Legend of Swordsman

“Well, well, didn’t your Master Chen say earlier that you shouldn’t force things?” The seductive woman teased before commanding the Tianzu Centipede to attack the shop assistant again.

This time, everyone focused on a single puppet, completely ignoring the shopkeeper and the chubby chef.

The puppet’s defense was astonishing, but its strength was still manageable, allowing it to hold out for a while.

“Exterminate Evil Sword!”

Yang Xiao roared, and in an instant, a long sword with a wine gourd attached to it unsheathed.

This sword, named Exterminate Evil, embodied the essence of Yang Xiao’s swordsmanship.

With a single strike, the ancient iron sword surrounded by black crystals pushed the shop assistant back.

Although it couldn’t harm the puppet, it was enough to repel it.

The others unleashed their fiercest moves as well, especially the Tianzu Centipede, which took the opportunity to wrap itself around the shop assistant and spew venom.

The intense corrosion, however, failed to damage the puppet in the slightest and only managed to bind it.

Jian Wushuang had been observing the battle, but he hadn’t been idle.

While searching for suspicious individuals, he kept a close watch on the two experts lurking in the shadows.

Neither the demonic cultivator, the Death Infant, nor the Seven Coin Zhanxian Guard had made a move.

If Jian Wushuang acted now and the person controlling the puppet joined forces with them, he might meet his end here today.

At this moment, all those behind the scenes were engaged in a battle of patience.

It was as if the fighters below were merely their pawns, and even if they were injured or fell, they remained indifferent.

“Hmph, you hide well, but let’s force you out!” Jian Wushuang chuckled softly.

A burst of intangible thought power shot from the ceiling above.

The Seven Coin Zhanxian Guard, who had been hiding, felt a strong wave of thought power and was instantly exposed.

The thought power wasn’t meant to attack but was a friendly reminder.

A reminder that Jian Wushuang knew exactly where they were hiding!

He intended to force them to reveal themselves.

Crash!

Fragments of wood fell from the ceiling, and a figure dropped down.

Though they wore plain clothes and even a bamboo hat, Yang Xiao, as a Six Coin Zhanxian Guard, recognized them at a glance.

“Guardian Tongshan, since you’re here, why not lend a hand?”

Yang Xiao had long known that a powerful figure was lurking in the shadows, but he hadn’t expected it to be Guardian Tongshan of the Zhanxian Guards.

Guardian Tongshan, aligned with Guardian Nanshan, had likely been hiding in the dark to eliminate him. Now that he had revealed himself, Yang Xiao was uncertain of his intentions. However, he had no choice but to expose Tongshan’s identity, ensuring that Tongshan wouldn’t pose a threat to him.

Yang Xiao didn’t believe that Tongshan would dare to attack him in front of so many people.

The Zhanxian Guards were forbidden from killing each other, a crime punishable by death, with no exceptions.

The Guardian, Tong Shan, who had just appeared, was grinding his teeth in frustration. He yanked off his bamboo hat, glancing around before finally fixing his gaze on Yang Xiao. With resentment, he said, “I am only responsible for protecting the Imperial Inspector. These small fry aren’t worth my effort!”

He wasn’t foolish. At this moment, he couldn’t make a move against Yang Xiao, but he also wouldn’t lend him a hand.

These puppets were clearly here to kill Yang Xiao, so he absolutely wouldn’t help.

Even if it meant exposing his identity, he stood at a distance with an air of indifference, coldly watching the events unfold.

“Tong Shan, have you forgotten who gave you a meal back then?” Yang Xiao’s face twisted with rage.

Initially, he hadn’t wanted to bother with him, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Tong Shan had originally been a mere wanderer in the martial world, quite ordinary and not even an innate talent. When he first arrived in the capital, he clashed with a young noble, and the noble’s guards had severely injured him. If it hadn’t been for Wei Jiu-Xian’s intervention, Tong Shan would have frozen to death on the streets.

But what happened later?

After joining the Jinwu Guard, Tong Shan grew closer to Nanshan, eventually becoming estranged from Wei Jiu-Xian.

Now, he was repaying kindness with betrayal!

With Yang Xiao’s straightforward temperament, how could he not be enraged?

“Hmph! You grew up within the Zhanxian Guard, so how would you understand my struggles!” Tong Shan’s expression was ugly. Although he retorted, he guiltily turned his head away, avoiding Yang Xiao, who was fiercely battling the puppets.

He appeared disdainful, but his eyes couldn’t hide the truth.

There was a trace of reminiscence in his eyes—memories of when he first joined the Zhanxian Guard.

He hadn’t forgotten the past. He knew who his benefactor was and who had helped him reach this point.

However, everything he did now was to avoid returning to his former miserable state.

He believed he wasn’t wrong!

“I’m not wrong. It’s you all who have been too fortunate!” Tong Shan inwardly defended himself, his thoughts gradually calming.

He began analyzing the current situation.

As one of the four Guardians of the Zhanxian Guard, he had both the capability and strength.

From Yang Xiao’s active participation, he could infer that there were others backing him in Wei Jiu-Xian’s scheme.

“The two guests from the Princess’s mansion are also suspicious!” Tong Shan’s eyes flickered.

Initially, he thought these two were Wei Jiu-Xian’s plants within the Princess’s residence, but he hadn’t expected them to be so formidable.

Although they appeared to be ordinary Golden Core cultivators, they managed to survive against the puppets and even entangled them, clearly possessing extraordinary skills beyond that of regular Golden Core cultivators.

“Interesting. Let’s see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!”

Tong Shan wasn’t worried at all. He knew that a strong expert from the Chiyang Sect was still lurking in the shadows.

Though he looked down on demonic cultivators, he couldn’t deny their strength, especially a Nascent Infant expert.

Their power was on par with his. If they acted now, they could definitely turn the tide and perhaps even kill Yang Xiao on the spot, making the inspection of Mangshan County a failure.

However, he didn’t know that the Nascent Infant expert in the shadows was also under the watchful eye of Jian Wushuang.

“You’re really good at being patient!”

Jian Wushuang’s thought power drifted through the night like a ghost, always focused on that Nascent Infant cultivator.

Since he couldn’t find the person secretly controlling the puppets, he could only keep an eye on this demonic sect elder.

This person’s strength was formidable; even if Jian Wushuang launched a sneak attack, he couldn’t guarantee a one-hit kill.

He had initially brought Tong Shan out to force him to help, but now that Tong Shan refused to act, Jian Wushuang had no choice.

As for the demonic sect’s Supreme Elder, without any constraints, if Jian Wushuang exposed him, he would likely retaliate by attacking Yang Xiao directly.

So, the more patient this person was, the more advantageous it was for Jian Wushuang. He only needed to keep an eye on him with his thought power while focusing most of his energy on finding the mastermind controlling the puppets.

“Where are they?”

Jian Wushuang opened his eyes, no longer sweeping the area with his thought power.

He couldn’t detect the person’s aura with thought power alone; there must be a space crystal concealing them.

Now, he could only rely on his deductions to find them.

When they first spotted the inn, Chen Yuan’s team was still thirty miles away. At that time, the puppets were stiff and their eyes were lifeless.

But as the team drew closer, the puppets became more animated.

Especially after Jian Wushuang entered the inn, the innkeeper moved like a normal person.

“It seems I exposed myself too early!” Jian Wushuang felt a bit frustrated.

He had been too careless. He shouldn’t have revealed himself so soon. Instead, he should have found a place to hide or even concealed himself within the team.

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