Chapter 12

When these words were spoken, they caused a great uproar.

Here, gathered were the majority of the heroes from the Jiangnan martial world. Each one of them was a renowned figure in the江湖 (jianghu). Immediately, someone wanted to teach him a lesson, but Ding Mian coldly snorted.

"Arrogant!" Ding Mian raised his sword, pointing it at Chen Ang, and shouted angrily, "Where did you come from, you young brat, to talk so big!"

"I have no intention of wasting words with you. I only ask you, will you come one by one, or all at once?"

Chen Ang lightly flicked his long sword and turned to ask.

"We don't need anyone else to deal with a mere junior like you!" Daoist Tianmen, with a fiery temper, was the first to step forward. He reached out, and with a "clang," the long sword at his waist was already out of its scabbard, flashing with a cold light.

Everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and there was no longer any trace of Daoist Tianmen in his original spot. The two were separated by dozens of feet, with several Shaolin disciples in between. Even a world-class expert would find it impossible to injure someone through others. But when Daoist Tianmen drew his sword, he was still in his original position. By the time the sword thrust out, his figure had already flashed in front of Chen Ang.

A move called "Jagged Ridge Across the Sky" was executed, and the sword light flickered, followed by a silent sword shadow. Although this sword strike did not even stir the wind, Chen Ang could see that it was not slow but rather faster than the speed of sound, which is why it was silent. Moreover, the sword tip trembled slightly, making it difficult to discern the direction of the strike.

This move might have been effective against others, but for Chen Ang, it was like showing off one's skills in front of an expert. He smiled slightly, not moving at all, and waved his hand, sending out a sword light.

With a "clang," the two swords touched and immediately withdrew.

Little did they know, Daoist Tianmen's sword strike was already at the end of its strength, unable to pierce even the thinnest silk. But just as the force was about to run out, a sudden change occurred. With a twist, the long sword's momentum increased by three parts, a hidden variation of "Jagged Ridge Across the Sky." The move was swift and the sword was retracted quickly, often being three parts faster than others' moves.

Daoist Tianmen twisted his feet, moving with the sword, and the sword tip seemed to draw a half-circle in the air. In the transition, it carried the momentum of the previous strike, increasing its speed by three parts. The sword strike was both swift and fierce, becoming more dangerous as it progressed.

"Excellent move, Eighteen Turns of Mount Tai!"

Ding Mian and the others were stunned. This move was originally created by a famous elder of the Mount Tai Sect. He saw the winding and steep path of the Eighteen Turns on Mount Tai, with its sharp turns and steep inclines, and incorporated the terrain into his sword technique. The higher and more dangerous the path, the more ruthless and deadly the sword moves became.

Now, it seemed that Daoist Tianmen had mastered eight parts of the essence of this move, which was not a good sign for the Shaolin Sect's plans.

Daoist Tianmen's sword strike was like a hanging antelope's horn, leaving no trace of its movement, perfectly natural, and beyond the imagination of ordinary people. He thought that with the "Eighteen Turns of Mount Tai," his quick change of moves would leave Chen Ang's sword unable to react in time, and this strike would settle the matter.

However, at this moment, Chen Ang's sword also turned, faster than Daoist Tianmen's by more than three parts, actually reaching its target first, lightly touching the weak point of Daoist Tianmen's sword. Not only that, but to the onlookers, this move was identical to Daoist Tianmen's "Eighteen Turns of Mount Tai," even more refined by three parts.

Daoist Tianmen's long sword trembled violently, almost slipping from his grasp and flying out of his hand.

He held his breath, barely calming the sword, but his chest was wide open, and if Chen Ang's sword moved forward, it would end his life. He was a man who would rather die than yield. Outside the arena, Abbess Dingyi watched with bated breath, but Chen Ang only held his sword upright, not taking advantage of the situation.

Daoist Tianmen's face showed a complex expression, "Excellent skills, excellent character! Young man, you have spared me this time. I should cover my face and leave, not daring to meddle in this matter. But you are using our sect's ultimate techniques, and as the sect leader, it is my duty to ask you a few questions!"

"Sure! Wait until you defeat me, and I will answer all your questions!" Chen Ang raised his sword, gesturing for him to continue. He had just learned these sword techniques, and he didn't want Daoist Tianmen to give up.

Daoist Tianmen sighed deeply and thrust his sword at Chen Ang's chest. The sword light flickered, and the long sword hummed. This single strike covered seven major acupoints on Chen Ang's chest, the sword light undulating like a dragon, responding to itself. No matter where Chen Ang dodged, one of the acupoints would be struck.

This was another ultimate sword technique of the Mount Tai Sect, "Seven Stars Falling from the Sky."

The seven stars were merely embellishments; the more ruthless part was the following strike. No matter how the opponent defended, this strike would come from an unimaginable angle. Even if Chen Ang was skilled and dodged this strike, several more ruthless follow-up moves would come, each more deadly than the last, until the opponent could no longer defend.

But Chen Ang's sword touched the critical point of his move, intersecting with his strike. Daoist Tianmen changed several moves, but each time, just as his moves were about to run out, he was forced to meet Chen Ang's sword, and at the weakest point, he was struck by Chen Ang. Whenever he tried to use an old move, Chen Ang would intercept it halfway, forcing him to use new moves.

After using the entire set of Mount Tai sword techniques, he was forced to use another set. Even after all the sword techniques in his repertoire were used, Chen Ang still didn't stop, making Daoist Tianmen perform the moves in reverse and in a chaotic order, mixing the first half of "Five Doctors' Sword" with the second half of "Clear Moon and Cloudless Sky."

Daoist Tianmen thought his sword skills had greatly improved, but the onlookers noticed something was wrong. It wasn't until Abbess Dingyi couldn't help but shout, "Brother Tianmen!" that Daoist Tianmen came to his senses, his face ashen.

"I... I... sigh!" Daoist Tianmen drew his sword back and tried to slash his own neck.

Everyone couldn't help but cry out in shock, but Chen Ang's sword light turned, lightly touching the tip of his sword, causing Daoist Tianmen to lose his grip and the sword to be knocked back into its scabbard.

Daoist Tianmen held his sword, tears streaming down his face, "Your sword skills surpass mine, this useless old man. But this is only because I have not mastered the skills of Mount Tianmen, not because the Mount Tai sword techniques are ineffective! I have lived for sixty years and failed to understand the sword techniques of my predecessors. In the future, there will surely be young talents from Mount Tai who will challenge you. I have no face to face the heroes of the world, and I will no longer meddle in the affairs of the jianghu!"

With that, he was about to cover his face and leave.

But Chen Ang stopped him, smiling, "If you leave like this, even if Mount Tai gathers hundreds of talented individuals, it will be in vain!" He waved his sword, drawing out the sword from Daoist Tianmen's waist, making him take it in his hand, and then performed a move called "Jagged Ridge Across the Sky," forcing Daoist Tianmen to block with his sword.

Abbess Dingyi was furious, shouting, "You are too insulting!" She drew her sword and leaped up, her sword trembling, creating thousands of cold stars that enveloped Chen Ang's body, as if a single tremor could pierce his body. As the sword light flickered, Chen Ang stood with his sword, his fingers moving, making it difficult for Abbess Dingyi to escape his sword circle.

The sword light in the air turned slightly, instantly stagnating Abbess Dingyi's "Ten Thousand Flowers Sword Technique." The Hengshan sword technique was dense and strict, excelling in defense, but lacked ferocity. However, it often delivered a killing blow from the most unexpected places. Under Chen Ang's "Eighteen Turns of Mount Tai," it could only defend.

Chen Ang's sword light became more and more fierce, forcing Abbess Dingyi to only defend, unable to counterattack. Daoist Tianmen then realized that his "Eighteen Turns of Mount Tai" was like a small stream compared to this sword momentum, only able to be called a winding mountain path. He tried his best to cooperate with Abbess Dingyi, looking for weaknesses in Chen Ang's sword technique.

While experiencing the various wonders of the same sword technique, Daoist Tianmen also tried to cover the weaknesses in his own sword technique. The flaws Chen Ang exploited in the previous moment, he learned to cover in the next. Gradually, his sword technique no longer resembled the traditional Mount Tai style but more like Chen Ang's Mount Tai sword technique, greatly increasing its power.

Under Chen Ang's sword momentum, Abbess Dingyi used all the Hengshan sword techniques she knew. But she knew the difference between good and bad, and forced herself to infuse her sword with true energy to break the deadlock. To her surprise, Chen Ang often just touched her sword and moved away, not engaging in a direct confrontation.

"His internal energy is insufficient, Brother Tianmen, use your internal energy to attack him!" Abbess Dingyi was greatly surprised and called out repeatedly. Daoist Tianmen listened and also mustered his internal energy, his sword filled with powerful energy.

Chen Ang smiled indifferently and changed his sword technique, using the Hengshan sword technique. The sword light was round and continuous, each move containing a soft and gentle force, the continuous sword momentum leaving a lingering effect. Occasionally, he would attack with a fierce strike, like a needle hidden in a ball of cotton, making it difficult for Abbess Dingyi to defend.