Mad Saber

Wenren Qiang's expression was grave, his eyes deep. His beard and hair spread without wind, and he was furious beyond measure.

Before Jiang Shuo defeated Chen Xian, every advantage had stood with the Mad Saber Sect. Yet the outcome of the duel had turned the entire situation on its head. It was the Mad Saber Sect's face that had been disgraced—but was Wenren Qiang's own face not disgraced as well?

He had long seen that something was amiss, which was why he had spoken up to warn them. Yet Chen Xian, consumed by rage, had been completely unable to listen, leading to this mess that was now so difficult to handle.

Though he knew the Hundred Flowers Sect had played tricks, even Wenren Qiang could not clearly discern their method. To pursue the matter without evidence would only make the Mad Saber Sect seem like sore losers deliberately denying defeat.

"Senior Wenren!" Feng En stepped forward, his tone half a reminder and half an urging.

Dark clouds gathered over Wenren Qiang's face. Seeing this, Shi Gangwei reminded him from the side, "Martial Uncle Wenren, we can't let this Jiang Shuo go, can we? If we do, then our Mad Saber Sect in Yulin..."

Before he could finish, Wenren Qiang raised a hand to cut him off. "How can we go back on something we promised before the public? Our Mad Saber Sect has not fallen so low."

Then Wenren Qiang turned, about to order the Mad Saber Sect disciples to withdraw. At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out. "Wait... wait... Martial Uncle Wenren, wait..."

The voice was hoarse and low, its tone trembling faintly as though its owner were struggling to suppress his fury.

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice and saw Chen Xian, who had fallen to the ground, slowly rise to his feet. His right arm hung limply at his side, his head slightly lowered, but his eyes tilted upward. His venomous gaze, like that of a snake, locked tightly onto Jiang Shuo. "I haven't fallen yet. Isn't it too early to say the Mad Saber Sect has lost?"

Feng En's expression darkened. He had not expected Chen Xian to be so tenacious.

Jiang Shuo narrowed his eyes, his expression equally grim.

Using the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill, he had absorbed Feng En's Inner Force and stored it within his Dantian. When Chen Xian launched his first attack, Jiang Shuo had unleashed it all at once, successfully knocking him back. By now, barely any of Feng Gang's Inner Force remained within him.

Although Chen Xian had exerted all his strength in that first strike under extreme fury, deep down he had still looked down on Jiang Shuo. Jiang Shuo had taken advantage of his opponent's carelessness to catch him off guard. Moreover, Feng En's Inner Force was far too fierce; leaving it in his body for too long would become an enormous burden.

And in order to unleash all that Inner Force in an instant and condense it into greater destructive power, Jiang Shuo's meridians had endured tremendous pressure, leaving him lightly injured. Had Mo Xuanwu not strengthened and widened his meridians when imparting his cultivation to him not long ago, Jiang Shuo's meridians would likely have burst throughout his body and killed him before he could even send Chen Xian flying.

Yet the gap in strength between the two sides was simply too great.

Even with Jiang Shuo's preparations and the tremendous price he had paid, he still had not been able to completely defeat Chen Xian.

"Junior Brother Chen, that brat Jiang Shuo has deep Inner Force. There's something evil about him—don't force yourself!" Shi Gangwei urged.

The two had exchanged a punch. One remained calm and unharmed, while the other had suffered a broken arm and cut a sorry figure. Who was stronger and who was weaker was already plain to see. Even if Shi Gangwei did not wish to admit it, he could not simply watch Chen Xian throw his life away.

"Ah, Gangwei, since your junior brother is so determined, why stop him?" Wenren Qiang said with a smile, as though he had noticed something.

"Hm?" Shi Gangwei looked at Wenren Qiang in surprise, but ultimately did not dare defy his Martial Uncle's wishes.

Ignoring Shi Gangwei's gaze, Wenren Qiang turned to Feng En. "Since your disciple's Inner Force is like this, whether weapons are used can no longer be called fair or unfair."

"But..." Feng En wanted to say something, but Wenren Qiang gave him no opportunity at all.

The moment he finished speaking, he flung the saber in his hand over. It stabbed into the ground directly before Chen Xian with unerring accuracy.

Chen Xian yanked the saber free at once, without the slightest hesitation. Roaring furiously, he charged straight at Jiang Shuo. "Die!"

Blood still stained the corner of his mouth, but he gave no thought at all to the difference in their strength. His eyes were bloodshot like a wild beast's, and there was only one thought in his mind: kill Jiang Shuo.

Most of the moves of the Slaying Saber Technique and the Dragging Saber Technique were imprinted in Jiang Shuo's mind. Seeing Chen Xian slash down with his saber, Jiang Shuo anticipated his enemy's move and took two steps back. While avoiding the strike, he also dissolved its possible follow-up variations. When Chen Xian slashed to the right, Jiang Shuo dodged left; when Chen Xian chopped to the right, Jiang Shuo flashed right. Every one of Chen Xian's attacks seemed to have been completely seen through by Jiang Shuo, unable to pose any threat whatsoever.

Watching this scene, Shi Gangwei clicked his tongue in amazement and could not help breaking into a cold sweat for his junior brother. "How is Jiang Shuo so familiar with the moves of our Mad Saber Sect? And Jiang Shuo refuses to clash head-on. If this keeps up, Junior Brother Chen will be worn to death by him!"

"Heh heh..." Wenren Qiang's view differed from Shi Gangwei's. "Keep watching."

To outsiders, Chen Xian, who was attacking relentlessly, appeared to hold the advantage in the fight, yet he had inflicted no real damage. Jiang Shuo, who had just displayed such tyrannical Inner Force, was merely avoiding the edge of his blade and waiting for an opportunity to launch a massive counterattack. It seemed this duel would still likely end in Jiang Shuo's victory.