After a long silence, He Heng stood up. "I came here to challenge you to a duel."
Xie Xiaofeng nodded. "I know. It's been a long time since anyone challenged me to a duel."
He Heng looked him over again. "What I really want to see is the Fifteenth Life-Taking Sword. I watched the four Sword Slaves use it outside just now. It truly surpasses everything in the mortal world. Unfortunately, they'd only grasped the barest surface of the technique and hadn't helped me understand its true essence. So I'm asking you to wield it yourself."
Xie Xiaofeng stared at He Heng, his expression complicated. "Do you know how dangerous that sword is? It's like a venomous snake that could turn on you at any moment. Brother Yan gave his life to keep it from wreaking havoc in the martial world, yet somehow it has begun to grow in my heart again..."
"Do you really want to unleash that venomous snake and throw the world into chaos?" Xie Xiaofeng asked, grief-stricken.
To his surprise, He Heng burst into laughter.
Xie Xiaofeng stared at him. "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at you—and at Yan Shisan!" He Heng's expression turned cold and mocking. "You think this sword technique can threaten Heaven and Earth? Have you never considered that sword techniques are always wielded by people? No one becomes invincible just by knowing one sword technique. The only ones who are ever invincible are the people themselves."
He Heng continued, his voice low and scornful. "Besides, no matter how powerful a sword technique is, how many people can one sword kill in this world? Yet those wicked rulers slaughter thousands, even tens of thousands, at a whim. Compared with them, how can this sword technique be called vicious?"
"But..." Xie Xiaofeng