Chapter 304: Chapter 304: The Golden Opportunity Finally Appears
Late at night.
Under the moon.
In the streets, An Jing stepped out of the Lv Mansion, changed into a new set of clothes, and headed towards the Dragon Locking Well.
The Dragon Locking Well is a forbidden area of the Great Yan Dynasty, and it must surely be guarded by the Great Yan Royal Family’s elite, for at this critical juncture, it would be best not to invite any unnecessary trouble.
The location of the Dragon Locking Well is especially peculiar, as it is built within the Dragon Spring Temple.
Originally, Great Yan protected the six seals left by the Zhou Dynasty, but as guarding all six with scattered experts was consuming a significant amount of manpower and resources, the Taiping Human Emperor constructed the Dragon Locking Well in Yujing City, which put the plans regarding the six seals of the Zhou Dynasty on hold.
This was also one of the reasons why An Jing could easily obtain the six Evil Suppressing Swords.
As night fell, Yujing City remained bustling and lively.
Compared to the noisy Yujing City, the Dragon Spring Temple sank into tranquility; its majestic temples stood in the darkness like the fleeting shadows of giants.
So quiet it seed almost terrifying.
An Jing’s figure blended into the darkness as he entered the Dragon Spring Temple.
“Hint three: There is a golden opportunity nearby the host.”
At that mont, a brilliant golden light erged from the Earth Book, nearly filling An Jing’s mind.
“Golden!?”
An Jing, startled by this, paused for a mont.
Since obtaining the Earth Book, the most precious opportunity it had revealed was the purple one, and now a golden opportunity had appeared for the first ti, seemingly surpassing the purple opportunity.
A purple opportunity was a Martial Arts Heart thod that exceeded the Heavenly Martial Level, a rare existence in the world; what, then, could this golden opportunity be!?
In an instant, An Jing’s heart trembled slightly.
Imdiately after, he focused on the Earth Book, confirming there were no black opportunities before heading deeper into the Dragon Spring Temple.
Soon, passing through the silent corridors, he arrived at the Precepts Platform of the Dragon Spring Temple.
The Precepts Platform is where monks transmit precepts.
Standing atop the Precepts Platform, one could also see the bright moon in the sky above.
Behind the Precepts Platform, the golden radiance in the Earth Book was dazzlingly bright, clearly indicating that he was nearing the golden opportunity.
….
In the dark of night, a man dressed in black robes stepped on the temple roofs, passed through a forest, and arrived at the Great Yan Forbidden Land, in front of the Dragon Locking Well.
His eyes held a trace of iciness and nace.
This man in black robes was none other than the Thousand-faced Asura.
He now concealed his Qi chanism, treading carefully on the rubble while looking towards the distance.
In an open area ahead, there was a giant well with a diater of nearly thirty feet; it looked ordinary and unremarkable, without any special features, except for the tough, dark iron chains that bound it.
There was also a pond beside the well; under the moonlight, it sparkled with a peaceful, serene glimr.
At the sa ti, within several feet around there were five iron houses, each occupying one of the five positions.
Inside these five iron houses were seated five experts, their cultivation levels spanning between Second Qi and Third Qi, but the five Qi chanisms were connected through iron chains, allowing their internal Qi chanism to blend smoothly.
These five Qi chanism cultivations were extrely profound, obviously indicating they were Grandmaster level experts.
Five Grandmaster level experts!
All these were the top guards tasked by the Royal Family to protect the Dragon Locking Well, a testant to the formidable strength of the Great Yan Royal Family. In the entire Great Yan Martial World, there were barely dozens of Grandmasters, yet here at the Dragon Locking Well stood five of such Grandmaster level experts.
The average person, if not paying close attention, would not notice these five special positions, nor discover these five Grandmaster level experts.
“It seems the Great Yan Royal Family has put in quite so effort in guarding this Dragon Locking Well,” whispered the Thousand-faced Asura with a sneer at the corner of his mouth.
Then, he activated a unique thod to conceal his aura and approached the Dragon Locking Well.
In the Jianghu of the world, the Asura’s thods for concealnt and breath-holding were second to none, almost on par with the Acupoint Locking Technique of the Demon Sect. It was with this thod that he managed to infiltrate the Great Yan Palace, instilling in him a certain confidence.
For him, even the Great Yan Forbidden Land was a place he could enter and exit at will.
The Asura’s body leaped, dropping silently to the ground like a falling leaf.
Though his steps seed slow, he crossed several yards in an instant.
True Qi and Shrinking Land into Inches were the marks of a Grandmaster, while the genuine Immortals were rumored to reach the realm of “inches as leagues”. Of course, these were rely people’s speculations, as no one had truly seen a real Immortal and did not know whether Immortals really existed in this world.
The Asura, with his Four Qi Cultivation, naturally had a proficient mastery of Shrinking Land into Inches.
After just two or three steps, he arrived in front of the Dragon Locking Well.
At this mont, a cold smile appeared at the corner of the Asura’s mouth.
“Hiss hiss!”
Just as he was about to take another step, he suddenly felt his hairs stand on end; an icy glint of light attacked from afar, piercing towards his neck.
The Asura’s brow furrowed as he drew the ‘Evil Suppressing Sword’ from his waist and cleaved towards the cold light.
“Clang!”
A crisp sound of tal clashing rang out as the Sword struck the cold light and shattered it instantly.
This cold light had co from an iron house not far away.
The Asura said indifferently, “A re Third Qi Grandmaster dares to obstruct An?!”
After bellowing, the Sword in his hand swept fiercely towards the iron house in the distance.
An unsettling cold light surged from the frigid blade, tearing through the air with a biting chill as it rushed forward.
“Swoosh!”
“Boom!”
Within the cold gleam of the blade, even the exceptionally hard iron house burst apart in an instant.
A red-clothed, white-haired elder enveloped in an aura rushed out.
“How daring, to intrude into the Forbidden Land of Great Yan without authorization.”
The Thousand-faced Asura looked at the white-haired elder charging towards him and sneered, “An Jing has always been very bold.”
“Then let us see just how great your courage is!”
A cold shout sounded, and several iron houses exploded one after another, soon followed by four Masters surging out, each clad in clothes whose colors corresponded to the other four elents of yellow, green, blue, and gold.
The Thousand-faced Asura frowned instantly upon seeing this; he was not a top Four Qi Master, so facing five Three Qi Masters he was bound to be defeated without a doubt, and even a top Four Qi Master might not be able to take down these five Three Qi Masters.
“Join forces and cut him down!” one of the n in golden clothing said.
“Alright.”
The others nodded in agreent.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
The next mont, the five Three Qi Masters struck together, and suddenly their Qi chanisms combined to form a vast True Qi palm that pressed down from above.
Boom! Boom!
Amidst the surging winds, trees broke and leaves shattered, the giant True Qi palm descending like a mountain.
The combined True Qi of these five Three Qi Masters was so magnificent that it instantly matched a Five Qi Master in might; it was truly terrifying.
“This…”
The mont the Thousand-faced Asura saw that palm descending, his heart clenched.
He might have a chance against five Three Qi Masters, but facing a Five Qi Master, he would have almost no chance of victory.
“Run!”
The Thousand-faced Asura didn’t hesitate at all and imdiately executed his secret technique, the Spiritual Escape Technique.
“Whoosh!”
His figure turned into a stream of white Spiritual Light, its speed more than tripling in an instant, rushing toward the distance at high speed.
Fast!
So incredibly fast!
The True Qi palm struck the ground and abruptly dissipated into nothingness.
The red-clothed elder watching the retreating back of the Thousand-faced Asura puzzled, “Is this the Ghost Swordsman who has been causing such a stir recently? He sure runs fast.”
These five were the top experts of the Great Yan Royal Family, each representing the elents of tal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The one clad in red and speaking was Fire Elent.
They recognized the Evil Suppressing Sword, and since the swordsman had nad himself An Jing, his identity was almost self-evident.
The Wood Elent master shook his head and sighed, “The World’s First Swordsman is just this; it seems the Great Yan Martial World is steadily declining.”
The Water Elent master sneered, “What World’s First Swordsman? He is nothing but a rat who shows his head and hides his tail.”
“Let him go.”
The tal Elent master said indifferently, “The Human Emperor ntioned a few days ago that there might be other masters coming to explore the Dragon Locking Well at night. We must be cautious and vigilant.”
The others nodded upon hearing this, their expressions filled with a bit of tension.
…
Under the moonlight, the Thousand-faced Asura, dressed in a black robe, was rushing frantically towards the distance.
At this mont, he still felt a sense of relief, as if he had narrowly escaped death.
Who would have thought that five Three Qi Masters could combine their Qi chanisms to form a force comparable to a Five Qi Master? If he hadn’t reacted quickly and decisively, that one palm might have seriously injured him.
“I must report such news to the Stage Master, considering those five together are equivalent to the power of a Five Qi Master, they cannot be ignored.”
A Five Qi Master stood at the pinnacle of this world, and the appearance of any one of them could potentially alter the current situation.
The Thousand-faced Asura’s speed was extrely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was about to rush out of the forest.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
The person was clad in a dark green robe and carried a Sword Box on his back, his face not clearly visible.
This person was none other than An Jing.
“Like a bad penny.”
A touch of cold ridicule appeared on the corner of the Thousand-faced Asura’s mouth as he looked at An Jing who had suddenly appeared before him.
He might not be a match for five Three Qi Master experts, but did a single Three Qi Master expert hope to stop him?
An Jing, expressionless, asked, “Who might you be?”
The Thousand-faced Asura drew the Evil Suppressing Sword from his waist and said, “Have you heard of the Ghost Swordsman?”
An Jing nodded and asked, “You are the Ghost Swordsman?”
“A na not changed, a seat not replaced,” the Thousand-faced Asura replied coldly, “Under the Ghost Swordsman’s sword, the naless do not die. State your na.”
“No need.”
An Jing’s hand brightened as the Evil Suppressing Sword transford into a heaven-reaching giant sword that cleaved towards the Thousand-faced Asura in front of him.
The Thousand-faced Asura extended his hand and grabbed the giant sword from the sky above.
Suddenly, the colossal Evil Suppressing Sword didn’t move an inch, as if it were wedged by a boulder.
The True Qi-ford giant hand had grasped that imnse Evil Suppressing Sword firmly.
Clang!
An Jing’s mind was set in motion, and the giant sword, like a saw cutting open a mountain, fiercely slashed forward. The huge hand ford by True Qi was instantly cut in half, losing control over the giant sword.
“Not good!”
After the True Qi giant hand was split, the remaining might of the Evil Suppressing Sword was still not to be underestimated. It furiously chopped towards Thousand-faced Asura, its terrifying sharpness combined, almost capable of cleaving the soul and crushing the enemy’s gall.
However, Thousand-faced Asura did have the cultivation of a Four Qi Grandmaster. His right hand flickered with Sword Light, dispersing the remaining force entirely.
Clang!
The Evil Suppressing Sword was sent flying, and Thousand-faced Asura himself, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, staggered back ten steps.
Seeing this, An Jing thought to himself, “It seems that this Thousand-faced Asura is also a Four Qi Grandmaster, his strength above Qu Renlin but below the Sword Demon and Sword God.”
“Evil Suppressing Sword, you are…”
Thousand-faced Asura, looking at the Evil Suppressing Sword in An Jing’s hand, showed a look of shock.
He had not expected that the person before him was indeed the real Ghost Swordsman, An Jing.
An Jing, looking indifferently at Thousand-faced Asura, said, “The sword in your hand must be one of the top ten famous swords, the Chengying Sword, right?”
The Chengying Sword, known for its unpredictability and changeability, could create a unique Sword Qi based on changes in light and darkness, and could even mimic the shapes of other famous swords.
A massive current of True Qi surged up, and the Chengying Sword in Thousand-faced Asura’s hands also emanated a chilling sharpness.
It was indeed the real Ghost Swordsman!
Defeating An Jing would not only allow him to replace the latter’s identity but would also make him the World’s First Swordsman. It was virtually impossible for Thousand-faced Asura not to entertain so thoughts in his heart.
In the Jianghu, who doesn’t want to beco famous!?
Right now, a trendous opportunity lay in front of him; it all depended on whether he could seize it.
Thousand-faced Asura burst forth with an extrely domineering Sword Skill, and under the influence of this Sword Skill, he seed to transform into a sword, a demonic blade capable of severing souls.
Swish!
Under An Jing’s urging, the Evil Suppressing Sword moved as fast as an aurora, so fast that even Thousand-faced Asura’s Sensing Power couldn’t dodge it in an instant.
Thousand-faced Asura was a mixture of surprise and anger. Although he had grabbed the Evil Suppressing Sword before, An Jing had yet to fully unleash his power. Now, as the True Force and Sword Skill arose, it was even more difficult to deal with.
Thousand-faced Asura let out a fierce shout, his hands swinging the Chengying Sword to chop towards the sweeping Evil Suppressing Sword. Its Sword Force seed incomplete, yet it was ferociously unstoppable.
Clang!!
Chengying Sword and Evil Suppressing Sword collided with each other in their most ferocious states. Sparks flew in a continuous line, erupting in the most uncanny manner.
The air filled with diffusing True Qi, becoming bizarre and varied.
Puh!
A mouthful of cold blood spurted out as Thousand-faced Asura was sent flying by the blow of the Evil Suppressing Sword.
Hundred-step Flying Sword!
The Evil Suppressing Sword paused slightly before chopping down with incredible speed. Everywhere it went, the ground cracked open a wide sword mark, and the void was torn apart, any substance blocking this sword was subjected to a destructive tearing force.
Although Thousand-faced Asura was sent flying, the mont he landed, he imdiately raised his sword to strike again. This ti, though the Sword Force was not as fierce as before, it grew more violent, like an unending angry wave.
As one of the Eight Heavenly Slaughters, Thousand-faced Asura’s swordsmanship was also extrely skilled. While the power of the Evil Suppressing Sword seed invincible, it had been partially neutralized by his earlier offensive. The remaining might was not as powerful as before, which he countered with an unending and surging Sword Force, wave after wave, like an angry sea.
Since one move could not stop An Jing, he would use two moves, three moves, or even more….
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Hitting the Evil Suppressing Sword with one strike, Thousand-faced Asura imdiately followed with a second, third, and even faster subsequent strikes, endlessly, with thirty-six strikes hitting the Evil Suppressing Sword in an instant.
Bang!
With the thirty-sixth strike, the Evil Suppressing Sword was sent flying, but Thousand-faced Asura was also in bad shape. The first seventeen strikes had not left him unhard; he just knew that he couldn’t retreat now. Retreating would break his Sword Skill montum, and he would no longer be able to stop the advance of the Evil Suppressing Sword. He would inevitably be pierced through the heart.
Having sent the Evil Suppressing Sword flying, Thousand-faced Asura finally couldn’t contain his injuries anymore. His arms burst apart inch by inch, and a bloody hole appeared in his chest.
“Truly deserving of being the World’s First Swordsman.”
Thousand-faced Asura’s face was pale, his eyes bursting with intense light.
An Jing’s expression remained incredibly calm, but he did not take the situation lightly.
With a fierce scream, Thousand-faced Asura morphed into a Sword Light, moving with the sword. A ghastly grey Sword Radiance sprouted between them, forming a crescent moon with the missing piece directly facing An Jing’s position.
He faced Thousand-faced Asura’s ferocious strike head-on.
Yet An Jing’s response was faster than his. That speed had reached its limit.
Though Thousand-faced Asura struck first, as the Sword Light swept over, it turned out that An Jing, starting later, actually moved faster, piercing with the Evil Suppressing Sword first.
Clang!
As the swords clashed, green firelight burst forth, accompanied by an extrely yin and sharp Qi Force, which was ground into threads by the opposing Sword Light, unable to advance. Thousand-faced Asura bled from the corner of his mouth, stepping back eight steps before unloading the Sword Force.
One sword!
One sword!
Thousand-faced Asura looked at his trembling sword blade and inwardly marveled at An Jing’s comprehension of the Sword Dao. It was clear he struck first, but sohow, it turned out he exposed his own weakness to the opponent.
Thousand-faced Asura knew that to defeat An Jing, he had to give his all. Boundless Sword Radiance burst forth from his Chengying Sword, slashing towards An Jing.
Throughout the heavens and earth, there was nothing but that oceanic wave-like Sword Radiance.
Wild and cutting through all under the heavens, the Sword Light swept over, yet An Jing’s expression remained unchanged.
His heart had long beco as cold as the sword in his hand.
The vast stars behind him erged.
Immortal Sword!
Swish!
The Evil Suppressing Sword struck out, and then an astonishing scene unfolded. An Jing’s body shimred like an illusion, and as he swung his sword, countless silhouettes erged.
Every An Jing moved differently in his swordplay; so leapt up, so twisted their bodies, so lowered their center of gravity, and so flitted about like shadows. In an instant, countless sword lights charged into the sea of angry sword light.
It was as if a scroll painting had co to life.
Crash!
The endless sword light shattered, and the many An Jings rged back into one.
“How is this possible?”
The Thousand-faced Asura forgot to continue his assault, stunned by the sword art before him that shook his very soul.
Boom!
With a world-shattering montum, a piercing sword radiance extended out, slashing towards An Jing.
As the Evil Suppressing Sword swung rhythmically, the ground trembled with each movent of the blade.
The Evil Suppressing Sword suddenly plunged into the ground, and it seed to fuse with the entire earth.
The next mont, a violent sword radiance erupted from An Jing as the epicenter, spraying upwards. As it ascended too quickly, the speed decreased upon reaching a higher point, causing a mass of sword lights to overlap, compress, and solidify, eventually forming the phantom of a towering mountain peak with sword qi pulsating along its cliff faces.
As An Jing’s epiphany of swordsmanship deepened, he wielded various sword moves naturally and effortlessly.
Crack!
The chilling sword radiance fiercely struck the phantom of the sword light mountain peak, scattering innurable fragnts of ghostly rubble, which were many tis harder than real rubble.
“He’s actually created a barrier in the form of a mountain peak with sword qi!”
The Thousand-faced Asura’s eyes revealed a flash of shock upon seeing this.
But
“Shatter!”
Just as the mountain phantom was about to collapse, the Thousand-faced Asura’s true qi surged, unleashing his killing strike.
In silence, the mountain phantom split in two, and the bone-chilling sword radiance swept towards An Jing like a slashing gang wind above the ocean.
Hisss!
An Jing’s Evil Suppressing Sword slowly thrust towards the Thousand-faced Asura, the light bursting forth in a distorted trajectory, as if entering a realm of bewildering illusions.
That sword radiance suddenly dissipated into nothingness.
Invisible Sword!
The Thousand-faced Asura could clearly feel that the closer he was to the tip of An Jing’s sword, the colder and more vicious the chill beca.
This bone-piercing chill seed to freeze his true qi, rendering him immobile.
It felt like a year had passed, yet it seed to be just a blink of an eye.
He saw darkness.
He saw fear.
He saw blood.
And because of the incredible speed of that sword, he saw what was about to happen.
His death!
An Jing’s Evil Suppressing Sword slowly pierced into the heart of the Thousand-faced Asura. The next mont, everything returned to normal. An Jing’s movents were freed, and the sword tip protruded from the Thousand-faced Asura’s back, blasting a hole through his chest.
Standing still, the Thousand-faced Asura tried to spew blood, but found he could not expel anything. His internal organs and bones were devoured by that single strike.
That sword was too fast!
In the moonlight, the Thousand-faced Asura collapsed to the ground, his blood staining the earth red.
Another one of the eight Heavenly Slaughters of the Black Ice Platform had fallen at An Jing’s hand.
An Jing collected the four Heaven and Earth Spirit Essences and picked up the Chengying Sword from the ground, slowly walking into the depths of the forest.
By killing this Thousand-faced Asura, he had eliminated a threat.
After all, this man was adept at disguising himself, making him unpredictable.
An Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Moreover, if exposed, all the bla can be pushed onto this Thousand-faced Asura, who has broken into the Great Yan Palace and is a notorious fugitive wanted by Great Yan.”
How interesting the affairs of this world can be. The Thousand-faced Asura probably never imagined that he could not only be frad but also take the fall for the Ghost Swordsman.
Bathed in the moonlight, it wasn’t long before he saw the Dragon Locking Well and the dense mass of chains surrounding it.
At that mont, the luminosity of the Earth Book in his mind flashed intensely.
“Could it be that this golden opportunity lies beneath the Dragon Locking Well?”
Moved by the thought, An Jing began to approach the Dragon Locking Well, concealing his breath.
The Concealing Qi Technique was among the most superior thods for restraining one’s breath in the current age. When An Jing was First Grade, not even a Grandmaster could detect him. Now, with his Three Qi Master Cultivation, even a Five Qi Grandmaster would be unable to discern his whereabouts.
Besides, with the recent visit from the Thousand-faced Asura, would the five of them suspect the ‘Ghost Swordsman’ of returning?
An Jing moved, stepping up to the Dragon Locking Well, prepared to probe its depths.
He wanted to see what secrets were hidden within the Dragon Locking Well.
Just as An Jing crossed the chains, a glaring red light emanated from the stupa of the Dragon Spring Temple in the distance, shining brilliantly in the dark night.
“No good, soone has broken into the Dragon Locking Well!”
Huo Xing, who was not far away, saw the dazzling red light and his complexion drastically changed, “Quick, stop that person.”
The other four hurried towards the Dragon Locking Well and frowned at seeing the figure.
“You narrowly escaped death and fled for your life just now, yet you dare to return?” said Shui Xing coldly.
….
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