Within the Peerless City
Upon hearing the arrogant shout, Dugu Yifang turned to a middle-aged man at the head of the table and spoke:
"Brother, that brat Duan Lang is here."
In the original story, the white-haired Sword Saint, who should be nearing the end of his lifespan, is now a middle-aged man who looks to be in his thirties, even younger than his younger brother.
Despite this, Dugu Yifang still dared not act recklessly; on the contrary, his attitude became increasingly humble.
His older brother is a complete sword fanatic. He somehow had a miraculous encounter that made him young again, and his strength has reached a new level.
Under his leadership, Peerless City had been unable to contend with the Tianxia Society for the past few years, but the changes in the Sword Saint gave him new hope.
The Gudu Clan's Hope to Dominate the Central Plains Martial Arts World!
'My elder brother is a sword fanatic. If I can persuade him to defeat Duan Lang this time, I can use this great victory to intimidate all the sects in the world and make them respect my Dugu Clan as the leader of the martial arts world.'
'Then... hehe, I might even get to sit in the position of martial arts alliance leader.'
Dugu Yifang knew his elder brother's temperament: he was obsessed with swordsmanship and could not extricate himself from it, regarding power and fame as dirt, and could not be driven by any extraordinary laws.
If the two weren't blood brothers, he wouldn't even have been able to persuade the Sword Saint to come to Peerless City to recuperate.
The reason why Peerless City and Tianxia Society had not responded to the direct conflict was simply because Dugu Jian had not given a clear answer as to whether he would stand up for Peerless City.
However, Duan Lang Lang's arrogant and unruly remarks, stating that he wanted to learn from Dugu Jian, made Sword Saint Dugu decide to stay in Peerless City to wait.
At this moment, a powerful enemy arrived, Sword Saint Dugu stood up from his seat without saying a word.
Ignoring her younger brother's greetings, she walked out step by step.
He was merely obsessed with swordsmanship, not stupid. He knew that his younger brother had deliberately done certain things to use his martial prowess to elevate the Dugu Clan to a higher level.
This wasn't a wrong thing. Dugu Jian originally didn't want to get involved, but after hearing that Duan Lang was a sword genius who could defeat Xiongba, he decided to meet him.
Only those related to swords or those who are unparalleled masters have a chance to attract his attention; he ignores everyone else.
Dugu Jian is a being born for the sword!
With each step he took, Dugu Jian's aura became more concentrated, making him resemble an incomparably sharp sword. He took a full nine steps.
Sword Saint Dugu's aura reached its peak, and then he took a step forward, his whole body soaring through the air like a peerless flying sword.
Standing atop Peerless City, Duan Lang also sensed the Sword Saint's aura. The oppressive feeling, like thousands of sharp swords lying across his heart, arrived in front of him in an instant.
The middle-aged Sword Saint and the young Duan Lang stood facing each other, sizing each other up.
"Indeed, a formidable figure. It was only natural that Xiongba was defeated by you."
"He's so young yet already possesses evil energy; he'll likely be even more of a threat to the Xiongba than that scoundrel Xiong Ba."
The Sword Saint sized up Duan Lang and, in his capacity as a senior, offered his comments.
Under the system's guidance, Duan Lang had become accustomed to doing things his own way. Coupled with the side effects of the Black Tortoise True Skill, evil energy had entered his body, turning him into a different kind of demon.
"Haha! I thought the Sword Saint would say something, but he's just like those glib sorcerers in the martial world, spouting nonsense about good and evil right off the bat. It's truly laughable."
Does the martial arts world truly have good and evil?
"You, Sword Saint, call me evil? Are you the righteous one?"
Duan Lang scoffed at the Sword Saint's assessment, even offering a sarcastic remark.
The Sword Saint, known as the "Northern Sword Saint, Southern Wuming," was obsessed with the way of the sword, but he had killed quite a few people. Duan Lang found it amusing that he would say such a thing.
We're all seasoned veterans of the martial arts world, so why bother with talk of good versus evil? It's just a matter of different stances and varying degrees of power.
Duan Lang had originally thought the Sword Saint would be straightforward, but he was immediately labeled with a negative stereotype, which made Duan Lang very unhappy.
"While I may not be a paragon of justice, I have always acted with integrity and uprightness. Even without talking about upholding the righteous path, I am still far better than a young man like you who has strayed into evil at such a young age."
The Sword Saint replied in a measured and methodical manner.
He regained the favor of heaven and earth, not only returning to his youth but also gaining extraordinary power, which also entrusted him with protecting the righteous path of the Central Plains.
Only after seeing Duan Lang, who was possessed by evil energy, did he realize what his extraordinary encounter was meant to be used for.
"What's the use of saying so much? Today we'll see who's the real deal, Sword Saint."
"I'd like to learn from you!"
The Fire Qilin Sword was drawn, and a fiery red sword light shot out directly from his hand.
Duan Lang was not a rule-abiding person to begin with, and the Sword Saint's nagging only fueled his anger, causing him to attack.
Judging from his feelings alone, the Sword Saint was far superior to Xiongba. With his evil aura, he wouldn't think that launching a sneak attack was a bad thing.
The sword light came, but the Sword Saint didn't care at all. He thrust his sword forward, and a sharp sword aura flew out from his fingertip, colliding with the fiery red sword light emitted by Duan Lang.
With a deafening roar, the city wall beneath their feet became the first casualty of the duel between the two masters, collapsing instantly.
"As expected of a wicked villain, he attacks and hurts people at the slightest disagreement, even his sword energy carries an evil aura."
"Your family heirloom Fire Qilin Sword, paired with you now, is like an evil sword paired with an evil person."
As the Sword Saint rebuked him, he flicked his sword fingers repeatedly, unleashing a chilling wave of sword energy.
Duan Lang was completely unfazed, wielding his Fire Qilin Sword to deflect all the incoming sword energy, and simultaneously responded:
"What right do you have to judge my Duan family's Fire Qilin Sword? Whether it is righteous or evil can only be determined after a battle. When I unify the martial world, I will also classify your entire family as a heretic."
"You... arrogant brat, you won't live to see that day! Take this!"
The Sword Saint lunged forward, using no weapon but his left and right sword fingers to contend with Duan Lang's Fire Qilin Sword.
At his level, it's as if he has a sword even without one, surpassing even the state of wielding a sword.
Unless it's one of those divine weapons, for him, bare-handed, coupled with the sword aura and sword intent honed over decades, he is more than capable of contending with anyone.
If two masters who are even more powerful than those in the original story were to start fighting, the onlookers below would be the first to suffer.
The unparalleled, sharp sword energy flew in all directions, rampaging and crashing, first against the city walls, then large swathes of buildings within Peerless City, causing them to collapse.
Some unlucky individuals might just stumble upon a flying sword aura or shockwave, instantly gaining a second life.
As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer.
As the strongest fighters in the current Wind and Cloud faction, Sword Saint and Duan Lang are incredibly powerful once they start fighting, and that's without them using their full strength.
Both sides are still testing each other, waiting for an opportunity to exploit each other's weaknesses.
Below, Xiao Sanxiao watched the two start fighting at the drop of a hat, completely bewildered.