Chapter 197: Sword God

"The people mentioned in the diary from the Great Song Dynasty, besides me, are Duan Zhengchun's daughters, so I need to find them now. Besides them, the diary does mention that bitch Li Qiushui, but if that bitch Li Qiushui is also the owner of the diary, she must have gone to the Great Ming Dynasty long ago. Now there has been no movement, maybe she is not the owner of the diary." Tianshan Tonglao pondered this after stepping back into the territory of the Great Song Dynasty.

Tianshan Tonglao and Lian Nishang had agreed that Lian Nishang would contact those who could form an alliance within the territory of the Great Ming Dynasty, except for Yaoyue and Dongfang Bubai.

As for the Great Song Dynasty, Tianshan Tonglao would be in charge of contacting them.

As for Tianshan Tonglao, she didn't know how to get along with Ye Xiu.

After all, aside from her youthful crush on Wuyazi, after he decided to be with Li Qiushui, she fled to Tianshan alone and established the Lingjiu Palace. For all those years, aside from planting life and death talismans on the inhabitants of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, she hadn't even met another man. Therefore,

Tianshan Tonglao truly didn't know how to face Ye Xiu, how to get along with him, how to build a close relationship with him, and how to improve his favorability.

Unsure of what to do, Tianshan Tonglao decided to follow Lian Nishang's advice and try to win over some of his followers.

Of course, Tianshan Tonglao had her own selfish motives for returning to the Song Dynasty.

First, besides searching for Duan Zhengchun's daughters, she also intended to find Li Qiushui and give her a beating, to show her that her rejuvenation period was over and to encourage her to settle down and find peace.

Then, she would go find Ding Chunqiu.

After all, Ding Chunqiu was a traitor to the Xiaoyao Sect, and getting rid of him could be considered revenge for Wuyazi, fulfilling the bond between her and Wuyazi as a senior apprentice and a disciple.

Upon returning to the Song Dynasty, Tianshan Tonglao headed straight for Tianshan Lingjiu Palace. Knowing Li Qiushui, she was probably already there.

Of course, Tianshan Tonglao wasn't worried that Li Qiushui would attack the Tianshan Lingjiu Palace.

Because before Li Qiushui killed Tianshan Tonglao, she wouldn't dare to harm the Lingjiu Palace.

If she failed to kill Tianshan Tonglao during her rejuvenation and destroyed the Lingjiu Palace, she was worried that Tianshan Tonglao would retaliate against her.

After all, Tianshan Tonglao at peak combat power was not someone Li Qiushui could handle.

As for why she'd pursued the Child-Lao of Tianshan Mountain during her rejuvenating period, and wasn't afraid of her revenge if she survived, Li Qiushui knew she was sympathetic to their fellow disciples and wouldn't kill them even if she wanted revenge.

Just like how the Child-Lao of Tianshan Mountain had only scratched her face and spared Li Qiushui,

it could be argued that Li Qiushui was taking advantage of the Child-Lao's sympathy for her fellow disciples, allowing her to act with such recklessness. Meanwhile, Ye Xiu had begun his journey back from Songshan and was on his way back to Huashan.

Thanks to Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue, Ye Xiu's journey had been painstakingly smooth. At each stop, dedicated personnel provided assistance. 

Furthermore, Ye Xiu wasn't in any rush to return to Huashan. Unlike his previous trip to the Songshan Sect, he felt no need to rush. 

Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue seemed pleased with Ye Xiu's leisurely pace. 

After all, it was just the three of them on the road, with no one else intervening. 

Even though Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue both found each other a bit of an eyesore, they'd gotten used to this kind of life. 

... 

Murong Qiudi looked at the swordsman before him, whose presence radiated a deadly calm, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. 

"As expected of Yan Shisan." 

"What do you want from me?" Yan Shisan looked at Murong Qiudi with a cold expression. 

"You want to duel Xie Xiaofeng?" 

"Yes!" 

"Are you sure you can win?" 

"I've never met him or seen him fight, so I don't know his true strength. So, I don't know who would win in a duel between us." 

"So—" Murong Qiudi said, drawing his sword and lunging at Yan Shisan. This strike was filled with mystery, the moves incredibly exquisite. 

Murong Qiudi's strike was undoubtedly second to none, even among all the swordsmen in the entire Ming Empire. 

However, facing Murong Qiudi's dazzling sword, Yan Shisan's face did not show any emotion. Only when Murong Qiudi's sword was about to touch him, Yan Shisan suddenly attacked. 

A flash of sword light passed by, and Murong Qiudi's sword was blocked by Yan Shisan's sword. 

Murong Qiudi was not surprised to see her sword blocked. 

If Yan Shisan couldn't even block her sword, there would be no need for him to compete with Xie Xiaofeng. 

But before Murong Qiudi could continue to strike, Yan Shisan quickly attacked and blocked all of Murong Qiudi's follow-up moves. A long sword adorned with thirteen bean-sized pearls was already against Murong Qiudi's throat. 

Murong Qiudi looked at Yan Shisan coldly. 

"What I just used was the Xie family sword technique!" Murong Qiudi said coldly. 

"I know, but it's unnecessary!" Yan Shisan said coldly. "I haven't seen Xie Xiaofeng's sword, and Xie Xiaofeng hasn't seen mine. Our duel is fair. I don't need to know his swordsmanship in advance." 

Murong Qiudi's expression grew increasingly cold as she looked at Yan Shisan. 

Murong Qiudi wanted Yan Shisan to kill Xie Xiaofeng, so she tried to reveal the Xie family swordsmanship to him beforehand, even going so far as to demonstrate Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship between moves. 

Unfortunately, Yan Shisan only wanted a fair fight. He wasn't afraid of losing to Xie Xiaofeng, even though the only outcome would be death at his hands. 

Similarly, Yan Shisan was a confident man, confident that even if he had never seen Xie Xiaofeng's sword, he wouldn't lose to him. 

With a clang, Yan Shisan's sword sheathed itself, and without even a glance at Murong Qiudi, he turned and left. 

Murong Qiudi narrowed her eyes slightly as she gazed at Yan Shisan's back. She wasn't angry. Even though Yan Shisan's sword had just been pressed against her neck, a fraction of a second would have pierced her throat. 

Yet, Murong Qiudi remained unperturbed. She even admired Yan Shisan even more. 

She knew that only someone with sufficient self-confidence could defeat Xie Xiaofeng. 

If Yan Shisan hadn't had that confidence and had watched Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship from her beforehand, there would have been no way he could have defeated him. 

Xie Xiaofeng was a Sword God; he wouldn't lose a duel simply because his skills had been leaked. 

He was Xie Xiaofeng, the man known as the Sword God. 

It was for this reason that Murong Qiudi had originally fallen in love with Xie Xiaofeng. But now, she was filled with hatred for him, even wishing to kill him.

If Murong Qiudi originally harbored feelings for Xie Xiaofeng, her attitude gradually shifted after obtaining Ye Xiu's diary. She began to care about the diary's owner, Ye Xiu,'s affection for her. Perhaps her feelings towards Ye Xiu were more of a desire for exploitation, but this desire added a significant weight to the relationship between her and Xie Xiaofeng. Initially,

Murong Qiudi wanted Xie Xiaofeng dead, yet she also didn't want him dead.

She wanted to reveal Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship to Yan Shisan, yet she sent an assassin to kill him on his way to Xie Xiaofeng.

But now, she no longer wanted to send an assassin to kill Yan Shisan, not wanting to drain his strength and energy.

After Yan Shisan left, Murong Qiudi didn't follow him, having no desire to observe the fight.

She remained quietly in the courtyard, awaiting news of the fight between Xie Xiaofeng and Yan Shisan, eager to hear of either man's demise.

Meanwhile, without Murong Qiudi's arrangements, Yan Shisan's journey was remarkably smooth, encountering no obstacles and appearing before Xie Xiaofeng without incident.

Upon catching sight of Xie Xiaofeng, Yan Shisan's eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

Yan Shisan had been waiting for this battle for a long time, over a decade.

Over a decade ago, he had sought out Xie Xiaofeng, at which time he had created the fourteenth of the Thirteen Deadly Swords.

Unfortunately, upon his return, he heard the news of Xie Xiaofeng's death.

Yan Shisan nearly collapsed,

even concluding that he had retired from the sword arts altogether.

Only in recent years, as swordsmen like Ye Gucheng of Baiyun City and Ximen Chuxue of Plum Blossom Villa gradually gained renown, did Yan Shisan's spirits begin to waver. He even began to anticipate their advancement.

However, before he could receive any news of Ximen Chuxue and Ye Gucheng's advancement, he received news of Xie Xiaofeng once again.

Thus, Yan Shisan was resurrected, no longer a mere shell.

He reclaimed the sealed Bone Poison Sword and once again stood before Xie Xiaofeng.

Xie Xiaofeng looked at Yan Shisan, sensing the intense sword intent emanating from him, and couldn't help but feel the urge to strike.

This was the fate of a swordsman.

The thought of living for so long as the useless Ah Ji, only to be confronted by a swordsman like Yan Shisan, filled him with mixed emotions.

Without further ado, the two began to clash.

Two peerless swordsmen, a Sword God, a Sword Demon, a fateful clash.

…

"Xie Xiaofeng lost. Yan Shisan is dead!"

Upon hearing this news, Murong Qiudi was slightly stunned, her expression darkening.

She hadn't expected this outcome.

Or rather, she hadn't expected Yan Shisan to defeat Xie Xiaofeng, only to die, leaving Xie Xiaofeng alive.

However, even though Murong Qiudi hadn't anticipated this outcome, she had made necessary precautions.

"

Xie Xiaofeng, prepare to die!"

After Yan Shisan succumbed to the fifteenth of his Thirteen Deadly Swords, Xie Xiaofeng's face paled, almost bloodless. Although Yan Shisan's strike hadn't struck him, it had drained a significant amount of his energy, or rather, damaged his mental strength.

At this moment, Murong Qiudi's backup plan materialized.

Over a dozen highly skilled swordsmen surrounded Xie Xiaofeng.

Their expressions grew increasingly fervent as they gazed upon his pale, debilitated condition.

Killing Xie Xiaofeng would guarantee instant fame.

And more than just fame, if they could kill Xie Xiaofeng, they would receive a massive reward from the Tianzun Organization.

Fame, money, beautiful women—all these things would be readily available if they could kill Xie Xiaofeng.

Therefore, only some of these dozen or so were members of the Tianzun Organization. The others were renowned masters of the martial arts world, including several who had reached the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm. There were even some highly respected senior masters among them.

Looking at these masters, Xie Xiaofeng's face was filled with bitterness. If he were in perfect condition, facing these masters' siege, he would have been confident he could have annihilated them all.

But now, Yan Shisan's terrifying fifteenth strike had damaged his mind and even his soul, and he needed time to recover and adjust.

In this state, how could he possibly defeat so many masters, several of whom were at the same level as him, masters of the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm?

In fact, if Xie Xiaofeng had been given a little more time, he could have broken through from the ninth level of the Grandmaster Realm to the Grandmaster realm; he had the talent. Unfortunately, his mindset wasn't strong enough back then. Facing the endless challenges of the martial arts world, he became frightened and terrified, becoming the useless Ah Ji, and not practicing martial arts for over a decade. He had no chance of breaking through to the Grandmaster realm.

This time, when he returned to the martial arts world, his mindset had been resolved.

However, before he could achieve this breakthrough, he was besieged by so many masters.

Given a little more time, when the trauma to his mind and soul had healed, that would have been the time for him to break through to the Grandmaster realm.

Unfortunately, he ran out of time.

"Clang!"

Xie Xiaofeng unsheathed his sword once more.

Puff!

Blood splattered. With a single strike, Xie Xiaofeng slew two masters.

Even so, none of those besieging Xie Xiaofeng retreated. Instead, they grew even more fervent, seeing that his sword was no longer as sharp as before.

Previously, when Xie Xiaofeng and Yan Shisan clashed, they hadn't been able to see Xie Xiaofeng's sword, but now, they could.

With that, they launched a frenzied attack.

Xie Xiaofeng struck repeatedly, blood splattered, and bodies fell to his feet.

Wounds had begun to appear on Xie Xiaofeng's body at some point, and they multiplied over time.

With a puff,

Xie Xiaofeng's sword pierced the throat of the last of the ninth-level Grandmaster swordsmen.

Those who had come to kill Xie Xiaofeng for fame or profit had all perished at his hands.

However, Xie Xiaofeng, having slain them all, was already covered in blood.

Both from the enemy and his own wounds.

Xie Xiaofeng's body was covered in dozens of wounds, large and small.

Throughout the battle, blood continuously flowed from his wounds.

After Xie Xiaofeng had slain all the enemies, his blood had almost completely drained.

Even when Xie Xiaofeng struck his final blow, his vision was completely black, and he simply relied on feeling to pierce the opponent's throat.

Afterward, Xie Xiaofeng bled to death, his breath gone.

…

"Heavenly Lord, Xie Xiaofeng is dead."

A subordinate kneeled before Murong Qiudi, who had come to report the news.

"Dead?" Murong Qiudi muttered, her eyes vacant. Suddenly, she felt a pang of pain in her heart. She realized that even though she had given herself to Ye Xiu, her feelings for Xie Xiaofeng remained.

Murong Qiudi discovered that Ye Xiu's comments about her in his diary were not entirely wrong.

Only the thought of Ye Xiu and the diary brought her back to her senses, and a light began to return to her eyes.

Now that Xie Xiaofeng was dead, it was time for her to make a change.

Murong Qiudi decided to seek out Ye Xiu.

She wanted to become a Grandmaster, even more so a Celestial Being, and even more so a terrestrial immortal.

Now that she had even killed Xie Xiaofeng, it would be a shame if she couldn't become a Grandmaster, a Celestial Being, or even a terrestrial immortal.

As for the Tianzun Organization—

honestly, Murong Qiudi didn't have much in mind for it. In fact, if it weren't for Yaoyue and Dongfang Bubai's Yihua Palace and Sun Moon Sect, respectively, she might have simply abandoned the Tianzun Organization.

...

"Xiu'er, you're back." Ning Zhongze saw Ye Xiu return and immediately went forward to check on him, to see if he was injured.

After all, Ning Zhongze knew what Ye Xiu had been up to.

Even though Ye Xiu hadn't mentioned any injuries in his diary, Ning Zhongze was still worried about him.

"Master's Wife!"

Seeing Ning Zhongze's concern warmed Ye Xiu's heart.

Although Dongfang Bubai, Yaoyue, and even Huang Rong were deeply concerned about Ye Xiu, Ning Zhongze's status was different, and her concern naturally made Ye Xiu feel differently.

"Well, as long as you're not hurt, as long as you're back safely." Ning Zhongze smiled. "Actually, there's no need for you to do it yourself. After all, no one can guarantee the safety of the situation..." Ning Zhongze said with a slightly nagging tone.

"Master's Wife, there will be no danger. I am not acting alone. I have Dongfang and Yaoyue here. No one can hurt me under their protection." Ye Xiu said this calmly, as if he did not mind being a gigolo.

Ning Zhongze heard this and quickly began to thank Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue.

However, Ning Zhongze's gratitude made Dongfang Bubai and Yaoyue a little unhappy, because Ning Zhongze's words seemed to treat them as outsiders.