https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-77-The-World-s-Gaze-The-Path-of-the-Sword-Cultivator/12575218/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-79-The-Infamous-Gu-An-Shaking-the-World/12575220/
Chapter 78: A Duel Decided by Two Leaves!
Chapter 78: A Duel Decided by Two Leaves!
Outside the gates of the Tai Xuan Sect, in front of the South Gate.
"Sword Venerable Fu Dao, if you don't show yourself within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I will carve two more words on the supplementing platform!"
Han Ming's voice rang out, loud and clear like thunder, reverberating through the heavens and earth, lingering for a long while.
His words stirred up discussions among the cultivators, and while the disciples of Tai Xuan Sect frowned, they didn't dare to insult him, as he had been polite before making this bold statement.
Everyone had been eagerly awaiting for a month, but when Sword Venerable Fu Dao didn't appear, even the disciples of Tai Xuan Sect felt a twinge of disappointment.
Zuo Lin on the city wall heaved a sigh of relief. Although he felt that Han Ming was no match for Sword Venerable Fu Dao, after spending a month together, he truly didn't want anything bad to happen to Han Ming.
Zuo Yi Jian, on the other hand, gazed into the distance, his intuition telling him that Sword Venerable Fu Dao would definitely come.
The clamor within the city grew louder.
On the gourd-shaped magical artifact, Jiang Qiong spoke softly, "Could it be that Sword Venerable Fu Dao is really the Sect Master?"
"It's possible," Hu Mo mused. "Although Han Ming isn't much stronger than Chu Xian, for Sword Venerable Fu Dao to defeat him, he would have to reveal his true self, which is why he hasn't shown up."
"If Sword Venerable Fu Dao is indeed the Sect Master, then things just got interesting. It would be seen as a staged act..."
His expression was playful, his tone disdainful.
The gourd beneath their feet glowed faintly, a restrictive force isolating them from the surrounding space.
As Jiang Qiong was about to say something more, suddenly, a powerful sword intent burst forth from the South Gate, followed by an unimaginable oppressive force approaching from the south.
She looked up sharply, and Hu Mo did the same.
In front of the South Gate.
Han Ming picked up the sword case and strode forward, taking a hundred zhang steps. He placed the sword case on the ground, its bottom sinking into the soil. The case opened, and two treasure swords shot out, one to each side.
He placed his right hand on top of the sword case, and his body erupted with a vast sword intent that startled all the spectators.
Before most people could even track his movement, a sword qi came speeding from the end of the horizon, crushing the mountains and forests in its path, unstoppable.
In the blink of an eye, this sword qi struck Han Ming's vast sword intent.
Han Ming's sword intent formed a blue light screen nearly two hundred zhang tall, a spectacular sight. But when it was hit by the mysterious sword qi, his blue sword energy tore and seemed to be instantly crushed.
His eyes widened as he looked up, his pupils reflecting a leaf.
Boom—
The leaf swept powerfully over his head, his black hair dancing wildly from the wind. Han Ming staggered back two steps.
The faces of all the cultivators on the city wall changed drastically. Zuo Yi Jian subconsciously raised his arm to protect his son, and he vaguely saw what was contained within the sword qi.
Another boom reverberated, causing the city wall to shake violently, but it didn't collapse.
When the violent sword qi dissipated like a fierce gust, a leaf appeared on the city wall, embedded in the wall, with spider web-like cracks surrounding it.
Han Ming stabilized his stance and stepped forward again, drawing out two treasure swords from the sword case and looking up into the distance.
The flying leaf swept by, and a gale force wind howled from the end of the horizon, as if it would uproot everything in its path.
Han Ming remained unmoved, his robe fluttering behind him, showcasing his strong physique.
He stared intently at the horizon, on guard. The surrounding cultivators and the disciples of Tai Xuan Sect within the city all held their breath, focusing intently.
Sword Venerable Fu Dao had arrived!
...
"Wow! Master, you're so amazing! What sword technique is this? I want to learn it!"
After a brief moment of stupefaction, An Hao excitedly jumped up and down.
Gu An took the leaf from An Xin's hand, surprising her so much that she looked up at him.
"I'm using the same sword technique I taught you earlier. Once you've mastered it, you can be like me. But the true essence of the sword is to return to simplicity. You don't need such a grand display to possess an unstoppable momentum."
Gu An spoke softly, then tossed An Xin's leaf into the air.
An Hao and An Xin's gazes followed the leaf. It drifted gently for ten steps, then suddenly accelerated, flashing by like a bolt of lightning.
This time, the leaf didn't create the deafening sound from before; it looked ordinary, but its speed was remarkable.
An Hao chuckled, "I like it when it's loud and flashy! It's so cool!"
Gu An placed his hands on their shoulders, and the three of them vanished from the spot.
Over fifteen thousand li away, in front of the South Gate of the outer gates of Tai Xuan Sect.
Han Ming held dual swords, ready for battle.
The world fell silent!
Everyone waited for Sword Venerable Fu Dao's next move!
Suddenly!
Han Ming's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately released the dual swords in his hands. He began to cast a spell with his hands, and the remaining sword in the sword case unsheathed itself. The three swords circled around him, and as he pointed forward with his right hand, the tips of the three swords rose and charged forward.
The three swords crisscrossed and intertwined, releasing a terrifying sword qi that transformed into three sword qi dragons rushing forward. They uprooted the trees along their path, kicking up dust and causing the earth and mountains to tremble. The cultivators in the sky were sent flying, creating a spectacular scene.
A cold light approached from the end of the horizon—it was a leaf shrouded in swirling sword qi.
Here it comes!
Han Ming stared intently at the leaf in the distance. This leaf didn't give off as strong an oppressive feeling as the previous one, but his intuition told him that this time was even more dangerous!
The leaf suddenly accelerated!
It transformed into a cold light, forcefully dispersing Han Ming's sword qi. The three swords were directly knocked away, and before they could even stop, the leaf had already reached Han Ming.
So fast!
Damn it!
Han Ming was shocked and terrified. Instinctively, he pushed his palm forward, and his robe burst forth with golden light, condensing into a golden bell shadow.
A deafening boom reverberated as the leaf directly shattered the golden bell shadow, piercing into Han Ming's right shoulder. The overwhelming force caused him to be unable to resist, and his body was pulled out, the ground beneath his feet shattering along with the impact.
Han Ming tumbled and crashed into the city wall, causing the wall behind him to crack, but it did not collapse.
The reason it didn't collapse wasn't because the wall was particularly sturdy, but because Gu An deliberately controlled the impact.
Han Ming hung on the city wall, blood dripping from his mouth, his head hanging down as if he were dead.
"Master..."
Zuo Lin called out anxiously as he lay on the shaking wall.
Countless cultivators drew in a sharp breath. The renowned Da Yu Sword Maniac had been defeated by Fu Dao Sword Venerable using just two leaves?
What a huge gap in strength!
"Flying Leaf Sword Immortal! Fu Dao Sword Venerable is the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal!" exclaimed a disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect excitedly.
There was no need for him to point it out; all the spectators had already come to the same realization.
On the gourd-shaped magical artifact, Hu Mo opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Ye Lan gazed at the lingering sword energy in the sky, envy filling her eyes.
What kind of cultivation realm must one attain to possess such power that was akin to a ghost or a god?
Shen Zhen flew past the city wall and landed on the ground. She quickly took out paper and brush and began to sketch the scene of Han Ming hanging on the wall.
...
Below the blue sky, between the mountains, a small town sat beside a large lake.
"If anyone asks you, don't mention me. Just say that you're children from this town," Gu An transmitted his voice, and An Hao and An Xin landed, turning back instinctively, but they could no longer see Gu An's figure.
At this moment, they were standing in an alley, with moss-covered walls on both sides.
As An Xin was about to speak, An Hao covered her mouth and said, "Sister, let's go catch frogs."
He gave An Xin a meaningful look, and only after she nodded did he remove his hand.
Then, the two of them walked out of the alley one after the other. They were attracted by the bustling street and couldn't help but smile.
After all, they were still children.
On the other side.
Gu An, having removed his mask, changed into a set of blue Daoist robes. He strode into an inn.
It was a rare occasion for him to be out, so he intended to enjoy the human world's scenery.
He went upstairs to the inn and sat down at a table by the window, ordering the signature wine and dishes of the inn. Then, he looked out at the street below.
On both sides of the street were vendors shouting their wares, as well as traveling cultivators. Gu An even sensed the presence of cultivators, although their numbers were not large.
The guests in the inn chatted about the grievances of the cultivators, giving Gu An a sense of having time-traveled once again.
Before the food and wine were served, Gu An sensed a powerful divine sense sweeping through the town.
As expected, someone was chasing after him!
That divine sense vanished as quickly as it had come, and it did not reappear afterward.
Gu An was not in a hurry. He planned to relax and enjoy himself today.
When the wine and food were served, he began to drink alone, admiring the ancient-style street below the window.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
Even after nightfall, the town remained bustling. Red lanterns were hung in each building, and streams ran through the town, glowing faintly.
Gu An came to a stone bridge, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
He sensed a wisp of demonic energy sneaking into the town.
It wasn't very strong, only about the level of a second-stage demon beast, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment realm.
Gu An had originally planned to return to the Tai Xuan Sect early the next morning to enjoy the praise of his victory, so he wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to see what the demon beast was up to.
There were no apparent cultivators in this town, yet the second-stage demon beast was being extremely cautious. Could there be a special reason for this?
Gu An slowly walked in the direction of the demonic energy.
As he passed by a courtyard, a voice called out to him.
"Brother Gu!"
This voice was old and filled with emotions—surprise, hesitation, and more.
Gu An turned his head and saw an old man looking at him from a nearby courtyard.
This old man had white hair, a hunched back, and appeared to be in his seventies or eighties.
Gu An frowned and suddenly thought of something. He hesitated and asked, "Brother Zhang?"
Zhang Chunqiu!
It had been so long since they last met that Gu An had almost forgotten Zhang Chunqiu's aura, and Zhang Chunqiu's appearance and figure had changed drastically.
The old man quickly walked out and said excitedly, "It really is you! I felt that the person on the bridge looked like you, but I didn't expect it to be you, Brother Gu. Why are you here? Did you become an outer disciple and come out to perform a task?"
Gu An nodded and said, "Something like that. Brother Zhang, what about you? Why are you here?"
What a coincidence!
Zhang Chunqiu laughed and said, "This town is the richest town near the Tai Xuan Sect. I plan to retire here."
That made sense.
Gu An had chosen to come here because this place was bustling and safer.
Zhang Chunqiu held onto Gu An's wrist and said, "Come in and chat. You're not in a hurry, are you?"
"No rush, no rush."
Gu An replied. He could sense that there was no one else in the courtyard, and he really wanted to ask about Xiao Lian's whereabouts.
Previously, he had overheard Zhang Chunqiu talking to himself and knew that Zhang Chunqiu had come down the mountain for a girl named Xiao Lian.
(End of Chapter)
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