Chapter 22: Purge

In a deadlock where both sides were evenly matched, combatants needed to have a resolute and decisive battle spirit; there could be no hesitation or evasion!

Many times, the use of secret techniques and fatal moves had to be instinctual, executed faster than thought, to accomplish the disarmament of the target.

Therefore, fully understanding each other's terrifying combat capabilities, neither of the two combatants held back, and their eyes brimmed with a cold, murderous intent.

This time, You Long directly capitalized on the advantage of his fine steel crutch.

The entire crutch was over one meter and ten centimeters long.

On the other hand, the Chengying Sword in Alkaid's grasp was just over ninety centimeters in length.

Moreover, although You Long was not as exaggeratedly huge as the partially transformed demon in the basement of the Qingyu Industrial Park, who stood at two meters and thirty centimeters, he still towered over two meters, about two meters and five centimeters.

With broad shoulders and a long body, along with the advantage of the one-meter-ten crutch, his attack range exceeded Alkaid's by over twenty centimeters.

An inch longer, an inch stronger.

In this clash, he took this advantage to the extreme.

The moment Alkaid came within range of his attacks, the crutch in his hand came smashing down.

Like a battleaxe cleaving from the front, it forced Alkaid to block defensively.

However, the moment he blocked this overhead strike, You Long followed up with a diagonal slash and another overhead strike—two consecutive hits.

"Bang bang bang!"

The staff and sword collided, sending sparks flying.

The explosive vigor passed through the Chengying Sword, and had it not been for the Chengying Sword's worth of millions as a famed weapon of the era, the subsequent shock and attacks might have been enough to shatter it.

Nevertheless, Alkaid still felt his palm tingle, his blood churn, and his arm stiffen.

Seizing this opportunity, You Long's fierce frontal assault aimed a sweep from above directly at his knees, taking advantage of the length of his fine steel iron staff.

The series of swift attacks—starting with a fierce onslaught, transitioning between high and low, striking from above and below—were executed with astounding speed.

But Alkaid, although shorter than You Long, had accumulated rich experience from repeated battles with the large-bodied demons, and his agility now exceeded all expectations.

A few quick steps back, and You Long's offensive was rapidly neutralized.

Moreover, as Alkaid parried, the distance between them closed swiftly.

An inch shorter, an inch riskier.

With several of his strikes blocked and his prolonged attack unsuccessful, Alkaid, while stepping back, had already pulled You Long entirely within the Chengying Sword's range.

Following a backhanded grip of the sword, his arm became one with the blade, brushing off You Long's fine steel iron staff as he suddenly sprang forward.

The sword's edge swept across, only to be blocked by You Long, who reacted promptly.

But as he blocked that strike, Alkaid's blade swiftly turned, entangling itself around You Long's staff, and as he pulled it forcefully downwards, his left hand struck out.

"Hiss!"

The Chengying Sword blade that had hooked the iron staff clashed and grated against it, emitting bright sparks.

This was a disarmament move!

Realizing this, You Long promptly adjusted his tactics, moving along with the pull.

But at that moment, Alkaid's descending left hand accurately hit You Long's elbow joint with a vibrating force, making it impossible for him to maintain his grip on the staff. Caught by the Chengying Sword, it was yanked from his hands and flung several meters away, slamming heavily into the wall.

Disarmament complete.

Even the strongest among Martial Saints were still limited by their flesh and blood bodies before reaching the pinnacle.

Armed and unarmed, the lethality was on two completely different levels.

A top martial master skilled in swordsmanship with a sword in hand could potentially contest even against a national Martial Path champion like Xia Wuyuan in unarmed combat, with life and death hanging in balance.

What more when both of them were Grandmasters!?

Having disarmed You Long, this demon immediately sensed the grave danger and retreated.

But Alkaid, having gained the upper hand, escalated his assault fiercely.

With the Chengying Sword in his hand moving with blinding speed, he slashed down ruthlessly, forcing You Long to retreat further.

With the retreat, Alkaid seized the opportunity; as vigor exploded from his feet, his downward slash turned into a thrust. Accompanied by a surge of vigor from his feet that ran through his body like a dragon, he shot forward like an arrow from the bow, man and sword as one; the blade aimed directly at You Long's throat.

In that moment, You Long distinctly "saw" the blade of the Chengying Sword drawing closer and closer, its chilling edge as though piercing through his body first, finishing him with a final Fatal Kill.

Under this life-threatening pressure, he growled, his stature seeming to grow again, his right hand rapidly transformed into a demon's claw, and he fiercely swatted at the Chengying Sword. At the same time, his left hand turned from an open palm into a fist, targeting Alkaid's temple with a sudden burst of vigor, striking out with massive force.

The best outcome would be if he managed to swat the Chengying Sword aside, avoiding the Fatal Kill.

Worse comes to worst, he could break through this dire situation at the cost of injuring his arm.

And once the deadlock was broken, his left hand's thunderous strike would at least force Alkaid to retreat. Then, he could call upon the other experts from Yulong International in the building to encircle and attack Alkaid, turning the tide of the battle.

However, just as You Long desperately counterattacked, Alkaid's thrust at his throat suddenly twisted, turned his body, and avoided You Long's demonic right hand striking down with a swipe. At the same time, he switched to holding the Chengying Sword with both hands, raising it vertically to slash at the hand that You Long was hammering down with.

"Tss!"

Blood sprayed.

The power of the side slash made with both hands, combined with the force of You Long's fist pounding, as well as the sharpness of a legendary sword capable of millions in grade...

You Long's entire left hand was severed from the elbow joint.

Blood sprayed, accompanied by the severed half of the arm being lifted into the air by the force of the slash...

This scene caused You Long's pupils to dilate dramatically, a kind of unprecedented rage and anger surged in his heart.

And at that moment, Alkaid, having completed his twist and slash, immediately executed an arcing step to shift his position. His body rotated 360 degrees in the shift, completely dissipating all the vigor from his body.

Especially during the rotation, he lowered his center of gravity at an inconceivable speed.

By the time the furious and frightened You Long responded with a thunderous rage slash, Alkaid had already squatted down to a height of less than one and a half meters.

This height perfectly avoided You Long's enraged counter-sweep.

In the blink of an eye, the two went from charging head-on to You Long in front and Alkaid behind.

At this moment, Alkaid had fully utilized his own advantage in agility to its utmost extent.

Without any pause.

As You Long realized and tried to twist his body to strike back, the sharp edge of the Chengying Sword pierced into him from behind, penetrating through his chest, and emerged more than ten centimeters from the tip.

"Ah!"

It seemed that the delayed pain from his severed arm had finally made its way to his consciousness, and You Long couldn't help but let out a painful scream.

"Tss!"

Just as he let out the scream, the sharp sword that had penetrated his chest was instantly pulled out, and his sturdy body felt as if it had been hit by a tremendous force...

The flow of qi and blood in his governing vessel seemed to be cut off, his body numbed!

The whole person involuntarily leaned forward, getting pushed against the wall three meters away.

"Stop, the Prosecutor's Office doesn't have the right to kill..."

You Long cried out in agony.

But the interruption of the flow of qi and blood in his governing vessel, the sword wound in his chest like an open cavity, kept draining all the strength from his body, making his screams so weak.

Especially when...

While his body was being pressed against the wall, the edge of the Chengying Sword had once again pierced from his back, penetrating through his chest!

One sword, two swords, three swords, four swords...

"Pffft pffft pffft!"

Thirteen swords in a row.

No pause, no hesitation.

One sword after the other.

Each sword drew out deep crimson blood.

Each sword pierced through his body.

Each sword could be deemed fatal.

Until...

The You Long leaning against the wall no longer moved.

"A person?"

Alkaid said with a tone.

"Tss!"

For the last time, he pulled the sword out from You Long's body.

He released his left hand, which had firmly cut off the flow of his qi and blood, allowing You Long's body, swollen to two meters three, to slide down the wall and crash to the floor.

"What I killed, was not a person."

"Bang!"

Right then, the door to the office was violently pushed open.

It seemed that they had heard the commotion here.

Several martial artists from Yulong International, along with Xia Wuyuan, Ye Yuhe, Lin Xiaowei, and others burst in all at once.