Ten Thousand Sword Masters

On a hilltop outside Pei County, there is a mound of earth.

A wooden plaque stands in front of the earthen grave, which reads, "Tomb of my elder brother Zhongyang, erected by your younger brother Ma Gaitian."

The earthen grave was newly built, and Ma Gaitian was lying on it, wailing loudly.

Meanwhile, Ma Gaitian fell into the Lost Sea Cliff and crushed a giant bird to death. He ate the giant bird's flesh every day, and over time, he began to emit the giant bird's aura. This led him to become friends with a baby bird, and with the baby bird's help, he was able to fly out of the bottom of the Lost Sea Cliff.

After being reborn, Ma Gaitian infiltrated Blackwater City and learned that Zhong Yang had been killed by Cao Tianxing in the Eternal Fire Hell. Ma Gaitian felt the world go dark and cried uncontrollably. He ran to the place where the Eternal Fire Hell had disappeared and searched frantically, but he could not find the body.

He returned to Pei County to prepare a tomb for Zhong Yang and bury the bone seal that he had originally intended to give to Zhong Yang.

As soon as I returned to Pei County, I heard a storyteller on the street telling the story of Zhong Yang, a girl surnamed Li, and a young master from a wealthy family.

Ma Gaitian stopped, and he could roughly understand that the storyteller was saying that the girl surnamed Li had a discerning eye and discovered that the young master of a prominent family was outstanding. Disregarding worldly views and breaking through family restrictions, she resolutely eloped and gained love and freedom.

When Ma Gaitian inquired with the others, he learned that the girl surnamed Li was indeed Li Muxin. He was immediately enraged and punched the storyteller. If it weren't for the others stopping him and allowing the storyteller to escape, he would have been dead on the spot.

It turned out that after Wan Guochao brought Li Muxin to settle down in the Blood Spirit Cult, he went to the Li family to propose marriage in a grand manner. He was driven out by Li Qing, but the whole Pei County knew about it. After that, Wan Guochao would send people to the Li family from time to time, making a big fuss with music and drums.

The people of Pei County ridiculed Li Qing for being stubborn and unable to recognize a good son-in-law, and they mocked Zhong Yang even more for having his fiancée elope with another man.

At Zhongyang's grave, Ma Gaitian stopped crying.

"Brother Yang, don't worry, I will definitely kill Cao Tianxing and Zhao Yuan and bring their heads to your grave. I will also hang the heads of those two bastards, Wan Guochao and Li Muxin, on the city wall of Pei County to wash away your shame," Ma Gaitian said fiercely.

Immediately, Ma Gaitian wiped his face with his sleeve, shook off the dust, and slowly walked away into the distance.

He already had a plan in mind: he intended to join the Blood Spirit Cult and cultivate diligently. After mastering his skills, he would seek an opportunity to kill Wan Guochao and Li Muxin, and then kill Cao Tianxing and Zhao Yuan. Li Muxin would probably only find out then that he had joined the Blood Spirit Cult to kill her.

This was a road of no return, but he went without hesitation.

After walking a few steps, Ma Gaitian stopped, looked towards Weixia Village, and muttered to himself, "Peach Blossom, I will come back to see you after I avenge Brother Yang. I hope that by then, you will not have married someone else."

Once he leaves, he doesn't know when he'll be able to return.

I fell in love with you from the very beginning; it was destiny, and even years later, no one can replace you.

"The selection process has officially begun."

The man in the yellow robe explained the rules and procedures clearly, and with a command, the selection began.

A landscape painting appeared, hovering half a foot above the ground, and everyone jumped into it.

"Brother Jiang, let's form an alliance." At this moment, Zhong Yang said to Jiang Xianxian.

Jiang Xianxian was somewhat puzzled. "An alliance?"

"Yes, we'll join forces to kill the monsters after we enter the Mountain and River Map."

"Don't be ridiculous. Once we're inside, everyone will be scattered in different places. I wouldn't even know where you are."

At this moment, Zhong Yang mysteriously took out two wrists, handed one to Jiang Xianxian, and then whispered, "Wear this wrist. After entering the Mountain and River Map, it will show the location of the other person wearing the wrist. If you don't move, I'll come find you."

Jiang Xianxian looked at Zhong Yang in surprise, "Where did you get that?"

Zhong Yang didn't answer, but looked mysteriously at the man in the yellow robe. Jiang Xianxian then gave him a knowing look.

Upon entering the landscape map, Zhong Yang appears beside a river, and through his wrist display, he sees Jiang Xianxian to his northwest.

Zhong Yang did not rush over immediately, but instead took one step at a time and killed one demon beast. By the time he reached Jiang Xianxian, he had already obtained nine demon cores.

"Why did you take so long to arrive?" Jiang Xianxian had been waiting for a long time and was very anxious. When she saw Zhong Yang arrive, she immediately questioned him.

"We encountered a powerful monster on the way and hid for a while."

The two began to work together to kill the monster. Earlier, Zhong Yang said that whoever delivered the final blow would get the monster core. Jiang Xianxian's face darkened, and she felt that she had been tricked.

As expected, Zhong Yang followed the one-two-three principle: kill one monster, then let Jiang Xianxian kill one; kill two, then let her kill one; kill three, then let her kill one, and so on, in an irregular order.

Jiang Xianxian fell silent. By this point, she realized that Zhong Yang had betrayed her. She never expected that Zhong Yang, who had always been so close and affectionate, would betray her today. Everything was a setup for this day's scheme. Jiang Xianxian suddenly felt like crying.

This is the human heart! The poison of the human heart is more poisonous than the heavens!

After calming down and thinking about the reasons, Jiang Xianxian decided to propose breaking up.

Just then, several arrows flew in.

Zhong Yang and Jiang Xianxian hurriedly dodged, and a person appeared in the distance with a snake coiled around his left hand.

"Bai Shejun?" Zhong Yang narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the newcomer.

Through his conversation with the man in the yellow robe, Zhong Yang learned that during the previous selection process, in the first round, someone would often kill those he considered a threat to his success. Could it be that Bai Shejun came for this reason?

"Zhong Yang, Jiang Hua, I wonder how many demon cores you two have taken?" Bai Shejun said grimly as he walked.

"Bai Shejun, what do you mean by this?" Zhong Yang asked.

In response to Zhong Yang, Bai Shejun threw three arrows, which Zhong Yang dodged.

"What am I here for? Zhong Yang, don't you know?" Bai Shejun smiled sarcastically.

Zhong Yang snorted coldly, "Bai Shejun, selection is based on merit. What kind of hero would you be to obstruct the process midway?"

Bai Shejun burst into laughter, "Zhong Yang, do you think I came here to kick you out of the selection? You overestimate yourself."

Zhong Yang's eyebrows twitched.

Jiang Xianxian stood nervously to one side, unaware of what the two were talking about.

"Zhong Yang, I'm here today to collect a debt for Yang Wei," Bai Shejun said grimly.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yang immediately rolled backward several times, searching for a favorable position for the battle. He knew that Bai Shejun had come to kill him. Like Yang Wei, Bai Shejun possessed a gloomy aura and was accompanied by demonic beasts, suggesting a close relationship between them.

Hearing Bai Shejun's words, Jiang Xianxian was shocked. Could it be that Yang Wei, and even Chen Kun, were killed by Zhong Yang? Zhong Yang went on a killing spree to pass the selection, and now he's also harming her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xianxian's face turned pale and her hands and feet turned ice cold. How could she have become friends with such a devil?

Bai Shejun glanced at Jiang Xianxian, "Jiang Hua, you can leave now."

Jiang Xianxian was somewhat shocked. She thought Bai Shejun would be ruthless and kill her, but now he was telling her to leave.

She glanced coldly at Zhong Yang and said, "Zhong Yang, I've never seen such a ruthless person in my life."

After saying that, Jiang Xianxian leaped away and disappeared.

Zhong Yang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He didn't look at Jiang Xianxian, knowing that doing so would anger her, but he had no choice.

"How does it feel to have your true colors exposed in front of the woman you like?" Bai Shejun thought Zhong Yang liked Jiang Xianxian. "Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn't killed Yang Wei, I wouldn't have the status I have now."

Upon hearing Bai Shejun's words, Zhong Yang was taken aback. What did that mean?

Bai Shejun laughed heartily, "Yang Wei and I both come from a mysterious force. We both came to the Five Grains God Cult with a mission. Originally, Yang Wei was the master, but now that he's dead, all the resources have come to me. I have to thank you for that."

While Bai Shejun expressed his gratitude, the snake coiled in his hand suddenly lunged at Zhong Yang.

Outside the landscape painting, a few people who were observing the situation were somewhat excited to see Bai Shejun and Zhong Yang meet.

"This year's disciples are much more dull. It's only now that Zhong Yang and Bai Shejun have met." The speaker was the yellow-robed man who had been receiving bribes from Zhong Yang.

"Zhong Yang is in grave danger. I observe that Bai Shejun's snake; it is quite extraordinary. Zhong Yang is certainly no match for it," said a young man in black robes.

"Zhong Yang's zodiac sign was Dragon. It was already a great favor from my senior brother that he was able to enter the final selection. It's not a pity that he's dead now," a cool and aloof woman said.

Seeing the demon snake chasing Zhong Yang, who was dodging in a sorry state, Bai Shejun was quite pleased with himself.

"Zhong Yang, if it were you who killed Yang Wei, and I killed you shortly after, I might even have shared a drink with you. But, what can I do? Your zodiac sign is the dragon." Bai Shejun said, slowly walking towards Zhong Yang.

"Only when I kill enough dragons, take their life gallbladders, and feed them to my snake, will one day my snake possess the life gallbladder of a phantom dragon. At that time, I will become one with the snake, becoming the first phantom dragon in history!" Bai Shejun said, throwing his head back and laughing wildly. This was the first time he had spoken of his self-created Phantom Dragon Life-Suppressing Technique.

"I am destined to go down in history and become the ruler of this land!"

Seeing Bai Shejun's crazed state and hearing that the human and snake had merged to form a phantom dragon, Zhong Yang was shocked.

Seeing Zhong Yang's shocked expression, Bai Shejun felt quite smug. However, at that moment, Zhong Yang was thinking, "If he transforms into a phantom dragon, can I take his blood to complete the blood transfusion?"

Thinking of this, Zhong Yang became excited!

Outside the landscape painting, a few people who were paying attention to the situation started making a bet.

"I bet that Zhong Yang will be defeated within ten breaths," said the young man in black robes.

The aloof woman glanced at the young man in black robes. "What's the stake?"

The young man in black robes looked at the woman with some surprise, thinking to himself, "Senior sister doesn't usually participate in any betting."

"I recently acquired a jade-like long bamboo, and I'll use this as a stake," the young man in black robes said, taking out the jade-like long bamboo.

The aloof woman nodded. "I bet Zhongyang will lose within thirty breaths." With that, she took out a soft, purplish-blue breast.

The man in the yellow robe was immediately tempted when he saw the woman take out the purple-blue soft breast. This purple-blue soft breast had a very good effect on refreshing the mind and could remove distracting thoughts, which was of great benefit to cultivation.

"I didn't expect Junior Sister Tan Yuan to be interested in gambling as well," the man in the yellow robe said.

The young man in black robes saw through the yellow-robed man's thoughts and immediately said, "Senior Brother Lü Yao, why don't we go together?"

Lu Yao laughed heartily, "That's exactly what I was thinking. I bet Zhong Yang will be defeated within fifty breaths. Zhong Yang is not that simple." As he spoke, Lu Yao took out a hundred-year-old agarwood.

"This is a hundred-year-old sunken item. Its value cannot compare to Junior Sister Tan Yuan's purple and green soft breasts, but it is rare. I think it's worth a gamble," said Lü Yao.

The three agreed on a wager and set their sights on the landscape painting.

"I bet Zhong Yang will win."

At that moment, a voice came from inside.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang Chengzi."

Upon seeing that the visitor was Jiang Chengzi, the three hurriedly paid their respects. Jiang Chengzi was a true disciple, far beyond their reach.

"Senior brother, do you think Zhong Yang will win?" Lu Yao knew that Jiang Chengzi was Zhong Yang's instructor, but Zhong Yang was only at the third level of Body Refinement. How could he defeat Bai Shejun, who was at the fourth level of Body Refinement?

"Senior brother, Zhong Yang is only at the third level of Body Refinement, while Bai Shejun..."

Lu Yao kindly reminded Jiang Chengzi, but before he could speak, Jiang Chengzi interrupted him.

"It has nothing to do with ability; I simply admire this person."

Jiang Chengzi's words made it clear to everyone that he was simply there to support Zhong Yang. Thinking this, the three were secretly delighted; it seemed Jiang Chengzi was going to be very generous today, and they wondered what he would offer as a wager.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!

Zhong Yang dodged the demon snake's attack again. He knew he couldn't continue like this, or he would lose due to exhaustion.

It seems he has no choice but to ride the Wind Eagle. He sighed. Normally, he wouldn't have summoned the Wind Eagle unless absolutely necessary when entering the Mountain and River Map.

After all, the Wind Eagle is his trump card. Now, outside the Mountain and River Map, someone is constantly observing; if he uses it, it will be seen. If a conflict arises with the Five Grains Cult in the future, it will lose its surprise effect.

However, Zhong Yang stubbornly dodged the demon snake's attacks and even counterattacked several times using the terrain. Just then, Bai Shejun thrust his sword at him.

"Good, Bai Shejun launched a sudden attack, Zhong Yang is defeated." Seeing that Bai Shejun had finally attacked Zhong Yang, the young man in black robes was very excited.

Clang!

At that moment, Zhong Yang struck Bai Shejun head-on with his sword.

"How is that possible? Zhong Yang was already exhausted by the demonic snake, so how could he possibly withstand a sword strike from Bai Shejun, whose cultivation level is one level higher than his?" The black-robed youth was furious, wondering what Bai Shejun was up to.

"You, Bai Shejun, hurry up and defeat Zhong Yang!"

However, ten breaths later, Zhong Yang and Bai Shejun were fighting fiercely. With Bai Shejun distracting them, the demon snake's attacks were actually hampered, and the threat to Zhong Yang was much smaller than before.

Zhong Yang had no experience dealing with the demon snake, but he had plenty of experience dealing with people.

Moreover, his current strength far surpasses that of ordinary people, far exceeding that of a typical third-level Body Refinement cultivator. He also vaguely guessed that his increased strength was related to the Cosmic Seal.

"How is that possible? Isn't Zhong Yang at the third level of Body Refinement?" The young man in black robes looked at Lü Yao with frustration.

Lu Yao coughed. "Zhong Yang's third level of body refinement was personally verified by Senior Brother Qian. How could it be fake? I've said it before, Zhong Yang is no ordinary person." Could he be an ordinary person? Could an ordinary person kill Chen Kun and Yang Wei so decisively?

Clang!

Swords clashed, and Bai Shejun slashed Zhong Yang's left shoulder with his sword, causing blood to spurt out.

Zhong Yang dodged, and the demonic snake rushed forward. He slashed with his sword, but the snake immediately swallowed the sword. Bai Shejun then slashed down with his sword from mid-air.

At this moment, Jiang Xianxian, who was hiding on a hilltop, felt a pang of anxiety. She did not go far, citing her own reason: she wanted to witness with her own eyes the demon Zhong Yang being killed by Bai Shejun.

However, now that Zhong Yang is in imminent danger, she looks tense.

"Good!" Tan Yuan, who had been silent for a long time, cheered. It seemed that Zhong Yang was about to die. She looked at the jade bamboo and the hundred-year-old aquarium, and then at the five-grain blue pearl that Jiang Chengzi had taken out. Her heart was surging.

Jiang Chengzi's expression was serious. He subtly activated the Mountain and River Key with his right hand, about to unleash a beam of light. This was used to control the Mountain and River Map, and he was ready to rescue Zhong Yang at any moment.

puff!

Zhong Yang immediately switched to his Wind Eagle, instantly flying onto the demonic serpent and swiftly severing its head with a single sword strike.

No~

As the serpent's head fell, Bai Shejun roared in anguish. This was a serpent he had painstakingly nurtured, and it had already absorbed the life force of a dragon. Nurturing the serpent again would come at a great cost.

However, before Bai Shejun could even react with anger, Zhong Yang descended from the sky, his sword strike fierce and powerful.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Bai Shejun suffered repeated defeats and was unable to withstand the onslaught.

"What...what?" Lu Yao was shocked. The situation changed in an instant. Bai Shejun, who was in a crushing position, had his demon snake killed in a flash, and he himself was also forced to retreat.

Tan Yuan and the man in black robes exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing disbelief.

Jiang Chengzi's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at Zhong Yang. "Wind Eagle?"

"The Wind Eagle of Suspended Mountain? How many people in this world can tame a Wind Eagle?" Lu Yao recognized the Wind Eagle and was immediately shocked. He thought to himself, "No wonder, no wonder. Yang Wei and Chen Kun were killed without any resistance. It seems that Zhong Yang rode the Wind Eagle to launch the sneak attack."

laugh!

Bai Shejun's chest was slashed by Zhong Yang's sword, leaving a wound from which blood flowed.

Puff puff!

Three swords struck in quick succession: one pierced Bai Shejun's right shoulder, one his left arm, and one his back.

Bai Shejun was covered in blood, looking utterly miserable.

boom!

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke enveloped the area, then dissipated, and Bai Shejun vanished without a trace.

"Five Elements Earth Escape Smoke?" Jiang Chengzi was surprised. Why would Bai Shejun possess such an expensive escape magic weapon?

However, before he could even think about it, Lü Yao and the other two reluctantly paid up their bets.

Seeing the three men's faces turn red, Jiang Chengzi laughed heartily, a rare occurrence for him. He waved his hand and said, "Fine, I don't care about your sportsmanship anymore. I really didn't expect Zhong Yang to win."

Lu Yao and the other two exchanged delighted glances, then hurriedly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.