2232 I Shall Live as Myself

Instead of answering Zhang Xuan’s question, Little Chick frowned as he muttered with a hint of incredulity in his voice, “It’s very weird!”

“What’s weird?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“Since it is a life-and-death duel, I thought the two of them would give it their all, but for some reason…” Little Chick c.o.c.ked his head as he pondered over an incomprehensible question. “Why does it seem like the two of them are still holding back?”

“Are they sounding each other out to find an opportune moment to strike?” Zhang Xuan asked as he watched the duel worriedly.

In most battles, the cultivators would not go all out and reveal their trump cards right from the start. Instead, they would try to sound out the other party’s abilities to maximize the effectiveness of their trump cards.

The ground continued wavering under the clashes of the two, and even the mountains that they had been standing on previously had been ground to dust.

It was truly fortunate that they were not on the Firmament, or else a battle of such scale would collapse even a city as ma.s.sive as Drifting Specter Royal City. Countless G.o.ds would surely have died in the catastrophe.

“Do you think that it’s possible for you to stop them with your current strength?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“That’s impossible,” Little Chick replied with a shake of his head. “My cultivation has grown a fair bit after my resurrection, but I’m still nowhere close to matching those two. Be it G.o.d Monarch Lingxi or the Heaven Subjugation Monarch, they are beings who have reached the zenith of the Firmament. There is no G.o.d Monarch who could compete with them.”

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

He had antic.i.p.ated such an answer, but still, he could not help but feel deeply disappointed after hearing Little Chick’s words. It seemed like there was really nothing he could do.

Besides, even if Little Chick was able to stop the battle, it might just spell a great calamity in the near future. It would just be delaying the inevitable for a while longer.

Huhuhu!

A series of crescent arc surges of sword qi suddenly filled the surroundings.

Luo Ruoxin had finally drawn her weapon.

Her swordsmans.h.i.+p was extremely elegant and beautiful. It felt surprisingly familiar though, such that Zhang Xuan could not help but frown after seeing it.

It actually bore some resemblance to the swordsmans.h.i.+p that he had seen from the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut. However, the conceptualization was a little different.

Luo Ruoxin’s swordsmans.h.i.+p felt free and spirited, reminiscent of a person who was unbound by anything in the world.

Ruoxin has probably received advice from the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut.

He could not gauge just how powerful the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut was, but he had a feeling that the latter was someone who was comparable to Luo Ruoxin and Kong s.h.i.+, especially since the latter was able to match him in a clash of equal power levels.

Luo Ruoxin had taken the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut’s swordsmans.h.i.+p and infused her soul into it, adapting it to become something that was hers.

Taking a closer look, Zhang Xuan noticed that on top of the desire for freedom, Luo Ruoxin’s swordsmans.h.i.+p carried the conceptualization of protection as well.

The only problem was that these two concepts were at odds with one another. The desire of wanting to protect something was a shackle in itself, preventing one from living freely.

If she was completely free, her swordsmans.h.i.+p would have been far stronger…

He might be greatly lacking to them in terms of cultivation, but when it came to his eye for swordsmans.h.i.+p, he would not pale in comparison to them.

The fact that he could comprehend a swordsmans.h.i.+p that surpa.s.sed the heavens spoke volumes.

Luo Ruoxin’s swordsmans.h.i.+p carried the desire to protect, but in the depths of her heart, what she truly craved was freedom. Even though she had already suppressed this contradiction to the bare minimum, it was inevitable that it would hinder her in a battle.

It could very well become a fatal flaw of hers when fighting someone of the same level.

If he could tell as much, Kong s.h.i.+ should be able to do so as well.

With his heart thumping nervously, Zhang Xuan turned to look at Kong s.h.i.+ and saw the latter bringing out his weapon.

It was a cane.

Having seen through the flaws in the young lady’s swordsmans.h.i.+p, Kong s.h.i.+’s cane struck furiously like a torrent, making it nigh impossible to defend against.

His skills with the cane are truly formidable… Zhang Xuan was astounded.

As the World’s Teacher, Kong s.h.i.+ was renowned not because of his superior strength but his deep comprehension of cultivation, the development of the system of master teachers, and the values that he pa.s.sed down through the generations. As such, many people viewed him as a refined scholar.

Zhang Xuan had thought that he would be refined even in a battle, but after seeing this, he realized that he could not have been more wrong.

His cane lashed forth at his opponent with the might of an entire world, drawing upon might that none could withstand.

It was utterly violent and destructive.

This was at odds with his perception of whom Kong s.h.i.+ was.

But again, how could a person destroy the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe just by being refined?

Having followed Kong s.h.i.+’s footsteps, he was aware of his deeds as he rose through the worlds.

Kong s.h.i.+ was a person who desired to create an impartial world where everyone was strong and could stand up for themself. In order to achieve his goals, it was inevitable that he would need to resort to violence at times.

During Kong s.h.i.+’s era on the Master Teacher Continent, in order to ensure the survival of mankind, he had charged into the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe alone and wreaked havoc in their midst, killing countless enemies.

In the Azure, he had subdued many opponents in order to create and establish the Ethereal Halls system, allowing the world to rise to greater heights.

There was no doubt that Kong s.h.i.+ was truly a terrifying individual, but his selflessness allowed him to earn the respect and not the fear of others.

Terrifying toward those who stepped beyond his bottom line, magnanimous to all who sought to learn, it was no wonder he had been able to rise up as such a respected figure during an era of chaos, remembered by the world even after tens of thousands of years later.

But again, this was yet another contradiction in itself, and this could be seen in his blows.

Despite the violence of his cane, one could still feel his gentleness and merciful intent. His strikes appeared to carry the intent to kill, but he would alter them at the last moment in order to avoid landing a fatal blow.

His principles disallowed him to kill a person who was innocent, putting him in a state of internal conflict.

Zhang Xuan shook his head. This is a flaw as well…

Luo Ruoxin craved freedom whereas Kong s.h.i.+ carried far too great compa.s.sion for the world.

Those were huge taboos in a life-and-death duel.

Yet, this was their very nature. It could not be changed so arbitrarily, especially not in the midst of a battle.

What about me then?

Seeing through the problems in the attacks of the two, Zhang Xuan could not help but reflect on himself.

The Pathos of Heaven that he had comprehended carried great yearning toward his loved ones. As such, his swordsmans.h.i.+p was extremely binding and sentimental.

However, after hearing the words from the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut, he had realized that there was a problem with his swordsmans.h.i.+p.

There was nothing wrong with valuing one’s sentiments, but it would be too shallow if that was all there was to it. Instead of wallowing in his feelings, he ought to use those sentiments as a driving force to protect his loved ones from danger!

It was just like how love would not be enough to sustain a family. One would have to devote time and effort, not just mere sentiments, in order to protect one’s family and sustain relations, be it financially or psychologically.

If I were a G.o.d Monarch, I would have been able to intervene and suggest solutions out of this quandary. I wouldn’t have to helplessly watch as one of them pa.s.s away in this War of the Heavens…

If I had the power to protect the Firmament, there would have been no need for them to do this…

These thoughts surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s mind.

It was a huge torture for him to see the two of them fighting one another. He would find it hard to accept the results no matter who won in the end.

He regretted his own weakness. He could not even protect what he held dear to him.

Zhang Xuan sighed. I don’t think I’m suited to protect at all…

It was at this moment that he realized that he was not suited to the swordsmans.h.i.+p suggested by the G.o.d Monarch of the Sword Hut.

Having reincarnated from his previous world, there was one thing he realized. He did not like his fate being governed in the hands of another.

Ever since his journey started on the Master Teacher Continent, he had always stood in the face of adversity without fear, pus.h.i.+ng forward for what he believed in. He had also always wanted to protect those around him from harm, but not once had he ever thought of wanting to protect the entire world.

What he wanted was not to protect others but to live the way he wanted.