Chapter 100

Rumble —

Lightning streaked across the sea of clouds like a swimming dragon, illuminating the dim Tai Chi Palace like snow.

A few raindrops fell on the cracked white jade tiles, but no one paid any attention to the weather.

Thud, thud —

The rather heavy footsteps tugged at the attention of everyone in Taiji Palace.

The tall Situ Huyu walked slowly to the center of the field with the Nine-Ringed Saber in his hand. His thick eyebrows were filled with caution, but not a hint of fear.

He was the only one left from Dai Yue's side.

He was the best fighter in Chang 'an.

If he lost again, he would be slapped hard in the face by the people of Northern Qi in front of all the civil and military officials in the court, and the emperor would have to accept it with a smile.

Situ Huyu was expressionless. After bowing to the emperor, he turned to look at Zuo Yezi, who was standing casually with his sword in hand.

"Qianren School, Situ Huyu."

Qianren was a thousand feet, and the name Qianren School meant to be higher than the sky.

The Situ family had dominated the martial arts world for many years. Situ Yuejin, the master of the school, and the old Sword Saint, Zhu Silk Mountain, were known as the "Sword and Saber Masters". Even the current Sword Saint, Lu Baiming, had to bow to him. They were the most famous people in Dai Yue's Jianghu.

Situ Huyu had inherited all of Situ Yuejin's skills. He was definitely not like the Tang family, who relied on tricks to rise to the top. Moreover, the personality of a martial artist had a great impact on his combat ability. Even if they were evenly matched, the impetuous and greedy one would not be able to defeat the tenacious and calm one.

Situ Huyu's temperament was absolutely outstanding. Even Eunuch Jia had a very high opinion of him. The reason why the nobles present did not lose control was because they had a reassurance pill here.

Zuo Yezi became more serious and raised his hand first. "I've long heard of Master Situ's name, 'Blade Leader'. It's a pity that I've never had the chance to meet him in Mobei. I greet him on behalf of my master."

Situ Huyu held the Nine-Ringed Saber upside down. There was no contempt or restraint in his eyes. He said calmly,

"If there's a chance, I'll definitely go to Northern Qi to meet Master Zuo."

As he finished, the gong sounded.

Clang —

The entire audience held their breath. Even the group of civil officials who did not understand what was going on stretched their necks.

Song Ji had always been calm and collected. He did not even notice that the tea in his hand had turned cold. He took a sip and fixed his gaze on Zuo Yezi.

"Ya —"

Of the Imperial city was filled with a roar.

The nine-ringed saber in Situ Huyu's hand weighed 32 kilograms and was nearly four feet long. The nine copper rings on the back of the saber could trap weapons such as sabers and spears. It also served as a counterweight.

After the roar, both of them rose from the ground at the same time.

The Nine-Ringed Saber of the Situ family was overbearing and focused on large movements. It was completely different from Zhang Xiang's Eight Trigrams Saber. It was waved like a windmill fan without any clumsiness. In an instant, they were within ten steps of each other.

Clang —

A cold light flashed.

For the first time, the Azure-Tipped Sword in Zuo Yezi's hand stopped in front of everyone's eyes. The blade was densely covered with cloud patterns and engraved with two small characters: "Shadow Bearing".

The Shadow Bearing Sword and Xu Buling's "Revealing Gall" were famous swords. They were made by a famous master in the Spring and Autumn Period and had been kept in the national treasury of Daqi. Dai Yue had even searched for it when he conquered Chang 'an. No one expected that it would appear again on such an occasion.

Ding —

There was a slight crisp sound.

Situ Huyu ran like a tiger. The broadsword in his hand slashed across the sky. It seemed that he was moving forward with an indomitable will. However, at the moment when the sword and the broadsword collided, the brass ring on the back of the broadsword locked the edge of the sword. If he exerted a little more force, the sword would be cut off.

Zuo Yezi's expression was cold. When his sword was locked, he twisted the blade and used the sharpness of the sword to cut off the brass ring. At the same time, he cut a wound on Situ Huyu's shoulder.

"Ya —"

The muscles on Situ Huyu's body bulged. He ignored the blade that was aimed at his shoulder and kept moving forward. He looked like he was going to trade a wound for a life.

The onlookers didn't even dare to look away. Zhang Xiang held the hilt of his broadsword tightly. Even Eunuch Jia narrowed his eyes and analyzed how to break the move.

Swoosh —

Blood splattered from Situ Huyu's tightened shoulder muscles. The blade had also reached Zuo Yezi's chest.

Zuo Yezi obviously didn't want to trade his life. He raised his left hand and used his fingers to penetrate the brass ring on the back of the broadsword. He stopped the blade a foot away from his chest.

Situ Huyu took this opportunity and smashed his head at Zuo Yezi. At the same time, he flipped his broadsword and wanted to break Zuo Yezi's fingers.

As long as this fierce head-hammer hit, Zuo Yezi wouldn't be able to retract his fingers in time. He would definitely be cut off by the back of the broadsword. Compared to the small wound on his arm, Situ Huyu obviously had a big advantage.

When the knowledgeable martial artists saw this scene, their eyes lit up with excitement. Just as they were about to praise, they froze on the spot.

Bang —

They saw Situ Huyu's heavy head-hammer hit Zuo Yezi's forehead. Zuo Yezi, who was holding onto the nine-ringed broadsword, didn't even move.

After Situ Huyu's head hit, his body shook a few times. He looked at his opponent in disbelief.

It was only for a moment.

Zuo Yezi's lips curled into a cold smile. His eyes suddenly turned fierce. He backhanded his head-hammer and hit Situ Huyu's forehead.

Bang —

This time, it was effective.

The tall Situ Huyu felt like he was hit by a battering ram. He staggered back a few steps. His eyes were bloodshot and two streams of blood flowed out of his nose.

Ta, ta, ta —

The crowd was silent. They watched as Situ Huyu retreated four or five steps. It was obvious that he was stunned. He staggered a few steps and fell to the ground. He quickly bounced up and used his broadsword to support himself.

"…"

All the nobles were stunned. It was so quiet in front of Taiji Palace that one could hear a pin drop.

Clatter —

The teacup in Song Ji's hand fell to the ground and rolled a few times. His eyes were gloomy as he leaned back on his throne.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that although they hadn't lost yet, the outcome had already been decided.

The strongest young man in Chang 'an, a million warriors, had exchanged a head-hammer with his opponent. His opponent didn't move an inch. His opponent couldn't even stand properly. How could they fight?

The Empress Dowager gripped her skirt tightly. Her eyes were filled with anger. "You're so tall, but you can't even stand properly. Really …"

Chen Xuan, the envoy of Northern Qi, looked at the silent official from the Ministry of Rites with contempt. He raised his hand and toasted, showing his arrogance.

"Do you still want to fight?"

Zuo Yezi tucked his long sword in his sleeve. He wiped the few traces of blood on it and looked at his opponent.

Situ Huyu's nose was bleeding, and his eyes were bloodshot. He wiped the blood with his sleeve and snorted, still raising his saber.

Dai Yue was now the only one left.

He could die here, but he couldn't leave as a loser.

The scoundrels of the Tang family could afford to lose face, but the Situ family couldn't!

Below Taiji Palace, Situ Yueming, the Nine Sects Goddess, and the other secret guardians hid in the dark and sighed. Situ Yueming's face was gloomy, but he didn't say anything.

"Ah —"

Situ Huyu's face was flushed red. He jumped high with his saber, giving up any chance to defend or change his moves. He was exchanging life for life, meeting force with force. This move was extraordinarily fast, and the nine-ringed saber in his hand seemed to become as light as the wind. There wasn't even the sound of the bronze rings colliding.

Zuo Yezi's eyes narrowed. He knew that Situ Huyu was ready to fight for his life. There was no contempt in his eyes. He moved to the side of Situ Huyu in an instant, his sword stabbing towards the left side of his neck like a ghost.

The sword was light and swift. Originally, the heavy nine-ringed saber wouldn't have been able to block it. However, Situ Huyu forcibly twisted his body in the air and dragged the saber like the wind. The saber's edge unexpectedly slashed towards Zuo Yezi's shoulder from behind.

The saber was as fast as lightning. No one could understand how it was slashed out.

Zuo Yezi's eyes revealed some astonishment. He couldn't exchange life for life with a madman, so he could only change from a stab to a flick. He used his left hand to support the sword's edge and forcefully pushed the nine-ringed saber away from his shoulder.

Cha —

Sparks flew.

The nine-ringed saber brushed past the sword's edge and slashed down diagonally, landing on the white jade bricks. The ground suddenly exploded, and a two-inch dent appeared.

Zuo Yezi was also shaken by the huge force and took two steps back.

Situ Huyu did not hesitate after the saber's edge fell. He used the inertia of the saber's edge to flip his body again and slashed down again with the nine-ringed saber.

"Twenty-eight Consecutive Saber, my goodness …"

Zhang Xiang's eyes suddenly lit up. This was the first time he saw the Situ family's unique skill. He couldn't help but show some amazement.

Eunuch Jia frowned slightly and said softly, "The Situ family's Consecutive Saber moves in an orderly manner. It's said that twenty-eight saber strikes can split a mountain. However, no one in the world can withstand nine strikes from Situ Yue's saber. I wonder how many strikes Situ Huyu can make … "

The thousands of people in the square seemed to have even stopped breathing. They stared at the two blurry figures in the square.

"Ah!!!"

Clang, clang, clang —

Under the whirling blade, Situ Huyu's whole body was like a wheel, carrying a heavy saber and continuously smashing the white jade bricks. The stones splashed unstoppably. If they were in a battle formation, perhaps more than a hundred people would not be able to get close to him.

Zuo Yezi had no chance to parry at all. If he couldn't dodge one strike, he would basically be dismembered. He was forced to retreat again and again.

Finally, after Situ Huyu swung his saber 13 times, the edge of the saber arrived.

More than half of the people in the square stood up and stared at the two figures in the square. However, what they saw made everyone feel cold from head to toe.

Zuo Yezi could not parry the whirling blade. In desperation, a golden rope suddenly sprang out from his sleeve. There was a counterweight iron ball on the top of the rope. When it was thrown out, it was slashed by the nine-ringed saber.

Swish, swish —

The golden rope was similar to a meteor rope. It was not cut by the blade. Under the effect of inertia, it quickly circled the nine-ringed saber several times.

Zuo Yezi took advantage of the momentum and pulled his left hand, forcibly stopping the whirling blade. After forcing the blade away with the edge of his sword, he kicked sideways, hitting Situ Huyu right in the chest.

Dong —

The force of this kick was obviously not small. The crisp sound of bones breaking could be heard clearly.

Situ Huyu's saber flew out of his hand, and his whole body flew out like a rag. He fell on the ground a few feet away and rolled a few times before he stopped. He used his hands to push himself up, but his mouth was full of blood and he could not get up.

"…"

The entire Taiji Palace fell silent. Everyone was in a daze, completely unable to react to the current situation.

He had been stabbed three times by a brat from the Desert North. He had not even touched the corner of his clothes, and he was lying down just like that?

All the civil and military officials in the court held their breaths. They stared at the figure on the ground, as if waiting for something.

Dai Yue, lost?

Perhaps not yet!

Situ Huyu had not fainted yet. His mouth and nose were full of blood, and half of his ribs were broken. He still struggled to get up.

After all, he carried the faces of millions of martial artists in the Central Plains on his shoulders. If he did not get up, his spine would really be broken.

Situ Yueming clenched his fists tightly, still not saying a word. He could have asked the Emperor to stop the competition, but he did not do so.

The Situ Family was full of sabermen.

Sabermen spoke with their sabers. They pressed forward with indomitable will. They would either win or die.

Today, the men of the Situ Family could not live in this world with such shame. Only by dying here would they be sabermen. Living here would they not be sabermen.

Seated here were the civil and military officials of the court, nobles, generals, and ministers. However, people of the Jianghu were people of the Jianghu. No matter where they stood, they were people of the Jianghu.

They were already looked down upon by the literati and suppressed by the court, but at times like this, it was not always the martial artists who stood in front.

The literati could analyze the situation and follow a good master, but the martial artists only had one word in their hearts. Brotherhood was righteousness, and so was the righteousness of the country.

With the shame of the country in front of them, if they did not win, how could they have the face to live in this world!