Chapter 444: A Sword Across a Thousand Li

The East Sea.

Wudi City.

People coming and going.

These days, Wudi City has become increasingly lively.

It is rumored that Jian Jiu Huang, one of the three most famous swordsmen in recent years, is to enter the city to challenge Wang Xianzhi once again.

Last time, Jian Jiu Huang left behind the famous Sword Huang Lu; this time, he has come prepared, but who knows how much effort he can force Wang Xianzhi to exert?

The renowned masters of Sword Dao from across the world have entered Wudi City early; besides the head of the Yue Wang Sword Pool, two members of the Wu Family Sword Tomb, who rarely enter the world, have also come out of the mountains and into the East Sea, waiting to witness that peak battle atop the city walls.

The long-famed First-Rank Expert Cao Guanzi has rented an entire Guanhai Tower within Wudi City, also having come for this battle.

The ordinary commoners in Wudi City have not noticed anything unusual, but some martial arts experts have already caught the scent, even feeling the suffocating sensation of black clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it.

Ancient road, west wind, lean horse.

This day, an inconspicuous old man led a lean horse into Wudi City and stopped at a wine shop not far from the main city gate. He ordered two liang of wine, half a jin of meat, and a dish of peanuts.

After resting his feet and filling his stomach, the old man, under the gaze of the crowd, carried his Sword Box and leaped onto the wall, letting out a long whistle: "Huang Zhentu has come to retrieve Huang Lu; I invite City Lord Wang to a battle."

In an instant, the eyes of the entire city were gathered.

Wang Xianzhi, whose figure was unusually tall and burly, stepped forward, covering ten zhang with a single stride.

When the two were twenty zhang apart, Jian Jiu Huang's Sword Box opened, sword light danced wildly, and five swords emerged at once; from Sword One to Sword Eight, all were unleashed, every one of them a top-tier move in the world.

Wang Xianzhi stood loftily atop the wall, standing like a God; all the brilliance of the universe was absorbed by him alone. His already tall and burly figure seemed as if even the mountains and the East Sea were kowtowing to him.

This was the demeanor of the World's Second.

Wang Xianzhi was like a vast, boundless ocean; seemingly calm and tranquil, yet actually surging with undercurrents, capable of erupting at any moment with a power that could sweep away everything, destroying any person or thing that dared to challenge him.

Lao Huang pushed Sword One through Sword Eight to their limit, yet still could not shake Wang Xianzhi in the slightest.

This time, he experienced the feeling of exchanging blows with Yu Liancheng once again, even surpassing that initial encounter.

The opponent stood right there on the wall, using only one hand, yet he could not inflict even the slightest injury.

Yet Jian Jiu Huang had not the slightest intention of retreating.

That pair of eyes, once turbid, flashed with sharp intent; the whole person was like a divine weapon unsheathed, his edge fully exposed.

A flick of his sword finger.

Sword Nine, Six Thousand Li.

The sword light was like the Milky Way from the nine heavens, pouring down toward Wang Xianzhi.

Whoosh! Wherever the sword light passed, it stirred up a storm of Sword Qi; the ground along the way could not withstand the immense pressure, cracking in large swaths, with sky-filling gravel flying, rapidly extending for twenty zhang, right up to Wang Xianzhi's feet.

"Acceptable." Wang Xianzhi nodded in praise, acknowledging this sword strike, yet still fought with one hand.

Rumble!!

Wang Xianzhi's right sleeve was completely destroyed, and Jian Jiu Huang stumbled backward.

Inside Guanhai Tower, the green-robed scholar Cao Zhangqing praised: "With the unleashing of the Sword Nine style, the Sword Intent is vast; there are no more brilliant sword moves in the world."

The words of this invincible Cao Guanzi were also the inner voice of many martial artists present.

There was no lack of Sword Dao experts on the scene, and as they secretly pondered their own proudest sword moves in comparison, they could not help but feel eclipsed.

But soon, everyone, including Cao Guanzi, knew they were wrong.

—There are still brilliant sword moves in the world.

As Jian Jiu Huang's fingers spun, five swords flew together, carving incomparably brilliant light in the air.

The seemingly simple Flying Sword, chaotic and without order, could only be seen by experts like Cao Zhangqing: the positions, distances, and spacing of these five swords... all coordinated in a well-arranged, perfect manner, giving one a feeling of being naturally formed and flawless.

—Sword Ten, Nine Thousand Li.

Compared to "Six Thousand Li," the Sword Qi of "Nine Thousand Li" was even more abundant, and this style felt even more flawless and perfect.

"Well done." Wang Xianzhi's eyes brightened, and he took a step forward.

This was the first time since he began exchanging blows with Jian Jiu Huang.

That he had taken a step forward.

One step taken.

The entire city wall seemed to tremble, as if trampled by a prehistoric beast.

After this simple buildup of momentum, Wang Xianzhi's Qi surged, reaching an almost inconceivable realm.

His fist retracted slightly; his sleeves were shattered by the Sword Nine, and one could see the mountain-like, undulating curves of his arm, and the slightly protruding muscles that felt as hard as Iron, as if containing infinite power.

Then he threw a punch, meeting the five incoming swords like a meteorite.

Boom!!

That world-dominating fist momentum collided with the naturally formed sword momentum.

After a brief stagnation, the world-renowned Swords were sent flying, some even developing cracks, and air currents erupted like a mountain-toppling sea.

The city wall cracked with a loud "Crack!", and solid bricks were sent flying, shooting out in all directions like meteors.

Screams rang out immediately around the city wall; some onlookers from the martial arts world were unable to dodge in time and suffered collateral damage, looking as if they had been struck by cannonballs—a ghastly sight.

And that once obscure Sword Artisan of Western Shu, now the world-famous Jian Jiu Huang, could not help but show a look of heartache.

These swords were originally intended to be given to his master as snacks to accompany wine; now that they had chips, in his master's words, it meant the spiritual energy had leaked out, and no matter how good the dish was, if left for a few days, the texture and color would be far worse.

In some respects, Lao Huang was just an ordinary person with a kind heart; he could not bear to see others suffer, yet he had no ambition to save the world. The only ones he truly kept in his heart were but a few. Among them, the one with the greatest share, almost not inferior to the Prince, was his master who loved to eat Swords.

However, Jian Jiu Huang had no time to consider so much.

After shattering the "Nine Thousand Li," Wang Xianzhi's fist smashed toward him.

Wang Laoguai did not intend to kill; it was simply that his pure fist momentum had not yet ended.

He would not deliberately withdraw his punch; since one had come out to roam the Edo and challenge him, the World's Second, one had to be prepared to be beaten to death by him.

Hum!!

Suddenly, a trembling sound rang out.

This sound was clear and resonant, as if it had traveled from the edge of the sky.

It drew closer and closer.

The residents and martial arts experts of Wudi City looked up and saw a streak of light flying from the horizon, dragging a sharp radiance that was blinding to behold.

Only peak Second Grade and a few First-Rank Experts could clearly see that it was a sword light, and what propelled this sword light was a pitch-black long sword.

Swish!!

The sword light flew toward the city wall, collided with the force of Wang Laoguai's fist, exhausted most of that force, spun in mid-air, and was then grasped by Lao Huang.

"This Sword Intent belongs to the Old Sword God and... Murong Tonghuang?"

Wang Laoguai naturally did not press his advantage; he frowned slightly, looked at his own fist, and savored the feeling for a moment.

In the past, that was still the martial arts world of Li Chungang, and Wang Xianzhi, as a latecomer, challenged Li Chungang, losing six out of seven battles. In the final battle, Li Chungang, out of appreciation for talent, was unwilling to use Sword Opens Heaven's Gate, ruined his own reputation, had his Wooden Ox and Horse broken, and departed the mountain with ease, which achieved the reputation of Wang Xianzhi as the Wudi City Lord.

It was precisely because of this that Wang Xianzhi called himself the World's Second, respecting Li Chungang's dashing spirit, and willingly ceded the throne of the world's number one to him.

Wang Xianzhi was naturally very familiar with Li Chungang's Sword Intent; even though twenty years had passed, he could never mistake it.

As for the other Sword Intent, being able to keep pace with Li Chungang's Sword Opens Heaven's Gate, and even faintly suppressing it, was something that perhaps even the Peach Blossom Sword God Deng Taie could not accomplish.

Calculated this way, it could only be Yu Liancheng of the "One Sword Brightens the Heavens".

Wang Xianzhi revealed a look of interest and was in no hurry to make a move, standing with his hands behind his back as he watched Jian Jiu Huang, who held the "Duoqing Sword" and seemed to be lost in deep contemplation and enlightenment.

Sword Opens Heaven's Gate, gifting a sword over a thousand li—the gifting of the sword was secondary; the gifting of insights into the Sword Dao was the key.

After a while, Jian Jiu Huang opened his eyes, pointed the tip of his sword diagonally at the ground, and said loudly: "Heavenly Venerable Murong gifts Sword Eleven 'Half Boundless', please, City Lord Wang, do not hesitate to offer your guidance."

If Xu Fengnian were here, he would likely clap until his palms turned red; although Lao Huang looked ridiculous whenever he spoke and revealed his missing teeth, his demeanor as an expert was now practically overflowing.

Wang Xianzhi made a gesture of invitation.

Jian Jiu Huang took a step forward.

With a wave of his arm, the sword light flew twenty zhang, brilliant and dazzling, vast and mighty, boundless and endless, living up to the beautiful name of Half Boundless.

Wang Xianzhi chuckled.

He raised his fist.

And smashed it down.

One day later, Xu Fengnian on Wudang Mountain received a secret letter, with a small seal script character written on the envelope: Yin.

Xu Fengnian was not surprised by this; it was an open secret known to all that his father, the Great Pillar Kingdom, had Earth Branch Death Soldiers by his side, like ghouls and goblins that could not see the light of day. Some were skilled in strange formations, some in unorthodox paths, and some in killing without a trace.

Xu Fengnian discovered that this letter was something like a travel itinerary; the text was straightforward, recording Lao Huang's trip to the East Sea, detailing everything from the most important to the most trivial.

The beginning was all trivial matters, nothing brilliant or extraordinary, only occasionally evoking the Prince's memories of that six thousand li journey from years ago.

And the end was written like this.

"Sword Nine emerged, like a galaxy pouring down a thousand li, destroying the sleeve of Wang Xianzhi's right arm. Sword Ten emerged again; Wang Xianzhi praised it as returning to simplicity and being a work of exquisite craftsmanship, then broke it with one punch."

Xu Fengnian slapped his thigh and said: "What a Wang Laoguai, truly formidable." He hurriedly read on, wanting to know the subsequent situation, as a thought swirled in his mind.

Lao Huang, you must not be alright.

"Sword light came from afar, flying a thousand li. Later verified to be borrowed swords from Murong Tonghuang and Li Chungang. Jian Jiu Huang realized Sword Eleven, holding the 'Duoqing Sword', the sword momentum was vast and mighty, boundless and endless. Wang Xianzhi fought with all his strength, and half of the city wall collapsed.

Appendix 1: Sword Nine is named 'Six Thousand Li', Sword Ten is named 'Nine Thousand Li', Sword Eleven is named 'Half Boundless', as stated by Jian Jiu Huang himself.

Appendix 2: After one sword, Jian Jiu Huang's energy was exhausted, and he fell off the city wall; when he fell, he retrieved all his swords, including the Yellow Deer left from the previous battle.

Appendix 3: With this one battle alone, no one in the world dares to say that Jian Jiu Huang is far inferior to the Sword God Deng Taie.

Appendix 4: After Sword Eleven, Wang Xianzhi's palm bled, and it did not heal for a long time; he looked toward the north, seemingly talking to himself: 'If you do not come to find me, Wang, within a year, I, Wang, will come to find you'."

Xu Fengnian drank three bowls of Green Ant Wine in a row.

"Satisfying! Satisfying! Satisfying! Truly satisfying as hell!!"