Volume One: The Emperor's Sword Chapter 133: I Want to Fight Ten

Mu Qingyao and Zhou Yuanliang could recognize the disguised Yun Que, but others could not. When Yun Que stepped onto the clearing, it immediately sparked a flurry of discussion.

Whispers broke out among the Yan Sword Palace faction as they scrambled to identify the foolhardy individual, only to find that no one recognized him. Disciples from the other sword palaces cast pitying glances, assuming the Yan Sword Palace had sent yet another person to their death.

"Are you lot in the Yan Kingdom so desperate that you're sending a sword servant to challenge me? Ha! It’s hilarious! I could blow you away with a fart!" Tie Ye laughed until tears streamed down his face. Finally catching his breath, he scrutinized his opponent and mocked, "Fine, I’ll give you a chance. Which part of you do you want to challenge me with? Your left hand or your right? Your left foot or your right? You choose."

Tie Ye had the strength to back his arrogance. He had easily slaughtered three sword sons and defeated two masters at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. He could kill an ordinary sword disciple with one hand, let alone a lowly sword servant.

On the side of the Chixia Sword Palace, Xiu Xue glanced at the clearing and retorted, "Few talents, but no shortage of people who aren't afraid to die. The Yan Sword Palace really is an eye-opener."

From the Shaowu Sword Palace, Hao Ziliang looked on with utter disdain, sneering, "A sword servant entering the ring—the Yan Sword Palace is truly withering. How shameful."

Given their own strength, neither of these two dared to challenge Tie Ye, let alone anyone else. They knew the only outcome of such arrogance was a gruesome death.

The mockery turned unbridled, echoing from all three sword palaces, while the barbarian side even hooted and let out bursts of strange laughter. Now, the Yan Sword Palace was humiliated to the core. Even their own disciples felt their faces burn, wishing they could crawl into a hole in the ground. Their sword sons couldn't defeat the man, yet they sent a sword servant up just to be a laughingstock.

Facing the surrounding ridicule, Yun Que maintained an innocent smile. Far from feeling inferior, he stood tall, chest out, and generously held out both his hands to shake them at Tie Ye.

"You want me to give you both hands? No problem! I can even give you both my feet! I could bite a weakling like you to death with my teeth alone, haha!" Tie Ye sneered. The Barbarian Sword Palace group erupted in laughter again, full of confidence in their chief sword son.

"Do you know how to count?" Yun Que asked with a smile.

"What nonsense! I'm not a three-year-old child; of course I know how to count!" Tie Ye roared, clearly displeased by the question. No matter how primitive the barbarians were, they certainly knew how to count.

"How many is this? Do you recognize it?" Yun Que spread his ten fingers and shook his hands again.

"Ten!" Tie Ye’s expression grew cold; he felt he was being toyed with.

"Correct, it’s ten." Yun Que retracted his hands and, amidst the confused gazes of the crowd, declared loudly, "One of you is too few. I want to fight ten of you."

Whoosh!

After a brief silence, the entire field erupted.

"One against ten? He’s talking big!"

"The three sword sons of your Yan Sword Palace couldn't handle him together, and you want to fight ten of us barbarians? Has your brain been kicked by a donkey?"

"Tear him apart! Let him be arrogant!"

The group of barbarians from the Barbarian Sword Palace was furious, shouting and cursing.

"The disciples of the Yan Sword Palace have clearly lost their wits to say such things."

"Perhaps they drank too much fake wine before entering the Transformation Realm." The Shaowu Kingdom faction chattered away.

"Maybe he’s too nervous and misspoke; surely he meant the Yan Sword Palace should pick ten people to fight one barbarian."

"Perhaps the erosion of the sword rain has rotted his mind; look, he isn't even wearing a sword-qi cloak." The Chixia Sword Palace disciples pointed at the clearing.

The Yan Sword Palace disciples all hung their heads, many wishing they could just walk away rather than suffer this humiliation. They couldn't even beat one, and he wanted to fight ten? How could he even say such a thing?

Tie Ye was stunned on the spot. He rubbed his ears and said, "What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again."

Yun Que cleared his throat and said, "I want to fight ten of you. It’s getting late, let’s pick up the pace. If I win, I get ten cocoons."

Yun Que had repeated Tie Ye’s earlier boast, only making it even more audacious. Tie Ye roared with laughter and bellowed in a rage, "Fine! I’ll grant your wish! Nine more of you, come here! Let’s hack him into eight pieces!"

Nine barbarians immediately charged over—all tall and hulking figures with wide, menacing eyes—and surrounded Yun Que.

Even Mu Qingyao and Zhou Yuanliang felt their hearts tighten. They had some confidence in Yun Que fighting Tie Ye alone, as he had even battled a gu master, but fighting ten barbarians at once, including Tie Ye, was exponentially more difficult! Looking at the thick aura of those nine, they were clearly no pushovers. Even a Foundation Establishment expert might not win against all of them.

Tie Ye shouldered his heavy sword and grinned viciously: "Let’s set the rules first. If you win, you take all ten cocoons. If the ten of us win, each of us gets one."

The reason he called for others wasn't out of fear, but to take advantage. Ten cocoons would be as good as free!

"Wrong." Yun Que waved his hands repeatedly. "You won't get any cocoons."

"What? You get cocoons if you win, but we don't if we do? That's not how the rules work," Tie Ye said, his face darkening.

"The rules are fine; both sides are eligible for ten cocoons," Yun Que explained earnestly. "But you won't be able to collect them."

"Because we can't win?" Tie Ye sneered.

"Because you won't be alive," Yun Que said with a light smile. "What use do dead men have for cocoons?"

"You're courting death!" Tie Ye was furious. He had been humiliated several times in this verbal exchange, and he could not swallow this insult. He wanted to tear the hateful man before him apart.

"I want your head!" Tie Ye roared as he swung his heavy sword first.

"I want an arm! Haha!"

"The leg is mine, don't you dare touch it!"

"I'll take the left leg, you take the right!"

"The heart is mine! I'll take it back to feed the dogs, ha!"

The nine barbarians attacked in unison, all their heavy blades and swords striking toward Yun Que. They intended to dismember the arrogant little sword servant right there.

The combined assault of ten barbarian masters had the momentum of a hundred-man battle array. Every disciple from the other palaces was certain Yun Que was dead. They waited to watch the show, eager to see how the boastful sword servant would be hacked into pieces.

The next moment, a fierce flash of sword light exploded beneath the Cocoon King Tree!

Flying swords darted like vipers, instantly piercing the hearts of seven barbarians, while the other two were frozen solid by frost and ice on the spot. Tie Ye stumbled back a dozen steps, only stopping when his foot landed in the stream.

His face was filled with shock, and his heavy sword was covered in a layer of frost; had he not blocked in time, he would likely be frozen too. Tie Ye looked up abruptly.

The opponent he had previously dismissed was now nonchalantly swinging his sword twice, and the heads of the two frozen barbarians fell to the ground in unison!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Nine corpses collapsed almost simultaneously, blood soaking the ground!

Beneath the Cocoon King Tree stood a figure, not particularly tall, with seven blood-stained flying swords weaving around him like fish in water. Yun Que had unleashed seven swords at once, and used the Snow Mark sword in his hand to freeze two more, killing nine barbarians in an instant!

The entire field fell into deathly silence.

Hundreds of people gasped in unison, only one thought remaining in their minds:

So strong!!!

He hadn't been boasting at all. He said he would fight ten, and he truly had the ability to fight ten!