It was a dark and stormy night.A figure in black swiftly entered the inner hall of the Quanqing Taoist Temple,moving with incredible speed!
The person made his way directly to the small house where Guo Xu Yang was staying.He moistened his index finger with his tongue,then poked a small hole in the paper window.Carefully,he inserted a bamboo tube and blew into it.
It was a knockout gas!
After waiting outside the window for a moment,the man gently pushed open the window,leaped into the room,and tiptoed towards the bedside,reaching for the long sword wrapped in white cloth.However,his pulse point was tightly grasped by someone!He quickly exerted his energy to break free and leaped backward several steps.
Guo Xu Yang slowly stood up,holding a firefold,and lit the oil lamp on the round table.He shook his head and said,"Master Mu,still not giving up?"
Mu Jianzong's eyes,filled with wrinkles,widened in surprise as he stammered,"You..."
Guo Xu Yang laughed,"No need to be so shocked.Although you covered your face with a black cloth,your unique lightness skill and movements can't be concealed.Don't forget we've crossed swords before."He glanced at the hole in the paper window,"Is this the special knockout incense from the'Secret Shadow Hall'?Master Mu,you really spared no expense on me."
Mu Jianzong simply tore off the black cloth covering his face,revealing a weathered countenance that looked far beyond his"prime years,"and said fiercely,"My Yu Jian Manor lives and dies for the sword!No matter what means I use,I will get the Longying Sword!Young man,prepare to fight!"
At some point,Mu Jianzong had already drawn a sharp sword.The sword flowers danced wildly as he lunged straight at Guo Xu Yang.
While dodging,Guo Xu Yang admired,"What a fine sword!Could it be the legendary'Mo Ye'sword?If you have Mo Ye,why do you need Longying?Master Mu,you should just go back."
Indeed,"Mo Ye"was an exceptional sword.It was three and a half feet long,with a bright blade that faintly glowed green.Even someone with exquisite internal energy,when exerting strength through the sword and swinging it,could do so silently and invisibly,killing without a trace.
Knowing his prowess,Mu Jianzong didn't waste words and launched his ultimate sword technique—Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source.With a single Mo Ye sword,he created ten thousand sword shadows,encircling Guo Xu Yang in the center,leaving him only able to defend and unable to counterattack.
Guo Xu Yang merely moved within the sword light,seemingly unable to resist.
Unexpectedly,another person broke through the window and rushed in—it was a woman!She darted straight for the Longying Sword on the bed!
With a loud"clang,"Mu Jianzong was forced to retreat three steps,and the countless sword shadows vanished—his"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source"had been broken!
Guo Xu Yang now had a sword in his hand,its tip pointing directly at the woman's back.
"Miss Bai,I've been waiting for you for a long time.Next time you lie in wait,you should better conceal your presence,"Guo Xu Yang said indifferently.
Bai Qingmo coldly replied,"You're really something!"
Guo Xu Yang glanced at Mu Jianzong and smiled,"I'm not that formidable.It's just that Master Mu willingly let me go.He might have forgotten that he used'Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source'in our last battle."He paused,"If you had waited for him to use a new move,and I was truly unable to counter it,then you might have succeeded."
Upon hearing this,Mu Jianzong cursed inwardly,"All my moves were exhausted in that final battle with you.Where would I have new moves?"But he kept a straight face,thinking,"This young man is really cunning.He just now pretended to be overpowered by my'Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source,'actually luring this Bai girl to reveal herself so he could catch her off guard."
Bai Qingmo shouted,"Kill me then!"
Guo Xu Yang was taken aback and retracted the sword pointing at Bai Qingmo,"We've never met before.Why would I kill you?"
Ignoring Guo Xu Yang's"mercy,"as soon as he retracted his sword,Bai Qingmo immediately turned and attacked him.
Her turn,draw,and strike were all done in one fluid motion,her speed astonishingly fast,not inferior to Mu Jianzong's!
Seeing this,Mu Jianzong also took the opportunity to press forward.Suddenly,another person flew in through the window,a tall and dignified young man holding a long sword,who loudly said,"Father,I'm here to help too!"This was none other than the eldest son of the Yu Jian Manor,Mu Jianyi,who had inherited all his father's skills and was already a top swordsman in today's martial world.
Guo Xu Yang now had to face three swords with just one.
The three had exquisite swordsmanship,and with Guo Xu Yang being severely injured and unwilling to harm them,he had no choice but to use his signature"Traceless Snowsteps"lightness skill,specifically the"Windless and Snowless"move,to evade the three swift and fierce swords.
Without wind or snow,there were no traces.Guo Xu Yang's tall figure now seemed as light as cotton fluff,and no matter how the three sharp swords attacked from various directions,he could find gaps and nimbly dodge them all.
Mu Jianyi used"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source"to trap him,Mu Jianzong attacked his lower body with"Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains,"and Bai Qingmo's moves were simple—just a straight thrust,but it was lightning-fast,aiming directly for Guo Xu Yang's throat.Fortunately,Guo Xu Yang was well-versed in the sword techniques of the Yu Jian Manor,or he might have lost his life this time!
What a move,"Snowy Eagle Soaring"!
Guo Xu Yang leaped into the air,circled behind the Mu father and son,and used the tips of his sword to press their"Tianzong"and"Lingtai"acupoints,immobilizing them.However,as he lightly touched Bai Qingmo's"Zhongfu"acupoint,her sharp sword had already pierced half an inch into his side.
The four of them had reached the pinnacle of martial arts,and their speed was unimaginable.They had just finished fighting when Ma Su,Huang Yi Rong,and the master of Zhuo Jun Palace,Cang Ye,who lived farther away,arrived one after another.
"You could have killed me with a sword!What do you mean by just pressing my acupoints?!"Bai Qingmo shouted loudly,clearly extremely angry,as if she had never suffered such a great humiliation.
Guo Xu Yang did not respond.
Ma Su waved his dust whisk and looked at Mu Jianzong,sighing,"Master Mu,why do this?"
As the head of a major sect,Mu Jianzong was now a guest at the"Quanqing Taoist Temple,"yet he had engaged in theft and robbery on the host's territory.What's more humiliating was that not only did he fail in his mission,but both he and his son were now immobilized,standing there like statues.Faced with Abbot Ma's question,he didn't know where to put his old face and simply pretended not to hear,ignoring Abbot Ma.
"Kill me now,Guo Xu Yang,you cur!If you don't kill me today,I will surely take your life one day!I will never let you go!"Bai Qingmo,whose acupoints were pressed and unable to move,seeing that Guo Xu Yang"didn't bother"with her,and yet she herself couldn't move,had no choice but to shout louder and louder.
"A defeated opponent,how dare you speak of bravery,"Huang Yi Rong sourly remarked,then walked over to Guo Xu Yang,looking at the blood seeping from his side wound,and said,"Raise your hand,let me see your injury."
"Thank you,Miss Huang,this minor injury is nothing,"Guo Xu Yang said,and in the meantime,he used his finger to press an acupoint to stop the bleeding.
Huang Yi Rong gave him a disdainful look and fell silent.
"Phew!Who are you,you ugly old woman?Why are you making a fuss here!You two dogs,you will both die miserably!"Looking at the white-clothed girl standing opposite her,Bai Qingmo cursed even more fiercely.
"Ugly old woman"was one thing,but the three words"you two dogs"ignited Huang Yi Rong's anger.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"Huang Yi Rong scolded,and she raised her palm to strike Bai Qingmo,intending to teach this foul-mouthed woman a lesson.However,her pair of jade-like palms were blocked by Guo Xu Yang.
"Forget it,Miss Huang,don't stoop to her level,"Guo Xu Yang's words were tinged with a hint of tenderness.
Huang Yi Rong bit her red lips and stared blankly at the man in front of her.She pouted,walked towards the door,leaned against it,and gazed outside.
Then she heard the master of Cang Ye Palace say,"Miss Bai,you are such a young and beautiful woman.Why do you have to be so foul-mouthed and violent all the time?"The master of Cang Ye Palace was about forty years old.Although she had long passed her twenties,she paid great attention to her attire.The powder on her face not only concealed the signs of aging but also highlighted her nobility and grace.Her tight purple silk skirt accentuated her charm that was still strong as in her youth,as well as the unique allure of a mature woman.
"Mind your own business,you old hag!"
Guo Xu Yang really couldn't bear to listen to Bai Qingmo's indiscriminate cursing any longer,so he changed the subject and said,"Miss Bai,your martial arts skills are truly rare among our generation.May I ask where you learned them?"
Bai Qingmo sneered coldly,"Humph,you know your place!With your clumsy skills,how could you be a match for my master?Even if I can't kill you,my master will!"But she refused to mention who her master was.
Guo Xu Yang's expression became somewhat solemn.After unblocking the acupoints of the three people,he said,"You may leave.If you want to come back for the sword or my life,I will be ready to accompany you anytime."
Both the Mu father and son and Bai Qingmo had the same thought.Since they had already been defeated,and now with Ma Su,Cang Ye,and Huang Yi Rong present,the sword was even less likely to be obtained.The three of them left the room in anger without another word.
Guo Xu Yang watched them until they disappeared,and then he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.The fight with three top-notch experts while injured had caused his pulse to become chaotic and his energy to surge.
Huang Yi Rong's eyes were fixed on the outside,but her peripheral vision was on the inside of the room.Seeing Guo Xu Yang spitting blood,she wanted to step forward,but in the end,she didn't take that step.
Seeing this,Ma Su quickly came over and fed Guo Xu Yang two pills,then began to cultivate energy to heal his injuries.