"Let me take a look at the video from the Ethereal Hall!"Knowing it was impossible for all four disciples to have the guts to band together with one another and lie to him, Elder Lu Yun instructed.
Usually, he wouldn"t have even be bothered to enter the Ethereal Hall of a remote place like this, but with three out of four of the disciples that had come with him been sniped so easily—not to mention that they had been using his technique—he had to take a look for himself.
If that person was a talented sword pract.i.tioner, he would have earned merit for himself bringing that person back considering that he was the elder in charge of recruitment.
After taking out the Ethereal Tokens he had purchased, the five of them entered the Ethereal Hall and swiftly purchased the videos of their earlier battles.
The Ethereal Hall would record down all of the matches on the dueling ring for sales and reference purposes.
It didn"t take long for them to finish looking through the battle between the three disciples and World"s Edge—each battle lasted for barely a few seconds after all—Elder Lu Yun swiftly came to understand the reason behind their defeats, and he shook his head in bitter disappointment, "The other party saw through the flaws in your moves, and that"s why he managed to defeat all of you so easily…"
Hearing those words, Yun Feiyang and the others hung their heads in shame.
They knew that it was likely to be something of that sort too. But no matter what they did, be it to launch the pre-emptive strike, dodge, or fend against it, as long as they were in face of that tossed sword, they found that there was no correct countermeasure they could have taken that would allow them to turn the tables around!
The move looked simple enough, consisting of just a sword toss aimed toward the head, but those who had stood in the dueling ring against World"s Edge knew that it was much more than that.
"Yun Feiyang"s Boundless Flowing Water is executed exquisitely, but there"s a huge problem in the fluidity of his movements. Those who know the slightest bit about swordsmans.h.i.+p would be able to see through the flaws and exploit it. As for Hu Bin"s Meteor Steps and Bamboo Shattering Swordsmans.h.i.+p, while it appears powerful on the surface, the problem is that you are unable to bring out even a tenth of its true prowess once your power has been scaled down to Saint 1-dan. Given so, it"s inevitable that the two of you would be killed so easily!" Elder Lu Yun harrumphed coldly.
"Tonight, I expect you all to practice those two sword arts and movement art a hundred times. If you were to miss even a single time, don"t bother coming to find me ever again!"
"Yes, Elder Lu!"
The four of them nodded solemnly.
"Also, I want you to keep a close lookout at the Ethereal Hall. If World"s Edge appears again, inform me right away!" Placing his hands behind his back, Elder Lu Yun emanated an air of indomitability as he spoke, "Does he think that he"ll get away so easily after harming the disciples of our Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion? How can there be such a convenient thing in the world? Even if he"s a good bud, I"ll first grind his arrogance down and let him know that the swordsmans.h.i.+p of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion is far more profound and advanced than what he can ever imagine!"
"Yes, Elder Lu!" Hearing those words, Yun Feiyang and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
Without a doubt, Elder Lu had chosen to make a move personally against that person.
While Elder Lu Yun might only be one of the minor elders in charge of recruitment and overseeing the training of the outer disciples, his comprehension of swordsmans.h.i.+p was not to be underestimated. Putting aside everything else, even the four of them combined wouldn"t be a match for Elder Lu Yun when their cultivations had been suppressed to the same level.
With him making a move, World"s Edge was bound for a trip of misfortune.
And as reality would have it, it wasn"t Elder Lu Yun and the others who were waiting in antic.i.p.ation for World"s Edge"s appearance. The entire Starlight City and the experts from the third-tier cities beneath it had all heard of the news, and they were excited to see what would happen when that legendary man appeared once more.
…
"He defeated Junior Yun Feiyang in a single move? Interesting…"
In the City Lord Residence of Xuanjiang City, sitting in front of a Narra wood desk, a gray-robed young man had just heard of the news too, and a gleam flickered in his eyes.
This was the same gray-robed young man whom Zhang Xuan had met previously at Hongyan Market.
He was the First Senior of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion"s outer disciples, Huo Jianghe!
"Help me keep a close eye at the Ethereal Hall. As soon as World"s Edge appears, no matter what I am doing, inform me right away… A countryside b.u.mpkin actually thinks that a simple toss of a sword can also be considered as swordsmans.h.i.+p? Hmph! Let me give him a lesson of what true swordsmans.h.i.+p is!" Huo Jianghe stood up as Sword Intent flared from his presence.
Weng!
A sudden burst of sword qi shot out from him and sliced the thick table before him into two.
"Get me a new table!" Huo Jianghe commanded imposingly before walking loftily out of the room.
…
"You wench! Softer!"
Pah!
A resounding slap echoed in the air as Xue Qin glared at the maid whom she had just struck with fury in her eyes.
She instructed this wench to apply medicine for her, but the latter actually dared to inflict pain on her. Unforgivable!
"Second Young Mistress, please have mercy on me!" the maid quickly kneeled on the ground and cried out desperately.
"Scram!" Xue Qin kicked the maid in the chest before ordering the guards to throw her out of the room.
After which, she turned around and looked into the mirror, only to see her beautiful face was hopelessly swollen. Her body trembled with rage as deep resentment flowed out of her. Glaring at her reflection furiously, she spat with clenched jaws, "Dan! Xiao! Tian!"
It was because she was engaged to a trash that she had been mocked by her peers ever since she was at a younger age.
It wasn"t easy for her to win Senior Huo Jianghe"s appreciation and become a menial disciple of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion… but everything was ruined just because of that blasted Dan Xiaotian"s interference!
Was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d really that unwilling to see her getting along well?
If not for the marriage agreement, he would have already been dead by now! He should learn to be grateful!
Yet, instead of repaying her grace, he colluded with that mummy and had Senior Huo slap her in public… Her honor was completely shattered today. There was no way she could forgive him for this!
"Dan Xiaotian must die! That bandaged mummy must die too! And that servant, Dan Yi, must die as well!" Xue Qin cursed viciously.
At this moment, Xue Chen walked in with a confident smile on his lips, "Rest a.s.sured, Second Young Mistress, I have everything in my grasp. I promise you that they won"t live to see sunrise…"
"That would be for the best!" Xue Qin replied. She looked into the mirror once more and asked, "Teacher, do you think that this will leave a scar on my face? Will Senior Huo lose interest in me and despise me if I were to become ugly?"
"Second Young Mistress, there"s no need to worry. Senior Huo has just sent someone to deliver this healing cream over. Your swelling will swiftly subside after applying it on your face," Xue Chen replied as he pa.s.sed a jade bottle over.
"It"s from Senior Huo?" Xue Qin"s eyes lit up in agitation. "It seems like he still has feelings for me…"
From her tone, it was obvious that she was more concerned about her looks and whether she would be despised by Senior Huo than Dan Xiaotian"s life.
…
Dah dah dah!
The carriage raced through the streets.
After stepping out of Hongyan Market, Elder Yi could feel an inexplicable pressure in his chest. It felt like an omen that danger was right upon them.
It was precisely due to such a feeling that he didn"t dare to rest at all. He forced the horse to gallop toward the Dan Clan Residence as quickly as it could, hoping to find security there.
Sou sou sou!
At this moment, a series of piercing hum echoed in the air as countless arrows rained from both sides of the street.
Ordinary arrows couldn"t hope to harm a Saint cultivator, but these arrows were the specially-crafted Feather Arrows. Every single one of them carried might comparable to Saint 9-dan experts. With so many of them raining down from above, not even Great Sage experts would be able to stand their ground.
"Teacher…"
Dan Xiaotian knew that this was a clear indication that the enemies had begun making their move. With clenched fists, he looked at the young man beside him for guidance.
"Don"t get distracted. What you have to do now is to comprehend the swordsmans.h.i.+p which I have imparted to you!" Zhang Xuan instructed calmly.
"Yes, teacher!" Knowing that his teacher had a solution in mind, Dan Xiaotian closed his eyes and concentrated on the teachings his teacher had imparted to him. Just like that, his comprehension of the sword improved at a tremendous rate.
"How dare you harm the Third Young Master? I"ll pit my life against you!"
Elder Yi didn"t hear the conversation between those two. As soon as he saw the sky filled with arrows above him, he couldn"t hold himself back anymore. With a furious roar, he raised his whip and flicked it around the air, hoping to fend off the arrows that threatened to hurt Dan Xiaotian.
He knew that even though his cultivation was at Saint 9-dan, his physical prowess had already declined due to the stress and hards.h.i.+ps he had to face while protecting Dan Xiaotian over the years. Furthermore, he had also sustained significant injuries during the tragedy back then. It would already be a remarkable feat if he could exert strength comparable to a Saint 8-dan in his current state.
Against the sky filled with arrows above him, it was likely that he wouldn"t even last a couple of seconds.
But so what?
Perhaps, as long as he could buy that much time, the Third Young Master might be able to get away alive!
Wuuuuuuuuu!
As if possessed, Elder Yi stood up and flung the whip around, but the sheer weight behind the arrows swiftly knocked the whip out of his hands. Desperate, he leaped up to the top of the carriage, hoping to use his body to knock away as many arrows as he could, but it was at this moment that the queerness began.
The arrows that were darting right toward the carriage somehow magically brushed by the carriage. Despite their close proximity, none of them struck the carriage or the horse galloping in front.
"Are they really… a.s.sa.s.sins?"
Elder Yi blinked his eyes in confusion.
He thought that they were doomed, but who could have thought that none of the arrows from the a.s.sa.s.sins would strike the target at all. It was as if they were intentionally trying to miss the carriage?
How could there be such amateurish a.s.sa.s.sins in the world?
Elder Yi wasn"t the only one who was stunned. Even the head of the a.s.sa.s.sins was starting to doubt if what he was seeing was real.
"What the h.e.l.l are you lot doing? Aim properly!" the head of the a.s.sa.s.sins hollered.
"Roger that, boss!"
The a.s.sa.s.sins swiftly loaded their bows once more and shot out another rain of arrows.
Wuuuuuuuu!
But the same mystical sight happened yet again. As if they were blinded, the arrows curved ever so slightly and circ.u.mvented the carriage.
Puhe! Puhe! Puhe!
This time, the a.s.sa.s.sins weren"t as lucky as before. The arrows coming from both sides ended up striking the a.s.sa.s.sins on the opposite end of the street. With arrows impaled in their heads, they looked no different from porcupines.
"I don"t believe that we can"t hit the carriage. Continue shooting!" the head of the a.s.sa.s.sins ordered.
And again, another bunch of a.s.sa.s.sins collapsed to the ground from been struck by too many arrows.
"The h.e.l.l! Continue!"
"Boss, we mustn"t! At this rate, all of us will be killed before we can even strike that carriage!" a subordinate cried out desperately.
Snapping out of his berserk state, the boss of the a.s.sa.s.sins finally took a look around him and realized that almost all of his subordinates had been killed. Every single one of them had an arrow precisely lodged into their heads.
The various groups they had spread out in the area had also gone utterly quiet. It seemed like they had been thinned out by the earlier shootings too…
I have ordered you all to strike the carriage and destroy Dan Xiaotian… Why the heck are you all shooting our own people?
Trembling with rage, the boss nearly went frenzied with anger.
Unable to take it any longer, he s.n.a.t.c.hed a bow from his subordinate and aimed directly at Elder Yi"s heart before releasing the arrow.
As a Great Sage 2-dan cultivator, the arrow that he shot out carried destructive might. It whizzed across the air as if a shooting star.
Noticing the swiftly approaching arrow, Elder Yi narrowed his eyes as his body stiffened in fear… But once again, the arrow simply brushed him by.
"Ahh!"
There was a cry of agony, and another one of whatever survivors there were left on the other side died.
"What the heck is going on here?"
The boss of the a.s.sa.s.sins loaded his bow once more, but this time, instead of aiming at Elder Yi, he shot toward the sky.
"Ahh!"
Two breaths later, another cry of agony sounded as a survivor fell victim to his arrow.
"..."
The boss of the a.s.sa.s.sin clutched his hair in a frenzy. He turned to his back and shot two arrows, and…
"Ahh!"
"Ahh!"
There were two cries of agony, marking the end of another two a.s.sa.s.sins.
"What the h.e.l.l is this sorcery…"
The boss of the a.s.sa.s.sins was on the verge of losing the last shred of his sanity.
It was because he was unskilled in archery that he didn"t bring a bow over. When in the world did he become such a formidable sharpshooter that he could strike his own people no matter where he was aiming at?
More importantly, there should have been no one behind him, but somehow, the arrow did a perfect u-turn and accurately lodged itself into the head of one of his subordinates…
Something was really wrong here…