Chapter 536: September 9th, Peak of Mount Tai
Chapter 536: September 9th, Peak of Mount Tai
On the ninth day of September, the ninth month, atop Mount Tai, the eastern cornerstone, stood the Jade Emperor's Peak.
The day presented itself as another clear, sunny day, with a gentle autumn breeze stirring the drifting white clouds. The chill of the previous night still lingered, striving to leave its mark in the newly risen sun's rays.
However, the struggling strands of cool wind atop the mountain couldn't extinguish the fiery gossip burning within the hearts of the gathered martial artists.
The clash of blades from the day before would fuel their conversations for the next twenty years.
And today's dual sword duel would give them another twenty years' worth of material.
This was the grandest event in the martial world!
Tie Kaicheng had also arrived early at the Jade Emperor's Peak, as one of the duelists was his master.
Representatives from the seven major sword sects, as well as the Shaolin and Beggar Sects, had all gathered. They greeted Tie Kaicheng with respectful bows, their moods visibly improved from the day before. Some disciples even walked with arms around each other's shoulders, chatting and laughing.
"The Xie family has arrived!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone turned to look at the path they had come from. They saw a group of seven or eight people winding their way up the mountain.
"Is that Master Xie? He came himself?"
"Hasn't he stayed within the Divine Sword Manor for the last seven or eight years? I didn't expect him to come to Mount Tai personally this time."
"After all, Yan Thirteen is no ordinary man, and among his entourage is the Red Flag Divine Sword, a match for their own."
"Yan Thirteen and Xie Xiaofeng will have a fair duel, witnessed by tens of thousands. Iron Escort Chief won't disrupt the rules of the martial world."
The crowd could clearly see that leading the slowly ascending group was a man in his sixties, dressed in a blue shirt and black belt, with cloth shoes and white socks. He looked plain and unassuming, quiet and amiable.
Yet, no one dared to show him anything but respect, for he was the current master of the Divine Sword Manor, Xie Xiaofeng's father, Master Xie.
Following closely behind him was a plump middle-aged man, along with two attendants and four sword servants. Their attire was simple, and their auras were not fierce.
If it weren't for the crowd's knowledge of their identities, they might have been mistaken for ordinary merchants from the south and their bodyguards.
"Hey, Xie Xiaofeng isn't in the group?"
"The boy who was taken away by Xie Xiaofeng that day isn't there either."
In the Xie family's group, there were only Master Xie and Xie, the manager, but neither Xie Xiaofeng nor his little brother were present.
"Isn't Xie Xiaofeng with them?" Sun Xingyu asked.
Li Zhenzhen, with her sharp eyes, shook her head and said, "Master Xie isn't carrying the Xie family's sword either. That means Xie Xiaofeng has already returned to the Divine Sword Manor once."
Tie Kaicheng stroked his chin, unsure if Xie Xiaofeng had returned on his own or if Murong Qiudi had gone to retrieve him.
Just as the Xie family arrived at the Jade Emperor's Peak, a figure emerged from the trees on the summit.
Clad in black, with a black sword adorned with thirteen pearls, it could only be Yan Thirteen.
Yan Thirteen's gaze was detached, his expression blank. The surrounding crowd didn't even dare to meet his eyes, for those who did could only see death reflected within them.
Yan Thirteen strolled towards the Jade Emperor's Peak.
He first passed by the Xie family's group and paused.
"Master Xie," Yan Thirteen said indifferently.
"I'm sorry," Master Xie sighed.
"There's no need for the master to apologize," Yan Thirteen continued. "Xie Xiaofeng faked his death to escape, and to outsiders, he truly died that day.
This duel is only happening because Xie Xiaofeng is alive again, but it doesn't change the fact that he died eight years ago."
Master Xie remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Yan Thirteen then turned to Xie, the manager, and said, "Moreover, I must thank you for keeping this sword safe for me all these years."
Xie the Shopkeeper shook his head, "Sometimes I really can't understand you people. Is winning and losing really that important?"
Yan Thirteen replied, "That depends on who the opponent is."
"What do you mean?" Xie the Shopkeeper asked.
"Xie Xiaofeng can admit defeat to a thug, willingly accepting his blade, but would he admit defeat to Yan Thirteen?" Yan Thirteen walked past Xie the Shopkeeper and said indifferently, "The same goes for Yan Thirteen."
Seeing Yan Thirteen's retreating figure, Xie the Shopkeeper sighed, "I knew they would eventually have a battle."
Master Xie remained silent, his thoughts unknown.
Then, Yan Thirteen approached Tie Kaicheng.
"Master!" exclaimed Tie Kaicheng.
"Don't call me master, I'm not your master," Yan Thirteen shook his head and then asked, "When you killed the Demon Sect Leader, did you use the Fifteenth Sword?"
"He's not worthy of it," replied Tie Kaicheng.
Yan Thirteen couldn't help but chuckle, as he obviously knew that Tie Kaicheng was trying to keep the secret of the Fifteenth Sword of Death, especially since today was the day of his duel with Xie Xiaofeng.
To hide the secret of the Fifteenth Sword of Death, Tie Kaicheng had even used the Fourteenth Sword to kill Wan Ningzi, creating confusion.
If Xie Xiaofeng was the slightest bit careless, his chances of losing would increase by another thirty percent.
"It's unnecessary. This sword isn't something that can be countered just by seeing it once," Yan Thirteen shook his head, "I had wanted to witness the Godly Sword Slash, but it seems I won't have the chance."
"The Godly Sword Slash is indeed an unparalleled sword technique, but the Demon Sect Leader hasn't practiced it to a flawless level," Tie Kaicheng said, "His curved blade is no match for your longsword."
Yan Thirteen thought for a moment and then suddenly asked, "Is Xie Xiaofeng stronger than the Demon Sect Leader?"
"Yes," replied Tie Kaicheng.
"Good," Yan Thirteen nodded and then walked past Tie Kaicheng, step by step, making his way to the Jade Emperor's Peak.
The peak of the Jade Emperor's Peak wasn't very large. After leaving enough space for the dueling ground, there was only room for a few dozen people to stand nearby. The rest of the onlookers didn't dare to get too close, as they wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.
"Yan Thirteen has arrived, where's Xie Xiaofeng?"
"The sun is already up. Is he too scared to show up?"
"Don't joke around. The Third Young Master of the Xie family became famous at the age of ten and has shaken the martial world for twenty years. When has he ever been afraid of a battle? There's never been a survivor of Yan Thirteen's Deadly Sword, yet you make it sound like Xie Xiaofeng kills less."
"Not necessarily. If it were before yesterday, I would've thought Xie Xiaofeng had a greater chance of winning, but..."
"If the disciple is so powerful, then what about the master?"
"That's because you're all young and haven't experienced the martial world ten years ago. If you had entered the martial world earlier and witnessed the Third Young Master of the Xie family in action, you might not have thought so."
The surrounding onlookers discussed amongst themselves. Then, a man slowly squeezed his way out of the crowd and began walking towards the peak.
It wasn't until he had walked quite a distance that the crowd noticed his presence.
He looked extremely ordinary, with an average build, an unremarkable stance, and a plain-looking black-sheathed longsword. He appeared to be a down-and-out martial artist.
However, the eyes of those who knew him changed completely.
"Xie Xiaofeng has arrived!"
(End of Chapter)
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