Peng Zhenyao shook his head and said calmly, “Invincible Lord, since I have already admitted defeat in the bet, the sword is now yours. As a swordsman—”
“As a swordsman, the sword is our life,” Han Muye’s cold words echoed like thunder, resonating directly between heaven and earth!
The sword was life!
The sword was the life of a sword cultivator!
Peng Zhenyao, who was already disheartened, widened his eyes and stared at the long sword in front of him, his shoulders trembling.
He slowly raised the hand that had previously hung limply by his side, gripping tightly onto the sword hilt that he had released earlier.
Tears fell from his eyes.
“So, you’re my life.
“No, you are a treasure even more precious than my life.
“Just now, I almost lost something more precious than my own life.”
Gripping the sword hilt tightly, the decaying and aged aura around Peng Zhenyao gradually dissipated, replaced by a surging spirit.
With the sword in hand, how could he admit defeat with words!
Peng Zhenyao stepped forward, flying towards his opponent. The dazzling sword light radiated from his sword, brilliant and magnificent.
This strike may not have been as powerful as the one formed by the gathering of strength from a distance of 200,000 miles.
However, in the eyes of everyone present, it contained an even deeper sword intent.
It was the will unique to a swordsman.
Never admitting defeat.
Unyielding.
This was a sword cultivator!
“Good, this strike is what a true swordsman should look like,” Han Muye’s voice sounded again. His figure moved, and he landed in front of Peng Zhenyao, then pressed down with his sword.
“Clang—”
Peng Zhenyao was sent back tens of thousands of feet by this strike.
But this strike didn’t dishearten Peng Zhenyao; instead, it ignited his fighting spirit.
“Again!”
With a pull of his long sword, he advanced once more, the sword light turning into a sharp edge, thrusting toward Han Muye.
“Clang—”
“Again!”
…
This was a sword duel that seemed almost like a teaching session.
Peng Zhenyao, the renowned Sword Immortal of Luo Yuan, appeared before Invincible Han, the Yunlan Sword Immortal, like a junior. Each of his sword strikes was intercepted, and then he was forced back.
But Peng Zhenyao’s fighting spirit was like a volcano erupting, becoming even more intense.
The sword light in his hand sparkled like stars, illuminating the wasteland within a hundred miles. The fighting intent on his sword condensed into flames, making it difficult for people to look directly at it.
The decay that had previously afflicted him as he stepped into the realm of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man was long gone. What emanated from him now was only surging blood and a sharp sword intent.
He hadn’t directly overcome the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, but he had withstood the calamities they brought upon him.
He used the power of the Sword Dao to suppress the Five Decays of Heaven and Man to ensure that his combat strength was not lost.
In the world of cultivation, there were countless peak-level experts, but very few could pass through the Five Decays of Heaven and Man with their combat strength intact.
For cultivators, in the end, it still came down to their own strength.
As long as one’s combat strength was strong enough, even a mortal would be respected.
“This is really the method of a sword immortal…”
As they watched Peng Zhenyao, who was still charging towards Han Muye with each strike, envy and admiration appeared in some people’s eyes, and they murmured softly.
Who would have thought that this battle would have such an outcome?
Originally, they expected a fierce battle, but it turned out to be completely different from what they imagined.
They had expected to witness the fall of a powerful cultivator and the rise of a great sword cultivator.
And that was indeed the case, but it also wasn’t.
Peng Zhenyao, who had entered the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, retained his combat strength, while the Yunlan Sword Immortal’s sword technique was unfathomably strong.
As they watched the two streams of sword light crisscrossing, everyone’s eyes shimmered with light, lost in their own thoughts.
This battle lasted for five days.
It wasn’t until Peng Zhenyao let out a long laugh, sheathed his long sword, and bowed to Han Muye that it finally came to an end.
Afterward, Peng Zhenyao admitted defeat and secluded himself in Yunlan City, spending his time both enduring the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and acting as an honored elder in Yunlan City.
This battle was like a rebirth for Peng Zhenyao.
This battle triggered deep contemplation in countless people.
What Dao were they seeking?
Would they be as lucky as Peng Zhenyao in the face of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?
Or, if they could also be inspired and guided by a powerful figure like the Yunlan Sword Immortal, would they be able to pass through the Five Decays of Heaven and Man with their combat strength intact too?
If the Yunlan Sword Immortal had the ability to safely guide every peak-level cultivator through the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, how terrifying would that be!
Inside and outside Yunlan City, various thoughts spread, and countless cultivators were hesitating and making choices.
Meanwhile, after seven days of seclusion, Han Muye received another challenge letter.
“Qiyuan City’s Godless Sword Immortal, Xia Jun, wielding the Wanque Sword, will cross 800,000 miles and arrive in Yunlan City in three days.”
This urgent message was delivered by Xie Chaoyan’s orders.
To convey this message, three members of the Demon Luo Clan exposed their identities and had to leave the wasteland.
A true grandmaster of the Sword Dao, an undefeated powerhouse for thirty thousand years.
The name of Xia Jun was like that of a king among the sword cultivators in the wasteland.
In the main hall of Yunlan City’s Lord’s Mansion, as everyone looked at the jade-colored challenge letter suspended in the central position, their expressions were complicated.
Yunlan City was only recently established.
How many battles had the Yunlan Sword Immortal fought in the wasteland?
Yet, he had already gained the attention of a sword king. This not only represented the potential of Yunlan City and the Yunlan Sword Immortal, valued by the senior experts, but also meant that Yunlan City would likely face more challenges in the future.
This was a recognition of strength, but it also brought true crises.
Whether they could overcome it or not depended on the Yunlan Sword Immortal sitting in the hall.
“Invincible City Lord, should we test him first?” Xie Chaoyan stood below, cupping his fists and whispering, “We can engage in an interception battle in the wasteland.”
“Right, now Yunlan City has many powerful experts. We can send a few Heavenly Immortal Realm experts to probe him out. Even if they can’t defeat him, they can at least ascertain the Godless Sword Immortal’s strength.”