Chapter 80: Spirit Illusion Sword

The night was as thick as ink, as if it could swallow everything in the world. Within this endless darkness, Zuo Yue's figure eerily vanished, as though he had never existed.

However, it wasn't due to Zuo Yue's exquisite lightness skills. It was because of a bell toll; in the profound silence, that lingering bell sound was truly a profound, almost imperceptible sound.

Zuo Yue was undoubtedly a master. His Soul-Sucking Technique was impossible to guard against. Gu Mo was also a master, and his flying daggers were equally impossible to defend against.

Both were searching for the other's weakness. And both knew the other was seeking theirs.

Zhuo Qingfeng also knew Gu Mo was looking for Zuo Yue's weakness. So, he conversed with Zuo Yue, then seized the opportunity to provoke him, causing Zuo Yue to expose a weakness in that instant. Gu Mo struck with his dagger.

However, Zuo Yue also knew Zhuo Qingfeng was trying to provoke him. He used the situation to his advantage, feigning a weakness.

Little Gu's flying dagger, as always, never missed its mark. The dagger struck Zuo Yue.

Yet, Zuo Yue used his injury to seize an opportunity. He struck a very peculiar bell, a weapon used with the Soul-Sucking Technique. At that moment, both Gu Mo and Zhuo Qingfeng were mentally affected to some extent.

Therefore, to them, Zuo Yue seemed to vanish. This wasn't marvelous lightness skill, but rather an extraordinary unorthodox technique.

The night remained silent. In the very instant Zuo Yue vanished, he reappeared. A flying dagger was lodged in his chest, and blood was still flowing.

Little Gu's flying dagger, even when anticipated, was not easily evaded. Thus, Zuo Yue still took the blow. But in that flash of lightning, he chose to sustain a severe injury to preserve his life and continue his gambit with Gu Mo.

Zuo Yue's figure abruptly materialized, appearing beside Gu Chutong. Like a ghost, with no warning. The soft sword in his hand was like an agile and deadly viper of the dark night, or a fleeting illusion, tracing a dazzling and disorienting path as it stabbed directly towards Gu Chutong's vital points.

Even a mere quarter of the Four Directions Sword Sect's unique techniques had enabled its four masters to become renowned martial artists, establishing the sect as the paramount power in Qingyang's martial arts world.

The swordplay was fantastical, making it impossible to predict or evade. The air itself seemed to hum faintly, torn by the blade. Sword shadows flickered, as if countless sharp blades were attacking simultaneously, or layers of illusions designed to deceive the mind. All Gu Chutong saw before her were elusive sword shadows, making it impossible to discern which one was the truly fatal strike.

The misty clouds enveloped the sword shadows, emitting a faint, ethereal glow, as if from another mysterious time and space. This plunged Gu Chutong into an endless, hallucinatory state.

In that very instant, Gu Mo's palms began to move. A powerful, invisible suction force suddenly generated from his palms. This power was strange and formidable, seemingly able to connect with heaven and earth, drawing all things towards it.

This was precisely Gu Mo's Dragon-Capturing Skill, perfected to its highest level.

Where the palm force reached, an invisible true dragon seemed to extend its claw. At that moment, this unseen force accurately entwined Gu Chutong, like a strong rope, instantly binding her tightly. Gu Chutong felt an irresistible surge of power from behind. Her body unexpectedly lifted into the air, beyond her control. Pulled by this force, she was flung backward from the torrent of sword shadows, like a willow catkin in the wind, in a strange and perilous manner.

What was puzzling was that, Zuo Yue did not pursue. He stood still, and suddenly turned, thrusting his sword at Gu Mo.

This sword strike seemed utterly artless, as light and airy as a willow catkin drifting on a spring breeze, devoid of any worldly trace.

Yet, in that instant, Gu Mo felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. The sword was actually very far from him, yet it also felt incredibly close.

In that instant, Gu Mo saw it again. This time, it wasn't the large white cat, but a sword. In the boundless darkness, there was only one sword. Around him was endless darkness, with only a longsword emitting a chilling glow, suspended like a star, radiating a terrifying aura.

“Gu Daxia, hasn't your weakness always been your sister?”

Zuo Yue did not speak, but Gu Mo heard these words.

Under the cover of night, all of this transpired in but a single moment. Everything happened in an instant. In the darkness, Gu Mo saw that sword pierce his body. His mind faltered.

A warm breeze swept by, and the Great Cat Temple was burning fiercely.

The airborne Gu Chutong only now landed on the ground. In that very instant, Gu Mo had already suffered a significant disadvantage in his exchange with Zuo Yue. Instead, it was Zuo Yue who seized his weakness.

Consequently, Zuo Yue moved. His soft sword pierced the air, heading straight for Gu Mo. As the sword reached half a foot from Gu Mo, he generated a protective qi shield with his immense Nine Yang inner energy to block it.

However, Zuo Yue's sword, though seemingly soft, now appeared utterly indestructible.

The most powerful was the Mental Illusion Sword. Even the four masters of the Four Directions Sword Sect did not know it. In the world today, only Zuo Yue possessed this skill, as he knew a quarter of the Cloud Mist Illusion Sword and the complete Soul-Sucking Technique.

The essence of the Mental Illusion Sword lay not in the sword itself, but in the mind, specifically the Soul-Sucking Technique. This strike, named the Mental Illusion Sword, was no longer an ordinary sword strike. In reality, it should be called a 'Heart Sword.' Gu Mo's mind was pierced by that sword, and his weakness naturally revealed itself.

The sword pierced the protective qi shield and began to inch forward. Gu Mo subtly shifted his feet, using 'Ladder to the Clouds' to leap into the air.

In this recent clash, he had indeed lost the initiative and was at a disadvantage. But that was as far as it went.

Undeniably, the Soul-Sucking Technique was powerful, and the Cloud Mist Illusion Sword was not weak either. The Mental Illusion Sword, a combination of the two, had elevated to a spiritual level. However, with his perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill, Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Little Li Flying Dagger, Star Shifting Technique, and other martial arts, it was impossible for him to lose simply by falling behind.

Nevertheless, he had to admit, since embarking on his path as a blade-wielder, Zuo Yue was indeed the most formidable opponent he had encountered. The Soul-Sucking Technique was truly remarkable.

Using 'Ladder to the Clouds,' Gu Mo leaped several yards, breaking free from the Heart Sword's grasp.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Zuo Yue's eyes as he said gravely, “Gu Daxia, impressive skill! To escape even this sword strike... but it will be difficult for you to kill me today. Farewell...”

Whoosh!

In that very instant, a faint whizzing sound suddenly arose from the side.

An alarm suddenly blared in Zuo Yue's mind. Instincts honed by years of traversing the martial world prompted him to instinctively dodge sideways. A steel pellet whizzed past his cheek, leaving an imperceptible cut on his face.

This was the Finger Flicking Technique.

However, just as Zuo Yue stabilized himself, a cold flash appeared before his eyes. Gu Chutong had already moved in like a phantom. Her Tang blade, imbued with an overwhelming momentum and a biting wind, thrust straight into his chest.

“You won't escape!”

Gu Chutong gripped the blade with both hands, her eyes bright and sharp like stars in a cold night. She fixed her gaze on Zuo Yue, her fighting spirit burning within her like an unquenchable flame.

Zuo Yue raised his hand, intending to move his sword. From above, an overwhelming surge of power descended abruptly. The air, enveloped by this force, let out a piercing shriek, as if being savagely kneaded by an invisible giant hand. As the palm strike descended, a faint dragon's roar echoed all around, a deep, resonant roar imbued with world-shattering majesty.

Gu Mo descended from the sky, delivering a "Flying Dragon in the Sky" strike that landed squarely on Zuo Yue's head.

A muffled thud resonated, like a massive boulder hitting soft mud, or a thunderclap exploding in mid-air. Zuo Yue's body crumpled, as if struck by a heavy hammer, falling to his knees without resistance. His head hung limply, his skull reduced to dust by that single palm strike. His eyes were wide open, their light rapidly fading, leaving only endless emptiness and stillness, and the last words he heard were:

“My sister has never been my weakness!”