Chapter 18: Chapter 14: Ghost Moon Cross Sword
Shen Lang had apparently been a bit too charitable in his assessment of human nature, thinking the people Xu Qing brought were only here to teach him a lesson and vent some anger.
But these two attacked with killing blows the moment they appeared. They came on ferociously, clearly intending to cut him down on the spot!
"Mysteries of Gold, One Sword to Level the Heavens!"
"Mysteries of Wood, Raging Fire to Scorch the Skies!"
The two dark figures unleashed their killing moves as soon as they materialized. The powerful Combat Techniques in their hands finally reached their peak. With a shudder of their blades, two incomparably ferocious streams of Energy—one gold, one green—shot out, aimed straight for Shen Lang, who was ten meters away.
"A two-person Combined Technique? Barely passable. Your Five Elements Sword Profound Meaning? A complete mess!"
As the two fierce streams of Energy erupted, the young man not far away remained perfectly at ease, his calm voice floating through the air.
Immediately, two bolts of lightning flared to life on Shen Lang’s arms.
The two assassins’ eyes narrowed. In the very next instant, a figure flashed. The young man, who had looked somewhat disheveled, slipped through the gap between the two massive energy attacks—the Mysteries of Gold and the Mysteries of Wood—in the blink of an eye. And then...
BOOM!
Two Palm Seals containing Fierce Thunder Power slammed into the chests of the two men in black. For a split second, at the moment of impact, there was silence. Then, a world-shaking explosion roared to life!
PFFT!
"ARGH!"
With two wretched cries, the two men in black dropped their Longswords and were sent flying backward like broken sacks. They crashed hard onto the ground with two heavy thuds, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Who dares to act so brazenly in Tayun Academy!" a furious shout came from nearby, and a figure rushed over in a few quick leaps.
’Qin Hun? What a coincidence...’ Shen Lang sneered. He stomped his right foot, and with the sound of displaced air exploding, his body shot forward like an arrow. In his hands, he had already picked up the two men’s Longswords!
The approaching Qin Hun was stunned and shouted again, "Shen Lang, stop!"
’Stop? Not a chance!’
The Xu Family and the Shen Family had been locked in open and secret conflict for years. In Celestial Phoenix City, they were like fire and water. Who knew how many times members of the two families had fought to the death outside the city.
How could Shen Lang possibly let go of two Qi Martial Realm experts who had been delivered right to his doorstep?
If they had only wanted to help Xu Qing vent his anger, he might have let it slide. But from the moment they revealed their Killing Intent, and with that two-man Combined Technique that would terrify even many Qi Martial Realm experts, it was clear they intended to use this opportunity to kill him!
’I don’t bother anyone who doesn’t bother me. But if someone comes for me, I will strike back!’ freeweɓnøvel.com
Shen Lang, a Longsword in each hand, leaped into the air just before Qin Hun arrived. In midair, he brought the two Longswords together, forming a cross!
Two sword flashes flared at that moment, then vanished as quickly as they appeared!
"Ah!"
With the flash of the swords, two screams rang out in unison as two arms were sent flying into the air...
In just a single exchange, the two First Level Swordsmen from the Xu Family were not only severely injured but also had their arms crippled, turning them into invalids.
’Ghost Moon Cross Sword! This is impossible...’ The image of that heaven-shattering cross was burned into the mind of Qin Hun, who had arrived a step too late. He couldn’t shake it no matter how he tried.
"Shen Lang! How dare you! Didn’t you hear what I said? You still dared to attack!" Qin Hun trembled with rage.
’I was careless, far too careless. I never imagined this kid was so powerful. The Yin Yang Brothers were crippled in a single encounter!’
Shen Lang gave Qin Hun a cold look and flicked both his wrists. The two Longswords whizzed past either side of Qin Hun’s head, sinking into a tree trunk behind him with two sharp THWACKS.
"Qin Hun Tutor, what a coincidence seeing you here. There are only a few dorms in this area, and it isn’t your turn to patrol today. And yet, you just happen to appear..." Shen Lang took out a towel, wiped the sweat from his face, and said leisurely, "Rage is useless. You’re probably familiar with these two. If you want to take me on, you should first consider whether you’re stronger than they are."
Qin Hun shuddered, a flash of panic in his eyes. He put on a cold expression and said, "Take you on? What are you talking about? I’m a tutor at Tayun Academy. Why would I ever move against one of my own students!"
"That would be for the best." Shen Lang tossed the towel aside and continued, "These two assailants are from the Xu Family. They infiltrated Tayun Academy to assassinate me. You saw it all. I was merely acting in self-defense. Of course, I imagine you’ll tell the higher-ups you saw nothing. That’s fine. But you should think carefully about the consequences of angering me. I can’t do anything to you inside Tayun Academy, but surely you don’t plan to stay here forever, do you, Tutor? Heh heh..."
"You... you... You dare threaten me!" Qin Hun was about to explode with anger. His plan had backfired spectacularly, and now he was being threatened by Shen Lang. He was furious.
’This is outrageous! Since when does a ’waste’ of a student dare to threaten a tutor?’
Shen Lang glanced at the two men who were still wailing on the ground and chuckled. "Of course not. How would I dare threaten you, Tutor? But I believe Qin Hun Tutor is a smart man. You should be very clear about what to say and what not to say in front of the academy’s leadership, right? Also, you recognized my Ghost Moon Cross Sword just now, so you have some discernment. The Ghost Moon Cross Sword is a high-grade technique, and I’ve already cultivated it to the Ninth Floor. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate it for you."
"No, no, no, that’s not necessary! I believe you... I understand." Qin Hun swallowed hard and shook his head in terror.
The Ghost Moon Cross Sword was the legendary Unique Sword Technique of the Ghost Moon Sect. It was an unorthodox and sinister Swordsmanship that made people’s faces pale at its mere mention. Even if Shen Lang hadn’t reached the Ninth Floor, Qin Hun likely wouldn’t have been able to defend against the move he had just used. Although his Cultivation was higher than the two on the ground, their Combined Technique was definitely much stronger than him alone.
"Good that you understand. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. I need a shower. Excuse me." With a faint smile, Shen Lang turned and walked toward his room.
As he passed the two men still moaning in agony, he stopped and said ominously, "You two should thank your lucky stars that I’m in a good mood today. Any other day, with an opportunity this good, you both would be dead. If I killed you inside Tayun Academy, the Xu Family wouldn’t be able to do a thing. In fact, they’d have to prepare to face the academy’s wrath."
Shen Lang wasn’t lying. If he hadn’t seen Xue Dangdang today, which had put him in a great mood, he really would have killed them both with a single strike each.
However, for a Swordsman, crippling their arms was little different from killing them.
Even now, neither the two assassins nor Qin Hun could figure out why this "waste," whose terrible reputation was known throughout Tayun Academy and Celestial Phoenix City, was so powerful...
So powerful it struck terror into their hearts.
If they had known from the start that he was this strong, who would have been willing to come here and die for Xu Qing?
Seeing Shen Lang enter his room, Qin Hun grit his teeth in resentment. He took out some Golden Wound Medicine and poured it on the two men’s wounds, remaining silent for a long time.
Shen Lang, who had always been nothing but a waste in his eyes, had given him far too many shocks today...
On one hand, he had revealed an astonishing level of Cultivation, so powerful that Qin Hun found it hard to believe.
On the other hand, every word the boy spoke was pointed and deliberate, as if he had already anticipated everything and knew that Qin Hun was involved...
Even more frightening, with just a few sentences, he had shattered Qin Hun’s mental defenses and completely blocked off any further action he might have taken.
After those few sentences, Qin Hun, who had originally planned to turn the tables and accuse Shen Lang, didn’t even have a chance to react. He could only swallow his own teeth and blood.
Not only that, but he now had to worry that Shen Lang would use his immense Cultivation to come after him in the future!
’If it came to a life-or-death battle, I don’t think I would lose to this guy,’ Qin Hun thought to himself.
But the problem was, there would never be an opportunity for a life-or-death battle!
’Besides, the grudge between us hasn’t reached that point... has it?’
This kid was just a lazy bum who did nothing but sleep all day. Even Shen Daofeng had never found a chance to deal with him, not to mention he had Xue Dangdang protecting him.
’To have such a high Cultivation at this age... give him another year or two, and wouldn’t killing me, Qin Hun, be as easy as flipping his hand?’
’You can offend anyone, but you must not offend a peerless genius like this!’
’No, I don’t need to wait a year or two. The fact that he cultivates a sinister Swordsmanship like the Ghost Moon Cross Sword means that even if his actual Cultivation is a little lower, killing me, Qin Hun, probably wouldn’t be that difficult.’
That was why Shen Lang had told him to weigh his own strength against that of his two attackers.
With a few simple moves, he had crippled powerful Swordsmen from the Xu Family—Swordsmen who knew a Combined Combat Technique.
With a few simple words, he had made Qin Hun afraid to act rashly, forcing him to desperately search for a way to clear his name of any connection to this incident...
"Powerful Cultivation, decisive and ruthless, yet as cunning as a demon... This boy is too damn terrifying..." As Qin Hun helped the two men up, his thoughts turned to the arena match that had caused such a stir today.
’No, I have to get these two out of here quickly, then go watch his duel with Shen Jianfeng. I need to see how strong he really is, or I won’t be able to eat or sleep in peace!’ The Shen Jianfeng on Qin Hun’s mind was not having a good time. Not at all.
He had already been waiting for Shen Lang for what felt like an eternity. Now he was in a predicament, unable to back down, forced to just stand there baking in the sun.
If it had been anyone else, it would have been much simpler. If your opponent doesn’t show up, you just casually get down, find a shady spot, and sip some tea while you wait.
But Shen Jianfeng had started hyping up the match. As more people arrived, his desire to show off flared up again. He had jumped onto the stage, struck an expert’s pose, and waited for Shen Lang to arrive.
How could he have known that Shen Lang hadn’t given the matter a second thought? After finishing his Cultivation, not only did he go back for a shower, but he even sprawled out and took a nap!
If he knew all this, there would be no need to fight; he’d probably just cough up blood from pure rage.
’Shen Lang, oh, Shen Lang, I’ve been waiting for you all day! This whole crowd has already gone to lunch, and if I wait any longer, they’ll be leaving for dinner! Why the hell aren’t you here yet! I, Shen Jianfeng, will never let you off the hook for this!’ Shen Jianfeng swore internally as he wiped away his sweat.
"Hey, isn’t that Shen Lang? Shen Lang’s here! Everyone, look!" someone in the crowd below suddenly shouted.
Shen Jianfeng, who just a moment ago had been fantasizing about tearing Shen Lang limb from limb, almost burst into tears. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
’My savior, you’re finally here! If you hadn’t shown up, I couldn’t have held on any longer!’
In that instant, Shen Jianfeng’s favorability rating for Shen Lang shot up. He suddenly felt that Shen Lang wasn’t so detestable or punchable after all...
"Hm? Cousin Jianfeng, what are you doing up there? Did you get punished by a tutor for harassing a junior sister? Ah, but only a cousin as dashing and handsome as you could attract such a large audience just by being punished. I really can’t compare. Well, I’m off to grab some dinner. I’ll check back on you later." Shen Lang’s words nearly made Shen Jianfeng keel over from anger.
Shen Jianfeng’s vision went black. He nearly leaped off the stage to start hacking away at someone...