Upon hearing Duan Langcai's words, the two were instantly taken aback.
Even his grandfather was mentioned, making it clear that this elder was not a pretentious person. This made them somewhat envious of Duan Langcai.
"If the elder isn't just all talk, why were you injured and in such a state of despair?" The woman surnamed Fang asked, baffled.
A glint of reverence flashed in Duan Langcai's eyes as he said, "When our sect master was still young, my grandfather was already a well-known figure. Unfortunately, he suffered heavy injuries in the Forbidden Land of Life a few years back, losing all his cultivation. He then chose to hide his identity and came to the Nether State to recuperate. Now that his injuries have healed, he should be able to recover his peak cultivation within a few days."
Here, Duan Langcai sighed and continued, "I merely performed the Ghost Shadow Sword once and explained the method to my grandfather. He pointed out six errors to me. He said that if these six errors could be corrected, the Ghost Shadow Sword could indeed reach Heaven-level, and even break through to the Spiritual Level. I earnestly implored him, but he insisted that I comprehend it myself. If I could, would I still be like this?"
Upon hearing this, the young man surnamed Lv sneered, "You believe him just because he said that? I can also point out six errors for you."
"Lv, if you insult my grandfather again, even if it means offending the Gold Sun Sect, I, Duan Langcai, will kill you!" Duan Langcai glared fiercely at the young man surnamed Lv.
The young man surnamed Lv smirked, "Isn't what I said true?"
"True?" Duan Langcai scoffed, "If you saw how terrifying my grandfather's Ghost Shadow Sword truly is, you wouldn't say such things."
The woman surnamed Fang was startled, "The elder also knows the Ghost Shadow Sword? Isn't it a secret of the Sword Servant Sect?"
Duan Langcai bitterly smiled and said, "Indeed, but what my grandfather performed was indeed the Ghost Shadow Sword. Moreover, he suppressed his cultivation to the sixth level of the Nascent Stage to execute it, and that alone injured me to this extent. I am certain that my grandfather's Ghost Shadow Sword is at least of Heaven-level, if not Spiritual Level!"
"What?" The woman surnamed Fang and the young man surnamed Lv were greatly shocked.
If it was a Heaven-level Ghost Shadow Sword, then it seemed that the Ghost Shadow Sword practiced by Duan Langcai was not the true Ghost Shadow Sword. The young man surnamed Lv looked somewhat gleeful as he looked at Duan Langcai, then said hopefully: "I wonder if the elder knows the Golden Sun Fist."
Duan Langcai snorted disdainfully, "That's my grandfather, even the sect master of my Sword Servant Sect has to respectfully acknowledge him as their senior when they meet him. Why would he know your Gold Sun Sect's Golden Sun Fist?"
"What's so great about that?" The young man surnamed Lv scoffed.
The woman surnamed Fang gave Duan Langcai a strange look, asking: "Then what will you do?"
Duan Langcai shook his head and sighed, "Upon returning this time, after informing the sect master, I'll be focusing on cultivation in seclusion to comprehend the Heaven-level Ghost Shadow Sword. My grandfather said that we'll see each other again if it's fated. I have a feeling that we will eventually reunite."
...
After the three had left, Yang Zhen poked his head out of the cave. Seeing that they were already gone, he came out without worry.
"This time I've struck it rich!" Yang Zhen mumbled to himself cheerfully.
Not only did he elevate the Shangyuan Ancient Scripture to Spiritual Level, but he also gained the Spirit Marrow Cleansing. Although he didn't get the Red Candle Fruit, he somehow tricked them into revealing the Ghost Shadow Sword.
With a joyful heart, Yang Zhen hummed a tune all the way back to the Shangyuan Sect.
Before he had a chance to rest, Yang Zhen received news that the sect master wished to see him and asked him to rush to the main hall immediately.
Yang Zhen did not doubt it. He figured that the reason why his master wanted to see him was probably because the cultivation of the Heaven-level Dayan Wind and Thunder Sword by his Senior Sister had been discovered by the sect master. After all, given the sect master's strength, it would have been easy for him to sense the power fluctuations of the Heaven-Level martial skill at Changyue Peak.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Yang Zhen was startled by the group of people in front of him. When he recognized a familiar figure in the crowd, his heart suddenly pounded, and he immediately turned to leave.
"Yang Zhen, since you're here, come in!" Sect Master Lu Chenghui's voice echoed throughout the hall, and everyone's gaze turned towards Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen turned around awkwardly, scratching his head, answered "Oh" and headed back into the hall.
"It's you!" Duan Langcai pointed at Yang Zhen with a startled cry, as if he had seen a ghost:
"You're Yang Zhen? A disciple of the Shangyuan Sect?"
Yang Zhen flashed a grin at Duan Langcai, greeting him, "You're here too. What a coincidence."
What freaking coincidence!
Duan Langcai cried out with an odd sound, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. He fell to his knees before a middle-aged man, wailed, "Sect Master, you must stand up for me."
This startled everyone, and they all gaped at Duan Langcai, not understanding why.
Lu Cheng looked at Duan Langcai strangely and asked in a peculiar tone, "Nephew Lu, what's wrong with you? Why do you spit blood at the sight of my disciples?"
Disciple... his disciple?
Duan Langcai dumbly looked at Yang Zhen, his face full of confusion.
Yang Zhen was indeed a disciple of the Shangyuan Sect. Had he actually been calling an ordinary disciple of the Shangyuan Sect grandfather this whole time?
Thinking of this, Duan Langcai immediately wailed, and the long sword in his hand suddenly erupted with a terrifying black light, rushing towards Yang Zhen in fury and despair.
"I will kill you!"
Duan Langcai, furious to the point of madness, charged at Yang Zhen with bloodshot eyes. The black light from his long sword flared up, surging like thunder.
Yang Zhen quickly hid behind Changyue Real Man, peeked out his head, and said, "Master, is this man a madman? Why does he try to kill people as soon as he sees them?"
Changyue Real Man snorted coldly, and with a casual wave, a powerful force struck Duan Langcai, sending him flying back with a bang.
Duan Langcai fell next to the middle-aged man, spat out another mouthful of fresh blood, and clung desperately to the man's leg, wailing continuously, "Sect Master, it's him, it's him, it's him!"
"Our hero... little Nezha?" Yang Zhen blinked and seriously answered.
Puft!
Duan Langcai spat out yet another mouthful of fresh blood, like a fountain, splattering a large area on the ground.
"Langcai, pull yourself together!" The middle-aged man shouting sternly was no one else but Wan Quan, the Sect Master of the Sword Servant Sect. He frowned at Yang Zhen and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Duan Langcai took a deep breath, pointed at Yang Zhen, and said, "He... he pretended to be my grandfather!"
Split!
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoning, who was standing next to Changyue Real Man, burst out laughing.
On the side of the Shangyuan Sect, many disciples also started laughing, giving Duan Langcai strange looks.
However, everyone on the side of the Sword Servant Sect was looking at each other, unsure of what had happened. How did their senior brother Duan suddenly gain a grandfather while he was away?
"Pretend to be your grandfather?" The middle-aged man was none other than the Sect Master of the Sword Servant Sect, Wan Quan!
Wan Quan pulled Duan Langcai up and asked, "What exactly happened? Isn't he supposed to be a venerable elder?"
Duan Langcai slowly recounted everything that had happened in the cave. The entire hall fell silent, and everyone looked at Yang Zhen with astonishment.
Bad! Utterly wicked!
How had they not noticed before that Yang Zhen was so wicked? But... it was hilarious!
Someone started giggling, followed by more laughter. All the disciples of the Shangyuan Sect burst out laughing.
Even the usually dignified and elegant Liu Ruoning was bent over laughing, and she gave Yang Zhen an annoyed thump.
Changyue Real Man pursed his lips, trying not to laugh but unable to help his shoulders from shaking.
"Preposterous! Absolutely preposterous!" Wan Quan turned livid. With a thunderous boom, he released a terrifying surge of energy that swept through the entire hall in a second. He pointed at Lu Cheng and shouted, "Lu Cheng, you heard it too. If you can't give a satisfactory explanation to the Sword Servant Sect today, we will never rest till we're even!"