Chapter 99

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Xiangyang.

The moat.

A small boat was gently swaying on the water.

Suddenly.

A muffled thunderclap echoed, and in the misty rain, the black-roofed boat suddenly tilted up. At the same time, a light sound burst from the boat, and two figures flew out from the bow.

One blue, one pink.

They seemed like two wisps of colored smoke, faintly emerging.

Borrowing the mist, they soared through the rain, and the tilted boat returned to its original state, splashing water in all directions.

On the water.

Yue Yuan stood with one hand behind his back, as if tied by an invisible long rope, he was pulled backward at an extremely fast speed.

In front of him was Yin Zhiping, dressed in a pink Taoist robe, holding a three-foot green sword with a demonic expression, maintaining a forward thrusting posture.

The sword tip pointed at Yue Yuan's chest, just three inches away.

"..."

Very fast!

So fast that it left no time to react!

In his heart, Yue Yuan evaluated Yin Zhiping's attack. Even though he had been mentally prepared, he did not expect Yin Zhiping's sword to be so swift. If it weren't for the fact that the person he had visualized, Xiang Shuai, was a master of quick movements, Yue Yuan might have been unable to avoid the sudden attack.

Is this the legendary Exorcism Sword Technique?

No!

That's not right!

Although the sword technique was just a straight thrust, its essence was still the orthodox Quanzhen Sword Technique. Yue Yuan had seen the Quanzhen Taoists use this technique during the battle to defend Xiangyang at the end of the year, so he was very familiar with it.

However, Yin Zhiping's speed was just too fast!

Even though it was only three inches, Yue Yuan could still feel the cold and sharp sensation of the sword through his Taoist robe.

He lightly touched the water, and the lake surface seemed to have a stone thrown into it, splashing ripples in all directions.

Yue Yuan continued to retreat, while Yin Zhiping maintained a straight thrust with his three-foot green sword, expressionless.

The moat.

The water surface continuously splashed with ripples of varying sizes, and Yue Yuan and Yin Zhiping were like stones thrown by a child, skimming across the water.

This lightness skill!

This speed!

Yue Yuan's brows furrowed as he faced Yin Zhiping's sword, deep in thought.

"Hey?!"

Yue Yuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he saw Yin Zhiping's face turn slightly red. The speed that seemed to have reached its peak was suddenly increased. The green sword, which was only three inches from Yue Yuan's chest, pierced through the distance and aimed directly at his chest.

He lightly touched the water, and Yue Yuan's body involuntarily tilted to the side, avoiding Yin Zhiping's thrust. At the same time, his right hand, hidden in the Taoist robe, extended, and his middle finger bent, striking the sword.

Ding!

The sword trembled from Yue Yuan's strike, and Yin Zhiping's thrusting direction was deflected past Yue Yuan.

They passed each other!

Hmm?

Yin Zhiping's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and in the moment they passed, he swung his sword back at Yue Yuan.

Ding!

The sword trembled again, struck by Yue Yuan's middle finger, and the entire sword shook.

Borrowing the force of Yin Zhiping's backswing, Yue Yuan flew toward the black-roofed boat.

"..."

Yin Zhiping's gaze sharpened, but he did not expect Yue Yuan to avoid his two strikes in this manner. This move reminded him of one of the Five Greats, the Eastern Heretic's signature skill—Finger Flicking Technique.

Hmph!

With a light hum, Yin Zhiping would not give up so easily.

He drew his sword downward, the green blade like water, as if piercing tofu. Yin Zhiping's internal energy surged, and with a twist of his wrist, he drew a beautiful arc in front of him.

Puff!

A curved wave of water rose.

At the same time, Yin Zhiping lightly touched his own sword, using the force of the water wave to bounce back toward Yue Yuan. In mid-air, his pink Taoist robe fluttered, and the Quanzhen Golden Goose Skill was fully displayed, making him look like a hawk diving for prey.

He landed lightly on the roof of the black-roofed boat, his gaze fixed on Yin Zhiping's movements.

When he saw Yin Zhiping draw the water wave and use the rebound force to thrust at him again, Yue Yuan knew that the Finger Flicking Technique alone was not enough to face the current Yin Zhiping. Thinking of this, he patted the bottom of the scabbard with his left hand, and the long sword, along with the scabbard, flew out.

At the same time.

Yue Yuan slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the already misty air became even more indistinct. In a daze, a faint wisp of smoke seemed to rise from the black-roofed boat, swirling around Yue Yuan.

Eyes, open!

The long sword landed in front of him, and he extended his right hand, grabbing the hilt, pointing the sword and scabbard at Yin Zhiping, who was descending from the sky.

Clang!

The scabbard flew out like an arrow from a bow, shooting directly at Yin Zhiping in mid-air.

Clang!

A dull sound, the scabbard and sword collided, and sparks flew in mid-air. Even the misty rain could not obscure the sparks, like lightning in the darkness.

The scabbard was deflected, though it stopped Yin Zhiping's momentum, the three-foot green sword from above was still formidable.

With his pink robe fluttering, Yin Zhiping thrust his long sword directly at Yue Yuan, who stood on the roof of the black-roofed boat.

Ding!

The swords clashed, and Yue Yuan's long sword met the attack.

The tips of the two swords met in mid-air, colliding directly. Sparks flew, and both Yue Yuan and Yin Zhiping felt a jolt in their bodies. The air seemed to explode with a dull thunderclap, and the space between their swords visibly trembled, sending the fine rain flying in all directions.

Yin Zhiping was sent flying backward but regained his balance in mid-air, using the Golden Goose Skill to soar again.

Yue Yuan took a step back on the roof of the black-roofed boat, transferring the force to the boat.

Boom!

The sudden force pressed the black-roofed boat into the water, and the pressure pushed the water around the boat, creating waves several feet high.

The sword in his hand was not his original Moonless Sword, which was still in the hands of the Crimson Serpent Fairy. The long sword Yue Yuan held was just an ordinary sword, no different from Yin Zhiping's three-foot green sword.

Strange!

Yin Zhiping, in mid-air, showed a hint of surprise. When Yue Yuan first came to Zhongnan, he carried a long sword, indicating a high level of swordsmanship. Yin Zhiping had always thought this.

However, what surprised him was that after Yue Yuan landed on the roof of the black-roofed boat, his demeanor became even more graceful, almost ethereal.

Or rather, Yue Yuan's aura had become more intense, and if Yin Zhiping did not recognize him, he might have mistaken him for someone else, someone who just looked like Yue Yuan.

Thinking of this, Yin Zhiping's eyes brightened, and he used the Thousand-Pound Drop technique, descending like a meteor onto the bow of the black-roofed boat.

Thud!

A dull sound, Yin Zhiping landed on the bow, concentrating all his force on it.

The black-roofed boat creaked, and the sound of wood breaking could be heard. The boat, under the force of the Thousand-Pound Drop, tilted up, sending Yue Yuan flying.

At the same time, Yin Zhiping also left the bow, leaping out.

A day without seeing you feels like three autumns!

Yue Yuan, flying through the air, marveled at Yin Zhiping's current skills, but the battle was not over. Even though he was sent flying by the Thousand-Pound Drop, Yue Yuan did not fly away as Yin Zhiping expected. Instead, he landed on the stern of the boat, which was almost vertical.

The sword technique is already known.

Although Yin Zhiping's current sword technique is still the Quanzhen Sword Technique, his demeanor has changed. He uses more thrusts and slashes, and both are executed with extreme speed and unusual angles. This is somewhat similar to the legendary Exorcism Sword Technique.

Since the sword technique is already known, it's time to see the lightness skill!

Thinking of this, Yue Yuan lightly touched the water, and his body flew up. In mid-air, he laughed, "Brother Yin, your sword technique has improved a lot! Your sword technique is excellent, so now let's see your lightness skill." As he spoke, he changed direction in mid-air, head down, feet up, and thrust his long sword into the stern of the black-roofed boat, which was already tilted up.

"Rise!"

With a light command, the black-roofed boat was lifted out of the water by Yue Yuan's long sword, and it charged at Yin Zhiping with a forward momentum, as if the boat itself were a sword.

"!!!"

Yin Zhiping, who had just stepped onto the water, was taken aback by this violent attack, which was unexpected.

However, facing the charging black-roofed boat, he did not think of avoiding it and had to respond.

He lightly touched the water again, and his body flew out, his long sword thrusting directly at the bow of the black-roofed boat.

Crack!

A continuous cracking sound echoed, and the black-roofed boat split in half along the line where the swords pierced, flipping and crashing to the sides, splashing water in all directions.

A blue and a pink figure emerged from the water, stepping on the waves.

Their swords clashed in the water curtain, sparks flying, and they directly exchanged a palm strike.

A surge of energy erupted, and they were sent flying backward.

As they emerged from the water, each held a paper umbrella, standing on the two halves of the boat that had not yet sunk.

The blue paper umbrella in Yue Yuan's hand was pelted by the rain, and he felt that if the rain were any heavier, the umbrella would break. On the other half of the boat, Yin Zhiping held a pink paper umbrella, also pelted by the rain.

The water waves finally subsided, and the ripples on the water surface no longer formed any patterns.

In the misty rain.

On the sinking boat, under the paper umbrellas, they stood still, their long swords pointing at each other.