Legend of Swordsman

Just moments ago, Yang Xiao and his group were about to capture the innkeeper, but then a mysterious expert appeared and severely injured everyone with a single strike.

If it weren’t for that Skyfoot Centipede, Yang Xiao and the others would have been slain by the mysterious expert by now.

“Brother Wushuang, you’re finally here!” Xiang Yang’s breath was unstable, clearly having just survived a life-threatening situation. He was still filled with lingering fear as he hurriedly pulled Jian Wushuang behind him, feeling a bit safer only after standing in his shadow.

Jian Wushuang, however, didn’t seem too afraid of death. His eyes remained cold, his head held high with pride, and his voice sharp as he said, “Senior Wushuang, it was that black-clad expert who struck just now. With a single palm, he severely injured everyone. He must be a powerful cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage!”

Jian Wushuang glanced at the calm and composed Jian Shang, feeling satisfied. This reminded him of the Jian Shang from back in Qishen Temple, who remained cool-headed even when being hunted down, displaying both courage and wisdom in the face of his pursuers.

“Senior Wushuang?” Jian Shang felt uneasy under the constant gaze, his small face blushing slightly as he lowered his eyes and softened his voice.

“Ahem!” Jian Wushuang quickly averted his gaze, coughing lightly to cover his embarrassment before turning to look at the mysterious black-clad elder.

The elder had a head full of silver hair and wore black robes, exuding a vigorous aura.

This wasn’t the demonic expert from the Dark Sect.

Even now, standing face to face, Jian Wushuang couldn’t detect the elder’s presence.

“Your formation is much more troublesome than any puppet!” Jian Wushuang took a step forward, his figure suddenly rising as he met the elder’s gaze head-on.

The black-clad elder, standing on the shattered beam, looked astonished. Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, “How did you break the grand array I set up?”

“Simple!” Jian Wushuang thought to himself, and a surge of illusory power rose within him—this was the power of thought manifested into consciousness.

It could even create a consciousness avatar.

If he were to burn this power, he could kill even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

“So strong!” The black-clad elder trembled inwardly.

Then, as if realizing something, he exclaimed in shock, “Are you a cultivator from the Upper Realm?”

He could see that Jian Wushuang’s aura was only at the Golden Core stage since Jian Wushuang hadn’t concealed his presence. But that powerful thought power was already comparable to the Divine Appearance stage.

That’s why he instinctively mentioned the Upper Realm.

“Upper Realm?” Jian Wushuang’s heart stirred. Although he knew of the Upper Realm, he didn’t understand much about it. In fact, he hadn’t even fully grasped the nature of this small world, with its figures like the True Immortal of the Tang Dynasty or the creator of the Princess Tomb.

At that moment, someone happened to clarify things for him, so he pretended to be calm and said, “Everyone’s the same, what’s there to be surprised about?”

“Oh, do you think I’m also a strong practitioner from the Upper Realm?” The black-clad elder’s previously tense expression relaxed slightly.

Both were schemers, their minds working faster than ordinary people. With just one sentence, he deduced that Jian Wushuang wasn’t from the Upper Realm.

Since the black-clad elder himself wasn’t a strong practitioner from the Upper Realm, he had assumed Jian Wushuang was one based on the other’s thought power. But now that Jian Wushuang claimed to be from the Upper Realm as well, it made his words seem less credible.

The black-clad elder wasn’t from the Upper Realm but was instead a powerful practitioner native to this world.

The method of distinguishing between the Upper and Lower Realms was through power.

The power systems of the Upper Realm and the Lower Realm were completely different. Although the black-clad elder had never been to the Upper Realm, he had glimpsed the divine techniques and secret methods of the Upper Realm through his inheritance, which differed greatly from those of the Lower Realm.

“I haven’t asked for your name yet, sir?”

“Jian Wushuang!”

The moment Jian Wushuang announced his name, his brow furrowed slightly, realizing he had just misspoken. Now, the black-clad elder had begun to shift the topic.

It was clear that the elder would no longer believe anything he said.

“I miscalculated. If the other party had come from the Upper Realm, he would have recognized the space crystal and wouldn’t have used such a treasure to refine a puppet. Instead, he would have restored his own strength. Obviously, he doesn’t recognize the space crystal, which is why he used it to make a puppet!” Jian Wushuang sighed inwardly.

In just one encounter, he had already made two missteps.

The opponent certainly possessed a mind as sharp as a seven-orifice exquisite heart.

Although this was a mundane world, one couldn’t underestimate the wisdom of ordinary people.

When they found their path of cultivation blocked, some would choose to walk the path of the Dao, the heart, or the kidneys.

It was evident that this opponent had chosen the heart.

His mental state was very strong. When faced with challenges, he remained calm and could unravel lies with just a few words, subtly shifting the topic and diverting attention.

In this way, Jian Wushuang found himself completely at a disadvantage.

After exchanging names, Jian Wushuang became cautious with his words and instead began to deduce the elder’s identity through his name.

Jiu Chen Immortal!

That was the elder’s Dao name.

The ability to refine puppets meant he had surely obtained secret divine techniques from the Upper Realm. It wasn’t surprising that he knew about the Upper Realm’s powerful practitioners.

In terms of cultivation, he might have once been a practitioner at the Divine Form level but had somehow fallen to the Nascent Soul stage. He was likely in a cooperative relationship with the Tang Emperor now.

After all, such a powerful figure in the mundane world wouldn’t be subservient to imperial power.

Cooperation!

Following this train of thought, Jian Wushuang spoke up.

“Daoist Jiu Chen, since we’ve laid everything out, why don’t we be more straightforward? This time, give me some face and spare Yang Xiao’s life. Whatever you need, just name it!”

Jian Wushuang lowered his stance. He couldn’t gauge the elder’s strength, but the elder was at least a mid-Nascent Soul stage practitioner. If it came to a fight, Jian Wushuang had no problem with it, but there were so many people present.

If Yang Xiao died, it would be troublesome.

He regretted not asking Yang Xiao about the matters of the Jiang Kingdom earlier, which had led to this situation.

Jiu Chen Immortal gently stroked his beard and smiled faintly. “In the mundane world, there’s a saying that I’ve always appreciated. Let me share it with you, Daoist.”

“Please,” Jian Wushuang gestured.

“The one who eats the lord’s salary must serve the lord and relieve the lord’s worries.”

After Jiu Chen Immortal finished speaking, his demeanor remained calm and indifferent.

However, Jian Wushuang’s expression darkened.

The elder gave no face at all. The message was simple: since he had received benefits, he must fulfill his obligations. Yang Xiao’s life couldn’t be saved.

Since that was the case, there was nothing more to discuss with the elder.

“Xiang Yang, take Jiang Shang upstairs and stay with Chen Yuan. When the time is right, take Chen Yuan and leave!”

He silently transmitted his voice, and his thought power surged to its peak.

“Today, no one shall escape from my hands!” Jiu Chen Immortal raised his hand, summoning a golden light.

Buzz!

The dazzling golden light was so bright that no one could keep their eyes open.

Even Jian Wushuang felt his eyes stinging, but fortunately, his thought power enveloped the surroundings, so he wasn’t completely blinded.

However, the others weren’t as fortunate. They all clutched their eyes in pain, curling up into balls.

Only four people remained standing.

Besides Jian Wushuang and Jiu Chen, there were the Guardian Tong Shan and Xiang Yang.

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