A Sword Aura and a Flying Sword Clash

Chapter 91: Seizing the Treasure

Just as the dwarf was preening with satisfaction and Han Li was calculating his next move, two figures suddenly leaped out from the Seven Mysteries Sect’s side of the field. Without a word, they shot towards the dwarf like the wind, moving with lightning speed. They were the two remaining uncles of Wang Juechu.

Their faces were twisted with grief, devastated by the death of the burly man. Their hatred for the Brilliant Gold Elder was absolute. Paying no heed to the dwarf’s status as a Sword Immortal, their single-minded goal was to kill him and avenge their brother.

Sect Leader Wang had initially wanted to stop their reckless charge, but after a moment’s thought, he realized that the sorcerous dwarf had to be faced sooner or later. These two uncles were the only ones who might pose a threat to him. Rather than stopping them now, it was better to let them settle the score while their thirst for vengeance was at its peak.

With that thought, the words he had been about to call out died in his throat.

Having just learned a painful lesson, the Brilliant Gold Elder did not dare underestimate his opponents this time. He activated the grey light, pointing a finger at the two men. The grey radiance instantly transformed into a long rainbow, streaking straight towards them.

The Confucian scholar among the two saw the grey light, which looked suspiciously like a flying sword, coming at him. He raised an eyebrow and flicked his wrist. A fine, silvery thread shot out from his sleeve, meeting the grey light head-on. The thread struck the grey radiance, causing it to falter for a moment, but then the grey light continued its advance as if nothing had happened, proving the silver thread had been mostly ineffective.

No one else could make out what the silver thread was, but Han Li, with the enhanced vision granted by his Eternal Spring Art, saw it with perfect clarity. It was a line of dozens of silver needles strung together. He was fascinated by the technique the scholar had used to launch such fine, light needles with such incredible force.

Seeing that his silver thread had failed, the scholar did not panic. He bent his body and began to spin on the spot like a top. From his rotating form, countless gleaming projectiles of all sizes burst forth. These projectiles split into two streams: one turned into a silvery torrent that collided head-on with the grey light, producing a continuous series of sharp clattering sounds and locking the grey radiance in mid-air; the other stream flew straight towards the dwarf, striking his golden barrier with a constant pinging and clanging that was quite a spectacle.

The torrent of projectiles fighting the grey light constantly shed fragments and debris, their original forms unrecognizable. However, the projectiles that bounced off the golden barrier were unharmed. They were a dazzling variety of hidden weapons: flying knives, Bodhi seeds, iron lotus seeds, and gold coin darts, some so unfamiliar they defied naming.

The Brilliant Gold Elder was momentarily surprised, but then he curled his lip in disdain. He knew it was only a matter of time before these mortal metals gave way to his treasure.

“HAH!” A thunderous roar, like a spring thunderclap, shook the entire field, startling everyone.

It was then they noticed the grey-robed man who had rushed out alongside the scholar. At some point, he had drawn the great sword from his back and was now pacing, step by heavy step, towards the grey light. At the tip of his raised sword, a white radiance over two inches long pulsed and flickered, radiating an intense, biting cold.

“Sword Aura!” someone cried out, naming the supreme swordsman’s technique that every wielder of the blade dreamed of achieving.

A wave of excitement washed over the crowd, inside and out!

If the flying sword was merely a thing of legend, then the Sword Aura was the myth of the Jianghu, the ultimate aspiration of all who practiced the sword.

Now, not only were both the flying sword and the Sword Aura appearing in succession, but they were about to clash in a decisive battle. How could this not set everyone’s blood boiling, making them feel they had lived a life worth living?

At that moment, Jia Tianlong was not boiling with excitement; instead, a chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. For the first time, he truly felt the terror of being slow to understand. He was full of fear.

He had known that the Seven Mysteries Sect possessed three hidden masters. But he had never imagined that these masters were so powerful as to wield a Sword Aura. If he had not hired the Brilliant Gold Elder, an Immortal Master, this single grey-robed man with his Sword Aura might have been enough to slaughter everyone on his side.

While Jia Tianlong’s face turned pale with fear, the grey-robed man had already arrived beneath the grey radiance.

At that moment, whether by the scholar’s design or because he had truly exhausted his supply of hidden weapons, the scholar’s spinning form suddenly stopped. The silvery torrent that had been holding back the grey light also ceased. With no resistance, the grey radiance unceremoniously dropped down towards the grey-robed man’s head.

The grey-robed man gripped his sword with both hands, his face showing no fear as he leaped into the air. Swinging his blade wreathed in Sword Aura, he brought it down in a vicious chop against the grey light.

A single, clear clang rang out. The grey-robed man fell back to the ground, stumbling several steps before he could steady himself. He then spat out a mouthful of blood, his energy clearly flagging. The front three inches of his long sword had been sheared off, leaving the tip blunt and flat.

Struck by this blow, the grey light also fell to the dust like a bird hit by an arrow. But even then, its radiance had not faded. It continued to pulse and writhe on the ground, brimming with spiritual life.

Seeing this, both Jia Tianlong’s side and the Seven Mysteries Sect cried out in alarm. However, the cries from the Seven Mysteries Sect were filled with joy, while those from Jia Tianlong’s camp were full of worry.

The scholar was overjoyed as well. He glanced at the exhausted grey-robed man, then at the dwarf, hesitating for a moment. Finally, he drifted towards the dwarf, deciding it was best to eliminate the greater threat first.

He had not drifted more than a few steps when a loud shout came from behind him. “Dodge!”

The scholar’s heart gave a start. He tried to act, but then felt a cold sensation at his neck. A grey light flashed before his eyes, and he saw a headless body take a few running steps forward before collapsing to the ground. The back of that body looked terribly familiar. As this thought crossed his mind, the scholar lost consciousness completely.

The Brilliant Gold Elder was now brimming with pride. He directed the grey radiance, which had once again risen from the ground, towards the lone surviving grey-robed man among the three great masters, intending to finish him off. He was feeling very pleased with himself for having killed the scholar with such a simple ruse.

Just as he was considering killing all the remaining members of the Seven Mysteries Sect after dealing with the grey-robed man, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd across from him. “That thing of yours, flying back and forth. I like it. How about you give it to me to play with?” No sooner had the words left his mouth than he felt a surge of powerful spiritual energy attach itself to his grey light, forcibly severing his connection to it and seizing control.

The grey radiance, which had been flying towards the grey-robed man, abruptly changed course in mid-air, wobbling as it angled off to fly towards the crowd on the opposite side.

Wherever the grey light passed, people panicked and scrambled to get out of the way. Only one youth, who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen with an ordinary appearance, stood his ground. The youth smiled at the Brilliant Gold Elder, revealing teeth that were surprisingly white against his dark, weathered skin. Then, he pointed a finger at the grey light, and it obediently dropped into his hand.

“A cultivator!” The dwarf’s heart turned to ice, and his face instantly drained of all color, becoming deathly pale.

(End of chapter)