Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 454 You're betting this with me?

The old emperor looked at the man on the mast and was horrified.

The mast was three or four zhang tall, yet Ren Shaoyang was right under his nose, and he hadn't even noticed that Ren Shaoyang had reached the top of the mast.

Such skill cannot be described as merely appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

The old emperor gritted his teeth inwardly. At this moment, the large ship was already creaking and about to break apart and capsize.

The vast ocean stretches out before us, the night is as dark as a curtain. If one falls into the sea now, one will dissolve into the water along with the ship, and all one's life's ambitions will be lost to the wind.

The only chance of escape is the small boat that the white-robed man came in on!
But what should he do when faced with a sword god who kills without hesitation?
The old emperor's eyes darted around, and he raised his voice, "Sword God Ren, you are the number one expert in the Central Plains, your swordsmanship is renowned throughout the world. I am old and frail, my martial arts are mediocre. But I am not afraid of death, and today I will gamble with you!"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Your life is in my hands, what are you betting on?"

The old emperor said, "With your reputation as the Sword God, if you dare not gamble, and word gets out, people in the martial arts world will surely say that the number one swordsman in the world, the number one sword god of all time, is afraid of this old geezer!"

"Heh~!" Ren Shaoyang laughed, "You certainly know how to argue your point."

The old emperor's eyes lit up: "The Sword God agreed?"

Ren Shaoyang said calmly, "If you die, who will know what happened tonight?"

The old emperor's heart sank. He hadn't expected this person to be so indifferent to the so-called "masterful demeanor." His plan had failed, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The old Japanese man pursed his lips, pulled something out of his pocket, and said loudly, "What if this is the stake?"

Ren Shaoyang looked up and saw that he was holding a jade pendant in his hand, which shone brightly in the night.

"Oh?" Ren Jianshen narrowed his eyes. "This is... the Yata no Magatama?"

"Sword God has a keen eye; it is indeed one of the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan." The old Emperor gripped the magatama tightly and exclaimed, "Is it worthy of being a wager?"

After carefully sensing it for a while, Ren Shaoyang suddenly smiled slightly and said casually, "This thing really makes me a little curious."

The old emperor was overjoyed: "You agreed to the bet?"

Ren Shaoyang didn't reply, but narrowed his eyes, and a sudden glint appeared around him.

"stop!"

The old emperor suddenly slammed the magatama against his chest and shouted, "If you dare to draw your sword, I will destroy the divine weapon!"

A sigh.

Ripples spread through the air, and suddenly a figure in a white robe appeared, already within three feet of the old emperor.

He was so terrified that he jumped back a large step and roared, "You really want to kill me and steal my treasure!"

Ren Shaoyang said, "If I kill you, the treasure will be mine."

The old emperor angrily said, "Why don't you play by the rules at all?"

"I am a barbarian."

Ga?
The old emperor paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Those who do extraordinary things are extraordinary people. I am very wary of you." He raised the magatama and said seriously, "If it weren't for this divine artifact, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived a moment."

Ren Shaoyang said casually, "So, what do you want to bet on?"

Just now, when the old emperor took out the "Yata no Magatama", Ren Shaoyang suddenly felt the "Dragon Capture" in his sleeve vibrate. Out of curiosity, he used his mind to explore and found that it reflected the scene of the sword world.

The once calm Jian River suddenly churned up, crashing against the shore and creating small piles of snow.

Ren Shaoyang understood that these so-called "Three Sacred Treasures of Japan" would be of great benefit to Jianhe.

My mind started to wander. If I collected more divine weapons and treasures in the future, would I be able to make the Sword River swell and flood Jinshan Temple, thereby summoning my good brother, or even traveling to the world of divine weapons?
In a flash, Ren Jianshen was determined to obtain the "Yata no Magatama," so he temporarily suppressed his murderous intent and began to feign compliance with the old emperor.

"I wish to challenge the Sword God," the old emperor said earnestly. "Look to the heavens!"

"Observing the heavens?"

“That’s right!” the old emperor said. “Let’s start from when the ship sank, and observe the changes in weather, the rise and fall of the wind and rain, and the shifts in the air currents. What do you think?”

Ren Shaoyang fell silent, then slowly smiled and said, "Are you sure you want to bet this with me?"

The old emperor chuckled twice and said, "I grew up by the sea and know the weather and wind direction like the back of my hand. I have the advantage of the terrain, but my victory is not honorable."

“No, I have the advantage.” Ren Shaoyang shook his head, his smile unchanged. “If I win, then let’s not talk about it anymore. If you win, I will spare your life.”

The old emperor laughed and said, "Very well!" He raised his hand, "Sword God, you are a guest from afar, you go first!"

Ren Shaoyang nodded, took a couple of steps casually, and then looked up at the sky with a leisurely air.

This gaze was no ordinary observation.

His eyes seemed to shimmer with light, reflecting the very fabric of the sky—wind, clouds, water, and even the unseen force that draws all things into existence.

All of this flows in the lake of his heart, every detail revealed.

Ren Shaoyang pointed to the sky and said, "The dark clouds contain malevolent energy, but it doesn't mean it won't rain. It's because the malevolent energy condenses, and the water vapor is repelled."

Upon hearing this, the old emperor felt a sudden tightness in his chest and subconsciously looked up at the sky.

He grew up here and was extremely familiar with this sea. Based on his experience, he concluded that although the clouds were thick, the sea breeze was strong and there would be no rain in the short term. He was about to refute this.

But then Ren Shaoyang’s voice came again, unhurriedly: “However, things will turn around when they reach their extreme. The evil energy will overflow when it is full, and the rainstorm will come soon.” He looked at the old emperor with a smile, “Twenty breaths later, thunder will rumble in the southeast, and then the rain will fall like beans, lasting for a hundred breaths before stopping.”

"absurd!"

The old emperor's eyes narrowed and then widened as he coldly said, "The wind is blowing from the north, and the southeast is clear. Where is the thunder and rain?" Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "After I finish speaking, you start counting. We'll know the answer in ten breaths."

The old emperor's face was tense as he stared intently at the sky, silently counting down the ten breaths to win the bet and escape this ruthless man!

"one two three"

The sea breeze remained unchanged, the clouds churned, and nothing unusual was observed.

"Seven, eight, nine"

As the count reached nine, the southeastern sky remained tranquil, and the old emperor couldn't help but smile slightly.

It seems I'm going to win!
However, just as that smile was about to bloom...
"Hurrah!"

A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and bursts of thunder rolled in from the southeast without warning.

Its sound was dull, yet it struck the old emperor's heart like a heavy hammer!

The wind at sea suddenly turned fierce, and huge waves crashed onto the ship one after another.

The old emperor felt a tremor beneath his feet and suddenly awoke with a start.

The tenth breath!
With a whoosh, the sea seemed to boil, and just as Ren Shaoyang had predicted, large raindrops fell from the sky.

The liquid instantly soaked the old emperor's yellow robes and extinguished the last trace of color from his face.

He stood frozen in the rain, letting the cold, icy rain slap his face, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror.

This is beyond human capability; it's practically a matter of words becoming law!
"What kind of martial arts do you possess that allows you to perceive the mysteries of heaven and earth?" the old emperor said in a hoarse voice.

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "The Emperor's Aura Observation Technique." The rainwater quietly slid away when it came within three feet of him, leaving his white robe as clean as ever, untouched by dust.

The old emperor murmured, "The emperor can read the qi (vital energy) and kill people with a laugh?"

Ren Shaoyang said, "That makes sense." He shook his head and laughed, "Why did you have to bet on this with me of all sorts of things? You lost."

Upon hearing the words "lost," the old emperor was struck dumb, utterly devastated.

Suddenly, a flash of extreme resentment and madness crossed his face!
His lifelong ambition, decades of forbearance and planning, and boundless magnanimity—is this really where it all has to end?
Suddenly, a loud crackling sound rang out, and a long bolt of lightning snaked across the sky. The blinding flash illuminated the disheveled, ghostly figure of the old emperor.
"Hahaha! Sword God, you've won! But I'm not reconciled to this defeat! If I can't have it, no one else can!"

The old emperor laughed wildly and with a sudden burst of force with his right hand, he was about to shatter the magatama!

Before he could even move his finger, Ren Shaoyang turned around, a smile in his eyes, and slowly pointed with his index finger.

For some reason, the old emperor felt that although the finger was slow, it was like hooking a puppet's thread, causing his movements to suddenly freeze.

With a whoosh, the madness on the old emperor's face vanished, instantly replaced by utter astonishment.

A wisp of water vapor, as fine as a hair, had quietly crept into the meridians of his wrist.

With a flick of Ren Jianshen's sword finger, an unparalleled sword light suddenly erupted!

"Hey!"

There was a flash of blood.

A withered claw was severed at the wrist, and the severed hand and the magatama fell to the ground.

Almost at the same instant, a wisp of sword light flashed from Ren Shaoyang's sleeve, and in mid-air, the jade scroll was brought back to its owner's hand with a "whoosh".

"Oh, my hand!!!"

The old emperor clutched his bleeding, severed wrist, screaming in agony, filled with despair.

Ren Shaoyang was taken aback, then looked disgusted: "Why are you imitating Ding'an?" He then pointed his finger like a sword and made a long, sweeping motion.

Where the fingertips passed, emptiness and indifference remained, as if even the torrential rain had subsided.

"Floating wine cups".

A thin line of blood appeared on her neck, and the howling stopped abruptly.

The madness, resentment, and horror in the old emperor's eyes vanished in that instant. His head slowly tilted, slipped off his neck, and with a "plop," plunged into the dark depths of the sea.

The headless corpse swayed and then fell over, sliding into the sea on the tilting deck.

Ren Shaoyang stroked the warm, smooth jade in his hand, while the dragon-shaped ornament in his sleeve vibrated violently, as if it were cheering with joy.

"What a pleasant surprise."

He gazed leisurely toward the direction of the Japanese Imperial Palace, "I hope 'Treasure-Hunting Rat' Ding An can find the remaining two artifacts."

Before the words were finished, the white shadow vanished, and the boat was empty.

The enormous ship, a symbol of ambition, slowly sank into the boundless darkness and silence with a sickening creak.

After the sea had been calm for a long time, waves suddenly began to rise at the site of the shipwreck, and then the ripples expanded layer by layer.

Then a terrifying, demonic body emerged inch by inch from the seawater, and in the blink of an eye, it stood on the sea, its bare feet moving as if on flat ground.

This man had red hair and beard, a ferocious face, and a bare upper body. His muscles were bulging like a rock, and his veins bulged like earthworms crawling all over his body, making him look terrifyingly scarlet.

From a distance in the moonlight, it doesn't look like a person, but rather like a ferocious humanoid beast.

His gaze was fixed intently on the direction where the white-robed figure had vanished, and he muttered to himself in a low, rumbling voice, "What a ruthless sword." Suddenly, a look of surprise crossed his face. "This kid seems to possess the aura of the Sword Realm?"

(End of this chapter)