Chapter 962: Gatecrash
The Ghost Race’s Jiang Chengzi glared at Xiao Chen and issued him a challenge.
The crowd instantly stirred with interest. No matter how good the Flawless saber Dao was in theory, in the end, everything still boiled down to combat prowess. Only then would people be convinced of it.
Xiao Chen happily accepted. He extended his hand and said, “Please!”
“Qiang!”
Jiang Chengzi’s body moved in a flash, like a phantom, and he arrived in the air, already holding the black saber that he had stuck into the ground. Without waiting for Xiao Chen to get up, he charged at Xiao Chen from behind.
Dense Death Qi surrounded Jiang Chengzi. As his figure flashed, horrible scenes from hell materialized behind him. A black saber light lit up and arrived before Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen extended his hand and blocked the tip of his opponent’s saber. The Lightning Talisman in his sea of consciousness spun. Thousands of peach blossoms formed in the sky and drifted down. Xiao Chen’s body exuded a boundless lifeforce.
Everything awakened in spring; this was the time when life was the most abundant. When the peach trees formed a forest, its fragrance spread for five kilometers. Xiao Chen thrust his hand out and knocked back Jiang Chengzi’s saber strike that was in violation of the rules.
Then, Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and made a pinching motion. The thousands of peach blossoms formed a branch that landed in his grasp. He gently flicked it and sent it flying at Jiang Chengzi.
“Dang!”
Jiang Chengzi held his saber across his chest and condensed a pitch-black screen of sabers, wanting to block this small peach branch. Who would have imagined that the peach buds would bloom? The perfected Spring Saber contained far more power than he expected.
This force knocked Jiang Chengzi straight back. The scenes of hell behind him looked like they would shatter at any moment.
Xiao Chen did not give Jiang Chengzi a chance to recover from his mistake. His figure flashed, and he released bright saber light from his body. The saber intent he radiated turned into saber winds flying in all directions, making their audience not know where to look.
Xiao Chen executed Summer Saber, Autumn Saber, and Winter Saber in quick succession, linking them together. Blood leaked from between Jiang Chengzi’s lips amid the drifting snowflakes. Frost covered his body, and an ice flower sat on his chest.
Jiang Chengzi said with some dissatisfaction, “I admit defeat!”
The concession came after merely four moves. Jiang Chengzi initially had the advantage due to him breaking the rules. However, Xiao Chen’s Flawless saber Dao ended up suppressing him all the way, not giving him a chance to counterattack.
The entire place fell silent. Jiang Chengzi suffered defeat so quickly. This outcome was very unexpected.
After this fight, no one dared to underestimate the combat prowess of the Flawless saber Dao anymore.
Xiao Chen stretched out his hand, and the ice flower on Jiang Chengzi came off and landed in his palm. Then he said, “You went easy on me.”
Although Xiao Chen’s clothes fluttered in the wind, he did not make things difficult for his opponent. He pushed off the ground and landed back at his seat.
Sparkles flashed in the eyes of Bai Lang, who had not fought yet. He stood up and said, “Brother Xiao, how about we exchange two moves?”
Aside from Xiao Chen, Bai Lang was the strongest in this place. It was very possible that Bai Lang had condensed a saber soul as well.
The interest of all the bladesmen present was immediately piqued.
Xiao Chen felt excited at Bai Lang’s suggestion. Despite the many people present, the only one that could allow him to fight to his heart’s content was Bai Lang.
However, just as Xiao Chen was about to answer the challenge, a disharmonious voice suddenly came from a distance.
“How bustling! Brother Bai Lang, unexpectedly, despite your average saber skills, you are rather good at organizing this tea party. The sword school tea party will take place three days hence; I now think I should invite Brother Bai over to help out.”
The disharmonious voice that continued to approach made Xiao Chen and Bai Lang frown.
Everyone present looked up and saw a few strands of sword light coming from afar. Even from a distance, an overwhelming aura from an incredibly sharp and strong sword intent pressured everyone.
The person who is coming is hostile!
“It is the disciples of the Sword Sovereign.”
“I knew it. These fellows would definitely come and cause trouble at the tea party.”
“The Sword Sovereign’s First Disciple, Qin Shaoqing, is actually here as well. He is someone comparable to Wen Ziran. However, this is going to be problematic as Wen Ziran is not here.”
The bladesmen local to the Profound Domain did not seem surprised at the arrival of the few swordsmen, like they expected the intrusion.
Apparently, the friction between saber and sword had been ongoing for a very long time in the Profound Domain. Furthermore, the conflict between the two factions was extraordinarily intense.
Xiao Chen thought about his encounter at Sword Forging Peak. No matter if it was a bladesman or a swordsman, they did not look kindly at each other.
The purpose of these swordsmen was obvious.
The sword school tea party was about to begin. These three had probably come here intending to disrupt the saber school tea party and boost the repute of the sword school tea party.
In the Profound Domain, the saber and the sword stood on equal terms. This resulted in the rivalry between the two factions being more intense than in other places.
Bai Lang raised his head and looked. He did not show much shock or rage on his face. However, he smiled with some regret. “They came little sooner than anticipated. Brother Xiao, it looks like we will not be able to exchange moves this time.”
Xiao Chen sized up the person with the strongest aura in the distance. He asked, “Is this Qin Shaoqing very strong?”
“Very strong. Among the younger-generation bladesmen in the Profound Domain, only my senior brother can defeat him. Among the swordsmen, aside from that Yan Shisan, who is even more mysterious than my senior brother, no one can stop him.
“The two beside him are Gu Jianheng and Liu Kun. Like Qin Shaoqing, they are disciples of the Sword Sovereign. I am also not very confident of defeating them.”
In the time that conversation happened, Qin Shaoqing led his two junior brothers, Gu Jianheng and Liu Kun, over. They already arrived within five hundred meters of the ground. All their auras were shockingly strong. Their eyes were as sharp as swords, their expressions cold.
Xiao Chen raised his gaze slightly, looking past these three people to a farther place where there were three black dots with even stronger auras.
These auras felt familiar to Xiao Chen. However, as they were too far away, he could not see them with his Spiritual Sense. So he could only keep an eye on them.
---
Fifty kilometers away, two men and one girl stopped in midair. The man on her left looked handsome. He gave off an extraordinary aura. His cultivation was even more unfathomable.
However, that appearance was still considered normal. The man on her right had a stunningly gorgeous face. His charming aura held a fatal attraction for girls.
It was hard to imagine that there could be such a beautiful man in this world.
Compared to this person, the girl in the middle was in no way inferior. Her beauty could bring disaster unto a nation. When she smiled, she looked enchanting, captivating others.
This girl was the Spirit Fox King’s adopted daughter, Xiao Bai. The beautiful man was the genius of the Spirit Fox Race, Yuan Xu. The handsome one was the Peacock King’s descendant, Kong Yuan.
The younger generation of the Fiend Domain was weaker than the younger generation of the other four major races. If not for the rise of these three people, the Fiend Race would be in an even worse state in this great age.
“Big Brother Yuan, why are we not following them over? The tea party will be very interesting. Who knows, Elder Brother Xiao Chen might be there too,” Xiao Bai asked, feeling confused.
Yuan Xu explained, “When Qin Shaoqing goes over, it will incite the conflict between sabers and swords in the Profound Domain. If we went with him, it would cause misunderstanding. They will think that we are part of his group.
“It is better for us to wait for him here. We are only using his connections for you to enter the Heavenly Sword Pavilion to view their ancient text, not to go and offend the Saber Sovereign’s faction in the Profound Domain.
“As for Xiao Chen, I once heard that Heavenly Cauldron City’s Young City Lord expressed his attitude towards Xiao Chen and will not issue an invitation to him. So Xiao Chen will not make an appearance.”
Xiao Bai revealed an expression of disappointment. She sighed and said, “I have not seen Elder Brother Xiao Chen for many years already. I wonder if Elder Brother Xiao Chen still remembers Xiao Bai.”
Kong Yuan smiled and said, “There is no need to worry. You are so lovable. If he dares to forget you, I will definitely make him pay. Furthermore, he recently appeared at Sword Forging Peak. He will not be leaving the Profound Domain for a while. You will surely have an opportunity to meet him.”
Xiao Bai nodded and said, “Right. This time I will be sure not to miss Elder Brother Xiao Chen again.”
Yuan Xu and Kong Yuan looked at Xiao Bai’s expression. Then they revealed gentle and doting expressions. Their hearts were filled with envy when they thought of Xiao Chen. After so many years, Xiao Bai still pined for him.
---
When the Sword Sovereign’s three disciples arrived, the atmosphere became extremely tense.
The azure-robed swordsman, Qin Shaoqing, casually looked around. All the bladesmen below revealed grave expressions. He smiled and said, “There is no need to be this tense. Given your cultivations, I would not even bother looking at most of you, not to mention attacking you.”
“Arrogant!”
The bladesmen here were all outstanding young talents, all unyielding people. So when Qin Shaoqing said this, he immediately upset many people.
The Inferno Saber Sovereign’s disciple, Lin Yan, was not from the Profound Domain; he had never heard of Qin Shaoqing’s name before. So he snorted coldly and brought out his saber, then soared into the sky and chopped down at Qin Shaoqing.
The clouds within five kilometers in all directions burned with a raging flame. With the power of one saber strike, Lin Yan filled the sky with red clouds, his attack looking boundlessly powerful.
Qin Shaoqing stood upright with his hands behind his back. He did not make a move. Gu Jianheng, who was standing at Qin Shaoqing’s right, drew his sword.
A strong sword intent spread out and promptly suppressed Lin Yan’s aura. The five kilometers of flaming clouds shrank significantly; even his flight slowed down.
“Sword soul!” everyone below exclaimed. This Gu Jianheng’s sword intent already advanced to the even stronger sword soul, quashing Lin Yan.
“Dang!”
The might of this sword was rampant and overwhelming. It forced Lin Yan, who had charged forward with a horrifying aura, to retreat one kilometer, his Qi and blood roiling.
After the exchange of a probing move, it was clear who was superior. If the two truly fought, barring any surprises, Lin Yan would lose within five hundred moves.
When Bai Lang saw this scene, he frowned slightly and asked, “Qin Shaoqing, what do you want? The purpose of the tea party is to discuss the Dao and exchange pointers. It is not for you to establish your might.”
Gu Jianheng smiled coldly and said, “If you are not capable, then why try to imitate the seniors and hold a tea party? Today, we are here to embarrass you, to make sure that your bladesmen will be more low-profile in the Profound Domain in the future. Don’t think that just because you have one Wen Ziran, you can ride over our heads.
“The saber will always be inferior to the sword!”
Qin Shaoqing glanced at the sabers stuck in the ground and said, “You are now making friends through the saber, right? I would like to use my sword and try you out.”
“Zeng! Zeng!”
Qin Shaoqing flung his hand out and stabbed his sword into the tall platform. Sword Qi spread out and sent the sabers flying.
“If someone can defeat me, I will personally apologize and leave immediately. If there is no one who can defeat me, then I think that there is no point in continuing this saber school tea party.”
Qin Shaoqing was clearly insufferably arrogant. His tone was astonishingly aggressive, not showing any regard for everyone.
Bai Lang’s heart sank. This Qin Shaoqing must have planned this. He must have received news from somewhere that Wen Ziran was busy and could not come, so he flew over to cause trouble.
Not only that. Qin Shaoqing was extremely ambitious, wanting to end the tradition of the tea party.