Chapter 402 - 194: The End of the Myth
Chapter 402: Chapter 194: The End of the Myth
"River... of Sword Qi!!!"
As Ye Wufeng roared, blood streamed from all seven of his orifices.
What’s more, his skin was bursting open all over his body, soaking his white robes in blood...
This was the final, desperate strike from the Northern Domain Sword God, one fueled by every last ounce of his strength and his very life.
CLANG! RUMBLE!!!
The swords moved, and the clang of metal against metal sounded like the crashing waves of a great river. The tumbling blades surged forth like a cascading torrent, carrying an unstoppable and endless momentum. They sought to overwhelm and obliterate Fang Shuwen, the ’stubborn rock’ in their path.
Fang Shuwen said no more. A deep, resonant hum, like that of a great bell, emanated from his body.
A giant, translucent golden bell materialized, completely enveloping him.
The Twelve-Gate Golden Bell Shield!
DING!!!
As the first sword struck the Golden Bell Shield, it was followed by a relentless barrage, like a downpour on banana leaves, an incessant stream of pings and clangs.
It was like a world-shaking torrent, continuous and without end.
Yet it could never overwhelm the young man within the golden bell. As time passed, the torrent could only fade away like a fleeting cloud of smoke.
Ye Wufeng’s eyes were strained so wide they began to tear at the corners.
His furious roars echoed throughout the Sword Tomb.
’There is perhaps nothing in this world more despairing than giving your absolute all, only to find it’s not enough to change anything.’
He watched helplessly as the swords accumulated by the Sword God Palace over centuries, wielded by his own unprecedented Swordsmanship, the River of Sword Qi, failed to harm his opponent in the slightest, right up to the very end.
Despair, like bitter wine, slowly saturated his heart.
Finally, as the last sword was sent flying by Fang Shuwen’s Golden Bell Shield, it embedded itself diagonally into the wall of the Sword Tomb.
Fang Shuwen’s figure finally vanished from his spot.
In what seemed like a single step, he crossed the entire Sword Tomb and appeared before Ye Wufeng.
Ye Wufeng’s True Qi was completely depleted. Though his eyes could see Fang Shuwen, his hands were powerless.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Fang Shuwen sent Ye Wufeng’s sword flying.
He immediately reached out and seized Ye Wufeng by the collar.
"Do you know why I didn’t let you die by your own sword, even though I could have?"
Ye Wufeng stared coldly at Fang Shuwen.
"Why?"
"At Feng Family Manor, I said I would come to the Sword God Palace and beat you to death, punch by punch."
Fang Shuwen’s gaze was calm, and his tone was casual.
"After all, I’ve made something of a name for myself in the Jianghu.
"A man has to keep his word..."
He wasn’t a man of many words, and having said this much, he had already reached his limit.
And so, a massive fist smashed down on Ye Wufeng’s head.
With a single punch, Ye Wufeng was slammed into the ground.
Fang Shuwen showed no mercy, nor did he hold back. His fists struck like thunder, and fierce booms echoed within the Sword Tomb.
After four or five consecutive punches, he had driven Ye Wufeng’s entire body into the earth. Only then did he stop his assault.
He slowly straightened up and unclenched his fists.
Blood dripped from his fingertips, drop by drop, onto the ground.
Then, he let out a breath.
"The score between me and your Sword God Palace is now settled."
Turning his head, he called out,
"You can come in now."
The first to run in was, of course, Fang Dabao.
Right behind him was Sun Buping.
Last was a portly man dripping with jewels and finery. It was Jin Youdao of the Golden Bell Tower.
The stout man was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes disappearing into his smile.
Fang Shuwen patted Fang Dabao on the head, then glanced at Sun Buping. He was staring blankly at Ye Wufeng’s corpse, seemingly in a daze.
"I never asked. What was the grudge between you and this Ye Wufeng?"
He hadn’t asked before, as there were more important matters at hand. Now that everything was finished, he figured he could ask.
Sun Buping was taken aback. He had thought Fang Shuwen didn’t care.
He sighed.
"It’s not an uncommon story. I had a childhood sweetheart, Qingmei, but this Ye Wufeng stole her love.
"Unfortunately, after giving birth to Ye Bai, she died..."
Those two simple sentences summarized Sun Buping’s tragic life.
Fang Shuwen was stunned. He hadn’t expected to be hit with such a melodramatic soap opera plot at the very end.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "I knew I shouldn’t have asked."
"It’s all in the past now."
Sun Buping thought Fang Shuwen felt bad for opening up his old wounds.
Fang Shuwen rolled his eyes, not bothering to correct him.
He glanced at Jin Youdao.
"Well?"
Jin Youdao’s mind was racing, clacking away like an abacus. His face was a mixture of delight and distress. After wrestling with his thoughts for a long moment, he finally said with a helpless expression:
"Hero Fang... how about we negotiate a bit?"
"Hm?"
Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow.
"Are you trying to renege on our deal?"
"No, no, no!!"
The hairs on Jin Youdao’s entire body stood on end.
’Renege? As if I’d dare!’
’Leaving aside the fact that the Golden Bell Tower never goes back on a deal, even if we did, we could stiff anyone in the world except for the man standing right in front of me!’
Seeing Fang Shuwen’s expression darken, he quickly said,
"Hero Fang, spare me! Please, allow me to explain the details!"
"Speak."
Fang Shuwen uttered a single word.
Jin Youdao hurriedly explained,
"Although I haven’t calculated the exact total yet, from what I can see so far... first of all, the Sword God Palace itself isn’t worth much.
"No sane person would want to live in a godforsaken place like Celestial Jade Mountain.
"So, the buildings... the Golden Bell Tower won’t be buying them."
"Continue..."
Fang Shuwen felt that was perfectly understandable.