Chapter 232: Overlord's Wrath (Part 2)

Cloud Che's posture made Ling Jie's eyes widen. He re-positioned his previously lowered Mandarin Duck Twin Swords in front of him. "As expected of someone who has earned my admiration, you certainly have the spirit! Even if you're going to lose, you should fight until the very last moment! Very well, I shall grant you, my future junior brother, a most dignified defeat!"

"Defeat me? Uh... are you sure?" Ling Jie's eyes widened even further.

Cloud Che calmly replied, "To be frank, when we fought earlier, I wasn't using my full strength. I habitually hold back some power when it's not necessary, especially in front of an audience. My many experiences have taught me that every bit of strength or trump card I reveal publicly increases my danger. However, you not only managed to inflict minor injuries on me but also broke my heavy sword, which truly surprised me. You have indeed earned the right for me to take you seriously... With the half-broken heavy sword in my hand, I will show you firsthand what a heavy sword truly is!"

Cloud Che's words were spoken casually, yet they greatly provoked Ling Jie's pride, making him feel both indignant and slightly angry. He growled, "Fine! Then let me see your full power! If you can defeat me with that half-broken heavy sword, never mind calling you 'boss,' I'll call you 'dad'!"

Although they were a hundred yards apart, Ling Yuefeng's hearing was extraordinary. The moment Ling Jie's impulsive and defiant remark left his lips, Ling Yuefeng's facial muscles twitched.

"...Calling me 'dad' is out of the question! If people found out I had a son your age, how would I ever pick up girls?! Prepare... to properly withstand this next sword attack from me!"

Ling Jie was about to speak, but the words caught in his throat. A deep astonishment settled between his brows.

Holding the half-broken heavy sword, Cloud Che activated the Heaven Wolf Hell God Tome without reservation. In an instant, his connection with the heavy sword reached a state of flawless perfection. His aura completely merged with the broken Overlord's Great Sword, making the sword no longer merely a weapon in his hand but an extension of his own body.

This sensation of perfect aura fusion was incredibly subtle, and achieving it was harder than ascending to the heavens. After conquering the Heaven Omen Sword, Ling Jie's ultimate desire was to completely master it and merge his aura with it. Despite his exceptional talent, he knew it would take him at least decades, perhaps even longer, to reach this ideal state. For most others, it would be an impossible feat in a lifetime.

Earlier, when Cloud Che wielded the heavy sword, his aura was immense and imposing, like an unshakeable mountain. But now, Ling Jie distinctly felt no aura from the heavy sword. In his sight, the half-broken sword was clearly in Cloud Che's grip, yet his perception told him the heavy sword no longer existed, but had completely integrated into Cloud Che's power and soul... seamless and impeccable!

This was Cloud Che's greatest achievement from hunting tens of thousands of powerful profound beasts in the Endless Plains during the Dragon God Trial!

This very sensation was the perfect state that Ling Jie was prepared to spend his entire life pursuing. Now, it was fully displayed before his eyes, causing his soul to surge with intense emotion.

"Take... this sword!"

This time, Cloud Che initiated the attack. He leapt low, wielding the half-broken heavy sword with both hands, bringing it down on Ling Jie with a simple leaping slash.

Ling Jie had faced Cloud Che's heavy sword attacks many times, but this time, the moment the sword was raised, he felt completely suffocated. As Cloud Che leapt, it was as if he saw a mountain, so tall its peak was out of sight, crashing towards him from mid-air.

Despite only having half of the heavy sword left, the power and might of this single strike surpassed all of his previous attacks!

Boom!!!

Although the heavy sword was broken, its original size was so immense that even half of it was still five feet long, roughly matching the length of Ling Jie's Mandarin Duck Twin Swords. Ling Jie's figure flickered, swiftly dodging far away like a gust of wind. Cloud Che's strike missed, and the half-broken heavy sword smashed violently into the ground with a thunderous roar, like an earthquake. Instantly, shattered stones flew wildly, and dust billowed everywhere. A crater several feet deep appeared at Cloud Che's feet.

The power of this single sword strike made Ling Jie, and everyone around the Sword Discourse Arena, gasp sharply.

"Radiant Flow Slash!"

Ling Jie took a deep breath, and the Mandarin Duck Twin Swords rapidly spun around his body, generating streams of sword energy and light that tore through the air. Facing the attacks of two powerful Sky Profound swords, Cloud Che's eyes remained surprisingly calm. He didn't even glance at the two swords, instead focusing on Ling Jie's position and unleashing strike after strike with the half-broken Overlord's Great Sword.

Boom!!Boom!!!Boom!!!!

With every swing of Cloud Che's sword, a new deep crater appeared on the ground, accompanied by deafening roars and flying debris. It was clear that each strike contained nearly catastrophic power. The rumbling sounds reverberated through the ears and hearts of everyone, as if a giant was approaching from afar. The incredibly solid profound energy barrier trembled violently with each of Cloud Che's swings.

Everyone was stunned when Cloud Che unleashed his first strike. With each subsequent swing, it was like a thunderclap resounding in their ears and hearts. When his Overlord's Great Sword was broken, almost everyone thought the match was over. Yet, with only half of his heavy sword, he was unleashing earth-shattering strikes, one after another... their might far exceeding when he wielded the complete heavy sword.

Previously, Ling Jie could tear through the heavy sword's storm with his Mandarin Duck Twin Swords. However, the heavy sword's power, which had suddenly increased severalfold, easily knocked away the sword-intent-filled Mandarin Duck Twin Swords again and again. Not only could they not tear through it, but they couldn't even get close. Even when Ling Jie exploited an opening with his exceptional movement and sword speed, Cloud Che completely ignored the approaching Mandarin Duck Twin Swords. Despite Ling Jie's close proximity, Cloud Che simply unleashed a strike, and the terrifying storm covering several yards forced Ling Jie to withdraw his swords and retreat far away.

Boom!!

Piercing slashes and deafening roars intertwined, violently assaulting everyone's ears and souls. The two moved dozens of paces during their battle, yet beneath their feet were hundreds of overlapping craters. Cracks spread out densely, too numerous to count, and the entire center of the Sword Discourse Arena was utterly ravaged.

Sand and debris rose up tens of yards high, almost completely engulfing the two figures. Only vague, shifting silhouettes could be seen, along with swift-flying blue and orange sword lights, like meteoric flashes.

"Th-this... is this real?"

"Cloud Che's heavy sword was clearly broken by two Sky Profound Swords, so why is it suddenly so much more powerful with only half of it left? Could it be..."

"Could it be that Cloud Che wasn't using his full strength before... not even half of it?"

"True Profound Realm, tenth level... My heavens, is he a genius or a monster?!"

Boom!!

Cloud Che struck the ground with his sword. Although Ling Jie dodged incredibly fast, he was still caught in the impact, sent flying backward. Before he even landed, a cold glint flashed in Ling Jie's eyes. The Mandarin Duck Twin Swords crossed in front of him, their blue and orange lights becoming incredibly intense...

"Heavenly Might Absolute Sword... Severing Moon!!"

This was the very strike Ling Jie used moments ago to sever the Overlord's Great Sword, terrifying in both speed and power. But Cloud Che had already suffered greatly from that strike; he wouldn't fall in the same place twice. The moment the Mandarin Duck Twin Swords' light flared, Cloud Che's gaze turned cold. With focused concentration, the lightning-fast sword lights were no longer so fearsome, tracing a clear trajectory in his perception.

"Don't think only light swords can have sword energy projections; heavy swords... can have them too!!"

Facing this terrifying strike that had severed even the Overlord's heavy sword, Cloud Che, who was now fully prepared and could have easily dodged with Star God's Broken Shadow, chose not to evade. Instead, he lifted the half-broken Overlord's Great Sword, and suddenly, a layer of deep black profound energy light enveloped its blade.

"Haaah!!"

Cloud Che roared, fiercely raising his heavy sword towards the incoming Severing Moon sword light. With a shriek that nearly tore through ears, a colossal black sword light burst forth, reflected in everyone's suddenly constricted pupils, and collided with the incoming sword light.

"Wh-what?!" Ling Yuefeng abruptly stood up, letting out an uncontrolled cry of alarm.

If Ling Jie's blue and orange sword lights were two slender crescent moons, then Cloud Che's sword light was a colossal, pitch-black full moon.

Boom!!

The three sword lights collided in mid-air. The immense power from the three swords erupted simultaneously, crashing, intertwining, and devouring each other, producing a dazzling, multicolored sphere of light. Within the sphere, countless sword qi currents surged wildly, but as soon as they touched the pitch-black full moon, they were instantly shredded into nothingness. Gradually, the blue and orange hues within the sphere diminished, until they completely vanished. The pitch-black full moon, having shrunk by less than half, then surged forward, flying towards Ling Jie.

Ling Jie shifted dramatically, barely managing to dodge the attack in a frantic, close-quarters maneuver. Before he could even regain his balance, an earth-shattering roar sounded from behind him. His expression froze as he stared at Cloud Che, momentarily stunned.

Heavenly Might Absolute Sword – Severing Moon, had actually been destroyed head-on by Cloud Che.

And it was done with a heavy sword that was already broken, with only half of it remaining!

"So... so strong, so strong..." Ling Jie murmured unconsciously. Only now did he fully understand that Cloud Che's earlier statement about "not using full strength" wasn't just empty boasting. Facing Cloud Che at this moment, he felt utterly breathless.

After a brief silence, broken only by the gentle breeze, all that remained was Ling Jie's heavy breathing. It took a while for his breath and mind to finally calm. He straightened up, looked directly at Cloud Che, then suddenly pushed off the ground, rocketing dozens of yards into the sky.

Cloud Che's sudden surge of power stunned everyone, including Ling Yuefeng. He had repeatedly given Cloud Che increasingly high praise, yet Cloud Che continued to show him that he had vastly underestimated him. When Cloud Che unleashed an inconceivable heavy sword projection that completely obliterated the Severing Moon sword lights, Ling Yuefeng knew that Ling Jie had almost no chance of winning this battle.

"He's going to use that move now," Ling Yun looked up at Ling Jie, who had leapt high into the sky, and whispered.

"...This might be his last hope," Ling Yuefeng sighed softly. "I never imagined, truly never imagined, that Cloud Che could wield a heavy sword with such power. I can no longer see through this young man... Who exactly cultivated such an unparalleled monstrous talent?"

Cloud Che looked up at Ling Jie in the sky. In his ear, Ling Jie's solemn voice echoed, "Boss, you absolutely *must* take this move. If you can't, you might very well die... I believe you can take it... If you manage to withstand this sword strike, I will willingly become your junior brother! I will have no regrets!"

As he spoke, the Heaven Mandarin Sword and Heaven Omen Sword flew from Ling Jie's hands, hovering on his left and right. Their blades released an incredibly intense light, a sword light that broke through limits and defied common sense. As it expanded, the light became increasingly dazzling, appearing from afar like two sudden blue and orange suns in the sky.

An overwhelmingly sharp sword aura descended, subtly sketching out a massive sword formation, with Cloud Che's position at its center. Cloud Che lowered his head, which had been tilted upwards, and slowly tightened his grip on the incomplete Overlord's Great Sword. The power of Falling Moon Sinking Star was poised for release. Just then, the Overlord's Great Sword suddenly trembled, a faint black glow flickering past. Simultaneously, strange soul fragments, whose origin he didn't know, suddenly appeared in Cloud Che's mind.

These fragments depicted the bearing of a battlefield hero, a world-shaking Overlord. Amidst a thousand armies, he would unleash a single sword strike, creating an airwave like a landslide or a tsunami. Hundreds of fierce enemies would be torn apart by this one sword, turning into skeletal remains on the battlefield. Each of his sword strikes seemed capable of shaking the heavens and the earth. Though the enemy army was vast and endless, no one could enter within ten yards of him. His heavy sword swung freely, moving through the countless troops as if unopposed.

And the weapon he wielded was precisely the Overlord's Great Sword now in Cloud Che's hands.

These soul fragments were scattered images recorded by the heavy sword's faint sentience. They were also the unforgotten glory of its existence as the Overlord's Sword.

The power of Falling Moon Sinking Star dissipated. Cloud Che closed his eyes and, following the posture of the Overlord from the soul fragments, raised the half-broken Overlord's Great Sword. An incomparably dominant sword momentum slowly gathered on the heavy sword.

"Old friend, thank you for this precious gift you've given me at the very end. This sword strike shall be named – Overlord's Rage!!"