Chapter 52

Taishan Sect, back mountain, midnight.

Zuo Lishan walked along the small path. The glove he wore on his right hand during the day had been taken off, revealing pitch-black claws, tightly gripping the sword hilt. His thumb kept rubbing on the hilt.

Living things were crawling under his clothes, leaving marks on the fabric.

He licked his dry lips, feeling his internal energy restless and his blood boiling, and couldn't help but reveal a ferocious smile.

Since he earned the name "Zhen Yue Sword" at the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting at the age of twenty-five, he hadn't experienced this feeling for more than ten years.

Excited, jumping, unable to control himself.

Li Miao was right, Zuo Lishan himself knew very well that the foundation of his sword technique was indeed "arrogance."

The arrogance gained from defeating all his peers, killing Western Regions demons, and challenging assassin organizations alone, and winning the Five Mountains experts with his sword!

But his sword technique hadn't made any progress for several years.

No matter how hard he practiced, getting up before dawn, regardless of the cold winter or hot summer, he had never slacked off for a single day. But he just—couldn't make any progress.

He knew the reason—he needed an opponent, an opponent he could defeat and be proud of.

After reaching the top, there were only a few people in the world who could fight him, all of whom were the heads of major factions or honored guests. If he rashly went to challenge them, regardless of victory or defeat, it would affect his plan to integrate the Five Mountains.

His sword technique was a sword technique won by winning. But there was no one left for him to win against.

And tonight, he would defeat his last opponent.

"Li Miao..."

Zuo Lishan chewed the name in his mouth, savoring it.

He even suddenly had a thought: should he let Li Miao go?

He had already crossed the top and climbed to a peak with no one else. If he killed this only audience, how boring would this Jianghu be for him in the future?

If he killed the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander, the Taishan Sect might not be able to be preserved. But with his martial arts, he could go anywhere in the world in the future, why bother with a small Taishan Sect?

But Zuo Lishan immediately shook his head, denying his own thoughts.

The Taishan Sect was not important, and the Five Mountains Sword Sects were not important. What was important was that he had to hand over the Five Mountains Sword Sects to the Ming Cult in exchange for more insects.

The insects the Ming Cult gave him were not enough to transform his whole body, which left him with flaws. If he let Li Miao escape, he feared that before the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would bring a large army, and then he would have no bargaining chips to trade with the Ming Cult.

He had to kill Li Miao.

Zuo Lishan actually felt a little sad.

A moment later, he arrived at the door of the private residence.

"Creak—"

Zuo Lishan pushed the door open and saw Li Miao standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking at a tree in the courtyard with ease. Through the branches, the moonlight spilled on the ground, and the light and shadow moved.

"Lord Li."

Zuo Lishan wasn't in a hurry to draw his sword; he walked up and greeted Li Miao, as if he were a friend keeping an appointment.

"Sect Leader Zuo, you're here."

Li Miao didn't look back and replied casually.

"What is Lord Li looking at?"

"Oh," Li Miao said: "Looking at which branch is more suitable to whip you with."

"You!"

This sentence completely shattered the state of mind and atmosphere that Zuo Lishan had been brewing: "Expert meeting, cherishing each other, after tonight, there will be no more opponents."

"After I defeat you, I will definitely dig out this tongue of yours." Zuo Lishan drew his sword in anger.

Li Miao reached out and broke a branch from the tree, about a foot long, held it in his hand to strip the leaves, tapped it in his palm, and nodded.

Only then did he smile and say to Zuo Lishan: "That's right, Sect Leader Zuo."

"You are here to seek revenge and silence me, don't put on a posture of cherishing each other, making it look like I invited you to enjoy the moon."

"Those who don't know might think you have a penchant for Longyang."

Zuo Lishan sneered: "Don't you think I'm still the original me?"

"I have already crossed the top, and my name should be in the legends of the future Jianghu, mentioned alongside Master Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma."

"I don't know how you reached this realm, but after tonight—I will be the only one invincible in the world."

"Pfft—" Li Miao seemed unable to hold back his laughter, and a sound leaked out.

"Took the Ming Cult's technique and insects, took a small path up the mountain, and you really think you've made it?"

"Sect Leader Zuo, if it were so easy to cross the top, there wouldn't only be Ji Tianrui in these decades. If the technique he created were so easy to use, the Ming Cult would have been full of top experts and masters long ago; would they still need to win you over?"

"Master Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma are not as cheap as you."

"Never mind, I'll give you another lesson today, and the tuition will be paid with the Five Mountains Sword Sects you are thinking about."

"Come."

Li Miao raised his palm and beckoned to Zuo Lishan.

Zuo Lishan gritted his teeth and looked at Li Miao, grinning and saying: "Good!"

"Today we will decide life and death, and see who is the big-talking joke!"

In an instant, he lunged with his sword!

It was still that move "How is Mount Dai!"

This sword thrust out, internal energy erupted, bringing a shrill whistle, and the sword wind blew the branches and leaves in the courtyard, causing leaves to fall.

Like! The! Sky! Falling!

In the blink of an eye, it reached Li Miao's chest!

Li Miao's arm drew an afterimage in the air, and the branch whipped at the weak point of Zuo Lishan's sword force, actually dispersing the power of this sword and swinging it away in mid-air!

"Swallow Returns to the Sun!" Zuo Lishan frowned: "Huashan sword technique... are you an Embroidered Uniform Guard, or an unworldly senior of the Huashan Sect?"

Li Miao smiled: "Where are we at? Why don't you try again and see?"

Zuo Lishan immediately shut his mouth. After practicing evil arts, his temperament was crazy, but his mouth was still the foundation of a Taishan Sect leader.

When it comes to angering people, he was no match for Li Miao; he had already experienced this at noon.

He immediately stepped forward, and it was a series of "Five Great Doctor Swords." This set of sword techniques was simple and ancient, hiding strange changes, five swords in a row, just right for testing.

But he saw Li Miao's figure flying, his power moving with his heart, the branch drawing afterimages in the air, constantly hitting the weakest point of Zuo Lishan's sword force, actually breaking five swords in a row, and forcibly dispersing his stance.

Step, step, step—

Zuo Lishan retreated a few steps, looked up in amazement, and shouted at Li Miao: "Who exactly are you?"

"'Heavy Sword Funiu,' 'Hundred Changes Thousand Illusions Hengshan Cloud and Mist Thirteen Styles,' 'Heaven and Earth Crane Soaring,' 'Swallow Returns to the Sun,' and my Taishan Sect's 'Stone Pass Returning Horse'!"

"You actually used one move from each of the Five Mountains to break my five swords!?"

"What kind of evil art are you practicing!?"

Forcing Zuo Lishan, who raised insects on his body, to shout "evil art," Li Miao was the only one.

When top experts fight, if they forcibly use martial arts that do not fit their temperament, they will leave flaws that the other party cannot ignore.

But the Five Mountains Sword Sects are located all over the country, and each sect's internal mental method and artistic conception are different. How could Li Miao use the Five Mountains' sword techniques so skillfully!? Actually being able to forcibly break his self-created sword technique!?

What shape is his temperament, that any sword technique can be put into it!?

(End of chapter)