I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Even with his eyes closed, he could "see" the "breathing" of the clouds, the "breathing" of the wind, the "breathing" of the earth... and the "breathing" of Ōtakemaru.

Each "breath" stretched out gracefully, much like tendrils, guiding and directing Qingdeng.

Immediately afterwards, Ōtakemaru's body gradually became "transparent," and every bone, every internal organ, every muscle texture, and even the blood flowing in his veins could be seen!

Guided by "breathing", neither muscle movement nor subtle changes in blood flow can escape Qingdeng's eyes!

In this way, no matter what move Ōtakemaru makes, Aoto can anticipate it in advance. Whether it's an attack or a defense, nothing can escape his eyes!

In this way, no matter who the opponent is—even a top expert who has entered the "selfless state"—they can only be suppressed and beaten!

However, both sides in the current battle are peerless experts who have comprehended the "Transparent Realm"!

They see right through each other... giving the impression that "no one can break their moves" and "they will be locked in a long standoff."

In reality, only a few seconds have passed since the two men took their stances.

Without any warning, two loud explosions erupted simultaneously, shattering the standoff and the deathly silence!

The two men kicked their hind feet so hard that their figures merged into one.

*Clang*—Qing Deng drew his sword from its sheath.

Whoosh—Ōtakemaru swung down the sword he had raised above his head.

In that instant, Qingdeng sensed that the "breath" of heaven and earth split in two, one half surging toward Ōtakemaru, and the other half gathering toward him!

At the same time, the gentle breeze and strong wind that had just subsided came howling in again!

A gentle breeze entangled the black blade.

A strong wind enveloped the silver blade.

The two figures, walking on the wind, seemed like gods descending to earth!

This scene...it's as if the wind is helping them in their battle!

In a daze, Qingdeng recalled the words spoken by "Qingdeng": When you draw your sword and rise up, all things in the world will ride alongside you, sword in hand.

And so, the two knives, one black and one silver, and the two gusts of wind, one soft and one hard, crashed heavily into each other!

……

……

……

……

The familiar sensation of weakening broken bones traveled to Qing Deng's palm.

“呼……！呼……！呼……！呼……！呼……！”

Qingdeng, panting heavily, used his left hand to wipe the blood from his eyelids, then slowly opened his eyes... The first thing he saw was bright red blood.

It wasn't his blood, but Ōtakemaru's blood.

Vairocana's blade slashed fiercely into Ōtakemaru's chest, severing all his ribs and lungs!

The gushing blood instantly stained his clothes, a shocking sight.

The clash just now occurred in milliseconds, imperceptible to the naked eye—Qingdeng's drawn sword collided with Ootakemaru's descending sword in mid-air.

If Ōtakemaru had been stronger, he could have parried Aoto's sword; if Aoto had been stronger, he could have parried Ōtakemaru's sword... In the end, the latter was the outcome.

Ōtakemaru's strength was just a hair's breadth away... truly only a fraction of a second, and he was no match for him, causing his sword path to deviate, failing to strike Aoto's body and only shaving off a few strands of his hair.

Meanwhile, Qingdeng's black blade, still brimming with power, struck Ōtakemaru squarely in the chest...

With a slight effort, Qingdeng pulled Vairochana out of Ootakemaru's body and back to his side.

But Ōtakemaru's body swayed and staggered like a puppet with its strings cut...

He seemed to still want to fight, still want to wield his sword.

Unfortunately... his broken body could no longer support his will.

After struggling for only a moment, he lowered his arms and then lay on his back facing the sky, stirring up a thin layer of dust.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully replicated the talent "The One Who Connects Worlds"]

[Detection indicates the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Another person with the talent "Connected to Another World" has died.]

[The host's "Celestial Being" talent has been upgraded to Eternal Talent!]

—So that's how it is. So this is what "Qingdeng" meant by "I share the same talent as Ōtakemaru"...

—Now… am I the only one left who possesses the title of "One Who Connects the World"?

Looking at Ōtakemaru, who had already collapsed and was about to pass away, Aoto suddenly felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

Suddenly, he sensed the presence of humans.

He instinctively turned his head to look and saw a young woman he had never seen before standing in the distance.

"who are you?"

“I am this man’s sister, Ah Ling.”

As Ah Ling spoke, she shifted her gaze, staring intently at Ōtakemaru, whose breath was growing weaker and weaker, her face devoid of joy or sorrow.

*******

*******

When this book was first released, when Aoto and Saito fought against the Exile Group, he first touched the threshold of the "Transcendent Realm". The title of that chapter was "The Music of the King of Niou"... Near the end, it was finally revealed what "The Music of the King of Niou" meant.

New book released!!! (Leopard super excited.jpg)

The final installment of the "Sword Trilogy"—"America: John Wick 1924"!

This time, it's the story of Li Yu, the battle priest and "Like a Dragon"!

Be sure to bookmark this and read it regularly! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

Chapter 1194: Both the strongest opponent and the best friend

When I was little, I really disliked my older brother.

Because he was born deaf, he was unmoved no matter what I said to him, and would just stare at me blankly.

We're siblings close in age, yet we can't communicate properly... Over time, I've grown to hate my brother more and more.

Why can't you hear my voice?

Having never experienced kinship or friendship due to family misfortune, I crave love more than anyone else, but the person closest to me cannot hear my desperate cries.

Besides being deaf and mute, his strange behavior also infuriated me.

As far back as I can remember, my brother would always carry a straight wooden stick and run to the open space next to our house, swinging it around wildly and striking various poses in a very professional manner.

Is he teaching himself swordsmanship?

Seriously, who does he think he is? A swordsmanship prodigy? Swordsmanship isn't something he can just learn whenever he wants.

Perhaps because he couldn't hear, which greatly reduced his contact with the world, my brother was always immersed in his own world.

Only when he is practicing swordsmanship will he show a rich variety of facial expressions.

At other times, he always presents himself with a blank expression and no emotional fluctuations.

His indifferent, detached demeanor only irritated me more and more. I just wanted to get as far away from him as possible and make him disappear from my sight.

However... however... although I'm very reluctant to admit it, I actually envy my brother a lot...

More than once I've thought: This guy is so lucky to have such an addictive hobby, which allows him to temporarily escape from his awful reality...

My dislike for my brother stems from the frustration of not being able to communicate with him and not being able to understand him.

The dislike for parents is a complete and utter loathing.

I have never met my father.

When I asked about my father's identity and whereabouts, my mother would only give vague and impatient answers... I guess she didn't even know who my father was.

After all, she was a well-known prostitute who slept with different men every day. The birth of my brother and me was purely a side effect of failed contraception.

With so many clients, it's probably impossible for her to figure out who my brother's and my fathers were, even if she wanted to.

If I had to find a woman in the world who is closest to the word "wandering," I think it would be my mother.

He was addicted to alcohol and gambling, and made a living by selling his body. As soon as he earned some money, he couldn't wait to squander it all at the gambling table, and this cycle repeated itself.

To her, my brother and I were useless burdens.

"You two useless things!" "It's all your fault! You've made me have less money to buy wine!" "You'll drag me down to my death sooner or later!"... In my memory, my mother never showed a gentle side to my brother and me.

All I can recall are his furrowed brows, his eyes blazing with anger, and those extremely sarcastic and biting words.

She would only give my brother and me a few coins when she was in a good mood.

A full stomach is a rare sight, hunger is the norm... In order to survive and to fill my stomach, I learned very early on which wild vegetables and miscellaneous vegetables were edible.

Even when he was so hungry he was dizzy, my brother wouldn't show the slightest sign of pain. He would still keep a straight face and practice his swordsmanship every day without fail... And this became another reason why I envied him: even though his stomach was empty, he still had plenty of energy.

As time went by, instead of correcting her lifestyle, her habits became increasingly absurd.

His alcoholism and gambling addiction grew stronger.

It's easy to imagine that her unrestrained lifestyle would inevitably ruin her health.

Her once somewhat attractive appearance gradually faded.

Her once plump body gradually withered.

As a result, her former patrons abandoned her one after another.

With her income plummeting, she turned to alcohol and gambling to cope with her pain... The mother became increasingly trapped in a vicious cycle, ultimately leading her down a path of no return: debt.

Because she was a prostitute without a stable income, legitimate money lenders would never lend her money.

The only ones willing to lend her money were the underground banks run by the Yakuza.