29: A duel of swords, the sword of ghosts and the sword of immortals!

In the distant suburbs of the capital, the small courtyard with a bamboo fence returned to tranquility.

The night breeze brushed past, and several green bamboos rustled softly.

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan's figure reappeared in the courtyard, as if he had never left, except that there was now a small person in the courtyard, extremely beautiful in appearance. Her only flaw, perhaps, was that her chest was too flat.

If she were to marry in the future, it would be easy for her to starve her children.

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan cast aside all distractions, his heart as calm as water, only his Guhong Sword continuously thrusting out.

The Sword Light flowed, faster and more condensed than before! Each thrust brought with it a blurry green shadow and a subtle yet piercing sound of air being torn.

Sweat soaked his green robe, then was dried by the night wind, leaving shallow salt stains.

Only the focus in his brows remained constant.

Although his Golden Finger was quite good, everything was based on his own foundation.

The stronger his strength, the more overbearing his Golden Finger.

Sweat does not lie. The moonlight, like water, quietly spread across the courtyard, coating the green bamboo, the muddy ground, and the figure practicing swordplay with a layer of cool, silver radiance.

Just as Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan retracted his sword and stood still, adjusting his breathing—

Deep within the bamboo forest outside the courtyard, an extremely subtle, yet incredibly clear, sensation of tearing suddenly came!

It was as if an invisible Sword Qi had cut through the night wind and severed the moonlight!

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan suddenly looked up, his gaze like lightning, shooting towards the depths of the bamboo forest.

He saw a figure, treading on the tips of the bamboo, floating silently.

That person was dressed in white, pristine under the bright moonlight, as if an exiled immortal had arrived, treading on the moon.

The night wind rustled his wide sleeves, making them flap, carrying an air of aloofness and etherealness, as if he stood apart from the world.

His face was handsome and refined, with a detached indifference in his eyes, as if looking down upon the mortal world. A long, ancient-style sword hung at his waist.

Though the sword was not drawn, the sharp Sword Qi that tore through the night wind and severed the moonlight emanated from this very person!

He stepped on the resilient bamboo tips, as if treading on an invisible staircase. With each step, the bamboo leaves beneath him trembled slightly, then quickly returned to stillness.

In a few leaps, the person, like a weightless white cloud, silently floated down into the small courtyard, no more than three zhang away from Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan.

The moonlight clearly illuminated his face, and also the scabbard of the sword at his waist.

A hint of coldness seemed to emanate from the scabbard.

The air in the entire small courtyard seemed to solidify instantly, insect chirps ceased, and even the wind seemed to stop.

Only the invisible Sword Qi, like a cold tide, spread out, pricking one's skin with pain.

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan tightened his grip on the Guhong Sword. The cold touch of the four-edged hilt made his mind even more solemn.

He looked at the white-clad swordsman before him in the moonlight and slowly uttered a name, breaking the suffocating silence:

"A lone shadow on the cold river, treading on the moon! It is the Lord of Baiyun City, Ye Gucheng!"

"Sword strikes like lightning, needles invisible. The only peerless master in the world whom Lu Xiaofeng cannot counter is Sword Devil Lu Jiuyuan!" Lord of Baiyun City Ye Gucheng looked at Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan.

"I have met Lu Xiaofeng and exchanged a Move with him. His Lingxi Finger caught my Celestial Flight!" Ye Gucheng said calmly, his tone quite cold, devoid of any emotion.

"He told me that the only thing in this world he has no confidence in catching is your needle!"

"You and Ximen Chuixue have agreed to meet on The Summit of the Forbidden City on the night of the full moon, attracting the attention of the entire Jianghu.

Why, before fighting Ximen Chuixue, do you still want to test my abilities?" Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan looked at Ye Gucheng.

Ye Gucheng looked at Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan.

"You shouldn't have accepted that jade pendant!"

"But I did accept that jade pendant!" Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan said lightly, not particularly surprised that Ye Gucheng knew he had accepted the jade pendant.

Six Doors was a sieve; so many people saw it, so who knows how many people knew about it.

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan continued to ask: "You know?"

"I know!"

"He also knows?"

"He also knows!"

"Since that's the case, why do you still do this?"

"The arrow is on the string, it must be fired!"

The two exchanged questions and answers, like riddles. Shangguan Xueer, peeking out from the small house, listened in a daze, not understanding a word.

"Some things, once done, leave traces. Once there are traces, they can no longer be hidden."

Ye Gucheng's voice remained calm, but his hand was already on his sword. Like a lone crane crying in the sky, a magnificent and irresistible Sword Intent erupted!

Buzz—!

He didn't draw his sword, it was merely the eruption of Sword Intent!

The air in the entire small courtyard seemed to be instantly sucked out, and an invisible pressure descended with a roar!

The few green bamboos in the courtyard actually bent inward at a visible rate!

The dust and fallen leaves on the ground were swept away violently by an invisible large hand, shooting outwards in all directions!

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan's pupils suddenly contracted!

A cold, desolate Sword Intent, as if from the Nine Heavens, like an invisible giant wave, fiercely struck his Divine Soul!

This was not a Move; this was pure "momentum"!

It was the "Celestial Flight" momentum that Ye Gucheng had cultivated in the Dao of the sword for decades, integrated into his bones and blood, and condensed in his Divine Soul!

This Sword Intent was as ethereal as a cloud, yet as heavy as a mountain, carrying an aloofness and indifference that looked down upon the mortal world and judged life and death!

It was as if in the next moment, the ancient sword in its scabbard would transform into a Sword Light that would tear through the sky!

Clang!

A clear, heart-stopping sword cry suddenly rang out!

Sword Demon Lu Jiuyuan lightly flicked his Guhong Sword. The four-edged blade vibrated intensely, emitting a continuous hum. A Sword Intent, condensed to the extreme and born purely for slaughter and destruction, soared into the sky!

This Sword Intent did not possess Ye Gucheng's aloof etherealness, but it carried a chilling coldness originating from death and a sharpness that could penetrate everything!

It fiercely collided with the Celestial Flight momentum descending from the Nine Heavens!

Chi chi chi—!

In the air, countless invisible Sword Qi seemed to be clashing, cutting, and annihilating each other frantically!

Two completely different Sword Intents, both reaching the pinnacle of the current era, like two invisible raging Dragons, fiercely intertwined and battled in the center of the small courtyard!

There were no flashes of blades or swords, yet it was more perilous than any Move!

Shangguan Xueer watched the two standing there motionless, somewhat puzzled as to what they were doing.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, she closed her eyes, no longer seeing the world with her eyes.

Instead, she seemed to suddenly immerse herself in another world of swords.

Two Sword Intents, one ethereal as an immortal, one swift as a ghost! They were fighting frantically, and she was like a kitten, trembling in the corner.

She suddenly opened her eyes, covered in cold sweat, and looking at the two men standing quietly in the courtyard, her heart was filled with dread.

Peerless swordsmen, terrifying indeed!

The clash of Sword Intent, terrifying indeed!

Ye Gucheng, Xiao Jian, terrifying indeed!

Needle point to awn!

At the center of the invisible storm, two gazes, like tangible Sword Qi, fiercely collided in the Void Realm, sparking invisible fire.

The air was as viscous as mercury, and each breath seemed to carry a stinging sensation that felt like tearing the lungs apart.

Shangguan Xueer hid behind the window frame, huddled and trembling, her face as pale as paper. Her small hands tightly covered her mouth, and even her breathing stopped.

Having experienced Sword Intent, she then understood the immense difference between understanding Sword Intent and not understanding it.

"Xiao Jian's Sword Intent is no match for Ye Gucheng's; he is being suppressed! I must help him!"

Among masters, victory and defeat are separated by only a hair's breadth; I must help him!

Her trembling small hand grabbed a stone on the window frame, and with all her strength, she threw it from inside the window towards Ye Gucheng!

Almost at the moment the stone flew into the battlefield between the two—

The Sword Intent standoff, which had been like a bowstring stretched to its limit, experienced a barely perceptible, extremely brief moment of stagnation!

In this instant of stagnation!