However, he had just leaped up when eight swords shimmering with piercing Sword Qi were already howling towards him.
"Clang clang clang..."
The burly man in the hemp robe swung his blade, exploding a swath of blade light along the corridor. He wielded his large back chopping blade as if no wind could enter its sweep, nor could water splash through, protecting his vital body parts while selectively knocking all eight attacking swords away.
Not far away, Xiang Wudi, who had just landed on the roof ridge of a three-story pavilion, holding a spear, saw this and sneered, "Is that all?"
"Is that the best you could do?"
Yang Tiansheng burst into laughter as he caught the jeer, his arms suddenly shaking upward, hands clapping together, "Unite the Swords!"
The eight scattered swords responded by flying into the air, merging into one large treasure sword, instantly their cutting aura surged!
"Slash!"
The next second, he swung his arms toward the descending hemp-robed burly man and yelled loudly.
Following the gesture, the giant sword chopped down, unleashing a blazingly gorgeous Sword Qi that poured down like a fiery cloud plummeting three thousand feet.
The Sword Qi poured down with terrifying speed and ferocity. The hemp-robed burly man couldn’t dodge in time and could only let out a lung-splitting roar, "Break," attempting in vain to raise his thick-backed blade to strike the brilliant Sword Qi.
The dazzling golden blade Qi had just shone when it was ripped apart by the fiery red Sword Qi which then smoothly pierced through the robust figure of the hemp-robed man, blasting a large crater in the empty space in front of the tavern’s main hall.
The residual force dissipated.
In the center of the crater, only two charred, still smoking halves of a body, and two segments of the fiery red broken blade remained.
The two men dropped into the crater. Yang Tiansheng sheathed his sword, grabbed Xiang Wudi’s spear and began rummaging through the charred remains, "Who the fuck is this idiot? Where did he pop out from?"
Xiang Wudi:...
Yang Tiansheng looked at Xiang Wudi quizzically, "An enemy of yours?"
Xiang Wudi snatched back his spear, angrily retorted, "I have no enemies!"
Yang Tiansheng, "Then why did he come flaunting his power, picking a fight with us for no reason?"
"How would I know? I thought he was an enemy of yours, going all out from the start..."
Xiang Wudi replied stiffly, then complained, "I told you to let me handle it, but you insisted on taking over. Now look at him, even his fucking dad wouldn’t recognize him. How are we supposed to investigate this?"
"Investigate?"
Yang Tiansheng looked up towards Zijin Mountain, "No need to investigate, just wait for the results!"
Confused, Xiang Wudi followed his gaze and after a moment of realization exclaimed, "You mean..."
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Meanwhile.
Zijin Mountain, Lou Wai Lou.
Seated opposite each other, the Taoist Zhou Yin and Ming Sect Sect Hierarch Yang Potian frowned deeply at the mysterious Grandmaster in front of them, towering and lean with a face like golden foil, as if he had sprung from a rock.
Both were old veterans who had weathered through the martial world, thinking they knew or at least recognized all the renowned experts in the world.
Yet, after racking their brains, recalling every famed and named martial expert from nearly the past thirty years, they still failed to find anyone remotely similar to this mysterious Grandmaster in the martial community...
"Who am I?"
The newcomer seemed unaware of their scrutinizing gazes, smiling and replying in slightly stiff Mandarin, "Haven’t you always been looking for me? Why don’t you recognize me now that I’ve appeared?"
The two exchanged a glance.
Zhou Yin spoke gravely, "Xiangxi accent."
Yang Potian spread his hand, forcing out a clump of black blood, "Poison Skill."
They turned their heads back in unison and scrutinized the unfamiliar peerless Grandmaster before them.
Zhou Yin, "Five Poisons Cult?"
Yang Potian, "Nine Revolutions Silkworm Transformation?"
The newcomer gave them a thumbs up, laughing and replying in a heavily nasal Xiangxi accent, "Good eyesight!"
Zhou Yin, "Was it you who robbed Yang Erlang of his money?"
Yang Potian, "Is the Five Poisons Cult planning to re-enter the Jianghu?"
The newcomer crossed his arms and nodded slightly, "Both correct!"
Zhou Yin gave a thumbs up, "Impressive courage!"
Yang Potian also raised his thumb, "Quite the nerve!"
The newcomer said with a faint smile, "I personally come here to request two small favors from you, hoping for your cooperation."
Zhou Yin extended his hand, "Please speak."
Yang Potian crossed his arms, "But I can’t guarantee I’ll agree."
"Fair enough."
The newcomer nodded with a smile, "The first matter, I’d appreciate if you could stay out of our way, avoid attracting trouble, and not make unnecessary enemies."
Zhou Yin snorted in derision.
The newcomer’s expression remained unchanged, "The second matter, I wish to inform you that south of Jiujiang will henceforth be under the control of our Five Poisons Cult, and I ask you both to refrain from interfering, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Yang Potian snorted in derision as well.
Having spoken, the newcomer bowed respectfully with a clasped fist, "May I know your thoughts?"
Zhou Yin highlighted the scars on the knuckles of his right hand, calmly responding, "Please go back. My humble establishment may not be significant, but we too have the spirit of ’going down together in flames’!"
Yang Potian highlighted the dark mark in the palm of his right hand, chuckling, "Though I am unworthy, I dare not tarnish the reputation of my ancestors in the Ming Sect... We await your sect’s declaration of war!"
The newcomer scanned them once more, nodding with a smile, "Very well, the Five Poisons Cult has been dormant too long; people have nearly forgotten the fear once commanded by our ’Heavenly One’s Divine Water’!"
Upon hearing the name ’Heavenly One’s Divine Water,’ both men’s faces paled slightly.
But they soon regained their composure, gazing at the newcomer with a mixture of mockery and caution.
The newcomer bowed again and vanished with a step that spanned several meters.
The two stared fiercely at his retreating figure until he had completely vanished from their sight, at which point they both let out a long sigh of relief.
Yang Potian spoke solemnly, his voice low, "This man’s martial arts... it’s not merely the forte of the Five Poisons Cult; I saw traits of no fewer than ten different sects in his skills."