Chapter 28: A Sword Arrives from the West

With this single throw, the "Heavenly Blade" Song Jue ceased to exist in this world.

Everyone knew that the chilling phrase "flesh and horse pulverized" was no mere figure of speech.

"The Great Monument-Shattering Hand... it was actually the Great Monument-Shattering Hand..."

Under the massive command banner, the Tang army’s commander-in-chief, the veteran general Song Wei, gasped for air, his chest heaving as he muttered, "This is clearly a basic technique known to any practitioner of martial arts; one might even call it third-rate."

"Brother Jue was a peerless master of our time, having fought dozens of rounds against Wang Xianzhi without yielding. How could he be left utterly defenseless and suffer such a tragic death the moment this move was unleashed? My heart bleeds for him!"

Not far away, under another canopy, Wang Jian offered a wry smile.

"Commander Song, three hundred years ago, Dugu Ruyuan, one of the Eight Pillars of Western Wei and a grandmaster of martial arts, carved twelve characters into the cliffs of Mount Hua: 'Master the third-rate martial arts of the world, and you shall achieve ultimate greatness.'"

"Dugu Ruyuan passed down peerless techniques like the Dugu Nine Swords, yet no one understood those twelve characters. Thirty years ago, Wang Xianzhi passed through Mount Hua, faced the cliff for three days, and then suddenly let out a great laugh, shattered the rock with a wave of his sleeve, and drifted away."

Song Wei knew Wang Jian was talented, but he had always disliked the young officer’s arrogance. Yet, having witnessed Wang Xianzhi use the "Great Monument-Shattering Hand" to crush his own brother into a gruesome pulp of flesh and iron, and hearing Wang Jian’s words, he felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind. Everything became clear in an instant.

Wang Xianzhi had reached the pinnacle of the martial path and had personally demonstrated its true meaning.

When martial arts reach a certain realm, one moves beyond techniques, yet it is not the absence of technique, but the distillation of complexity into simplicity. Third-rate martial arts are the most common, the most ancient, and the most refined through countless trials. When first created, these were all world-shaking techniques. Though sects guarded them jealously, over time, they inevitably spread throughout the pugilistic world, becoming common knowledge and losing their status as "secrets."

However, these enduring, public techniques are the concentrated essence of combat; in terms of profound theory, they far surpass the so-called "ultimate arts" of modern sects. Yet, because these techniques are known to all and easily defended against, it is the unique, lesser-known arts of individual sects that become revered as legendary skills.

Many martial geniuses in history could turn decay into magic; in their hands, the simplest moves could decide a battle. This is the mark of a warrior who has reached a certain level of mastery and understands the essence of the martial path.

Thus, the true meaning of the inscription was: when one’s cultivation reaches a certain height, pairing it with the simplest, most effective moves yields the ultimate result—this is the true mastery of martial arts.

Everyone who witnessed this move felt as if they had lived a lifetime in a moment. From high-ranking generals to lowly foot soldiers, all felt a new realization regarding the practice of martial arts.

But "Heavenly Blade" Song Jue would never know. He did not even have time to scream before he became the instrument through which Wang Xianzhi demonstrated his supreme martial truth.

With that single blow, the world seemed to shake, and the mountains and rivers fell silent. The armies on both sides were plunged into profound shock, leaving the field in a deathly hush.

The martial intent of "shaking the earth for a hundred miles" left everyone so immersed that no one noticed a loud shout from afar.

"Stop!"

Robes of purple fluttered, flowing like light; a gentleman arrived on the wind, a sword coming from the west.

The Jiedushi of the Taining Army, the "Snow Marshal" of the four great commanders of the Tang Dynasty—Qi Keyang, the "Snow Clearing of Qilian"!

His divine sword, Zhishang, bloomed with brilliant radiance, its intent sweeping forward with the force of a thousand-mile charge. Qi Keyang had raced to the rescue, clearly hoping to save Song Jue from Wang Xianzhi’s hands before the final blow landed.

But inevitably, he was too late.

Even so, the blue frost blooming from the Zhishang sword held an aura that seemed to swallow the ages, vast as the firmament and the sea, encompassing all, possessing the god-like power to command time itself to stand still.

The intent of this sword strike even carried the spirit of Wang Xianzhi’s "Great Monument-Shattering Hand." It was a strike of the most lethal, absolute killing power. Yet, almost no one could perceive the boundless compassion hidden beneath that intent.

This technique was named "Unceasing Retribution."

All life is suffering; the world is a furnace, the mortal realm an eternal cycle, the human heart a bottomless abyss, and others are hell itself. Yet, if a single thought of compassion remains in the center of one's spirit, one vows with this sword to shatter the cycle and deliver all sentient beings!

This was the final and strongest move of Qi Keyang’s renowned Frost-Startling Sword Art. Every move of the Frost-Startling Sword Art was derived from Buddhist scriptures. This move, "Unceasing Retribution," held the greatest killing intent, yet it contained the cycle of life and death, an eternal song that never fades.

The sword energy was bitingly cold, like a northern wind piercing the bone. As the crowd’s attention shifted to the sword light that had appeared as if from nowhere, both sides felt a surge of anxiety.

Wang Xianzhi was the world’s number one, but killing the peerless "Heavenly Blade" Song Jue must have exhausted his strength. Could he withstand this world-toppling strike from the Snow Marshal?

The Zhishang sword whistled, transforming into an arc that seemed to cleave the heavens, arriving in an instant like a comet striking the moon. Even a master of Wang Xianzhi’s caliber had to turn grave. His wide sleeves opened like a folding fan, and his middle finger traced a void in the air.

Suddenly, that corner of the world turned azure. From the distant horizon came the cry of a cuckoo, and a shallow, drizzling evening rain began to fall from the sky. It was as if the profundity of his finger intent had stirred the vast will of Heaven.

The clash was so swift that no one could see it clearly. All they saw was Qi Keyang sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, a muffled explosion erupting from his chest, his ribs clearly shattered.

Wang Xianzhi remained standing, but his lips suddenly parted, and bright red blood sprayed out. The lines of blood cast into the air stained the azure rain. Only the lingering aura of the finger intent and the sword spirit continued to resonate.

"Dare not speak aloud, for fear of startling the heavenly beings."

Qi Keyang, caught and steadied by Yan Lingkong and Deng Jijun of the Big Dipper, forced a painful smile. "Alliance Master Wang’s 'Immortal-Startling Finger' is truly peerless through the ages. I am defeated and have no complaints."

"But if you wish to slaughter the generals of the Tang army, I fear your heart is willing, but your strength is lacking."

Wang Xianzhi wiped the blood from his lips and scanned his surroundings. He saw Taining soldiers appearing like a swarm of bees around the camp. The "Three Thousand Yue Armor" were scattered among them, shields and swords in hand. Many soldiers were pushing small, single-wheeled carts shaped like ox heads and horse heads, forming a defensive line.

Any learned person would recognize these as the "Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses" left behind by the Shu Prime Minister, Zhuge Kongming. The world knew these carts were for transporting grain, but few knew that these simple, agile carts could be used at any time as obstacles to block the enemy, far more effective than chevaux-de-frise.

Zhuge Liang had used them to repeatedly defeat the Wei cavalry with infantry; even after his star fell at Wuzhang Plains, Jiang Wei and his Tiger-Pacing Army used them to protect the main force during their retreat.

The Taining Army camp had been raided by Zhu Wen, and they had been forced to abandon much of their baggage to the rebel army, but what Kou Qianzhi and the others had fought to retrieve were these very carts!

Who said times had changed and war chariots were useless? It was merely a matter of whether one knew how to use them. Huang Chao had used chariot tactics to shatter the Pinglu cavalry, and today, Qi Keyang relied on these small war carts to cover the imperial army's retreat.

The Taining Army had arrayed themselves in formation, their defenses tight and impenetrable. When Wang Xianzhi killed Song Jue and his momentum reached its peak, Qi Keyang had come with his sword, risking his own life to force out Wang Xianzhi’s strongest killing move—the Immortal-Startling Finger.

Though the victor was decided in a single move, it was by no means because Qi Keyang was weak. Top masters either decide a battle in hundreds of rounds or in a single strike.

Wang Xianzhi’s killing intent had dissipated, and he too was injured and spitting blood; he could no longer rely on his peerless martial prowess to crush the Tang army and continue his slaughter.

With Wang Xianzhi’s keen eyes, he could see that with Qi Keyang’s arrival and the deployment of the Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses to cover the retreat, he could no longer pursue them at will. The lives of Song Wei and his men were saved.

As a grandmaster, Wang Xianzhi never hid his respect, even for an enemy.

"I have won in martial skill, but the Snow Marshal has won in strategy. 'Snow Clearing of Qilian'—the name is well-deserved!"

Wang Xianzhi bowed with the grace of a clear breeze and a bright moon. Qi Keyang, enduring his pain, returned the salute with a steady gaze.

The imperial commander Song Wei glared with hatred, but under the protection of the Taining Army, he slowly withdrew.

***

*Bu Mu, courtesy name Jingxian, was a man of Chu during the Warring States period, serving the Chu general Zhuang Qiao with his martial strength. In the twentieth year of King Qingxiang of Chu, he was sent to attack Qin; Zhuang Qiao was the general, and they reclaimed Qianzhong Commandery. Mu created the technique of the "Immortal-Startling Finger" and, following Qiao in the attack on Qin, killed the Qin general Sima Cuo.*

*Qiao took Mu deep into Dian, but the Qin general Bai Qi broke through Yan and Ying, cutting off Qiao’s path home, so Qiao became King of Dian. Qiao had no sons and took Mu as his adopted son, making him his heir. Three generations later, they reverted to their original surname.*

*In the fifth year of the Shiyuan era of Emperor Zhao of the Former Han, Han troops destroyed the state of Dian and relocated the Bu clan to Linhuai Commandery in Yangzhou; they were the Bu clan of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period.*

*— "Records of Ancient Dian"*

*Li Taibai, in his youth, received instruction from a stranger and learned the "Immortal-Startling Finger," capable of killing from a distance. Once, while staying in a mountain temple at night, he encountered a hundred bandits; Taibai killed them all in a single night. He then wrote the line, "Dare not speak aloud, for fear of startling the heavenly beings." Later, Taibai saved the young Master Guo Ziyi in Bingzhou; Master Guo was also peerless in martial arts, and some say Taibai taught him personally.*

*— "Miscellaneous Notes of Mianyin"*