The appearance of this brass sword finally caused a visible change in the Asura Vajra’s otherwise calm expression, which remained even when he was stopped outside Quanrong Mountain.
He retreated a step in dread and solemnity.
As a Vajra who, five hundred years ago, had taken part in the assault on the capital and the encirclement and massacre of the imperial family, he had a vivid impression of this sword.
The physical defences that a third-rank martial artist prided themselves on seemed as fragile as any ordinary person’s in the face of this weapon.
Even the vajra body, whose defensive power far surpassed that of a third-rank martial artist, could not claim to withstand the peerless edge of this magical artefact.
In the chaos of that usurpation, the Asura Vajra had witnessed a fellow disciple being struck dozens of times by a prince of the Great Feng dynasty, his entire body covered in sword wounds, the sword qi corroding his organs, and eventually perishing.
That fellow disciple had been a true vajra.
A sword appeared in mid-air, forcing the Asura Vajra to retreat. This scene was understood differently by the three spectating factions.
“What sword is that? It actually scared a vajra back?”
“It’s not about the sword. Silver Gong Xu has arrived.”
“Exactly. The sword is just an ordinary sword, but its wielder is Silver Gong Xu. It must be him… The Deputy Alliance Leader said Silver Gong Xu would support our Wulin Alliance.”
“He’s finally here…”
The spectators on the south peak did not recognise the Sovereign Sword, nor did they believe that a mere sword could scare the Asura Vajra back. What truly forced the other party to retreat was the sword’s master.
And it was obvious that the master was none other than Silver Gong Xu, whom the Deputy Alliance Leader had mentioned.
Silver Gong Xu has finally arrived… Young Master Liu felt a weight lift from his heart, the shadow cast by that bolt of lightning earlier now much alleviated.
He could not help but glance at Miss Rongrong and found her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed, her girlish adoration plain for all to see.
The female disciples from Wanhua Tower beside her bore similar expressions, all suddenly becoming excited.
“Master?”
Young Master Liu saw that his own master looked grim, his gaze fixed on the brass sword.
The middle-aged swordsman snapped out of his reverie, said in some confusion,
“That sword gives me a very strange feeling. I can’t say exactly what… this is a swordsman’s self-cultivation.”
Why do I feel nothing… Young Master Liu suddenly understood:
“No wonder I felt the same way.”
The middle-aged swordsman said with relief, “Very good. It seems you’ve been diligent in your practice lately.”
What is this little rascal pretending for? I just found the sword somewhat familiar, as if I’d seen it somewhere before… the middle-aged swordsman muttered inwardly.
…
Liu Hongmian, White Tiger, Qihuan Danxiang, and the two monk brothers Jingxin and Jingyuan also did not recognise this legendary weapon famed throughout Jiuzhou. Their attention was not on the brass sword at all.
They looked around warily, faces cautious and grave, knowing that the man named Xu had arrived.
He had finally come.
With his appearance, what helpers and what trump cards would emerge next, all would soon take the stage.
The Master of Rain and Vajra Du’nan on the Wind-Riding Boat would also go all out.
The real battle was about to begin.
What had come before was merely a prelude.
These people, who had suffered greatly in the suburbs of Yongzhou, held extremely complicated feelings towards Xu Qi’an.
They longed for his appearance, to take revenge on him. Yet they feared his arrival, afraid of being overturned again.
…
A single sword… The members of the Wulin Alliance represented by Cao Qingyang did not recognise the Sovereign Sword, but seeing this brass sword force the Asura Vajra back, they were shocked and amazed.
“Silver Gong Xu has arrived…” Xiao Yuenu enunciated each word.
Cao Qingyang grunted, his tense expression easing slightly, and said in a low voice,
“Even a Buddhist vajra is so wary of Silver Gong Xu.”
He interpreted Asura Vajra’s wariness and retreat as him being on guard against Xu Qi’an, believing what he feared was the master behind the brass sword.
This was also the view of Fu Jingmen and the others. Elated by Xu Qi’an’s strength, their confidence grew.
No one paid special attention to the sword itself.
Yang Cuixue, the Pavilion Lord of the Ink Pavilion, stared at the brass sword for a while. Countless needle-like sharp lights reflected in his pupils, and suddenly he clutched his eye and grimaced in pain.
Blood seeped through his fingers.
“Lord Yang?!”
His companions were startled and quickly checked on him.
Yang Cuixue ignored everyone’s concern, clutching his eye and shouting in a slightly sharp voice:
“The Sovereign Sword, it’s the Sovereign Sword, this is the Sovereign Sword!!”
His voice was shrill, his tone frenzied, repeating again and again, the whole person appearing entirely possessed.
The Ink Pavilion was a sect of sword cultivators. For generations, their disciples loved to collect famous swords from across the land, recording them in tomes.
Since the founding ancestor, to the present, there were three volumes: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Any sword recorded in these three tomes met three criteria:
First, it was powerful, classed as a magical artefact; second, it possessed an extraordinary story or historical significance; third, it met both the above criteria.
The number one sword in the catalogue had not changed for three centuries: the sword of the founding emperor of the Great Feng, the Sovereign Sword!
The catalogue noted: Sovereign Sword!
The sword of the founding emperor of the Great Feng. According to historical records, it was forged from brass mined from Mount Ya, its patterned blade resembling a tortoise shell, rumour says it was a gift from the Sangpo Divine Turtle to the founding emperor.
Even the Ink Pavilion’s founding master had never seen it, as it was mostly sealed in the Yongzhen Shanhe Temple in the capital year-round.
But as the national treasure of the Great Feng, it was recorded in detail in the historical sources.
The Ink Pavilion had transcribed the records in their famous sword catalogue.
Yang Cuixue determined that the sword was the Sovereign Sword for three reasons. First, as a fourth-rank sword cultivator he was highly sensitive to swords, and knew this was a divine weapon. Second, the brass blade was patterned like tortoise shell.
Finally, its forging technique was different from those in use today. Yang Cuixue, who loved swords as much as his life, could faintly recognise this as the most popular style at the founding of the Great Feng.
And this very style and technique had been a direct imitation of the Sovereign Sword.
“The Sovereign Sword?!”
A gasp rang out, a brawny man surrounded Yang Cuixue, all of them wide-eyed.
“This sword, it’s the sword of the founding emperor.”
“The Zhenbei King used it in the Battle of Shanhai Pass.”
Fu Jingmen and the others swallowed nervously, feeling a sense of reverence akin to worship.
Yang Cuixue said excitedly:
“With the Sovereign Sword in the world, what foreign enemies need the Wulin Alliance fear? Wherever this sword points, even gods and devils retreat. Silver Gong Xu, he even brought the Sovereign Sword, he really can wield it, so the rumours were true.”
To support the Wulin Alliance, Silver Gong Xu had actually brought out this legendary magical treasure!
The Sovereign Sword?!
White Tiger, Qihuan Danxiang, Jingxin, Jingyuan exchanged silent, heavy glances, both shocked and solemn. None of them could have imagined that the first sword flung into this battlefield, this brass sword, was the legendary Sovereign Sword.
They knew full well the Sovereign Sword’s fearsome reputation.
So this was Xu Qi’an’s trump card?
He truly had come prepared.
“Huh? Why does the Alliance Leader and the others look so excited?”
“Why are they all looking at that sword? Could there be something special about it?”
“Just now Pavilion Lord Yang suddenly covered his face and started to weep…”
Over on the south peak, unable to hear the words, they could only hazily guess from the actions of Cao Qingyang and the others.
…
The shadow at Sun Xuanji’s feet suddenly stirred, and a figure emerged, supporting his shoulder.
He did not look back, unable to do so, but his lips moved lightly:
“One more quarter of an hour…”
“I know. Leave the rest to me. Where are your pills?”
Xu Qi’an spoke as he reached for Sun Xuanji’s waist, only to be disappointed to find his storage talisman had been damaged in the lightning strike just now and could not be opened.
Thank goodness Lin’an prepared plenty of healing medicine for me earlier, all highest-grade pills made by the National Teacher… Xu Qi’an took out some pills from his own stock, crushed them, and stuffed them into Sun Xuanji’s mouth.
The effect of the medicine was immediate, and Sun Xuanji’s injuries began to stabilise.
Xu Qi’an supported him with his qi and brought him to stand before Cao Qingyang and the others, saying,
“Look after him.”
Fu Jingmen strode forward and embraced the utterly ordinary-looking Sun Xuanji, gazing fervently at Xu Qi’an:
“Silver Gong Xu, we’re indebted to you.”
Xiao Yuenu looked at Xu Qi’an for a few moments, then smiled modestly.
He had finally appeared.
On the summit of the Southern Peak, a rousing cheer broke out.
“Xu Qi’an!”
White Tiger gritted his teeth, reminded of the pain of his severed arm.
The likes of Qihuan Danxiang were gripped by a mixture of fear and hatred, with Jingyuan and Jingxin the most agitated of all.
Since Leizhou, they had suffered repeatedly at Xu Qi’an’s hands, defeated time and again.
The two outstanding young talents of the Buddhist sect had almost lost their self-confidence.
A quarter of an hour… we’ll have to put our lives on the line… Xu Qi’an muttered inwardly. He had already come secretly to the Wulin Alliance and, as agreed, handed the nine-coloured lotus root to the old alliance leader.
The old alliance leader’s condition was dire, his body on the verge of splitting apart and breaking down.
He needed sleep to stave off collapse.
Without the help of the nine-coloured lotus root, he could only hold on for another month at most before dying both body and soul.
The old alliance leader needed time to absorb the lotus root, break through in his cultivation, and become a second-rank Hedao martial artist.
According to the plan he had discussed with Sun Xuanji, he would first give Cao Qingyang a drop of essence blood to help him temporarily break through to third rank and restrain the enemy. Xu Qi’an knew that Ji Xuan and the Buddhist Vajra were wary of him and would proceed cautiously, testing slowly.
Meanwhile, Sun Xuanji would set up the formations to act as the main force in the second round.
If this phase lasted long enough and delayed until the old alliance leader emerged from retreat, Xu Qi’an could then join forces with the old leader to resist the enemy.
A second-rank Hedao and a third-rank martial artist joining forces, victory would be a sure thing.
Unfortunately, Nalan Tianlu had no sense of honour, he launched heavenly lightning straight away and broke through Sun Xuanji’s mountain-protecting array.
Xu Qi’an stretched out his right hand, and the Sovereign Sword automatically flew back to land in his palm.
He then extended his left hand, and from the Earth Book fragment at his chest, the Taiping sabre leapt out and landed in his left palm.
Sword in one hand, sabre in the other, he stood proudly in the centre of the field and sneered:
“Hey orangutan, do you dare fight me one-on-one?”
Orangutan… The Asura Vajra gave him a deep look and shouted,
“Vajra Du’nan, Master Nalan, if not now, when!”
As his words fell, golden light once again descended from the sky with a thunderous crash, striking the mountaintop. The newcomer was tall and burly, with bronze-gold skin, no beard, no hair, and no eyebrows, appearing like a brass statue.
Another Vajra!
There’s another one?!
The members of the Wulin Alliance were dumbfounded and looked to Cao Qingyang, discovering the alliance leader’s expression matched their own.
It seemed even he had not expected there to be two Vajras.
“Two Vajras, plus the Church of the Warlock God’s Master of Rain…”
Old Qiao said bitterly, “Alliance leader Cao, you, you…”
He could not finish his sentence.
The others were also downcast. If they had known the enemy was of this calibre, most would not have had the courage to come to the rear mountain.
A third-rank was an invincible figure not seen in the martial world for a century. Now three had arrived at once, with a second-rank Master of Rain backing them up.
Cao Qingyang truly did not know, Sun Xuanji had kept it from him, only saying there would be a Buddhist Vajra and some Church of the Warlock God enemies.
Sun Xuanji had worried the alliance leader might be scared into wetting his pants before fleeing with his wife, abandoning the mess behind.
Fu Jingmen’s mouth twitched:
“How is Silver Gong Xu supposed to fight now? He might stand a chance one-on-two against the Vajras, but what about the Master of Rain?”
Dai Zong’s face turned white, he lost all will and confidence to fight, and said quietly,
“W-we should withdraw for now, the survival of the Wulin Alliance is most important…”
Xiao Yuenu glanced sideways at him. “If you’re afraid to die, just go.”
Dai Zong opened his mouth, but was silenced.
As they spoke, a woman in a flowery dress with her hair elegantly coiled, strikingly beautiful, walked through the air step by step.
A layer of dark clouds hovered above her head, rolling restlessly. Thunder and lightning flashed at times in the thick clouds, ready to strike at any moment.
She seemed to be the ruler of this world, controlling wind, rain, thunder, and lightning at her command.
So this is the Master of Rain of the Church of the Warlock God? Cao Qingyang and the others felt adrenaline surge, their hearts racing, barely able to breathe just by looking at her.
They could not bear to look directly at such a powerful foe.
How can this Warrior Monk not be goaded? Shouldn’t Warrior Monks and martial artists both be coarse? Truly, goading the enemy is a job best left to Yang Qianhuan… Xu Qi’an gripped his sabre and sword and shouted,
“Fall back, as far as you can, there’s no saving the rear mountain now.”
There’s no saving the rear mountain… Cao Qingyang and the others felt their hearts pound wildly and retreated at once without another word.
“Alliance leader, let’s go to the Southern Peak. It’s far from here, and as long as they don’t target us on purpose, we won’t get caught up in the fight.”
Dai Zong slung Sun Xuanji over his shoulder and made the suggestion.
Cao Qingyang hesitated briefly, then grunted in agreement, though badly wounded, he was not much slower than the others.
Dongfang Wanrong completely relinquished control of her body and let her teacher take command, becoming the true master of it.
With one hand forming a seal, she suddenly pointed at the sky.
“Boom!”
A pillar of lightning as thick as a water tank blasted down from the cloud, engulfing Xu Qi’an.
The blue-white lightning was so grand that it could be clearly seen from dozens of miles away.
“Buzz!”
A golden light rose above Xu Qi’an’s head; the Stupa tower raised a pale gold shield, blocking out the power of the lightning.
Crash, crash, crash… Vajra Du’nan charged in and crashed into the energy shield of the Stupa tower, punching Xu Qi’an in the chest.
Clang!
The Vajra’s divine power collided with Xu Qi’an’s own, making a sound like a gigantic bell.
Xu Qi’an shot backwards like a cannonball, smashing through countless trees and collapsing part of the mountain, causing rocks to tumble down.
He rolled to dissipate the force, knocked off the mountaintop, but steadied himself in midair.
Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind, the Asura Vajra appearing overhead, two fists joined, about to smash his skull… Xu Qi’an, at an angle and at a speed defying physics, dodged to the side and twisted his waist, swinging the Sovereign Sword out with his right arm.
At that moment, Dongfang Wanrong in the sky stretched out her right arm and pointed at Xu Qi’an.
Curse of Death!
In the middle of his sword swing, Xu Qi’an’s movements froze. Hit by some invisible force, blood streamed from his seven orifices.
The Asura Vajra’s punch slammed down.
Xu Qi’an was sent flying again like a cannonball. With a thunderous explosion, his entire body was embedded into the mountainside, making the main peak of Quanrong Mountain shake fiercely.
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