Legend of Swordsman

At another site of a battle.

“Hahaha, Dragon Wing Governor… Waste your energy no more… There is no escaping my clutches… Your flesh shall be a pleasure to my palate… The Essence Blood of the Winged Dragon Clan might not be the purest, but still, it should be no less satisfying to my epicurean zeal…” The grey-robed elder licked his lips fervently. He flailed his arm, casting forth a force that struck the Dragon Wing Governor and sent him staggering backward, injured.

“You evil swine!”

Patches of blood stains scattered around the robes of the Dragon Wing Governor with blood still oozing from the wounds around him. Despite his miserable appearance, he was still stout of heart, unwilling to give up until his last.

“This man possesses a bloodline that has a strange predisposition that keeps me restrained. I might have able to fight equally against him if only I can summon the full use of my powers. Yet, a strange, inherent fear overwhelms me, putting a check to my strength that I can use only seven-tenths of my full abilities.” The Dragon Wing Governor thought, distraught and anger at his weakness.

He had been troubled and torment ever since his battle against the grey-robed elder began for being unable to fully put to use his complete strength.

Such was the might of the Sky-devouring Clan; the very reason for their notoriety and fame across the Eternal Chaotic World.

The dominion wielded by the Sky-devouring Clan over the rest of the populations made it one of the most powerful races of population in the Eternal Chaotic World. Still, this authority affected only the races or clans of bearing the bloodlines of common Exotic Beasts. Those who possessed stronger and more potent bloodlines such as the bloodline of the Imperial Ancient Gods as borne by Jian Wushuang would hardly be subdued by this ability.

“What should I do?”

“He is so quick that I cannot outrun him! Yet, I am powerless against him in battle!”

“Am I to meet my end here, on this day?”

The Dragon Wing Governor was not willing to resign himself so easily to Fate.

Just then, the figure of a young man tore swiftly through the air and stopped before him.

“Jian Wushuang?” The Dragon Wing Governor gasped upon realization of Jian Wushuang once he saw clearly who it was. But he immediately frowned with angst and doubt.

It was apparent that the grey-robed old man wished only him and not Jian Wushuang. The latter should have earlier heeded his advice and flee as fast as he could. Yet, here was Jian Wushuang, throwing himself into the perilous embrace of Death!

“Governor, are you safe?” Jian Wushuang glanced at the Dragon Wing Governor.

“Why did you not escape, Jian Wushuang?” The Dragon Wing Governor asked in a deep voice.

“Why should I?” Jian Wushuang replied with an unfazed ease, his gaze shifting towards the grey-robed elder.

The old man instantly froze at the sight of Jian Wushuang arriving.

“How is it that you are still alive?” The elder asked with astonishment and surprise. “Where is Jin Yu?”

Together, he and Jin Yu had earlier mounted the assault on Jian Wushuang and the Dragon Wing Governor. They had both agreed that the elder would attack the Dragon Wing Governor while the youngling of the Eternal Realm would be left to Jin Yu.

It was expected that no mishaps should have come to Jin Yu as he would be dealing with a weakling of the Eternal Realm. Yet, the youngling was now before him, still very well alive.

But what of Jin Yu?

“Jin Yu? Hahaha… Surely you are hardly a fool, elder? Do you not know where he is?” Jian Wushuang sneered playfully.

The elder’s eyes narrowed with suspicion and he sensed Jin Yu’s fate.

“Have you slain him?” The elder asked with a growl.

“Naturally.” Jian Wushuang confirmed with a cool nod.

Looks of disbelief and amazement flashed upon the faces of the grey-robed elder and the Dragon Wing Governor at the shocking revelation.

“A mere warrior of the Eternal Realm was able to slay a Rank Seven Reincarnator of the Samsara Temple?”

“Is this even possible?”

“Jian Wushuang, you…” The Dragon Wing Governor was ridden with great amazement that he could hardly speak.

“Say no more. Let us first deal with the old senile before any further prattle.” Jian Wushuang flashed a wink at the Governor.

“Agreed.” The Dragon Wing Governor nodded heavily, still unable to shake off the torpid lethargy of the stupefying awe.

“I may not know how could you have slain Jin Yu, you mongrel pup. But I am neither he, nor I am as feeble as he is! Defy me, and you taste Death itself!” The grey-robed elder growled menacingly, but he struck immediately without mercy!

The elder cast forth his stroke; a stroke that looked so simple and powerless as a casual pat.

So casual it seemed, yet the stroke had conjured a huge black hole that spanned hundreds of miles wide in the air, bearing a powerful force that threatened to rip and tear at everything that it drew to itself. The huge void of darkness bore swiftly down upon Jian Wushuang.

Watching this, Jian Wushuang’s lips curled with contempt as he took one step forward.

“The First Finger of the Ancient God: the Barrier-breaking stroke!”

A churning mass of Ancient God Power gathered in Jian Wushuang’s hand as his outstretched arm glowed slowly in dark gold. He pointed his finger towards the incoming eddy of darkness.

“Rumble!” The sky burst into a loud, groaning rumble as a gigantic finger of gold stretched from nowhere and struck furiously at the colossal black hole.

“Bang!”

There was a huge, deafening bang that rocked the earth and shook the mountains.

The terrifying shockwave rippled and swept with a destructive force, ripping apart the Void, pounding all floral and vegetation on the ground into dust and filth.

Jian Wushuang’s body trembled as he staggered backward.

With each step he careened, he fell thousands of miles behind.

“You are hardly weak yourself, old man.” Jian Wushuang muttered as his eyes flickered with cold fury.

The stroke that he had just performed was, in fact, his full strength. But the old man was able to match him without being on the defensive. It was beyond any doubt that the old man was slightly above him in power.

“With the progress I’ve made recently, especially the Star-river Secret Skill that I have managed to enhance to the 30th level, I should be able to match the strength of a Dao Master at the pinnacle of Rank Three. But this old man was able to subdue me by his sheer raw power. Such is the power of true Rank Three Dao Master, I see.” Jian Wushuang thought.

There were differences in each rank of a Dao Master’s progression that distinctively varied in terms of power and strength.

Rank Three Dao Masters, for instance, were divided into three separate levels; Elementary, Advanced, and Peak.

Jin Yu, being a hair’s breadth away from reaching Rank Three, was merely a Rank Three Dao Master of elementary proficiency; one who could even be seen as ineffectual, even amongst the rest of those with elementary proficiency.

The Dragon Wing Governor had turned into a Rank Three Dao Master of advanced proficiency ever since he had completed the mastery of his Secret Skill with the help of the Dragon Heart Elixir.

During his time in the Tang of the East, Jian Wushuang’s strength was a match with a Rank Three Dao Master of advanced proficiency. He would hardly be able to hold his own in a match against Master Ku. But his strength had risen in recent years, most notably the mastery of the Star-river Secret Skill. His strength was now equal to a Rank Three Dao Master who was at the pinnacle of advanced proficiency, only inches away from peak levels.

The grey-robed elder’s ability to subdue him with sheer raw strength meant that he was a true Dao Master at the peak proficiency of Rank Three. His powers paled only slightly, if not on a par, when compared to the ilk of Emperor Xiao and Emperor Yun who were very close to the Holy Master Level. Such was a might that Jian Wushuang himself would also have to be wary of.

Jian Wushuang was still in the midst of beholding the greatness of the elder’s strength, but the evil old man’s mind was troubled and disturbed.

“This wretched pup’s powers! A mere Eternal Realm fledgling could wield such powers against me! My powers have barely been able to subdue him!”

“Wait… That power he just used… is that the Bloodline Power? Could it be that he belongs to ‘that’ race of population?”

“Yes… There is no questioning… I can sense the strength of ‘that’ potent bloodline in him… and one of incredible standing and bearing within their ranks.”

“Things would indeed be vexing and bothersome if ‘that’ very race of population decides to interfere…”