by <unknown>
Li Yao narrowed his eyes. "Were you not afraid that he would kill you if you didn't kill him?"
Yan Liren smiled. "He can't."
Li Yao's eyes became thinner and thinner, until they looked like the edges of two daggers. "Are you suggesting that the pace of the sword test was fully under your control and that Qi Zhongdao's life was in your hands but your life was still in yours?"
Yan Liren tilted his head and thought for a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes."
The Cultivators around were all rendered speechless.
"You mentioned just now that you could still kill him even though Qi Zhongdao's Cultivation was slightly higher than yours?"
"Yes," Yan Liren said, "it's like how, although your Cultivation is perhaps on par with mine or even slightly higher, I can still kill you if you don't run away."
"Huh?"
The Cultivators around who had rested their throats for just a moment exploded again.
Whatever the result of the previous battle was, Yan Liren was still an unparalleled sword Cultivator in the world and could be listed as one of the top ten experts of the Ancient Sages Sector!
But he… he was saying that Master Spiritual Vulture's Cultivation was on par with his and might even be slightly higher?
"What—what are they talking about exactly?"
Many experienced high-level Cultivators felt their minds go blank. Everything that was happening in front of their eyes was truly the most ridiculous scene in their hundreds of years of training!
Yan Liren's words made the killing intent in Li Yao's eyes even more intense. He shifted his eyes from Yan Liren's big face to the flamboyant short sword on his waist before he said, "There's something that has been bothering me.
"Before your battle with Qi Zhongdao, I already felt that your odds of winning were higher.
"During the battle, when your black sword exploded and released the black smoke to affect the Heaven Flipping Seal, I sensed an unassailable sword aura that must've been sharp enough to slay a deity!
"Therefore, I thought that Qi Zhongdao had been killed by you, which proved to be a mistake.
"However, after careful consideration, I have realized that, despite the formidability of the three primeval swords, you only finished polishing them recently, and you were not able to move them as flawlessly as you move your limbs yet. It was impossible for you to kill Qi Zhongdao with those three swords!
"This is in contradiction with my speculation at the beginning!
"Therefore, I have made a bold assumption that you actually have a fourth sword, which is the strongest sword of the Sword Saint of the Great Qian Dynasty and surpasses the three primeval swords!"
"…" The Cultivators from other sects were too stunned to say anything.
Even most of the disciples of the Purple Pole Sword Sect had never heard it before. They were all looking at Li Yao and Yan Liren in disbelief!
Yan Liren was silent. He focused his full attention on his neck. His eyes, which were as sharp as scalpels, seemed to pierce through Li Yao's skin and flesh, dissecting Li Yao's cervical arteries, nerves, and spine.
Staring at Yan Liren's waist, Li Yao slowly said, "I, Master Spiritual Vulture of the Flying Thunder Cave of the Broken Intestine Mountain, hope to witness the Sword Maniac's fourth sword!"
Chapter 1398: The Fourth Sword! |
Li Yao's every word rumbled inside the hearts of the audience like thunder.
At first, they thought that Li Yao was someone that the Purple Pole Sword Sect invited to help the fight.
However, Li Yao seemed to be in a subtle relationship with the Purple Pole Sword Sect. He was more like an unaffiliated Cultivator who acted purely on his own. Later, his shocking remarks further raised everyone's attention.
But right now, he intended to challenge Yan Liren, known as the 'Sword Saint' of the Three Saints of the Great Qian Dynasty, and witness his fourth sword, which was even stronger than the three primeval swords.
"Whose side is he on?"
"What is his Cultivation level? Is he not scared of death?"
"Did Yan Liren really keep something to himself? Does he really have a fourth sword that is even more intimidating?"
Regardless of their stance, sect, and Cultivation, all the Cultivators were stunned.
They had thought that, after the battle of Qi Zhongdao and Yan Liren ended without anybody being killed, the Dragon Spring Meeting could now go on according to the plan. They did not expect that such an uncanny guy would jump out of nowhere. The twists and turns were indeed quite surprising.
For a moment, the surprised, the suspicious, the haters, and the bystanders whose interests were not involved all etched the name 'Master Spiritual Vulture' into their hearts!
Yan Liren was still staring at the artilleries on Li Yao's neck with concentration and some sort of appreciation. "With your Cultivation, you are indeed qualified to fight me. However, on what grounds do you think you can try my fourth sword, which even Wang Xi and Qi Zhongdao never tried?"
By saying that, he was acknowledging that he had not been doing his best just now and went easy on Qi Zhongdao on purpose. Naturally, another round of exclamations arose.
All the Cultivators on the Grand Mystery Sect's side were greatly surprised. Even the banners flying in the wind were turning somewhat messy and unsteady.
Qi Zhongdao finally got back to himself after swallowing half calabash of pills. Hearing Yan Liren's words, he could not help but cough again and vomited a mouthful of bright golden blood.
It was the blood in the blood vessels on the surface of the heart, the most precious blood for a Cultivator. Every drop of it was the essence of the Cultivator's blood. It contained the spirit of the Cultivator, and they would not activate it easily.
Qi Zhongdao quickly wiped off the blood of the tip of his heart. His dark face was even graver than before as he stared at Li Yao and Yan Liren.
His coughing was not an eye-catching movement, and he was covering it on purpose. With his Cultivation, it was impossible for anyone around him to notice anything wrong now that he was determined to keep it to himself.
On the peak, Li Yao pondered for a moment and said, "If I have the privilege of appreciating your fourth sword, Fellow Cultivator Yan, I'm willing to work as a visiting elder for the Purple Pole Sword Sect for a year!"
That was the first time that he had spoken about his deal with the Purple Pole Sword Sect in public. The few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Purple Pole Sword Sect all beamed with interest. Those on the Grand Mystery Sect were, of course, even more surprised than before.
Yan Liren smiled and shook his head. "Inviting you to be a visiting elder is my senior brother's idea. It has nothing to do with me.
"I don't care if you are a visiting elder. After all, as long as the Purple Pole Sword Sect has me and I have my sword here, no one in the heavens or on the earth will ever shake it."
He talked easily and casually. The ravings from his mouth sounded like a statement of the most obvious fact.
"Fair enough!" Li Yao nodded and eyed Yan Liren up and down. He suddenly changed his topic. "Just now, when you showed up, you were observing the sky and calculating something while mumbling to yourself. You were calculating the clouds in the sky, weren't you?"
His question confused all the Cultivators on the spot. Yan Liren, however, was dazed for a moment before he asked back in delight, "Why would I calculate the clouds?"
"You were calculating the patterns of the clouds," Li Yao said. "It's a sunny day today. Since you were going to fight at noon, the sunlight was very likely to be an interference. The clouds in the sky, on the other hand, would possibly cover or reflect the sunlight, adding many mysterious changes to the angle and intensity of the sunlight when it sprayed down!
"After you calculated the patterns of the clouds, you would be able to take advantage of the point by changing your position and perspective during the fight and forcing your opponent to move without him knowing. At the most
critical moment, the opponent might be dazzled by the sun's glare!
"Of course, for an unparalleled expert close to the Divinity Transformation Stage, the influence of sunlight is negligible, if it can be counted at all.
"However, since his opponent was an expert in the sword arts such as yourself, a tiny, insignificant loophole would be more than sufficient for you!"
No one had ever heard about such an unbelievable theory before. All the Cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment, not sure whether Li Yao was merely making stuff up or speaking seriously.
Yan Liren was smiling even more delightedly. "Anything else?"
"Yes.
"By observing the patterns of the clouds, you would be able to calculate the speed, intensity, and direction of the wind today. Then, you could calculate the feeble interference that your flying swords would suffer while they were in the air. During your every pierce, slash, or block, you would be able to take advantage of the feeble wind power. When the changes in quantity led to a change in quality, you would perform your most perfect move!
"Weather, terrain, and people are the three critical, indispensable factors to win a fight. Just now, we discussed 'weather'. In fact, you observed the Cultivators nearby after you finished calculating the weather. Or rather, you simply regarded all of us as 'obstacles'.
"You knew that those qualified to watch the battle were high-level Cultivators at least above the Core Formation Stage and that when we were watching the battle, we would naturally release our spiritual waves to resist the aftershock of your collisions.
"Then, after countless spiritual waves were released, they would congregate into invisible turbulence, which would slowly spread to you and Qi Zhongdao, leading to unpredictable changes!
"You were hoping to take the 'terrain' and the 'people' factors into your calculation through your observation before the sword test and translate them into your odds of winning!
"Before your battle, you were calculating such minute details while turning a blind eye to such a dangerous, covetous expert such as myself. It was because of your determination and concentration that I made the prediction that you would be the sure winner!
"I did not expect that I would run into an unparalleled sword master who has Cultivated to the 'cloud computing' level after I just broke out of my seclusion and started travelling in the central plateaus. This truly calls for a toast!"
Li Yao's words made all the Cultivators raise their heads to look at the sky.
The clouds in the sky were as puffy as cotton and as unpredictable as smoke. What was the angle of sunlight, and what were the intensity and direction of the wind?
Qi Zhongdao's face grew darker and darker, and his eyes became deeper and deeper. His chest rose high at first. Then, after a secret sigh, it slowly collapsed again.
Yan Liren's smile blossomed like a flower.
The ugly dwarf happened to have a very pretty smile. He looked like a totally different person when he was smiling and could almost be called 'handsome'.
"Anything else?" he asked gently.
"There is. Your face is fair and beardless. You don't even have hair or eyebrows. But I dare say that you were not born like this. You should've been a man with dense hair, but you removed your hair, your eyebrows, and your beard with certain medicines, or maybe you simply uprooted all of them with brute force. That is why you have such a weird appearance right now."
"Is that so?" Yan Liren's eyes slid from Li Yao's neck to his heart with deep affection. His voice was even gentler. "Why would I do that?"
"Because hair, beard, and eyebrows affect your speed," Li Yao said. "When you accelerate to the maximum speed, those three things will catch part of the wind and reduced your agility and dexterity by a neglectable amount.
"In pursuit of the most perfect sword arts, you eliminated all your hair. You then smeared and polished your skin with various kinds of secret medicines, which turned you into a slippery loach. That way, you would have absolutely no hindrance when you moved in the air!"
All the Cultivators put on a weird expression after hearing that.
If what Li Yao said was true, then Yan Liren was really too much of a… freak!
All the Cultivators were dedicated to improving themselves. Some of them were even crazy people who cared about nothing but their training. However, was it not too appalling that the guy simply plucked the hair all over his body just to fully unleash his sword arts?
Yan Liren's eyes continued moving downward and stopped at Li Yao's abdomen. He said casually, "Go on. I'm already considering showing you my fourth sword, which none alive has ever witnessed."
"Alright!" Li Yao said. "Your fourth sword, which is stronger than the three primeval swords and which none alive has ever witnessed, is right inside the tawdry, flamboyant sheath on your waist!"
Yan Liren was as calm as before. "Why?"
"Two reasons," Li Yao said. "Firstly, although you seemed to have been heavily wounded by Qi Zhongdao just now, and you were vomiting blood in devastation, the sword on your waist was not contaminated by any blood or dirt. It does not even have the tiniest scratch after your great battle with Qi Zhongdao.
"All these signs suggest that the sword is your most beloved item. You would rather the three priceless primeval swords be destroyed than have the sword damaged in the slightest!
"Secondly, and more importantly, I have observed you for a long time and released my telepathic thoughts to sense the sword. But while I can see the sword with my eyes, I cannot perceive it in my mind!
"At first, I thought that the sword boasts certain unique stealth techniques. However, after careful examination, I realized where the problem lies.
"It's not that I did not perceive the sword in my head; it's just that the sword has melded with your flesh and blood and become part of you, just like your hand and your foot. What I perceived was exactly such a 'whole'!
"Therefore, that is your fourth sword, the strongest sword that can execute anything instantly!"
After saying that, Li Yao fell into silence. He was like a well-prepared longbow that was slowly pulled.
Yan Liren's eyes finally returned to his face again. This time, there were more emotions in his eyes. He was finally looking at not an immaculate sword target but a living person.
There was nothing but dead silence on the Bronze Censer Peak except for the fluttering of the banners. None of the Cultivators dared to breathe aloud!
Yan Liren suddenly chuckled. He shook his head while he smiled bitterly.
"What a shame!" he said regretfully.
Chapter 1399: Attack of the Sword Maniac! |
Li Yao frowned and asked, "What are you sorry about?"
"In the past ten years, I have come across three people that were worth killing, but it is a shame that I have never had the chance to kill any of them without concern!" Yan Liren groaned. "Wang Xi was the first one worth killing, but at that time, he was the most powerful man in the world. My senior brother only allowed me to practice with him but not to kill him, stating that there were more benefits in letting him live than killing him!
"When it was finally okay to kill him, the guy was more cunning than a fox and had long run away.
"Qi Zhongdao was the second one, but my senior brother again said that, since he was the leader and the pillar of the Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty, I could defeat him or be defeated, but I'd better not kill him.
"Now, I have run into you.
"You are just like Wang Xi and Qi Zhongdao. You are all worthy of my full-strength strikes, which will certainly be most gratifying. Yet, it is a pity that my senior brother is trying to recruit you as a visiting elder. Naturally, I cannot kill you. Isn't it a shame? Such a great shame!"
Yan Liren suddenly stopped. His eyes suddenly froze, and he tilted his head and furrowed his nonexistent eyebrow, as if he was pondering upon a very complicated question.
Li Yao frowned. "What you are thinking now?"
"I'm thinking about w
hether or not I should betray the Purple Pole Sword Sect and simply kill you and Qi Zhongdao in disregard of all the rules and reminders to fulfil my desire," Yan Liren replied casually and continued pondering.
He looked at Li Yao and then at Qi Zhongdao not far away as well as the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators next to Qi Zhongdao. He began mumbling to himself and calculating again. There was no telling what he was calculating.
All the Nascent Soul Stage experts under his stare felt chilly, as if somebody was stabbing their backs!
Some of them at the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage even took half a step back subconsciously.
"Forget it!"
After considering for a moment, Yan Liren suddenly extended his right thumb and index finger, making a gesture of 'the width of hair'. He said with a smile, "If you were slightly stronger than right now, just the tiniest bit stronger, I would find it worthwhile to betray the Purple Pole Sword Sect and have fun executing you! But right now, you are still not enough for me to leave the Purple Pole Sword Sect, where I can practice my sword arts comfortably!"
All the Cultivators nearby, be they on the Purple Pole Sword Sect's side or the Grand Mystery Sect's side, were dumbfounded, not knowing how they should respond to Yan Liren's words!
Li Yao's eyes were twitching violently, but he was roaring in his heart. Damn it. This should've been an occasion where I announced my grand entrance and earned my fame. Can you stop being so unbelievable and stealing my thunder!
With a solemn expression, Li Yao dragged his voice, while he thought hard about how he could steal the thunder back. "Fellow Cultivator Yan—"
Suddenly!
Li Yao's pupils, nostrils, pores, heart, stomach, genitals, and all his other organs that could be constricted were constricted to the minimum!
He did not hear any sound or see any light when he felt that he suddenly fell into the weirdest world!
In this world, the notion of time seemed to have been stretched. Every grain of dust in the air was dancing in slow motion, while the pictures of his life were swirling in front of his eyes like a kaleidoscope!
