Dead?

Faced with this fact, not only Yan Shisan himself was dumbfounded, but even Chi Tong was stunned. She saw Yan Shisan coming with the determination to die to challenge the so-called number one sword in the world, but what Chi Tong did not expect was that he was already dead?

Doesn’t that mean the fight can’t be won?

Yan Shisan was obviously very disappointed. After leaving Shenjian Villa, he threw his sword into the lake while on the boat on Green Water Lake. It was obvious that he had given up martial arts because he had lost his opponent.

"Is that all?"

Seeing the lonely figure leaving on the boat, Chi Tong frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, but Fang Zheng shook his head.

"Of course not. Let's continue reading."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers.

The next moment, the scene changed, and soon the two appeared on a wooden boat drifting in the river. On the boat sat a hunched old man, holding a short knife in his hand, concentrating on sharpening a wooden sword. Chi Tong could tell at a glance that he was Yan Shisan, but compared to before, he was now a decrepit old man, and even looked like he might die at any time.

The old man patiently sharpened the wooden sword in his hand. Then, he gripped the sword tightly and slowly stood up.

At this moment, the old man's hunched body suddenly straightened up, just like a sword drawn from its sheath, revealing its sharpness again!

He raised the wooden sword and stabbed forward lightly.

That is the Thirteen Deadly Swords.

Unlike the name, the Thirteen Deadly Swords do not look "deadly" at all from the outside. They look like flowing water and gentle breeze. Just by looking at these sword moves, Chi Tong feels as if he is standing on the grassland, facing the breeze blowing on his face, looking at the river in front of him, feeling comfortable and melodious.

Then, Yan Shisan thrust out his thirteenth sword.

At this moment, everything seemed to have changed.

It was as if the originally brilliant sun was instantly covered by dark clouds, and the entire earth was shrouded in darkness. The original breeze that was blowing on the face turned into a cold wind that was strong enough to cut the skin, which made people tremble with fear. Even Akame clenched her teeth tightly at this moment, forcing herself to continue staring at the opponent's swordsmanship.

The only thing she was thankful for now was that Yan Shisan's sword skills were not used against her, otherwise Chi Tong would have difficulty being sure whether she could survive these thirteen swords.

However, this is not the end.

After the thirteenth sword was thrust out, Yan Shisan's sword force suddenly slowed down, and then he thrust out his fourteenth sword.

This sword seemed to pierce through the thick clouds and fog, allowing the sun to shine on the grassland again.

However, it was not the warm and gentle sunshine, but a blood-like sunset. Under the shining of this bright red, blood-like sunshine, the whole grassland looked as if it had just experienced a life-and-death battle. There were corpses everywhere, and it was filled with an extremely strong breath of horror and death.

Akatsuki held her breath.

In her previous memories, she had vaguely heard that Yan Shisan's Thirteen Deadly Swords actually had a fourteenth variation hidden in them, and the fourteenth was the real killer move. This was actually true, and even though Chi Tong had been mentally prepared, the sword still made her tremble violently. Fortunately, the two of them were just standing far away and watching. If she was pointed at by the sword, Chi Tong would probably lose her mind.

However, this move also came to an end, just like the blood-red sunset sinking into the horizon, symbolizing the end.

It should be so.

But at this moment, the tip of the sword in Yan Shisan's hand suddenly began to tremble again, and the next moment, the fire pointed by his sword suddenly went out! Everything was completely still at this moment, the mountains, the water, the time, and even the boat itself, had all come to an absolute standstill!

Because they are going to die!

Only absolute death can destroy everything, just as the sun inevitably sets, bringing darkness to the entire world. The water dries up, the changes are exhausted, and all things perish. This is the ultimate secret of the Thirteen Deadly Swords, the fifteenth sword, the real "deadly sword".

At this moment, Akagi could no longer bear it. She felt her body was cold, her blood was no longer flowing, and even her heartbeat began to slow down, as if she was seriously injured and about to die. Now, facing death, she had no resistance at all and could only wait for this moment to come in despair.

However……

“Bang!”

Suddenly, the wooden sword broke.

Everything that was about to lead to death suddenly began to flow again, as if she had survived a calamity. Akagi suddenly fell to her knees, gasping for breath. She looked as if she had just been rescued from the water and was just one step away from being drowned.

"This, this is the Thirteen Deadly Swords?"

After a long while, Chi Tong recovered and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, this is the Thirteen Deadly Swords."

Fang Zheng nodded and looked at Chi Tong.

"Do you understand now? This is not something your Murasame can compare to."

“…”

Akatsuki was speechless. Just as Fang Zheng said, the imperial weapon Murasame she held would only work if it hit the enemy, but the Thirteen Deadly Swords was different. Akatsuki was sure that as long as the fifteenth sword was swung, someone would definitely die. Either you die or I die.

Because with the birth of this sword, death has been released.

And no one can resist death!

No one!

Even the Imperial General Esdeath can't do it!

There is no need to worry about whether this sword can kill people, because when this sword appears, someone has already died!

It’s that simple. When this sword comes out, someone will die.

None of the processes involved are necessary.

If this sword is used, there is no doubt that one will die!

But it's still a little bit short.

"The wooden sword is broken."

Chi Tong's face turned pale. He slowly stood up and looked at the wooden sword in the old man's hand.

"Yes, it is a wooden sword after all, and cannot withstand the power of death."

Fang Zheng nodded and raised his hand.

"But it doesn't matter."

Having said that, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers again.

The scene changed to a maple forest, and Yan Shisan, dressed in black, walked out of it. He did not know when the sword in his hand had been changed back to the one he used before. Chi Tong also noticed that there was a man standing opposite Yan Shisan, and the sword in his hand looked familiar to Chi Tong. She and Yan Shisan had seen this sword together.

"Who is this man?"

Chi Tong asked in a low voice, while Fang Zheng just looked at the scene calmly.

"That's Cuiyun Peak, Lushui Lake, the third young master of Shenjian Villa, Xie Xiaofeng, the best swordsman in the world."

"Isn't he dead?"

At this moment, Chi Tong could no longer suppress her surprise and looked at Fang Zheng. She had just seen Xie Xiaofeng's coffin from Yan Shisan's memory, and Yan Shisan threw away his sword because he learned of Xie Xiaofeng's death. So now, what was going on?

"Because he wasn't dead in the first place. His heart died, but he wasn't dead as a person."

"……I do not understand."

"You don't need to understand. This is all hypocritical, but it doesn't matter anymore."

Fang Zheng put his hands behind his back and looked at the scene in front of him.

"What matters is that this moment has finally come."

“…”

Chi Tong did not say anything else. She closed her mouth and stared at the scene in front of her. As Fang Zheng said, it was not important why the man named Xie Xiaofeng chose to fake his death or why he appeared here. What was important was that after so many years, Yan Shisan finally found the opponent he wanted to challenge in the first place. This contest, which was delayed for decades, was about to begin.

The two men walked side by side in the maple forest, moved forward, and then attacked at the same time.

Xie Xiaofeng's swordsmanship was also very powerful, but Chi Tong just stared at Yan Shisan at this moment. She wanted to see what the fifteenth sword of the complete Thirteen Deadly Swords would look like when it was completely unleashed.

The eleventh sword, the twelfth sword, the thirteenth sword - finally Yan Shisan used the fourteenth variation of the Thirteen Deadly Swords.

For ordinary people, this fourteenth sword alone is enough to be fatal.

But his opponent is Xie Xiaofeng, the best swordsman in the world.

The sword that stabbed out like a poisonous snake was firmly pinned by Xie Xiaofeng. At this moment, it seemed as if everything was over. It was like the final scene of a drama. All that was left was waiting for the curtain to fall and the performance would end.

However, at this moment, the sword that was originally nailed began to tremble.

At this moment, everything changed.

The falling leaves that were flying all over the sky all scattered and stopped in the air. At this moment, apart from this sword, there was no life in the world. Even Xie Xiaofeng was the same. The sharp blade in his hand, which was originally like a swimming dragon, seemed to have turned into a dead snake at this moment, without any agility.

The world died, his sword died, and he would die next.

This is the fifteenth sword!

Looking at the sword, Xie Xiaofeng showed an expression of fear. Even though he was the invincible Xie Xiaofeng, even though he was the supreme master at the top of swordsmen, in front of death, he was left with only fear!

Next, as long as this sword is stabbed out, Xie Xiaofeng will definitely die!

However, a strange scene happened.

Just when Chi Tong thought that the battle had been decided, Yan Shisan suddenly revealed a deeper fear than Xie Xiaofeng. He then suddenly turned the sword and slashed it across his throat.

Then, Yan Shisan fell backwards to the ground.

“…W-why?!”

At this moment, Chi Tong could no longer suppress his inner shock and surprise, and grabbed Fang Zheng.

"Why did he want to kill himself? He obviously won!"

"Yes, he won."

Fang Zheng nodded.

"If the person standing here was Yan Shisan who challenged Xie Xiaofeng several years ago, he would have won. But unfortunately, he is too old to control this sword."

"But... he could have killed Xie Xiaofeng, too? Why would he want to kill himself?"

Chi Tong didn't understand at all. She stood there blankly, looking at Yan Shisan's body, unable to understand why this happened.

"Because he saved Xie Xiaofeng's life. Once you save someone, it's hard to kill him again. Hmm... maybe you don't understand this yet."

Looking at Chi Tong's puzzled expression, Fang Zheng also laughed.

"That's the truth. He couldn't kill Xie Xiaofeng, but he also couldn't control the fifteenth sword, so he only had one choice... which was to kill himself."

Having said this, Fang Zheng looked at Chi Tong again.

"Now you understand, Akagi, this fifteenth sword is not perfect. Yan Shisan used this fifteenth sword, but he couldn't control it, so the only option was suicide. If you want to inherit his swordsmanship, then you must be prepared to control this fifteenth sword - or be controlled by this fifteenth sword."

Such is the price of mastering death.

As night fell, the maple forest gradually disappeared. Fang Zheng stood there, looking at Chi Tong.

"So what's your choice, Akagi?"

“…”

Hearing Fang Zheng's question, Chi Tong was silent for a long time, then raised his head.

"I've made up my mind."

She stared at Fang Zheng and spoke, and Fang Zheng smiled slightly when he heard Chi Tong's answer.

"Well, it looks like you've made your choice."