Chapter 118: The Demon-Slaying Sword

The previous chapter recounted how the enemy surrounded the small estate where the Silver-Bearded Hermit resided, preparing to break down the doors.

Xue Yingxian, burning with rage, prepared to charge out and capture Du Anxun alive. However, the Silver-Bearded Hermit held him back firmly: "Xian’er, do not be reckless! As the saying goes, a fierce tiger cannot overcome a pack of wolves, and a hero is no match for a multitude. With so many enemy soldiers, you must not strike blindly! Go and hide in the secret chamber at once!"

Murong Yan also nodded, saying, "Indeed! The old immortal is right! It is best to find a place to hide and avoid the enemy's锋芒."

Following this, Xue Yingxian led Murong Yan into the secret chamber. Only then did the Silver-Bearded Hermit stride forward to open the gate. Little did he know, the gate had already been smashed open before he reached it! Du Anxun led the charge inside.

"Old man, who are you hiding in here? Why did it take you so long to open the door?!" a soldier who appeared to be a minor leader barked.

"Hahaha! My good sir, look at this small estate of mine—it is barely large enough to hold anything at all!" the Silver-Bearded Hermit replied, calm and unhurried.

The minor leader, seeing the old man’s composure, felt a surge of curiosity. *This old man is quite advanced in years, yet his constitution is robust. Others tremble with fear when they see me, yet this old man possesses no small amount of courage!*

Consumed by irritation, he shouted, "Old man, you’re talking nonsense!" He raised his whip to lash out, but Xue Yingxian caught it firmly in his grip!

"Ouch!..."

Xue Yingxian’s hand was like a pair of iron pliers, squeezing the minor leader’s hand until it trembled uncontrollably. In his unbearable agony, the whip fell from his grasp.

"Xian’er, do not act rashly!" the Silver-Bearded Hermit reprimanded. Xue Yingxian released his grip.

"You... you are courting death!" The minor leader, humiliated and furious, retreated a few steps and waved at his men: "Attack!"

The soldiers leveled their long spears to strike.

"Cease this nonsense! Why are you entangled here?! Go and find the target!" Du Anxun roared, frightening them into retreating. They immediately dispersed to search every corner of the small estate.

"You wait! If Murong Yan is found here, none of you will leave with your lives!" Du Anxun pointed at the master and disciple, then turned away in frustration to join the search himself.

A chaotic clatter of "clanging and banging" ensued. Many earthenware jars and porcelain pieces were smashed, and the courtyard was sent into an uproar, with chickens flying and dogs jumping in a state of total disorder.

Soon, a soldier led out a peach-blossom colored horse. "Report! Military advisor, the enemy's warhorse has been found, but the person is nowhere to be seen!" The soldier reported, his eyes full of suspicion as he looked at the Silver-Bearded Hermit and his disciple.

The two saw the horse and inwardly cursed their own carelessness—how could they have forgotten about the steed? But it was too late to regret. They could only feign indifference, holding their heads high as if the matter had nothing to do with them.

Du Anxun was overjoyed, but upon seeing their nonchalant attitude, his rage flared again. "The horse has been found here; speak! Where is the person hiding?!" he demanded aggressively.

"My good sir, we just happened upon this horse. You ask an old man like me for a person—where am I supposed to find them?" The Silver-Bearded Hermit simply played dumb, feigning total ignorance.

"Nonsense! You have a death wish! I have been searching for a long time and am certain they are in this vicinity! You have the evidence in your hands; how dare you argue?!" Exasperated, Du Anxun waved his hand and commanded, "Bind them and use torture to extract the truth."

Several soldiers stepped forward to seize the Silver-Bearded Hermit and Xue Yingxian. Xue Yingxian, however, stepped forward, punching one man to the ground and sweeping the legs of another. The remaining two were so terrified they stood frozen, not daring to move.

"Lad, I didn't realize you were a martial artist!" Du Anxun was shocked and roared in anger. He waved his hand again, ordering, "Attack!"

The soldiers surged forward with their spears.

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*... Countless spearheads thrust toward them.

The Silver-Bearded Hermit and Xue Yingxian had no choice but to fight, especially since Xue Yingxian had already begun. The Hermit let out a cold laugh and swung his horsetail whisk. A blur of white shadow moved like a swimming dragon, and the numerous spearheads slid past him, failing to even touch the hem of his robes.

Xue Yingxian shouted, "Well come!" Moving like a spinning top, he dodged several thrusts and struck down more soldiers with his fists.

He snatched two long spears from the enemy, causing Du Anxun to retreat repeatedly, shouting, "Attack! Keep attacking!"

In an instant, more soldiers flooded into the courtyard, surrounding the pair tightly.

"Stop! I am the commander here; let these two innocent people go." Just as the battle grew fierce, Murong Yan, hearing the commotion, rushed out from the secret chamber.

"Marshal Murong!" The Silver-Bearded Hermit and Xue Yingxian were astonished.

"Du Anxun, release them! If you have the skill, come for me, Murong Yan!" Murong Yan ignored the others and shouted directly at Du Anxun.

Du Anxun was delighted. Disregarding everything else, he waved his hand: "Take all three of them!"

The soldiers swarmed in. Finding the courtyard too cramped, Du Anxun retreated outside, ordering his troops to surround the estate layer upon layer until it was impenetrable. They drew their bows and waited in formation.

*Bang! Snap!* The Silver-Bearded Hermit struck down two more soldiers and moved closer to Murong Yan. "Marshal, why did you come out? If something happens to you, how could we ever bear the responsibility?!"

"Old immortal, how can you say that? It is I who have implicated you!" Murong Yan drew his two swords, the Green Bamboo and the Red Sleeve. The blades hummed with the wind as he cut down several soldiers.

"Xian’er, protect the Marshal! We are breaking out!" At the Hermit's command, Xue Yingxian wielded the two spears, his movements—blocking, grabbing, thrusting, binding, splitting, and picking—fluid as a dragon and infinitely varied. Even Murong Yan, watching from behind, felt a surge of secret admiration—he was gratified to have found such a fierce warrior.

The enemies wailed and scrambled to dodge. Soon, they fought their way to the main gate. With a loud *bang*, they kicked the gate open and prepared to charge out!

Suddenly, a voice cried, "Fire!"

In an instant, a rain of arrows descended like a storm! Xue Yingxian looked and saw Du Anxun leading the archers. His fury soared. He swung the two spears like windmills, so fast that only the shadows of the weapons were visible, and he kept charging forward.

"Fire! Fire! Shoot him to death!" Du Anxun’s eyes were bloodshot as he desperately ordered his men to continue. The arrow rain grew even denser, a terrifying sight to behold.

Suddenly, with an "Ouch!", Xue Yingxian stumbled, nearly falling. Murong Yan rushed forward, waving his twin swords to deflect the arrows. Glancing back, he saw an arrow deeply embedded in Xue Yingxian’s lower left leg, blood streaming from the wound.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Murong Yan shouted, calling for the Silver-Bearded Hermit to help Xue Yingxian back.

The three retreated inside and slammed the gate shut. The sound of arrows thudding into the wood was incessant; the gate was likely bristling like a hedgehog.

"Old immortal, what do we do now?!" Murong Yan asked, his heart burning with anxiety.

"We can only hold this position and wait for reinforcements!" The Silver-Bearded Hermit had no other plan.

"Master, let me charge out and fight that Du fellow to the death!" Xue Yingxian struggled to stand.

The Hermit barked, "Behave! Are you made of iron?! Can you withstand that many arrows?!"

A heavy silence fell upon the three.

"Old immortal," Murong Yan finally broke the silence, "can your Universe Bag capture those arrows?"

The Silver-Bearded Hermit shook his head: "It cannot!"

Murong Yan was puzzled and asked directly: "Why not?! You said it could capture Du Anxun's bronze swords! If it can catch flying bronze swords, why can it not catch these arrows?"

Before the Hermit could answer, Xue Yingxian spoke up: "Marshal, you do not know—this bag can only capture demonic and evil objects, breaking the enemy's sorcery. These arrows are physical objects, not illusions; how could the bag contain them?"

Murong Yan fell silent. As they stood in apprehension, a *whoosh* sound pierced the air. A long sword flew toward them. It was as fast as lightning and as swift as thunder!

Murong Yan hurriedly raised his sword to parry. *Clang!* He deflected the long sword, but it did not fall to the ground; it hovered in mid-air, its tip pointing at them, trembling as it waited for an opening to strike again!

Murong Yan was terrified. Just as he prepared to strike at it, a voice shouted, "Collect!"

The sword suddenly changed direction, shrank instantly, and was pulled away by a suction force! Murong Yan looked in the direction of the force and was overjoyed—the demonic sword had been captured by the Universe Bag in Xue Yingxian’s hand. The large sword, now inside the small bag, thrashed about, unable to break the seal.

"Return my sword!" A desperate, furious roar came from outside the gate.

Immediately, a second sword, a third, a fourth... they came flying in one after another. In an instant, the sky was filled with long swords, *whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!*—they came like a rain of steel!

Xue Yingxian remained calm and cast the Universe Bag into the air. "Collect!"

With that command, the numerous swords obeyed, shrinking smaller and smaller until they returned to the size of the original small bronze swords and vanished into the bag. Xue Yingxian reached out and called, "Return!" The bag fell into his palm, and he tucked it carefully into his robes.

"Damn it! Fire! Fire! Shoot them to death!" Du Anxun’s desperate, tearful voice betrayed his madness. He ordered the soldiers to fire indiscriminately.

The door panels thudded continuously with the impact of arrows, growing heavier and heavier. The three men struggled to hold the gate against the pressure.

"Shoot at the sky! Shoot at the sky!" Du Anxun’s voice sounded like a death sentence, causing the three to turn pale. If the arrows were fired into the sky, they would descend vertically, and the door would offer no protection!

"Du Anxun, you are despicable! There are many of your own wounded soldiers in this courtyard; do you not fear killing them?!" Murong Yan shouted, hoping to stop the barrage.

The arrows outside indeed ceased.

"Idiots! Who told you to stop?!" came Du Anxun’s furious roar.

"M-my lord, there are still our own brothers in the courtyard..." a soldier stammered.

Before he could finish, a wet *thwack* of a blade entering flesh was heard!

"Agh!" A scream followed.

Du Anxun’s voice was cold and ruthless: "Who dares to disobey my orders? This is what happens to those who do!"

The sound of bowstrings being drawn filled the air, and in the blink of an eye, a new storm of arrows rained down.