Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 18
"Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 18: Soul-Seizing, the Truth Revealed!"
Chapter 18: Soul-Seizing, the Truth Revealed!
Inside the quiet room,
The Seventh Prince, who had been about to leave, suddenly regained interest upon seeing the scene outside.
"Chief Steward Li."
"Hmm?"
"It seems there's more entertainment to be had."
"..."
Upon spotting Gu Han's figure, Chief Steward Li's face darkened like the bottom of a pot, his heart twisting uncomfortably.
What bad luck!
Encountering him again!
"Chief Steward Li?"
Seeing his unusual expression, the Seventh Prince asked curiously, "Do you know him as well?"
"Hmm? Does Your Highness also..."
"I've seen him from afar once."
"Previously..."
Thinking back to Gu Han's attitude earlier, Chief Steward Li recounted the events that had transpired in the Wilderness Forest, his face still dark with irritation.
...
"Damn it!"
Outside,
Gu Chang roared in anger.
"You, a patricidal sinner burdened with grave sins, dare to spout such nonsense here!"
"Tsk, tsk, always quick to throw accusations!"
"Just let him finish speaking—do you really think Tianwu City belongs to the Gu Family?"
Beside them,
The heads of the Zhang and Wang families mocked once again.
"City Lord!"
Gu Chang ignored the two of them.
"This brat is a disgrace to my Gu Family and to Tianwu City! He must be apprehended immediately!"
Inwardly, he cursed incessantly.
What was Gu Cheng doing?!
Six Spirit Mastery experts ambushed him, yet he still managed to escape!
"Gu Han."
Liu Yuan's expression turned grim.
"Step down!"
"I want fairness!" Gu Han stared directly into his eyes.
"You... dare say that again?" Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed.
In the past, he had admired Gu Han somewhat, even entertaining the idea of betrothing his daughter Liu Ying to him. However, after Gu Han was branded a patricidal sinner and his cultivation base destroyed, Liu Yuan naturally stopped considering him.
Moreover,
With the Seventh Prince now in Tianwu City,
He had Liu Ying go out of her way to flatter and please him, making Gu Han even less worthy of consideration.
"I want fairness."
Gu Han took a deep breath.
"I hope City Lord will give me a chance!"
"How dare you!"
Liu Yuan rebuked harshly, "Guards, seize him..."
Mid-sentence,
His expression suddenly changed.
"Fine."
He sat back down, his attitude shifting dramatically.
"I'll give you this chance!"
"City Lord!"
Gu Chang grew anxious.
"You..."
"No need to say more—just watch!"
...
Inside the quiet room.
"Your Highness."
Chief Steward Li wore an unwilling expression.
"This brat has a terrible temper—what's there to see?"
Just moments ago, it was the Seventh Prince who had instructed him to convey a message to Liu Yuan, allowing the competition to proceed.
"You're being biased."
The Seventh Prince glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips.
"After all, he gave us the core of that Crimson Flame Snake. For that alone, it's only fair I give him a chance in return."
"..."
Chief Steward Li's face darkened further.
That core was exchanged for a pill personally refined by the Ghost Doctor—he made a killing off that deal!
...
"Gu Yang."
Seeing Liu Yuan agree, Gu Han turned his gaze back to Gu Yang.
"Fight me."
"Do you... dare?"
At this moment, Gu Han's body was already soaked in blood, with several gruesome wounds clearly visible. Though he looked utterly battered, his presence completely overshadowed Gu Yang's!
Right at this moment,
A hurried Gu Family member ran up to Gu Chang and whispered something in his ear.
Crack!
A murderous glint flashed through Gu Chang's eyes as he crushed the armrest of his hard chair into pieces!
"Wretched brat, seeking death!"
On the stage,
Gu Yang was now in a predicament.
"Fine!"
He glanced at Gu Han.
"Today, I will purge the family of your menace and eliminate you once and for all!"
If Gu Han were unscathed,
He naturally wouldn't dare accept so easily.
But seeing Gu Han's current state, he felt confident in his own progress in cultivation and abilities, giving him a newfound boldness he hadn't possessed before.
"Today,"
Gu Han handed the memorial tablet to A Sha and slowly stepped onto the stage.
"I will avenge Father!"
Avenge?
The crowd was momentarily stunned.
"He just said he's avenging Master Gu?"
"Seems so."
"Didn't Master Gu die at his hands? Whose vengeance is he talking about?"
"Hard to say—let's see how this unfolds."
"..."
Amidst the murmurs, their gazes were glued to the stage, afraid of missing anything.
Whoosh!
On the stage,
Gu Yang swung his spear, instantly pushing his cultivation to its peak!
A faint red glow spread like flowing water, enveloping his entire body and even his spear!
"This is... the Gu Family's Blazing Flame Technique?"
"Impressive, truly impressive!"
"Master Gu Yang's cultivation is no joke either!"
"Hmph."
A member of the Gu Family smirked proudly.
"Our Young Master is exceptionally talented. His cultivation speaks for itself, but this Blazing Flame Technique—he's mastered it to the point of perfect unity between form and spirit! A rare genius of our Gu Family! Dealing with someone like Gu Han should be effortless!"
Pfft!
Suddenly, one of the wandering cultivators who had followed along laughed.
"What are you laughing at!"
"I'm laughing at how your Young Master overestimates himself. In a moment, he'll probably be chopped down by Gu Han!"
"Nonsense! Our Young Master wields an exquisite spiritual artifact! With Gu Han's broken sword and his injuries, there's no way he can match our Young Master!"
"Hmph."
The wandering cultivator ignored him.
"If your eyes aren't blind, see for yourself!"
These wandering cultivators,
Having witnessed Gu Han's prowess, naturally understood just how lethal his broken sword could be.
"Gu Han!"
On the stage,
Gu Yang locked his gaze onto Gu Han.
"Today, I'll take your life to clear my name!"
Defeating Gu Han head-on
Was a long-buried wish in his heart.
Whoosh!
As he spoke,
He launched his attack first!
Like an arrow released from its bow, his figure blurred, his spear trembling as its sharp tip aimed straight for Gu Han's forehead!
Gu Han didn't move.
"Die!"
Gu Yang's speed increased threefold, the red glow around him growing brighter!
When the spear was just half a foot away from Gu Han,
Gu Han moved!
Swish!
With a casual swing of his longsword, he slashed lightly!
Clang!
A sharp sound rang out!
The arena fell silent in an instant!
On the stage,
Gu Yang froze in place. The tip of Gu Han's longsword was a mere half-inch from his forehead. As for the exquisite spiritual artifact spear in his hand—it was now snapped in two, its light dimmed, rendered useless!
"Tsk, tsk."
The wandering cultivator sneered.
"Perfect unity between form and spirit? Exquisite spiritual artifact? Hmph!"
"No..."
The Gu Family member's face turned pale.
"Impossible—how could the Young Master lose!"
The crowd was dumbfounded.
Moments ago, Gu Yang had been full of confidence, undefeated among the younger generation of Tianwu City. Yet... he couldn't even withstand a single strike from Gu Han?
"Gu Yang!"
From afar,
Gu Chang shot to his feet!
"This..."
Gu Yang's face turned ashen, disbelief written all over it.
"You're injured—I've improved my cultivation! How could I possibly lose!"
Gu Han ignored him.
The longsword pressed down slightly.
In an instant,
Blood began to flow from Gu Yang's forehead.
With no choice,
He lowered his posture slightly.
The longsword continued to press down, forcing Gu Yang's body lower and lower.
Hiss!
The crowd suddenly realized Gu Han's intent.
He...
Was making Gu Yang kneel!
"Wretched brat!"
Gu Chang's face twisted in rage.
"Release him! Or I'll tear you apart!"
"Speak."
Gu Han remained unmoved.
"How did you harm my father?"
As he spoke,
Two eerie beams of light suddenly flashed in his eyes, piercing straight into Gu Yang's soul!
Soul-Seizing Technique!
Thud!
Gu Yang's eyes went blank as he collapsed to his knees!
"Master Gu Tian's cultivation was too high—my grandfather couldn't match him. So we bribed Commander Gu to secretly drug his food and drink..."
"Silence!"
Gu Chang roared in fury.
"Shut your mouth!"
As he spoke,
He prepared to attack Gu Han!
"Let him speak!"
"Exactly! Let everyone hear—so the Gu Family is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites!"
"..."
The other family heads' expressions darkened as they blocked Gu Chang.
The opportunity to topple the Gu Family was right before their eyes—they wouldn't allow anyone to ruin it.
"After the drug took effect,"
Gu Yang, dazed, continued.
"My grandfather secretly took your sword and, together with my father and two elders, ambushed Master Gu Tian. We didn't expect him to counterattack in his dying moments, nearly escaping..."
"Why!"
Gu Han's body trembled slightly.
"My father devoted half his life to the Gu Family..."
"Because he was selfish!"
A trace of resentment crept into Gu Yang's tone.
"He always thought of you, gave you every benefit—why should he!"
"You're nothing but a stray picked up from the streets! I am the true heir of the Gu Family—I should be the Young Master... no, I should be the family head!"
Word by word,
It echoed clearly in everyone's ears.
The arena fell silent for a moment.
"How despicable!"
"The mighty Gu Family—a bunch of hypocrites!"
"Sigh, turns out Gu Han was framed. The Gu Family's actions are truly despicable!"
"The leading family of Tianwu City? Bah!"
A flood of murmurs erupted.
Aside from the Gu Family members, the tide overwhelmingly favored Gu Han, with the rest siding with him.
"Hmph, how did they earn this 'first' place?"
"Isn't it obvious to all of us? Isn't it all thanks to Master Gu's hard work?"
"And they have the audacity to call Gu Han a stray? Wasn't the Red Maple Valley mine vein conquered by him? And those medicinal fields and spirit veins outside the city—weren't they reclaimed from the other families by him? Every year, the Gu Family submits countless beast cores—when has Gu Han not led the charge, venturing into the Wilderness Forest first to slay demonic beasts?"
"More than half of the Gu Family's foundation was built by him and his father. Without them, where would you get the spirit crystals to buy that exquisite spiritual artifact?"
"Exactly! A bunch of freeloaders living off others' achievements—how dare they accuse him of selfishness?"
"..."
The crowd erupted in curses.
Among these people,
Some genuinely felt remorseful and stood up for Gu Han, but most were simply fanning the flames on behalf of the other families.
The effect was undeniable.
From today onward,
The Gu Family's reputation was utterly ruined—they were finished!
In the crowd,
The Gu Family members were berated until they couldn't lift their heads.
With this veil of hypocrisy torn away, they were left utterly humiliated, their faces burning with shame. Yet, far from feeling any regret, they hated Gu Han even more.
At the root of it all,
They had never acknowledged Gu Han.
And Gu Han, at this moment,
No longer needed their acknowledgment.
He gently retrieved Master Gu Tian's memorial tablet and placed it before Gu Yang.
With a flick of his hand,
Clang!
A fiery-red spear plunged into the stone floor!
The Firecloud Spear!
"Father!"
"Those who harmed you—all of them will accompany you in death!"
As he spoke,
He took out four heads and neatly arranged them before Master Gu Tian's memorial tablet!
The first one—
Commander Gu's.
The next two—
Two elders of the Gu Family.
The last one—
None other than Gu Cheng!
Slap!
After finishing, he struck Gu Yang's shoulder with his sword, a chilling strand of sword qi instantly penetrating his body, shredding his meridians!
"Ah!!"
The excruciating pain
Brought Gu Yang back to his senses.
"What... what have you done! My cultivation, my meridians! Father? How could this..."
Seeing Gu Cheng's head, his face twisted in agony.
"Truly like a dog."
Gu Han stared at him, his voice icy cold. "A stray dog without a home!"
Gu Yang's face paled.
This sentence...
Was exactly what he had said to Gu Han before. Now, with their positions reversed, the words were returned to him verbatim!
"You... dare insult me?"
His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Gu Han. "You dare kill my father?"
"He harmed my father—he deserved to die."
"Wretched brat!"
Not far away,
Gu Chang's face turned icy cold.
"You dare kill my son, cripple my grandson—I won't spare you today!"
Swish!
As he spoke,
A layer of crimson flames ignited around him as he charged toward Gu Han.
This time,
No one stopped him.
Their goal had been achieved—now it was time to watch the show.
Watching the near-maddened Gu Chang, Gu Han's eyes also turned red.
Father.
This is the last one!