Chapter Seventy-Eight: Abduction

Wang Qiyi glanced at the weapon in Xiao Cheng’s hand and smiled smugly. He didn’t bother considering whether Xiao Cheng had the reflexes for this; in terms of sharpness alone, his flying sword could easily slice an ordinary weapon in two. To think of blocking a flying sword with a mere blade was pure wishful thinking.

Xiao Cheng narrowed his eyes. Just as the flying sword was still ten meters away from him, he twisted his Azure Edge Sword, seemingly swinging it casually. Yet, the blade landed perfectly upon the oncoming flying sword, his timing impeccable.

A resounding clang erupted. Sparks burst as the flying sword collided with the Azure Edge Sword. The force of Xiao Cheng’s strike altered the sword’s trajectory just enough for it to whistle past his ear.

Impossible! How could this be?

Wang Qiyi’s eyes widened in disbelief. How had Xiao Cheng accomplished this? He’d actually managed to block the flying sword?

He had been certain Xiao Cheng’s sword would never even touch his flying sword. Though not as fast as a bullet, the flying sword’s speed was beyond ordinary perception; even Wang Qiyi himself, faced with such speed, would only attempt to evade, never daring to block head-on.

Moreover, the flying sword’s sharpness was unrivaled by any mundane weapon. Even if the Azure Edge Sword came into contact with it, it should have been cleaved in two.

Yet now, Xiao Cheng not only possessed the reflexes to react to the flying sword and make contact, but even managed to deflect it—something Wang Qiyi had never imagined possible. If it had been anyone else, he might not have been so shocked, but for this to be done by Xiao Cheng—the infamous good-for-nothing playboy—when had he ever shown such capability?

Observing Wang Qiyi’s stupefied expression, Xiao Cheng smiled. If Wang Qiyi had used Daoist arts, he might have been forced to flee, but instead, Wang Qiyi chose to attack him with a flying sword. Was a flying sword really so formidable?

In Xiao Cheng’s eyes, Wang Qiyi’s flying sword was nothing special. In his previous life, he had reached the peak of the Innate Realm, his mastery of flying swords far surpassing Wang Qiyi’s. Though his current cultivation was inferior, his spiritual sense was more advanced. Wang Qiyi’s flying sword trajectory could not escape his perception.

Given that the flying sword could not evade his spiritual sense—and his three-foot Azure Edge Sword had been reforged with high-grade materials, its hardness extraordinary—accomplishing this was not so difficult.

Still, clashing head-on with the flying sword was no pleasant experience. His cultivation was far below Wang Qiyi’s, and his vital energy was weaker. He felt a surge of blood within, nearly causing him to vomit.

A flying sword was not so easily intercepted. Glancing at his Azure Edge Sword, he saw a notch had already appeared. Though the sword was exceptionally hard, it was still no match for the flying sword, which had been forged with innate true fire—a whole level above his.

Xiao Cheng knew that if he continued this contest of strength, defeat was inevitable. He could withstand, at most, three such strikes and had already discerned Wang Qiyi’s intentions. There was no reason to persist.

“It seems I must use that method,” Xiao Cheng muttered coldly, already formulating his plan.

Wang Qiyi quickly regained his composure. Though Xiao Cheng’s actions had exceeded his expectations, it did not alter his intent to rob him.

He reasoned that Xiao Cheng must have used some unknown technique; there was no way he could truly ignore the power of the flying sword. Otherwise, Xiao Cheng would not have been so defensive.

Wang Qiyi let out a sinister laugh, brought his fingers together, and summoned the flying sword back to him. It darted once more toward Xiao Cheng’s head, but this time, he exercised more cunning. The sword no longer flew in a straight line but weaved erratically through the air, making its true target difficult to discern.

But Xiao Cheng was not watching with his eyes—he relied on spiritual sense. Such tricks could not fool him.

Originally gripping his sword with both hands, Xiao Cheng now transferred the Azure Edge Sword to his left hand and channeled all his vital energy into his right.

Wang Qiyi watched, a triumphant smile growing as his flying sword closed in on Xiao Cheng’s head. This time, surely, Xiao Cheng could not block it.

But to his astonishment, Xiao Cheng seemed to have eyes at the back of his head. When the flying sword was still ten meters away, Xiao Cheng spun around abruptly, swinging his sword with his left hand. The movement appeared casual, yet it intercepted the flying sword’s path precisely. A metallic ring sounded, sparks scattering in all directions. The scene was so uncanny it appeared as though the flying sword deliberately crashed into the Azure Edge Sword, rather than being struck.

“This can’t be…” Wang Qiyi muttered, shaken. Yet before he could react further, something even more incredible occurred.

He saw Xiao Cheng’s right hand, suffused with pale green vital energy, reach out as if anticipating the flying sword’s trajectory, and grasp at the rapidly flying blade.

To grab a flying sword barehanded—as if it were a mere paper plane? Wang Qiyi could already envision Xiao Cheng’s hand being shredded on the spot, blood spraying everywhere. But before he could revel in the thought, he felt a sudden emptiness in his mind—his connection to the flying sword was severed.

His heart clenched and panic seized him.

Xiao Cheng’s hand closed around the flying sword, but he did not touch the blade directly. Instead, he used his vital energy to form a membrane, controlling the sword without direct contact. Were he to touch the blade itself, his hand would be pierced through.

As he did so, an immense surge of vital energy rushed into his body. Though his meridians, tempered by the Ninefold Immortal Sutra, were exceptionally broad, the pain was still intense. But compared to the suffering he had endured in his past life, this was nothing.

Suppressing his urge to cough blood, Xiao Cheng circulated his vital energy, working to dispel Wang Qiyi’s energy from within.

The flying sword gradually stilled and landed in his palm. It was a spindle-shaped blade, three inches long—now, stripped of vital energy, it appeared utterly ordinary, like a simple piece of iron. Nothing more than a low-grade flying sword!

Wang Qiyi stared blankly at the sword now in Xiao Cheng’s grasp. His mind was a blank. Someone had actually caught his flying sword barehanded, even cutting off his connection to it. How could this be? Even Xiao Fusheng could not accomplish such a feat—how had Xiao Cheng managed it?

If the man before him were not Xiao Cheng, he would have suspected he faced a Golden Core master, for only such an expert could achieve this. Yet it was Xiao Cheng, notorious as the “King of Dispersed Energy,” who had done it. Moreover, the vital energy he had exhibited was clearly only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm.

There was simply no way Xiao Cheng possessed such strength. Yet here was the irrefutable proof.

“How did you do that?” Wang Qiyi asked, his voice quivering.

Xiao Cheng smiled but offered no explanation.

In truth, his method was nothing mysterious—it was simply a matter of spiritual sense. Upon his rebirth, he had retained peak Innate Realm spiritual sense, and after recent cultivation, it was nearly at the level of a Golden Core adept.

Flying sword control depended on spiritual sense. By attacking Xiao Cheng in this way, Wang Qiyi had unwittingly targeted Xiao Cheng’s greatest strength.

It was as if Wang Qiyi had launched a missile at Xiao Cheng, only for Xiao Cheng to possess far superior electronic countermeasures—he simply jammed Wang Qiyi’s missile controls. He didn’t sever the link, but blocked it.

In terms of spiritual sense, Wang Qiyi was truly outmatched.

Xiao Cheng gave no time for Wang Qiyi to react. In his current state, he could not continue fighting. He immediately climbed into his car, floored the accelerator, and the Lamborghini shot off like an arrow.

“This is impossible! It cannot be!”

Wang Qiyi’s face darkened, unable to believe what had just happened. Xiao Cheng had not only intercepted his flying sword but also severed his control. This was his life-bound weapon—how could Xiao Cheng possibly seize it?

Had a Golden Core master accomplished this, he would not be surprised, but Xiao Cheng was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment.

By now, all traces of disdain toward Xiao Cheng had evaporated. He had always regarded Xiao Cheng as a useless playboy, but after this encounter, he realized that impression might have been a complete façade.

The Xiao Cheng of his memory had never possessed such strength, let alone the ability to catch a flying sword barehanded.

Watching the departing Lamborghini, Wang Qiyi stood stunned for a long moment before recovering. He leapt into his own car and set off in pursuit. A life-bound flying sword was a weapon linked to its master's very soul—if something happened to it, the cultivator would suffer grievously. If the sword were destroyed and the connection not severed in time, he could even die.

Today, he had set out to rob Xiao Cheng of his jade pendant, thinking his third-level Innate Realm cultivation would make it effortless. Yet Xiao Cheng’s strength had proved far beyond his expectation—he not only blocked the flying sword, but even seized it.

Not only had he failed to obtain the jade pendant, he had lost his flying sword as well.

[Rolling on the ground begging for favorites, recommendations, likes, rewards—anything at all!]