mountains.
On the other hand, although Chisongzi's body was not stained with blood, his hand holding the sword was trembling slightly, his face was flushed, and the ends of his beard and hair were slightly messy. Despite this, his demeanor remained undiminished, and his sword intent pointed straight to the sky, his majesty was inviolable.
"The master's swordsmanship is extraordinary. It seems that I have lost." Zhang Liang put away his sword, smiled and bowed to express his admiration.
Although the battle was not decided, Zhang Liang knew that, except for those cards that could save his life, he had used all means to deal with Chisongzi, but still had no way to deal with him. Obviously, Chisongzi still had some cards that he had not used yet, so he admitted that he had lost.
But Zhang Liang also believed that if they really fought to the death, it would be hard to say who would win. At least in terms of lightness skills, he was already invincible.
"Elder Zifang, you are too modest. In fact, I have wasted seventy years of my life. If it really came to a life-and-death battle, I am afraid I would not be as good as you, Zifang!" Chisongzi also responded with a smile.
"Haha..." Zhang Liang laughed loudly, and then said: "Let's stop here today. If there is a chance in the future, we can have a good exchange. After this battle, I have some understandings, so I will go back to retreat now!"
After saying this, Zhang Liang no longer waited for others’ responses, and returned to his residence in a flash.
In this battle, his swordsmanship did make some breakthroughs, but the side effects of the Hundred Deaths Battle Body also began to show. In order to avoid being noticed, Zhang Liang immediately returned to his room to heal his wounds alone.
"He is truly a young hero!" Chi Songzi sighed, and then returned to his residence. After entering the house, he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.
Although this battle ended in a draw, Chisongzi paid a heavy price.