Chapter 186: Brave Yanqing, Unafraid of Hardship
The moment they saw the newcomer was Yanqing, both Kafka and Blade fell silent.
They had been expecting Dan Heng, but they hadn't anticipated this particular youth appearing instead.
Naturally, Kafka and Blade recognized him. As Jing Yuan's disciple, Blade had paid him some passing attention before. But that attention was limited to simply "knowing" of his existence. Yanqing was a remarkably talented young swordsman; beyond that, they knew little else.
"You two are wanted criminals," Yanqing declared, his expression first tensing before a fervent gleam lit his eyes. The weight of the General's trust was a heavy responsibility, but one he was eager to prove he could bear. "You will come with me!"
The General really does trust me, he thought, a surge of pride warming his chest.
"Jing Yuan's little errand boy..." Blade's voice was a low, cold rumble. "Did he never teach you how to read a situation?"
Yanqing offered no reply. At his silent command, the flying swords hovering at his side rose, their points glinting. He felt no shame for his previous defeat at Jingliu's hands. She was the former Sword Master of the Luofu—his Grandmaster. Losing to her was an outcome no one on the Xianzhou would find embarrassing.
But these two before him...
'I couldn't defeat Grandmaster,'Yanqing thought, his resolve hardening,'but surely I can defeat you?'
Blade's unspoken answer seemed to hang in the air: You really can't.
The flying swords hummed, a sound like the low roar of dragons. The youth's gaze was as sharp as a freshly quenched blade, devoid of a single shred of hesitation. He had already taken his Grandmaster's strike to heart; the next time they met, he would not be so utterly helpless.
Six flying swords unsheathed at his mental call. Each blade was of a different design, but all of them glowed with a cold, blue light. They scattered like a school of startled silver fish, then instantly pivoted, turning their points to pierce the motionless Blade from six different angles.
Kafka took a half-step back, a faint, inscrutable smile playing on her lips as she completely yielded the battlefield. She looked like a spectator at a play whose ending had already been written.
Blade didn't even bother to look up. The gloomy, almost stagnant aura permeating his body served as the thickest armor.
When the first sword arrived half a foot from his chest, it was as if it had plunged into an invisible quagmire. Its momentum bled away, its speed slowing to a crawl. Blade simply raised a hand, casually pressing his bandage-wrapped palm against the sword's tip.
Sparks flew amidst the ear-piercing shriek of metal grinding against something far harder than cloth.
Yanqing's brow furrowed slightly. His sword-guiding fingers blurred into motion. The other five swords suddenly accelerated, their trajectories becoming even more cunning as they targeted Blade's neck, heart, the back of his knees, and other vital points.
Simultaneously, Yanqing pushed off from his feet, his body following the sword light like an arrow loosed from a bow. At some point, a slender blade had appeared in his hand, and he thrust it straight for Blade's chest.
"You've seen her?"
From the flow of Yanqing's swordplay, Blade caught the faint shadow of a familiar style—Jingliu's.
"Her sword isn't as soft as yours."
Without any dazzling techniques, Blade simply took a single step forward and to the side. The timing was perfect, allowing three of the flying swords to graze harmlessly past the edge of his clothes. His right arm, holding his own ancient blade, bent backward at an unnatural angle. With a sharp clash, he parried the sword attacking his back, while his left hand shot out like an iron pincer.
He didn't aim for Yanqing's blade. Instead, with ghostly speed, he lunged for Yanqing's sword-wielding wrist.
Alarm bells screamed in Yanqing's mind. He forced his forward momentum to a dead halt, flicking his sword tip up to change the thrust into a slash. He retreated in a series of rapid, successive steps, narrowly avoiding the grab that pulsed with terrifying power.
A few strands of his silver hair, severed by the residual sword qi, drifted slowly to the ground.
At that moment, a near-manic smile suddenly bloomed on Blade's face, and he began to laugh, a low, uncontrollable chuckle.
Because Dan Heng had finally arrived.
"You... are here?"
Blade's smile was distorted and feverish. He completely abandoned Yanqing, turning to pounce toward Dan Heng like a predator that had just spotted its true prey.
"I've told you many times—I am Dan Heng. I have nothing to do with your past," Dan Heng stated, swinging Cloud-Piercer to block the incoming blade.
"Dan Heng? Heh... Hahahaha!" Blade's laughter grew wild. "Do you think that by changing your appearance and your name, your past sins can be wiped clean?"
"You haven't even truly experienced 'death'..."
"Today, I will let you know what death tastes like!"
Blade laughed like a madman, his sword strikes becoming a demonic frenzy as he poured them all onto Dan Heng.
"Your opponent is me!"
Seeing Blade suddenly turn away, Yanqing felt a flash of annoyance and anxiety. He darted forward, positioning himself to block Dan Heng.
"Hey, stay back," Yanqing shouted hurriedly at Dan Heng after parrying a heavy chop. "Swords don't have eyes."
In the next second, however, he froze.
"Wait... your appearance looks a bit familiar?" he murmured, studying Dan Heng's face.
"Watch out!" Dan Heng shouted urgently.
Blade's sword followed like a shadow, thrusting past Yanqing. "Don't hide it anymore... show your true form!"
Wild slashes fell like a torrential downpour. Dan Heng's spear became a blur, desperately deflecting the storm of steel, but the sheer, concussive force of the impacts sent him staggering backward.
Yanqing rushed to catch up, his sword light rising again in an attempt to intercept Blade.
But his speed—it was half a beat too slow.
Blade seized the opportunity. He threw his longsword. The ancient blade turned into a streak of black light, piercing straight into Dan Heng's chest.
Yanqing's pupils shrank as he glared, horrified, at Blade.
"Kid..." Blade spread his hands, walking toward the impaled Dan Heng step by step. "Let me tell you exactly who this person standing behind you... really is."
His voice dropped, each word dripping with venomous satisfaction.
"He is the sinner who committed the Ten Unpardonable Sins, betrayed the Xianzhou, incited a catastrophic rebellion, and was exiled for eternity—"
Blade paused, savoring the moment.
"Im-bi-bi-tor Lu-nae."
As the words fell, a brilliant azure light surged from Dan Heng's body.
"What is... this?" Yanqing shielded his face with an arm, peering through his fingers in utter shock.
Dan Heng's body floated into the air. His short black hair grew rapidly in the surging wind, strands of it tinged with an azure glow like flowing moonlight. From either side of his forehead, lustrous dragon horns broke through the skin, winding toward the sky and shimmering with an ancient, majestic luster.
His robes flapped wildly in the gale of power. Having revealed his form as a High Elder, Dan Heng stood with his eyes lowered, his aura now as deep and vast as the ocean.
"Did you think that... only the Stellaron Hunters had infiltrated the Xianzhou?" Blade's smile became even more distorted, his eyes burning with a near-feverish pleasure.
"In that case..." Yanqing declared, his shock giving way to grim determination. "I can only take both you and him down and let the General decide your fate."
He held nothing back. The flying swords behind him hummed in unison as his body rose into the air, his sword intent as frigid and unforgiving as winter.
Watching this unfold, Leon couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
'No way... I've already told him the stories of the High-Cloud Quintet. Yanqing, have you still not realized that the two men in front of you are part of that very group?''Truly worthy of being Yanqing,' Leon mused.'A youth of courage, without fear or dread.''Well, to put it another way: Brave Yanqing, unafraid of hardship.'
"I have heard of your infamy—Imbibitor Lunae," Yanqing said, his voice ringing with authority. Alone with his sword, he stood against both Dan Heng and Blade. "I never expected that besides the Stellaron Hunters, another major criminal was hiding on the Xianzhou."
"I have no intention of starting a conflict," Dan Heng's voice was calm, yet it couldn't hide a trace of weariness. "I came to the Xianzhou only to confirm the safety of a friend."
"Save your excuses for the Shackling Prison," Yanqing stated coldly. "Move aside."
"Good... good, just like that, Imbibitor Lunae." Blade's laughter was hoarse, like the sound of tearing silk. "I'm afraid you'll never see your friend again... they are currently trapped in a death trap."
Dan Heng remained silent. 'If I didn't already know the current situation on the Xianzhou Luofu,'he thought dryly,'I might have actually believed you.'
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