Eagle Soars Nine Heavens

"Oh, you're quite sharp. You actually spotted me from so far away." A calm voice came from behind a large tree. A figure flashed into view, and a man in brocade robes stepped out, carrying something in his hand. He was Wu Tong, the only Houtian Martial Artist among the Wu Family's pursuers.

Shi Mu's gaze swept over the object in his hand, and his expression changed slightly.

The object Wu Tong was holding was none other than the Purple Steel Bow he had abandoned earlier!

It seemed this Houtian Martial Artist had arrived long ago and had even quietly circled around behind him to take the bow.

As for why his opponent hadn't used the bow to ambush him, that was easy enough to understand.

For one thing, the Purple Steel Bow required a thousand catties of strength to draw and couldn't be pulled back easily. For another, apart from the few arrows Shi Mu had fired, the rest were in the quiver on his back. Even if Wu Tong could use his true qi to force the bow into action, he had no arrows to shoot.

"Since you were here all along, why did you just watch me kill your men for the sake of a bow?" Shi Mu tightened his grip on the Sun and Moon Blades and asked coldly.

"They were only servants. Though the Wu Family can't be called a great clan, we can recruit as many servants as we like. What I never expected before coming here was that you'd have a Purple Steel Bow and such skill with arrows! Even if I faced you head-on, I'd be taking some risk. In that case, I'd say trading a few Martial Disciple servants for this bow was a bargain. Now, are you going to throw down your weapon and tie your own hands, or shall I come over and snap your neck myself?" Wu Tong held the giant bow and replied without a care.

"I've heard that Houtian Martial Artists are so powerful that Martial Disciples can't stand against them. But after today, I see there's no way around putting that to the test myself." Shi Mu stared at Wu Tong and spoke slowly.

"Haha! A mere Martial Disciple dares say such things to my face. I don't know whether to praise your courage or laugh at your ignorance. Very well, I'll let you experience the terror of a Houtian Martial Artist." Wu Tong paused in surprise, then burst into laughter and tossed the giant bow high into the air.

With a bang, the giant bow struck a tree. One end sank nearly a foot into the trunk, while the exposed portion vibrated and hummed.

The next moment, the man in brocade robes reached to his waist with one hand and, with a swish, drew a gleaming soft sword from his belt. A single flick made it snap straight as a rod.

Then Wu Tong held the sword in one hand and strode boldly toward Shi Mu.

Shi Mu's pupils narrowed slightly. As soon as his opponent came within a few yards, he swung the Sun and Moon Blades without hesitation. Seven blade-shadows immediately surged forth.

"Hmm, Seven Slashes in One Breath! So the rumors were true—you really have cultivated the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique to at least the minor mastery stage! But if you want to compete in speed, you've picked the wrong person."

Wu Tong gave a soft "hmm." With a flick of his sword, seven sword-shadows shot out as well, scattering all the blade-shadows with a single strike. The sword-shadows then converged again, and a thick sword-shadow thrust straight toward Shi Mu's heart.

"Eight Swords in One Breath!"

Shi Mu's heart tightened. He spun the Sun and Moon Blades in his hand and struck the incoming sword-shadow head-on before it could reach him.

A thunderous clang rang out.

Shi Mu felt both hands shake as an indescribable force traveled down the other man's sword. His arms trembled, and he staggered half a step backward.

Wu Tong was also rocked slightly by the tremendous force contained in the blade. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he immediately twisted his wrist. The front half of his thrusting sword suddenly curved like a venomous snake, slipped around the blade, and darted toward Shi Mu's throat.

The strike was far too fast. In the eyes of an ordinary person, it would have been no more than a blur of cold light.

But Shi Mu's eyesight was exceptional. His heart leapt, and he abruptly tilted his neck to the side as if it had snapped.

The cold light scraped past Shi Mu's cheek, leaving a shallow cut.

Shi Mu roared. His body spun rapidly as his arms swept back and forth, sending wave after wave of blade-shadows slashing toward his opponent.

Wu Tong gave a cold snort. A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from him. Gripping his sword with both hands, he charged straight into the blade-shadows and slashed three times with all his might. He cried out:

"Three Mountain-Opening Slashes!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three deafening crashes rang out.

Three sword-shadows, several times thicker than the ones before, swept down, and the many blade-shadows scattered and vanished in an instant.

Shi Mu stumbled and staggered backward three steps. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split open around the hand gripping the Sun and Moon Blades, and blood poured down.

In all his past fights, he had always relied on his tremendous strength to crush his opponents. Now he was being suppressed in exactly the same way, and it was easy to imagine the shock and fury in his heart.

The energy contained in his opponent's sword had to be the legendary true qi. It was truly wondrous! If Shi Mu hadn't possessed immense strength, an ordinary martial artist would have been unable to withstand even one of those strikes.

Wu Tong was also slightly taken aback when his three slashes failed to bring Shi Mu down.

At that moment, although his hands weren't split open like Shi Mu's, they were numb and aching, and he couldn't unleash such fierce moves again for a short while.

"I've long heard that after entering the Houtian realm, those with the Stone Monkey Bloodline may cultivate far more slowly than ordinary people, but their bodies are strengthened while they're still Martial Disciples, granting them a thousand catties of strength! Judging by your appearance, the rumor must be true. But if you really think a little strength is enough to fight a Houtian Martial Artist, you're sorely mistaken."

After those cold words, Wu Tong moved. Suddenly, his whole body soared five or six yards into the air. He spread his arms and spun once in midair, then swooped straight down at Shi Mu like a giant eagle.

Shi Mu was taken aback, but without hesitation he swung his long blade upward, sending a broad swath of cold light surging into the air.

With a bang, Wu Tong struck the Sun and Moon Blades with his sword and sprang back into the air. After circling once, he swooped down again.

Shi Mu naturally swung his blade to meet him once more.

In moments, one man was in the air and the other on the ground, and their blades and swords clashed seven or eight times in rapid succession.

After every clash, Wu Tong shot back into the air again, as if his body had no weight at all.

Shi Mu, however, felt his opponent's sword grow heavier with every dive. The wound in his palm grew more painful, and the tremendous force pressing down on him had driven both his feet more than half a foot into the earth.

"Haha, boy, what do you think of my minor mastery of Eagle Soars Nine Heavens? How many more strikes can you withstand? To die beneath this Houtian movement technique is a fitting end!"

Wu Tong's laughter rang out from above. The shadow overhead circled once, then he swung his long sword and swooped down again. Before he even reached Shi Mu, sword-shadows were already sweeping down in a flurry.

(Xuzhou's been freezing these past few days; I can't even go outside! In consideration of this bitter cold and the fact that Wang Yu's still working while sick, brothers and sisters, don't forget to cast a few more recommendation votes!)