Volume One: The Emperor's Sword Chapter 28: The Sword Master's Abilities

Wu Dachuan knew very well who Yun Que wanted to strike down.

But the ones chasing from behind were three demonic beasts!

To get to Xuan Wenyen, Yun Que would have to cross—or kill—a Mountain-Shaking Bear, an Armored Tiger, and a Twin-Tailed Demon Wolf!

In Wu Dachuan’s eyes, that was simply impossible. There was no way anyone could do it!

Yet Yun Que still halted, turning to face the bestial roars that drew ever closer.

“I—I’ll go help Senior Brother Yun,” Luo Xiaoyu also stopped, wanting to turn back, but Wu Dachuan seized her arm and pulled her onward.

“Don’t go dragging us down! Come with us—there may be another way out ahead.” Wu Dachuan sounded far from confident.

Caves like these almost always spelled a dead end. Only a miracle could mean escape.

Luo Xiaoyu’s frail body was nearly lifted off the ground by his pull, and soon she disappeared into the depths with the others.

Once sure the group had fled far enough, Yun Que flexed his wrists.

Now, finally, he could fight without restraint.

The roars drew near!

The three beasts closed in one after the other. The cunning Twin-Tailed Demon Wolf even circled behind, cutting off Yun Que’s retreat.

With slow, measured steps, Xuan Wenyen emerged.

He clasped his hands behind his back, a mocking smile playing about his lips.

“If you don’t want to die too quickly, you’d best show some real skill. Heh, the beast fight is about to begin!”

With three demonic beasts between them, he cared not at all what trump cards Yun Que might have, watching as if enjoying a good show.

With a snap, Xuan Wenyen sent another stone flying, striking the Mountain-Shaking Bear squarely on the head.

Furious, the beast dared not attack Xuan Wenyen, instead turning its rage on Yun Que and charging on all fours with savage force.

“Try fighting me and see how you die!” Xuan Wenyen sneered.

But in the next instant, he froze.

The charging Mountain-Shaking Bear suddenly halted, as if under a binding spell, motionless.

Then, with a sudden twist, the gigantic bear turned, abandoning its original target and lunged straight at Xuan Wenyen instead.

In the bear’s eyes flickered not only madness, but a deep, abiding terror.

As if it dreaded some presence behind it.

“You beast, how dare you!”

Startled, Xuan Wenyen unleashed his spiritual energy, his sword flashing with brilliance.

He was certain he could intimidate the bear, forcing it to turn back on Yun Que.

Yet, to his astonishment, the Mountain-Shaking Bear barely hesitated before continuing its assault.

Seeing his threat fail, Xuan Wenyen immediately set his flying sword in motion, soaring into the air.

The frailty of a cultivator’s body was his greatest weakness—if the bear caught him, even with his eighth layer of Qi Refinement, he would be torn in two, armorless, just like any other!

This was not a matter of raw combat power, but a vast gap in physical might.

The Mountain-Shaking Bear’s charge slowed, its massive claws swatting aside the flying sword thanks to the tough hide covering its paws.

Just as the beast drew close, its heart was pierced from within—another flying sword, blood-stained, burst forth!

With a crash, the massive beast collapsed.

Without sparing the corpse a glance, Xuan Wenyen fixed his cold, sinister gaze on Yun Que.

His expression darkened, two flying swords hovering at his sides, radiating menace.

The Armored Tiger, trapped between the two, dared not move a muscle.

Instead, the Twin-Tailed Demon Wolf behind Yun Que whimpered, tucking both tails in fright as it fled deeper into the cave.

Yun Que paid the wolf no heed.

In the narrow confines of the cave, the wolf’s speed advantage would be sorely curtailed; even if it caught up to Wu Dachuan’s group, it would pose little threat.

Amid the tense, unnatural silence, Yun Que took a step forward.

The Armored Tiger leapt as if its tail had been trodden, charging madly toward Xuan Wenyen.

With a cold snort, Xuan Wenyen sent his sword forth again.

Blood splattered; the Armored Tiger was swiftly slain.

“Beasts are beasts—unable to tell strength from weakness,” Xuan Wenyen muttered bitterly.

He thought the beasts were provoked by the cave’s environment, lashing out at the strongest presence.

He never realized they sensed the terrifying sword aura from Yun Que, as if meeting a nemesis, and thus fled him to attack Xuan Wenyen instead.

“Now it’s your turn. Don’t think begging will save you—I hold grudges, and I won’t let you go. Even if you break your head kowtowing, you won’t escape death! You insulted me in the street that day; you should have foreseen this end!”

Xuan Wenyen stopped three zhang away, both swords rising into the air.

Three zhang—a distance he deemed safe.

No beast or sword servant, unable to fly or control swords, could threaten him at that range.

Beyond that, with Qi Refinement at the eighth layer, he could easily behead any foe with his flying swords.

As the sword light swept toward him, Yun Que no longer held back. The Wind-Sealing Thunder Sword, whistling with the sound of the wind, shot through the air.

Though only a mid-tier weapon, with the Sword Soul’s empowerment, its quality could rival even high-grade magical artifacts.

Xuan Wenyen was surprised, but not overly so; instead he sneered, “At most, the spiritual power of the second layer of Qi Refinement. I thought you were hiding some great cultivation. Heh—today, I’ll show you the skill of a Sword Heir!”

He certainly had reason to be arrogant.

At the eighth layer against the second, he had overwhelming advantage!

Xuan Wenyen’s spiritual energy surged, both flying swords growing even more formidable—one entangled the Thunder Sword, the other arced through the air, aiming straight for Yun Que’s head.

Yun Que now held a second sword—one of the ten superior magical artifacts he’d taken from the Herbalist.

This sword could not be wielded directly, but with the spirit ring’s energy, it could slash out sword waves or defend.

Xuan Wenyen’s cultivation was leagues above those two reckless Blood Barbarians—he was the strongest opponent Yun Que had yet faced!

The spiritual power available in Qi Refinement was quite limited.

In the early stage, one could control only a single flying sword; at the middle stage, two; in the late stage, three at once.

In other words, Xuan Wenyen could wield at most three flying swords simultaneously!

Now, with only two swords in play, Yun Que had to force out the third as quickly as possible.

At first exchange, both were locked in a fierce struggle.

Facing Yun Que’s skill, Xuan Wenyen was shocked—never had he seen someone use a spirit ring to block a flying sword.

But Yun Que, immersed in this life-and-death contest, was wholly different.

To him, the whistling swords, the flashing sword light, were a feast for the senses—a beautiful scene, a fine wine, his spirit merging ever more deeply with the way of the sword. The flying swords above, the sword waves he unleashed, all became swifter, more refined, more cunning!

Xuan Wenyen had planned to toy with him before killing, but his inability to break through began to irritate him, and he abandoned that idea.

Secretly, he pressed a storage pouch hidden in his sleeve.

A dusky short sword slipped soundlessly to the ground, skimming forward like a venomous snake—silent, deadly.

This was Xuan Wenyen’s most insidious technique. In the darkness, it had never once failed.

And this time, it did not disappoint.

Seeing his sneak attack drive into Yun Que’s chest, Xuan Wenyen burst into laughter.

But Yun Que did not fall; he remained standing.

“What’s going on!” Xuan Wenyen now saw that his opponent wore inner armor of remarkable defense.

His third flying sword, the ambush, was stopped cold by the armor.

As he reeled in surprise, a cold, cutting voice reached his ears.

“Thunder Strike.”

A deafening rumble exploded in the gloom of the cave.

Thunder, conjured from nowhere, shattered the darkness.