Chapter 92: Fighting Dugu Dugu Qiubai from afar

After Gu Gu Hanyuan had killed no fewer than 20 Bodhisattva-Curved Snakes, a sudden gust of wind blew, and a black shadow lunged at him.

It turned out to be that giant black-feathered eagle.

It was a head shorter than Gu Gu Hanyuan, but its wingspan exceeded two meters; when it spread its wings, it looked like a massive black shadow.

It was currently lunging at him in a rage.

Gu Gu Hanyuan speculated it might be because he had snatched its food.

Gu Gu Hanyuan drew his Hero Sword and clashed with its sharp beak.

He was surprised to see the eagle retreat in pain, yet it was not injured.

The eagle’s beak was actually as hard as a divine weapon.

Having suffered a minor setback, the eagle became cautious; although its size was too large for it to fly.

It possessed immense strength, and the feathers on its body were equally hard, making it difficult even for the Hero Sword to inflict damage.

Every flap of its wings stirred up a gale, blowing sand and stones so hard that one couldn't open their eyes.

Even every time its beak pecked at Gu Gu Hanyuan, it secretly aligned with sword techniques.

It wasn't until Gu Gu Hanyuan used the "Inexplicable Sword Art" that he was barely able to suppress it.

By Gu Gu Hanyuan’s judgment, the eagle’s strength was roughly equivalent to a Half-Step Great Grandmaster.

Anyone below Great Grandmaster would be helpless against it, unable to break its defense, and its strength exceeded that of a Great Grandmaster; it was just that its agility was poor, and when Gu Gu Hanyuan began to use light-body techniques to circle it, it was played in circles.

Sure enough, after a while, the eagle realized it couldn't beat Gu Gu Hanyuan and called a truce; one could even feel its dissatisfaction with Gu Gu Hanyuan for "cheating" with light-body techniques.

"I know you understand human speech; take me to the Sword Tomb."

Gu Gu Hanyuan had no interest in wasting time with an eagle and got straight to the point.

After the eagle’s bell-like eyes flashed twice, it nodded and led the way.

When Gu Gu Hanyuan followed the eagle to the Sword Tomb, the first thing he saw was the stone tablet.

"Roaming the Jianghu for over thirty years, killing all enemies, defeating all heroes, there is no opponent left in the world; helpless, I hide in the deep valley, with only an eagle as a friend. Alas, to seek an opponent in my lifetime and never find one, truly a lonely and unbearable state." The signature below was: Sword Demon Dugu Dugu Qiubai.

Looking at those words, Gu Gu Hanyuan felt they were blinding, and he even felt a faint sense of trance.

The stone tablet contained Dugu Dugu Qiubai’s sword intent; every word was like a sword, and the sword qi was oppressive.

Gu Gu Hanyuan instinctively used the "Holy Spirit Sword Art" and "Inexplicable Sword Art" to resist it.

Under the confrontation of two top-tier sword arts, the sword intent on the tablet was gradually worn away, while Gu Gu Hanyuan’s own sword intent grew stronger.

When he regained his senses, he found that the sword intent on the tablet was gone, and even the words had become blurred.

Because the "Inexplicable Sword Art" had low compatibility, progress was slow; other than comprehending the ninth form, "Name Shaking the Jianghu," there were no further gains.

As for the "Holy Spirit Sword Art," besides the power of "Sword One" through "Sword Twenty-Two" all increasing to varying degrees, there were signs of comprehending the prototype of "Sentient World Sword Twenty-Three."

Gu Gu Hanyuan had originally thought it impossible for him to comprehend "Sentient World Sword Twenty-Three," so he was surprised to have made progress.

Could it be that he was also a person of extreme emotion?

Shaking his head with a smile, Gu Gu Hanyuan stopped thinking about it.

Instead, he made a guess about Dugu Dugu Qiubai’s cultivation: at the very least, he was a Land Immortal, though the specific realm was unclear.

Meanwhile, ten thousand miles away, an old man in plain clothes suddenly opened his eyes, his face showing confusion.

He was Dugu Dugu Qiubai; he had just sensed that the sword intent he left on the Sword Tomb tablet had vanished, and it had been worn away.

Originally, that tablet was meant to find a suitable successor; he hadn't expected it to be worn away by someone.

Clearly, the visitor’s sword realm was also very high; although still a cut below his own, it was already a presence that could grow to contend with him.

Dugu Dugu Qiubai was somewhat excited; he had spent his life looking for opponents. Among his peers, there might be those with stronger cultivation, but in the use of the sword, he was invincible.

A few years ago, several young people with decent talent had emerged, but they were still too far behind.

This unexpected visitor clearly interested him more.

After thinking about it, he stopped sitting still and decided to go to Song Guo to take a look.

Gu Gu Hanyuan had not expected his unintentional act to flush out an old monster.

At this moment, he was digging up the swords buried in the Sword Tomb.

The Green Peak Sword, the Purple Vine Soft Sword, the Heavy Iron Sword, and the Wooden Sword.

The Green Peak Sword was indeed a sharp sword, only a step away from being a divine weapon.

The Purple Vine Soft Sword should have been abandoned in an unknown deep valley, yet now it lay quietly in the Sword Tomb, its quality similar to the Green Peak Sword.

The Heavy Iron Sword was the only divine weapon, but it was strength-based; it really didn't suit Gu Gu Hanyuan’s ethereal style, so he would recast it if he had the chance.

The Wooden Sword was purely for Dugu Dugu Qiubai to show off; he ignored it.

As for the "Nine Swords of Dugu" and the "Heavy Sword Art," he had learned them all while resisting the tablet’s sword intent.

From Gu Gu Hanyuan’s current realm, the "Nine Swords of Dugu" were essentially high-end sword intent broken down into easy-to-understand tutorials for beginners; as for how far they would eventually grow, it entirely depended on the user’s comprehension.

It was no wonder Ren Woxing had always looked down on Brother Linghu Chong’s "Nine Swords of Dugu"—it had the form but lacked the spirit.

If it weren't for the bit of potential, it would be strange for someone with Ren Woxing’s ambitious nature to bother with a talent like Brother Linghu Chong, who lacked firm convictions.

The "Heavy Sword Art," however, gave Gu Gu Hanyuan quite a few surprises, because if the Demon Sword’s seal were broken, it would weigh a hundred pounds; it would indeed not be easy to wield it like an extension of one’s arm.

After Gu Gu Hanyuan got everything he wanted, he prepared to leave.

The eagle wanted to follow Gu Gu Hanyuan, but he pushed it away with disdain.

It was too ugly, couldn't fly, and ate too much; taking it along would be no different from a burden.

As for its strength, it would be fine as a bodyguard for a girl later, but for himself, forget it.

Finally, Gu Gu Hanyuan comforted the eagle, telling it to wait at the Sword Tomb, and he would come to take it away later.

As for how long "later" would be, only heaven knew.

Gu Gu Hanyuan took the opportunity to count the villain points he had gained.

Brushing aside Qinghai Wei Yixiao and the Whiteboard Fiend had given him 2300 villain points.

Guo Fu’s infatuation had given him 2900, and it had opened a series of evaluations.

Clearly, Guo Fu was also a heroine; in *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, she had even been betrothed to Yang Guo by Guo Jing.

However, he gained nothing from Huang Rong; although he left a deep impression, she likely still viewed Gu Gu Hanyuan as a potential son-in-law.

Intercepting Yang Guo’s Sword Tomb had given him 3000 villain points.

As usual, he placed a spiritual tracking mark on Huang Rong and Guo Fu.

At this time, the puppet feedback indicated it was almost at the Eagle Sect.

Gu Gu Hanyuan used the puppet’s "Location Teleportation" and brought Zhang Zhang Wuji to the Eagle Sect.

Meanwhile, the puppet was sent to Fuzhou to retrieve the *Evil-Warding Sword Manual*.

Yin Yin Susu was helping Gu Gu Hanyuan build an intelligence system; although progress was small for now, once it developed and grew, it would inevitably be an indispensable part of his power.

Especially with an intelligence system, it would surely soon discover that Gu Gu Hanyuan often traveled between two places in an instant.

Such an unscientific and un-martial thing would soon arouse Yin Yin Susu’s suspicion, so he still had to comfort her well and make her one of his own.