Chapter 654 - 654 Ancient Sword Versus Evil Blade
Shen Anming finished speaking, stretched out his hand, and immediately a man standing behind him brought out an antique wooden box, respectfully placing it in his hands.
Shen Anming opened the box and took out a three-foot longsword. The sword scabbard was carved with dragon patterns, of an antique style, and the hilt was engraved with the Big Dipper, which was probably how the Seven-Star Ancient Sword got its name.
Seeing the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, Chen San, Chen Si, and Aomuhan beside him showed subtle changes in their expressions, light flickering in their eyes, though what they were actually thinking was anyone's guess.
The members of Sha Men also showed a slight change in expression, knowing that an ancient sword treasured by the Shen Family must be no ordinary item. And now, the Shen Family had brought out this Seven-Star Ancient Sword, it seemed they were confident they could cope with the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong's hands.
"Yu Long, how about I fight him first?" Cui Yu whispered to Cui Yulong: "My Ice Silkworm Thread is impervious to swords and spears; I'm not afraid of this ancient sword if I fight him!"
"No need!" Cui Yulong waved his hand and said sternly, "I watched with my own eyes as the brother who slept in the bunk above me died by his hand. This vengeance, I will exact myself!"
"Vengeance?" Shen Anming sneered coldly and said, "Just with you?"
"Enough with me!" Cui Yulong, holding a wooden box, walked out of the crowd. Without drawing his blade, he simply pointed the box at Shen Anming from afar and said, "Are you going to come at me one by one, or all together?"
The people of the Shen Family were instantly furious; Cui Yulong's words were far too dismissive of them. The Xihang Shen Family was the Martial Arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces; who dared to belittle them like this!
"You're looking for death!" Shen Anming let out a cold shout and suddenly drew the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, striding directly towards Cui Yulong. Before he reached Cui Yulong, he flicked several sword flowers with the longsword, stabbing swiftly toward Cui Yulong's chest.
Cui Yulong had no intention to dodge, merely holding out the wooden box horizontally, which just so happened to block the attack of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword. Shen Anming originally thought the Seven-Star Ancient Sword would pierce the wooden box with one stroke, but to his surprise, the box was not damaged in the slightest and even bounced his Seven-Star Ancient Sword away.
"What... what is this thing?" Shen Anming asked in astonishment.
Cui Yulong proudly said, "Heavenly Silkworm Wood!"
As soon as this was said, many people were shocked. Aomuhan didn't understand and quietly asked Chen San, "Third Brother, what is Heavenly Silkworm Wood?"
"It is a type of silkworm wood; any silkworm wood over a thousand years old is called Heavenly Silkworm Wood!" Chen San said gravely, "Millennial silkworm wood is very rare, incredibly tough, no wonder it can bounce off the Seven-Star Ancient Sword!"
Aomuhan was also somewhat astonished; things that survive a thousand years are rare to begin with. Even a tree, if you wanted to obtain it, would be very difficult to come by.
However, what he was more concerned about was the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in Shen Anming's hand. After a brief silence, he said in a low voice, "Third Brother, isn't the Seven-Star Ancient Sword the property of the Huangfu Household?"
Chen San nodded, and Aomuhan couldn't help but sneer contemptuously, "The people of the Shen Family are really shameless. After taking something from the Huangfu Household, they just treat it as their own. No wonder the girl from the Huangfu Household is so unhappy with the Shen Family!"
Chen San did not speak, only staring intently at the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in Shen Anming's hand. Aomuhan was young and not aware of much, but he understood very clearly that the Seven-Star Ancient Sword was far from a mere weapon. It was even connected to the main reason why the Huangfu Household had been exterminated. In fact, it was somewhat better for the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to remain with the Shen Family than in the hands of Huangfu Ziyu. If Huangfu Ziyu had the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, she probably would not have lived until now.
Of course, more than anything, he was mocking the people of the Shen Family. It seemed that after the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun left the Xihang Shen Family, there were no notable figures left in the Shen Family. This time, they even brought out the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, which was simply asking for trouble. Once the Seven-Star Ancient Sword appeared, there would only be more trouble!
Learning that the wooden box in Cui Yulong's hands was made of Heavenly Silkworm Wood, Shen Anming was also taken aback. However, he was more angry than anything else, staring coldly at Cui Yulong, he said in a deep voice, "Cui Yulong, you're not planning to use this piece of wood to fight me, are you?"
After blocking Shen Anming's strike, Cui Yulong had essentially gauged his strength and said coldly, "To deal with you, one piece of wood is enough!"
Xi Hang Shen Anming, enraged by Cui Yulong's belittlement, roared loudly and charged at Cui Yulong once again, wielding several thrusts of his sword towards Cui Yulong's vital points. His speed was incredibly fast, which made onlookers such as Ghost King Li Ruoyuan and He Qinghua tremble with fear. Had they been in the arena, they would likely have been thrown into complete disarray!
However, Cui Yulong was very relaxed, using only the wooden box to easily deflect the Seven-Star Ancient Sword wielded by Shen Anming. His movements were not complicated—it was as if he were playing house with a child. The disparity in strength between the two men was clear!
Chen San and Chen Si both frowned upon witnessing Cui Yulong's strength. Especially Chen San, who had used Netherworld Scholar to test Cui Yulong's abilities just moments ago. Yet, he did not expect Cui Yulong to be so formidable, almost equal to himself. His mind was filled with questions: what on earth had happened to Cui Yulong in these ten years for him to improve so much?
Of course, he was unaware that Cui Yulong had spent two years in meditative cultivation with the Purple Robe Lama. The Purple Robe Lama's strength was not inferior to Great General Helian Tiehua, and since Cui Yulong's time in cultivation wasn't long, their progress was naturally not much different.
After Shen Anming thrust dozens of sword strikes without being able to touch Cui Yulong, he became even more furious, howling and desperately lunging at Cui Yulong. Had he fought Cui Yulong with composure, he indeed would have stood a fighting chance. But now his anger had clouded his judgment. After charging in, his techniques and moves were chaotic. After a short skirmish, Cui Yulong caught a fatal flaw and slammed the wooden box hard against Shen Anming's back, causing blinding pain and almost making him fall flat to the ground.
Upon seeing Shen Anming at a disadvantage, the members of the Shen Family rushed forward en masse; two went to support Shen Anming, while several others lunged straight for Cui Yulong.
"Shameless!" Cui Yu shouted loudly as he rushed forward to intercept one of the attackers.
The Demon Queen and Ghost King and the Netherworld Scholar were about to make their move when Cui Yulong roared, "Everyone back off!"
As he spoke, Cui Yulong forcefully slapped the wooden box, which suddenly opened. With the ringing sound of a dragon's roar, the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade soared up into the air. Cui Yulong grabbed the handle and executed the 'Force Split Mount Hua' technique, cleaving the man before him in half from head to toe. Blood and viscera scattered everywhere.
Nobody expected the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade to be so powerful; two of the Shen Family's men were petrified by the sight. Yet, without a moment's hesitation, Cui Yulong—with a backhand 'Sweeping Thousands Army' slash—cut those two men in half too. They both followed the fate of the man before them, collapsing into pools of blood.
In a matter of moments, three members of the Shen Family were effortlessly slain by Cui Yulong, showcasing the terrifying might of the Evil Blade. The members of Sha Men were stunned, and nearby individuals like Chen San, Chen Si, and Aomuhan were shocked as well.
They all had heard of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, but nobody imagined it could be so fearsome. This was truly a terrifying force to behold!
Seeing three of his men dead, Shen Anming panicked, quickly scrambling up and charging with the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to block the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong's hand, saving a member of the Shen Family. However, that person was already too petrified to move, turning as pale as a ghost.
When his Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade was blocked by the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, Cui Yulong let out a light gasp of surprise—it was something he hadn't expected. He was well aware of the sharpness of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade. Without the scabbard's seal, its sharpness could not be covered; even touching the handle could cause injury. This was something even the Ghost King Li Ruoyuan had attempted and affirmed. Only he could wield the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade; regular weapons upon contact would cut as easily as tofu. Yet now, to his surprise, the Seven-Star Ancient Sword could actually withstand the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, an indication that this Ancient Sword was no ordinary item!
"Cui Yulong, how dare you kill my Shen Family's people!" Shen Anming roared in rage: "I will have you pay in blood for this debt!"
"Pay in blood?" Cui Yulong sneered coldly, "What about the blood debt your Shen Family owes to our Sha Men from ten years ago? So many of our people died; how many of your family members must die today to settle that debt, I wonder?"
"Your Sha Men deserved their fate for their heinous crimes; we of the Shen Family were simply carrying out divine justice!" Shen Anming shouted back: "But our Shen Family has not committed such trifling acts against human life. Now that you've killed our people, we will never let you go!"
"Almost annihilated our entire Sha Men, yet you have the audacity to speak of carrying out divine justice?" Cui Yulong scoffed: "Yes, you are the Shen Family, you only know how to kill, nobody dares to so much as flick a finger at you. This place, however, is not your Shen Family home and I am not the same Cui Yulong I used to be. Today, I will kill the people of your Shen Family and in the future, I will strike at the heart of the Shen Family itself. I'd like to see what you can do about that!"
Having said that, Cui Yulong tightened his grip on the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade and rushed toward them like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, breaking into the ranks of the Shen Family.
The members of the Shen Family were all strong fighters, yet with the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong's hand, apart from Shen Anming who wielded the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, no one could get close to him. Shen Anming, having been struck by Cui Yulong earlier, was already heavily injured and could hardly withstand Cui Yulong's assault. In less than two minutes, another member of the Shen Family was chopped down to the ground, following the footsteps of the previous three.
"Cui Yulong, you're courting death!" Shen Anming kept roaring: "I will kill you for sure! Our Shen Family will never let you off!"
"Shut up!" Cui Yulong roared back, suddenly lunging forward within the range of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, his longsword sweeping across, attempting to injure a person close to Shen Anming. But this move also exposed a huge flaw!