Volume One, The Sovereign’s Edict, Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Blood-Stained Banner

He dared to kill Zhang Yi. Fellow brothers, I cannot swallow this!

Jade Balance Child flew into a rage and, without another word, leaped into the fray, intent on seizing Zhang Yi’s body back.

“So this is the eldest disciple of the Heavenly King Sect. Truly a hero among the young, able to kill two swordsmen in succession without shame.”

As Jade Balance Child landed before him and struck with a blade, the other neither dodged nor flinched. A flash of cold brilliance appeared, and the slashing blade was severed cleanly in two. Even Jade Balance Child could not see how it was done.

“As a mountain lord, your skills are mediocre at best. Better not come out and make a fool of yourself. Go back and keep watch over the rear.”

“You scoundrel! Insolent fool! Who are you?”

Though Jade Balance Child spoke, his feet had already retreated several steps, putting distance between them.

“The second swordsman under the Crown Prince’s command: Bamboo Lord.”

This man wore a robe of black jade, and at his waist hung four bamboo scabbards, each hiding a sword.

Bamboo Lord? Jade Balance Child had never heard the name and assumed he was some nameless nobody.

“This debt must be settled now. Prepare to die!”

This time Jade Balance Child went all out, unleashing every finger technique he had ever learned. Bamboo Lord only evaded and never counterattacked. The fierce gusts of his finger force drove him back step by step, yet from Bamboo Lord’s calm expression it was clear he had never taken Jade Balance Child seriously.

With Jade Balance Child entering the field, the other six mountain lords also cast aside their status, each brandishing a weapon and charging in, hoping to annihilate these Langya swordsmen in one stroke.

The longer the delay, the more the army’s morale would crumble. An army of nearly three hundred thousand had been cut through by only five hundred men, and every sword in every swordsman’s hand was drenched in the blood of the soldiers of Flame and Cool.

With the appearance of the seven mountain lords, the situation finally eased somewhat. Azure Mystery Child and Swift Wind Child looked weary. The two of them were not enough to withstand so many troops at once, and casualties were mounting rapidly.

Dao Ruins Child did not move. He stood atop the camp’s watchtower, silently gazing at the black-clad man seated cross-legged at the same height across from him, his expression grave.

The Langya swordsmen had thirteen leaders in all. Using their original names, they had each earned one move of Langya’s supreme sword art, numbered from Sword One through Sword Thirteen. The black-clad man before him was the foremost of the Crown Prince’s eight great swordsmen: Sword One.

“Why does Senior Dao Ruins not come down and join the fight? The Langya swordsmen’s defeat is already sealed. Only your final push is lacking.”

Sword One’s voice reached Dao Ruins Child’s ear.

Dao Ruins Child laughed heartily, still clasping his hands behind his back and not moving an inch. “Sword One, I know you prize propriety. If I do not descend, then your sword cannot be drawn. Better that this old man remain here. I would rather not see this place turned into a slaughterhouse. Best that you take your master and withdraw.”

He had already seen Crown Prince Liao Heng’s silhouette flickering in and out among the battle lines. If the prince could be captured here, the matter that followed would be greatly in favor of the Heavenly King Sect.

But the moment he thought of Sword One’s presence, Dao Ruins Child immediately extinguished that notion. Such impractical ideas had best vanish from his head at once; otherwise, if trouble arose, he would have no way to clean up after it.

Thirteen swordsmen wielding supreme sword arts—none of them were easy to provoke. Even as sect master, before pure destructive power, he would have no choice but to flee.

“Very well. Then let us wait here and see who will have the last laugh.”

“You are that confident in these swordsmen?”

No sooner had Dao Ruins Child spoken than he saw Azure Mystery Child sent flying backward, vomiting blood in great mouthfuls, a bamboo sword driven through his chest.

“When choosing mountain lords, do not pick such trash. It only makes people mock you.”

Sword One’s tone was placid.

The seven mountain lords, taking turns to fight Bamboo Lord, found that no matter what manner of attack they used, all of it dissolved into nothing before those four bamboo swords, easily evaded.

“Is this man also one of your ranked swordsmen?” Dao Ruins Child stared at him, shocked, and asked in disbelief.

Of course not. Every disciple of the Langya Sword Mountain who devotes himself to the sword possesses such strength. Today, we shall watch him trample over the blood of your mountain lords and ascend to a new height.

Sword One spoke arrogantly, but not without reason. Bamboo Lord’s sword was sharp and direct, always able to find the slightest flaw in the enemy’s strike and turn offense into defense, beating the mountain lords back again and again.

The second mountain lord to fall was cut down, his body shattered into four pieces and then reduced to flying ash.

Then the other mountain lords lost their composure and were even less able to withstand Bamboo Lord. The four bamboo swords seemed almost sentient, moving with Bamboo Lord’s swiftly shifting body and severing every possible line of retreat for the mountain lords.

Only a desperate fight remained! Azure Mystery Child, careless for a moment, was closed on by Bamboo Lord. The sword-finger that had been raised pierced straight through his dantian, then his entire arm followed through.

By the time the last mountain lord was cut down, the five hundred Langya swordsmen were also exhausted to the limit. Aside from Bamboo Lord, none remained alive.

Azure Mystery Child and Swift Wind Child died under the storm of blades, and in exchange they took several hundred soldiers with them.

“Senior, do not panic. Liu Xiaoyi has arrived!”

Just as Dao Ruins Child was considering whether to join battle with Sword One, another force came surging from the direction of Flame and Cool Province, blocking Bamboo Lord and the Crown Prince behind them.

At the head of the group was a youth of fifteen or sixteen, clad in a black-and-white Daoist robe of the Eight Trigrams. At his waist also hung a sword of uncommon quality.

Sword One raised an eyebrow, sensing the power contained within this man. His fingers on the hilt twitched slightly, as if eager to test himself.

Dao Ruins Child saw all this and deliberately said, “Little martial uncle, be careful! This man has killed all the mountain lords. He is not your match!”

Though he said it aloud, anyone with eyes could hear the hope hidden in those words. Bamboo Lord could clearly be seen at the end of his strength, drenched in blood and gasping for breath, one arm broken and several ribs fractured.

This was the perfect moment to strike. Even if the opponent were a fierce tiger, there was nothing to fear.

Liu Xiaoyi was clever indeed. With a raise of his hand, the archers behind him drew and nocked their bows, and he had no intention of contending with Bamboo Lord head-on.

Yet even as formidable as Bamboo Lord was, he could only throw his body in front of the Crown Prince and do his utmost to withstand the rain of arrows. At last he was pierced by a thousand shafts, the four bamboo swords propping up his body until, little by little, the breath of life left him.

The Crown Prince’s legs trembled. He closed his eyes tightly and awaited the coming slaughter. He had intended only to charge here for a spell before withdrawing with the swordsmen, but he had forgotten the distance and driven himself beyond the point of no return, where he was now surrounded by the enemy on all sides.

A black shadow descended beside him at precisely the right moment and kicked the Crown Prince squarely in the backside, sending him flying far away.

“Golden Light Prisoning Immortal Formation!”

Li Jue formed a hand seal and roared. Eight beams of golden light shot toward the Crown Prince, followed by a sky full of talismans.

The iron sword in Sword One’s hand was utterly plain. With nothing more than a casual swing, invisible sword qi blocked every attack that threatened the Crown Prince.

Invincible. Those were the only two words Liu Xiaoyi could use to describe the black-clad man before him. He, too, had practiced the sword from childhood, and from that casual slash he could perceive the meaning of returning to simplicity after all ornament was stripped away.

A sword art containing sword intent grows in power severalfold. To condense sword intent at such an age is one chance in ten thousand.

“Leave him to me. You go capture the Crown Prince!”

Liu Xiaoyi leaped down from his horse, Green Radiance Sword in hand, and struck with a slash.

Sword One merely moved his body and turned his blade, another plain and unadorned cut, perfectly placed along the path Liu Xiaoyi must take, once again driving him back three steps.

Liu Xiaoyi had never intended to win by speed. In Sword One’s eyes his movements were almost transparent. Only if the other did not know he could use Daoist arts would there be a chance to seize victory by surprise.

There was only one opportunity. Liu Xiaoyi repeatedly changed sword forms to press into Sword One’s attack range. Sword One stood motionless, and with only simple chopping strikes repeatedly placed Liu Xiaoyi in mortal danger.

No one else could come to help. Since a swordsman’s challenge had already been issued, interference from outsiders was the greatest insult to both swordsmen.

Li Jue and the others wanted to seize the Crown Prince, but were saved by the converging swordsmen and withdrawn in an orderly retreat into the mountain forests behind them.

“Dao Ruins Child, once the best chance is missed, capturing the Crown Prince again will not be so easy.”

Bai Yiting turned his gaze toward his precious disciple and, along the way, caught sight of the Crown Prince.

“Daoist Bai, since the Heavenly King Sect was founded, today is the greatest loss we have ever suffered. Langya is supposed to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sects, yet who would have thought it would be this strong?”

After regaining his composure, Dao Ruins Child grew somewhat despondent. The sect he had labored so long to build had suffered such an overwhelming disparity: the elders were killed by a single man, and the sect master himself was so cowed that he dared not move freely.

“After this battle, if the Heavenly King Sect still stands, then from the ashes it may be reborn. In the years to come, it will surely flourish even more.”

Bai Yiting saw things rather freely. As long as his precious disciple was safe, he cared little for the rest.

“When do you think it would be appropriate for us to go rescue Liu Xiaoyi? If he dies and the Grand Supreme blames me, I would not dare bear it.”

“Steady yourself. I do not think Sword One can necessarily kill him.”

Liu Xiaoyi’s original plan was completely shattered once Sword One began to move. The gap between them was far greater than he had imagined. Though Sword One’s motion was not especially fast, every advance and retreat was measured, each step landing precisely on Liu Xiaoyi’s vital point, forcibly interrupting the momentum he had only half-raised.

At the same time as he drew his sword, his left fist also came crashing in, forcing Liu Xiaoyi to hurl out black-and-white chess pieces to block the blow before him.

“You also know Daoist arts. Interesting!”

Sword One’s fist was the true strike; the sword was merely a feint. With one punch he shattered the formation of chess pieces and landed on Liu Xiaoyi’s left shoulder.

With a sharp crack, the left shoulder immediately sagged. Liu Xiaoyi grimaced in pain, but biting down on it, he shook his sleeve and hurled Mount Suppressing Origin at Sword One.