Chapter 0621: Sword Heroes’ Duel

Chapter 0621: Clash of the Sword Masters

Jian Nanhu had already seen that Tian Yaolei had gone berserk, a result of the forbidden elixir. He felt no anger—otherwise, he would’ve made him snap long ago.

“Let’s see just how strong you can be!” Jian Nanhu shot him a mocking grin, as if to bait Tian Yaolei.

His attacks ebbed and flowed in intensity, delivered with effortless ease, never faltering despite Tian Yaolei’s frenzy.

In fact, he seemed to be egging him on into greater frenzy, deliberately provoking him further into madness.

The members of the Tian family wore grim expressions.

They wanted Tian Yaolei to stop fighting, but he was too far gone to listen.

The elders present all understood how terrifying it was when someone was lost to the drug’s madness, unable to control themselves.

The forbidden elixir didn’t merely boost strength—it fed the beast within, stoking darker urges without end.

As Tian Yaolei spiraled further out of control, his power only grew stronger.

The flesh on his fists had peeled away, revealing bones turned black—the toll of long-term use of such drugs.

By now, the crowd gradually realized that Tian Yaolei had consumed a forbidden elixir.

The Tian family, of course, refused to admit it, insisting instead that he had suffered a cultivation backlash.

Bao Changshou’s face turned stormy. “I never expected a disciple from our Immortal Armament City to gain strength through such means!”

“We’ll tighten our oversight in the future!” Granny Ma quickly added.

Jian Nanhu jeered at the rabid Tian Yaolei, “Even having taken the dark path, you still can’t defeat me. Evil will never triumph over righteousness—hahaha!”

Tian Yaolei was a terror, assaulting Jian Nanhu without pause, his body a bloody wreck yet still fighting strong.

But Jian Nanhu’s skill was downright terrifying—he toyed with Tian Yaolei like a cat with prey.

His agility, swordsmanship, and Dao Force were frighteningly potent, enhanced by battle-hardened instincts.

Though only at the early stage of the Spirit Martial Realm, his strength stood toe-to-toe with mid-stage cultivators.

This was the genius of Jian Nanhu!

Yet the crowd couldn’t help but remember—he had once been defeated.

The one who had beaten him was still inside Immortal Armament City.

Jian Nanhu had come here with his formidable grandfather seeking revenge.

Now, that person had yet to appear, but Jian Nanhu had already fought many battles.

Tian Yaolei had completely lost his mind, screaming like a rabid animal.

Black blood seeped from his skin, his form becoming something demonic.

His hands, stripped of flesh, were rigid bone claws, still deflecting Jian Nanhu’s blade with eerie resilience.

“Tian Yaolei is already dead!” Jian Nanhu suddenly declared. “His soul’s already rotted away!”

The members of the Tian clan fell into silence—using banned elixirs was hardly a glorious matter. Moreover, those forbidden substances had been provided by them.

"Since Tian Yaolei's done for, I won't hold back anymore!"

Jian Nanhu laughed heartily before going on the offensive.

"Sect Leader, Tian Yaolei secretly purchased banned elixirs, and I failed to detect it. This is my responsibility!" An elder from the Tian clan stepped forward and addressed Bao Changshou.

"If it's your responsibility, then you shall be imprisoned for a decade—effective immediately!" Bao Changshou said coldly.

Subsequently, two black-robed elders emerged and dragged the Martial King of the Tian clan away.

Today, although Qin Yun had been expelled from the sect, the other family factions were in no better shape—not only was their reputation ruined, but they also suffered severe losses among their disciples, many of whom were highly talented youths.

After Jian Nanhu unleashed a stronger force, he punched multiple holes through Tian Yaolei's head.

"Hah, even in your berserk rage, you're still so weak. What a disappointment!"

Jian Nanhu looked down at the defeated Tian Yaolei and sighed with a lonely expression.

Tian Yaolei, lying in a pool of blood, convulsed violently.

Though victorious, Jian Nanhu felt no joy—Tian Yaolei was not his true target.

"Brother Hu, since you love challenging strong opponents so much, why not seek out peak Spirit Martial masters?" Jian Ruyan smirked. "At this level, you're basically unbeatable, aren't you?"

"No. The one who defeated me last time was incredibly strong—he was only at the early Spirit Martial Realm. I must defeat him!"

Jian Nanhu was adamant. He turned to Granny Ma and said, "Granny Ma, hurry and summon that guy! Has he died? Someone that powerful should still be alive!"

Granny Ma's face fell. Only she knew that person was Qin Yun.

Based on her understanding of Qin Yun, getting him to fight would require a steep cost.

"Ruyan, how about you fight Jian Nanhu? If you win, I'll invite you to join the Dharma Protector Hall!" Granny Ma suddenly suggested. "Once you enter, you'll receive far better treatment!"

Jian Ruyan knew that joining the Dharma Protector Hall came with many benefits—though exactly what they were remained top-secret.

Moreover, the Dharma Protector Hall had more effective methods to strengthen its disciples.

"Deal!"

Jian Ruyan quickly agreed. She was a fight junkie—even knowing her opponent was formidable, she still wanted to try.

Granny Ma knew that if someone defeated Jian Nanhu, he would no longer insist on seeking revenge against that person.

"Little Sister Yan, should I take it easy on you and lose on purpose so you can enter that so-called Dharma Protector Hall?" Jian Nanhu laughed.

"If you take it easy on me, you're disrespecting me. I, Jian Ruyan, am no sore loser." She shot a glance at Qin Yun and snapped coldly.

Qin Yun smirked. "Well then, Lady swordsman, I wish you victory and entry into the Dharma Protector Hall! Once you're in, Jingmeng will have someone to talk to!"

Liu Jingmeng quickly nodded with a genuine smile. "Sister Ruyan, I don't have many friends in the Dharma Protector Hall. If you join, we'll definitely become good friends!"

"Jingmeng, even if I don't enter the Dharma Protector Hall, I can still be your friend!" Jian Ruyan smiled gently at Liu Jingmeng—she could never be mean to her.

Jian Ruyan took her position!

Jian Mang, Jian Nanhu, and Jian Ruyan were cousins who had grown up together, though they later joined different sects and went their separate ways.

The Sword Immortal Pavilion is a powerful immortal sect, said to have most of its disciples hailing from the Jian family.

The disciples of the Jian family share a similar temperament—aloof, proud, and cold—yet their strength is formidable.

Jian Nanhu chuckled and said, "Sis Yan, you’ve been in the Divine Armory City for so long. Let me see how much you’ve improved! If you’ve regressed, it means the city isn’t up to par!"

"I’ve made great progress in the Divine Armory City!" As Jian Ruyan spoke, two swords suddenly appeared in her hands—one black, one white—the *Sword-of-Spirit* and the *Sword-of-Life*.

"Sis Yan’s true strength, the *Yin-Yang Bloodfiend Swords*!" Jian Mang remarked.

"That name sounds a bit too sinister!" Qin Yun laughed.

"That’s her own naming style," Jian Mang said with a smile.

Jian Shitian also wanted to see just how strong his family’s disciples were and looked forward to this duel with great anticipation.

"Begin!"

Knowing Jian Nanhu’s strength, Jian Ruyan unleashed her full power from the start. Gripping her twin swords, she shot forward like a wraith, her movements ethereal yet lightning-fast.

As she closed in, her swords flashed in a storm of alternating black and white shadows, like a raging tempest of blades, crashing toward Jian Nanhu in a crushing tidal force.

"This is the Yin-Yang Sword Surge!" Though blind, Jian Mang could sense the shifting energies and breathed, stunned.

At that moment, Jian Nanhu unleashed his *divine technique*—"Sword Quakes Heaven and Earth."

Blade energy erupted in shockwaves, shaking the surroundings.

The collision of their sword auras sent the barrier shuddering violently, forcing Jian Shitian to reinforce it.

Finally, Jian Ruyan and Jian Nanhu closed the distance.

Steel rang—clang! clang! clang!—sparks flying as their sword wills screamed, a terrifying sight.

The disciples of the major families, witnessing Jian Ruyan and Jian Nanhu’s strength, were awestruck.

Even the envoys from Medicine Immortal Valley and Canghuo Immortal Mountain wore grim expressions.

After all, Jian Ruyan and Jian Nanhu were both outstanding disciples.

They would undoubtedly appear in the upcoming *Martial Arts Supremacy Contest*.

That would be the real deal, where the finest disciples of every sect would compete in the fiercest clashes.

The distant onlookers finally got a taste of what true prodigies looked like—so young, yet already at the early-stage Spirit-Martial realm.

Even more frightening, despite being only early-stage Spirit-Martial, their strength matched mid- or even late-stage warriors!

An ordinary mid-to-late-stage Spirit Martial warrior would stand no sure chance against either Jian Ruyan or Jian Nanhu.

The battle was intense, and Qin Yun could see Jian Nanhu’s true strength—the guy was legit.

"Xiao Yun, this Jian Nanhu is really strong. When he fought you last time, he didn’t even use his full power before you defeated him. No wonder he's still salty!" Ling Yuner remarked.

"Yeah, if I fought him again, it definitely wouldn’t be as easy!" Qin Yun said.

"Not necessarily. If you used weapons, you might still wrap it up in one move!" Ling Yuner said. "When top fighters clash, sometimes a single move decides everything!"

Jian Nanhu truly didn’t hold back against Jian Ruyan—he had already gutted her shoulder with his blade!

Jian Ruyan's shoulder ached, her sword strikes slowed considerably, and her rhythm was thrown off completely.

"I concede!" she called out hastily, retreating to the edge of the barrier.

Jian Nanhu quickly followed, holding his sword to her other shoulder—had she not yielded, he would have run her through.

"Sister Yan," he said with a nod, "you've improved quite a bit. Impressive!"

Jian Ruyan sighed and stepped out of the barrier, turning toward Granny Ma. "I’ve lost."

"I’ll still consider recruiting you into the Dharma Protector Hall," Granny Ma replied, patting Jian Ruyan’s shoulder.

Liu Jingmeng hurried over with medicine, and Jian Nanhu also approached to check on Jian Ruyan’s injury.

Bao Changshou turned to Granny Ma and asked, "Granny Ma, are there any disciples left in Immortal Weapon City who can hold their own? Is there truly anyone among us capable of rivaling Jian Nanhu?"

Granny Ma heaved a sigh. "There was one... but now... we’ve expelled him from Immortal Weapon City. The last person to defeat Jian Nanhu... was Qin Yun."