Stranger Danger

Chapter 430: The Sword Rises, Azure Dragon Soars

“Sure, Your Highness.” Hong Jianglong smiled but didn’t argue against him.

“It’s too soon to make a verdict.”

The Harmony King was just about to let out a boisterous laugh when Chu Wangsun set down his book and said in an indifferent tone, “Ye Qing may have lost this exchange, but he hasn’t actually taken any damage. The battle may yet swing either way.”

“Er…” The Harmony King swallowed his laughter. What a killjoy!

Hong Jianglong, Lei Xiaodan and Song Xilai shot Chu Wangsun an astonished look. At their level, of course they could see that Chu Qingge’s attack, while fierce, was mostly neutralized by the yin and yang energies surrounding Ye Qing’s body. That was why the young man had only taken a minimum amount of damage. However, the Harmony King was a member of the royal family, and his martial cultivation and insight were so lousy that arguing with him was like talking semantics with a layman—he wouldn’t understand even if they laid things out for him piece by piece. That was why most of them just agreed with the Harmony King’s opinions.

However, Chu Wangsun had revealed the truth bluntly. It soured the mood a little.

Most people were just surprised by Chu Wangsun’s statement—the young scholar had proven himself to be a very taciturn person for the past few days—but Hong Jianglong knew that Chu Wangsun held a grudge against Ye Qing. He wondered if the scholar had a goal when he talked up Ye Qing.

Everyone thought that Chu Wangsun had more to say, but he didn’t. He simply returned to his book and left behind a confused crowd.

Back in the desert, Chu Qingge was frowning as well. As the one fighting against Ye Qing, she knew that she hadn’t dealt any effective damage better than those who were watching from the sidelines. Both her fist force and her palm force were mostly neutralized by the yin and yang energies surrounding Ye Qing’s body. He looked like he was in a sorry state, but he wasn’t. Not even close.

She supposed she would have to try harder then.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Chu Qingge stepped toward Ye Qing and moved her right hand behind her back. Every time she took a step forward, her hand would raise just a tad, and the yellow sand behind her would grow taller.

By the time she had taken three steps, Chu Qingge’s hand was held above her head, and the sand behind her was hundreds, if not thousands of meters tall. It looked like it was touching the heavens themselves.

When she was ten meters away from Ye Qing, Chu Qingge brought down her palm in one smooth motion. The gigantic wave of sand immediately crashed down on the young man like an avalanche.

“It looks like the river of heavens crashing down on the world itself! Wonderfully executed! Miss Chu’s ‘Hand of Yellow Sand’ pales in comparison to Brother Luo’s as a matter of course, but this is still quite impressive!” Lei Xiaodan nodded approvingly at the awe-inspiring attack taking place on the platform before looking at Hong Jianglong. “Color me surprised. I didn’t think Brother Luo would teach this to her!”

“I agree. I had no idea that the old bastard had taught her one of his trump cards until now,” Hong Jianglong replied with knitted brows.

The Brother Luo they were speaking of was the Pacification Commissioner of the South, Luo Sa. He practiced a cultivation art known as the “True Canon of Yellow Sand”.

The “True Cannon of Yellow Sand” could steal the water existing in the practitioner’s surroundings and transform hundreds of acres of land into a barren, yellow desert. It was ridiculously powerful to say the least. One of the martial art’s ultimate techniques, the “Hand of Yellow Sand” could summon a river of yellow sand to crash down on one’s enemies. Obviously, the technique was even more powerful in a desert.

Luo Sa was a proud loner with no friends, family, or even disciples. Most people thought him to be a cold and unpleasant person, which was why Lei Xiaodan and Hong Jianglong were surprised to learn that the man had taught Chu Qingge one of the ultimate techniques of the “True Canon of Yellow Sand”. Moreover, it was clear from her mastery that she had been practicing the technique for some time.

“Young Ye isn’t going to like this one.” Lei Xiaodan chuckled. The “Hand of Yellow Sand” was especially powerful in an advantageous terrain, and it so happened that they were fighting in a desert. Therefore, Chu Qingge held a powerful advantage in this exchange.

“A powerful advantage doesn’t necessarily decide the outcome of a fight, and this is doubly true against an opponent like Ye Qing,” Hong Jianglong said indifferently. “Also, you might want to pay attention to your own disciple. He’s going to lose any minute now.”

On the fifth platform, Chu Renhe had fallen into a complete disadvantage. His opponent was Zhao Bu’er, also a middle-stage Spirit Purifier. Zhao Bu’er wasn’t just stronger than Chu Renhe, his martial arts were extremely unorthodox. His movement art was as swift and unpredictable as a phantom, and his weapon was an ordinary razor. In fact, the razor looked rusted and dirty.

The main reason Chu Renhe was having trouble was thanks to his movement art. The warrior kept flitting about Chu Renhe like an actual phantom, and Chu Renhe was unable to detect Zhao Bu’er’s energies, grasp his movement patterns, or catch up to his speed at all. Naturally, it was impossible for him to land a hit on Zhao Bu’er.

Every time Zhao Bu’er dashed past Chu Renhe, he would shave a clump of hair from Chu Renhe’s head. And every time this happened, a sliver of resentment would attach itself to Chu Renhe’s body and diminish his strength.

“This isn’t a fight, Zhao Bu’er! Face me fair and square!” The longer the battle went on, the more frustrated Chu Renhe became. It was bad enough that he failed to land even a single hit on Zhao Bu’er, but the bastard had shaved off the large majority of his hair as well. His partially shaved head looked ugly to say the least.

“I’m just a barber, and shaving is all I know. This is the only way I know to defeat you, my lord,” Zhao Bu’er responded with a bumpkin smile and didn’t change his fighting smile in the slightest. Chu Renhe was pissed off like you wouldn’t believe, but there was nothing he could do to force Zhao Bu’er into a straight fight.

“A win is a win, and a loss is a learning experience. This’ll teach him that there are always greater foes out there,” Lei Xiaodan said smilingly. “On a related note, have you figured out Zhao Bu’er’s background, Brother Hong?”

Hong Jianglong said in a ridiculing tone, “Why are you asking me? I thought it’s the Intelligence Department’s responsibility to oversee the matters of the jianghu?”

Lei Xiaodan didn’t take offense. “I’m just a man of humble talent and shallow learning. Of course my intelligence can’t compare to yours, Brother Hong.”

“You truly are a pretentious bastard,” Hong Jianglong remarked indifferently. “I know nothing about Zhao Bu’er’s movement art, but I do recognize the razor he’s using. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the ninety-third Strange Artifact on the Strange Artifact Register, the Ghost Razor.”

“A Soulstealer-class Strange Artifact, it is said that the Ghost Razor was made from the skull of a terrible sinner. The sinner looks like an honest, down-to-earth barber, but in reality they are a homicidal maniac who killed hundreds of people while pretending to shave their heads. That is why resentment clings to them like a thick, putrid fog, and why their skull could be made into the Ghost Razor.”

“Every time the Ghost Razor cuts a clump of hair, it afflicts resentment upon their target and weakens them. If the target’s head was fully shaved, then they would either lose their heads or become a puppet of the Ghost Razor.”

“At this rate, your disciple is going to lose horribly.”

“The Ghost Razor?” Lei Xiaodan exclaimed in surprise as if he didn’t already know about this information. “The Ghost Razor is the signature weapon of the Barber, the eighteenth warrior on the Black List.[1] Could Zhao Bu’er be a disciple of the Barber?”

“Who knows?” Hong Jianglong shook his head. “The Barber might be named on the Black List, but he is neither a despicable scumbag nor an irredeemable scoundrel, so it doesn’t matter to me if there is a connection between the two or not.”

“Haha, you’re right.” Lei Xiaodan chuckled.

While the duo were conversing, Chu Renhe lost a couple more clumps of hair and became even weaker as a result. It looked like it was only a matter of time before he lost.

“Renhe lost his cool. I don’t think there is a chance for him to make a comeback either.” Lei Xiaodan watched the battle for a little longer before shaking his head. “He’s still too young. Young Luo, on the other hand, hasn’t fallen into a disadvantage despite facing off a named warrior on the Human Champions Ranking, Jian Wusheng. He’s way better than Renhe in that regard.”

Lei Xiaodan was talking about Luo Zhan. The battle between Luo Zhan and Jian Wusheng was far more interesting than the one-sided fight between Zhao Bu’er and Chu Renhe.

The two men were fighting on a cliff covered in misty clouds. The cliffside was steep and lofty like a sword, and it was the perfect backdrop for both Luo Zhan and Jian Wusheng.

Luo Zhan was a sabersman who fought using a forceful fighting style. The Tyrant Blade in particular was one of the most forceful saber arts under the heavens. Theoretically, there was nothing the Tyrant Blade couldn’t cut; no obstacle too difficult to overcome. It was a saber art that thrived on being unstoppable, indefensible, and invincible.

Jian Wusheng was a swordsman who fought using a risky fighting style, and “No Life, No I” was the riskiest and most extreme sword art in the jianghu bar none. The wielder was supposed to dedicate it all to the sword to the point where self-preservation was a moot point. The will came first, and the man second. The wielder must be completely fearless, and their sights must be set solely on victory. If they lost a body part or died in the process, then so be it.

One might say that Luo Zhan and Jian Wusheng were born to be rivals. No one was willing to give an inch to the other person.

Luo Zhan wielded his saber with both hands, and his techniques were basic and nothing to write home about. The power behind those techniques was a different story, however. His horizontal slash felt like it could cut a hole in the sky, and his downward swings felt like it would split the ground in half. His saber force encompassed both heaven and earth.

Jian Wusheng was devoid of fear despite facing off against a seam of saber beams that could easily rip him into shreds. Sword and body as one, he rushed forward as his sword intent circled around his sword like a dragon. Wherever it traveled, the saber beams were destroyed like nothing.

Luo Zhan was running toward Jian Wusheng as well, swinging his saber every time he took a step. This time though, the saber beam didn’t fly toward Jian Wusheng. Instead, it gathered in the sky like a river of heaven.

When the two participants were three meters away from each other, it was Luo Zhan who came to a stop first. His muscles bulged as he raised his saber above his head and brought it down with all his might.

The river of saber force suspended in the air transformed into a giant saber that pierced through the heavens. Then, it crashed down on top of Jian Wusheng. Such was its power that the weather turned stormy and violent.

Jian Wusheng moved closer to Luo Zhan while holding his sword in front of him. Then, he unsheathed his sword by a single inch, summoning an Azure Dragon out of seemingly nowhere.

You may have a saber that splits heaven and earth,

But I too have an Azure Dragon that defends humanity from all harm.

Boom!

The Azure Dragon of sword qi and giant saber of saber qi clashed against each other. The storm that resulted from the impact was so powerful that the topmost layer of the cliff was shaved away just like that, leaving behind countless scars.

Ding!

Suddenly, a crisp, metallic ringing pierced through the eardrums. It was somehow clearer than the massive explosion that was still going on.

As soon as this happened, the violent storm of sword and saber qi froze as if someone had cast a freezing spell on them. At the eye of the storm, Jian Wusheng and Luo Zhan were standing just two meters away from each other.

The tip of Jian Wusheng’s sword was pressed against the tip of Luo Zhan’s saber. The ringing sound had come from the clash.

Both man and weapon were completely motionless for a time, but outside the platform, Hong Jianglong let out a small sigh. “Luo Zhan lost.”

“It’s not his fault. Jian Wusheng’s cultivation level and understanding of the sword are both a tad higher than Young Luo’s.” Lei Xiaodan chuckled. “If anything, the fact that Young Luo managed to fight Jian Wusheng to this extent and even dealt him a heavy blow shows just how talented he is.”

“He lost. There’s no need to justify it,” Hong Jianglong replied unconcernedly, “No one can win forever. He just needs to make it up with a victory in the future.”

“Jian Wusheng is undoubtedly an excellent talent though. The Pacification Bureau will have him.”

“Hahaha, I think he suits the Intelligence Department better,” Lei Xiaodan argued smilingly.

“Bullshit. A genius like this should join the Pacification Bureau, fight Strangers, and protect the people from danger. If he joins the Intelligence Department, all he’ll ever do in his life are underhanded, loathsome things that can never see the light,” Hong Jianglong scoffed disdainfully. “I’m not saying that your job is unnecessary, but it’d be a complete waste of his talent.”

“The Pacification Bureau fights against the Strangers, and the Intelligence Department oversees the jianghu. In the end, we are both serving the needs of the realm, the imperial court, and the people. As long as our objective is achieved, then all is well.” Lei Xiaodan didn’t take offense despite Hong Jianglong’s taunt. “Plus, it’s not up to the Pacification Bureau to choose which department Jian Wusheng wants to join. Who knows, he might think that he’s a better fit with the Intelligence Department?”

Hong Jianglong hmphed. “We’ll see.”

While the two men were fighting over Jian Wushen, the two participants still hadn’t made a move. One would almost think that they were frozen in time if not for the fact that the ground was splitting under their feet like a spider web.

As soon as the cracks appeared, Luo Zhan abruptly staggered and stepped away from Jian Wusheng. Every time he took a step, blood would flow out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth and drip toward the ground. But before it hit the ground, the blood would explode soundlessly and leave tiny sword marks on the ground.

It was clear that his blood had been infected with a terrifying amount of sword intent.

Nine steps later, Luo Zhan was positively bathed in blood. He saluted Jian Wusheng and said, “The victory is yours.”

“Only because you let me,” said Jian Wusheng before returning the gesture. Judging from his shaking arms and pale complexion, it was obvious that Luo Zhan hadn’t lost without leaving his mark on the swordsman.

Both participants were teleported out of the platform after Luo Zhan surrendered.