Invincible Sword God

"One sword strike to decide life and death."

In the night, the young man drove the carriage swiftly. On the carriage seat, the young girl clung tightly to his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes lightly closed, clearly already asleep.

The young man glanced at the little girl beside him from time to time, his eyes filled with affection.

"You really dote on your sister!"

At this moment, the voice of the mysterious woman suddenly rang out in Ye Xuan's mind.

Hearing the voice, Ye Xuan was slightly startled, then smiled. "I'm her brother. If I don't dote on her, who will?"

The mysterious woman said, "You're a qualified brother."

Ye Xuan chuckled and then asked, "Senior, I've heard that there are sword immortals who can split mountains and cut rivers with a single sword strike. Is that true?"

The mysterious woman replied, "It's true!"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

Sword immortals!

Soaring through the heavens and earth on a sword, taking in the beauty of mountains and rivers—Ye Xuan also dreamed of such a life.

At this moment, the mysterious woman said, "As long as you work hard, you too have a chance to become a sword immortal!"

Ye Xuan grinned. "I will. Once I can control a sword, I'll take my sister to see the world."

The mysterious woman said, "Look at your ambition!"

Ye Xuan laughed heartily and sped up.

An hour later, a faint light appeared on the horizon, signaling the break of dawn. However, it had started to rain!

Ye Xuan looked up. The rain was getting heavier, making it unsuitable to continue traveling.

Ye Xuan increased his speed. Soon, in the distance, nestled in the mountains, he saw a mansion. From his vantage point, the mansion looked somewhat dilapidated and desolate.

Seeing the mansion, Ye Xuan frowned. Why would there be a mansion in such a remote mountain?

He had no intention of stopping, but the rain was getting heavier, accompanied by strong winds, making it impossible to continue.

Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then took out the map Li Yu had given him. On the map, he found his current location, and it wasn't marked as a dangerous area!

Feeling somewhat reassured, Ye Xuan drove the carriage to the front of the mansion. The gate was wide open.

Ye Xuan examined the mansion up close. It was clear that it had been abandoned for a long time, with weeds growing all around the walls.

Seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, Ye Xuan carried Ye Ling into the abandoned mansion. The siblings entered a large hall, where they found two people—a gray-robed old man and a young man about seventeen or eighteen years old. The two were sitting close together, clearly companions.

Seeing Ye Xuan and his sister, the old man glanced at them briefly before looking away. The young man, however, smiled and nodded in greeting.

Ye Xuan nodded slightly in return, then led his sister to sit down nearby.

Ye Xuan started a fire and took out two pheasants to roast.

Seeing this, the young man's eyes lit up, and he walked over to Ye Xuan. "I'm Jiang Muqi. What's your name, brother?"

Ye Xuan glanced at the young man. "Ye Xuan."

Jiang Muqi grinned. "Meeting by chance is fate, don't you think?"

Ye Xuan pointed to the pheasants roasting over the fire. "Want some?"

Jiang Muqi was slightly taken aback, then nodded vigorously.

Ye Xuan handed him one of the pheasants. "It's yours."

Jiang Muqi didn't refuse and took it, slowly roasting it himself.

Jiang Muqi glanced at Ye Xuan and smiled. "Brother, although you're only at the Qi Transformation Realm, your foundation is incredibly solid. It's almost as strong as mine!"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan's hand paused for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "You're unfathomable!"

That was the impression the young man gave him!

In fact, he didn't know that he gave the same impression to the young man!

The young man raised an eyebrow. "Care to spar?"

As if remembering something, he added, "Just a friendly match."

At this moment, the old man not far away suddenly spoke. "Don't bully others."

Hearing the old man's words, Ye Ling, who was beside Ye Xuan, immediately became displeased. She glanced at the old man. "Old man, my brother is very strong too. Maybe he'll be the one bullying your friend!"

The old man looked at Ye Ling. "Is that so?"

Ye Ling turned to Ye Xuan, who smiled slightly. "Let's spar, then."

Ye Xuan and Jiang Muqi walked to the side. Jiang Muqi smiled. "Shall we begin?" Ye Xuan nodded.

As soon as Ye Xuan nodded, Jiang Muqi disappeared from his spot. In the next moment, a fist struck Ye Xuan's chest, but Ye Xuan's fist also landed on Jiang Muqi's chest!

Bang! Bang!

Both of them were sent flying backward, each retreating more than a dozen steps before coming to a stop almost simultaneously!

Opposite Ye Xuan, Jiang Muqi examined him with a look of surprise. "Your physical body is even stronger than I imagined!"

Ye Xuan said, "So is yours."

The punch he had just thrown felt like hitting an iron plate!

Jiang Muqi smiled. "Our Jiang Kingdom is truly full of talented people. Since leaving the palace, I've met..."

"Ahem!"

At this moment, the old man not far away coughed lightly.

Jiang Muqi gave the old man a helpless look. "Elder Ge, if we're always so cautious while traveling, what's the point?"

The old man shook his head. "The outside world is full of complicated people."

Jiang Muqi smiled. "It's fine. This brother here seems like a straightforward person, not the scheming type."

With that, he turned to Ye Xuan and cupped his hands. "Brother Ye, I am Jiang Muqi, the tenth prince of the Jiang Kingdom!"

A prince!

Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter a prince of the Jiang Kingdom in such a place!

Regaining his composure, Ye Xuan cupped his hands in return. "Ye Xuan, just a nobody."

Hearing this, Jiang Muqi laughed. "Brother Ye, with your strength, it's only a matter of time before you make a name for yourself!"

Ye Xuan shook his head and said nothing. He had never cared for fame—such things could often be deadly!

At this moment, the rain began to lighten.

The old man stood up. "Your Highness, it's time to go."

Jiang Muqi nodded slightly. He picked up the golden-brown roasted pheasant and turned to Ye Xuan. "Brother Ye, I have to head elsewhere now. Farewell!"

As if remembering something, he took out a token and handed it to Ye Xuan. "Brother Ye, this is my personal token. It might be of some use in the capital. Don't refuse it, or I won't dare to eat this pheasant!"

Ye Xuan glanced at Jiang Muqi, then accepted the token.

Seeing Ye Xuan take the token, Jiang Muqi grinned. "Until we meet again!"

With that, he and the old man turned and disappeared through the mansion's entrance.

Ye Xuan watched their retreating figures, lost in thought for a long time.

Outside the mansion, the old man said in a low voice, "Your Highness, are you trying to win him over?"

Jiang Muqi smiled faintly. "He's a sword cultivator, but earlier, without even drawing his sword, he was able to match me evenly. If he had drawn his sword, I might not have been able to defeat him!"

As he spoke, he glanced back at the abandoned mansion. "As expected of someone who caught An Lanxiu's attention. It was worth traveling all this way."

The old man hesitated, then said, "Although this person has a solid foundation and impressive combat strength, he's still a lone wolf with no family or sect backing him. His future prospects are limited. Moreover, without a family or background, he would be of little help to Your Highness. That's probably why the Crown Prince and the Ninth Princess didn't send anyone to Qingcheng."

Jiang Muqi chuckled. "The Crown Prince's mother is from the Yu family, the second most powerful family in the Jiang Kingdom. Even His Majesty has to show them some respect. As for my ninth sister, she commands nearly half of the kingdom's military forces. Naturally, they wouldn't bother with ordinary talents."

The old man said, "Then why did Your Highness travel all this way?"

Jiang Muqi said softly, "I have no advantages compared to them. They can afford to be arrogant, but I can't. Perhaps my efforts today will yield a powerful ally in the future."

The old man shook his head. Sword cultivators were indeed rare, but being a sword cultivator alone wasn't particularly meaningful unless one became a Sword Master. And becoming a Sword Master was incredibly difficult!

The Jiang Kingdom had only one Sword Master!

And that person was already ninety years old!

The Jiang Kingdom hadn't produced a Sword Master in nearly fifty years!

...

Inside the hall.

"Brother, was that person really a prince?" Ye Ling asked curiously.

Ye Xuan nodded. "Most likely."

Ye Ling said softly, "It seemed like he was waiting here for you on purpose!"

Ye Xuan glanced at Ye Ling and smiled. "In aristocratic families, people often form alliances to strengthen their influence. That's even more true for the royal family."

As he spoke, he gently rubbed Ye Ling's head. "Right now, I just want to cure your illness. I have no interest in power struggles or politics." Ye Ling hugged Ye Xuan tightly. "Brother, will I be able to cultivate in the future?"

Ye Xuan smiled. "Of course you will. But even if you can't, it's okay. I'll work hard to become stronger and protect you for the rest of your life!"

Ye Ling smiled sweetly and hugged Ye Xuan even tighter. "Even though I want you to protect me, I also want to protect you."

Just as Ye Xuan was about to respond, a voice suddenly came from the side. "What a touching sibling bond!"

As the voice fell, an old man walked in!

It was Qin Yue, the elder from the Qin family.

Seeing him, Ye Xuan's right hand slowly clenched into a fist. He glanced at Ye Ling. "Step aside."

Ye Ling looked at the old man, then said softly, "Brother, be careful!"

With that, she obediently moved to the side.

Qin Yue examined Ye Xuan. "Hand over those spirit stones, and I'll leave you and your sister with intact corpses."

Ye Xuan's fists clenched tightly, his face pale, but he said nothing.

Qin Yue sneered. "What, you want to fight? You're only at the Qi Transformation Realm, while I'm at the Void Treading Realm! Killing you would take no effort at all!"

Although he said this, he remained on guard.

Having lived this long, he wasn't foolish enough to underestimate his opponent!

Ye Xuan said in a deep voice, "If I hand over the spirit stones, will you let my sister and me live?"

Qin Yue narrowed his eyes. "Bargaining?"

As he spoke, his right hand slowly clenched into a fist. In an instant, his robes billowed, and he looked like a lion ready to pounce.

Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then took out the black pouch and tossed it toward Qin Yue. Seeing the pouch, Qin Yue's heart leaped with joy. He quickly caught it, but at that moment, Ye Xuan suddenly appeared in front of him!

Qin Yue's expression didn't change. He sneered, "I knew you'd try something!"

As he spoke, his right hand flipped upward, then slammed downward.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound of air being torn apart echoed through the hall.

Bang!

Ye Xuan's fist had barely moved before he was sent flying, crashing into the wall several feet away.

The old man didn't stop after knocking Ye Xuan back. Instead, he charged forward, heading straight for Ye Xuan. Not far away, Ye Ling's face turned pale. "Brother!"

She rushed to Ye Xuan's side and hugged him tightly!

The old man's palm didn't stop. It continued toward the siblings, aiming directly at Ye Ling!

Seeing this, Ye Xuan's eyes widened in horror. For a moment, his mind went blank.

The old man's palm was getting closer.

At this moment, Ye Xuan suddenly pulled Ye Ling behind him. In the next instant, the Lingxiao Sword appeared in his hand. A low hum of the sword echoed through the hall.

With this sword strike, he had only one thought!

One sword to decide life and death!

At the same time, the mysterious woman's voice suddenly rang out in the Prison Tower. "This guy... only when someone threatens his sister does he show such intense fighting spirit..."