Working Together with One Heart - Part Two

A raging wind, billowing flames, and a "fish" taking flight.

The shimmering silver "school of fish" surrounded Zhao Zheng and Li Letian on the other side. For the first time since completing his apprenticeship, Zhao Zheng felt the emotion of pressure.

Four longswords twirled in the air. They followed a special pattern, changing positions according to a predetermined trajectory.

The "swarm of fish" repeatedly attacked Zhao Zheng, but Zhao Zheng accurately grabbed the hilt of his sword in mid-air each time and launched a swift counterattack.

This form of sword intent has appeared before. It's a form that you'll never forget once you've seen it.

Countless shattered blades scattered and then gathered again. Reflecting the starlight, they moved freely and endlessly amidst the night sky atop Cloud Peak and the firelight of burning pines.

It resembles a traditional Chinese ink painting on rice paper.

At the center of the light, two figures danced. Every movement was simple yet powerful, creating a third kind of wind sound besides the mountain wind and the swift wind of the treacherous sword.

The broken blades rubbed against each other, producing intermittent, rustling sounds.

Li Letian, still holding the broken blade, did not give up his attack.

Picking up the fallen longsword, Xin Ruien looked at the shattered blade that was protecting her, trembling slightly. Yes, this was the sword intent that had appeared before, but only she, who had spent every day with He Zi'an, understood that this sword intent was far more magical and far more magnificent.

Xin Ruien switched her grip on the sword to her left hand, looking around, trying to find that familiar figure. Her gaze finally settled on the swaying, malevolent sword. She raised the back of her right hand and gently touched "The School of Fish," saying, "Go, I can do it."

The "swarm of fish" seemed to understand her words, spreading out like waves, surging mightily towards the battlefield of the two men.

Before Zhao Zheng could repel the "swarm of fish" surrounding him, another towering wave surged in, obscuring the sun and reaching the clouds.

He finally drew the fifth sword from his back, and for the first time, his movements appeared somewhat uncoordinated.

This was the opportunity Li Letian had been waiting for, and this was the destiny Li Letian firmly believed in!

On the main peak of Black Mountain, Li Letian witnessed He Zian's "rain of swords," which was fate; at the very moment Zhao Zheng attempted to unleash a "typhoon" to kill Xin Ruien, Li Letian found the opportunity to draw the long sword from his back, which was also fate; as the shattered blades gathered, Zhao Zheng, under pressure, interrupted his rhythm and drew the fifth sword, which was also a predetermined fate.

Li Letian jumped back to create distance, the first time he had voluntarily given up a hard-won opportunity to get close. Not only Li Letian, but the "school of fish" also retreated a step, flying into the sky to join the giant wave.

“You are stronger than me,” Li Letian raised his broken sword high, the “school of fish” changing shape, and he said loudly, “but fate has chosen me.”

The shattered blades coalesced into a massive black shadow, obscuring the starlight.

Xin Ruien slashed with her sword, taking two steps back herself. She had numerous large and small wounds on her arms, thighs, waist, and abdomen.

Despite looking somewhat disheveled, she once again thwarted the typhoon's attack. She looked back at the dark shadow in the sky.

Was that a cloud?

Li Letian swiftly swung his sword-wielding arm down.

A dark shadow fell. A dull thud followed, accompanied by scattered sparks.

That wasn't a cloud; it was a hammer. Even the finest sword is shaped by hammer blows, repeatedly struck and turned.

Xin Ruien was no stranger to this. Every time Meng Jizhen repaired her longsword in the house in Sword Forging City, she would watch from Li Letian's side, watching him hammer away, forging one sharp longsword after another.

Once, twice, three times. Li Letian kept hammering.

Zhao Zheng's longsword flew erratically, completely out of rhythm. He reached out to "Typhoon," trying to retrieve the malevolent sword from his grasp.

As long as he has six swords, the situation can still be changed.

“Now is the time,” a man whispered in the darkness.

The Buddha told the monks: “Mount Sumeru is 84,000 yojanas deep in the ocean and 84,000 yojanas deep above the ocean.” In response, a solemn and extraordinary recitation followed.

The immense pressure pinned the "typhoon" on the tree firmly into the rocks.

Three dark figures, twisting and contorted, hurtled toward Zhao Zheng. Behind them, flickering red sparks trailed long tails, echoing the glittering Milky Way.

One, two, three. Zhao Zheng slashed through the shadows.

The "hammer" fell, shattering the mountain rocks. The shattered blades spilled like mercury onto the ground, but quickly spun upwards and reassembled.

As the shattered blades scattered, light streamed through the gaps into the center of the battlefield. Zhao Zheng saw the dark figures, still glowing with sparks, gather again and tirelessly rush towards him.

Xiang Yu and Du Taibai emerged from the darkness.

"I've searched high and low without finding you, and now I've discovered you are the Lord of the Hall of Longevity!"

In the darkness, tiny droplets of blood floated around Zhao Zheng. They were only faintly visible in the light.

"Am I injured?" Zhao Zheng couldn't help but wonder.

Soon, the changes in the blood bead dispelled Zhao Zheng's doubts. The blood bead spun, transforming into slender red needles—thousands of needles in total—all converging on Zhao Zheng in unison.

Zhao Zheng immediately understood that the scattered shadows left in mid-air when he slashed through the shadows were the ones that had just been left behind.

Ling Guang slowly emerged from the darkness and stood to Du Taibai's left. "Zhao Zheng, pay for my junior brother's life."

The heavy hammer fell.

The shadowy figure also drew his longsword.

"The Beggars' Sect and the Blood Palace, you two are indeed entangled. I just didn't expect that the Chen family would also be involved with you."

Zhao Zheng was engulfed by the silver light of the fifth hammer blow.

*

The starry sky descended from the very center of the sky in all directions until it disappeared into the ground. However, compared to the view from the summit of Cloud Peak, it was too ordinary, and no one paid any attention to it anymore.

The summit of Yunxia Peak was bustling for a while, then gradually quieted down again.

Zhao Zheng was covered in wounds, but at least he was still alive. Five precious swords were stuck around him.

The distant "typhoon" howled, yet remained completely immobile.

Xin Ruien crouched down beside Su Yishan to check on him. Xiang Yu sat cross-legged, exerting all his strength to suppress the malevolent sword.

At the true focal point of this battle, Li Letian, Du Taibai, and Ling Guang surrounded Zhao Zheng from three angles, keeping a close eye on his every move.

The dead cannot be reborn; a poor rat gnaws at a fox; a commoner rushes for a throne.

A temporary silence fell over the battlefield; no one dared to step forward and strike with the sword that would take Zhao Zheng's life. Even a cornered beast will fight, let alone someone like him, the master of the Hall of Longevity, one of the three great sword sects.

The first person to step forward will pay an unimaginable price, possibly even death, according to Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng supported himself by placing both hands on the hilt of his sword. Blood flowed down the longsword.

“Three great heroes,” Xiang Yu spoke first, “we have spent a lot of time and are nearing my limit.”

Ling Guang remained unmoved. He was the only one who had come alone, and if anything went wrong, he could be used as a pawn by the others. This first sword strike would not, under any circumstances, come from him.

A burning pine tree fell, and flames shot into the sky.

Du Taibai glanced at the other two, his own calculations in mind. He understood that Xiang Yu was hinting at something. On this mountaintop, aside from their common enemy, there were six people in total. Of them, only Xiang Yu, whom he knew well, could be trusted.

On the surface, it was indeed a joint effort between Li Letian and his two companions against the enemy.

Although Ling Guang is currently allied with the Beggars' Sect, he is still a member of a heretical cult in the Western Frontier. Once Xiang Yu exhausts his strength, and if he is seriously injured by carelessness, will Ling Guang still be an ally? It remains to be seen.

Of the three on the other side, the unconscious man was no threat. As for Xin Ruien and Li Letian, judging from Xin Ruien's attitude during the day, they were probably not a united front. Perhaps Li Letian was devoted to Xiang Mingyue. But Du Taibai was certain that if things went wrong, Xin Ruien might abandon Li Letian and run away.

“The main peak isn’t far from here,” Xiang Yu urged. “Our disciples have seen the protectors of the Hall of Longevity on the mountain. Once they come looking for us, we’ll have no chance of winning.”

The mountain winds are picking up again. The "typhoon" is moving little by little.

Zhao Zheng laughed loudly and said sarcastically, "In the end, they are nothing but a bunch of rats, daring to compete with my Changsheng Palace."

Li Letian looked at Xin Ruien. She shook her head, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

This group had already reached the mountaintop. Xin Ruien knew that Du Taibai and his two companions must have arrived in the shadows shortly after they started fighting Zhao Zheng.

They had been sitting on the sidelines, watching the two tigers fight, waiting for an opportunity to severely damage Zhao Zheng. If Li Letian hadn't fought so hard to expose Zhao Zheng's weakness, they would have stayed by the sidelines, watching Xin Ruien, Li Letian, and Su Yishan die one by one at Zhao Zheng's hands.

It was Li Letian who saved her and Su Yishan. Xin Ruien secretly resolved that she could not abandon Li Letian no matter what. She understood that once she left, Li Letian would be left isolated and helpless. In today's battle with Zhao Zheng, whether he won or lost, he would have no chance of survival.

Li Letian sensed Xin Ruien's determination.

“I understand,” Li Letian replied. To onlookers, that was obviously Xiang Yu’s answer.

All eyes were on him.

He had already received this treatment twice today. The difference was that during the day, the gazes directed at him contained envy and jealousy. Now, these gazes held murderous intent, pity, and worry from Xin Ruien.

Nothing else matters; as long as he has Shin Ye-eun's gaze, that's enough for him.

All the shattered blades, surrounding Li Letian's arm and pointing downwards, pieced together the original form of the Shattered Star Sword.

That's a genuine Shattering Star Sword!

"Let's draw our swords together and defeat this scoundrel!" Du Taibai said passionately.

Ling Guang narrowed his eyes as well. "He's already at his last gasp. Let's all draw our swords together."

"I'm going in!" Li Letian shouted, and before he could finish speaking, he had already shot out like an arrow: "Please, two great heroes, lend me your assistance."

Li Letian did not believe them.

Instead, he believed in his own destiny, and that he was certain he could protect Xin Ruien's life from Zhao Zheng's control today.

Xin Ruien slightly raised her sword. Her right hand clenched into a fist, blood dripping from between her fingers. If anything unexpected happened, her first strike would kill Xiang Yu, who was suppressing the "typhoon."

The malevolent sword had already risen from the rocks, revealing half of its blade.