Chapter 151: The Shattering of the Seal

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Outside the Secret Realm.

Both hands gripping his sword, Yagyu Hirotoshi trembled faintly. Of course, this was caused not only by the frustration he felt at Qin Chuan’s methods of countering him, but also by the tremendous expenditure required to sustain such an abstruse secret realm. That expenditure drained both the vital energy within his body and his spirit.

A closer look revealed that Yagyu Hirotoshi’s face was as pale as paper. Beads of sweat the size of beans trickled down his forehead, and every time Qin Chuan felt a violent impact against his mind and body, Yagyu Hirotoshi’s own body would jolt violently as well.

To be honest, this method of attack was essentially equivalent to suffering eight hundred casualties in order to inflict a thousand upon the enemy. Had he possessed any other choice, Yagyu Hirotoshi would never have employed such a costly and unrewarding secret technique. The main reason was that, after his previous attacks with tangible sword aura and close-combat swordsmanship, capturing Qin Chuan’s movements had proved practically impossible. Those attacks had felt more like suffering a thousand casualties merely to injure the enemy by a hundred.

Thus, after exhausting every alternative, Yagyu Hirotoshi had chosen to trap Qin Chuan within the secret realm. At first, the results had been quite striking. Yet that delight had not lasted long before Yagyu Hirotoshi saw Qin Chuan adopt a method of resistance that involved merging with the secret realm itself.

How should one describe that feeling? It was like lifting a stone and dropping it on one’s own head—and not merely dropping it, but smashing one’s skull until blood flowed freely. In an instant, a saying from China flashed through Yagyu Hirotoshi’s mind: “Cocooning oneself.”

“How is this possible? For a martial artist to enter that selfless state in which they merge with heaven and earth, they must possess nearly monstrous martial talent and encounter an extraordinary opportunity. Otherwise, the complete state of selflessness would not be the cultivation realm every martial artist dreams of attaining.”

“And yet Qin Chuan accomplished it as easily as falling asleep?”

The enormous contrast made Yagyu Hirotoshi, who had always prided himself on being a martial genius, feel as though someone had viciously slapped his cheeks with the sole of a shoe.

“If this continues, I’ll probably be exhausted to death first!”

“Should I risk mutual destruction and enter the realm to kill him myself?”

At that thought, Yagyu Hirotoshi became embroiled in a fierce internal struggle. Entering a realm he himself had created carried the danger of deviating into madness and dying on the spot should anything go wrong. Of course, it also offered a very high chance of killing Qin Chuan outright.

“Indecision is far less satisfying than staking everything on one desperate gamble. If I cannot overcome this obstacle, it may well become a heart demon during my future cultivation.”

In the end, Yagyu Hirotoshi firmly resolved to stake everything on the gamble. He clenched his teeth and steeled his heart, slowly closing his eyes. Then, sword raised in hand, he abruptly entered that world of nothing but gray and white, as if his soul had left his body.

At the same time, Qin Chuan, who was within the secret realm, suddenly opened his eyes. As a figure vaguely emerged before him in the gray-white world like a ghost, the corners of his lips curled upward.

“What is it? Couldn’t resist coming in to fight me to the death at last?”

Qin Chuan’s eyes were filled with mockery, and his words made no attempt to conceal their teasing or ridicule.

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Yagyu Hirotoshi sneered. “This secret realm was created by me. Within this domain, I am the sovereign. You are nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, so where does your sense of superiority come from?”

“If you truly have that much confidence, why is the hand holding your sword trembling?”

Qin Chuan’s soul-piercing question nearly shattered Yagyu Hirotoshi’s composure on the spot. It was only at that moment that he truly realized how terrifying Qin Chuan was.

Previously, no matter how he attacked, he had been unable to inflict any substantial harm upon Qin Chuan. At most, Yagyu Hirotoshi had considered him exceptionally troublesome. But now, his state of mind had changed completely. That change directly caused the gray-white world to suddenly take on faint traces of color, forcing Yagyu Hirotoshi to hastily gather his thoughts.

“You brought this upon yourself. Even if it means risking madness, I will kill you here today!”

Yagyu Hirotoshi said no more. His form once again merged with his sword aura, and he crashed toward Qin Chuan’s position like a bolt of lightning.

Because he was within the secret realm, Qin Chuan’s perception had been reduced to its lowest point. Although he could see his opponent launch the attack, his response was far slower than it would have been under normal circumstances. As a result, danger drew near at astonishing speed.

“At this point, I can no longer keep evading. Otherwise, trapped within this secret realm, I’ll be reduced to nothing more than prey being hunted.”

Having made up his mind, Qin Chuan circulated the force within his body and charged head-on into Yagyu Hirotoshi’s terrifying sword flash. A moment later, an ear-piercing clash rang through the void, and the two figures shot backward in opposite directions.

Thud, thud, thud!

Qin Chuan was blasted more than thirty feet away before barely managing to steady himself. The churning of his blood and vital energy grew even more violent, and he clearly sensed that the layer of force sealing the Nine-Yang energy within him was on the verge of sustaining serious damage.

Yagyu Hirotoshi was in no better shape. His heart was filled with shock. He had believed that, on his own home ground, he would be able to crush Qin Chuan and kill him outright. He had never imagined that their first direct confrontation would end in a deadlock.

His own blood and vital energy were surging as well, and he had nearly lost control of his martial spirit and fallen into madness.

“Damn it!”

Unwilling to accept defeat, Yagyu Hirotoshi once again gathered his strength and launched another attack.

Qin Chuan still did not evade. He, too, was prepared to fight to the death. After all, the possibility of forcibly breaking out of the secret realm in his current state was exceedingly small. The only way he might escape was by completely subduing this so-called Sword Saint before him.

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Imagining Wei Baochuan outside, still without anyone to watch over or care for him, and recalling the many stunning women waiting for him to cherish them, Qin Chuan suddenly felt filled with strength. Once again, he charged directly into Yagyu Hirotoshi’s attack.

At that moment, the two men employed no fancy techniques within the secret realm. They simply crashed head-on against one another in the most straightforward manner possible.

Meanwhile, Chiba Tsunesugi and Chiba Kaoru, who were watching from the shadows, wore exceptionally grave expressions.

“Father, are we truly not going to help Lord Qin? From what Yagyu Hirotoshi said, he clearly already knows that we have allied ourselves with Lord Qin.”

Chiba Kaoru spoke with undisguised anxiety.

Chiba Tsunesugi sighed. “Given the state of their battle, if we intervene rashly, not only will we be unable to help Lord Qin, we may even disrupt the rhythm of his attacks. The consequences would be unimaginable. And to be honest, I have not the slightest confidence in dealing with the Yagyu family’s secret-realm attacks. I truly am powerless to help.”

Chiba Kaoru opened her mouth, but in the end she could not utter a single word. The fate of the entire Chiba family now rested upon the outcome of this battle between peerless experts.

At that moment, Qin Chuan, still within the secret realm, felt the force barrier sealing the Nine-Yang energy inside him completely collapse. The intense burning sensation caused unbearable pain throughout every meridian in his body.

“Ah!”

Even with Qin Chuan’s formidable willpower, he could not help crying out in agony. He hurriedly diverted part of his attention to suppress the Nine-Yang energy, attempting to repair the collapsed force barrier.

But how could Yagyu Hirotoshi possibly give Qin Chuan a chance to catch his breath?

“Die!”

Yagyu Hirotoshi gathered every ounce of his essence, energy, and spirit, preparing to deliver Qin Chuan the final fatal blow.

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