Chapter 183 - 180: The Sharpness of Qingfeng
CLANG!
Swords and sabers clashed, sending sparks flying as the ringing of metal echoed through the wilderness.
The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword collided with the Nine-Ringed Saber. Ye Xing felt a tremendous force slam into him, making his right arm go numb. He couldn’t help but stumble back three or four steps—STOMP, STOMP, STOMP—before he managed to absorb the impact.
"The Martial Arts Fifth Realm!" Ye Xing couldn’t help but frown, his gaze turning grave. ’I originally thought the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain was at the late stage of the Martial Arts Fourth Realm at most. He would have been perfect for me to hone my Sword Skill. I really didn’t expect him to have already reached the Martial Arts Fifth Realm. This is going to be a bit troublesome.’
Their first exchange was merely a probe to test each other’s cultivation.
"That’s right. I have already stepped into the Martial Arts Fifth Realm. And your cultivation seems to be only at the initial Martial Arts Fourth Realm! What’s more, you’re all alone. You’re a dead man." The Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain was gloating, but his expression suddenly changed. He looked down at the Nine-Ringed Saber in his hand.
There, on the edge of the Nine-Ringed Saber, was a chip the size of a fingernail. His Nine-Ringed Saber was a high-quality steel blade, once flawless. But now, it had such a large chip, clearly from the clash of weapons moments ago.
"Kid, is that weapon in your hand a Treasure Sword?" the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain couldn’t help but exclaim. His eyes immediately turned red with burning greed, fixed intently on the Cyan Blade Treasure Sword in Ye Xing’s hand.
The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword was three feet long, its entire body shimmering with a cyan light. Under the moonlight, it reflected cold, sharp glints that were chilling and deadly.
Weapons were divided into three Great Levels: Mortal Iron Level, Fine Steel Level, and Treasure Artifacts. Mortal Iron Level weapons were the most common and ordinary, including things like farmers’ hoes and wood-chopping knives. Fine Steel Level Weapons were far superior to Mortal Iron in both resilience and hardness, and most Martial Artists used them. As for Treasure Artifacts, they were exceedingly rare. Each one was worth a fortune, and only some Martial Artists at the Ninth Realm could afford to use them. Treasure Artifacts were exceptionally sharp and could cut through iron as if it were mud. Under normal circumstances, if a Mortal Iron Level weapon clashed with a Treasure Artifact, it would completely shatter in three to five strikes at most. And while Fine Steel Level Weapons were of good quality, if they were repeatedly struck in the same spot, they too would likely break over time. This was the advantage of a Treasure Artifact, something many Martial Artists dreamed of possessing.
However, even the lowest-grade Treasure Artifact was worth a fortune, which meant most Martial Artists could only use Fine Steel Level Weapons.
Ye Xing had taken this Cyan Blade Sword from the "Gale Swordsman" Zhao Tianxuan. With the help of the Cyan Blade Treasure Sword, supplemented by several Earth-tier Manuals like the *Gale Sword Skill*, *Floating Leaves*, and *Wind Shadow Step*, even though Ye Xing’s cultivation had just entered the Martial Arts Fourth Realm, his combat strength was already comparable to the mid-to-late stages of the Fourth Realm.
"Its name is ’Cyan Blade.’ It’s far stronger than that piece of trash in your hands!" Ye Xing chuckled.
"A Treasure Artifact... it really is a Treasure Sword worth a fortune!" The Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain’s eyes were bloodshot, his breathing growing ragged. Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression changed drastically. He said in a low voice, "Kid, what’s your background? How could you possess a Treasure Sword worth a fortune?"
"I don’t have any special background. I just picked this Treasure Sword up off the road!" Ye Xing said. "Heh, you want it? Come and take it!"
"Picked it up off the road? Impossible!" The Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain’s expression was stormy and uncertain; he clearly didn’t believe Ye Xing. ’Picked it up off the road? How could that be? He’s obviously trying to fool me.’ At this moment, the Great Village Chief began to hesitate. ’In my opinion, this kid in cyan robes is most likely a disciple from one of those great clans. Those disciples definitely have powerful backing. And this kid is probably a core elite disciple of his clan or Sect. Otherwise, how could he possibly have a Treasure Artifact Level sword with only a Martial Arts Fourth Realm cultivation? If I kill him, and his family’s forces find out, I’m afraid there will be no escape for me.’
"Hey, are you going to fight or not? Let me give you a little warning. If you can’t finish me off and I escape, I’ll have my clan elders come flatten your Triangular Mountain!" Ye Xing said.
"Boss, we can’t let him escape! We’ve got no way out. We have to kill him!"
"Yeah, kill him and take the Treasure Sword!"
"A Treasure Sword worth a fortune... Damn it, we’ve been robbing for so many years, and all our wealth combined isn’t even worth half as much as that sword."
"Liu Sanzi, don’t stir up trouble! That kid in cyan is probably from a great clan. If the Boss kills him, our Triangular Mountain is finished!"
"What’s there to be afraid of? He’s all alone. If we kill him, no one will know."
"Right, kill him and lock down the news immediately. His clan might never find out."
"We’re already his enemies. If we don’t kill him, *that’s* when Triangular Mountain will be finished. If we kill him, we’ll strike it rich!"
The bandits whispered amongst themselves, their opinions divided.
The Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain’s face was a whirlwind of emotions. One moment his eyes flashed with a cold light, the next he was hesitating, clearly waging a fierce internal battle. On one hand, he didn’t want to take the risk; on the other, he was overcome with greed for the Treasure Sword.
After a long moment of thought, the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain—a man long accustomed to a life on the edge—finally let his malice get the better of him. He grinned menacingly at Ye Xing. "Kid, since you’re looking for death, I’ll be happy to oblige. So what if you’re from a great clan? Once you’re dead, no one will know which clan you belong to! Later, I’ll have each of my men carve a piece of flesh from your body. I’m sure no one will dare to speak out of turn then."
"Men, hear my command! Surround this kid and don’t let him escape! I will deal with him personally!" At the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain’s order, horses neighed and hooves thundered—CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP. The three hundred-plus bandits swarmed Ye Xing, surrounding him in layer upon layer until not even a drop of water could pass through.
Instantly, only two people remained in the center of the encirclement: one was the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain, holding his Great Saber, and the other, naturally, was Ye Xing, grasping his Treasure Sword.
Seeing that the encirclement was complete, the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain relaxed considerably. The men he had brought were all skilled fighters from his village. Nearly a hundred of them were at the First Realm of cultivation, and dozens more were at the Second Realm. Against such a human wave tactic, one’s True Essence would likely run out before they could kill all these men. Forget a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Fourth Realm; even one at the Fifth Realm would find it impossible to escape.
However, the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain didn’t order his men to attack all at once. With so many people, and in the dark of night, it would be chaotic. It would be a disaster if, in the confusion after killing Ye Xing, the Treasure Sword worth a fortune was lost. Furthermore, the Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain also wanted to establish his dominance and increase his own prestige by killing Ye Xing alone.
WHOOSH!
The Great Village Chief of Triangular Mountain’s Great Saber flashed with a cold light. With a gust of wind from the blade, he slashed down at Ye Xing.
Ye Xing’s gaze was incredibly solemn. Surrounded by more than three hundred men, it was impossible not to be nervous. However, to hone his Sword Skill and achieve a breakthrough sooner, Ye Xing had no choice but to put himself under pressure.