Chapter 2110: Against Master Kong

The opponent’s moves seemed intricate and complex, but in reality, there were only twelve in total.

It was similar to his Heaven's Path Sword Art, which, despite having only one core move, could generate a thousand variations without repeating, all derived from that single principle. It emphasized intent over form; the move existed wherever the intent was directed.

After mentally deducing these twelve moves, Zhang Xuan was somewhat surprised. This hammer technique, surprisingly, was like the Cloud Soaring Sword God Art he had previously practiced: it was divided into twelve moves and required a specific sequence.

"Correct!"

With the moves now in his mind, he could utilize the Library. With a thought, he merged the twelve moves into the Heaven's Path Hammer Art, and the correct sequence appeared before him. His internal energy flowed according to the sequence as he continued to swing.

Boom!

After only two repetitions, he felt power surge within him, and a sudden realization dawned on him.

"This is... God's Hammer Intent!"

His face twitched. He hadn't expected that by merging the opponent's hammer technique into his body, it would directly form the Heaven's Path Hammer Art. What's more, like the God's Sword Intent he had previously comprehended, it had reached the level of a true deity.

Bang! Bang!

Having comprehended God's Hammer Intent, the brawny man before him was full of flaws and no longer a match. He was knocked to the ground in just a few moves.

His vision blurred, and he found himself standing before the painting once more.

Crack! Crack!

Zhang Xuan quickly looked up and saw that the vibrant colors of the painting before him had disappeared, turning it black and white, identical to the one he had seen earlier.

Zhang Xuan blinked. Could it be that... entering the painting and comprehending a divine martial art would cause the painting to become dim?

Thinking about it this way... "Master Kong once entered the Divine Hall and acquired a 'God' character, and the founding patriarch of Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion once acquired half a 'God' character... Could this be it?"

Of the eight paintings, one was dim and lusterless, like the hammer-wielding brawny man he had just fought. Another, depicting a man with a long sword, was still colorful, but half of its color had faded, making it plausible that it corresponded to half a "God" character.

"No wonder the twelve hammer moves were somewhat similar to the twelve moves of the Cloud Soaring Sword God Art..." Zhang Xuan suddenly understood. The Cloud Soaring Sword God Art also had twelve moves, similar to the hammer technique before him. He had found it strange earlier, but now he understood what was going on.

The founding patriarch of Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion must have fought the person in the painting to a draw, which was why he only acquired half a character. Although he learned the twelve moves from the opponent, he never found the correct cultivation sequence. This explained why Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion could produce pseudo-gods even without passing through the Tongtian Bridge, but their numbers were extremely small, incomparable to powerful forces like the Tongshendian.

"I comprehended the twelve hammer moves; doesn't that mean, like Master Kong back then, I've also acquired a 'God' character?"

If he wasn't mistaken, this place must be where Master Kong and the founding patriarch once forced their way in. That last encounter was equivalent to acquiring a character! No wonder for thousands of years in the Firmament, apart from these two, no one else succeeded. It was indeed not that simple to defeat the figures in the paintings.

He had comprehended "If Heaven Has Feelings," and his cultivation had reached the late Pseudo-God realm. His combat strength, apart from Master Kong, was definitely the greatest on the continent throughout history! With such strength, it was only by learning the Heaven's Path Hammer Art and mastering the opponent's moves that he could win... The immense difficulty was clear to see! If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to learn the martial art, much less find the sequence after only two viewings and completely master it.

"Acquiring a 'God' character allows you to proceed!"

As he was thinking, stone steps appeared again, extending upwards with no end in sight. Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to step onto the stairs, he suddenly stopped as an idea popped into his mind.

"Anyway, it's still early... Since I'm already here, why not take the characters from the other paintings as well?"

From entering the painting to learning the hammer technique and defeating the opponent, it seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it didn't exceed ten minutes. According to the previous hourglass's time, it was at most one-fourth of the total duration! Anyway, he had plenty of time. Since he was already here, he should naturally acquire a few more characters! After all, he wasn't the sect leader of just one sect but several. He couldn't show favoritism, could he?

Thinking this, he smiled slightly, and with a sway of his body, he appeared before the colorful painting of the man holding a long sword and lightly touched it. Just like before, he entered it!

The figure in the painting immediately lunged with his sword. Zhang Xuan's long sword danced, and God's Sword Intent diffused.

Three breaths later, the opponent lay on the ground, having turned into a pool of ink.

"I've completed the Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion's half 'God' character..." He chuckled softly.

Countless descendants of the Sword Pavilion had tried, one after another, but failed to acquire this half 'God' character. He supposed he had fulfilled their wish.

After this painting completely turned black and white, Zhang Xuan went to a painting depicting someone performing martial arts, and without hesitation, he entered it again. He reappeared five minutes later, and the painting had turned gray. With the experience from the first time, this time, while fighting the opponent, he simultaneously learned his moves and took the opportunity to form a Heaven's Path cultivation technique. His speed was more than twice as fast!

For the remaining four paintings, his experience was even richer. In less than fifteen minutes, he went through all of them. After completing these, he then stepped onto the stone steps and continued towards the third floor.

The room on the third floor was also spacious. This time there were no paintings or formations. It was brightly lit all around, and at a glance, it was completely empty.

He stopped, looked around, and said, "Master Kong, if you are here, please show yourself!" The other party had set a trap, inviting him into the snare, and it was time for him to appear.

As expected, as soon as he finished speaking, a tall figure appeared before him. It was Master Kong!

His eyes narrowed, the Wutong Robe Sword appeared in his palm, and Zhang Xuan exuded an aura of indifference. The other party had gone to great lengths to get his Library, using every possible means. He had thought Master Kong wouldn't dare appear again, but since he had, it was time to fight to the death!

However, he quickly noticed something was amiss. "What? Has your true self not dared to come?" The other party was merely a wisp of consciousness, not his true self. Could it be that he already knew Zhang Xuan had broken through to the Pseudo-God realm and, fearing he wasn't a match, dared not appear?

Ignoring his words, Master Kong calmly said, with hands clasped behind his back, "It's quite impressive that you alone passed the trials of the seven paintings. However, you must still defeat me to be qualified to obtain the divine aura and have the chance to advance to a true god!"

"Defeat you? Then come on!"

Seeing that he didn't flee and ignoring the opponent's nonsense, Zhang Xuan swung his Wutong Robe Sword, and the sword qi fell straight down. Knowing the opponent's strength, he used God's Sword Intent from the very first move.

"I won't take advantage of you!"

With a faint smile, Master Kong's consciousness moved, and his power, originally at the peak of the Pseudo-God realm, instantly became the same as Zhang Xuan's, reaching the late Pseudo-God realm. With a flick of his finger, a long sword appeared in his palm, its grade unknown, but it emitted a sharp chill. His figure lightly flickered and appeared before Zhang Xuan.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The sword intent was like a dragon, and its aura like frost.

"So strong..."

A master's skill was evident from his first move. Although Zhang Xuan had only fought him for a few moves, he immediately realized that this figure, despite being merely a wisp of Master Kong's consciousness, had an understanding of swordsmanship no worse than his own, and perhaps even surpassed him! At the same level, he hadn't gained the slightest advantage!

"How did you become so strong..." Zhang Xuan was full of disbelief. His clone had fought the opponent before, and they were almost evenly matched. Now, at the same level, he was stronger than his clone and had comprehended so many divine martial arts. Under normal circumstances, dealing with a wisp of the opponent's consciousness should have been an easy victory, but he never expected to be at a disadvantage!

"He's also using Heaven's Path martial arts!" Soon, he realized the reason he couldn't win. This Master Kong before him, surprisingly, was also using flawless martial arts, just like himself. His sword moves contained the laws of the Grand Dao, seeming simple yet making them irresistible. His own moves targeted flaws, making them hard to guard against. But the opponent's swordsmanship could alter the laws and sequence within the sword moves. As soon as a move was made, the opponent was instantly at a disadvantage!

This was like intending to thrust upwards, but under the influence of the opponent's sword move, the direction of your thrust would automatically change to downwards... It was as if his moves were being controlled. How could he fight like this?

"Could this be 'Heaven's Path in Order'?" A chill ran down Zhang Xuan's spine. Earlier, he had heard him speak of 'Heaven's Path in Order,' but when his clone fought him, he hadn't used it, so he hadn't paid it much mind. Only now did he understand how terrifying it truly was. It was like Kong Shiyao's bloodline ability back then, where a single word became a law... Even if he could find flaws, they would be useless in the face of such laws! Even if one had a silver tongue or was filled with grievances, as long as they broke the law, they would still be punished. The opponent's 'Heaven's Path in Order' was precisely this: Zhang Xuan had clearly grasped the flaws in his moves, but in the blink of an eye, the opponent's flaws became the most correct sequence, an undeniable law... How could he still fight?

"I don't believe I can lose at the same level..." His teeth clenched, Zhang Xuan's face turned ashen. At the same level, except for losing to his clone, he had never lost before! This guy was only a wisp of Master Kong's consciousness; how could he be unable to defeat him? Could it be that the opponent's injuries had completely healed and he had fully recovered? Even so, he didn't believe he could be this terrifying!

Holding his sword in his right hand, he rapidly executed various martial arts with his left. In an instant, Zhang Xuan seemed to become two people, one specializing in swordsmanship and the other in martial arts. Both had comprehended a divine realm of intent, capable of founding sects and leaving their names in history in the Firmament. Fighting like this, his combat power immediately doubled.

"Not bad!" Master Kong's consciousness smiled faintly, also holding a sword in his right hand and executing martial arts with his left. He too instantly split into two figures, their moves on par with Zhang Xuan's.

Zhang Xuan's scalp tingled. Could it be... this was Master Kong's true strength? Had he truly not recovered before, which was why he couldn't even defeat the clone?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After exchanging more than a dozen moves, Zhang Xuan felt that if he continued, he would lose due to excessive energy consumption, just like in the painting before. His heart grew increasingly anxious. His eyes narrowed, and a ruthless resolve emerged in his heart.

"It seems I can only use the ultimate move of If Heaven Has Feelings..."