Chapter 152: Crushing

The Overlord's Greatsword instantly silenced and awed the entire arena.

The true power of a sword lies not in its make, but in the hands that wield it. A divine weapon held by a three-year-old child would inspire no fear. Yet, a common blade in the grasp of a true swordsman could radiate an awe-inspiring presence.

Many present had seen the Overlord's Greatsword before, especially the elders and instructors, who were intimately familiar with it. For centuries, it had rested quietly beneath the sword racks in the Heavenly Armory, gathering thick dust. Disciples and instructors who happened upon it would only spare it a glance or two, marveling at its sheer size before moving on. In their eyes, it was just a massive, heavy, unimpressive object that held no interest. Gradually, its existence was all but ignored and forgotten.

Yet, as Yun Che now gripped it, its incredibly thick, dark blade emitted a tyrannical, heart-stopping aura. It was as if the sovereign of all weapons had descended, dominating the world. Every gaze in the arena was drawn to it, fixated, unable to look away. Their eyes trembled, their hearts quivered, and a sense of suffocation filled their chests.

Yun Che's immediate recovery after being struck by Murong Yi's "Azure Wave Agitation" had already astonished Qin Wushang. But witnessing Yun Che raise the Overlord's Greatsword, Qin Wushang's shock multiplied severalfold, for he knew exactly what such a phenomenon signified.

"To make this Overlord's Greatsword, dormant for centuries, reveal its full might, like a sleeping tiger awakened... could he have truly mastered such a heavy sword? A greatsword weighing three thousand nine hundred jin! With profound energy at only True Profound Realm Level Two... How is that even possible?!"

Even Qin Wushang, with his supreme cultivation at the Sky Profound Realm, could barely believe what he was witnessing. In his understanding, merely wielding the Overlord's Greatsword freely would be an immense challenge, not just for someone at True Profound Realm Level Two, but even for those at Spirit Profound Realm Level Two—let alone achieving complete mastery.

Yet, the aura emanating from the Overlord's Greatsword was clearly intertwined and merged with Yun Che's own presence, demonstrating his complete mastery over it. He wielded it with the same effortless ease as his own limbs.

"What... what a massive sword!""Is that the legendary heavy sword Yun Che chose from the Heavenly Armory?""That heavy sword is said to weigh three thousand nine hundred jin... that's impossible!"

Yun Che's expression was calm. Apart from the bloody gash on his waist, he appeared largely unharmed. However, in reality, a killer move unleashed with True Profound Realm Level Nine profound energy, even with the transformative effects of the Great Way of the Buddha, was not easily withstood. While not severely injured, he was certainly not lightly wounded. His only external injury was the long gash on his waist, but his internal organs had sustained considerable damage. As he rose, he had forcefully swallowed a mouthful of blood that threatened to surge up his throat.

At the same time, his temper had been thoroughly ignited.

"Murong Yi," Yun Che said in a low voice, "I initially challenged you merely to use you as a whetstone and a source of pressure. I never imagined that as an inner palace disciple, you would stoop so low and be so shameless, willing to sacrifice all dignity just to win... In that case, I see no need to be polite with you."

"Ha... hahahaha!" Murong Yi burst into laughter, though it sounded dry and strained. With a grim face, he said, "Yun Che, you are indeed a little more formidable than I imagined, but you are still far from being my match! Soon, I'll show you the true power of a True Profound Realm peak! As for that sword in your hand, can you even swing it? Hahahahaha..."

Amidst his wild laughter, Murong Yi suddenly roared, and his profound energy surged forth like a rampant tide. Dense profound energy flowed like ripples across his body, entirely enveloping him. The air around him immediately became chaotic, stirring up waves of ripples.

This time, Murong Yi was holding nothing back, unleashing his full power. The shadow of "potential failure" had swelled uncontrollably within him the moment Yun Che stood up and gripped the greatsword, causing his insides to tremble and fear to creep in like a devil's sneer. He could not lose; he absolutely could not lose.

His profound energy, unleashed with full might, surged violently. Murong Yi leaped into the air with a roar, thrusting his silver long spear towards Yun Che with lightning speed. Each thrust left behind a vast expanse of spear shadows. In a flash, thousands of spear shadows filled the sky, engulfing Yun Che like a deadly storm and sealing off every possible retreat.

Each spear shadow radiated a chilling gleam, carrying enough power to pierce through solid rock.

The moment this technique was unleashed, all the instructors and elders in the arena revealed expressions of shock.

"The strongest ultimate technique of the 'Azure Dragon Spear Arts'—Purgatory Dragon Shadow! He's actually mastered it!""When Murong Yi first chose the spear, I tried to dissuade him, as the sword is considered the true path... I never expected his comprehension of the spear to be so profound! In the past hundred years at the Azure Wind Profound Palace, perhaps fewer than ten disciples have mastered this technique before graduation!""With this move unleashed, Yun Che cannot possibly win... he'll be riddled with at least a dozen holes."

Yun Che slowly raised his head, staring at the sky full of spear shadows, like a vast net, utterly fearless. Just as the spear shadows descended from above amidst countless gasps, Yun Che's eyes flashed. His hands, gripping the Overlord's Greatsword, abruptly swept upwards, unleashing a massive dark arc that slammed into the countless spear shadows filling the sky.

In the art of the spear, there's a saying that describes a confrontation with a sword: "Though you wield ten thousand sword gleams, I shall sweep them all with a single spear." While swords are agile and versatile, they simply cannot compare to spears in terms of sheer dominance and attack range. However, this adage refers only to light swords; with a greatsword, the dynamic is entirely reversed.

Though your spear shadows number in the thousands, I shall strike across the sky with one sword!

Against Yun Che's three thousand nine hundred jin Overlord's Greatsword, Murong Yi's spear held not even a hint of its former dominance!

With a single swing of Yun Che's sword, a tremendous whistling sound ripped through the air, audible even in the furthest corners of the plaza.

*Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud...*

The colossal sword body collided with countless spear shadows, and instantly, a dense cacophony of shattering sounds erupted. The spear shadows filling the sky were obliterated like fragile glass. In a mere instant, the myriad spear shadows Murong Yi had unleashed with his full profound energy were swept away clean, like leaves before a hurricane. Finally, the Overlord's Greatsword, with a tempestuous roar, slammed heavily onto the silver spear in Murong Yi's hand.

An incredibly ear-piercing crash echoed through the arena. The silver spear in Murong Yi's hand instantly bent into a crescent moon shape, then snapped with a sharp crack. The undiminished force of the blow ripped open the web of Murong Yi's hand, and with a pained cry, the broken spear flew from his grasp, soaring a great distance before landing far among the outer fringes of the vast crowd.

At the same instant, Yun Che's Overlord's Greatsword completed a perfect upward semi-arc, sweeping from his lower left to upper right. Below the elevated platform he faced, sudden pandemonium erupted. Under the impact of the power storm generated by the greatsword, everyone within roughly ten zhang of the platform's front felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into their chests. More than half of them were directly sent flying, transforming that entire section of the crowd into a chaotic heap.

The sheer might of this single sword strike, delivered by a True Profound Realm Level Two profound practitioner, was utterly world-shaking!

Murong Yi, previously airborne, now lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes vacant. He seemed unable to comprehend that any of this was real. The ultimate killing blow he had spent two years mastering—his deeply hidden trump card and deadliest weapon, used for the very first time in battle today—had been utterly crushed by a single sword strike from his opponent. Even his cherished spear was broken, like a nightmare come true. The spear he wielded was no ordinary weapon, but the Spirit Profound artifact, the Silver Dragon Spear, obtained from the Heavenly Armory. Yet, a roaring silver dragon facing an awakened Overlord could only end in utter subjugation.

"Yun Che... Yun Che! I'll kill you!!"

After a long moment of stupefaction, Murong Yi suddenly roared in fury and leaped up, lunging like a madman to grab Yun Che's neck. Having expended vast amounts of profound energy to unleash "Purgatory Dragon Shadow" earlier, Murong Yi's current strength was at most about seventy percent of his peak. In contrast, Yun Che remained calm and composed, the greatsword firmly in his grasp. Murong Yi was utterly unqualified to continue this fight.

Faced with Murong Yi's desperate last struggle, Yun Che sneered. His body flickered with incredible speed, not at all hampered by the immensely heavy greatsword in his hands. Without even glancing at Murong Yi, he casually swept the greatsword upwards.

A howling storm erupted. The greatsword didn't directly touch Murong Yi, but the sheer force of the astonishing vortex was more than he could bear in his current state. Murong Yi's body was propelled directly upward, soaring nearly ten zhang high. At that moment, Yun Che suddenly leaped, covering ten zhang in a single bound, and brought his greatsword down, slamming it fiercely onto Murong Yi's body.

*BOOM!!*

Murong Yi plummeted like a cannonball. With a shattering roar from the platform, debris flew everywhere as he was completely slammed, head to toe, directly beneath the elevated stage.

Without the greatsword, the two, fighting barehanded, were arguably evenly matched. But with the greatsword unleashed, Murong Yi's defeat was a landslide; he was utterly overwhelmed, left with no power to resist. If Yun Che had merely wielded the heavy sword, he certainly wouldn't have achieved such a feat. However, the "Heavenly Wolf Imperial God Record" was no ordinary profound art. Having comprehended its core secrets, the heavy sword in Yun Che's hand was no longer a mere weapon, but an awakened enraged dragon of the firmament. Each swing would surely shake the heavens and earth, shatter mountains, and astound all under the sky.

Under everyone's stunned gazes, Yun Che descended from the air, landing precisely where Murong Yi had been slammed down. With a casual flick of the greatsword, a resounding *boom* echoed as more than half of the platform directly exploded and scattered. Murong Yi's body was sent flying with the debris, landing in front of Yun Che. At this point, Murong Yi's clothes were utterly shredded, his body covered in bloodstains, and his face completely obscured by dirt and blood. Though his eyes remained open, they were devoid of any light, dim as dying embers.

Yun Che stepped forward, plunging his greatsword into the ground, and proudly looked down at Murong Yi. "Murong Yi, do you still want to fight?" he said. "If you wish to continue, I am more than happy to oblige. You, an inner palace disciple at True Profound Realm Level Nine, could only make my greatsword swing three times even with your full power... I'm left feeling quite unfulfilled."