84: Ximen Chuixue VS Wudang Stone Crane

“Ah! It’s Du Qi, the Cruel Flower Destroyer! The traitor of the Thirty-Six Forts, wasn't he supposed to have died nineteen years ago?”

An incredulous shriek burst from the crowd, filled with terror.

“That’s right! It’s him! It’s Du Qi, the Cruel Flower Destroyer! It’s said that he obtained the Yandang Mountain treasure back then, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

He should have been killed long ago, how could he still be alive?”

The deathly silence was utterly broken. Everyone already felt that something was wrong, but those who were prepared had not yet spoken.

Lu Jiuyuan’s figure showed no pause, like a specter claiming a life, directly stabbing towards a female hero whose eyes were flickering.

The female hero shrieked, her hand claws darting like lightning towards her waist, cold light glinting between her fingers. She was clearly holding several bluish venomous needles!

However, her movements under Lu Jiuyuan’s Guhong Sword were as slow as a crawling turtle.

The Guhong Sword merely flicked upwards casually!

A clear, cold silver light, like a crescent moon suddenly appearing, swept from bottom to top!

The woman’s arm, clutching the venomous needles, was severed at the elbow by the Sword Qi!

The severed arm, with gushing blood, flew into the air!

“Ah—!” A shrill scream pierced the sky.

The sword light showed no hesitation, sweeping upwards, accurately slicing across the throat, past the old woman’s jaw!

It silenced the scream.

“Rip!”

The second human skin mask flew off in response! This mask was very thick.

Beneath the mask was a toothless old face, covered in wrinkles, twisted and distorted by pain.

“Granny Lou? Wasn’t that old hag supposed to have died long ago?” The voice that recognized the person was also greatly astonished.

That old woman, back then, due to a minor dispute, poisoned an entire family of friends—73 people, old and young. She was pursued and hunted for three months by several Masters working together before finally being killed.

These people, who were supposedly dead, now appeared in the Sanqing Hall of Wudang.

“Daoist Mu, what do you have to say now?”

Lu Jiuyuan’s voice was like a cold sword’s edge, piercing the dead silent air within the Sanqing Hall. A drop of blood on the tip of the Guhong Sword slowly dripped down.

Everyone’s gaze, like an invisible shackle, was fixed firmly on Daoist Mu’s immortal-like face.

The air was so heavy it felt as if it could be wrung out.

Daoist Mu slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Lu Jiuyuan, over Ximen Chuixue, and over the assembled Jianghu people.

“Daoist Mu made a mistake!” Daoist Mu cupped his fists and bowed to the four directions, saying very earnestly:

“When I was young and foolish, I fell in love with my cousin Shen Sanniang, and we even had a child named Ye Guhong.”

“This matter was discovered by my Master. The position of Sect Head was originally meant for me, but because of this mistake, I withdrew, and the Sect Head position was passed to my Junior Brother, Daoist Mei.”

“This matter, I know, my Junior Brother Daoist Mei knows, and the Sect Head also knows. My son, Ye Guhong, was also taken into the Wudang sect.

Wudang has treated me well. I am now 70 years old, and life at seventy is rare since ancient times. Even my Junior Brother passed away 10 years ago, buried up to his neck in yellow earth.

Everyone can think, what more do I seek, what more do I contend for? What is the necessity? To establish that troublesome Youling Villa.”

“However!” Daoist Mu’s expression turned serious: “I believe that Sword Saint’s words upon arriving on the mountain today are absolutely not false.

His character is known to all: he hates evil like fire! He is upright and righteous.

These two corpses on the ground are absolutely not right.

I am not Old Handle of the Saber, but that doesn’t mean Wudang doesn’t have a Old Handle of the Saber, nor does it mean that Old Handle of the Saber isn’t within this Sanqing Hall.”

“Sect Head, fellow Daoists, please all be careful, be careful of the people beside you, check if the masks on your faces are human skin masks.

Anyone wearing a human skin mask, kill them!”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

A wild, coarse, unruly, and domineering laugh, like the shriek of a night owl, suddenly resounded from above the side hall of the Sanqing Hall!

The laughter came so abruptly, so arrogant, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

A tall and burly figure, wearing a hooded cloak that concealed his face, landed at the doorway.

“What a Sword Saint Lu Jiuyuan, what a Wudang Daoist Mu. I calculated so much, yet I couldn’t make you kill each other!” The newcomer’s tone was full of emotion.

“Who are you?” Shi Yan asked with a frown.

“Old Handle of the Saber!”

“Old Handle of the Saber?”

“Not just Old Handle of the Saber!” The cloaked figure slowly said: “I am also a wronged spirit seeking revenge, who should have died but didn’t!”

“Master, Junior Brother, do you still remember me?”

Daoist Mu’s eyes widened: “You, you are… Shi He? You didn’t die?”

“Senior Brother Shi He?” Shi Yan was also somewhat stunned. It truly was one twist after another.

“Shi He is dead. The me now is merely a wronged spirit seeking revenge, Old Handle of the Saber!

At this moment, why aren’t you acting?!”

Shi He roared, yet none of the Youling Villa members hidden in the crowd made any move.

“They are all on my side, they won’t move,” a voice resounded from the rafters.

Then, Lu Xiaofeng descended.

“Your people have all been captured and replaced by me!” Saying this, he pointed to the corpses on the ground: “Those two were left for Lu Jiuyuan to test his sword on!”

“Lu Xiaofeng? You didn’t die?”

“Lu Xiaofeng is still alive?”

“Damn it, Dayao Casino! I won, not lost! Lu Xiaofeng lived for over a month… My ten thousand tael betting slip… Wuwuwu…”

“Exactly, go find him, that bastard… Refund! Pay up!”

Ximen Chuixue completely ignored the surrounding noise. When Shi He appeared, he had already fixed all his gaze on Shi He.

“Lu Jiuyuan said you are a Master!”

“Of course I am a Master!” Shi He also felt Ximen Chuixue’s Battle Intent.

“You are here, the sword is here! This time! This moment! It’s perfect!”

Shi He glanced at the Martial Forest veterans in the main hall and chuckled softly: “You are here, the sword is here! This time! This moment! It is indeed perfect!”

“Ximen Chuixue!”

“Old Handle of the Saber!”

“Please!”

“Please!”

As the two “Please”s landed, the atmosphere in front of the Sanqing Hall was instantly compressed to the extreme, even the wind ceased its clamor.

Shi He’s cloak billowed without wind, and a cold, domineering Sword Intent, mixed with a strong bloody Qi, spread out like a tangible entity.

He slowly raised his right hand, gripping the hilt of the sword hidden beneath his cloak, which had not yet been revealed.

Ximen Chuixue still held his black-sheathed longsword, his white robes as pure as snow. His pure, cold, almost inhuman killing intent and Sword Intent formed a stark and terrifying contrast with Shi He’s sinister and domineering presence.

He slightly lowered his eyelids, as if the entire world contained only the opponent before him.

There was no probing, no words.

The two figures moved almost at the exact same instant!