[Ultimate Yin-Yang Slash]

Yang Kai crossed his weapons before slashing forward. The name of his technique might be bland and uninspiring, but the effect was far from ordinary. A red and blue moon-shaped slash teleported to its target, and it immediately showed its power as soon as it touched Dugu Baitian’s red shield.

At first, the weight of numerous universes and the power resulting from their subsequent destruction tried to break the barrier. However, after this approach proved ineffective, its effects shifted to the power of space and time. The subsequent effect of these slashes could be described as a game-spinning wheel of opposites.

Life and death intertwine into a cocktail known as reality. Slowness and speed marry to define momentum. Good and evil join in harmony to form the spectrum of morality. Sadness and happiness founded the complexity of the human psyche. Night and Day worked in tandem as the foundation of the space-time continuum.

And these were the tips of the iceberg. The beauty of this attack lies in its versatility, as it cycles through all forms of duality: push and pull, left and right, up and down, water and fire, hot and cold, tall and short, and so on. The attack used these concepts of different sides of the same coin to the extreme.

Crack!

A crack about 30 centimeters appeared on the raging beast’s shield. It finally showed some sign of emotion as it looked at its shield. When he focused on Yan Hai again, the hidden disdain was gone. Instead, he finally saw her as a threat; well, maybe this is not the correct word. He saw her as a struggling prey that may injure it if not careful. So, the beast took things seriously. It roared before a pair of red wings grew on its back.

’Damn it, he was holding back?’ Yan Hai wanted to curse. However, she did not even have the energy to waste. As soon as Yang Kai’s attack ended, she vomited more than ten liters of blood. "Twisted Monk." Yan Hai was not a complete elitist like most Extreme Path Swordsmen. In her life, she has faced a few "sword users" that impressed her, so she added them to the monument.

Twisted Monk was a man who believed Buddhism could both kill and save life, so he practiced the Light Sword. His phantom appeared before Yan Hai and released a golden light from the tip of his sword. Unfortunately, the healing did nothing more to alleviate a few minor injuries. Meanwhile, Dugu Baitian started his slaughter.

The Phantoms rushed at him without a care for their lives. They released unparalleled attacks after another, trying to stall him. To reduce the burden on herself, these phantoms sacrificed themselves as the price. In other words, this monument will be destroyed once this battle ends, and who knows how long it will take Yan Hai to recondense it.’

’I’m so close,’ Yan Hai thought as she watched this pointless battle. Her phantoms had no chance whatsoever. ’Should I try that attack?’ Her plan to evolve her Dao was not out of nowhere, nor was it relying purely on luck to last long enough to reach that stage — no, she had a solid foundation for making such a gamble.

The reward from the Sword Path League was the trace of a Transcendent Sword Will. The league came into possession of a broken sword, probably from a Primordial Saint, or maybe higher. For years, they used the aura from the sword to help cultivate their swordsmen, but it was only after the Ultimate Taboo that they found a method to activate the smallest trace of the residual Sword Will from the sword.

They proposed the exchange with Yan Hai for many reasons, one of which was to test whether this thing could indeed be used in the sanctification process. While they had many talented individuals, none could compare to this woman, and more importantly, the sword was only recently activated, and they did not know how safe it was. Yan Hai was the perfect test subject.

Yan Hai felt she was on the verge of creating a Saint Sword Will Embryo to secure her transcendent path in the Quintessence Realm. As talented as she was, she realized that the will remaining in that sword was both too high a level and too incomplete. It would probably take her too long to comprehend something, and time was the one thing she lacked the most; whether it was the impending disaster or the time constraint from the contract, it was looking like she would suffer from this deal.

However, this battle was the perfect opportunity to turn things around. As long as she casts that embryo, she can use the remaining allocated time to perfect it. ’My body is nearing its limit, but my spirit has not reached the ultimate peak needed for a sublimation.’

Her eyes shifted to Yang Kai. The last time she used this technique, Wang Chong was present to provide her with the blood energy to prevent her body from instantly collapsing, along with other support from Qiyuan. But now, she was ready to risk it all.

"Yang Kai!"

The Saber-Sword Sovereign’s phantom turned into a sword rune that fused with Yan Hai’s bamboo. She then gently stabbed the bamboo. The Void Battlefield changed — at least, the area around Dugu Baitian did. First, the dull-white turned into a myriad of colors; it was as if a rainbow had vomited on Dugu Baitian.

After the elaborate display of color, black lines manifested before slowly revealing a black void behind the veils. It was as if reality had been previously stitched together, and now the seams have been unraveled. Luckily, nothing seemed to be coming from the other side before the void cracks closed.

But this was not the end of this attack’s effect. The world — including Dugu Baitian — suddenly turned into cubes as if everything was pixelated. The cubes vibrated before turning into ping-pong-sized balls and exploding. Such a brilliant display was a sign that this single attack had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship in numerous hidden dimensions of this Chaos Universe, and these dimensions manifested briefly to honor that single strike.

The ball explosion should have been the end of this winged beast, but that’s not what happened. In fact, he appeared perfectly intact, with his majestic wing and glowing eyes. The only difference was the five cracks on his defensive shield. Even such an attack that resonated with other dimensions and facilitated their interaction with the Chaos Universe could not kill him — no, even worse, could not even injure him.

The beast spread its wings while staring at its prey. It opened its mouth — not to roar — but to fire a red beam attack, which also came out of its wings. The phantoms continued their mission to protect their creator, but it was useless. With this one wave of attack, they were all instantly annihilated.

Boom!

Yan Hai was sent flying for a few billion light-years. One of the best decisions she could have made in this battle was fusing the ten talismans into her body. Otherwise, her ribs would not have been the only thing pulverized by that punch.

’Not yet,’ Yan Hai thought. The beast appeared above her, ready for a devastating kick. A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Yan Hai’s eyes. She countered. It did not matter how much of a terrible state she was, or how much her [Existence Blueprint] was screaming in agony, Yan Hai did the only thing her Dao was designed to do: attack.

The kick blew a hole into her chest, forcing her to free-fall into this empty void. As for her attack? Well, it was insignificant to the beast, but it served her purpose. Yan Hai’s spirit kept rising. Her body shrank, making her no different from a mummy, but the light in her eyes never wavered.

The beast did not appreciate those eyes. Ants should act like ants and accept their place and fate in the world. Claws grew from Dugu Baitian’s fingers before he plunged down. His target was simple: the things that allowed this ant to still resist.

Yan Hai stabbed her bamboo, but this was the last time she would be using her bloodied hands. The beast threw her Proving Dao Artifact away before annihilating her upper limbs. The light did not diminish. On the contrary, it intensified.

’Not yet.’

The bamboo appeared in her mouth, and she swung it again. The beast roared before ripping the weapon from her mouth, breaking most of her teeth and jaw. Then, it crushed it. Yan Hai felt an intense pain in her soul due to the backlash of her Proving Dao Artifact being destroyed. But even that did not stop her.

Her feet released a barrage of sword attacks, showing that even without a weapon, Yan Hai could defeat 99% of swordsmen in the Chaos Universe. A glint flashed in the creature’s eyes, and it raised its hand to condense an enormous energy ball. Without any more nonsense, it dropped it on Yan Hai with unparalleled speed, not giving her a chance to react.

’It seems I lost the gamble,’ Yan Hai thought as the energy ball was less than a millimeter from annihilating her existence. ’It’s a shame I can’t continue the journey with Brother Qiyuan and Brother Li. It’s a shame I can’t see the pinnacle of swordsmanship. It’s a shame I won’t see the kid get married and become Hong’er’s ancestor-in-law.

’But my life has been great so far. My only regret is that I never had a chance to repay Brother Li for all the bad luck he suffered because of that damn trial.’

Yan Hai sighed, choosing to accept her fate. If only she had a bit more time. Sadly, that’s not how life works. She took a gamble on her life to pursue the highest level of Sword Dao. While her ambition and spirit were admirable, there is a price to pay for everything. If she had won the gamble, she would have come one step closer to achieving her goals. And since she lost, it’s fair that the price is death.

"Don’t worry, I got you," said a familiar voice. A safe feeling enveloped Yan Hai, and for a brief moment, all the pain seemed to have disappeared.

"You know, I understand why you always said these words. It’s really a great way to make an entrance."