Supreme Divine Physician in the City Chapter 1601: Deciding Life and Death Once Again

A hundred and seventy-four moves, vanishing in the blink of an eye!

What aggressive, lightning-fast strikes would be required to unleash such a flurry of one hundred seventy-four attacks in mere moments?

How exceptionally swift and resolute must a defender's reaction be to completely parry such perilously close assaults?

As the saying goes, when true masters engage, every single motion carries lethal weight!

Precisely like Ye Xuan and the Sword God, within those recent one hundred and seventy-four exchanges, any flicker of hesitation, however minuscule, could have sealed their fate.

It is no exaggeration to declare that from the very inception of their clash, every passing second was steeped in immeasurable peril.

A single misstep, and one plunges into the abyss of the Netherworld!

"Astounding, truly astounding! Is this the genuine pinnacle of a master's duel? Without drawing steel or shedding a single drop of blood, they conjure such heart-stopping intensity!"

"Remarkably swift, unbelievably so! My eyes cannot even follow the action!"

"What is truly transpiring? Between the Sword God and Ye Xuan, who holds the advantage?"

"..."

The sharp, percussive sounds of their engagement sent reverberations through the crowd, amplifying their fervent desire to know the duel's conclusion.

Yet, not a soul offered an answer.

Those capable of truly comprehending the exchange could not discern the finer points, and those who could see sufficiently did not wish to voice their observations.

Consequently, the atmosphere remained electrically charged.

When the adversaries reached the four hundred and ninety-sixth move, at long last, the delicate equilibrium of their prolonged parity fractured, and the intense tension plaguiing the air abruptly crystallized into profound stillness.

Crack!

An exceptionally sharp and resonant sound, like something snapping, echoed through the arena.

All the assembled onlookers, their earlier excitement palpable, now fixed their fervent gaze as Ye Xuan and the Sword God simultaneously ceased all movement.

Ye Xuan stood with an air of composure, though the skin on his palm bore a conspicuous split, weeping crimson blood – a truly arresting spectacle.

And the Sword God... his condition was far more dire!

Emerging from the fierce and grueling contest, the Sword God, who had appeared as serene as a celestial being mere moments prior, was now slick with perspiration, his complexion ashen, his eyes burdened by a profound mix of sorrow and indignation.

His hands were a mangled testament to the battle, a brutal tapestry of crimson.

His seemingly unassuming wooden staff, now reduced to a mere splinter!

At his throat, the fractured remnant of the stick was pressed with chilling finality, while Ye Xuan's commanding hand occupied the opposing end!

The broken stick clutched in his grasp, his vital throat under siege – what profound meaning did this tableau convey?

The Northern Federation's revered Martial Arts God, the Sword God Chiba Choko... defeated?

This is...

An absolute, suffocating silence descended upon the entire scene, an unnerving, profound stillness.

Countless vacant stares slowly, languidly drifted towards Ye Xuan, each filled with a stupefying shock and utter disbelief, as if unable to absorb the reality that the individual before them had indeed vanquished the formidable Sword God!

And who exactly was this Sword God?

A national icon in the realm of Martial Arts!

In the span of several decades, the Sword God had suffered but a single defeat, succumbing to Ye Tianlong's prowess thirty years prior.

Now, thirty years hence, the Sword God's abilities had ascended to unfathomable heights, leaving him with precious few equals. It was even speculated that were Ye Tianlong alive today and to face him anew, he might not prevail against the Sword God.

And the outcome of this encounter is...

This Ye Xuan, possesses no more than twenty years of life!

Silence.

A grave, deathly silence.

Gazing from a distance at the splinter of wood poised against the Sword God's neck, every observer felt an overwhelming wave of shock, finding it difficult to process this sudden turn of events.

It wasn't merely the surprise of the Sword God's defeat that stunned them.

But was the entire affair not concluded with unseemly haste?

From the commencement to the conclusion, in less than three minutes, the esteemed Sword God had fallen before Ye Xuan's might?

What extraordinary caliber of talent did this young man possess? In the entire annals of the Martial Arts world, perhaps no individual of such prodigious gift had ever emerged!

Even more perplexing, and perhaps even more humiliating, was the fact that Ye Xuan's origins lay entirely outside the established Martial Arts circles!

"Magnificent, truly magnificent, Ye Xuan, a job exceptionally well done!"

"Hahaha, brilliant! Thirty years ago, Ye Tianlong stood as our bastion, and now, thirty years later, Ye Xuan emerges triumphantly, elevating Yan Country's honor and shattering the Northern Federation's spirit!"

"Ye Xuan is undeniably favored by the heavens themselves!"

"..."

Following a fleeting moment of stunned silence, the arena erupted into a cacophony of jubilant cheers, a surge of adrenaline-fueled passion coursing through the assembled masses.

Amidst this fervent atmosphere, a dissenting voice began to surface.

"Heh, when true masters engage, every move is perilous, were Ye Xuan's palms not also split from the sheer force of impact? In my assessment, his ultimate success was not solely a product of his martial prowess!"

"Precisely, this young upstart must have simply been fortunate!"

"Having determined the victor, but also the fate of life and death, now that the outcome is declared, Ye Xuan is fortunate indeed to have won. What follows is the true battle for survival, and only those who endure shall have the final laugh!"

"The Sword God's signature technique, the Falling Leaves and Floating Flowers Blade Arts, is devastatingly potent; had he truly drawn his blade, Ye Xuan would undoubtedly have been outmatched!"

"Let us simply observe; I am eager to witness if, in the crucible of a life-or-death struggle, Ye Xuan can maintain his current impressive demeanor!"

"..."

The entire expanse of Canglang Island buzzed with lively discourse, populated by ardent Martial Arts aficionados, who were subtly fragmenting into opposing factions, not only in their viewpoints but also in their apparent allegiances.

The palpable tension intensified, making the atmosphere turn deadly severe.

Yet, Ye Xuan and the Sword God seemed completely unfazed by the surrounding gravity.

Facing the seemingly innocuous stick, the Sword God’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He could vividly sense the immense power contained within that simple wooden object, a power capable of being unleashed instantly, deeply startling his spirit.

To everyone else, it appeared as if he had merely lost one exchange.

However, only he truly understood that this duel today was fundamentally different from their encounter thirty years prior.

Back then, the Sword God had indeed been defeated in a single move.

But in reality, today, he had already lost by the fourteenth move!

It was solely his own fierce onslaught, compensating for deficiencies with sheer strength, coupled with Ye Xuan’s lack of intent to inflict harm, that had allowed the fight to persist until this moment...

If Ye Xuan had been fully committed to victory from the start, it wouldn’t have even taken fourteen moves; he should have been vanquished long ago!

"A Heaven’s favored one, truly a Heaven’s favored one! Why does my Northern Federation lack such exceptional talent? Why!" Inside the Sword God’s mind, frantic and tumultuous roars of lament echoed.

Before arriving at Canglang Island, he had already harbored the knowledge that if Ye Xuan didn’t hold back, victory would be impossible for him.

Still, he hadn’t anticipated the chasm between his own abilities and Ye Xuan’s to be this immense!

If a prodigy like Ye Xuan had been born within the Northern Federation, possessing such world-class talent, how could its martial arts not flourish vibrantly?

The Sword God even dared to entertain a fantasy: if the Northern Federation’s martial arts had Ye Xuan, it wouldn’t require decades; their martial prowess would undoubtedly surpass Yan Country’s, ascending to the pinnacle of the world!

What a deep and profound pity!

"Hoo—"

The Sword God let out a deep exhalation, his senses returning. He looked bitterly towards Ye Xuan and declared, "The outcome of today's battle is already decided."

Ye Xuan responded with a smile, "Then, do you still desire to continue?"

"Naturally," the Sword God replied. He clasped his hands once more towards Ye Xuan, his voice growing increasingly solemn and resolute. "With the outcome determined, as is life and death, now that the winner is clear, we shall proceed to fight to the death!"