Chapter 1711: Chapter 986: Ghost Slayer Jiu Shan Sha Yue
If it were someone else, Yang Xiao wouldn’t take it out even if he were beaten to death, but before coming, Yang Xiao had some understanding of Jiushan Cangxuan’s character. He knew that this person wouldn’t covet his Magic Artifact, and being the esteemed Jiusan Family Master, he must have seen many treasures, so he wouldn’t be interested in this little thing of his. At this moment, being timid would only shame the Patrol Defense Office.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiao directly took out the Human Bone Staff and respectfully offered it with both hands.
Receiving the Human Bone Staff, Jiushan Cangxuan only held it for a moment before showing a delighted expression, "Not bad, it’s a good thing!"
After speaking, he looked up at Yang Xiao, "You’re a very promising young man, but when you fought Shayue, you didn’t hide your level of spiritual power. Was it because you felt it wasn’t necessary, or..."
"I truly don’t know how." Yang Xiao was very honest; he really didn’t know how.
"If that’s the case, I can teach you. It’s not difficult." Jiushan Cangxuan glanced at the sky; it was completely dark. "It’s too late today. Go and rest first. Tomorrow, I will send someone to find you."
"Thank you, senior. I, Yang Xiao, will never forget your kindness." Yang Xiao clasped his hands in salute to Jiushan Cangxuan; this was a martial arts courtesy and had nothing to do with the identity of the special envoy of the Patrol General Bureau.
Given the other’s status, since he had promised, he would never break his word. Over the years, his development of the Human Bone Staff has been quite limited, but there’s nothing he can do about it. After all, his level of strength is just there.
The more powerful the Magic Artifact, the more spiritual power is needed to support it. He is not strong enough now; he cannot bring out the true wonders of the several high-rank Magic Artifacts he owns.
Elder Sheng had also reminded him of similar things before leaving the Esoteric Sect. At this stage, acquiring new Magic Artifacts is not necessary; the key is to develop the Artifacts in his possession. He specifically mentioned three: the Ghost Lantern, Ghost Bamboo Stick, and the Human Bone Staff.
The Hundred Demons Coffin Clothes were not mentioned, but Elder Sheng had bluntly said that among all the Magic Artifacts on Yang Xiao, these three were of the best quality and matched him perfectly. It’s just that due to his own strength, these powerful Artifacts seem a bit "ordinary."
Dean Sheng had also explained the origin of this Human Bone Staff very clearly to him: it was the treasure of the Soul Suppressing Sect, a major sect a hundred years ago.
Jiushan Cangxuan led Yang Xiao outside the corridor, where members of the Jiu Mountain Family were waiting. A samurai with a sword escorted Yang Xiao back to his residence.
After watching Yang Xiao leave, Jiushan Cangxuan turned around and continued walking alone along the road paved with green stone slabs, heading towards a secluded place in the backyard with a beautiful view. A uniquely styled building appeared before him. Although its area wasn’t large, faint lights were visible inside through the old-fashioned wooden windows covered in window paper.
A figure wearing a conical hat and a pitch-black face covering, clad in black samurai attire, stood silently under one of the columns in front of the building.
When Jiushan Cangxuan arrived, the person merely nodded in greeting. Jiushan Cangxuan completely ignored him, walked straight to the wooden door, and gently pushed it open. Accompanied by a "creak," the old wooden door swung open, revealing a wooden table inside, showing traces of being hacked by axes and knives.
A kerosene lamp stood quietly on the table, emitting a faint candlelight. Around the table, three people were already waiting quietly, occupying three directions, with only the main seat facing the door left empty.
Jiushan Cangxuan walked up, sat steadily in the vacant main seat, and then raised his eyes to glance at the woman sitting to his right, speaking in a much harsher tone than he did to Yang Xiao: "Jinglan, your actions today were really too bold. To test Yang Xiao, you didn’t hesitate to tell Yuezi that Yang Xiao killed that team of Kagayaki Ninja, letting Yuezi test Yang Xiao’s trump card. If something had gone wrong midway, how would you have me explain this to Yuezhiyuan?"
"I was abrupt, but that Yang Xiao definitely has a problem." Jiu Shan Jing Lan’s eyes were as deep as the sea, seemingly able to see through everything. "Didn’t you all feel it too? In big brother’s spiritual world, a strange aura appeared, albeit for a brief moment."
Facing his sister, Jiushan Cangxuan found it quite headache-inducing. However, one thing was certain: although his sister’s spiritual power wasn’t as powerful as his own, she was a top expert in spiritual perception, even more sensitive than he was.
At the welcome banquet not long ago, seizing the chance when Yang Xiao secretly checked on her, she used her ability to trace back along Yang Xiao’s perception. At the time, she didn’t feel anything, but she felt increasingly uneasy afterwards.
She vaguely sensed something odd about the boy, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong, hence today’s test.
"In the final move against Yuezi, a power appeared. Shunyu, you should be familiar with this aura." Jiushan Cangxuan looked at the elderly man in white sitting opposite him. The old man had sharp eyes, with a prestigious sword named Ghost Blade Country Ruler sheathed in a white scabbard on his waist.
"It’s Sword Lord Mo Wentian." Jiushan Shunyu took a deep breath. "That sword is Mo Wentian’s sword. Although its appearance has changed, I could instantly recognize its aura. The Patrol Defense Office must have tampered with that sword, and it wouldn’t be difficult for them."
As this topic was brought up, this top-tier swordsman on East Japan Island couldn’t help but reminisce about that sparring match many years ago.
It was also on such a night, the sky void of stars and moon, eerily quiet. His prideful sword strike was completely absorbed by this person. After merely over thirty moves, his sword momentum was broken.
For top-level swordsmen like them, having their sword momentum broken also means death, defeat, and tremendous shame.
But it wasn’t just him; similar shame played out many times after that person stepped onto Japan’s soil, including his Iaido Slash defeating Jiushan Shunyu, Japan’s Blade President Heimu Zhenyi, the Executioner Liu Shengxue Xin, Sasaki Chiyoda of the Wuming Blade Prison, and many of the then top swordsmen of Japan, all falling to Mo Wentian’s hand.
To speak without exaggeration, at that time, Sword Lord Mo Wentian alone shattered the heart of the entire elite swordsman’s knife art in Japan.
After consecutively defeating twelve top swordsmen, finally, someone couldn’t sit still anymore; it was the then Ghost Sect Leader. This person personally took action to end the Sword Lord’s winning streak, also regaining a slight bit of face for the Japanese swordsmen.
But it was only just a slight bit, as this Ghost Sect Leader was fundamentally not a knife user. His magic artifact was a Big Iron Hook used for hooking corpses, which he specially modified temporarily not to be ridiculed, at least looking somewhat like a knife.
Since as Sword Lord engaged, he stopped at a measured point, neither killing nor almost wounding anyone, the Ghost Sect Leader similarly did not severely injure the Sword Lord.
Of course, there was more fear of his identity; after all, he was the Deputy Director of the Patrol General Bureau, and his ranking was very high.
Sword Lord Mo Wentian ventured alone to Japan, seemingly to spar in sword skills, but was essentially warning the Japanese Apostle to stay put, not to rashly infiltrate coastal areas to create chaos.
During that period, domestic coastal areas often suffered attacks from some Japanese ninja swordsmen. They came during adverse weather, struck, looted, and fled swiftly, making it hard to catch them. The Patrol General Bureau repeatedly contacted the Ghost Sect Leader, ordering him to strictly discipline his subordinates, but the Ghost Sect Leader kept lip service, doing differently behind the scenes. Finally, the General Bureau decided to send someone over to give them a lesson since the Ghost Sect wasn’t doing it, the Patrol Defense Office had to send someone themselves.
After weighing the options, Sword Lord Mo Wentian was found to be the most suitable; Japanese Apostle took pride in being swordsmen, and Mo Wentian happened to be a sword-using expert.
At that time, Mo Wentian hadn’t yet acquired the title of Sword Lord, which came about only after returning from Japan. Initially, it was a nickname discreetly given by Japanese people, and later everyone accepted it and continually addressed him this way.
There’s no official record of the battle between the Ghost Sect Leader and Sword Lord Mo Wentian; both sides later consistently kept silent, especially the Ghost Sect.
It’s said winning was winning, but it wasn’t very respectable, since anyone could see the Ghost Sect Leader himself did not use a sword, and moreover, the moves defeating the Sword Lord weren’t swordsman’s moves.
It was purely resolving through strength, as in terms of spiritual power intensity, there was still a significant gap between the Sword Lord and the Ghost Sect Leader.
The Ghost Sect Leader was also in a grievance, as not taking action wasn’t an option with all of his younger peers knocked down, and if he didn’t act, the Sword Lord’s title might likely become an undefeated hand throughout Japan, which he absolutely couldn’t tolerate, as it equaled throwing the face of the Japanese Apostle on the ground for stomping.
But taking action was indeed disgraceful, akin to when children fight, his child not being able to compete, then as a parent acting, which equates to lowering one’s status; even winning wouldn’t be prestigious.
Reality was exactly like this, as the matter was subsequently handled low-key; the Patrol Defense Office also saved them some face, not widely publicized.
However, Sword Lord’s visit had immediate effect, and in those years, Japanese ninja rogue swordsmen had all quieted down. Rumors outside said the Japanese swordsmen had their knife heart shattered by Sword Lord Mo Wentian, which caused a regression of twenty years overall, even fewer choosing swords as their primary magic artifact.
And now, familiar memories awakened, Jiushan Shunyu’s mind once again conjured the fearsome man’s image,
Thirty years ago, that man came, with one man one sword, conquered every Japanese swordsman’s undefeated hand, and thirty years later, here was another young man, with the Sword Lord’s knife, stepping on their Japan’s soil, providing people an impression of a kind of cyclical destiny.
Thirty years ago, he fell to the Sword Lord’s hand, and thirty years later, his personally taught sword skill Jiushan Sha Yue also fell to Yang Xiao’s hand.
Indeed, she lost, Jiushan Shunyu never belittles concealing his own failures; it’s a display of the incompetent weak, victory must be straightforward, and defeat must be clear. Shayue borrowed strength from that ancestor only to exchange lives with Yang Xiao, this is defeat, even if Yang Xiao used a sneaky move at the last moment, defeat is defeat.
After all, that ancestor was acknowledged as the strongest by the Jiu Mountain Family in the past hundred years, far surpassing Sword Lord Mo Wentian in power, even stronger than the previous Ghost Sect Leader, it was this person’s emergence that established the Jiu Mountain Family’s standings in the Japanese Apostle Family World for almost a century.
This ancestor’s magic artifact was also a knife, a demon sword, since the ancestor’s passing, no one ever could wield it again, countless generations of promising progeny from the Jiu Mountain Family attempted to control it, but within decades, none succeeded until the appearance of Jiushan Sha Yue.
The Jiu Mountain Family poured myriad efforts into this child, even within, named her Ghost Slayer, Ghost Slayer Jiushan Sha Yue.
Ghost Sect’s ghost.
