The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

The moon was dark, and the stars were few.

A long wind stirs up the dark clouds; it is the night for murder.

The blood-red girl on the rooftop, her face full of childlike innocence, was quietly counting the stars in the sky.

A dark cloud drifted by, obscuring the waning moon.

The girl suddenly frowned, pouted, and complained, "I've already counted all the stars, why hasn't that person who wants to be chopped up shown up yet?"

"How many stars did you count in total?" The boy leaned against the dark eaves.

"Hmm... one hundred and twenty-one," Xiao Tao replied.

Chang'an said, "No, there are clearly 123. You must have missed two. Now, count them again. Once you count them correctly, that person will arrive."

Jiang Xiaotao gritted her teeth and immediately looked up to count again.

She didn't actually believe Chang'an; she was just eager to prove herself right.

Chang'an was preoccupied with only one thing: "Senior Sister is still immersed in the pain of defeat and refuses to come out of the Star Water Secret Realm. In that case, do I still have a sure chance of victory?"

Suddenly, a red shadow streaked across the sky. Following the shadow, the elegant beauty, like a fairy, gracefully descended into the courtyard.

Upon landing, the woman in red lost all her poise and elegance, looking around like a thief, cautiously searching for something.

Chang'an frowned, somewhat disappointed, and said, "It really is her..."

The person who came was none other than Lady Gongsun.

Chang'an approached slowly with extremely quiet steps, while Gongsun Da Niang was completely focused on finding her target and did not notice what was behind her.

This was, after all, a silent movement technique that Chang'an had practiced for three years while being hunted down; it could even completely suppress one's breathing when necessary.

As he slowly brought his sword to Gongsun Da Niang's neck, she suddenly transformed into a crimson shadow and rushed towards him.

Chang'an was so focused on smelling her fragrance that he didn't realize how painful the collision would be.

Once the golden light faded from his eyes, he saw a sharp sword reflecting a white light, and two red scarves carrying a graceful figure drifting by.

Chang'an swung his sword to block, and the three sharp edges converged, instantly enveloping the courtyard in sword energy.

Gongsun Da Niang's sword dance was graceful, and her speed and strength were no less than those of Chang'an.

Moreover, the beauty of her dance and the agility of her swordsmanship were both world-class, forcing Chang'an to fight back with all her might, and for a time, she used all kinds of cunning and ruthless sword techniques.

Unexpectedly, all of his trump cards were perfectly countered by Gongsun Da Niang.

Seeing the corners of the other person's mouth gradually turn upward, Chang'an suddenly realized his mistake and felt foolish:

"She was defeated by the Netherworld Flower Divine Sword just yesterday. How could such a master easily repeat the same mistake?"

These sword techniques are all about surprise attacks in order to achieve a quick victory.

However, all of their moves have been figured out by the enemy, and coupled with their lack of practical experience, after nearly a hundred rounds, Chang'an gradually shifted from a balanced position to a disadvantageous one.

"Damn it! Where's my junior sister? Why hasn't she made a move yet?"

"Sixty-one, sixty-two..." Jiang Xiaotao was still counting stars, oblivious to the two people fighting fiercely below.

Just as Chang'an was feeling distressed, he suddenly remembered the wound on Gongsun Da Niang's left arm.

"With a formidable enemy at hand and our lives at stake, we can no longer concern ourselves with such code of honor!"

Therefore, he toned down his aggressive style and shifted from primarily attacking to primarily defending.

When faced with a right-handed sword, the priority is always to dodge, while focusing all efforts on attacking the sword in her right hand to cause her wounds to ache continuously.

As expected, Gongsun Da Niang's right sword gradually slowed down and its power decreased sharply, and its ferocity was far less than that of her left sword.

Sword dance requires two swords to complement each other, and now that one sword has been broken, the sword dance has lost its former power.

"excuse me."

Chang'an gradually gained the upper hand, but did not pursue the attack relentlessly. Instead, it brought the offensive to a relatively peaceful pace.

The murderous aura vanished instantly, and the fierce battle between the siblings slowly turned into a gentle sparring session.

"Sister Gongsun, this..."

Gongsun Da Niang smiled slightly, "It seems that Young Master Chang'an is an impatient person."

"One hundred and twenty-one... um... haha, it's one hundred and twenty-one, I'm right!"

Jiang Xiaotao leaped down and rushed over, dragging her long sword.

"Xiao Tao, don't kill her!" Chang'an shouted.

Crimson light bloomed in the air, and the black blade, reflecting the pale moonlight, slashed down at the two of them.

Upon seeing this, Chang'an knew he was wrong. Such a person, wielding such a knife, was already a killing machine in itself. How could he hold back?

Chang'an sighed, "Sister Gongsun, please put down your weapon first, I'm afraid..."

"If I lay down my weapon, what will you do?" Gongsun Da Niang asked with a smile.

"Wha...what!?"

Chang'an realized he was wrong again; the black knife was clearly meant to cut him.

Suddenly, a cold wind rushed towards him, and the blade almost crushed his face.

Until the fragrant breeze wafted over, a powerful force pushed him several feet away.

It was Gongsun Da Niang who saved him.

"Jiang Xiaotao! Are you having another episode?!" Chang'an shouted sternly.

Xiao Tao revealed a sinister smile: "I have never been more clear-headed than I am now."

Jiang Xiaotao never gave up on killing Chang'an. The three years of camaraderie between them now seemed like nothing more than fleeting smoke.

She didn't usually make a move because it was too difficult for Xiao Tao to defeat him, so she waited for a good opportunity to kill him.

If the two of them joined forces, Chang'an would have absolutely no chance of survival.

Three years of hard training not only brought about a perfect transformation for Chang'an, but also allowed Xiao Tao's swordsmanship to achieve a qualitative leap.

Her swordsmanship has deeply grasped the essence of the Netherworld Flower Divine Sword, and has developed its own unique style.

Chang'an barely dodged the first slash, and before his sword could even be raised, the second slash came slanting down.

A fierce wind swept through the courtyard, and withered leaves danced in the air.

While hastily dodging, Chang'an also had to keep a close eye on Gongsun Da Niang's movements, as there was absolutely no chance to retaliate.

Xiao Tao's knife is as fast as lightning and unpredictable. But it can also suddenly become as slow as a turtle, simple and straightforward.

If Chang'an keeps hiding, it will be forced into a chaotic situation and become a complete prey for the enemy.

If Chang'an were to seize the opportunity to attack, it would be taking a huge risk to cut through a pile of mud that would not be killed.

This is the "Divine" technique within the Netherworld Flower Divine Sword, which would already be a piece of cake to deal with ordinary experts. Now, with Jiang Xiaotao's immortal body, the biggest flaw of this move has been compensated, and the "Divine" technique has truly reached an invincible level.

Chang'an has always won by using a different tactic.

But suddenly he closed his eyes, his arms fell limply, as if he had given up and was waiting for death.

Fortunately, Xiao Tao's slash was slow; she held it in the air for a long time until she saw that Chang'an had closed his eyes, then she slashed down like a madwoman.

Suddenly, Gongsun Da Niang made her move.

After barely managing to block the blow, I felt my right arm go numb and tingly. No matter what I did, I couldn't unleash the power I used to have with this beautiful sword dance.

Her nimble sword, though it carved sword marks all over Xiao Tao's clay body, could not withstand the massive blade that came crashing down. Every time they clashed, she felt as if her internal organs were being ripped apart.

"Those three siblings are truly more troublesome than the last!" Gongsun Da Niang frowned and thought to herself.

Unable to withstand the attack, Gongsun Da Niang retreated several steps. Jiang Xiaotao did not pursue her, but instead slashed directly at Chang'an, who was practically asleep standing up.

"Give me back my master!!!"

The black blade came hurtling towards them, and Chang'an finally fell.