Chapter 1769: Still Able to Hold On?

The disciples of the Tianyou Valley's enemy sects were stunned; they had no idea what had just happened, seeing only that this young boy had repelled all of them with a single sword strike.

Zhao Yang withdrew his sword qi and slowly stepped forward. His steps were firm and powerful, and his entire person radiated a sharp momentum.

"Let this end here today." Zhao Yang's indifferent voice echoed across the sky. The enemy disciples of that sect all knelt on the ground, lowering their heads to show submission.

Although they did not know exactly what had happened, merely by this momentum, they could guess that the youth opposite them was anything but ordinary.

"In that case, I will spare your lives. Remember, if you dare set foot in Nanyang Commandery again, I will exterminate your nine clans!" His words were exceptionally cold, filled with intense killing intent.

The enemy sect disciples nodded in agreement one after another and quickly fled the scene.

After the enemies had gone far away, Zhao Yang's figure appeared. He looked at the distant mountain peak and sighed.

"Master, what should I do?" he murmured.

A picture scroll appeared in his mind; within the scroll was an ancient and majestic palace where three tall and mighty men sat cross-legged. One of the men looked at the scroll and said, "Child, this is your opportunity and also your responsibility; do not forget it. As for whether you can reach this step, it depends on yourself."

The other two men also nodded, watching Zhao Yang leave.

Zhao Yang took a deep breath, turned around, and vanished from the spot.

On a winding path, Zhao Yang ran quickly. Roars of beasts constantly came from beside him, yet he was not afraid in the slightest; instead, an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Truly worthy of the path of cultivation! Training here not only sharpens my swordsmanship and techniques but also tempers my physical body; it is truly excellent!" he rejoiced inwardly.

Just then, his ears twitched slightly, his brows furrowed, and then he immediately returned to calm; he continued on his way at a leisurely pace.

A few seconds later, he suddenly stopped, looked at the grass nearby, and said indifferently, "Since you have already revealed yourself, why hide and sneak around?"

The grass rustled, and a gray-white wolf king stood up. This was a third-tier demon wolf; its eyes stared fiercely at Zhao Yang, drool hung from its mouth, and it made a low growling sound from its throat, as if warning Zhao Yang not to act rashly.

A sinister smile curved Zhao Yang's lips; he swung the Qingyun Sword with his right hand and slashed at the demon wolf. This demon wolf was also a sentient being; it did not expect this fellow to dare attack it proactively, so it opened its bloody maw and bit down.

Ding—

The Qingyun Sword collided with the demon wolf's teeth; the demon wolf let out a miserable howl and fell to the ground. Its fangs were broken, blood flowed freely, and its appearance was quite pitiful.

The demon wolf climbed up, glaring angrily at Zhao Yang; it did not expect this weak human to be able to injure it. It pounced on Zhao Yang again, its sharp claws swiping toward him.

A trace of cruel smile appeared on Zhao Yang's lips; he clenched his right hand into a fist and blasted out a fist force, striking the demon wolf's abdomen.

Aowu—

The demon wolf let out another painful wail; Zhao Yang, taking advantage of the victory, swung the Qingyun Sword in his hand toward the demon wolf's neck, severing its head. He cleaned up the demon wolf and then hoisted it onto his shoulder.

He continued on his way, preparing to find a hidden place to rest for a while.

He had walked only a few minutes when he suddenly sensed a wave of dangerous aura; this aura made his hair stand on end. He immediately leaped up and slapped backward with one palm.

"Bang—" Two powerful palm forces collided, and a black-clothed masked man appeared in his line of sight.

"Who are you?"

This black-clothed masked man did not answer; he held a precious blade, swift as the wind, and slashed at Zhao Yang. Zhao Yang held the Qingyun Sword with his left hand to block in front of his chest.

Zheng—

Sparks flew in all directions, and both men retreated several steps. Zhao Yang looked at the black-clothed masked man before him, greatly surprised in his heart; this person was very strong.

"Who is the gentleman? I seem to have no grudge against you." Zhao Yang asked.

"You have no grudge against me, but you have obstructed my plan, so I must kill you."

Zhao Yang raised his eyebrows, a hint of mockery on his face. "I do not care what your plan is; I will stop it. If you want to kill me, just come." He radiated a powerful momentum, battle intent burning fiercely; he had long wanted to find an opponent to test his skills, and today he finally had the chance.

The black-clothed masked man laughed heartily. "Good, I was just bored and looking for someone to play with; you are very lucky." His expression turned serious, and the precious blade in his hand erupted with dazzling light.

Zhao Yang's gaze became even more intense. "Please offer instruction." He let out a long cry, and a long sword unsheathed.

Sou—

A wisp of cold light rushed toward the black-clothed masked man, the sword tip emitting sharp sword light.

The black-clothed masked man flicked his wrist; the precious blade in his hand erupted with dazzling brightness. He wielded the precious blade to meet the Qingyun Sword thrust by Zhao Yang.

Qiang—

Sword and blade met, and sparks flew in all directions. Zhao Yang grunted in pain, quickly withdrew, dissipated this impact force, and landed steadily five or six zhang away.

"Such powerful strength." He squinted at the black-clothed masked man, thinking inwardly. Just that one collision had numbed his arm.

The black-clothed masked man also retreated several steps, then leaped forward again; the precious blade in his hand erupted with dazzling brightness, and he slashed at Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang was not flustered; he waved his long sword to defend, continuously deflecting the opponent's attacks.

"He!"

The black-clothed masked man roared loudly, and his body suddenly soared into the air. Zhao Yang's expression changed slightly; he did not expect the opponent to possess such mysterious kung fu.

"Ten Thousand Blades Return to Origin!"

A brilliant Jin Guang shot out, rushing toward Zhao Yang at incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, it reached his vicinity.

Zhao Yang's pupils suddenly contracted to needle points; he swept his long sword upward, sword qi whistling out, colliding with the Jin Guang.

Boom—

Zhao Yang's face turned pale; he felt as if he had been struck by a large hammer, his body trembling violently. His figure was thrown backward.

He fell to the ground with a plop.

The black-clothed masked man landed on the ground, holding the precious blade and advancing toward Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang struggled to his feet, raised his head to look at the black-clothed masked man before him, and said in a deep voice, "Friend, we have no grudge; why must we fight to the death?"

The black-clothed masked man sneered a few times. "Junior, stop pretending. I know you are Zhao Yang."

Zhao Yang's expression changed slightly; he did not expect the opponent to know him and even know that he was Zhao Yang.

"Since you know I am Zhao Yang, then get lost immediately, or do not blame me for being unkind." Zhao Yang said coldly, holding his long sword and staring warily at the black-clothed masked man.

"Hahaha, a mere mid-stage Bone Tempering Realm martial artist, yet you dare to be so arrogant; truly I do not know where your confidence comes from. However, you are also a generation's prodigy; if you die in my hands, it is a death well deserved!" The black-clothed masked man laughed loudly, lifted the precious blade, and charged at Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang's eyes narrowed; all his true qi surged into the Qingyun Sword, and instantly, the Qingyun Sword erupted with dazzling light. He let out a light cry, and a sword light shot out like lightning.

Boom—

Sword light and blade light clashed again; Zhao Yang's body shuddered, and he nearly fell to the ground. He clenched his teeth and held on, but his Hukou cracked open, bleeding profusely.

"Hmm? He can still hold on." The black-clothed masked man was slightly surprised.

Zhao Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth; a glint of sharp light flickered in his eyes. He had underestimated the strength of the black-clothed masked man. He hadn't expected the opponent to injure him with only two moves.

However, the more so, the more excited Zhao Yang became.

"Again!" Zhao Yang roared, swinging his long sword. Sword light crisscrossed, enveloping the black-clothed masked man.

"Not bad, but still too immature." The black-clothed masked man showed a look of disdain, then the treasure blade in his hand erupted with brilliant radiance, surging toward Zhao Yang like a silver snake.

Zhao Yang's expression changed slightly; this strike was even more powerful than before. He hurriedly urged the true qi within his body, pouring it into the Qingyun Sword. The Qingyun Sword erupted with brilliant blue-green light, meeting the silver-snake-like blade light.

Boom—

The blade light and sword light shattered each other, turning into a sky full of light and vanishing. A fierce wind whipped around, dust and sand filled the air, obscuring vision.

After the smoke slowly dispersed, Zhao Yang and the black-clothed masked man faced off once more.

"So powerful." Zhao Yang took a deep breath, his mood gradually calming. He discovered the opponent's cultivation had reached the peak of the Leather Refining Realm, with only a thin film separating him from the Bone Tempering Realm; he could step into it at any moment.

No wonder he was so bold. Originally, he thought the opponent was also a Bone Tempering Realm expert, but he hadn't expected him to be merely at the peak of the Leather Refining Realm.

"What is your name?" Zhao Yang stared at the black-clothed masked man opposite and asked in a deep voice.

"Guess!" The black-clothed masked man sneered.