https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-216-Cangling-Debate-of-Swords-24-/13547385/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-218-Cangling-Debate-of-Swords-26-/13547387/
Chapter 217: Cangling Debate of Swords (25)
Chapter 217: Cangling Debate of Swords (25)
Dusk fell, the wind howled, and scarlet leaves swirled across the sky.
Along the main road from Tongqiu to Cangling, a lone rider galloped at breakneck speed.
The rider, a man in his forties, had disheveled hair and tattered robes. A longsword hung at his waist, its sheath worn.
The horse was ordinary, the sword nameless.
Yet the man astride it was a peerless swordsman.
Xie San’s gaze was weary, his tousled hair whipping in the wind, betraying a raw, unguarded despondency.
Suddenly, he yanked the reins to a halt. Those exhausted eyes sharpened like an eagle’s.
For Xie San had spotted another figure.
In the wind stood a white-robed swordsman, tall and unmoving. He was the first in Cangling Town to learn of Xie San’s passage through Tongqiu.
“Lin Chang?” Xie San recognized the figure immediately—Lin Chang, the Azure Sky Sword of the Huaying Six Swords.
“Long time no see, Xie San,” Lin Chang said solemnly. His voice was icy, his eyes brimming with contempt. This man bore no resemblance to the boisterous, heroic figure Xie San had met at the inn.
Xie San dismounted in silence. He turned the horse’s head, patted its flank, and the steed trotted back toward Tongqiu.
A gust of autumn wind swept through. In that moment, the world seemed to shrink to two men and two swords.
The air grew thick with a chilling aura of slaughter. Lin Chang’s intent was clear.
“Last time we met, I knew the Azure Sky Sword was one that hides its edge within the sheath,” Xie San said gravely. “Biding its time, concealing its sharpness.”
“Is that so? Then why… do I still see no trace of fear in your eyes now?” Lin Chang asked.
“Because even if you bare your fangs, you’re still no match for me,” Xie San replied calmly.
“Hahahaha…!” Lin Chang laughed, his eyes devoid of mirth, his face twisting with menace. “Xie San, you disappoint me greatly.” He suddenly flung his sword to the ground, crossing his arms behind his back in arrogant defiance. “Do you truly think a second-rate swordsman like you can fathom my martial arts?”
To a third party, Lin Chang’s words might have seemed the ravings of a madman. If Xie San was merely “second-rate,” then over ninety percent of the martial world’s experts were “unworthy of the rank.”
Would the Jianghu not then become a colossal joke?
“Lin Chang, it seems you’ve lost your mind,” Xie San said, remaining as calm as ever, unshaken.
A man who had honed his martial arts to the peak would not be easily swayed. He trusted his years of cultivation more than empty words.
In every era, peerless experts like Xie San were solitary figures—Jimo, for they could find no true equals, no one who truly understood them.
To Xie San, only Ye Cheng in the entire martial world could grasp his essence. Beyond the Sword God, none had reached his realms. Thus, no one—not even ten Lin Changs—could unsettle him.
“You’ll soon see how sane I am,” Lin Chang retorted. He paused, then added, “You came to Cangling to duel the Sword God.” A cold sneer crossed his lips. “But Ye Cheng’s sword techniques are mere circus tricks before me. He’s unworthy of the title ‘Sword God’…” His killing intent surged, and in an instant, flying sand and falling leaves recoiled from his body like they feared to approach. “If there’s truly a Sword God in this world… it should be me, Lin Chang!”
Xie San shook his head. “Mad ramblings.”
Before his words faded, he drew his sword in a flash, striking faster than a startled crane. Before the sheath hit the ground, countless beams of swordlight erupted into the sky, as if a thousand blades hung suspended.
The nameless sword unsheathed, its sword qi surged forth in a mighty torrent.
Lin Chang merely snorted in disdain.
A sword drawn demanded blood.
Xie San showed no mercy, springing forward to slash at Lin Chang’s throat.
Lin Chang’s right hand flicked up, two fingers snapping to guard his neck. In that instant, his composure sent a chill through Xie San’s heart.
Calm mind, steady breath. With a light flick of his fingers, Lin Chang deflected the blade as if swatting a fly.
Xie San felt a surge of inner energy like a tiger’s roar slam into his right arm, nearly wrenching the sword from his grip. He channeled his energy to his feet, steadying his stance and halting his advance. Using the momentum, he twisted his body sideways, evading to the flank.
“You!” Xie San’s face paled, his voice failing him. That brief clash had shattered his pride and every certainty he’d built over years.
“Hmph… I haven’t even drawn my sword, and you’re already trembling like this… Hahahaha…” Lin Chang’s face darkened, a shadow of something sinister creeping over his features.
“What… devilish technique have you learned?” Xie San’s brow dripped cold sweat, his heart pounding.
To him, Lin Chang’s casual finger flick felt like a fifty-year inner cultivator’s full-force palm strike.
“Dusk’s light thickens with evil intent, falling leaves like crimson clouds,” Lin Chang mused, plucking a red leaf from the air. “You know, Xie San,” he murmured, staring at the leaf, “once, my vision was as narrow as yours. I thought the First Mansion, Second Floor, Three Sects, Four Gates’ techniques were the pinnacle of martial arts. I believed swordsmen like you and Ye Cheng were the ultimate masters. I even thought my talent could never rival yours. Hehehe… I was wrong.” As he spoke, he released the leaf, its edge carving a crimson arc through the air.
In an instant, a gash split open on Xie San’s left ribs, blood spraying like mist.
“There’s always a sky beyond the sky, a master beyond the master. How true those words are,” Lin Chang said without glancing at Xie San. “I never imagined I’d obtain this long-lost… ‘True Peerless Martial Arts.’” He laughed. “When my divine skill reached perfection, I realized how crude your cultivation techniques truly are. The Ye family sword techniques, Wanxia Divine Skill, Bafang Supreme Heart Method, Shaolin’s 72 Supreme Skills… all pathetically crude, misleading disciples!”
Blood trickled from Xie San’s lips. Though he still stood, his body was frozen, paralyzed.
Lin Chang stepped closer, his voice a slow, cruel whisper. “You seek to challenge Ye Cheng to a duel? Hehe… Don’t worry. You won’t miss your appointment. He’s waiting for you at the Underworld Court.”
Xie San’s eyes widened, his mind flashing to Lin Chang’s earlier words: “Ye Cheng’s sword techniques are mere circus tricks before me.”
“Hehe… Looks like you understand now. That’s right. Ye Cheng is already dead. He won’t be coming.” Lin Chang’s laughter grew, his hand rising slowly. “Rest easy, Nameless Sword. Join him.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
