Wang Tao’s face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, his ancestral treasure sword flew back into his grip. However, this movement didn’t alarm Yang Hao much, because although Wang Tao was a powerful fighter, he still fell short of being able to pierce through Yang Hao’s Ice-Skin Iron-Paste.
Yang Hao glanced around and noticed that Shi Mingyuan was still continuously wrapping threads around herself. This woman was getting stranger and stranger. Irritated, Yang Hao shouted at the royal guards, “Hey, you guys, do you even have brains? In a situation like this, why don’t you hurry up and make a net to capture him?”
Hearing this, Wang Tao was genuinely startled. “Yang Hao! Didn’t we agree to a fair duel? Why are you calling for help?”
“I’m just being a sore loser. What can I say?” Yang Hao’s face was as thick-skinned as Hunyuanzi’s. “Besides, you never actually agreed to it either. I was the one who took the Ming Empress back, not you.”
Although the royal guards were rather slow-witted, there was one clever person among them—the Ming Empress herself. Before Yang Hao could issue further orders, over a dozen large, black-clad guards had already carried over a massive object. It was the pressure cooker used earlier by General Long to fire the dragon cannon. Although the lid had been blown off, the bottom remained intact, and when flipped over, it could completely trap Wang Tao inside. No matter how powerful he was, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
“What do you think you’re doing!” Wang Tao stared at the dark, gaping pot, unable to even imagine the tragic fate about to befall him.
“A pressure cooker,” Yang Hao grinned cheerfully. “Never heard of it, right? This is a secret technique passed down in General Long’s family. This move is rarely used, but when it is, it’s beloved by all—unpredictable as gods and ghosts, causing wails and howls wherever it strikes.”
“I’m the captain of the Imperial Swordsmen! How dare you treat me like this? Are you planning a rebellion?” Wang Tao was growing furious. This clean-cut nobleman, always impeccably dressed, could hardly bear the thought of being covered by such a filthy, black object.
“Please, spare me the drama. Captain of the Swordsmen? Once you’re braised like a pig’s trotter, what difference will it make?” Yang Hao, though weak in body, was still a master of witty banter.
Wang Tao gritted his teeth. Clutching his ancestral sword tightly, he pointed it at Yang Hao from afar. “If that’s how it is, you’ve forced my hand. Don’t blame me for using lethal force!”
“What are you going to do, kill me with a stare?” Yang Hao wasn’t the least bit afraid. “Don’t forget—we’re both impervious to blades and bullets. I think you should save your energy.”
“Impervious to blades and bullets? I highly doubt that. There’s no defense in this world that’s truly invulnerable.”
Yang Hao nodded. “You’re right. Just like how someone with over level-eight combat power can pierce through your nuclear shield, my Ice-Skin Iron-Paste isn’t invincible either. But so far, only flying swords can penetrate it. Ever heard of flying swords? I’m not talking about just throwing your sword around. I mean ancient flying swords, the kind used by sword immortals.”
Of course, Yang Hao himself could use flying swords too, though his power was still far from sufficient. He certainly wouldn’t tell Wang Tao this, because in the Empire, any cultivation beyond what was legally permitted was considered a grave crime. If anyone found out he was secretly practicing flying swords, he’d likely become a wanted fugitive.
Yang Hao was very confident, because according to Hunyuanzi, throughout the entire Galactic Empire, people only practiced basic imperial techniques. No one still pursued cultivation, so there was no need to fear anyone using flying swords.
But at this moment of confidence, Yang Hao forgot one thing—Hunyuanzi was usually anything but reliable. The old man suffered from senility, was lazy and forgetful, and his judgments were more often wrong than right.
This time was no exception. Seeing Yang Hao so calm and composed, Wang Tao finally saw a glimmer of vengeance. An overwhelming and domineering force erupted from his body. He inhaled deeply and roared, “Divine Dragon Strange Sword!”
Divine Dragon Strange Sword!
To most, if not all, of those present, these four words were nothing more than an ordinary phrase. But Yang Hao could clearly feel Hunyuanzi trembling within his body. Having spent so much time with Hunyuanzi, Yang Hao knew the old man inside out. Yet he had never seen Hunyuanzi so tense before—like a rat hiding in a sewer, trembling in fear. It was as if those four words had dropped four massive blocks of ice, freezing Hunyuanzi solid.
It took great effort for Yang Hao to barely make out Hunyuanzi’s terrified whisper. Full of questions, Yang Hao turned to Wang Tao and asked, “Is there still someone who uses the Divine Dragon Strange Sword? The people who knew this sword technique died thousands of years ago!”
Wang Tao seemed surprised that Yang Hao even knew of this sword style. “The creator of the Divine Dragon Strange Sword hasn’t died. To a god, what is a few thousand years? His sword technique will never vanish.”
“He’s not dead! He’s not dead!!” Hunyuanzi trembled like a sieve. “He’s not dead after all these thousands of years.”
“He’s not dead, great,” Yang Hao, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, whispered through his nose without moving his lips. “Then we can take revenge someday. We can team up and go on a rampage, letting him know how big a mistake it was not finishing you off thousands of years ago.”
“Revenge, my foot!” Hunyuanzi was more despondent than ever. “We’re done for. Don’t you get it? We’re both going to die.”
“Die?” Yang Hao frowned.
This sentence might have been too loud, because Wang Tao on the other side heard it too. He smiled slightly, and the power brewing within him grew even more immense. “You finally realize your fate, huh? Under the Divine Dragon Strange Sword, there will be no chance left for you. Pity you never got to read the Senate’s ancient records, so you don’t know the glorious history behind this sword technique. No worries—you’ll become yet another soul claimed by it. Consider it an honor.”
“Honor my foot!” Yang Hao shot back angrily.
But Hunyuanzi actually sided with the enemy this time. “He’s right. The Divine Dragon Strange Sword is the most powerful flying sword technique in the world. There’s practically nothing in this universe that can rival it. Our Dan and Twin Cultivation Sect once dominated the world, but when the Divine Dragon Strange Sword appeared, we didn’t even have a chance to escape. That one sword… that one sword was just unbelievably strong.
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