Chapter 314 - 163: Shocking God Saber
"What is this saber art?"
All who witnessed the strike were utterly captivated.
A sense of dread filled their hearts.
A chill ran down Gu Xizhi’s spine. He felt that the Heavenly Dragon Swordsmanship he had practiced his entire life was utterly meaningless before the mark left by that saber.
Scholar Jingtan gazed at his own palms, running countless scenarios through his mind, yet he knew he would still be cut down on the spot by that single strike.
Chi Lin’s eyes went wide. His face was a mask of shock and disbelief, his color draining away.
"So this is the Nine Shocking God Sabers! Truly worthy of the name!
"It’s enough to startle gods and make ghosts weep!"
Great Sir sat on the tavern roof, speaking softly as he clapped his hands with a smile.
Hearing this, the crowd turned to look at the old man on the roof.
Chi Lin recognized him instantly.
"It’s Great Sir!"
"This is actually the Nine Shocking God Sabers?"
Gu Xizhi’s face was filled with astonishment. "Legend says this art was lost over a century ago. Twenty years ago, a master used a saber to cut down several of the generation’s top experts in a row, and it was suspected that he was using this very same technique."
"Great Sir, are you certain? This... this is the Nine Shocking God Sabers?"
"Heh."
Great Sir gave a faint smile.
"Believe it or not... Let me see now."
"The first strike startles gods and ghosts! The second is utterly formless! The third is truly endless! The fourth leaves the mark of life and death!"
"Five of the nine strikes have yet to be seen. I can only imagine how astonishingly brilliant they will be!"
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"
"Hmm, Young Hero Jiang has made it this far without a title to his name..."
"Today, this saber strike has stunned all who witnessed it. One could truly say, ’When the Shocking God Saber appears, life and death are decided.’"
"Why not grant you the title ’Shocking God Saber’?"
"...It sounds terrible."
Jiang Ran rejected it on the spot.
"Shocking God Saber! Jiang Ran the ’Shocking God Saber’!"
"What a fine name, Shocking God Saber!"
Gu Xizhi and Scholar Jingtan nodded in agreement, feeling the title was perfectly fitting.
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. ’The person in question hasn’t even agreed yet. Can you guys slow down a little?’
’Can’t you pick a name that sounds a little better?’
’Besides, if people associate ’Shocking God Saber’ with the Nine Shocking God Sabers, won’t they know my trump card before I even have to fight?’
Of course, that last point didn’t really matter.
As his fame grew, the secrets of his martial arts would inevitably be exposed one by one.
By then, it wouldn’t matter what his title was.
But now was not the time to dwell on it.
Of the actor, the woodcutter, and the courtesan, only the actor was left alive.
Seeing Greed Poison dead and realizing the situation was hopeless, the actor, despite his disbelief, made a swift decision.
"Kill!!!"
The disciples of the Death Building were known for their absolute obedience.
The moment they heard the actor shout that single word, they turned and fled without a second thought!
This left the members of Thunderbolt Hall, who had been ready for a fight, completely dumbfounded.
’Didn’t he just yell "Kill"? So why are they all running?’
The actor led the charge, flicking his two long, flowing sleeves. They snagged a nearby roof eave, and he launched himself into the air.
But while he was still in midair, a line of light from a saber strike appeared across his body.
Before he could reach the eave, his body split in two. His lower half crashed to the ground, while his torso was left hanging from the wall.
Jiang Ran was already on the rooftop.
He placed one hand on his saber’s hilt and closed his eyes.
The next moment, his saber flashed in a whirlwind of light!
A ring of intangible saber energy expanded outwards in all directions.
Wherever the energy passed, the fleeing Death Building Assassins who were trying to escape dropped like flies, falling to the ground one after another.
That single strike cut down an untold number of Death Building Assassins.
Severed limbs rained down from the sky.
"The first strike... startles gods and ghosts!"
Great Sir said softly.
Chi Lin snapped out of his daze as if waking from a dream. He had just seen the men from the Death Building begin to flee and had been about to order a pursuit.
Fortunately, he hadn’t spoken the words, or the bodies on the ground would now include his own Thunderbolt Hall disciples.
Seeing Jiang Ran sheathe his saber, he quickly called out:
"We must eliminate this evil completely! Don’t let any of them escape to cause trouble later!"
Only then did the Thunderbolt Hall disciples give chase, going after the few who had escaped Jiang Ran’s blade.
Jiang Ran leaped down from the roof.
He glanced at Chi Lin and smiled faintly.
"So you are a friend from Thunderbolt Hall. My name is Jiang Ran. And you are...?"
"Jiang Ran..."
Chi Lin had already heard his name mentioned by Great Sir, Gu Xizhi, and the others.
But now, hearing Jiang Ran introduce himself, it was as if everything clicked into place.
"So you’re the Jiang Ran who’s hosting the Tea and Music Gathering at Sunset Plateau on Three Immortals Mountain!"
"Your heroic spirit is truly astonishing. The title ’Shocking God Saber’ is well-earned!"
"I am Chi Lin, ranked third in Thunderbolt Hall."
"Young Hero Jiang, you can just call me Chi the Third."
"..."
’So that title has stuck already?’
Jiang Ran shot a fierce glare at Great Sir.
Great Sir lowered his gaze, looking rather meek. His hand, however, never stopped moving. Next to the four words he’d written, [Golden Cicada Heroic Legend], he secretly added another title: [Golden Cicada Shocking God Record].
He seemed to be wavering between the two.
"Not at all, not at all."
Jiang Ran’s glare had no effect, so he averted his gaze and looked back at Chi Lin.
"So it is the Third Hall Master. Forgive my rudeness."
After a few more polite exchanges, and with nowhere else to sit, the group decided to head back into the tavern.
Once they had all found seats, Jiang Ran asked Chi Lin the purpose of his journey.
Chi Lin seemed a little surprised by Jiang Ran’s directness. He smiled and said:
"To be honest, we at Thunderbolt Hall were also on our way to Sunset Plateau for the Tea and Music Gathering."
"It’s just, we’re a bunch of rough-and-tumble types. We don’t really understand all that poetic stuff. We were just going to Sunset Plateau to see what all the fuss was about."
"I never expected we would run into Young Hero Jiang on the way."