Chapter 12

Upon hearing Zhang Zhang Cuishan say that the man held the Dragon-Slaying Saber, everyone in the hall was so shocked they stood up. Many could not tear their eyes away once they saw the blade.

Some eyes were filled with suspicion, others with greed. Of course, there were also those like Shangguan Shangguan Haitang who were simply curious.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you have the Dragon-Slaying Saber? Where is my Brother Brother Xie?"

Zhang Zhang Cuishan’s expression was frantic; he never imagined that in the few months since he left Ice Fire Island, Brother Xie Xun might already be dead.

The man let out a burst of arrogant laughter.

"Hahaha! This seat is Brother Wutian. Lawless and unbridled. Naturally, this Dragon-Slaying Saber was seized from Brother Xie Xun’s hands. Killing him really took quite a bit of effort from this seat."

Hearing Brother Wutian’s words, Zhang Zhang Cuishan felt blood rush to his head. His eyes became bloodshot, and he prepared to rush forward and risk his life.

Fortunately, the martial brothers beside him hurriedly held him back.

"The situation is unclear, and we don't know what Brother Wutian’s goal is. It is too dangerous to engage him rashly. It is better to wait and observe the changes."

Zhang Zhang Songxi, the most quick-witted and steady of them, finally managed to persuade Zhang Zhang Cuishan to hold back.

Zhang Zhang Cuishan could only stare fixedly at Brother Wutian’s figure, attempting to discern something.

Ever since Brother Wutian appeared, everyone’s gaze had been drawn to him, especially to the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

Gu Gu Hanyuan, who had seemed to radiate brilliance just moments before, suddenly became an invisible man, retreating into the ranks of the Wu Dangpai before anyone noticed.

If anyone had been paying attention to Gu Gu Hanyuan at this moment, they would have noticed his distracted state.

This was because Gu Gu Hanyuan was busy controlling his puppet.

That’s right, Brother Wutian was Gu Gu Hanyuan’s puppet.

Since he had decided to be a great villain, he naturally needed a public identity. The more eye-catching this identity was, the deeper he could hide his true self. With the puppet technique, Gu Gu Hanyuan had already planned today’s scene.

However, the puppet’s current level was too low, requiring Gu Gu Hanyuan’s main body to control it throughout. From dialogue to action, it required a massive expenditure of his energy to ensure no flaws were revealed.

Thus, Gu Gu Hanyuan appeared unfocused.

In fact, before he began controlling the puppet, Kong Zhi had not only provided reputation but also a villain rating.

A-rank rating, 1200 villain points.

It wasn't much, but for Gu Gu Hanyuan, it was an unexpected windfall.

It also verified one thing: supporting characters could also be used to farm villain points.

Although Kong Zhi had provided reputation, he was not currently at his peak. In a few years, Kong Zhi would master eleven of the seventy-two North Shaolin arts, reaching the Grandmaster realm.

Kong Zhi’s current realm was only Innate, and his injury was negligible—merely a pierced wrist, at most a minor wound. The main point was that it had damaged his reputation and boosted Gu Gu Hanyuan’s, otherwise, it was debatable whether he would have received a villain rating at all.

However, these 1200 villain points had filled a gap.

That gap was Zhang Zhang Sanfeng.

As a Land Immortal-level expert, Zhang Zhang Sanfeng’s insight was terrifying.

The previously unstable identity of Brother Wutian was now foolproof.

Gu Gu Hanyuan spent 280 villain points to exchange for one hour of temporary Grandmaster strength for Brother Wutian.

The fake Dragon-Slaying Saber cost 200 villain points; claiming it was taken from Brother Xie Xun was naturally a lie—he hadn't had the time to run to Ice Fire Island. Thus, this fake saber only resembled the real one in appearance, not in spirit.

He had consumed most of the points from Kong Zhi for a Shura Mask, costing 1000 points: it was indestructible, could not be removed, could simulate aura, and included visual induction to focus people's attention on the mask.

Sure enough, Zhang Zhang Sanfeng was staring intently at the puppet, feeling as if it were shrouded in mist, impossible to see through.

The reason Yin Yin Susu hadn't been able to find Gu Gu Hanyuan for the past few days was that he had been preparing Brother Wutian’s attire; the wide black robe was specifically to conceal his physique. He had also been familiarizing himself with the terrain of Mount Wudang.

Brother Wutian suddenly looked toward the Heaven-Reliant Sword in Abbess Miejue’s hand.

"Martial arts supreme, the Dragon-Slaying Saber, if the Heaven-Reliant does not appear, who can contend? This phrase has circulated in the Jianghu for twenty years. This seat is very curious: is the Dragon-Slaying Saber sharper, or is the Heaven-Reliant Sword keener?"

With that, Brother Wutian raised the fake Dragon-Slaying Saber and slashed at Abbess Miejue.

Abbess Miejue did not expect Brother Wutian to suddenly shift his target to her; instinctively, she drew the Heaven-Reliant Sword to parry.

However, just as the blade and sword were about to collide, Abbess Miejue remembered the secret passed down by her founder.

If the Heaven-Reliant Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber were struck together with full internal energy, they would both break, revealing the secret manual hidden within.

Two Grandmaster-level experts clashing with the Heaven-Reliant Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber could easily cause both divine weapons to shatter.

If the manual were exposed, Abbess Miejue had no confidence she could seize it.

At the critical moment, she withdrew the Heaven-Reliant Sword, narrowly dodging the edge of Brother Wutian’s fake Dragon-Slaying Saber, but she could not dodge Brother Wutian’s palm.

In her haste, Abbess Miejue could only raise her palm to block, but lacking sufficient force, she was knocked back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

Ding Ding Minjun and Bei Bei Jinyi behind her hurriedly supported her, looking at Brother Wutian with hostility.

Abbess Miejue said with a grave expression, identifying Brother Wutian’s realm:

"Grandmaster!"

The people from the various sects also had grave expressions.

Although the Ming Guo was powerful, Grandmasters were not found on every street corner.

Aside from the Wu Dangpai, only the masters of a few major sects present were Grandmasters.

A Grandmaster-level Brother Wutian, combined with the Dragon-Slaying Saber, would be no less troublesome to deal with than Brother Xie Xun.

Even Zhang Zhang Cuishan calmed down significantly upon seeing this; after all, he was only at the peak of the Innate realm and was no match for Brother Wutian.

As for why Abbess Miejue did not clash the Heaven-Reliant Sword against the Dragon-Slaying Saber, everyone merely guessed that the collision of divine weapons might cause damage, and if the Heaven-Reliant Sword were destroyed, Abbess Miejue would suffer a huge loss.

However, Abbess Miejue actually had one lingering doubt: although Brother Wutian’s cultivation was that of a Grandmaster, that palm strike just now had been ordinary. If she hadn't been blocking in such a rush, it wouldn't have been difficult to repel him. After thinking for a long time, she could only guess that the opponent wanted to hide his martial arts foundation, which was why he hadn't used any exquisite techniques.

In fact, Gu Gu Hanyuan was also helpless; the martial arts he knew were all from the Wu Dangpai, and they were only at the introductory level.

The external techniques that Grandmasters excelled at were usually at the mastery level.

Although Gu Gu Hanyuan could use villain points to raise his cultivation, he didn't have enough to raise his technique realm.

So, he had to find a way to harvest more villain points.

"I ask Master Kong Wen to intervene."

Abbess Miejue sought help from Kong Wen, hoping to take Brother Wutian down.

Although the grudge against her elder brother had been settled after Brother Xie Xun’s death, there was still the grudge against her senior brother, Gu Gu Hongzi, to settle.

The Mingjiao Bright Left Envoy Yang Xiao, who had caused Gu Gu Hongzi’s death, was already at the late Grandmaster stage. Even with the Heaven-Reliant Sword, Abbess Miejue was no match for him; she could only place her hopes on the manual inside the sword.

Therefore, the Dragon-Slaying Saber had to be seized.

Kong Wen had already been angered by what Brother Wutian said upon his arrival, so he naturally would not refuse Abbess Miejue’s invitation.

However, just as the two were about to strike at Brother Wutian, a youth’s cry came from outside the door.

"Father!"

"Zhang Wuji!"

"Zhang Wuji!"

Upon hearing the voice, Zhang Zhang Cuishan and Yin Yin Susu recognized it as their son, Zhang Zhang Wuji, and prepared to rush to the hall door.

Zhang Zhang Wuji’s sudden cry also drew everyone’s attention to two figures lunging toward Brother Wutian’s back.

The two were dressed in black and white Daoist robes, with white hair and beards, looking to be in their fifties. They were the Xuanming Elders.

The Xuanming Elders had intended to ambush Brother Wutian and seize his Dragon-Slaying Saber, but they hadn't expected Zhang Zhang Wuji, who had broken free from his restraints while they were distracted by the ambush, to expose their location.

Once their cover was blown, the Xuanming Elders gave up on ambushing Brother Wutian and turned back to capture Zhang Zhang Wuji and take him away.

It was clearly impossible to seize the Dragon-Slaying Saber after being exposed.

But Zhang Zhang Wuji’s existence could be used to hold the Wu Dangpai in check; for the Prince Ruyang Wang Fu, which intended to stir up chaos in the Ming Guo Jianghu, his importance was self-evident.