Chapter 174: What Can Be Derived from the Energy Blade Technique?
Jie Jie didn’t notice the Master Swordsman’s stance.
He was just continuously slashing, ignoring the minor wounds caused by a single falling leaf, continuing his relentless assault.
Slashes turned into cuts, and cuts became sweeping motions.
If viewed by other Large Monsters, he merely looked like a lunatic hacking at nothing in the air.
After all, the leaves were already buried beneath swirling dust.
A flash of blade light emerged from within the dust, as if every motion in sight had been instantly frozen.
Whether it be the flying chunks of dirt or the sweeping Sword Tail coming like an unbroken city wall.
It was all illusory, like flowers and moonlight reflected in a mirror.
Only because a Hunter was slashing away at the oncoming wall-like sweep.
He raised high his blade and blocked the city wall.
He plunged his blade down, attempting to drive the wall into the ground.
With sheer force and skill, he repelled the Slaying Dragon’s Sword Tail, leaving a smooth gap on the blade’s edge.
Jie Jie’s body staggered back along with the retreating Sword Tail.
The Sword Tail rose again, and the Slaying Dragon tilted its head, surprised at the gap on its blade.
Not only this gap, but the Sword Tail was already filled with scars from constant collisions with the leaves.
These scars should have burst forth with flashes of light, and the Sword Tail should have broken by now, but the healing ability that shouldn’t belong to the Slaying Dragon suppressed them.
The Sword Tail did not break.
Looking at the Master Swordsman’s sword, the Flying Leaf Blade was now covered in fragments of shell and congealed bl**d, completely dulled after the previous strike.
But it hadn’t broken either.
The Female Fire Dragon, who had suffered endless pursuit by the Slaying Dragon during her lifetime, seemed to see hope for victory in d*ath. Her granted strength and spirit continued to nourish the Hunter’s nearly depleted stamina.
Stamina increased.
Stamina recovery improved.
This was the skill of the Female Fire Dragon Set.
“Huff, do I have time to sharpen my blade?”
The panting Hunter slightly crouched, holding his blade sideways while pulling out a whetstone to quickly scrape off the attached substances on the blade.
Even while sharpening, his spirit and muscles remained tense, the katana still pointed toward the Slaying Dragon, ready to block at any moment.
Jie Jie didn’t respond, instead swinging the Sword Tail into his mouth, using magma to lubricate and teeth to sharpen the blade.
Both man and dragon recovered their strength during this brief respite.
Jie Jie was fully restored, whereas the Master Swordsman—
Oh, he drank a potion.
Lifting his visor slightly, he chugged down a bottle where he stood, wiped his mouth, and let the visor slide back down.
But his recovery was definitely slower than Jie Jie’s.
After sharpening the blade and drinking the potion, although the battle had paused, it still maintained its intensity.
After all, the heavy and sharp Sword Tail always represented high-intensity combat for the Hunter.
And this battle wasn’t without spectators; the Thief Dragons, who usually had nothing better to do, watched from the forest, waiting for an opportunity to strike when one side fell.
But until they were blown away by the storm, no such opportunity presented itself.
The Master Swordsman broke through the outward spreading gale, stabilizing his stance.
Facing the sheathed blade of the Slaying Dragon, he stabilized himself and returned the gesture of respect between swordsmen with a similar sheathed blade stance.
The tsuba and scabbard collided, then slightly popped out due to the reaction force, preparing for the true moment of unsheathing.
His head slightly lifted, and behind the firelight, his eyes burned even more fiercely.
The Master Swordsman suddenly felt like he shouldn’t be a monster.
This feeling flickered and disappeared, tightly grasped alongside the hilt.
The scabbard was directly thrown off with full concentration, embedding itself straight into the soil.
Jie Jie and the Master Swordsman crossed paths, their backs turned to each other, swords raised high.
But this scene and posture dissipated with the delayed flash of the blade.
The broken Sword Tail flew away; the layers of scars on the shell could no longer be healed, finally snapping under the impact.
Jie Jie lost balance and stumbled, flipping onto the ground.
The Master Swordsman quickly spun around, using his remaining strength to hold dual great katanas close to his ribs, rushing forward with a thrust.
Energy Blade Slash!
His spin coincided with Jie Jie’s fall, and the discarded Sword Tail dropped just as the blade tip was about to reach the Slaying Dragon’s body.
The heavy broken Sword Tail crashed directly onto the Master Swordsman, causing him to pitch forward and collapse face-first.
He barely propped himself up with his arms but could only helplessly extend his hand as the Slaying Dragon stood up and moved away.
Just a little more—
Exhausted, he collapsed.
Preparing to retreat after losing his tail, Jie Jie took a few steps back and turned around, seeing the exhausted and fallen Master Swordsman with the Sword Tail lying on top of him.
“Snort… grunt grunt grunt!”
Unable to hold back, he burst out laughing.
Look at this katana!
Laughing aside, after taking a few more steps and creating footprints, Jie Jie transformed into a Smoky Snow Weasel and turned back to observe the Master Swordsman’s condition.
He hadn’t passed away, just exhausted his stamina.
Transforming into a Sky Dog Beast and carefully flipping him over, Jie Jie quickly reverted to his Smoky Snow Weasel form.
He rummaged through the Master Swordsman’s waist pouch, holding a bottle and kicking open his visor, prying open his mouth.
Opening the bottle, viscous purple liquid slowly slid out.
This color, and this smell? No!
This is Spiny Dragon Toxin!
Jie Jie was immediately scared and closed the bottle, throwing it aside, breathing a sigh of relief.
Almost caused an accident.
After finding other bottles, Jie Jie deliberately opened each cap to check the color and smell before smoothly pouring the recovery potion into the Master Swordsman’s mouth.
“Huff.”
Jie Jie then turned to look at his own tail’s condition.
The shell was akin to a layer of fur, now forming a scab, hardly noticeable among the snow-white long hairs.
“Cough, cough cough!”
The Master Swordsman coughed, touching his throat and then his head, momentarily confused before springing up like a carp leap.
Standing steady and noticing no immediate danger, he sat back down, seeing the Smoky Snow Weasel and the bottles it had scattered.
“Hmm, you saved me.”
He scratched his head and reached out to pat the Smoky Snow Weasel’s head, but Jie Jie dodged with a flash.
The Master Swordsman stopped trying to reach out, took a sip from his water flask, rested for a while, then stood up, brushing off the dirt.
He looked at his spoils, the silver-bright Sword Tail dropped by the Slaying Dragon, and a dull chuckle escaped from under his helmet.
Hearing this foolish laughter, Jie Jie’s gaze gradually filled with regret.
Who was it that got crushed by the Sword Tail and collapsed from exhaustion? Who was it?
The regretful gaze slowly softened as he leaped onto the Master Swordsman’s helmet, watching him collect the materials dropped during the battle.
The crystallized Dragon bl**d producing Dragon Slayer Stones caught not only the Master Swordsman’s attention but also his own.
Never thought about this point, but it probably wasn’t a big issue.
