“Gu Qixing… According to the latest records from the Building, he’s killed Sword Master Changbai! His martial arts have reached the second-grade, meaning that he can already found his own sect. Moreover, he’s only one step away from being a first-grade grandmaster!”
As an honorary expert of the Golden Breeze Drizzle Building, Iron Lion Ao Zhan was naturally aware of more information, giving him a headache.
He was only in the third-grade. While his ability, together with help from other experts, was sufficient to protect the Golden Breeze Drizzle Building of a commandery, he was not confident when it came to suppressing this new star of the Demon Sect.
But right now, with so many customers watching them, if he showed apprehension, the reputation of the Golden Breeze Drizzle Building would be ruined.
Worrying about the reputation, he had to step forward and display his stance. “I’m an honorary expert of the Golden Breeze Drizzle Building and would like to experience your moves!”
“Great!” Gu Qixing finished his cup of wine and laughed. “Soon, I’m going to challenge the Jiang family’s Petal Rinsing Sword, Jiang Li. He’s a first-grade grandmaster, so you’re suitable as a stepping stone!”
His words stirred up the crowd.
The Jiang family was the biggest and most established martial arts family in Boyang Commandery. The Jiang family’s head, Elder Jiang, had the title of Petal Rinsing Divine Sword when he was young. Now, he hardly engaged in battle after reclusion, but he was definitely a first-grade grandmaster and at the top of the Martial Dao in Boyang Commandery!
Despite Gu Qixing’s recent success, he was no match for this elder.
Therefore, he had to build momentum!
The realm was not the only factor in determining the outcome of a battle in the Martial Dao!
Some martial artists became stronger when they encountered stronger opponents and could always have surprising performances in battles involving their life and death.
Others could achieve such realms by burning incense and meditating.
Gu Qixing was in the Demon Dao. He built momentum and adjusted his state through battles. Constant battles could push up his momentum and state to the peak before confronting his most powerful enemy!
Evidently, Ao Zhan was one of his stepping stones.
As an experienced martial artist, he understood the rationale and was enraged. “You want me to be your stepping stone? You need to ask my iron spheres first!”
Poof! Poof!
While he was shouting, the two iron spheres flew from his hands and attacked Gu Qixing from both sides.
The wind howled. He was so skilled in his use of hidden weapons that there was no sign before the attack, taking place incredibly fast.
As soon as he finished his sentence, both iron spheres reached Gu Qixing.
Two hits would have spattered a common martial artist’s brain.
But at the next moment, a streak of light flashed by.
The two iron spheres were spinning rapidly in the air, as if a large net had trapped them and stopped them from moving forward.
Gu Qixing had lifted his sheathed sword as though he were holding a plate, and the two iron spheres were spinning on it. It was astonishing to see how he was manipulating force at will.
“Let me return both iron eggs to you!” He laughed lightly and shook his sword.
Poof! Poof!
The iron spheres flew back even faster. It was so frightening that Ao Zhan dared not receive them directly and instead rolled on the ground to hurriedly evade the attack.
“Ah!”
Two shrieks were heard. Two guards behind him did not avoid the spheres in time; one was hit in the chest and died immediately, while the other had his arm broken and kept screaming in agony.
Schwing!
The distinct sound of a sword rang out.
Gu Qixing did not give Ao Zhan a chance to rest, unsheathing the Seven Stars Sword straightaway. It looked like a bolt of lightning flashing inside the building.
Sword Qi struck in all directions, and the sword radiance dazzled his opponent!
In the blink of an eye, he attacked seven times, and every attack was as fast and ruthless as a viper thrusting out its tongue.
Ao Zhan did not even have time to stand again. He rolled on the ground to evade the attacks, crashing into tables and benches. He ended up looking like a beggar, scraps all over his body.
“Ah!”
Ao Zhan rolled three times continuously and finally escaped from the Sword Qi, but there were a few bleeding cuts on his body. While the cuts were not deep and the bleeding quickly stopped, he became red-eyed in anger.
He was a highly respected third-grade martial artist and an affluent honorary expert of the Golden Breeze Drizzle Building, and never had he ever been humiliated like this.
As he let out a deafening shout, his hair became stiff, his skin turned green, and his body suddenly enlarged just like a Vajrasattva. He struck out using both fists with the roar of a lion.
Mad Lion Force! Alkaid Star Fist!
These were the two techniques that Iron Lion Ao Zhan was famous for. He was fighting with all his strength by using both techniques now!
“Third-grade strength techniques? I’ve killed far more than a dozen strength technique experts!”
Gu Qixing laughed lightly. He shook the Seven Stars Sword and aimed it at the gap of the fist attack. The tip of the sword was about to touch Ao Zhan’s acupoint exposed in his strength technique.
Poof!
The hefty figure that Ao Zhan had just mustered deflated like a leaking balloon, despair emerging on his face.
The many onlookers were also stunned, as if they had already witnessed Ao Zhan’s corpse.
Zheng!
Suddenly, a war cry interrupted.
Ao Zhan thought that he had to be dead, but after a moment, he realized that Gu Qixing had retreated. He touched his acupoint and found in exultation that it was intact.
“All right! My eyes weren’t sharp enough… to recognize you, Elder Jiang! However… where’s your Petal Rinsing Sword?”
Gu Qixing’s expression was solemn. He gazed at the storyteller that no one had really cared about.
The elderly storyteller had an erhu in his hand.
He had played the war cry with the erhu.
“Are you the Jiang family’s patriarch, Jiang Li? Thank you for saving my life!”
Ao Zhan approached the elder and greeted him.
The Jiang family’s patriarch seldom appeared after reclusion. Other than a few who were close to him, nobody had met him at all. That was why no one knew that the famous Petal Rinsing Divine Sword was a short old man with such a mediocre appearance.
“It’s great that Elder Jiang is here. Have you received my challenge letter?”
Gu Qixing was intrepid even in front of the first-grade grandmaster at the top of the Martial Dao in Boyang Commandery.
“All right! A newborn ox isn’t afraid of the tiger…” The Jiang family’s patriarch cupped his hands and laughed bitterly. “Since you insist, I’ll accept your challenge.”
“Haha… Seven days later, we’ll meet at the Broken River Bridge!”
Gu Qixing grabbed his sword sheath and broke open the windows while laughing. He used his lightness skill and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“It’s the Eight Steps of Skyfiend. What a lightness skill!” The eyes of the Jiang family’s patriarch glistened. “There are six Daos in the Demon Sect, and this person should belong to the Ultimate Sword Dao, which trains a world-class swordsman every generation! It’ll be a pleasure to battle with the contemporary demon swordsman!”
“Elder Jiang is even stronger than youths, and I believe that you’ll certainly be able to win!” Ao Zhan clenched his teeth and gazed with resentment in the direction where Gu Qixing had disappeared. “I’ll go to the battlefield and cheer for you then!”
“Many thanks! Many thanks!”
The Jiang family’s patriarch appeared philistine again, revealing his sparse, yellow teeth, but he inadvertently took a glance at the seat where Fang Yuan had been.
However, Fang Yuan was no longer there.
…
Gu Qixing moved like he was flying, leaving the commandery in no time, and stopped in front of an earth temple.
The earth temple was seriously dilapidated. The heaps of hay in a corner seemed to be the accommodations of child beggars at night, but nobody was in the temple currently.
He went straight into the hall and looked at the god’s statue. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh and pressed the eye of the god.
“Gu Qixing, you’ve lost!”
The statue started to speak in a distinct voice, “While you’re the top contemporary demon swordsman, you’re no match for the Blood Imbibing Saber owner after all!”
“Hmph!” Gu Qixing sneered. “You don’t need to agitate me. Given that Nangong Wuwang killed the Heaven Grudge Marquis, his ability has reached the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, and I won’t commit suicide by challenging him immediately. However, there’ll definitely be a battle between the ‘saber’ and the ‘sword’ of the Demon Sect! He’s merely relying on his armament now. After I find a Demonic Armament that suits me, I’ll surely defeat him! The founder of the Amorphous Dao lost a bet to the founder of the Ultimate Sword Dao, so you must keep his promise and do everything you can to assist me!”
The statue paused for a short while before answering, “Don’t worry about that. Our people have already infiltrated the Jiang family!”
“Great!” Gu Qixing smiled. “Jiang Li, Jiang Li. Hehe… Although the Jiang family has concealed its identity for many years, they can’t fool me. Their surname is indeed ‘Jiang’, but this ‘Jiang’ is a different character. The Jiang family’s patriarch is actually a descendant of the Li Human Sect’s young lord!
“They certainly possess some clues about the Li Perishing Sword. This sword ranks third among Demonic Armaments, and the Blood Imbibing Saber is no match for it!”
“The Amorphous Dao will assist you with all our strength!” replied the voice of the statue. “It’s a pity… that my senior died at the Divine Armament Mountain Villa. She had learned sixty percent of the disguising technique from our teacher. If she were the one infiltrating, we could be sure that Jiang Li wouldn’t discover anything abnormal.”
“The Six Dao Demon Sect is a united entity. We’ll avenge her!”
Gu Qixing clenched his teeth.
…
They had no idea that their enemy was listening to their interesting secrets on the roof of the earth temple.
“I didn’t expect that the most established martial arts family in Boyang Commandery would have such hidden secrets… It looks like I can let these two stay alive to unravel the secrets for me!”
After confirming that there was no more intelligence to collect, Fang Yuan quietly left. Gu Qixing did not detect his presence at all.
When Fang Yuan was by himself, he suddenly said, “Is the Jiang family’s Li Perishing Sword also a part of you?”
“It shouldn’t be!” a strong demonic thought arose from the Blood Imbibing Saber. “But I can sense that a part of me is in the Jiang family’s residence. Once you obtain it, you’ll be able to concentrate part of my Essence Soul again! According to our deal, I’ll impart a portion of my cultivation experience to you every time you complete part of my Essence Soul!”
“Hmph. While it’s a deal, you’re in fact entreating me. If I don’t release the restriction, you’ll never get any freedom!”
Fang Yuan stroked the Blood Imbibing Saber, and it was bathed in bright, purple light. The thought disappeared immediately, as if it was sealed again.
“The Great Sanguine Demon Technique! Hehe…” He sneered. “I felt something abnormal with the technique and the Blood Imbibing Saber, but I didn’t expect that it was due to such a secret. An extraterrestrial demon?”
