Chapter 261: A Single Flash of Blade Light

Torrential rain.

Gale winds.

The temple sways in the wind and rain.

Zhang Kaishan's heart is swaying, too.

The man in the bamboo hat before his eyes is undoubtedly the most terrifying person he has ever seen.

Even Grand Overseer Cao, who has practiced the Tiangang Childish Skill for fifty years, might not be his match.

Yet at this moment, with lightning flashing and thunder rolling, and the gale blowing fiercely, that clear, resonant voice could penetrate the curtain of rain and be sent clearly into everyone's ears; he is surely a person of profound cultivation.

He, Zhang Kaishan, a mere Thousand-Household, what virtue or ability does he have to make two top-tier experts take turns dealing with him?

The man in the bamboo hat heard the voice, his gaze suddenly shifting to look into the heavy night. His pair of eyes were bright and sharp, just like a divine blade.

A divine blade just taken from the furnace fire, scorching and captivating.

The hour was late, and the torrential rain was like a waterfall.

If an ordinary person were to look out, it would be nothing but a dim blur. But in the eyes of the man in the bamboo hat, every blade of grass, every tree, and even every drop of rain was incomparably clear.

Naturally, he also saw the arrivals.

It was a man and a woman.

The woman held an umbrella, her appearance stunningly beautiful. In the waterfall-like torrential rain, she possessed an even more desolate and delicate aura, like a fairy from a painting.

But the man in the bamboo hat did not pay the slightest attention to that exquisite face for even a moment; instead, he cast his gaze toward the Martial Warrior sword in the young woman's palm, and the family crest upon the blade.

It is someone from the Liusheng family of the Xinyin Sect.

The gaze of the man in the bamboo hat flashed, and his body was instantly filled with a faint fighting spirit.

Before he had retired from the Edo, he had also heard of the Xinyin Sect Grandmaster Yagyu Tajima no Kami, as well as the "Killing God Single Blade Slash" and "Snow Drifting in the Human World" that shook the Dongying martial arts world.

The man in the bamboo hat quickly shifted his gaze to the man beside her.

This man was not holding an umbrella, and every time he leaned toward the woman, she would push him away with a look of disgust. But strangely, the man was clearly in the curtain of rain, yet his entire body was incomparably dry, unstained by mud or rain.

The man in the bamboo hat looked carefully and soon discovered the reason.

Rain fell from the black clouds, but at a distance of three feet above the black-clad man's head, it immediately slid to the sides, as if there were an invisible umbrella above him.

And with every step the black-clad man took, it seemed no different from an ordinary person, but in reality, his feet did not touch the ground; he drifted and flickered, his light-body technique astonishing to the extreme.

"Indeed, he is an expert."

During these past few days, the other party had been observing him, and he had likewise been observing the other party, already regarding this black-clad man as the strongest rival of his life.

Suddenly, the man in the bamboo hat felt a gust of blade wind whistling behind him, the cold light piercing to the bone.

It turned out that Zhang Kaishan saw the man in the bamboo hat looking outside the door, lost in thought, and knew it was the best time to strike. He drew his blade decisively.

What he used was the swiftest and most ferocious move in the "Tiger-Slaying Door-Breaking Blade" — Slaying the Tiger to Achieve Benevolence.

This blade carried an indomitable spirit, melting all his essence, energy, and spirit into one strike; if this blade could not slay the tiger, then the wielder would surely be devoured by the tiger.

The man in the bamboo hat turned his body, and that cold, stern gaze shot suddenly toward Zhang Kaishan.

Zhang Kaishan met the eyes of the man in the bamboo hat; they were captivating and sharp, yet he could see a sea of corpses and blood in those eyes, seeing endless killing intent that seemed to want to drown him.

All of Zhang Kaishan's courage vanished with this single exchange of gazes. And although his blade momentum was still strong, with the disappearance of his confidence, it also gave people a feeling of being strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

"Such a pathetic blade, and you dare to strike at me."

The man in the bamboo hat let out a cold snort, his right palm spreading its five fingers and reaching forward. In just an instant, the blade light shattered, and a rough, powerful hand had already grabbed Zhang Kaishan by the neck.

Although Zhang Kaishan's physique was taller than the man in the bamboo hat, being held by the other party, he was like a small chick, insignificant.

"I, I recognize you, it's you." Zhang Kaishan finally saw the appearance of the person who had come, but he was even more terrified, his whole body seemingly trembling.

This was a rugged middle-aged man, his two eyebrows especially thick and dark, his gaze like a blade; as his brows lifted, he had the air of looking down upon the world, as if no one in the world was worthy of being in his eyes.

"Shut up! A person like you is worthy of speaking my name?" The man in the bamboo hat sneered: "Don't you like punishments, especially enjoying hacking people into a thousand pieces? Why don't you try this taste yourself?"

The man in the bamboo hat suddenly threw Zhang Kaishan, tossing him into mid-air, and the long blade in his hand moved like lightning.

No one saw clearly how he drew his blade or how he returned it to its sheath.

This was, by nature, a lightning-fast blade.

But countless tiny blade auras had already surged out, each one capable of slicing gold and breaking Iron.

The blade auras cut through the air, emitting a *chi-chi-chi* sound, and in an instant, they had enveloped Zhang Kaishan from head to toe.

Never mind that Zhang Kaishan had already been scared out of his wits at this moment; even in his prime, he might not have been able to withstand so many blade auras.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

A shrill, miserable scream rang out, like the wailing of a night owl, making one's hair stand on end.

In that very instant, the blade auras had hacked Zhang Kaishan into a thousand pieces, slicing off his flesh piece by piece.

With a "bang," the person fell from the air.

But he was no longer in human shape, a mass of bloody flesh, with white bones vaguely visible. If not for the low moaning, one would have thought he was already dead.

The man in the bamboo hat waved his palm again, the palm force striking out horizontally, knocking the terrified family of Inspector Yang unconscious, but it was Rigidity and Flexibility Combined, and did not hurt them.

After finishing all this, the man in the bamboo hat then shifted his gaze back to the man and woman at the door, saying coldly: "Good, you have finally come. You watched me for five days, and I have observed you for five days. In these five days, there was not a moment I did not want to fight an expert like you."

The black-clad man stood with his hands behind his back, elegant and indifferent: "In these five days, I have also very much wanted to cross blades with you."

The man in the bamboo hat said: "Do you know why I appeared here today?"

Yu Liancheng looked at the man in the bamboo hat's blade and said calmly: "You live in seclusion in the bustling city, wanting to turn the Wuqing Blade into a Gentle Blade, to reach the realm of Yin and Yang interchanging and the Heavenly Human meeting. But you cannot lose that heart of killing, otherwise, you might walk into another extreme. So every once in a while, you must use slaughter to tell yourself that you are the Tyrant Blade, the peerless Tyrant Blade under heaven."

The man in the bamboo hat slowly took off his bamboo hat; he was indeed that seemingly ordinary and plain fruit shop owner, but his face was filled with endless fighting spirit and killing intent.

He clapped his hands and laughed: "Very good, only if you can understand this point are you worthy of being my opponent."

Yu Liancheng changed the subject and said: "Yesterday, I met your disciple Guihai Yidao, and he even struck at me."

The Tyrant Blade raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Is this blade I forged still sharp?"

Yu Liancheng sighed lightly and said: "I fear I must disappoint you; he is no longer a sharp, heartless blade, but has become an indifferent and taciturn person. Lacking this opponent, you will inevitably have more trouble."

Ba Dao rubbed his brow: "I had long expected this, yet it is not too surprising."

Liusheng Piaoxu was also watching Ba Dao, a trace of eager fighting spirit revealing itself in her beautiful eyes.

Regardless, Liusheng Piaoxu now knew that this Ba Dao was indeed a supreme expert, and his blade technique was especially astonishing.

She had studied martial arts since childhood, possessed extraordinary talent, and had been cultivated with the utmost effort by Yagyu Tajima no Kami. Purely in terms of blade technique, apart from her father Yagyu Tajima no Kami, she did not consider herself beneath anyone.

Ba Dao seemed to sense Liusheng Piaoxu's fighting spirit and shifted his gaze: "Little girl, what is your relationship to Yagyu Tajima no Kami?"

Liusheng Piaoxu said coldly: "He is my father."

Ba Dao nodded, his gaze calm and unruffled, and said faintly: "It seems you have fully obtained the true teachings of Yagyu Tajima no Kami."

Liusheng Piaoxu said: "Oh, how do you know?"

"To have seen my blade and still possess such fighting spirit—if you aren't an idiot or a fool, then you must have the true teachings of Yagyu Tajima no Kami and great confidence in your own blade technique."

Ba Dao chuckled: "But I advise you to dispel this thought early. My current blade technique cannot yet be controlled at will; sometimes even I cannot restrain it. If I were to hack you down with one strike, wouldn't that lover of yours beside you want to fight me to the death? And I happen to have no certainty of defeating him; every time I see that brat, I feel more and more that he is unfathomable. Troublesome, troublesome. Troublesome..."

"You... arrogant! Let me show you the blade technique of my Xinyin Sect!" Having seen Ba Dao's blade technique, Liusheng Piaoxu had long been eager to try, and now, provoked by the other party, how could she still restrain herself?

One saw Liusheng Piaoxu gripping her Martial Warrior sword, and with one strike, she slashed out; the blade light was like a bolt of lightning.

"Haha, since you, woman, have made the first move, don't blame me for being impolite." Ba Dao laughed heartily; his blade remained sheathed, and with just a light tap of the scabbard, he had already neutralized Liusheng Piaoxu's strike.

Liusheng Piaoxu was not surprised; she merely swept her graceful figure, and amidst the dancing of her cloud-like sleeves, the blade light once again surged toward Ba Dao like a deluge.

"Rumors in the Edo say that Ba Dao is a cold and heartless brute, but if anyone truly treats him as a simple-minded brute, that only proves they are a foolish brute themselves."

Yu Liancheng shook his head.

He could naturally see that Ba Dao wanted to observe the unique skills of the Xinyin Sect, but considering himself a senior of the martial arts world, he found it inappropriate to strike first, so he used a few words to provoke Liusheng Piaoxu.

Of course, Liusheng Piaoxu might not have failed to see through this simple provocation, but she also wanted to see Ba Dao's blade technique, so this battle unfolded in such a muddled fashion.

Yu Liancheng walked outside the ruined temple and clapped his hands.

Soon, two disciples of 'Heaven Beyond Heaven' flashed out from the Darkness, their bodies soaking wet, and they bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Heavenly Venerable."

Yu Liancheng waved his hand and said: "Take the family of Inspector Yang to the main altar and treat them well."

"Yes."

After the disciples of Heaven Beyond Heaven took the family of Inspector Yang away, Yu Liancheng then turned into the ruined temple.

He had once sent people to investigate the family of Inspector Yang; the children of Inspector Yang were all very talented, and Inspector Yang himself had close ties with many upright officials of the current dynasty, so perhaps they could be of use in the future.

In the ruined temple, there was still a sea of blade light.

Liusheng Piaoxu's blade technique was like raging waves and an angry dragon; every strike was not only extremely exquisite but also peerlessly fierce.

But that Ba Dao used only his sword hilt to parry each time, shattering all of her blade light.

His attainments in blade technique could be seen from this.

"Fine, I am not your match, but I do not know if you can take this strike."

The two exchanged another Twenty-Three moves; Liusheng Piaoxu's graceful figure paused, she gripped the sword hilt tightly, the tip of the blade pointing obliquely at the ground, and a heavy aura permeated the entire Mountain God Temple, the killing intent growing increasingly thick. Yet the killing intent was held back and not released, giving one the omen of an approaching storm.

That Martial Warrior sword trembled with a "humming" sound, as if it could also feel the surging killing intent in its master's heart.

"Make your move." Ba Dao's expression turned solemn; he could vaguely sense the terror of this move.

Swish!

"Watch the move!"

Liusheng Piaoxu let out a delicate cry, her beautiful face filled with cold killing intent, her waterfall-like hair suddenly lifted, and the blade light, like cold frost, slashed down from the air.

The cold and sharp blade Qi permeated the entire room, seemingly condensing into dancing snowflakes. As this strike was unleashed, the snowflakes boiled and suddenly merged into the blade light, presenting an incomparably powerful slash.

—Snow Drifting in the Human World.

Although this move was "Snow Drifting in the Human World," it had merged with the sharp killing intent of the "God-Slaying Blade Slash," bringing this strike to an unprecedented realm.

Originally, this slash was intended to give Yu Liancheng a "surprise," but at this very moment, she could no longer consider too much.

"Good blade technique!"

A sharp light burst forth in Ba Dao's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, this supreme blade master finally made his move.

The hand gripping his sword hilt moved suddenly.

Drawing the blade, swinging the blade.

Everything was so natural and seamless, without the slightest hint of abruptness.

Liusheng Piaoxu finally saw Ba Dao's blade technique and also saw Ba Dao's blade light.

This blade light was not as fierce as Ba Dao; it was just a faint line, almost invisible.

It was like the first ray of sunlight at dawn.

It was also like the last lingering glow when the sunset falls.

Although not intense, and although very brief, it gave one a feeling of being stunning to the extreme; it was a miraculous skill.

Her "Snow Drifting in the Human World," filled with killing intent, collided with this streak of blade light and immediately vanished without a sound, shattering inch by inch.

And that streak of blade light had already shone upon Liusheng Piaoxu's body.

She immediately felt her hair stand on end, her whole body turning cold.

The streak of blade light expanded infinitely before Liusheng Piaoxu, filling her entire field of vision, making her feel incomparably tiny, as if she could be swallowed and annihilated by this white light at any moment.

However.

Just at this moment.

A dark cloud drifted over, obscuring the light of the sky.

This dark cloud actually gave Liusheng Piaoxu a feeling of warmth and geniality; she had originally died under that streak of blade light, but now she had come back to life because of this dark cloud.

Clang~

A crisp sound.

The pitch-black fan ribs of the "Peach Blossom Beauty Fan" had already braced against the blade of the Tyrant Blade, and that sliver of blade light finally vanished from sight.