Zhou Yitang’s cool voice rang out once again.
The Broken Swordman furrowed his brows sharply, and his Sword Intent surged relentlessly.
The air trembled, and the withered leaves surrounding the two were swept up in a whirlwind.
It was a moment as cruel as a clash of needle and wheat awn...
"It’s all wrong, completely wrong!"
Suddenly, Zhang Xuqu shouted:
"A misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. I fell on my own! My foot slipped, and my hand broke from the fall!"
This absurd remark abruptly shattered the tense atmosphere in the dense forest.
The Broken Swordman cast a glance at him and said:
"The cut is quite clean."
"What can I say? Went out without checking the almanac, walked without watching the path, and here I am," Zhang Xuqu replied, forcing a smile.
Although he firmly believed the Broken Swordman would not lose to the Sword Armor, the real question was—what should he do?
He had barely managed to cling to life with the secret treasure he acquired in his youth, but it had also entangled him in karmic repercussions. If the Sword Armor targeted him, he feared he might face utter annihilation.
It must be noted, Yin Sword Mountain’s Sword Armor was first of all a Taoist, and secondly a Martial Artist.
Ranked among the top ten in the world, such prestige almost always marked one as a First Rank warrior. Now, with the Bodhisattva Sword Immortal being elusive and Xu Qi, the True Celestial, dominating the ranks, many experts have contended with him. Yet, he alone praised the Sword Armor, ranked ninth globally, as possessing the aura of a Sword Immortal. Should a figure of such Grandmaster status aim to erase Zhang Xuqu’s very soul and then depart unscathed, could the Broken Swordman possibly stop her?
That was the terrifying power of a First Rank expert. Even if matched against another First Rank, unless they were set on dying, they could usually retreat unscathed.
Moreover, Zhang Xuqu understood clearly that the Broken Swordman was never one to save lives.
The Broken Swordman’s gaze briefly shifted to Zhang Xuqu before returning to Zhou Yitang.
Finally, he spoke his first words of greeting:
"Not too long," she replied.
"To me, it feels different. I don’t have many years left to live."
The Broken Swordman spoke calmly, with a tone neither heavy nor light, as if life and death were matters of no significance.
Zhou Yitang glanced at the Tongbei Divine Ape and said directly:
"You’ve suffered serious injuries. If you don’t repair them in time, I fear you’ll never return to the Fourth Rank realm."
Zhang Xuqu caught the underlying meaning and widened his eyes.
"I possess a method for resurrecting the dead and rebuilding the flesh," Zhou Yitang said faintly.
"Repairing a severed hand—more than sufficient."
Zhang Xuqu froze, then incredulously looked at the Sword Armor.
He wanted to ask, "You have only one arm yourself; why don’t you use it for yourself?"
Though the question crossed his mind, he wouldn’t dare confront a First Rank expert with such a query. After hesitating for a while and realizing he had no alternatives, he resolved to give it a shot:
"If the Sword Armor is willing to lend a hand, it would truly be a great favor and kindness."
The one-armed woman shifted her gaze to the Broken Swordman.
There is no free meal in this world, and the Broken Swordman clearly understood the deeper implications.
"I wonder, what does the Sword Armor ask in return?"
Zhou Yitang replied flatly:
"It concerns the life and death of my disciple."
"What do you want?" The Broken Swordman asked in a low voice.
Zhou Yitang didn’t answer directly but said:
"Actually, it’s two matters. One—to exchange the method for resurrecting the dead and rebuilding the flesh. Two—to gamble with him in a duel."
Upon hearing this, the Broken Swordman’s tightly knit brows raised slightly in curiosity.
The former didn’t concern him much, but the latter intrigued him.
Yin Sword Mountain’s Sword Armor... willing to gamble?
And the stake of the gamble—the life of her disciple?
"Tell me his name," the Broken Swordman demanded.
"Chen Yi," Zhou Yitang replied.
Zhang Xuqu leaned closer to the Broken Swordman and whispered:
"It’s that West Factory Thousand Households. There’s also talk he’s a descendant of your Chen Family. Is that true or not?"
The Broken Swordman ignored the overly talkative Tongbei Divine Ape.
His eyes remained fixed on Zhou Yitang.
"Given our relationship, naturally I agree. But first, tell me about the first matter," the Broken Swordman said decisively, a man who disliked unnecessary delay. He asked again, "What do you want?"
Planning to release a surge of Chapters during this period. Trying for a daily update of ten thousand words. The performance of this book has been really poor, with only 1,100 average subscriptions—a truly dismal situation. I can only beg for your support!!!