Chapter 1180

The demonic blade's heavy sword activated its sinister power once more, siphoning all of this expert's blood.

Then, just as the demonic blade Wei Zhuang had done before, it all flowed back into Fan Yuqi's body.

With the aid of this expert's blood, Fan Yuqi instantly perked up.

The heavy sword's momentum grew even heavier.

Even though Gai Nie's swordplay was formidable, he was still brutally suppressed by Fan Yuqi's heavy sword.

"This demonic blade is too Xie Sect…"

Gai Nie had seen the demonic blade Wei Zhuang absorb Murong Fu; now he witnessed Fan Yuqi absorbing the expert of Despair Shanzhuang.

Such sinister scenes made Gai Nie's scalp prickle.

"Gai Nie, today I avenge Jing Ke— I'll cut you down with my own sword!"

After absorbing this expert's blood, Fan Yuqi's strength didn't increase much, but his attacks became far more ferocious.

Watching Gai Nie's sword net gradually falter, he grew more and more exhilarated.

He became frenzied, almost demonic.

"Jing Ke? You want to avenge Jing Ke? Where did that come from?"

Gai Nie struggled to defend himself, yet upon hearing Fan Yuqi's words, he couldn't help but feel confused.

How could he possibly be avenging Jing Ke?

The close friend who had passed on the Xiao Jingtian Eighteen Swords to Gai Nie was none other than Jing Ke, the man Fan Yuqi spoke of!

Back then, Crown Prince Dan of Yan deemed Jing Ke's Xiao Jingtian Eighteen Swords dangerously lethal.

Within ten paces, he was invincible.

Thus, he begged Jing Ke to act on behalf of Yan's people and assassinate Qin Huang Ying Zheng in the Great Qin.

But what did Jing Ke's death have to do with Gai Nie?

He died horribly before the eyes of countless Qin officials and ministers, slain by Ying Zheng's own hand.

Not to mention Jing Ke was his closest friend—he wouldn't have had the heart to kill him himself.

Even to protect Ying Zheng, Gai Nie could at most have subdued Jing Ke!

How could he have killed him?

Yet now, how had Fan Yuqi pinned the crime of killing his closest friend onto him?

"Who else could it be? Under heaven, all say Jing Ke died by your hand, Gai Nie—face death!"

Upon hearing Gai Nie's defense, Fan Yuqi's heavy sword attacks didn't slacken a bit—instead, they grew even more frenzied.

Each strike aimed to shatter Gai Nie's sword net and sever his head.

Yet Gai Nie's Zong Jian technique, when used defensively,

was nearly impossible to break unless the opponent surpassed him in cultivation.

Even Wei Zhuang, with his Heng Jian technique, likely couldn't break it.

After another hundred or so furious strikes, he still hadn't shattered Gai Nie's sword net.

Enraged, Fan Yuqi struck again.

This time, he threw out a single punch and obliterated three experts of Despair Shanzhuang outright.

Then, drawing the demonic heavy sword, he siphoned all three men's essence-blood into himself.

After absorbing it, Fan Yuqi opened his eyes—his killing intent surged dramatically.

When he attacked again, the sword's weight increased once more.

Gai Nie's pressure surged sharply.

Yet because Fan Yuqi had just killed four experts of Despair Shanzhuang, these experts now knew that getting near Fan Yuqi meant certain death.

So they circled Wei Zhuang, trying to distance themselves from the battle between Fan Yuqi and Gai Nie.

But Wei Zhuang, concerned for Gai Nie, wouldn't budge an inch—not even half a step.

He had just unlocked the fusion of Bai Bu Fei Jian and Heng Guan Ba Fang into Hui Long Jian Qi.

Though his cultivation was still half-step Tianren, his sword heart and spiritual state had already ascended a tier.

Now he had no intention of leaving; among everyone present, save Gai Nie, Cheng Jiao, Fan Yuqi, and Yan Shisan—

no one else, no matter how hard they tried, could make Wei Zhuang move a single step.

Moreover, Wei Zhuang's sword art differed from Gai Nie's.

Gai Nie's sword strikes rarely sought to kill—instead, they wounded enemies without taking lives, embodying benevolent righteousness.

But Wei Zhuang's sword art aimed solely for one-strike kills.

Though these experts of Despair Shanzhuang were numerous,

they were already groaning and terrified as they besieged Wei Zhuang.

Now, behind them loomed Fan Yuqi—who appeared allied but would just as soon take their lives.

Instantly, every expert felt mortal peril; their minds grew chaotic.

Wei Zhuang's pressure eased, allowing him to observe the battle between Gai Nie and Fan Yuqi more calmly.

He saw that Gai Nie intended to slowly drain Fan Yuqi's stamina with the Zong Jian technique.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then spoke:

"Brother, you don't want to hurt him, but he may very well want to kill you.

If you delay any longer, your Zong Jian technique will be broken."

Hearing this, Gai Nie felt a deep sense of helplessness.

He knew full well that the man before him was Fan Yuqi, and upon learning Fan Yuqi sought to avenge Jing Ke, he lost all desire to fight him to the death.

After all, Jing Ke was also his closest friend.

That was why he had been using the Vertical Sword Art, holding the line on defense without attacking all this time.

His aim was to wear down Fan Yuqi's stamina and focus, and once the man was spent, flick the demonic blade from his hand and clear up the misunderstanding.

But after Fan Yuqi had absorbed the essence-blood of four top experts in one go, his strength had risen by no small amount.

Though his sword moves had not changed, the force behind every one of them had grown considerably.

Gai Nie's sword net was beginning to show signs of faltering.

"Hah! Gai Nie, you despicable little rat — what is there left to pretend about!

Today I will kill you, to lay sacrifice before Jing Ke's spirit in the heavens."

Hearing Wei Zhuang's words only made Fan Yuqi all the more excited.

Suddenly, seizing the moment when two of Shanzhuang's top experts had let their attention wander, his heavy sword did not go for Gai Nie's sword net — instead it swept sideways in a broad slash.

And just like that, those two experts of Shanzhuang were pounded into mincemeat.

Two more experts of Shanzhuang slain, another two streams of essence-blood poured into Fan Yuqi's body.

The killing aura on him and the sword-momentum in his hands grew ever more terrifying.

"Fan Yuqi, I will say this one last time — I did not kill Jing Ke.

He was my friend too…"

The pressure on Gai Nie kept mounting; he knew that if he let Fan Yuqi run wild any longer, his Vertical Sword Art truly would not be able to hold.

"Bullshit! You killed Jing Ke in public to curry favor with Ying Zheng, and now you have the nerve to call him your friend.

Ptooey!

Have you no shame!"

Fan Yuqi cursed him roundly, so furious that his sword strokes grew somewhat ragged.

Only the offensive weight on his sword had not weakened by a hair — on the contrary, it had grown by several degrees.

Clearly, the essence-blood of those two Shanzhuang experts had once again pushed his offense upward.

"Fine. Since you are so stubbornly obstinate, then do not blame me for showing no mercy under my sword."

Gai Nie sighed, knowing that sitting and waiting for death was no solution.

Although, for Jing Ke's sake, he did not wish to hurt Fan Yuqi.

But Fan Yuqi would not let up, leaving him with no choice.

"Bring it on, then."

Fan Yuqi paid it no heed, his heavy sword whirling into rings and rings of sword-light.

Not only swift as thunder, every strike carried tremendous weight and force!