Chapter 26. Weak, Very Weak

Feng Yanchao was originally someone who followed a wandering medicine peddler.

Perhaps because of this, when he got angry, he would curse, "Where the hell are you selling your medicine, you bastard!"

The Heavenly Earth Law, known for its poisonous martial arts, was also learned from his teacher, the medicine peddler.

After two civilians died from taking the medicine sold by his teacher, he retreated into the mountains. Initially, he lived as a settler, but like many others, he naturally became a bandit.

Since becoming a bandit, danger had become a part of his daily life.

Ever since he started eating sword meals, his body was riddled with large and small scars. He had stood at the crossroads of life and death many times, just like any other bandit.

But he swore, he had never felt such extreme fear as he did at this moment.

"Choke, choke..."

The pressure was so intense that he couldn't even breathe properly.

Sweating profusely and stepping backward, Feng Yanchao stumbled and fell on his buttocks.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant, who had been glaring at Feng Yanchao, slowly drew his Songwen Sword.

Swish.

Feng Yanchao, who received the overwhelming killing intent head-on, wet his pants. His lower body was soaked, but he didn't even notice.

Regardless, the enraged Heavenly Earth Merchant was about to cut off his head with one stroke.

At that moment, a fierce wind swept toward the Heavenly Earth Merchant.

It was a completely unrefined, wildly violent sword wind.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant, shocked, swung his sword like lightning.

Boom.

When the sword wind met the sword wind, a heavy thunderclap was heard.

Not just the sound. Where the two different energies collided, white sparks flew.

"Huh! Dao Qi?"

The Heavenly Earth Merchant's eyes widened.

At such a distance, it was clearly a tangible manifestation of Dao Qi, which he couldn't even confirm the existence of.

Through the sword, an overwhelming internal energy was transmitted.

"Ugh!"

There was no doubt it was a manifestation of Dao Qi.

Thinking he had put out the urgent fire, the Heavenly Earth Merchant retreated behind the broken fence.

To calm his shocked heart and gain a clear view.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant pushed the extermination team back and carefully surveyed the area around the collapsed fence.

Could there be someone who could send a tangible Dao Qi from such a distance?

In this remote Five Peaks Mountain?

The Heavenly Earth Merchant gathered his internal energy and shouted.

"Whoever you are, show yourself! I am Tian Ji Shangren, an elder of the Wudang Sect!"

Feng Yanchao crawled to the side of his subordinates.

In front of the Heavenly Earth Merchant's divine might, the pale-faced Zhuo Gao Ming stammered.

"Brother, Tian Ji Shangren... Tian Ji Shangren..."

The relatively bold Ma Xing Dao supported Feng Yanchao and said to Lian Jie Xia.

"Brother Lian, are you okay? Don't overdo it; let's run away together."

Lian Jie Xia tilted his head and replied.

"I'm fine. He seems weaker than I thought. I realized it when he said he couldn't cut people with leaves. I don't think we need to run."

"..."

Ma Xing Dao was momentarily speechless and stared blankly at Lian Jie Xia.

He couldn't tell if it was a joke or serious because Lian Jie Xia spoke so casually.

Han Chae Yeon, who had witnessed Lian Jie Xia's cultivation up close, asked urgently.

"Brother, is that old Taoist really weaker than you? Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah. Weak. Very weak."

He even confirmed it was "very weak."

Suddenly, Han Chae Yeon grabbed the hand of the nearby Ha So Baek and shouted.

"Yay! So we don't have to die, right?"

"Sister! Really?"

"Idiot! Brother said so, didn't he!"

"Wow! What a relief. I thought I was doomed to die."

Feng Yanchao, who had just come to his senses, quietly turned around and wiped the dry dirt on his lower body.

The bandits, who had scattered like a school of fish, approached with hesitant faces. They had seen the gale that erupted when Lian Jie Xia wielded his Dao, so they didn't try to run away anymore.

Lian Jie Xia, who seemed to be stretching his neck, slung his sword over his shoulder and walked forward.

"Whatever."

Ma Xing Dao was the first to follow Lian Jie Xia.

The other bandits, who had been hesitating, also started to move one by one.

When they were about to leave the fence, the nine bandits lined up behind Lian Jie Xia like a screen.

It wasn't to fight the Ten Thousand Waters Merchant Guild.

They thought that since they had really met the real Heavenly Earth Merchant, it was a matter of "all or nothing."

If Lian Jie Xia won, the Ten Thousand Waters Merchant Guild would run away, and if the Heavenly Earth Merchant won, they would all die. They had reluctantly stepped forward, submitting to an unavoidable fate.

But perhaps the Ten Thousand Waters Merchant Guild saw it as a desperate battle to the death by the Green Forest Bandits, disregarding their lives. The "Five Peaks Ten Heroes" of Henan Province's martial world were thus created.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant looked intently at the boy standing tall in front of him.

"Was it truly your work?"

Although the opponent looked young, the Heavenly Earth Merchant couldn't look down on him.

Lian Jie Xia muttered indifferently.

"Hey, what work? It's just a matter of swinging a sword once."

The Heavenly Earth Merchant interpreted his words differently.

"Hehe! It's amazing that you've already reached a realm beyond techniques."

"..."

Lian Jie Xia blinked, not understanding what "a realm beyond techniques" meant.

"Perhaps you can tell me about your sect? I believe that 'out of respect for one's sect and teacher, unnecessary fights can be avoided.'"

It was a rather lengthy explanation, but simply put, it meant "if you reveal your backing, I'll back off."

Considering the Heavenly Earth Merchant's usually extreme words and actions, it was an unbelievable offer.

Shang Wu Tian, who was listening to their conversation from a distance, blushed.

But despite receiving an enormous concession from the Heavenly Earth Merchant, Lian Jie Xia didn't realize it.

If Lian Jie Xia had more experience in the martial world, he might have fudged it and avoided the fight. However, he was a novice in both the martial world and human relationships. He was even far from showing consideration for the opponent or using eloquent speech.

"What?"

Frustrated, Lian Jie Xia turned around, but the bandits didn't explain. How could they reveal that he had "cried like a fool" in front of the Heavenly Earth Merchant!

Realizing that the boy hadn't understood his words, the Heavenly Earth Merchant asked again.

"I want to know who your sect or teacher is."

The Heavenly Earth Merchant already believed that the boy's backing was not ordinary. His teacher was either a great horse of the Green Forest or a reclusive expert of the martial world.

If he was a disciple of the Heaven-Shattering Demon Lord, things would get complicated.

To avoid a bloody battle with the boy, not only for the Ten Thousand Waters Merchant Guild but also for the Wudang Sect, it would be best to stop here.

After deep thought, Lian Jie Xia pointed to the sky with his finger.

He showed his usual belief that he had learned from Guchien Xian Nu without any embellishment.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant's white eyebrows twitched.

Is he mocking me?

At this point, there can be no more compromise.

Although it's not what I want, it seems I can't avoid a life-or-death battle.

Whoosh.

A cold wind from the valley shook his soul and passed by.

In an instant, the Heavenly Earth Merchant, having shed the burden of his heart and the worries of life and death, spoke calmly.

"I am a disciple of the Wudang Sect, known as Tian Ji Shangren. What is your name?"

"Lian Jie Xia."

The Heavenly Earth Merchant silently repeated "Lian Jie Xia" in his mind.

Nothing related to that name came to mind. If even he couldn't think of anything, no one would know until the boy revealed it himself.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant laughed hollowly and drew his Songwen Sword.

He then raised the power of the Wudang Sect's secret technique, the Supreme Yang Wuji Gong, to its limit.

Woo.

With a heavy sword cry, the Songwen Sword glowed faintly.

Sensing the extraordinary aura of his opponent, Lian Jie Xia immediately changed his stance to the middle position.

Suddenly, the three-foot-long Songwen Sword emitted a flash of light as if it were exploding.

Lian Jie Xia focused his mind on the superior sword technique he was encountering for the first time.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant's sword drew a strange arc in the space between them and approached.

Like a flowing meteor, the sword light left a long, flickering tail in the air.

The pattern revealed where the sword light had passed was a clearly black and white Taiji.

A Taiji sword form bloomed in the air like a flower.

It was the Three Extremes of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

The invaluable Taiji Wisdom Sword, which only elders and above in the Wudang Sect could learn.

But Lian Jie Xia, who had no experience in the martial world, didn't know this.

Without thinking, Lian Jie Xia struck the Taiji sword form with the Demon Suppressing Dao technique he had learned from Zhuo Gao Ming.

Clang.

Unable to withstand the immense force contained in the sword form, his sword was pushed back mercilessly.

That wasn't the end.

The Taiji sword form, which had followed like a shadow, now covered Lian Jie Xia's head.

Lian Jie Xia swung his sword wildly to shake off the Taiji sword form.

Whether it was the "technique beyond techniques" mentioned by the Heavenly Earth Merchant or just "random swinging," only he knew.

Sssss.

Whenever the Heavenly Earth Merchant's energy and Lian Jie Xia's energy intertwined, a strange friction sound erupted.

After a tense tug-of-war, the Taiji sword form was pushed back.

It was entirely due to the Heavenly Earth Merchant's lack of skill. Originally, the Three Extremes of Heaven, Earth, and Man were three from one, so when one moved, the other two should respond.

However, the two Taiji forms didn't do that. They failed to harmonize with the first Taiji.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant bit his lip in regret.

If his skills had been a bit deeper, he could have taken one of the boy's limbs!

While the Taiji sword form was hesitating, Lian Jie Xia, who had quickly put some distance between them, calmed his shocked heart.

"Wow! What is this? It's not a joke!"

Lian Jie Xia shook his head.

This was on a different level from the Demon Suppressing Dao technique he often used.

If he had to compare, the Taiji sword form seemed similar to the techniques of the Nine Heavens World Law.

Lian Jie Xia, who was now very agitated, shouted.

"Hmph! I can draw pictures with sword qi too!"

"Whoa!"

The Heavenly Earth Merchant was secretly impressed by the boy's original expression.

Drawing pictures with sword qi?

It was eccentric, but upon reflection, it wasn't entirely wrong.

The elegance of the Taiji Wisdom Sword could appear that way to a third party. No, considering the Taiji pattern formed by the sword qi, it was a rather intuitive description.

"Tsk! It doesn't matter anyway."

This time, he would definitely incapacitate his opponent.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant, with renewed determination, once again raised the invaluable power.

Unlike the first time, he now had the confidence of a sure win.

Lian Jie Xia's power was astonishing, but it was insufficient to surpass the mystique of the Taiji Wisdom Sword.

The Songwen Sword emitted a flash of light as if it were exploding.

The Heavenly Earth Merchant continuously drew strange arcs in the air as he approached Lian Jie Xia.

Where the sword light passed, a clearly black and white Taiji pattern appeared.

It was the Three Extremes of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Three Taiji sword forms flew in a row toward Lian Jie Xia.

In a life-or-death moment, the tip of the sword pointed toward the ground.

Just before the Taiji sword form arrived, the sword rose into the air and then fell like lightning.

Boom.

With a thunderclap, three strands of sword qi extended from the sword.

It was the seventh technique of the Nine Heavens World Law, "Dragon Claw Cutting the Earth."

As the name suggests, the three strands of sword qi swept the front fiercely, like a dragon's claws cutting the earth.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

With a sound like ice breaking, the sword forms of the Three Extremes of Heaven, Earth, and Man exploded. The intangible claws ruthlessly tore the earth, each about ten zhang (about 30 meters) long.

A gentle spring breeze blew over the three deep grooves, like furrows in a field.