Chapter 74 Shock
Why bother trying? Lu Yan thought that there were only a few top-notch experts in the immortal world, and two of them were eunuchs. In an occasion like today, with so many dignitaries gathered, it was natural that eunuchs could not be allowed to go up. The emperor, who was the highest authority in the world, was even less likely to go up. The only ones left were...
He Jianshuang, the chief envoy of Longquan Division?
Lu Yan's gaze fell on the lower side, where sat a man of great reputation. Although he was not wearing armor today because of the banquet and was only wearing a military general's Qilin costume, it was not difficult to see the aura of a warrior on the battlefield.
Lu Yan was already beginning to feel stressed out for him.
He Jianshuang would go up to the duel later, and it would be fine if he won. If he lost, the strength of the Xianling nation would be easily exposed. After all, everyone knew that he was the backbone among the generals.
Lu Yan leaned closer to Shang Junnian and asked in a low voice: "Is there any way?"
Shang Junnian shook his head: "No, unless you don't fight for those two things."
But everyone else was arguing, and it would be very abnormal for Xianling, as the host, not to send anyone up, which would make him seem even more guilty.
Shang Junnian looked across and saw an old man in a black robe sitting behind Zhao Yuxi. He had hollow eyes, a hooked nose, a pointed chin, and strange totems painted on his skin. He was so thin that he was just a bag of bones, as if a layer of wrinkled human skin was pasted on his skeleton. He looked weird no matter how he looked at him.
Wu Yun had met Shang Junnian, a first-class master, more or less, but he had never seen this old man before. He felt so unfamiliar with him that he felt inexplicably uneasy.
Minister Liu was a close confidant of the Emperor. He stood up and said to the guests:
"I think each of you swordsmen has your own special weapons, but firstly, no weapons should be seen within three feet of you. Secondly, this is a banquet to liven up the atmosphere, and it would be ugly if blood was seen. For the sake of fairness, why don't the contestants use wooden swords? Whoever can knock the opponent off the arena within an incense stick of time will be the winner. How do you think?"
Naturally everyone responded. Weapons can be good or bad, and are often the key to victory or defeat. If everyone uses wooden swords, it would be fair.
Zhao Yuxi agreed with a smile: "It is indeed a good idea."
In a short while, servants set up a fighting arena in the middle of the hall and added many guards to prevent the emperor from being accidentally injured during the fighting.
Minister Liu temporarily acted as the ceremonial officer. He looked around and asked, "The competition is about to begin. Which hero from each country is willing to show off his talents and let us broaden our horizons?"
The guests looked at each other and no one moved. After all, they didn't know each other's background, so it was better not to rush forward. Even the Emperor just looked down from above and observed everyone's reactions.
Finally, an eight-foot-tall man swiftly jumped onto the arena and said in a gruff voice, "I am Xue Yan, the Wuyun Cavalry General. My skills are mediocre and not worth mentioning, but I am willing to set an example and start this for everyone else!"
Master Xuan made a subtle gesture, and a handsome young man stepped out from behind him and jumped onto the arena. "I am Gongsun Liao, the deputy commander of the Tianshui Infantry. I would like to learn from you, my brave warrior!"
Lu Yan was eating melon seeds at the bottom. He took the time to look back at Gongsun Wuyou and asked curiously, "That young man has the same surname as you. Could he be your cousin?"
Gongsun Wuyou nodded excitedly, his eyes sparkling: "Yes, yes, he is my cousin, and he is very good at sword dancing!"
Lu Yan smiled and said, "I wonder if I'll be that handsome when I get beaten up later."
Gongsun Wuyou frowned angrily: "What do you mean?!"
Lu Yan just ate some melon seeds and said nothing more. He had a vague feeling that Wu Yun and Tian Shui seemed to have reached some kind of agreement in private. Well, it wasn't really an agreement. Perhaps both countries wanted to test the true strength of the immortals, so they temporarily united.
As for that general or cousin, he is probably just a detour and will be defeated soon.
The fight on the arena was in full swing. After hundreds of moves, the wooden swords clashed with each other, and the dull sound was endless. Finally, Xue Yan made a fierce and powerful move, breaking Gongsun Liao's wooden sword at the waist, and knocked the opponent out with one punch.
"Bang--!"
Gongsun Liao was thrown down heavily from the arena. He did not look very handsome when he landed on the ground. Instead, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Gongsun Wuyou shouted anxiously, "Oh! Cousin!"
Then he cursed in a low voice: "Why is that big guy so annoying!"
Lu Yan raised his head and drank a glass of wine: "Don't be so quick to scold, the big guy will be knocked down soon."
As if to verify his words, other masters were soon led onto the arena one after another and knocked Xue Yan down.
The temptation of the sword and the "Ascension Scripture" was obviously huge. Lu Yanminrui discovered that the King of Nanxun and the King of Guxu had secretly sent experts to fight for it. The fight on the arena was in full swing. At the beginning, there was no blood, but in the end, arms and legs flew everywhere. It was so bloody that only a swordsman with a blind right eye was left standing on the stage.
Shang Junnian tilted his head and whispered in Lu Yan's ear: "This man is a top-notch master of Wuyun, known as the Three-Eyed Young Master. He became a disciple of Zhao Yuxi in his early years. He is vicious and must be guarded against."
Lu Yan's eyes darkened slightly: "If he fights against He Jianshuang, who will win?"
Many experts from Xianling have already pressed forward, but they were defeated one after another. It would be too embarrassing if they lost again.
Shang Junnian shook his head: "If we use fair and honest moves, He Jianshuang will definitely win. If we use shady moves, it's hard to say."
While they were talking, Minister Liu had already asked loudly to everyone: "Is there anyone else who wants to come up and compete with this great hero Fu? If no one dares to take up the challenge, the prize will go to this great hero!"
The situation on the arena just now was too chaotic. No one knew where this blue-clothed swordsman came from, but he was ruthless and focused on poking people's eyes and lower body. He had already killed many people, so everyone was silent and no one dared to step forward to challenge him.
After an awkward silence, someone suddenly burst into laughter, attracting everyone's attention:
"Hahahahahahaha! They say that the Fairyland is vast and rich in resources, with many talented people. How come your strength is so poor that you can't even send out a master? You are really unworthy of being the Lord of the Twelve Continents!"
Lu Yan frowned, wondering who was so bold as to act so presumptuously in front of the Emperor. He looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a drunk old man with gray hair.
Eunuch She whispered to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, he is the ruler of Kunlun Continent. Ever since his only son died in battle at Mingyue Ferry, he has become increasingly insane. He is an old fellow with one foot halfway into the coffin. There is no need to bother with him."
The emperor's expression remained unchanged, and he ordered calmly: "Drag him away and sober him up, don't disturb the banquet!"
"Yes."
Eunuch She waved his hand, and two guards came out immediately and dragged the Lord of Kunlun Island away, but the other party's previous words still caused quite a stir.
The one-eyed knight in green stood on the stage, bowed and clasped his fists, saying: "Since no one has accepted the challenge, I feel ashamed to accept these two prizes. Thank you all for giving way to me today..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a cold and deep voice: "I am He Jianshuang from the Xianling Kingdom. I would like to learn from you!"
He Jianshuang got the hint from the Emperor and finally took action. He kicked the corner of the table hard, used the force to fly up, and jumped onto the arena. His figure was neat and tidy, which was eye-catching.
The blue-clothed swordsman smiled, his only remaining eye flashing with a cold light, reminding people of a poisonous snake hiding in a dark corner: "I have long heard of the name of the He family's Falling Frost Sword. Please teach me how to use it!"
As soon as the words fell, the two of them quickly tangled up with each other, so fast that even the sword moves could not be seen clearly. He Jianshuang's moves were open and closed, with a strong aura, a rare combination of strength and speed. The blue-clothed swordsman was obviously no match for him and almost fell off the arena several times. In the end, he relied on his Qinggong to stabilize his body.
Lu Yan didn't even have the intention to chat anymore. He twisted a melon seed between his fingertips and stared intently at the moves of the swordsman in green. He had discovered in the previous competitions that the opponent seemed to have other hidden weapons hidden in his sleeves, causing his opponent to always lose for no reason. Unfortunately, he was too fast and he couldn't see clearly.
Three-eyed man...
This person clearly has only one eye, where did the three eyes come from?
In just a moment of brushing against each other, He Jianshuang had already approached and struck the blue-clothed swordsman in the chest. As his sleeves fluttered, a dark blue shadow suddenly stretched out at lightning speed and bit towards He Jianshuang's wrist.
Lu Yan's eyes dimmed when he saw this, and a melon seed popped out from his fingertips, hitting the green-eyed venomous snake right on target. The slender body of the venomous snake slipped out from the sleeve of the green-clothed swordsman and fell on the red arena, where it was particularly conspicuous.
He Jianshuang was shocked: "You actually have a poisonous snake hidden in your sleeve?!"
“Wow——”
When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.
The green-clothed swordsman's face also changed greatly, but he was not worried about his reputation being ruined. Instead, he knelt down in panic and picked up the stunned green snake. He said in horror: "My precious snake! Who hurt my precious snake?! Get out! Get out!"
He Jianshuang kicked him off the arena and said angrily, "You filthy fellow, you have insulted our He family swordsmanship in vain! And you dare to make a noise in front of the palace, get out now!"
Lu Yan leaned back in his chair and slowly ate a melon seed. He saw the green-clothed swordsman and his precious snake being thrown out of the hall.
Minister Liu saw that He Jianshuang had won, and his tone was obviously much more relaxed: "General He has won the previous match. I wonder if there are any other heroes willing to come forward to learn from us. If not, the prize for today will go to General He..."
“Wait a minute—!”
An old voice suddenly interrupted him.
The black-robed old man behind Zhao Yuxi slowly stood up and walked to the arena. His voice was hoarse and old, as if he had not spoken for hundreds of years. It was particularly harsh: "I am the old Zhui Ling, and I would like to learn from this general's skills."
All the fighters competing on the stage today are well-known heroes, but I have never heard of the name of this old man in black robe. He has a ghostly aura and is definitely not an ordinary person.
Minister Liu glanced at his extremely slender figure, which looked like a pile of skeletons that would break if touched. "Old man, do you really want to compete?"
The old man in black robe nodded: "Yes."
Minister Liu made a gesture of invitation: "One stick of incense is enough. Please."
He Jianshuang must have sensed the danger of this man, otherwise his expression would not have become so serious. He waited for the black-robed old man to stand still, said "Please teach me", and then quickly attacked. However, to his surprise, he began to lose ground in less than fifty moves.
Zhui Ling stretched out two fingers, revealing two-inch long sharp nails on his fingers that looked like dry tree bark. They were completely black, as if they were poisoned. He quickly rushed towards He Jianshuang's face, wanting to dig out his eyes alive!
He Jianshuang clearly wanted to hide, but was caught off guard by the old man's eyes. She stood there motionless as if her soul had been captured. The immortal court officials were almost dying of anxiety when they saw this.
"General He! Hide quickly!"
"General He, be careful!"
It happened in a split second. Just when Zhui Ling's nails were only an inch away from He Jianshuang, a melon seed flew in from nowhere, containing internal force, and hit his wrist hard.
"Um?!"
Zhui Ling's eyes turned cold, and he knocked He Jianshuang off the arena with his backhand. He suddenly looked towards the guests and asked, "Who did it just now?!"
The melon seeds were too small to be noticed, and his sudden question left everyone confused.
When the Emperor saw He Jianshuang's defeat, he quietly clenched his hands under the table into fists. Under the light of the peacock candle, his face had a few wrinkles for no reason, and he looked a little old. He asked in a deep voice:
"Zhuiling, why do you ask this question?"
Zhui Ling looked directly at the Emperor without hesitation. His eyes were a completely different shade of blue from those of others, and his pupils were as tiny as a needle tip, just like some kind of animal: "The immortals are rich and the country is prosperous, yet they are willing to do such despicable things? They kill when they can't beat them? May I ask, Your Majesty, what is the reason?!"
Before the Emperor could say anything, Minister Liu slammed the table in anger and said, "How dare you! Zhui Ling, do you think you are so good at martial arts that you can talk nonsense in front of the palace?! You have knocked General He off the arena, who secretly killed him?!"
Zhui Ling raised his hand slowly, pointed to the seat on his right, and uttered a word coldly -
"he!"
Everyone looked subconsciously, but saw that Zhui Ling was not pointing at anyone else, but the ignorant and useless Third Prince Lu Yan who played with cats and dogs all day long!
Minister Liu was stunned for a moment, then almost laughed out loud when he came to his senses: "Ridiculous! Our King Fengling is... elegant by nature, only likes to play with words, never likes weapons, he rarely even holds a sword, how could he secretly kill you?!"
Officials are really good at talking nonsense. It's hard for Minister Liu to describe Lu Yan's ignorance in such a fresh and unconventional way.
The Emperor also thought it was impossible, and his brows were furrowed, but his words were much more straightforward: "My son has always been a scoundrel, and his martial arts skills are mediocre. Did you recognize the wrong person?"
"No, it's him!"
Zhui Ling stared at Lu Yan and said, "My Lord, when the Three-Eyed Young Master was fighting with General He just now, you helped him secretly. After all, the Three-Eyed Young Master is not as skilled as him. But when I was fighting with General He, I never used any shady tricks. Why did you interfere?"
He sneered twice before he finished speaking. His old voice made the hair on one's back stand on end. "If you want to compete with me, why don't you come out on stage openly? If I attack you secretly, it will inevitably damage your reputation as a descendant of a noble family."
There was so much information contained in his words that all eyes in the hall were focused on the man in the royal purple robe at the table, looking somewhat doubtful.
He Jianshuang was helped to get up from the ground and finally came to his senses. He saw a handful of melon seed shells piled on the low table in front of Lu Yan, and remembered the green snake that fell out for no reason when he was competing with Sanmu Langjun just now. There was nothing he didn't understand. He was stunned. He never expected that it was this unlearned Third Prince who saved him just now.
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