Capital Gods and Demons Bone-Corroding Formless Sword Qi

Jiang Mingzhe was in a rush to reunite with A Zi and had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble. His initial plan was to either trade banter or play the coward to brush them off and be on his way.

To his surprise, before he could even utter a word, the other party adopted such an overbearing attitude, demanding that he kneel to answer their questions.

For a moment, he was so angry that he laughed out loud. Characters like the Promethean Sect belonged at the table reserved for women and children in the original text; he never expected them to be so rampant.

Yet, upon second thought, it seemed quite natural. Placed alongside the Beggar Sect, Shaolin Temple, the Duan Family of Dali, or the Murong Family of Gusu, the Promethean Sect was indeed less than a fart. But within the broader Jianghu, they likely still held some measure of strength.

The Vulture Palace had dispatched them to deal with the Wuliang Sword Sect, and the Promethean Sect from top to bottom brimmed with absolute confidence, practically akin to using a big pair of trousers to catch a black bear—an absolute breeze.

This was much like the wealthiest man in a county town; while he might not even rank in the city or provincial levels, it in no way hindered his wealth and habitual arrogance.

However, Jiang Mingzhe was no longer what he used to be, having upgraded his equipment entirely.

As a non-registered disciple enjoying registered disciple status within the Mount Stars Sect, arriving in this rural backwater of the Wuliang Mountains made him somewhat akin to a fierce dragon crossing the river on a small boat. Did he really need to humble himself as he once did when facing Ding Chunqiu?

When he deceived Ding Chunqiu back then, he had to do it on his knees; today, this daddy would deceive people while standing proudly on his feet!

Instantly收起 his smile, he stood with his hands behind his back and declared, "Make me kneel? Go ask your Sect Master Sikuang Xuan if he dares to speak to me like this."

The moment he dropped the sect master's name, the expressions of the gang members instantly shifted. Exchanging glances, one of them turned tail and bolted.

Before long, twenty or thirty people hurried over. In the center was a lean, elderly man with a wispy goat beard, broom-like eyebrows, and triangular eyes. His demeanor was intensely haughty. After sizing Jiang Mingzhe up from head to toe, he sneered, "I thought it was some familiar hero of renown, but it turns out to be an unacquainted madman. Boy, state the names of your elders. If we truly share some friendship, I won't bother calculating your audacity in casually tossing about my name. But if there is no friendship, well—heh heh—I won't make things difficult for you; I'll just snap one of your arms to help you remember this lesson."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself that the Promethean Sect's primary backer was the Vulture Palace of the Etthereal Peak. Since Childish Grandma of Tianshan utterly despised Ding Chunqiu to the bone, he absolutely must not reveal his affiliation with the Mount Stars Sect.

Yet, when traveling away from home, one's identity was entirely self-crafted. The three words "Mount Stars Sect" might not necessarily prove more useful than the identity he fashioned for himself.

He sneered coldly, "I never change my name when I travel, nor do I hide it when I stay. I am the retainer specially engaged by the Duan Family of Tiannan, the 'Invincible Divine Sword' Long Aoetian."

The Duan Family of Dali was originally a martial arts family. Although they later became the imperial household, whenever they dealt with people from the martial arts world, they consistently styled themselves as the "Duan Family of Tiannan" to demonstrate that they had not forgotten their roots, nor did they rely on power to bully others, strictly adhering to the rules of the Jianghu.

"Long Aoetian?" Sikuang Xuan's expression shifted slightly. He figured that a man's reputation was like a tree's shadow; just judging by this person's alias and name, anyone with even slightly thin fortune would find it hard to shoulder. Alas, he hadn't checked the almanac before going out today; it seemed he had kicked an iron plate.

Yet, once a man was in the Jianghu, even if the donkey fell, its frame must not collapse; one could lose the battle, but never the aura. As a dignified sect master, even if Sikuang Xuan felt a twinge of cowardice, he still had to put up a front.

He immediately shouted, "So what if you're from the Tiannan Duan Family? Considering how young Your Excellency is, just how much skill could you possibly possess to dare style yourself the Invincible Divine Sword!"

Jiang Mingzhe coldly retorted, "These four words of mine—the Invincible Divine Sword—were piled up using human heads one by one. If you feel they aren't resounding enough, adding your head to the pile wouldn't hurt."

Sikuang Xuan felt his heart leap into his throat with fright, thinking that with so many members of his sect blocking a single individual, if this man didn't possess some substantial backing, how dare he utter such boastful words?

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Young man, don't be so arrogant. I have thirty-eight men here, all renowned experts in the Jianghu. If we all swarm you together, this old man refuses to believe you can single-handedly wipe out the Promethean Sect."

Jiang Mingzhe threw his head back and laughed, dispensing with further words. He extended three fingers of his right hand and swiftly jerked his forearm upward. Immediately, a cyan-black toxic Qi materialized in the air, its trailing end connected to his fingers, vaguely forming the shape of a sword.

Only then did he calmly say, "Since Sect Master Sikuang is so confident, today Long will use this Heavenly God-Demon Bone-Eroding Formless Sword Qi to test whether I can wipe out the Promethean Sect!"

Internal energy projected outward and visible to the naked eye! Sikuang Xuan's soul nearly left his body, his eyeballs practically popping out of their sockets.

He had long heard that the Duan Family possessed a peerless martial art called the One-Sun Finger, renowned throughout Tiannan as the number one fingering technique in the Tiannan martial arts world. It was said that when practiced to the pinnacle, one could injure people from afar with finger force alone.

Yet that was merely formless Qi energy, far from the awe-inspiring and tyrannical display of this Long Aoetian condensing Qi into a sword!

No wonder the dignified Tiannan Duan Family actually had to hire this young man as a retainer.

When he recalled the name of this sword technique—Heavenly God-Demon, Bone-Eroding Formless—every single word exuded an aura of someone not to be trifled with. The phrase "bone-eroding" in particular immediately reminded him of the agony he felt when the Vulture Palace's Life-Risking Charm acted up, a pain so intense he wished he could die instantly.

It wasn't that Sikuang Xuan lacked courage; in the current martial arts world, who among those capable of projecting internal energy outward wasn't a grand master or a major figure suppressing an entire region?

Only the internal cultivation methods of the Mount Stars Sect relied on toxic forces that were originally external foreign agents. By using toxicity as their foundation, they could easily manifest forms outside the body. Calling it internal energy projection was far less accurate than calling it releasing poison.

Moreover, this "sword" was all show and no substance, relying entirely on Jiang Mingzhe holding his arm rigidly still while continuously forcing out toxic Qi to maintain its shape without dispersing. The moment he moved his arm, Sikuang Xuan would instantly discover that a hand was a hand, Qi was Qi, and it had not a single copper coin's relation to a sword.

Yet in this era of isolated information, let alone a bumpkin like Sikuang Xuan isolated in the southern frontiers, even the abbot of Shaolin or the master of the Beggar Sect might not truly understand the profound mechanism behind the Mount Stars Sect's martial arts.

In short, the moment Jiang Mingzhe displayed this skill of condensing Qi into a sword, everyone in the Promethean Sect trembled in their boots, not daring to draw a full breath.

Sikuang Xuan was a sect master after all. Composing his expression, he nodded in admiration, "Indeed the methods of the 'Invincible Divine Sword' Hero Long! Hero Long, actually, this insignificant old man has long admired your heroic name. It's just that the Jianghu has been turbulent lately, with many petty scoundrels masquerading as renowned heroes to swindle people, which is why I had to be on my guard and intentionally provoke you to test your authenticity."

With that, he suddenly stamped his foot. "Ah, thinking back now, it was merely due to this insignificant old man's shallow knowledge. In truth, given Hero Long's magnificent bearing and eloquence, who could possibly masquerade as you? How shameful, how shameful; what an offense, what an offense. However, Hero Long is magnanimous and knows that my intentions were originally good, so you surely won't bear to blame me."

Sit, please sit, take the seat of honor, this daddy, this old man, this insignificant old man.

"So that's how it is." Jiang Mingzhe laughed heartily and waved his hand, dispersing the toxic Qi.

"As the saying goes, those who don't know are not guilty, especially since Sect Master Sikuang meant well..." With Jiang Mingzhe putting it this way, the members of the Promethean Sect all let out heavy sighs of relief and broke into smiles.

Jiang Mingzhe offered a sly smile—though he might not have realized it himself, this smile bore a striking resemblance to A Zi!

However, Long is petty by nature and no magnanimous gentleman. Since Sect Master Sikuang held me in such contempt—even if your intentions were good—if I don't administer a minor punishment, word will spread, and outsiders will think my Bone-Eroding Formless Sword is all reputation and no substance."

"This..." Sikuang Xuan's face stiffened, followed by a forced laugh as he extended his left hand. "It is only right, it is only right. This insignificant old man had eyes but failed to recognize a master; I shall sever one hand..."

Earlier, he had demanded that Jiang Mingzhe sever his own arm, so he assumed the man was now exacting an eye for an eye. Before his voice trailed off, however, Jiang Mingzhe waved his hands repeatedly.

"Long is not such a cruel person. A minor punishment means just a minor punishment. Well, Long is heading into the deep mountains of the southern frontier on a matter. I hear venomous insects are numerous there and the miasma is intensely toxic. Since you style yourselves the Promethean Sect, you must possess an abundance of miraculous medicines. I shall penalize you with a batch of medical supplies as your punishment. From this day forth, whenever you and I cross paths, we shall be friends."

Upon hearing this, Sikuang Xuan was ecstatic. Being able to settle the matter simply by handing over a batch of medicinal ingredients was far cheaper than he had imagined, and who knows, he might even forge a connection with a grand master—it was an exceptionally profitable trade.

He nodded repeatedly, "Hero Long is supremely benevolent and righteous; my Promethean Sect will engrave this in our hearts! Quick, quick, quick, bring out all the fine medicines we have on us!"

Before long, a pile of porcelain bottles and jade boxes appeared before Jiang Mingzhe. Sikuang Xuan diligently explained them: there were snake medicines, scorpion medicines, centipede medicines, spider medicines, insect-repelling and miasma-evading concoctions, as well as a pile of restorative tonics—Ganoderma lucidum, Polygonum multiflorum, astragalus, Panax notoginseng, angelica, Cistanche deserticola, Epimedium, and so forth, all of which were top-tier treasures of great age and exquisite quality.

Fearing that Jiang Mingzhe might find them inconvenient to carry, he even thoughtfully provided him with a bamboo back-basket.

Jiang Mingzhe was more than happy to make all sorts of promises in return, "The Prince of Zhennan is in dire need of these restorative tonics. Gifting them to others will earn Long no small favor. Haha, many thanks for your generous bestowal, Sect Master Sikuang. Another day when the Sect Master visits Dali, Long will certainly entertain you with utmost hospitality."

As both parties reluctantly parted ways, Jiang Mingzhe even specifically inquired about the location of that gorge. Unexpectedly, Sikuang Xuan and his group had merely been passing through the area and knew nothing of it, leaving Jiang Mingzhe with no choice but to press forward and ask local natives for directions.

After walking another twenty-odd li or so, Jiang Mingzhe grew parched and hungry, forcing him to take a brief rest. He lit a campfire and roasted a century-old kudzu root, making do with it to fill his stomach; powdery and sweet, it was surprisingly palatable.

As he ate, he sorted through the bounty filling his basket, finding it more amusing the more he thought about it. He figured that if A Zi saw how much loot he had extorted, her heart would surely blossom with joy.

Thinking of A Zi, he swallowed the last bites of the kudzu root and eagerly resumed his journey. However, he had not walked far when the sound of clashing metal drifted over, causing him to frown: Why is the martial arts world in the southern frontier so chaotic?

Intending to avoid the trouble, he suddenly heard the rapid thunder of hooves as an exceptionally spirited black horse charged fiercely toward him. Startled, Jiang Mingzhe prepared to dodge, but the horse swerved gracefully, skimming past him with nimble ease before vanishing around a bend in the blink of an eye.

Immediately afterward, heavy footsteps erupted. Jiang Mingzhe realized it was too late to hide, so he simply continued walking openly. Within moments, dozens of figures burst out from the woods. Upon spotting Jiang Mingzhe, seven or eight of them shouted in unison, "Who is this punk? Could he be an accomplice of that little bitch?" Another chimed in, "I reckon he's most likely one. Otherwise, why would that little bitch have fled in this direction?"

Anger surged within Jiang Mingzhe, and he frowned, demanding, "What bitch, what punk? Show some respect, you lot! I am Long Aoetian, retainer of the Tiannan Duan Family, known to all as—"

Before he could even spit out the "Invincible Divine Sword" moniker, two elderly hags among the newcomers shrieked in unison, "It's a bastard from the Duan Family of Dali! Slaughter him!"

Before Jiang Mingzhe could react, four or five men were already shouting battle cries as they charged at him.