Chapter 276 Zhao Duan's Movement
Just as the Taia Sword cut through the sky, broke through the shield, and fell into Zhao Duan's hands.
Deep in the Tianshi Mansion, in a small courtyard where a large banyan tree is planted.
"Tai'a Sword!"
Xu Zhenguan stood up almost in an inappropriate manner, his white clothes fluttering in the wind and his long black hair dancing.
She stared at the water curtain in front of her, or to be more precise, at the figure of Zhao Duan standing with a sword reflected in it.
Her eyes widened as incredible thoughts grew like weeds.
Her breathing was a little rapid, and she clenched her fists in her sleeves, trying her best to restrain herself from losing her composure.
However, a huge wave has already been set off in my heart!
Taia Sword!
The sword worn by the ancestor emperor is the most precious treasure of the Xu royal family and is also a sacred artifact displayed on the altar in the imperial palace's Taimiao.
Three years ago, during the Xuanmen coup, she, who was still the third princess at that time, went into the Taimiao alone and took this magic weapon, which enabled her to achieve victory by sweeping away thousands of troops and suppressing the rebellion.
This is because Xu Zhenguan is the only "sword wielder" among the royal family in recent generations who is recognized by the Tai'a Sword Spirit.
To wield the Taia Sword, one does not necessarily need "bloodline", but one must cultivate the "God of War" inheritance.
So, theoretically, as a worshipper, Zhao Duan does have a chance of success.
but……
That's just "in theory"!
You should know that the recognition of Taia Sword is extremely demanding. Even the sea worshipper can only wield the sword for a very short time under special circumstances.
You must also be respectful and treat them as servants.
Not to mention, the Taia Sword can be summoned at will...
But now, what did she see?
Fang Fu had just entered the Shenzhang realm. The little priest who had never even touched the Taia sword was able to take the sword from the air at this moment.
It allowed the dignified ancestor's divine weapon to break through the blockade of the imperial palace and surrender, and was held by him incomparably obediently.
"How is that possible?!"
In a trance, the empress even suspected that she had seen it wrong, or that it was not the divine artifact Tai'a.
Next to him, the old Taoist priest was also quite surprised.
Although he had just calculated that Zhao Duan had a great chance of winning, he had not predicted this change now.
He subconsciously looked at the empress, although Xu Zhenguan concealed it well.
But the surprise revealed in a hurry still fell into Zhang Yan's eyes, making his eyes even more strange.
"Haha, your majesty has a good trick,"
However, after a brief silence, the old Heavenly Master who had ruled the world for three generations laughed, breaking the tense atmosphere:
"Now I know that His Majesty had arranged this long ago. This Zhao Gongfeng is so talented that he can wield the Tai'a Sword. No wonder he is so favored.
Now, if I am not mistaken, this sword-sending through the air is also a method of His Majesty... Holding this divine weapon is enough to offset the difference in cultivation. Could it be that this battle will reproduce the glory of the Xu Dynasty in the past?"
Xu Zhenguan suddenly came to his senses and calmed down.
Hearing this, I felt guilty for a moment... My eyes dodged briefly...
Then, she became suspicious and a little unsure whether Zhang Tianshi really thought so or was deliberately giving her a way out.
But no matter which one, this is indeed the best explanation to the outside world——
It is truly amazing that a small priest can summon the Taia Sword.
If there is no reasonable explanation, it will be really troublesome.
If it is interpreted that everything that happened today was secretly arranged by the empress and done so intentionally.
It all makes sense...
As for the true situation, she could only wait until the challenge was over, then she would bring Zhao Duan back to the palace and ask him privately...
"Master, you are joking. After all, Zhao Qing was promoted not long ago. Even if he holds a magic weapon, it will be difficult to make up the gap and defeat him in battle." Xu Zhenguan said calmly with his hands in his sleeves, a graceful posture.
Cleverly avoiding the point.
All we can say is that Zhenbao is also well versed in the art of language.
Anyway, she neither admitted nor denied...
After saying that, he stared at the picture on the water curtain impatiently.
After the shock, a glimmer of expectation actually arose - if Zhao Duan could really represent the royal family and defeat Tianhai.
That would provide great support for the legitimacy of her throne.
…
…
The wind is howling!
As the arena's light shield was shattered, the collapse of the air emitted a sobbing roar, which startled the crowd and made them exclaim.
The young monk Tianhai bent his knees and jumped back, forcing himself to create a distance of several feet.
The six sticks in his hands were also held with both hands and held horizontally in front of him.
The arrogance and laziness from before were gone, replaced by solemnity. He stared at Zhao Duan holding the sword with doubt and said in a lost voice:
"Is this the Taia Sword?!"
Zhao Duan held the sword horizontally, put his fingers together, and slowly brushed across the black and red lines on the sword. His eyes fell on the two inscriptions "Tai'a" on the hilt.
The tone was complicated: "Yes."
Then, he smiled and said, "This doesn't violate the rules."
At this time, people came running over from both sides of the arena.
"Brother Zhao, are you okay?"
Gongshu Tianyuan asked cautiously, his small green eyeballs moving over the Taia Sword, as if trying to identify it, his expression changing:
"Could this be the Xu family's royal sword..."
On the other side, Monk Bianji's face was not looking good. He stepped forward and said, "This sword..."
Zhao Duan interrupted the two and said calmly:
"Since it doesn't violate the rules, the challenge should continue. I apologize for accidentally destroying the protective formation. Please comfort the people."
Although Gongshu Tianyuan was full of doubts, his face lit up at this moment, and he immediately patted his chest and said with a smile:
"It's a small matter. I'll ask the priest to fix it right away."
From the perspective of the Tianshi Mansion, he would rather let the limelight be taken away by the royal family than lose to the Shenlong Temple.
Seeing that there was a turning point, they cooperated very well.
Seeing this, Bian Ji could no longer speak and could only retreat in silence, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Several priests immediately came out of the Tianshi Mansion to repair the formation and comfort the frightened people.
As the noise subsided, the frightened crowd gradually calmed down and started talking to each other.
"The Tai'a Sword? The little monk said that what Lord Zhao summoned was the Taizu sword from the palace. How is that possible?"
On the court side, all the officials had stood up, and shock was written on everyone's face.
"I see!"
In the panicked atmosphere, Yuan Li, who was wearing a double-breasted blue gown, suddenly spoke, blinked, and said to the crowd:
“It must be His Majesty’s arrangement.
Everyone, you must know that when Zhao Chenshi came to power, he referred to himself as the royal family's worshiper. In the past, the royal family did have a tradition of challenging the victors of Buddhism and Taoism.
Yuan Li threw out a sentence without any explanation, and the smart people present immediately used their imagination to piece together a logical truth.
Suddenly they realized:
"Mr. Yuan is right. It must have been arranged by His Majesty. Only in this way can the flying sword of the divine sword be explained."
Some even looked toward the sea and offered as if seeking confirmation:
"Father-in-law, is this true?"
Eunuch Hai didn't say anything, and he was also very confused. At this moment, he even began to doubt whether His Majesty had really arranged something secretly.
I don’t know.
And his silence was seen by those around him as his tacit agreement.
"The Imperial Sister's arrangement?"
Xu Junling Fangfu came back to his senses and his face changed.
In his mind, he immediately recalled the scene when he was playing chess with the imperial sister in the bedroom and hinted at something.
"I remember when I asked my sister about her attitude, she simply said that outsiders were stronger than me... Hiss, that's right! She must have been planning all this back then, so that's why she said that...
"She doesn't care which of the Buddhist and Taoist sects will win, because in the end, they will send Zhao Duan to represent the royal family...
"This also explains why the man surnamed Zhao suddenly disappeared after that day and hasn't been seen since... It's clear that he was making arrangements for the Imperial Sister, and his purpose was for today...
"And there's Chai Keqiao. I was wondering why Zhao Duan dared to mobilize troops to suppress the rebellion. I think it was the Emperor's sister's idea.
The purpose is to prevent the Qingshan lineage from causing trouble today and disrupting the court's plans... Even Zhao Duan deliberately avoided fighting in the teahouse that day, so as not to expose his methods too early..."
Everything is right!
Xu Junling suddenly understood.
At this moment, the princess who thought she was very scheming only felt deep fear.
She developed a strong fear of her imperial sister who kept a low profile but secretly planned far-reaching plans!
And this Zhao Duan...his performance was also flawless...
Could it be that he really has that kind of relationship with the imperial sister?
Xu Junling realized that his previous judgment of Zhao Duan was too hasty.
On the other side, the women of the Zhao family also heard a general idea from the chatter of the surrounding ladies.
"Emperor Taizu's sword? Big brother really has a trump card. I said he wouldn't fight an unprepared battle. That little bald donkey is in trouble!" Zhao Pan said happily.
Eugenia still couldn't quite let go of her worries. She clutched the railing, leaned forward, and with a sad face, silently prayed to her stepson:
"Amitabha……"
The beautiful woman prayed for a while, then suddenly realized that something was wrong. It seemed that this matter was not suitable for praying to Buddha.
She was stunned for a moment, then smoothly switched her prayers:
"Wulian Tianzun..."
Eugene Hua has the simple beliefs of the Dayu people.
——Since it doesn’t cost any money, I might as well believe in both of them and whichever one works best.
…
After a while.
With a rumbling sound, the inverted glass bowl-shaped cover rose again, isolating the inside and the outside.
On the ring.
When the surroundings became quiet, Zhao Duan, holding the magic sword, silently felt the surging energy in his body and was amazed.
This Taia sword is worthy of being matched with the "God of War". Once he got hold of it, his aura increased several times.
It was like applying a powerful buff, which in a simple and crude way bridged the gap between the initial entry and perfection of the Divine Chapter.
"It seems that you are very vigilant." Zhao Duan looked at the little monk in the distance and said with a smile.
Tian Hai's mouth showed a cold expression:
"Do you really think you can challenge me with just a weapon? The Taia Sword is indeed powerful, but you are only at the Divine Chapter Realm. How much of its power can you unleash?"
Zhao Duan retorted, "That's enough to deal with you."
For a moment, their eyes collided, and invisible sparks seemed to shoot out.
"I hope you can still be so stubborn. I will teach you what true strength is." Tianhai said expressionlessly.
Even though he was full of confidence, he still remained extremely vigilant when facing the legendary magic weapon.
At this moment, the wind seemed to slow down.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Tianhai raised his hand, spread his five fingers, and grasped the top of the six-blade brass stick standing in front of him.
Then, he showed his sharp white teeth and brushed the weapon with his palm.
And wherever his palm passed, the paint on the six-way stick, which was originally dark in color, seemed to fall off, revealing golden Sanskrit characters.
Every time one fell off, the little monk's momentum increased.
When dense runes appeared on the Six Paths Staff, the young monk's momentum reached its peak.
Then, without any warning, his knees bent and he leaped up like a cannonball.
In the blink of an eye, he crossed a distance of more than ten feet, holding a long metal stick in both hands, and swept towards Zhao Duan's head!
“Woo woo—”
Amidst the sound of breaking wind, the brass stick left a residual shadow, but the next second, Zhao Duan held the sword with both hands and blocked it with his backhand.
"clang!!"
The Six-Path Stick and the Tai'a Sword collided with each other, making a dull bell-like sound. Zhao Duan did not chop them, but blocked them with the side of his sword.
As soon as they collided, both sides could clearly feel the powerful force of each other's Qi.
Both of them felt their palms go numb almost at the same time, and were hit hard by the recoil.
"Such a strong inner force (mana)..."
This thought came to the minds of the two people, and they tacitly gave up the route of fighting with the Qi machine.
Zhao Duan's eyes flashed. The results of his many days of training with the empress were fully demonstrated at this moment.
Without any hesitation, he slid his sword along the stick and went straight to cut the little monk's fingers, causing a string of sparks to fly from the friction.
Tianhai never let go, nor did he struggle.
With a slight turn of his wrist, the six sticks suddenly extended wildly. In the blink of an eye, their length increased several times, and they pushed the young monk several feet away.
It’s this weird thing again… Zhao Duan had observed it before and had a preliminary understanding of the monk’s magic weapon.
He slashed the air with his sword without hesitation, and fell backwards, his body almost touching the ground, just avoiding the six sticks that swept across.
“Woo woo!”
The brass stick engraved with Sanskrit almost brushed past Zhao Duan's nose, and the strong wind blew across his face, lifting a few strands of hair from his forehead.
"Bang!"
Zhao Duan pressed the ground lightly with his left hand, and the stone floor immediately dented, leaving five finger marks. He used the force to stand up against gravity and slid backwards.
In his pupils, he saw the little monk, who had been moving far away, rushing towards him again, with six sticks whistling and smashing straight into his face.
However, he deliberately extended the magic weapon, the long stick, to about twice its length, so as to use the long to attack the short.
The whistling shadows of the sticks suddenly covered the sky and the earth, as if dozens of long sticks were attacking from all directions at the same time.
"An inch longer, an inch stronger. Although the Taia Sword is extremely sharp and can cut through gold and jade, with my cultivation level, I am still unable to use it to cut through the Six Paths Staff. Tian Hai deliberately avoided the radius of the sword's edge, and the power of the Taia Sword was greatly reduced..."
In a split second, many countermeasures flashed through Zhao Duan's mind, but he eliminated them one by one.
He suddenly closed his eyes, and casually put the powerful Taia sword behind his back.
After advancing to the Divine Chapter Realm, the enhanced five senses are activated at this moment.
Just by the sound of the airflow, he could easily picture in his mind the hexagonal stick vibrating at high speed and emitting astonishing power.
"Ah, Lord Zhao is about to be hit!"
In the stands, some officials watched with fear.
Xue Shence uttered a sigh and asked curiously:
"What kind of method is this?"
On the ring, Zhao Duan's body suddenly became as light and stretched as an autumn leaf, and became weightless.
Despite the powerful six-path stick coming down on his head, the airflow created by the weapon put him in great danger and blew him off the attack path of the six-path stick.
Even though the long stick in Tianhai's hand was shaking like flowers, Zhao Duan only carried a long sword on his back, like a wet and broken ginkgo leaf, swaying like a willow in the wind.
Facing the shadows of sticks all over the sky, he was not touched at all.
The old eunuch in the python robe's narrowed eyes suddenly lit up, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he took a deep breath.
"This kid...when did he learn..."
This was clearly the nameless Falling Leaf technique that Chai Keqiao used on the long street that day when he faced the two powerful soldiers who were trying to strangle him.
Zhao Duan only watched it once that day, but now he has learned 98% of it.
(End of this chapter)
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