Chapter 341 Face-off Again

Chapter 341: Clash Again

The footsteps seemed to step directly on his taut nerves.

One step...

Two steps...

Three steps...

Just as he judged that the other party was about to turn the corner of the rock and face him head-on.

A fierce glint flashed in Cheng Ge's eyes as he suddenly burst forth from his hiding spot.

The waist saber in his hand, carrying the full force of his body, slashed viciously toward the estimated position of the other's head and neck.

This strike was fast, fierce, and precise—the absolute limit of what he could unleash at this moment!

Yet—"Clang!" A piercing metallic clash exploded! Sparks flew in all directions!

Cheng Ge felt a tremendous recoil force transmitted from the hilt, jarring the base of his thumb until it went numb, nearly causing him to lose his grip on the blade.

Looking up, he saw that Wuliji had somehow already crossed his curved saber before him, blocking this lethal strike with pinpoint precision!

Wuliji's gaze remained calm, even carrying a hint of indifference as if he'd expected it all along.

With his strike blocked, Cheng Ge knew he was in trouble and was about to change tactics, but Wuliji had already moved!

He twisted his wrist, and the curved saber, like a living thing, slid up along Cheng Ge's blade, aiming directly for his wrist! Incredibly fast!

Cheng Ge hastily retreated a step and brought his blade back to parry. "Clang!" Another crisp sound as he narrowly deflected the attack.

But Wuliji's assault came in relentless waves—each strike faster than the last, the curved saber tracing deadly silver arcs as it relentlessly targeted Cheng Ge's vital points.

The saber whistled fiercely, forcing Cheng Ge to retreat step after step, barely managing to hold his ground through instinct and experience alone.

The wound on his left arm split open again from the violent parrying motions, blood quickly staining his sleeve crimson, and his movements slowed by half a beat.

"Rip!" Wuliji's blade tip grazed across his chest armor, throwing up a trail of sparks and leaving a deep slash mark, the residual force leaving Cheng Ge's chest heaving and his blood pounding.

Cheng Ge let out a muffled grunt, staggered on his feet, and stumbled back more quickly.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse behind him—it was already the edge of the massive rock formation. Any further back and he'd be in completely open ground!

Wuliji pressed forward step by step, his blade strikes growing heavier, clearly intent on cornering him completely.

Cheng Ge clenched his jaw, knowing he could no longer remain on the defensive.

As Wuliji's blade came crashing down once more from above, Cheng Ge did not dodge or evade. Instead, he sidestepped and advanced, using his shoulder armor to slam hard into Wuliji's chest.

At the same time, his waist saber swept low toward Wuliji's lower body! This was a desperate, all-or-nothing move!

Wuliji had not expected Cheng Ge, with his back against the wall, to be so bold as to fight up close, risking everything.

His downward strike hesitated for a split second as he leaned back to avoid the low sweep, but his chest was still struck hard by Cheng Ge's shoulder armor.

"Thud!" A dull impact sounded as both men retreated half a step simultaneously.

Using the recoil force, Cheng Ge rolled violently backward to the side, trying once again to create distance and find a new opportunity.

But the moment he rose to his feet, Wuliji's curved saber was already upon him like a shadow, its icy blade thrusting straight for his back!

The shadow of death instantly hung over him.

Cheng Ge hastily twisted aside to evade the fatal thrust to his back, clumsily rolling to the side as loose stones and broken branches bit into his skin.

Wuliji didn't stop his swing—he turned the thrust into a sweep, and with a "clatter," the blade knocked off the helmet that had been in his way.

The helmet bounced a few times on the ground, rolled down the slope, and finally disappeared into the grass at the edge of the cliff.

Cheng Ge's back slammed hard against the ground, his vision darkening from the violent rolling.

Wuliji didn't give him a second to breathe. The curved saber in his hand rose once more, whistling as it tore through the air, and slashed down at Cheng Ge's face!

Cheng Ge's pupils contracted sharply. Instinct took over, and he threw his saber up, holding it overhead!

"Clang—!" A deafening impact resounded!

Wuliji's strike carried immense force. Cheng Ge felt an unstoppable weight pressing down, the skin at the base of his thumb splitting open instantly, blood soaking the hilt.

Veins stood out on his forehead, his whole arm shaking from the strain.

The icy blade pressed down inch by inch, just an inch from his forehead!

The pressure crushed his chest, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He clenched his teeth and lifted his gaze, staring fixedly at Wuliji before him, his eyes wild with the madness of a dying man.

The light was fading fast. The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the thick leaves, casting broken patches of light and shadow.

In the shifting light and shadow, Wuliji's cold stare from above finally landed on Cheng Ge's blood-stained face.

Without the helmet, his face was fully visible.

Sweat, dust, and blood streaked his face, his lips pressed thin and pale.

But those eyes—even with death staring him in the face—still blazed with startling intensity.

Wuliji met those eyes, and for a split second, he froze.

A half-forgotten memory slammed into his mind.

His strike faltered—just barely, almost imperceptibly.

Cheng Ge was too sharp for that. He caught the momentary lapse instantly!

He let out a low growl, dredging up the last of his strength, his saber arm suddenly sweeping upward!

Wuliji, thrown off by that brief hesitation, instinctively blocked harder.

With a "clang," Cheng Ge's saber, already at its limit, was knocked clean out of his hand, clattering to the ground!

His weapon was gone! But Cheng Ge's gaze sharpened. In that split-second opening after Wuliji's block, his left hand whipped a hidden dagger from his sleeve!

A flash of cold light! "Thunk!" The dagger sank deep into the gap in the leather armor on Wuliji's right arm.

Wuliji felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, an acute tearing sensation shooting through him instantly, causing the strength in his saber arm to slacken.

He instinctively lowered his head to look at his shoulder—a familiar dagger was embedded in his flesh, only the hilt visible.

He looked up at Cheng Ge in disbelief, his voice low and harsh in his stiff, halting Great Zhou dialect: "This blade... why is it in your hands?!"

A vicious glint flashed in Cheng Ge's eyes as he spat, "It's my blade, so of course it's in my hands."

With that, he twisted his wrist, meaning to yank the dagger out hard.

But Wuliji was lightning fast! The instant Cheng Ge applied force, Wuliji's left hand shot out and clamped tightly around Cheng Ge's wrist, clamping down on the hand holding the dagger.

The two were instantly locked in a tug-of-war, and Cheng Ge, without hesitation, drove his foot hard into Wuliji's wounded right shoulder and chest!

"Ugh!" Wuliji let out a muffled grunt, the searing pain causing his left hand to loosen slightly.

Meanwhile, the kick's recoil sent Cheng Ge hurtling backward!

He was already at the cliff's edge, and with that fall, he tumbled straight down the steep slope.

A violent rush of weightlessness hit him! At that critical moment, a large hand shot out and seized Cheng Ge's falling wrist in a death grip.

Cheng Ge's plummeting form jerked to a halt, dangling precariously over the cliff face.

He looked up, meeting Wuliji's eyes—a swirl of complex, unreadable emotions.

The wind swept over the precipice, whipping at their robes and hair, yet it could not dispel this eerie stillness.

"Hey folks, since I just had surgery today, I might not be able to update for a few days. I'll resume once I'm recovered."