Light of swords shot from Yan Jiu's eyes, which were painful to anyone witnessing it. He was the heir to the Sword Saint Villa, and his ancestor had been the legendary sword saint. Yet now, there was someone threatening him to hand things over, whether he liked it or not.
Voom, voom… Sword will burst forth and nine sword-like beams manifested behind Yan Jiu like nine swords being unsheathed. All nine swords also bore different wills in them, as if vastly different powers resided within all nine swords.
Nine beams of light shot upwards behind Yan Jiu, and nine gleaming silhouettes of a sword appeared high in the air. Ye Futian lifted his head and was able to sense the power within his opponent's swords. All top notch figures possessed extraordinary talents and abilities. Yan Jiu was an heir to the Sword Saint Villa and his ancestor had been a sword saint as well. It was simply a given that he was no weakling himself.
Everyone around stared at the scene flabbergasted. The famed Nine Swords of the Celestials, incredibly powerful techniques which were rumored to be Yan Jiu's namesake. It was as if the Sword Saint Villa had hoped Yan Jiu would be able to master the Nine Swords of the Celestials techniques, and usher yet another glorious era of the sword saint.
"Gather round," Yan Jiu uttered coldly. The vast number of mighty ones around him struggled in their minds. Should I fight, or should I leave?
"Anyone who stays and fight, I will take it as a move against me. You are all to show them no mercy," Ye Futian added coldly.
"Indeed." Hundreds of mighty ones behind him drew their swords as soon as he was done talking. Sword wills seemed to have encased the entire area in an instant, truly a powerful scene like no other. The movements of everyone on Ye Futian's side showed unparalleled unity, and it also showed that Ye Futian had been far more charismatic with his followers than Yan Jiu had been with his.
Yan Jiu's expressions were razor-sharp and his sword aura gleamed. One of the beams of swords boomed in brilliance, and the sword took flight menacingly. A terrifying sword will seemed to flow between heaven and earth into that very sword.
A fearsome cyclone conjured by the sword whipped up. A golden giant sword was seen in the air. Its patterns gleamed brilliantly as if to overpower the space which it occupied.
"Kill him." Yan Jiu pointed at Ye Futian, and it seemed that thousands of sword wills flowed within an instant, gushing at Ye Futian. Everyone present was able to feel the crazed torrent of sword aura conjured, and the brilliantly gleaming golden giant sword came to bear. The heavens howled in metallic noises as if signifying the sword that was to kill everything in its path.
Boom. The earth shook violently as Yuan Zhan leaped into the air. Its golden body shone just as brilliantly as the crazed sword. He threw out his hand and conjured giant golden palm before him in an instant. Terrifying light flowed around the palm like it would suppress everything in its path.
All apes learned the 81 Strikes of Heaven-traversing Staff Techniques, but that was not to say that the apes knew nothing else but said staff techniques. The great golden apes were known for their magnificent offensive and defensive capacities too. However, when the giant golden sword lashed out, it tore the giant palm right in the middle, which caused it to crumble bit by bit. But then again, the giant sword seemed to have lost its powers right after. It was quickly shattered as Yuan Zhan slapped it with his own hand.
"Stainless." Overwhelming sword aura whipped past in the air. Yan Jiu did not show any intention of backing down by the attack met. Yet another sword shot out from the nine. Shadows of swords seemed to have zipped through the air like bolts of lightning and went for Ye Futian and everyone else instead of just Yuan Zhan alone.
The sword was called 'Stainless', meaning that it moved so fast that it left no stain of any kind behind.
They were many who were shaken to their core below. Yan Jiu was a descendant of the sword saint. Every sword within his Nine Swords of the Celestials seemed to be infused with notably different will and powers, yet all were just as fearsome.
Yuan Zhan's massive body shook and a layer of golden sheen burst forth to cover his body. Stainless stabbed right into the layer, yet was unable to penetrate its defenses. Ye Futian stood far away with the Polearm of Divine Destruction in his hand. His body was soon covered with fearsome Starry Brilliance, turning into an Immortal Celestial Body himself, and let himself be assailed by the sword aura.
Boom. Yuan Zhan took a step forward, shattering all the sword aura around him. His huge body seemed to have turned into a streak of golden lightning, making its way to Yan Jiu maniacally.
Ye Futian shrugged his shoulders at the scene. With Yuan Zhan's help in the battle, the outcome was obvious.
Yi Xiaoshi had also become a top class combatant by now, and it went without saying that Ye Futian, who now possessed the Polearm of Divine Destruction, was such a being as well.
Voom, voom… Several beams of light shot past and Ye Futian sensed one congealed sword aura to another zipped in the air. It seemed that the other mighty ones from the Sword Saint Villa had come for his head.
The Sword Saint Villa revered Yan Jiu. However, other than Yan Jiu himself, all the others were uncommon breeds of fighters themselves possessing extraordinary talents. The sword attacks crossed with each other, forming countless X-shaped attacks cutting through the air as if they were a net made of blades. It seemed as if no matter where Ye Futian went, he was destined to be torn apart by the net of swords.
Ye Futian extended his hand and meteors materialized before him, blocking the flashes of the swords coming for him. The celestial rocks were shattered, and the gleaming, crossing sword auras kept in their immense speed as they came for Ye Futian.
"A sword matrix then?" Ye Futian took a step forward and lifted his Polearm of Divine Destruction. A terrifying aura congealed around him, making the heavens and the earth howl. The polearm took the form of a hundred meter-long staff and was brought down hard at his front. The net of swords split down the middle in an instant. They gathered their sword aura again and whooshes from the swords were heard when they saw the extremely long staff swept at them in an overpowering manner as if it was out to block out the sky.
They retreated quickly intending to evade, yet felt tremendous pressures weighed down on them, making it almost impossible to move, and it felt like they were soon to be crushed.
Boom, boom, boom… Every figure that stood in the way of the giant staff was swept away violently, spewing blood as the hits landed. The others on the other side looked troubled as they swung their swords about. However, what followed were slithering sounds instead. Imperial Vines blocked out the sky as they slithered to entangle the would-be assailants' bodies. They attempted to escape, yet the leaves of the vines quickly extended to seal the entire space they were in, before entangling them tight. The assailants activated immensely sharp sword wills, yet none of the vines were able to be cut.
"Just stay put already," Yi Xiaoshi said lazily. The vines were thrown below shortly after. One silhouette after another dropped hard on the floor, and blood was seen soon enough.
The battle had only gone on for a short time, yet many swordsmen from the Sword Saint Villa had already been removed from the game.
The followers of Yan Jiu below dared not try anything funny anymore. With Yuan Zhan being more than enough to take on Yan Jiu, Ye Futian and Yi Xiaoshi reigned supreme as they stood in the air. Anyone who dared tried anything was seen to be like someone having a death wish instead. Furthermore, all of the hundreds of swordsmen behind Ye Futian all drew their swords. As long as they moved, those hundreds would have moved as well. It would be the end of them as soon as they did so.
Yan Jiu, who was tangling with Yuan Zhan, saw that the fight was not in his favor, and wanted to leave riding on his sword. However, Yuan Zhan would not have let him off easily. One strike with the staff had the air before it trembled, and Yan Jiu had no choice but to turn around and resist the attack. All nine swords were launched, and the shadow of the staff was shattered.
At the same time, Ye Futian's Lightning Steps completely blocked off Yan Jiu's escape as well, and Yi Xiaoshi had also jumped to stand guard in another corner. The three mighty ones blocked Yan Jiu's way in the air off completely.
Zoom. Yan Jiu took for higher altitudes at breakneck speeds, which was an apparent sign that he refused to be caged.
Yuan Zhan roared and took a step forward. His golden staff whipped in the air. The shadows conjured blocked the sky, as well as Yan Jiu's way high above.
A streak of curved trajectory was seen by Yan Jiu's body, which surprisingly went for Ye Futian. The sword flash was apparently the real deal, and what happened earlier was simply a feint. It was a setup.
Yan Jiu's Life Spirit shone brilliantly, combining with the nine swords, taking the form of nine different sword wills that were dazzling to behold. The attack went straight for Ye Futian, and countless currents of sword aura in the air, as nine different wills of the sword, flew at Ye Futian as well. The combined attack seemed to one determined to make its own path, killing anyone who dared stand in its way.
Ye Futian's expressions became a severe one. All nine swords were divine weapons and they emanated stunning lights as they came for him. The heir of the Sword Saint Villa had truly been enraged.
Starry Storms whipped around Ye Futian as he told hold of the Polearm of Divine Destruction. His body danced about like flowing auroras, and one strike with the staff was lashed out in the air. The strike, which shook the air before it, however, was not meant to attack anything; it was charging up instead.
Ye Futian's movements were fast, yet they looked slow, emanating a unique rhythm. The ones around him were only about to see that he danced about while delivering a flurry of strikes with the staff. The resulting air of ferocity piled, yet the attack had yet to be seen.
Boom. Ye Futian struck with four strikes with the staff in a very short span of time. A terrifying force gathered and the fifth strike was seen lashing out aggressively like a true dragon howling and everything shook in response. The light of the nine swords arrived at the same time, conjuring proud flashes that aimed to kill everything, and clashed hard with the fearsome waves conjured by the Polearm of Divine Destruction. That clash effectively conjured two harrowing currents.
Yan Jiu's Nine Swords of the Celestials burst with remarkable power. However, the attack was blocked by the strike with the staff.
Attacks from Yuan Zhan and Yi Xiaoshi reached their intended target at the same time. Yan Jiu shouted in anger and all nine swords returned behind his back and then went for higher altitudes. His ice-cold eyes glared at Ye Futian, which congealed into terrifying will of the sword, cold to the point of freezing.
A gust of crazed turbulence burst forth. Yan Jiu's rushed attacks were incapable of resisting attacks from both Yuan Zhan and Yi Xiaoshi. He was stunned so badly that he ended up throwing up blood. Yi Xiaoshi's golden vines whipped him about like long whips, sending him flying.
Ye Futian took a step forward, looking at Yan Jiu, who was being swiped in his direction, with cold eyes. He lashed out with his staff without mercy.
Boom… A loud boom followed, as the strike immediately broke the bones on Yan Jiu's body, and the poor man continued to throw up blood. His body remained levitated as his body, which was supported by sword aura, did not fall. His eyes remained sharp like a sword's despite seeing Ye Futian coming to him.
"Is it anger or humiliation you are feeling?" Ye Futian spared a glance at Yan Jiu without any hint of sympathy. The top-notch forces had not been kind to Ye Futian; they looked down on him from above, seeing him as nothing but prey. At that moment, however, he became the hunter, while Yan Jiu, the prey.
"The holy badges," Ye Futian said coldly.
Yan Jiu held out his storage ring and threw it at Ye Futian. Ye Futian intruded the ring with his spiritual energy and saw more than ten thousand holy badges lying within. He turned to look at Yan Jiu, who simply eyed him coldly without saying anything.
He knew what was going on inside Yan Jiu's head. It was only natural for him to feel dissatisfied and frustrated. It was as Ye Futian had put it earlier: "you will hand it over whether you like it or not." There was no other choice, and Yan Jiu knew what kind of predicament he was in at the moment.
Nobody below was able to say anything. Yan Jiu's holy badges had been taken.
"Let's go," Ye Futian said and ignored Yan Jiu. He did not bear Yan Jiu much of a grudge, and naturally saw no reason to kill him. If he had killed Yan Jiu, the Sword Saint Villa would have put him on their hit list. However, if Ye Futian had simply taken away the holy badges, it would have been only something between him and Yan Jiu, and the Sword Saint Villa would not possibly interfere with the affairs of the younger generation.
The others turned and left. Many in the Flying Sword City were stunned as their eyes were locked at the silhouettes that went far away. They took a look at Yan Jiu and saw those injured from Sword Saint Villa gathered around him, and they all looked very dejected. They had probably never suffered humiliation to such an extent in their entire lives.
"We will have our revenge when we got out of the Holy Road." Yan Jiu turned around and left riding his sword. The Holy Road was not the main point of the trip. When the mighty ones from all nine Holy Roads gathered before the Holy Zhi Palace when they got out of the Holy Road, he would have Ye Futian paid the most severe price for what he had been put through.
An hour later. Countless Sword wills flowed crazily somewhere else from the Flying Sword City, gathering in one direction.
An immensely huge sword silhouette was seen there. The silhouette was a transparent one, an illusionary figure made out of swords. Countless streams of sword aura flowed about the illusionary silhouette, bringing about a fearsome will.
A single-arm figure stood quietly in the middle of the illusionary figure, and the countless sword wills flowed in his direction. The figure was none other than Ye Wuchen.
All the other swordsmen who followed Ye Futian were able to sense the flow of sword will within the ruins, and they were envious of Ye Wuchen. They were able to tell that it was the purest of swordsmanship lineages and an utmost treasure to any who trained with the sword. It was only a matter of time that Ye Wuchen metamorphosed into something else.
Ye Futian went taking the ruins from Yan Jiu, an heir of the Sword Saint Villa, just for him. That alone spoke volume of their friendship.
Ye Futian stood before the ruins and he did not go up to feel it all. He was not a swordsman, and so he simply stood to see the ones who do there. He hoped that Wuchen would have been able to make a breakthrough, and it seemed that the day where the Holy Road was to be opened was closed.