Yan Chihuo saw that the long sword was dull gray, almost like a Wooden Sword. Yet the burly men surrounding him looked fearful. Could this man really have barged in alone, carrying nothing but a Wooden Sword?
The young man glanced into the Justice Gathering Hall and took a light step forward. Everyone's vision blurred, and he was suddenly standing before one of the burly men. In a low voice, he cried, "Watch my sword!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he thrust. The burly man raised the round shield in his hands to meet the attack. A streak of golden light flashed across the long sword. It pierced the shield as easily as if it were tofu, then sank into the man's throat.
Only then did a sharp crack ring out—the sound of the sword breaking through the shield finally reached everyone's ears. Yun Zaitian was stunned. The burly man had been a notorious bandit, and his martial skills were formidable. The round shield in his hands had been forged from refined steel and weighed fifty-six jin. Even a treasured sword that could slice through iron as though it were mud could never have pierced it in a single thrust. Yet this young man had done so with such ease.
Yan Chihuo understood. That sword thrust had been entirely for show, meant to establish the young man's authority. His opponent hadn't had time to raise his shield, but the young man had seized the opportunity to display his profound skill.
The young man stepped into the hall without so much as glancing at Yan Chihuo and the others. "Which of you is Yun Zaitian? I am Gao Kun, son of the late Gao Bing."
Yan Chihuo and the other two had thought the newcomer was one of Yun Zaitian's men. Now they realized the young master of the Golden Sword Gang had come seeking revenge. Qu Wuxing was skilled with a sword. Seeing the young man's astonishing swordsmanship, he stepped forward and said, "Yesterday, I failed to cut out the roots. Who would've thought you'd deliver yourself to my door? The road to heaven was open, yet you refused to take it; the gates of hell were shut, yet you forced your way in."
As he spoke, he drew the long sword from his back. It was like a pool of autumn water—a truly fine blade. Gao Kun curled his lip in disdain. "I'll give you three strikes. I won't dodge or block. If you can force me back even half a step, you win."
Qu Wuxing gave a derisive laugh. "What an arrogant brat. Even your dead father wouldn't have dared to be so brazen."
Gao Kun's expression changed. "How dare you speak disrespectfully of my father?" Before his words had even faded, Qu Wuxing thrust his sword. Its gleaming light enveloped Gao Kun from head to toe. But a flash of light passed over Gao Kun, and a layer of golden radiance covered his body. With a clang, Qu Wuxing's sword struck the golden light, bent, and slid off to the side.
"A cultivator!" Yan Chihuo and the others were all shocked. On the Heavenly Heart Continent, cultivators stood high above ordinary people and were practically considered immortals. It was said that if a martial artist trained their skills to the utmost, they might enter the Dao through martial arts and become a cultivator. But that would only make them the lowest sort of cultivator; those who trained in various immortal arts from childhood were far more formidable.
Qu Wuxing's face changed dramatically. Now he understood why Gao Kun had dared to let him strike three times. From the look of it, whether he attacked three times or three hundred, he wouldn't be able to harm Gao Kun in the slightest.
Gritting his teeth, he swung his second strike, slashing straight at Gao Kun's waist. With a clang, the golden light knocked it aside again. Gao Kun said coldly, "Second strike."
Qu Wuxing roared and swung his third strike. Naturally, it came to nothing as well. A vicious grin spread across Gao Kun's face as he swung the long sword in his hand.
Yan Chihuo darted forward and grabbed Qu Wuxing. His body was like a wisp of white smoke as he instantly retreated more than three zhang. But the front of Qu Wuxing's robe had been slashed open, and a thin line of blood ran from his chest. If Yan Chihuo had been even half a step slower, that strike would have run him through.
A heavy crash rang out as the two halves of an incense burner hit the ground. Zhou Fang had seen that Qu Wuxing couldn't possibly block the strike, so he had thrown the bronze incense burner beside him. It weighed more than two hundred jin, yet it hadn't delayed Gao Kun's sword for even an instant.
Zhou Fang and Qu Wuxing felt bitterness in their mouths. These immortal treasures truly were extraordinary; nothing could withstand a single blow from one. Yet Gao Kun's expression turned grave. He looked at Yan Chihuo and asked, "May I ask whose disciple you are, and why you're meddling in this matter?"
Yun Zaitian was cunning and sly. Although he didn't know why Gao Kun had taken Yan Chihuo so seriously, he understood that Gao Kun would never let him go. He spoke up at once. "I am Yun Zaitian. Allow me to introduce Young Master Gao. This is Yan Chihuo, the foremost of the Thirteen Guardians of Tiger Roar Manor. Your father died by his sword."
Gao Kun's expression changed dramatically. He abruptly retreated, moving as swiftly as a ghost, and thrust his sword at Yun Zaitian. Yan Chihuo loathed Yun Zaitian, but he couldn't simply stand by and watch Gao Kun kill him. He flicked a finger, sending a Flying Locust Stone whistling through the air. It struck the tip of the sword with a bang and shattered at once, but the blow knocked the sword aside, making it miss and skim past Yun Zaitian's face. Yun Zaitian jumped in fright and hurriedly darted three steps to the side.
Yan Chihuo was stunned. The incense burner, weighing more than two hundred jin, hadn't stopped that sword. He'd thought the Flying Locust Stone would be just as useless, though perhaps better than nothing. He hadn't imagined it would save Yun Zaitian's life.
Gao Kun turned and said to Yan Chihuo, "It seems you insist on meddling in this matter."
"I can't just stand by and watch him die by your sword," Yan Chihuo said.
A flash of golden light, and Gao Kun's long sword thrust toward Yan Chihuo. Gao Kun was invulnerable to blades and spears, his sword was peerlessly sharp, and his movements were astonishingly swift. He was almost impossible to defend against.
With a clang, a short sword appeared in Yan Chihuo's hand. It struck the spine of Gao Kun's long sword and knocked it aside.
Only then did Yun Zaitian get a clear look at the weapon in Yan Chihuo's hand. It was a jade sword. Yesterday, Yan Chihuo had killed more than twenty men with a single strike each, and Yun Zaitian hadn't even seen what weapon he'd used.
When Gao Kun saw the jade sword, he sneered. "So you don't even have a single Talisman Artifact. What good is all that cultivation if you can't do anything to me?"
Yan Chihuo didn't understand what Gao Kun meant. He merely said calmly, "Come at me, then."
A flash of golden light, and suddenly it seemed as if dozens of sharp swords had appeared in the air, all thrusting toward Yan Chihuo at once. Seeing this, Qu Wuxing's face turned ashen. Even if this man weren't a cultivator, with swordsmanship like that, I'd still be no match for him.
A rapid string of clangs rang out. Yan Chihuo retreated more than ten steps, swinging his jade sword each time to strike the spine of Gao Kun's blade. He managed to block every attack.
Gao Kun was even more reassured. He knew his opponent had no treasures and could only hold out through the depth of his cultivation. In moments, the entire hall was filled with golden light, obscuring both Yan Chihuo and Gao Kun from view.
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