The Feng Household Cultivators' Schemes; Bronze Head and Iron Bones
Facing the four approaching Lang Household cultivators, Kong Wenxuan gave no reply. He simply held the Azure Wood Divine Sword and the Black Water Divine Sword upright before him. Sword light flowed over their blades, and their killing intent was chillingly clear. That was his answer.
Although he had spent only a little over two months in the mountains outside Demon-Suppressing Pass, Kong Wenxuan already knew full well that, in this chaotic land without order, words, reason, and social niceties were all secondary. Combat strength mattered most. If you lacked strength, there was no shortage of people who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
That was especially true now. If he wanted to keep his household's treasure out of the wolves' jaws, he had to show enough backbone and combat strength.
So he said nothing, answering them with his swords instead.
Seeing this, the four Lang Household cultivators could not help frowning. The main reason was that Kong Wenxuan's Azure Wood Divine Sword and Black Water Divine Sword looked dangerous, and they had all clearly seen him use them to kill two Demon Beasts with ease.
What was more, none of the four Lang Household cultivators could recall any cultivators in the southern mountains whose bloodline Divine Ability took the form of such "divine swords."
Unable to fathom Kong Wenxuan's background, methods, or strength, even these notorious Lang Household men hesitated over whether to charge in and seize the treasure by force.
After all, if a group of his clansmen were still in the persimmon grove, and they all had the same "divine sword" bloodline Divine Ability, then the Lang Household's Bronze Head and Iron Bones bloodline Divine Ability might not be enough to withstand them, no matter how tough it was, should they all come charging out.
Seeing this, Kong Wenxuan was happy to prolong the standoff. After all, time was precisely what his eldest uncle and the others needed to dig up the vermilion fruit trees.
But things seldom went as one wished.
The two sides had been at an impasse for less than half an hour when a cold chuckle suddenly came from nearby. "Isn't that the brat from the Peacock Kong Household? You've only been outside the pass for two months, and you've already found something good? What good luck!"
Those few words sounded like praise, but they had laid Kong Wenxuan's background bare. They revealed that he came from the Peacock Kong Household, a Lineage that merely specialized in illusion techniques and had little combat strength. They also made clear that he had only been outside the pass for a little over two months-he was a greenhorn.
Without looking, Kong Wenxuan already knew that the only people who knew him so well could be from the Hummingbird Feng Household.
Sure enough, a glance was all it took for him to spot several familiar figures from the Hummingbird Feng Household. Both the person he had severely injured at the Flamingo Lie Household's ancestral grounds and the one whose spirit fire he had snatched were there. Both were looking at him with vicious expressions, seemingly ready to charge at him and fight to the death at any moment.
Both of them had suffered at Kong Wenxuan's hands, however, and knew his "divine swords" were no ordinary things. So, despite their vicious and resentful expressions, they held back the impulse. Instead, they simply exposed his identity and urged the Gray Wolf Lang Household cultivators to make the first move.
The Lang Household cultivators naturally understood what they were after. But as notorious men accustomed to roaming the southern mountains unchecked, they were long used to being egged on and used by others. All that mattered was that they could actually seize something of value.
What angered them more at this moment was that a Kong Household cultivator skilled in illusions had scared them into a standoff for nearly half an hour, too afraid to make a move.
The four Lang Household men seemed to hear some of the bloodline cultivators watching and spying from the surroundings whispering among themselves, mocking the Lang Household cultivators for becoming beaten dogs, stripped of their wildness, ferocity, and courage, scared off by an illusion.
This was naturally something they could not allow. After all, the Gray Wolf Lang Household had established itself in the southern mountains through its ferocity and ruthlessness. Once those qualities ceased to frighten others, making them think the Lang Household had grown weak and easy to bully, it would naturally draw all manner of attacks, perhaps even a concerted assault.
After all, they themselves knew how notorious the Lang Household had become in these mountains over the years. They had made countless enemies, and who knew how many bloodline Lineages were watching them covetously?
If everyone turned on them at once, the Gray Wolf Lang Household would be finished.
"You little bastard! You dare use an illusion to fool your grandpa!" With that furious shout, a short, stout man among the four approaching Lang Household cultivators was the first to lose patience. Gripping a large cleaver, he charged at Kong Wenxuan, shouting, "Come on! Come on! Come on... let Grandpa Lang have another taste of your illusion techniques!"
Clearly, after the Feng Household cultivators revealed that Kong Wenxuan came from the Peacock Kong Household, this Lang Household cultivator had instinctively assumed that both the "divine swords" manifested before him and the sight of those swords killing two Demon Beasts were merely the Kong Household cultivator's illusions. He did not believe Kong Wenxuan truly possessed "divine swords" of tremendous destructive power.
Thus, almost beside himself with anger and humiliation, he charged in without the slightest precaution.
Of course, this might well have been the result of deliberate misdirection by the Hummingbird Feng Household cultivators. They had only revealed that Kong Wenxuan came from the Peacock Kong Household, which specialized in illusion techniques, without mentioning that the "divine swords" he wielded were real.
In this way, they misled the Lang Household cultivators into misjudging and underestimating Kong Wenxuan's strength. Once the two sides fought, the Lang Household cultivators would naturally suffer a major setback.
After all, the Hummingbird Feng Household might well have played a part in the Gray Wolf Lang Household cultivators' notoriety. They, too, had a grudge against the Lang Household, and were naturally happy to see its cultivators suffer.
Moreover, only if the Lang Household cultivators suffered a setback would they form a deadly feud with Kong Wenxuan, prompting the Gray Wolf Lang Household to keep sending more and stronger forces to hunt down Kong Wenxuan and the Kong Household cultivators. That would undoubtedly better serve the Feng Household cultivators' desire for revenge.
Thoughts flashed through Kong Wenxuan's mind like lightning, and he saw through the situation and the intentions and aims of the Feng Household cultivators.
But though he had seen through the Feng Household's scheme, breaking out of it would be exceedingly difficult. Above all, the Lang Household cultivator charging at him, eager to kill him on the spot, gave him no chance to do so.
The Lang Household cultivator had already lunged right up to him, brimming with killing intent. Kong Wenxuan had to strike back immediately; if his opponent severely injured or even killed him, all the thinking in the world would be useless.
So a streak of sword light flashed through his mind, cutting away every stray thought. Kong Wenxuan directly activated the Azure Wood Divine Sword. It flickered in the air and transformed into twenty-one streaks of azure sword light, weaving into a net that slashed at the charging Lang Household cultivator.
"Ha... you're still trying to scare me with an illusion? Watch me, Lang San, shatter your useless illusion with one stroke!"
Facing the descending net of azure sword light, the Lang Household cultivator took it for an illusion. Laughing loudly, he charged forward without hesitation and swung his cleaver down with all his might, striking the sword net.
At that moment, however, the burly man leading the Lang Household group was the first to notice something wrong. His expression abruptly changed, and he shouted, "Something's wrong! Third Brother, watch out! That's no illusion!"
But the warning was clearly too late. Lang San's cleaver struck the net of azure sword light and split it open, turning it back into dozens of streaks of azure sword light that slashed into him.
"Ah!" The sword light struck him, swiftly cutting through his flesh and spraying blood. Lang San let out a miserable scream, then roared, "Bronze Head and Iron Bones, block it!"
Bronze and iron light burst from the bloody wounds the sword light had cut into his flesh, colliding with the streaks of azure sword light embedded within. A series of metallic clangs rang out at once.
The Sword Light Differentiation of the Azure Wood Divine Sword had actually failed to cut through that bronze and iron light!
The Gray Wolf Lang Household's bloodline Divine Ability, Bronze Head and Iron Bones, was somewhat renowned throughout the southern mountains for its formidable defense.
The Lang Household cultivators had been able to establish themselves and roam freely in the southern mountains, even becoming notorious, not only because of their viciousness and numbers. Their Bronze Head and Iron Bones bloodline Divine Ability was unquestionably a significant reason as well.