Chapter 512 — Saber Aura

Seeing that Kong Que’s flexible sword was about to be blocked by Liang Cangxu’s steel saber, at the very instant blade and sword were about to collide, the upper half of the soft sword suddenly lifted limply upward, slipping past the steel saber and, like a nimble serpent, still slanting toward Liang Cangxu’s face. This move actually had a similar ingenious effect to Zhang Xiaohua’s Dream-Chasing Sword.

Liang Cangxu did not dare to be careless. He hastily shifted sideways, letting his body drift into midair, the tips of his feet standing on the iron chain of the suspension bridge. The steel saber in his left hand still swept upward, intending to knock the flexible sword away, while the saber in his right hand, having struck nothing, was withdrawn before the move had fully run its course. His wrist tightened and thrust forward—astonishingly, it was a longsword technique.

Kong Que’s body was likewise in midair at this moment. Seeing her flexible sword blocked and the other steel saber stabbing toward her abdomen, she drew a deep breath. The soft sword bent slightly like an arm. With a crisp ding, it struck directly against the steel saber, and her own body used the momentum to flip upward as well, just like Liang Cangxu, landing upright on another iron chain of the suspension bridge.

The exchange of moves between the two lasted only the span of sparks from flint; no superiority or inferiority could be determined. Yet each had gained a rough understanding of the other. They held their breath, secretly adjusted their internal qi, and watched one another warily.

Zhang Xiaohua observed the battle from afar with his divine sense. He saw a suspension bridge stretching across the air, both fighters standing with both feet on iron chains trembling slightly in the mountain wind, bodies suspended, garments fluttering, black hair streaming. Truly, they looked like two immortals riding the wind.

Kong Que and Liang Cangxu stared fixedly at each other, waiting for the moment the other would reveal a flaw.

But after waiting quietly for a while, where was there any flaw to be found? Thus, with one loud shout and one clear cry, twin sabers whirled, and the flexible sword danced, and they fought together once more.

Liang Cangxu’s twin sabers were like two dragons surging from the sea, stirring rolling emerald waves. The blades were heavy and powerful, incomparably firm and yang; his saber art was also like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, airtight and pressing at every move.

Kong Que’s flexible sword was just like a clever serpent flicking its tongue—within swiftness lay dexterity. It was the very essence of ingenuity and agility, yin and supple to the extreme. Her sword art, moreover, was like lightning skimming the sky, leaving no trace to follow.

When Zhang Xiaohua used his divine sense to watch martial techniques, he could ordinarily see their flaws and trajectories with ease, allowing him to anticipate the enemy beforehand. Yet now he was astonished to discover that he once again felt the same sensation as before—back in the underground hall of the nameless mountain manor, when facing that mysterious old man across from him.

That battle had been the most perilous fight Zhang Xiaohua had faced since becoming an Immortal Dao Qi-refiner, so even now it remained vivid in his memory. In that clash, his divine sense had been unable to perceive the mysterious old man’s sword moves, causing him to lose the advantage of seizing the initiative and fall into difficulty for a time. And now, within his divine sense, the saber techniques and sword moves of the two before him were giving him that same feeling again—it seemed somewhat hard to discern the feints and realities of their techniques.

Zhang Xiaohua could not help but feel shocked. Although Kong Que wore a veil, his divine sense had once penetrated it and seen her face—she was merely a young woman just over twenty. As for Liang Cangxu, there was even less to say; at a glance, he looked about twenty-five, a bit older than Kong Que. In other words, they were both young people roughly the same age as Zhang Xiaohua’s second brother. Yet their martial skill had reached such an astonishing level, directly approaching that of the mysterious old man. If such martial ability were placed in the jianghu, they would be extraordinary figures indeed.

Kong Que was understandable—she was an outstanding inner disciple of the super sect, the Incense Spreading Sect. But what sect did this Liang Cangxu belong to?

The Heaven’s Way Alliance?

But if he were from the Heaven’s Way Alliance, how would he dare face the Incense Spreading Sect so openly and without concealment?

The Dalin Temple?

Yet Liang Cangxu was no monk. Of course, people from Dalin Temple were monks, but not being a monk did not necessarily mean one was not from Dalin Temple. Still, if one were not a monk, one could not obtain Dalin Temple’s true teachings!

Zhang Xiaohua began to understand somewhat. This fellow might, like Qin Shiyue, be a member of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Sect!

Only, even Qin Shiyue— disciple of the supposedly called Garuda—did not seem to possess such skill. Then, which Heavenly King’s disciple was this Liang Cangxu? Zhang Xiaohua did not know who the several Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Sect were, but with such ability, he was surely the personal disciple of someone of extremely high status.

Perhaps he was even the disciple of the sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Sect.

While Zhang Xiaohua was still making wild guesses, the battle grew ever more intense.

As the fight dragged on, however, a slight difference in superiority gradually began to show.

Both fighters employed superb lightness skills, their figures darting back and forth along the iron chains. The sounds of blade striking blade rang out without pause. Others might not have been able to discern much, but aside from the two risking their lives in combat, perhaps only Zhang Xiaohua—watching with his divine sense from behind the caravan—could perceive it clearly.

Kong Que’s sword techniques often appeared like strokes inspired by heaven itself—brilliant flashes of genius that vanished in an instant—making them difficult for Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense to track, though he could still see them clearly. In contrast, Liang Cangxu’s saber technique gradually revealed more obvious patterns as time passed. Zhang Xiaohua no longer needed to focus intensely to trace the path of the twin blades. Though the saber art was exceedingly refined, it had already fallen into an inferior position.

Thus, in Zhang Xiaohua’s mind, barring any unexpected turn, Kong Que should be able to slay Liang Cangxu beneath her flexible sword.

Of course, the outcome of a fight was not decided solely by technique. The depth and endurance of inner strength were crucial factors as well. In this regard, Kong Que—as a woman—might suffer a slight disadvantage.

Sure enough, after about the time it takes to finish a meal, Kong Que’s movements slowed a little, and beads of sweat appeared on her brow. With a feint, she withdrew from the fray and stood gracefully to one side, smiling as she said: “Sir, your skills are impressive. Could it be that you are an expert of the Heavenly Dragon Sect?”

Seeing this, Liang Cangxu also lowered his twin sabers and replied: “Lady Kong has sharp eyes. If I were to admit I am a disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, I imagine you would not doubt it. But—do you think I am?”

Kong Que nodded. “There are many sects in the martial world, but those capable of contending with my Incense Spreading Sect… aside from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, I can think of none. Even if you deny it, what difference would it make?”

Liang Cangxu burst into laughter. “If you say I am, then I am. If you say I am not, then I am not.”

Kong Que sneered. “Once I capture you, will I not learn exactly who you are?”

With that, she reached into her robes and produced a jade vial. Crushing its mouth open, she tipped her head back and poured its contents into her mouth, then casually tossed the broken vial down into the endless forest beneath the suspension bridge.

Seeing Kong Que act in this way, Liang Cangxu showed no surprise. He shifted his sabers to his left hand, reached into his robes with his right, produced a medicinal pill, and casually popped it into his mouth before taking up both blades again in readiness.

“Haha! Aside from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, what other faction in the martial world could refine something like the Incense Spreading Sect’s Seven-Returns Pill to restore inner strength?”

“If I refused to admit it, wouldn’t that make your Incense Spreading Sect seem ignorant and ill-informed? Hahaha!”

Liang Cangxu met her words head-on.

At this, a cold glint flashed through Kong Que’s eyes. Immediately, she circulated her inner strength, forcing it into her flexible sword. The previously supple blade suddenly emitted a dragonlike hum as the energy entered it. It quivered once, and at its tip a faint radiance began to flicker and extend.

“Sword Radiance?” Liang Cangxu exclaimed in a low voice. “I never expected Lady Kong’s internal cultivation to reach such a level. Incense Spreading Sect… truly worthy of its reputation. Judging from your voice, you’re barely in your twenties, yet you’ve achieved this—admirable indeed.”

Watching from behind, Zhang Xiaohua was also astonished. He had heard Valley Master Nie speak of Sword Radiance before—something legendary in the martial world. That this young woman, even younger than his second brother, possessed such a skill meant she could not be underestimated.

Of course, while surprised, Zhang Xiaohua was not overly shocked. After all, with only a fraction of his true qi poured into the Jade Water Sword, he himself could force out a Sword Radiance a full foot long.

Meanwhile, though Liang Cangxu sounded surprised, his expression did not show much of it, as though it were within expectations. Slowly, he raised his twin sabers. A reddish glow surfaced faintly on his face, and upon the blades angled toward the sky, crimson radiance gradually appeared. The entire bodies of the sabers seemed to expand, and a red halo shimmered along their edges.

“Saber Aura!”

Kong Que could not help but cry out in alarm. The Sword Radiance on her flexible blade actually shrank back.

Zhang Xiaohua found this strange as well. Something akin to Sword Radiance had appeared along Liang Cangxu’s blades—was it Saber Radiance? Yet Sword Radiance emerged from a sword’s tip, whereas this Radiance extended along the entire length of the saber’s edge. Did that not make it even more formidable?

Zhang Xiaohua, of course, could not hear Kong Que’s startled exclamation and thus did not know the name “Saber Aura”. But seeing the Sword Radiance on her blade withdraw, he understood her shock, and his own curiosity grew all the stronger.

So he said to Qiang Shi inside the carriage: “What exactly is going on up ahead? Why aren’t we moving? I’ve been holding it in so long, I need to pee. Forget it — I’m going to step out and relieve myself first.”

With that, he started to get up.

Qiang Shi panicked and quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Little Uncle-in-law, is the situation ahead bad? Don’t abandon me — we really are relatives!”

Zhang Xiaohua replied helplessly: “How would I know what’s happening up front? Just sit carefully. We’re only medicine attendants. If things turn bad, we’ll just kneel down, knock our heads, and beg for mercy.”

“But Little Uncle-in-law, didn’t you just say they might kill to silence witnesses?”

“Hehe — being someone’s medicine attendant is still being a medicine attendant, no matter who it is. We might as well serve them. We’re professionals in alchemy, after all — maybe they’re here to kidnap us for that. Anyway, I really need to go relieve myself first.”

Without waiting for Qiang Shi to say anything else, he lifted the carriage curtain and stuck his head out.

At that moment, although the disciples of the Incense Spreading Sect stood guard around them, their attention was fixed ahead, wanting to know the outcome of their superior’s duel. Who would bother watching the Spring Rebirth Valley carriage?

Thus, when Zhang Xiaohua slipped out, no one noticed. Secretly delighted, he first scanned with his divine sense to confirm he wasn’t being observed. The moment his feet touched the ground, he formed a hand seal — and with an Earth Escape technique, he arrived at one end of the suspension bridge. However, the gorge between the two mountains spanned too deeply and far for him to approach closely. He could only conceal himself atop the peak, cautiously peeking out to watch the two fighters on the bridge, who had already revealed their trump-card techniques.