Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 49 The Heavenly God and Demon's Bone-Corroding Formless Sword Qi

Jiang Mingzhe was eager to reunite with Azi and didn't want any unnecessary trouble. He thought he could just joke around or pretend to be weak to get through it.

Before he could even speak, the other party displayed such an overbearing attitude, demanding that he kneel down and reply.

He was so angry that he burst out laughing: In the original story, the Shennong Gang was the kind of people who sat at the same table with women and children, but I never expected them to be so arrogant.

But upon further reflection, it seems quite normal. Compared to the Beggars' Sect, Shaolin Temple, Dali Duan Clan, and Gusu Murong Clan, the Shennong Gang is indeed nothing. However, in the broader martial arts world, they probably still possess some strength.

Lingjiu Palace sent them to deal with Wuliang Sword Sect. Shennong Gang, from top to bottom, was full of confidence in victory. It was like "a big guy fighting a bear with a card in hand."

This is like the richest person in a county town. They might not even rank highly in the city or province, but that doesn't stop them from being wealthy and arrogant.

However, Jiang Mingzhe has now upgraded his equipment and is no longer the same as before.

As a non-registered disciple of the Xingxiu Sect who enjoys the same treatment as registered disciples, coming to Wuliang Mountain, a rural place, is like a small-time outsider. Should I have to compromise like I did when I faced Ding Chunqiu?

I tricked Ding Chunqiu back then by kneeling down, but today I'm going to trick him standing up!

His smile vanished instantly, and he stood with his hands behind his back: "Make me kneel down? Go ask your Sikong Xuan, and see if he dares to speak to me like that."

He blurted out the gang leader's name, and the expressions of the gang members immediately changed. They exchanged glances, and one of them turned and ran away.

Before long, twenty or thirty people hurried over. In the middle was a thin old man with a goatee, bushy eyebrows, and triangular eyes. He looked Jiang Mingzhe up and down and sneered, "I thought you were some familiar hero, but it turns out you're just a clueless fool. Kid, tell me the name of your elder. If we really have some connection, I won't mind you mentioning my name so casually. If we don't, hmph, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll just cut off one of your arms to teach you a lesson."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself, "The main client of the Shennong Gang is the Lingjiu Palace of Piaomiao Peak. Tianshan Tonglao hates Ding Chunqiu to the bone. I absolutely cannot reveal the name of the Xingxiu Sect."

However, when you're out in the world, you have to choose your own identity. The name "Starry Sky Sect" might not be as useful as the identity you choose yourself.

He sneered, "I never change my name or surname. I am Long Aotian, the invincible swordsman, a retainer of the Duan family of Tiannan."

The Duan family of Dali was originally a martial arts family. Although they later became royalty, they always referred to people in the martial arts world as the "Duan family of Tiannan" to show that they had not forgotten their roots and did not bully others by taking advantage of their power. They always followed the rules of the martial arts world.

"Long Aotian?" Sikong Xuan's expression changed slightly. He thought to himself that a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Judging from this person's nickname and name alone, even someone with slightly less good fortune would find it hard to live up to his name. Sigh, I didn't check the almanac before going out today. I'm afraid I've kicked a hornet's nest.

However, in the world of martial arts, even if you lose face, you can't lose your dignity. As the leader of a gang, Sikong Xuan, though feeling timid, still had to maintain his composure.

He immediately shouted, "So what if you're from the Duan family of Tiannan? Look at your young age, how much skill do you have to dare to call yourself invincible with the Divine Sword!"

Jiang Mingzhe said coldly, "The title 'Invincible Divine Sword' that I hold is built on the backs of countless lives. If you think it's not impressive enough, I'll add one of your heads to the list."

Sikong Xuan was terrified. He thought to himself, with so many people from our gang stopping him, how could he dare to make such a boast if he didn't have some kind of backing?
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Young man, don't be so arrogant. I have thirty-eight men here, all of whom are famous experts in the martial arts world. If we all rush at you, I don't believe you can take down the Shennong Gang."

Jiang Mingzhe looked up and smiled, without saying much. He extended three fingers of his right hand and lifted his forearm with a whoosh. A bluish-black poison gas immediately appeared in the air, the end of which was connected to his fingers, vaguely resembling a sword shape.

Then he said calmly, "Since Chief Sikong is so confident, today I, Long, will use my Heavenly Demon Bone-Corroding Formless Sword Qi to see if I can defeat the Shennong Gang!"

His inner strength manifested outwards! Sikong Xuan was terrified, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

He had long heard that the Duan family possessed a unique skill called the One-Finger Divine Skill, which was renowned throughout the south and was known as the number one finger technique in the southern martial arts world. It was said that once mastered, one could injure people in mid-air with finger force.

But that was nothing more than an invisible force, far less powerful and domineering than Long Aotian's sword technique!
No wonder the prestigious Duan family of Tiannan had to invite this young man to be their retainer.

Thinking about the name of this sword technique again, "All Heavens Gods and Demons, Bone-Eating Formless," every word of it revealed that it was not to be trifled with. In particular, the word "Bone-Eating" immediately reminded him of the pain of wanting to die immediately when the Life and Death Talisman of Lingjiu Palace was activated.

It's no wonder that Sikong Xuan was timid. In today's martial arts world, who among those who can project their abilities outwards isn't a great master or a big shot who can suppress a region?

Only the internal energy of the Xingxiu Sect, because the poison it incorporates is originally an external substance, can easily manifest itself outside the body by relying on the poison. To say that it is an external release of internal energy is more accurate than saying that it is a release of poison. Moreover, this "sword" is only a facade. It is entirely dependent on Jiang Mingzhe keeping his arm still and constantly forcing out the poison gas to keep it from dissipating. If his arm moves, Sikong Xuan will immediately find that the hand is a hand and the gas is gas, and it has nothing to do with the sword.

However, in this era, information was scarce. Not to mention Sikong Xuan, a country bumpkin from the remote southern border, even the abbot of Shaolin Temple and the leader of the Beggars' Sect might not truly understand the mysteries of the Xingxiu Sect's martial arts.

In short, once Jiang Mingzhe revealed his skill of condensing sword energy, everyone in the Shennong Gang was so terrified that they trembled and dared not even breathe.

Sikong Xuan, being the gang leader, straightened his expression and nodded in admiration: "Indeed, this is the skill of 'Invincible Divine Swordsman' Hero Long! Hero Long, I have long admired your reputation, but the martial world has been in turmoil lately, with many scoundrels impersonating renowned heroes to swindle and deceive. Therefore, I had to be wary and deliberately provoked you to test your authenticity."

He suddenly stamped his foot, "Alas, now that I think about it, I was indeed ignorant. With the bearing and eloquence of Master Long, who could possibly impersonate him? I am ashamed, ashamed, so rude! But Master Long is magnanimous; knowing my good intentions, he will surely not hold it against me."

Sit, please sit, please take a seat of honor. I am an old man, a humble servant.

"I see." Jiang Mingzhe laughed heartily and waved his hand to dispel the poison gas.

"As the saying goes, ignorance is no excuse, especially since Chief Sikong meant well..." Upon hearing Jiang Mingzhe's words, the Shennong Gang members breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Jiang Mingzhe smiled slyly—unbeknownst to him, his smile bore a striking resemblance to Azi's!

"However, I am petty by nature and not a gentleman with any magnanimity. Although Chief Sikong's contempt for me is well-intentioned, if I do not punish him properly, people will think that my Bone-Eating Formless Sword is just a name without substance."

"This..." Sikong Xuan's face stiffened, then he forced a laugh and stretched out his left hand: "It's right, it's right, this old man was blind and cut off his own hand..."

He had just told Jiang Mingzhe to cut off his own arm, and now he thought it was an eye for an eye, but before he could finish speaking, Jiang Mingzhe waved his hands repeatedly.

“I am not such a cruel person. If I say it is a small punishment, then it is a small punishment. Well, I have to go to the mountains of the southern border to take care of something. I have heard that there are many poisonous insects and the miasma is poisonous. Since you call yourselves the Shennong Gang, you must have a lot of miraculous medicines. I will punish you with a batch of medicines. If we meet again in the future, we can be friends.”

Sikong Xuan was overjoyed upon hearing this. The matter could be settled with just a batch of medicinal herbs, which was much cheaper than he had imagined. Moreover, he might even be able to make the connection with a great master. It was an incredibly good deal.

Nodding repeatedly, "Great Hero Long is so kind and righteous, our Shennong Gang will remember you forever. Quickly, bring out all the good medicines you have!"

Before long, a pile of porcelain bottles and jade boxes appeared in front of Jiang Mingzhe. Sikong Xuan explained that there were snake medicine, scorpion medicine, centipede medicine, spider medicine, as well as insect repellent and obstacle-avoiding medicine, and a pile of tonics, such as Ganoderma lucidum, Polygonum multiflorum, Astragalus membranaceus, Panax notoginseng, Angelica sinensis, Cistanche deserticola, Epimedium, etc., all of which were of excellent quality and had been aged for a long time.

Worried that Jiang Mingzhe might have trouble carrying it, they thoughtfully gave him a basket.

Jiang Mingzhe was also happy to make a promise: "These tonics are very much needed by the Prince of Zhennan. It is a great favor for me to give them to him. Haha, thank you very much for the generous gift from Chief Sikong. When Chief Sikong comes to Dali in the future, I will definitely give him a grand welcome."

When the two sides parted reluctantly, Jiang Mingzhe specifically asked about the location of the canyon. Unexpectedly, Sikong Xuan and the others had also passed through this area and did not know it. Jiang Mingzhe had no choice but to continue forward and ask the local natives for directions.

After walking another twenty miles, Jiang Mingzhe was so hungry and thirsty that he had to rest for a while. He lit a fire, roasted a century-old kudzu root, and made do with it. It was powdery but sweet.

As he ate, he rummaged through the basket full of his spoils, finding it increasingly amusing. He thought to himself, "If Azi saw how much I've extorted, she'd be overjoyed."

Thinking of Azi, he swallowed the kudzu root in a few bites and couldn't wait to set off. However, he hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard the sound of metal clashing. He couldn't help but frown: Why is the martial arts world of the Southern Frontier so chaotic?
Just as he was about to dodge, he heard the rapid hoofbeats of a magnificent black horse charging towards him. Jiang Mingzhe was startled and was about to dodge when the horse swerved and gracefully passed by him, disappearing from sight in a flash.

Then came a loud footstep. Jiang Mingzhe wanted to avoid it, but it was too late. He simply walked on. A moment later, dozens of people emerged from the woods. When they saw Jiang Mingzhe, seven or eight of them shouted at the same time, "Who are you, kid? Are you an accomplice of that little bitch?" Another person said, "I think it's most likely. Otherwise, why would that little bitch run here?"

Jiang Mingzhe's anger surged, and he frowned, saying, "What scoundrels and brats? You dare to be so rude! I am Long Aotian, the retainer of the Duan family of Tiannan, also known as..."

Before he could even utter the title "Invincible Divine Sword," two old women among the newcomers cried out in unison, "It's that bastard from the Duan family of Dali! Kill him!"

Before Jiang Mingzhe could react, four or five people were already shouting and charging at him.

(End of this chapter)