Su Dongsheng's brow furrowed instantly. He wasn't confident he could handle all these old fellows at once.
Ye Yongxing was also wary.
Their purpose had been seen through. Since their goals were the same, they were likely to become rivals.
"Brother Ye, there's no need for such caution. Inheritances can be shared."
Hei Wuchang showed no intention of fighting Ye Yongxing; instead, he was very friendly towards him.
Ye Yongxing was taken aback. Shared?
"Brother Hei knows what an inheritance is?"
Although Ye Yongxing had come up with an excuse to snatch the inheritance, he didn't actually know what it was. From Hei Wuchang's words, it seemed he did.
"Naturally. It's a very miraculous cultivation technique."
Hei Wuchang tilted his head slightly, his expression distant as if recalling memories.
When he was young, he had also entered a place of inheritance and almost obtained it. However, during the final mental trial, he lost himself and revealed his true nature. The guardian of the inheritance was unwilling to give it to him. In a fit of rage, he tried to attack the guardian, only to discover that the guardian was merely a spiritual entity with no physical form. His attacks were all ineffective.
To obtain the inheritance again, he had schemed for decades. He never expected Su Fan to snatch it away at the last moment and escape.
Ye Yongxing pondered.
A cultivation technique could indeed be shared.
"Alright, let's snatch the inheritance together!" Ye Yongxing laughed happily.
He might not be able to defeat Su Dongsheng alone, but with these three notorious old fellows joining him, Su Dongsheng was as good as dead!
Su Dongsheng's brow furrowed in secret.
If these four joined forces, he would be finished.
However, Su Fan was in the midst of cultivation. If he didn't stop them, Su Fan would be captured. After being captured, Su Fan would definitely not have an easy time. Not revealing the cultivation technique would only lead to suffering, but revealing it would surely mean a dead end.
"Junior, hand him over."
Hei Wuchang looked at Su Dongsheng and said softly, as if certain Su Dongsheng wouldn't dare to refuse.
"Senior Jiannu, isn't it inappropriate for so many of you to bully a junior?"
Su Dongsheng had only interacted with Jiannu before, so he tried to appeal to him, hoping to persuade at least one of them.
"Do not try to constrain me with morality. You are obstructing our plan. Either move aside, or die."
Jiannu was not swayed by Su Dongsheng's words and showed no regard for his feelings, threatening him directly.
Su Dongsheng's face stiffened. It seemed his attempt to appeal to their morality was futile, as they were all notorious figures who cared nothing for such things.
"I have spoken out of turn. If Senior insists on taking Su Fan away, this junior is willing to test your strength."
Su Dongsheng looked at the group opposite him with a serious expression.
"Why waste words? Let's all go up and finish him off," Ye Yongxing said impatiently.
"Wait."
Jiannu stopped Ye Yongxing.
"Let me stretch my limbs."
Jiannu was quite interested in this new junior and genuinely wanted to spar with Su Dongsheng.
Jiannu removed the sword case from his back and placed it in front of him, patting it forcefully.
The sword case opened like a scroll, revealing five swords of various types. The last one was a greatsword.
"My life has been dedicated to seeking the world's famous swords. There are less than ten renowned swords in existence. I possess five of them. This is the Taiji Sword, the sword carried by the previous sect leader of Baiyun Temple," Jiannu said, pointing to the leftmost sword with a Taiji pattern on its hilt.
"This three-foot Qingfeng is called the Qingyun Sword, the sword carried by the patriarch of the Song family in Nanyun."
"This rapier is called the Lady's Sword."
"And this short sword is called the Taihe Sword."
"As for this greatsword, it is the treasure of the Qingyan Sword Sect, named Chongfeng."
Jiannu introduced the precious swords in his case one by one to Su Dongsheng.
Su Dongsheng was shocked.
These were all famous swords. How had Jiannu obtained them?
"You choose one, and I will use it to spar with you."
Jiannu asked Su Dongsheng, confident in his own abilities that he would let Su Dongsheng pick his weapon.
Su Dongsheng pondered.
Chongfeng could be immediately ruled out.
A significant reason for Jiannu's betrayal and defection from the Qingyan Sword Sect was this Chongfeng. It was undoubtedly one of Jiannu's primary weapons.
He didn't know about the others.
"Let's go with the Taihe Sword."
As the saying goes, an inch longer is an inch stronger. A short sword might offer him an advantage.
Jiannu said nothing. With a wave of his hand, the Taihe Sword flew out of the sword case and into Jiannu's grasp.
"Come," Jiannu said softly, waiting for Su Dongsheng to draw his weapon.
Su Dongsheng had brought a weapon with him to guard the pass for Su Fan.
With a wave of his hand, a saber from the rooftop appeared in his hand.
Su Dongsheng gently stroked the blade.
He hadn't used it in over twenty years.
His companion from his days fighting in the capital, who was known by the nickname "Mad Saber."
"Come."
The moment Su Dongsheng held the saber, his aura surged, fully displaying his Kaiyang realm strength.
Jiannu also unleashed his full power, reaching the peak of the Kaiyang realm.
Their auras collided in the air, stirring up sand and stones, and whipping up a strong wind.
"Ha!"
Su Dongsheng slashed out with his saber, sending a blade energy dozens of meters long towards Jiannu.
Jiannu's expression turned solemn as he saw the blade energy descending from above.
He parried with the Taihe Sword, and a small, inconspicuous sword energy emanated from the short sword, lightly colliding with the blade energy.
Boom!
A fierce wind erupted around Jiannu. The shockwave from the collision of sword energy and blade energy rustled Jiannu's robes.
With just a light sword strike, Jiannu blocked Su Dongsheng's massive blade energy.
With his blade energy attack ineffective, Su Dongsheng closed the distance, opting for close combat.
Jiannu also chose to defend, parrying Su Dongsheng's offensive with a gentle sword strike.
"So strong!"
Li Junwuyun and the others watched with pounding hearts. The combat between the two far exceeded their expectations. Was this the power of the Kaiyang realm?
With only one realm difference, the gap was this vast!
Su Dongsheng felt a sense of urgency. All his attacks were easily blocked by the opponent, who didn't seem to be using his full strength.
"As a junior, your strength is already exceptional among your peers, but there is still a gap between you and me," Jiannu said, while parrying Su Dongsheng's attacks, he could still spare a thought to speak with him.
"I have seen your strength. Let this be the end."
Jiannu's aura suddenly erupted, forcing Su Dongsheng to retreat several steps, his stance becoming unstable.
"Sword One!"
Jiannu unleashed a sword strike, leaving a deep wound on Su Dongsheng's chest, bone-deep.
Su Dongsheng grunted, blood surging, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Jiannu had severely wounded him with a single strike.
"I yield," Jiannu said softly, standing with his hands behind his back.
Jiannu held Su Dongsheng in high regard. Among his peers, Su Dongsheng was undoubtedly the best, with no one at his age reaching such a level.