"Hongyao's move was indeed excellent."
Seeing Tang Hongyao's performance, not only Tang Wan'er and the other Tang Sect Eight Stalwarts were elated and praised her repeatedly, but even Tang Jiutian's face showed a hint of satisfaction.
Tang Hongyao had never been the strongest among the Tang Sect Eight Stalwarts, but she had always been the one Tang Jiutian was most satisfied with.
Tang Hongyao was meticulous in her actions, knew when to advance and when to retreat, and had limitless potential for growth. She was destined to become a pillar of the Tang Sect in the future.
In his delight, Tang Jiutian stared intently at everything happening on the scene, wanting to see if Shen Lang would truly die under the Dragon Whisker Needles that had just shot out.
However, what happened next caused Tang Jiutian and the others' eyes to widen.
They saw that facing the dozens of Dragon Whisker Needles shot at such close range, Shen Lang did not dodge or evade. A purple shield appeared around him, allowing all the Dragon Whisker Needles to hit the purple shield.
Tang Jiutian and the others had already witnessed this purple shield before; Shen Lang had used it to block Tang Fenghuang's Five Poisons Divine Sand.
However, Dragon Whisker Needles were different from Five Poisons Divine Sand. Five Poisons Divine Sand was merely iron pellets carrying potent poison, aiming to strike the body and transfer the poison to the attacked person.
But Dragon Whisker Needles aimed to pierce the enemy's body. Therefore, they were crafted from deep-sea cold iron, each needle incredibly sharp, capable of piercing even thick bulletproof steel armor.
Tang Jiutian and the others were very curious to see which was more formidable: Shen Lang's purple shield or the Dragon Whisker Needles.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
Tang Jiutian and the others' curiosity was soon satisfied.
In less than a second, dozens of Dragon Whisker Needles struck the purple shield, their momentum instantly nullified. They could not advance a single inch further, clattering to the ground.
"What?"
Seeing this, even the experienced Tang Jiutian was utterly astonished.
What kind of martial art was this, capable of weakening an opponent's hidden weapon's force?
Tang Wan'er and the other Tang Sect Eight Stalwarts also looked on in disbelief.
"Sister Hongyao, I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
While Tang Jiutian and the others were shocked and puzzled, Shen Lang's purple shield vanished. He looked at Tang Hongyao and said with a smile.
With that, Shen Lang thrust his sword forward. Tang Hongyao instinctively raised her saber to block.
The next second, the tip of the sword struck the body of Tang Hongyao's saber, shattering it into seven pieces that fell to the ground. Shen Lang then advanced, holding his sword at Tang Hongyao's throat; a mere inch forward would have pierced her throat.
However, at this crucial moment, Shen Lang did not advance but quickly retreated.
"Sister Hongyao, you lost again."
Looking at Tang Hongyao, Shen Lang said with a smile.
"Yes, I lost again."
Tang Hongyao dropped the broken half of the saber she was holding and looked at Shen Lang, saying, "Shen Lang, you are truly a prodigy. I cannot defeat you. But why didn't you directly pierce my throat with your sword like you did to Tang Fenghuang?"
If Shen Lang had chosen to end her life directly, Tang Hongyao would not have felt so distressed. But at the critical moment, Shen Lang showed mercy, which made Tang Hongyao feel an unprecedented sense of defeat along with a feeling of humiliation from Shen Lang.
"Victory and defeat are common in warfare; don't dwell on it too much."
Looking at the crestfallen and angry Tang Hongyao, Shen Lang smiled and said, "Your skill is not bad, but you are ultimately a little weaker than me. Losing to me is not unjust."
"In fact, no one in this world loses to me unjustly, because my talent and my effort are something that no one in this world can imagine."
Having said this, Shen Lang ignored Tang Hongyao and turned to face Tang Jiutian, smiling, "Sect Master Tang, do you have anyone better?"
"Actually, my intention is for you not to send them one by one, but to send them all at once. This will save a lot of time."
"Of course, it won't make a difference even if they come together. I still want you, old man, to make a move. Let me see what it means to possess the substance of a grandmaster without the title."
Shen Lang raised the black sword in his hand and said to Tang Jiutian, "I am truly looking forward to a battle with you."
Seeing Shen Lang's insolence and arrogance, one of the Tang Sect Eight Stalwarts, a burly man two meters tall with a crew cut, roared, "Presumptuous! How dare you provoke the Sect Master's dignity?"
With that, the burly man with the crew cut charged towards Shen Lang like a fierce tiger. As he charged, he drew a sword from his waist, which was entirely black from hilt to tip.
However, the moment the burly man drew his sword, a dazzling red light emanated from it, causing Shen Lang to instinctively close his eyes.
As Shen Lang instinctively closed his eyes, the burly man gripped the sword with both hands and swung it down forcefully.
Shen Lang's eyes were closed, but his combat awareness did not diminish. He quickly raised the black sword in his hand to block the sudden downward slash from his opponent.
However, the subsequent result was something Shen Lang had never experienced before.
The instant the two swords met, Shen Lang's black sword was directly cut into two pieces by the burly man's sword.
Yet, Shen Lang's sword was broken, but the opponent's sword momentum did not stop. It slanted down with the force of a "river falling from the nine heavens." If Shen Lang had not reacted quickly enough and retreated, he would have been cut in half from the shoulder by this sword.
Although Shen Lang avoided the sword, the floor beneath them was scarred with a two-meter-long crack.
"Good—"
"That's it, Tang Wuxiang, kill him."
Seeing that the burly man had broken Shen Lang's sword with a single strike, putting Shen Lang at a disadvantage, Tang Wan'er and the remaining Tang Sect Eight Stalwarts rejoiced and cheered repeatedly.
Tang Jiutian's face also showed a smile, and his eyes held a look of anticipation.
The burly man with the crew cut was named Tang Wuxiang, and the sword in his hand was called Yi Xi Sword, a divine weapon forged from the legendary Six Harmonies Elite, capable of cutting through iron like mud.
However, this sword, though not appearing large, weighed two hundred jin. Only someone with innate divine strength could wield it, so it had been kept in the Tang Sect for hundreds of years, unused.
Tang Wuxiang, possessing innate divine strength, could lift a bronze cauldron at the age of ten. At eighteen, he took possession of the Yi Xi Sword and wielded it with ease.
Tang Jiutian knew that Tang Wuxiang was the one who could control the Yi Xi Sword, so he gave it to him.
In fact, Tang Jiutian's decision was correct. With the Yi Xi Sword, Tang Wuxiang was like a tiger with wings, his strength advancing rapidly. Alone with his sword, he became an existence that none of his peers dared to underestimate, slaying many formidable enemies for the Tang Sect.
Frankly, Tang Jiutian held high expectations for Tang Wuxiang, believing that he had a high probability of killing Shen Lang.
Indeed, after Tang Wuxiang's sword cut Shen Lang's black sword, Shen Lang's momentum was suppressed.