Chapter 29: The Overpowered Protagonist's Power Fantasy (28)

The sword held in the right hand of the fake Su Bai was none other than the Dragon Chant Sword.

"Su Bai."

She stood three zhang away, her expression so indifferent that she seemed almost to merge with the surrounding snow.

"Draw your sword."

The tone was identical to her own, carrying the same arrogant and flamboyant glint in the eyes. But Su Bai had no sword; how could she draw one? Here, she had lost all connection to her blade.

For the first time, Su Bai clearly saw another "her" standing across from her. Was this the oppression she usually imposed on others?

The young girl’s eyes were deep, reflecting the eternal wind and snow of the Far North. She stared at the other "her" for a long time. What does a sword cultivator fear most? They fear being without a sword, and they fear their opponent having one.

Su Bai had used her sword to challenge Qin Yang at the peak of the Heart-Activation stage, leveraged the Golden Core lightning tribulation to crush a three-headed dragon at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and used the Dragon Chant Sword to severely damage a Saint’s soul. Her understanding of the Sword Dao was unique; she had mastered the first form of the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique in just a month, then used that insight to deduce the second form herself.

The sword made her stronger, but it was also her fatal weakness. So, was she not only unable to use a sword here but also forced to watch another "her" wield her own weapon? Was this truly an illusion constructed by a Snow Demon?

The fake Su Bai clearly did not intend to give her time to think. She placed a hand on the scabbard and pushed gently. The Dragon Chant Sword unsheathed.

The blade was stained with a heavy, oppressive sword aura. The fake Su Bai took a few steps, the sword flashed, and the intent of the "One Strike, One Soul" technique ignited, raining down upon the stunned girl in the snow.

Giving up already? A look of contempt flashed in the fake Su Bai's eyes. So, this was all a ruthless-path sword cultivator amounted to.

However, amidst the raging blizzard, the girl, who had been as quiet as an ice statue, suddenly twitched her fingers. Countless tiny snowflakes seemed to gain consciousness; they paused in mid-air, reversed direction, and frantically gathered in Su Bai's hand.

A long sword, identical to the Dragon Chant Sword, manifested in her hand in an instant. Even the hundreds of arrays and enchantments etched into the original blade were replicated exactly according to her will.

The fake Su Bai’s eyes widened in astonishment. Using snow as a sword was not strange, but the Dragon Chant Sword was layered with complex arrays. Even the world's most skilled enchanter could not replicate them so perfectly in such a short time. Why would a sword cultivator be skilled in the art of forging?

The snow-forged Dragon Chant Sword was wreathed in the same sword aura as the female cultivator. Su Bai’s movements were crisp and decisive; she tilted her body, lifted her wrist, and the two swords clashed with a clear, ringing sound.

Sword aura swirled violently around the blade. The fake Su Bai infused her spiritual energy into the sword, causing it to glow with a silver-white light. A streak of sword aura spiraled upward, transforming into the shape of a dragon.

Sword aura taking form. It was the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique.

Su Bai’s eyes darkened. What kind of illusion was this, to be able to replicate these things perfectly from her consciousness?

The sword aura condensed into a physical form, searing hot. The snowflakes hissed as they melted into mist upon contact. Even as Su Bai constantly manipulated new snowflakes to replenish the blade, small nicks appeared where it was scorched.

The fake Su Bai pressed down with her wrist, and the girl holding the snow sword did not retreat an inch.

"Do you think ordinary snow can withstand the aura of the Dragon Chant Sword for long?" the fake Su Bai sneered.

Su Bai replied, "Ten breaths at most."

"Correct." The fake Su Bai’s eyes were heavy, her smile arrogant. "So, time is up."

The dragon-shaped sword aura surged. The spirit and intent of the Dragon Chant Sword vibrated, emitting a deep, resonant roar. As the dragon body lengthened, the surrounding snow was scorched into swirling mist. Just as Su Bai had once forcibly devoured the Saint’s Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique with her own intent, the dragon's maw opened wide and mercilessly shattered the snow sword.

Su Bai lost her balance and was forced back by the sheer power of the aura. The sword energy seemed to carve through the blizzard, pinning the girl's small figure into the snow and dragging her backward.

[My god! This female cultivator who popped out of nowhere is incredible!]

[For the first time, I feel like the streamer is just a person, and she looks so weak.]

[The second form of the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique—she actually replicated it perfectly. Who is she?]

A long trail, clearly left by a person being dragged for dozens of meters, appeared in the snow. Su Bai struggled to push herself up, but the fake Su Bai did not intend to stop.

She moved with the wind, her Dragon Chant Sword sharp and cold, slashing straight toward the girl sitting in the snow. The snow sword had been crushed into powder. The Dragon Chant Sword carved a bright, searing arc; the heat turned the pulverized snow into a spray of mist, like a thousand waves crashing.

Without a sword in her hand, she was truly this fragile? A trace of triumph rose in the fake Su Bai’s heart. *Ruthless Sword Dao—without a sword, how can one achieve the Dao?*

But just as the blade stopped three inches from the girl’s brow, the fake Su Bai’s unstoppable strike hit a heavy obstruction. No matter how much strength she exerted, the sword could not move forward another fraction.

What was happening? The fake Su Bai frowned. She looked along the length of the blade and was stunned to see a single drop of water firmly blocking the tip of the Dragon Chant Sword.

The girl sitting in the snow lifted her eyes to meet the other’s gaze. They were eyes that, if viewed separately, would hold the gentle shimmer of spring, but on her face, they seemed frozen into ice that would never thaw. The charm of a wandering gaze was gone, replaced entirely by cold, extreme killing intent.

The fake Su Bai felt a jolt of alarm. No matter how she mimicked Su Bai’s appearance, her tone, or her reckless way of swinging a sword, whenever she faced the real one, she felt like a defective product.

The droplet of water vibrated in the air, forcing the Dragon Chant Sword back a step.

*Ocean Tide Rising.* As long as spiritual energy and consciousness are compressed into a single point, the intent remains unyielding, and the Dao will not scatter. Elder Yaoguang was right.

Su Bai, sitting in the snow, began to laugh softly.

The fake Su Bai’s eyes widened: "You..."

The girl on the ground stopped laughing, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and stood up shakily. She lowered her head, her eyes hidden in shadow. The more silent Su Bai remained, the more fearful the fake became. She had been drawn to the chilling aura of Su Bai and thought taking the "Frost-Condensed Heart" from a mere Golden Core cultivator would be effortless.

The fake Su Bai infused her hands with spiritual energy. Energy gathered at an incredible speed, as if every element in the illusion were at her disposal. *So what if this girl is strong?* she thought. *In this domain, I am the only Dao!*

The water elements around the fake Su Bai surged, drawn by her consciousness to form a sword. But that tiny droplet of water remained stubborn. Before the Dragon Chant Sword—before the majestic dragon formed of razor-sharp aura—it was as insignificant as a grain of sand.

The Dragon Chant Sword roared. The water elements transformed into a majestic dragon, while thunder and water spiraled together. With the heat, the sword intent was tempered to the extreme, just like the technique Su Bai had used against the Saint.

[She combined the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique with Ocean Tide Rising? She knows that too?]

[What kind of illusion is this? This is too defying!]

Yet, the insignificant droplet of water stood firmly before the sword aura, as immovable as a mountain.

"So, have you had enough?"

Su Bai looked up. Her eyes were filled with killing intent, and her voice carried anger, but the fake Su Bai had a strange illusion—even in this disheveled state, Su Bai looked pleased, even curious. The fake Su Bai had always been sensitive to emotions, and the moment Su Bai looked up, she realized: *She had been sitting in the snow, letting herself be pushed back, letting herself swallow the snow sword with her own aura, simply because she was observing.*

She always had a burning curiosity for new things. But now, she had lost her patience.

Su Bai gathered spiritual energy in her palm and aimed it at the water droplet. Under the intense pressure, the space around her fingers began to twist, and endless elements were drawn to her, competing to serve her.

The water droplet suddenly began to grow wildly. It happened in an instant. Before the fake Su Bai could react, a deluge of water elements erupted, flooding the Dragon Chant Sword like a fierce beast.

The fake Su Bai was horrified. As the water reached her, she recoiled in fear. *How could simple water swallow the Dragon Chant Sword!? It was wrapped in the aura of the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique!*

No, that wasn't it. A drop of water splashed onto the fake Su Bai’s face, searing a red mark.

*This…* A massive wave crashed in the fake Su Bai’s heart. In this illusion she had constructed, she had no physical body. How could she, existing as a soul, be hurt by a mere hot drop of water?

*Ocean Tide Rising! It’s Ocean Tide Rising again!* Only by attaching the power of a soul could one harm a being existing as a soul! That was why the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique could be swallowed by such humble water—it wasn't just water; that tiny droplet had carried her compressed Dao heart from the very beginning!

As the water completely engulfed the Dragon Chant Sword, Su Bai clenched her fingers, and the water instantly froze into ice. Her eyes were deep, and as she squeezed, the ice contracted, crushing everything like collapsing space.

*Bang!*

In the fake Su Bai’s shocked gaze, the Dragon Chant Sword and the ice were crushed to dust together.

[Shattered the sword!?]

[Who told me sword cultivators love their swords? Can someone who loves their sword watch it get shattered?]

[Is this person a maniac??]

Another water sword quickly materialized in Su Bai’s hand. She looked at the fake, walking toward her step by step.

"Did you think I hadn't considered that I might end up in this situation?"

The young girl’s eyes burned with rage. Despite the icy face, she looked like a vengeful ghost, her killing intent finally tearing through her usual calm facade.

"Why do I forge swords?"

"Because I know the sword is my weakness."

She stopped, her dark eyes reflecting the fake Su Bai’s panic.

"If you want to be me, then stand up now!"

She smiled, the corners of her mouth stretching in a cruel, provocative way. "That doesn't look like me at all."

The fake Su Bai was chilled by her smile. *This lunatic doesn't play by the rules!*

One zhang away, the girl lowered her eyes and gently stroked the water sword.

"I know, everyone says sword cultivators cherish their swords like their own lives."

"But the most ridiculous thing is that the things they treasure, the things they rely on, come from the hands of others. They can only beg like dogs for a blacksmith to forge them a sword that suits them."

She looked up, eyes filled with contempt, and licked the blood from her lip.

"But me?"

"How could I allow my fate to be decided by mediocre hands?"

"Because I can forge swords." She said, "So, did you watch closely?"

"I dare to shatter them, too."