Wandering Swordsman |

Immediately, he flipped his wrist, and the Green Ox Sword emitted a sword sound similar to the bellowing of an ox!

The sword light flowed like autumn water, clear and cold, without a trace of demonic energy, only the sharpness of the righteous path, awe-inspiring and unassailable.

The sword tip pointed directly at the overseas heretical cultivators, and his voice was as cold as shattered jade: "The third match, let's begin now."

Before the words were finished, a figure from the overseas heretical cultivator camp stepped forward—it was Toyotomi!

Clad in heavy black iron armor and wielding twin swords, his eyes blazed with murderous intent, and he sneered, "You Central Plains brat, how dare you utter such arrogant words? Today I'll show you what the true spirit of the Eastern Sea is!"

Before he finished speaking, Toyotomi pounced like a tiger, his two swords clashing, creating two streaks of crimson wind as he cleaved Shen Mo’s head and abdomen!

However, Shen Mo did not retreat but advanced.

With a light touch of his toes, his figure moved like a willow catkin in the wind, gracefully and precisely dodging the first sword; with a flick of his wrist, the Green Ox Sword slashed upwards, its tip lightly touching the second blade—it was the first move of the Heavenly Gang Sword Technique!

The sword's initial movement resembled an inverted galaxy, both serene and vast.

Immediately afterwards, the second move, the third move... each move followed another, each one complementing the others, the sword light weaving like silk, instantly forming a net that stretched from heaven to earth!

Toyotomi grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed—every heavy blow he struck was skillfully deflected by the seemingly nimble swordplay; every sudden attack he launched was blocked half a breath in advance.

What's even more terrifying is that Shen Mo's sword is so fast that its trajectory is invisible, yet it is as steady as a mountain!

"How is this possible?!" Toyotomi roared, his twin swords swirling wildly like a storm, attempting to overcome skill with brute force.

But Shen Mo's eyes narrowed, and his sword stance suddenly changed—the thirty-sixth sword move was unleashed!

In an instant, the sword shadow suddenly converged, transforming into an extremely pure sword light, like thunder from the heavens falling straight to the mortal world!

Before the sword even arrived, Toyotomi's heavy armor on his chest cracked with a sharp "crack," and cracks spread like a spider web!

"puff--!"

The sword tip lightly touched his throat, not breaking the skin, but sealing all the meridians in his body. Toyotomi's eyes widened, his body stiffened, as if struck by lightning, and he knelt down with a thud!

The entire room fell silent.

On the city walls, the heroes were in an uproar!

"That's... the Heavenly Gang Sword Technique?!" Elder Emei exclaimed in shock. "Even Luo Wangchen, when he wielded this sword technique back then, never reached such a level! I never imagined that the Heavenly Gang Sword Technique in Shen Mo's hands had become so masterful!"

"This is not swordsmanship at all! It is clearly the divine way of sword intent!" a Wudang elder murmured.

At one corner of the city wall, Luo Wangchen clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, but his eyes were already filled with astonishment.

He stared at the figure in black in the arena, his heart churning with turmoil.

—The ragged, beggar boy of yesteryear is now, single-handedly using the "Heavenly Gang Sword Technique" he taught to fight against evil cultivators overseas.

Luo Wangchen's throat bobbed, and an indescribable sense of pride and satisfaction welled up in his heart, like a spring tide overflowing the embankment of his heart.

"Shen Mo, taking you as my disciple was the best decision I ever made in my life." He murmured to himself, his voice almost choked with emotion. "He didn't just inherit my swordsmanship, but... he surpassed it and used it to defend the martial arts world of the Central Plains."

His figure trembled slightly in the wind, yet he stood ramrod straight.

Because he knew that—from this day forward, when the martial arts world mentions the "Heavenly Gang Sword Manual," they will no longer only think of it as Luo Wangchen's signature sword technique, but will say that Shen Mo used the "Heavenly Gang Sword Manual" to fight against evil overseas cultivators and defend the martial arts world of the Central Plains.

As Shen Mo finished his final sword strike, the Green Ox Sword returned to its sheath, and Toyotomi fell to the ground with a crash like a broken tree trunk. Both swords were knocked from his hands, and his heavy black iron armor was covered with sword marks, leaving not a single spot intact.

He struggled to get up, but his limbs were numb and weak, and his meridians felt as if they were frozen. He could only grit his teeth and lie on the ground, his face ashen.

The third match was a victory! A complete and decisive one!

Thus, the three matches concluded: one win, one draw, and one loss.

The final result was a draw!

This result struck Jianzhen Heart Lake like a thunderbolt, creating a massive upheaval.

He stood at the front of the formation, his face ashen and iron-like, his eyes swirling with unbelievable rage and a barely perceptible wavering.

He roared inwardly, "With the three great leaders of Tokugawa, Oda, and Toyotomi pressing in, the Central Plains were forced to submit! But now... this young man before me has managed to turn the tables?!"

What alarmed him even more was that the morale of the Martial Alliance had surged like thunder breaking through ice in spring!

The atmosphere on the city tower, which had been as oppressive as stagnant water, was now boiling like lava.

The disciples raised their arms and shouted, the elders were moved to tears, and even the seriously injured martial artists struggled to their feet, gripped their swords tightly, and their eyes rekindled their fighting spirit.

That dignity, which had been almost crushed by a sword that could block a thousand pounds of force, was rebuilt after Shen Mo appeared!

Just as everyone was in high spirits, Shen Mo's gaze pierced Jianzhen like lightning.

He drew his Green Ox Sword again, its blade pointing diagonally. The sound was like metal striking stone, each word ringing out, exactly like Jianzhen's arrogant and boastful words spoken earlier beneath the city walls: "The current situation is a draw—"

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his eyes held no frivolity, only a stern and righteous air. "Do you dare to personally step forward and fight again?!"

Upon hearing this, the entire audience fell silent for a moment, followed by thunderous cheers!

"good!!!"

"Well said! An eye for an eye!"

"Let him taste what it's like to be pushed to the edge of a cliff!"

The members of the Martial Alliance felt a surge of exhilarating joy—just now, Jianzhen had declared his victory in the Central Plains with three battles, his words sharp and humiliating; now, Shen Mo had returned the favor with iron will and overwhelming momentum!

This is not only a challenge, but also a complete reclaiming of dignity! The suffocating feeling of being "suppressed" instantly transforms into a surge of hot blood, rushing straight to the top of one's head!

On the city wall, the cold wind swirled dust, and the banners fluttered as if weeping and lamenting.

Situ Dengfeng sat cross-legged on the blue stone. Although his meridians still ached slightly, his internal injuries were basically under control, and his complexion regained some color.

He saw Shen Mo's sword pointing directly at Jianzhen, and that black-clad figure stood proudly in the center of the arena below the city, like a lone peak rising from the ground.

In an instant, Situ Dengfeng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if a long-dormant volcano had erupted again—it was not surprise, but relief; not doubt, but entrustment.

A slight smile appeared on his lips, the first genuine smile of relief since the siege of Nanjing.

"Good lad..." he murmured softly, his voice barely audible yet carrying immense weight, "The martial arts world of the Central Plains has a worthy successor."

Not far away, Murong Qing quietly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, as if resisting the cold wind, or as if calming her heart.

She whispered to herself like a stream flowing over stones: "As expected of you... you always manage to ignite hope in the most desperate times."

She recalled the time when over three hundred assassins from the Blood Shadow Tower were wiped out; he stood in mid-air, his demonic energy transforming into needles, wiping out the entire area in one move.

Now, he has once again turned the tide with pure swordsmanship.

She knew that no matter how time changed, he would always be the one who saved her in Jinzhou back then.

Below the city, Jianzhen stood in the center, his black robe as black as ink, but his face changed like a palette of colors: blue as a cold pool, white as frost and snow, black as an abyss.

Did he not know that if he refused to fight this battle, his own morale would collapse?

Just now, Tokugawa was forced back by the sword energy from the sky, and Toyotomi was defeated by Shen Mo in front of everyone. Their morale was already like a sand tower on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the last gust of wind to make it collapse.

If we retreat now—

It is to admit to the world: Japanese martial arts are inferior to those of the Central Plains!

He personally nailed the name of "God Emperor" to the pillar of shame!

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving like an iron drum, his eyes filled with a murderous intent as cold as the deepest abyss, surging with a chilling power capable of freezing rivers.

However, beneath that anger lay a trace of apprehension that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"Who exactly is this young man who barely reaches twenty?"