Cultivators of the sword are different from ordinary people. Their state of mind should be as calm as water, undisturbed by ripples. When they unleash their power, their swordsmanship is like a rainbow, capable of destroying heaven and earth, unstoppable by anything.
However, Tiansheng had a very fiery temper.
It was difficult to reconcile this with his swordsmanship.
On the other hand, Disheng, a cultivator of fist techniques, was very steady. Normally, fist cultivators tend to be short-tempered, like volcanoes, erupting with thunderous force at the slightest provocation.
Tiansheng said angrily, "The meaning is clear. Hand over those two women."
"No," Lin Fan replied.
His tone was firm.
He felt that the two in front of him were like lunatics, no… perhaps more like neurotics. He didn't recognize them; they were complete strangers. From the moment they arrived, their attitude had been hostile, demanding that he hand over Han Xiaoxiao. Even acquaintances wouldn't act like this.
"Village Chief Lin, do you mean to oppose the Imperial Dynasty?" Disheng inquired, wondering what the situation could be that would make Village Chief Lin defy the Imperial Dynasty rather than hand over the two women.
Could it be… that he hadn't obtained the treasure either?
But judging by his appearance, he had clearly discovered a crucial point, and was very close to it. If he handed the two over to the Imperial Dynasty, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Was that why he was withstanding such immense pressure and continuing to defy the Imperial Dynasty?
"I'm not opposing the Imperial Dynasty. Besides, I'm not familiar with the Imperial Dynasty," Lin Fan said, bewildered. These guys had been saying these things since they arrived, making his head spin. He felt like something wasn't right.
Disheng said, "If you don't want to oppose us, then hand them over."
"No."
"You…"
Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet.
The atmosphere was oppressive.
It was clear that they were saying, "If you don't want to oppose the Imperial Dynasty, then hand them over." But this guy was acting like he'd taken the wrong medicine. He said he wasn't opposing them, but he refused to cooperate.
Han Yan was confused.
She couldn't understand Lin Fan's behavior.
But she knew that it definitely wasn't that simple. A person with such deep thoughts wouldn't do something foolish. There must be a scheme, Han Yan had been speculating all these years.
This kind of thinking was clearly overthinking.
Simply put, it was a bit morbid.
Tiansheng patted Disheng's shoulder. "Talking to him is useless. Let's just take him down. Leave this matter to me; you don't need to interfere."
This time, Disheng didn't say anything more.
He clearly agreed with Tiansheng's suggestion.
"Village Chief Lin, you're courting death," Tiansheng said, slowly walking towards Lin Fan. With each step, a startling aura emanated from him. As his foot landed, the surrounding leaves, as if encountering an invisible force, rustled and scattered in all directions.
In the martial world, if anyone knew that the Sword God Tiansheng was going to make a move, it would definitely attract many onlookers, and most of them would be sword cultivators.
Often, cultivating on one's own was not as good as watching a strong person wield a sword. Learning a move or two would be immensely beneficial.
"Sister, run!"
Han Yan's expression was grave. Once Tiansheng made his move, there would be no chance. His strength was too great; he was already a legendary figure in the martial world. Although they looked middle-aged, they were already over a hundred years old. Their powerful cultivation kept them looking young.
"Sister, I won't go," Han Xiaoxiao shook her head, her face firm. She had never thought of leaving this place. No matter how dangerous, how terrifying, or even if it meant losing her life, she had never considered leaving.
"Do you know what will happen later?" Han Yan gripped her sister's shoulders and scolded her.
Her expression was ferocious, marring her beauty, but anyone would be like this in such a moment.
"I won't go."
Han Xiaoxiao struggled free from her sister's grasp, stubborn as ever. "If you all die, I'll be bullied by others outside. It's better to be with you."
Disheng chuckled softly. "Deep sisterly affection is admirable, but you can't escape."
To Disheng, he felt that these sisters were quite interesting, acting as if he wasn't even there. Tiansheng taking down Village Chief Lin was only a matter of time, and with him holding down the fort, who could escape from under his nose?
Preposterous!
Baseless!
Daydreaming!
Han Yan gradually calmed down. Just as Disheng had said, they couldn't escape. With their strength, they couldn't make a ripple in front of Disheng, not even a small splash.
This was the gap between them.
At this moment, Tiansheng raised his hand and drew the giant sword from his back. "Village Chief Lin, as a member of a former dynasty's aristocratic family, the current dynasty has graciously allowed you to live in seclusion in the mountains. Why wade into these murky waters? Your actions are bringing disaster upon your Lin family."
"This sword hasn't been unsheathed for a long time because there hasn't been anyone worthy of it. As for now, it's not because you are powerful enough, but because your Lin family, as a former dynasty's aristocratic family, possesses a profound foundation and history."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Tiansheng looked at Lin Fan calmly, his eyes filled with brilliance. This was the manifestation of his confidence, his spirit, energy, and essence reaching their peak.
Lin Fan looked at the man in front of him with confusion. The other party had said a lot, but he really didn't understand. He felt like something was strange. Understand or not, that was it.
"I don't understand," Lin Fan shook his head, expressing his confusion.
Tiansheng had never encountered someone so uncooperative. At this point, if the other party cooperated a little, he might have some favorable impression of him.
But now, he had no favorable impression of Lin Fan at all.
"Haha…" Tiansheng laughed awkwardly to dispel his own embarrassment. With a whoosh, the giant sword vanished, reappearing at Lin Fan's throat.
"Are you afraid?"
"No."
"Why? Do you think I won't kill you?"
"No. Because you can't hurt me. Although you are very strong compared to others, in my eyes, you are still very weak. If it were before, I might have wanted to spar with you, but now… forget it. I'm afraid of hurting you."
Lin Fan felt regretful. The feeling of being strong was really uncomfortable. From that time until now, he had only encountered two strong opponents.
Tiansheng stared at Lin Fan in astonishment.
Crazy?
Or had he become mentally confused under this pressure, talking nonsense?
Did he not know what he was saying?
"Haha." Tiansheng laughed loudly and turned his head. "Disheng, did you hear what he said? He actually said I can't hurt him. Don't you find it ridiculous?"
Disheng frowned.
He felt that something wasn't right.
"Don't waste time. Take them away," Disheng said.
Just at this moment, Lin Fan pushed the giant sword's blade with two fingers. "This thing is dangerous. It could easily hurt someone."
He lightly moved his two fingers, but to Tiansheng, it was like seeing a ghost. The giant sword in his hand was completely out of his control, actually moving outwards.
Tiansheng's expression changed drastically. As a Sword God, his giant sword was like an extension of himself. Now, it was being pushed away so easily. To him, this was unimaginable.
"Damn it!"
Tiansheng flicked his wrist, executing exquisite sword techniques, trying to shake off Lin Fan's fingers. But the other party's two fingers seemed to have a magical power, clinging to his giant sword.
Instead, his wrist trembled.
And in an instant, he lost his grip.
Clang!
The giant sword fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Uproar!
The entire scene was shocked.
Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief. No one knew what had happened, but the giant sword was Tiansheng's personal weapon. Even if his head were to fall off, for such a strong person, it would be impossible for his weapon to fall to the ground.
"What happened?"
Disheng asked, more shocked than anything else, as if he had seen a ghost. He couldn't believe it. He had watched carefully and hadn't seen anything strange. The only strange thing was that the other party had just blocked Tiansheng's giant sword with two fingers, and then Tiansheng seemed to have been struck by some terrifying force.
The giant sword suddenly fell.
This kind of situation, for a seasoned sword cultivator, was highly improbable.
How could Tiansheng say that he had just been suppressed by the other party? As someone who cared about his face, how could he tell the truth? Wouldn't that be slapping himself in the face?
Moreover, if he said it out loud, he would probably be laughed to death.
"Nothing, I just wasn't paying attention," Tiansheng said.
Lin Fan bent down, picked up the giant sword at his feet, and handed it back to him with a smile. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Here's your sword."
He had already told the other party.
Your strength is indeed quite good in the eyes of others, but in his opinion, it was truly weak. But for some reason, the other party just wouldn't believe him. He was already restraining his strength.
If he were to make a move, the situation would change, and he might accidentally cause harm.
Tiansheng took the giant sword, looking at him warily, no longer as careless as before.
To him,
At the beginning, he indeed hadn't taken the other party seriously, but only after personally interacting with him did he realize that things were not as he had imagined.
"Good technique, taking advantage of my unpreparedness to flick away my giant sword with two fingers. You have some skill. I'd like to see just how capable you are."
Tiansheng was someone who cared about face.
Encountering this situation, how could he admit defeat? No matter the circumstances, he had to act tough. Besides, it was just a brief exchange; they hadn't gotten serious yet.
"You're not my match," Lin Fan reminded him. He wanted the other party to retreat in the face of difficulties and not act rashly. Sparring inevitably resulted in casualties.
With the other party's strength, he was simply no match for him.
How annoying.
He didn't like fighting against the weak.
The gap between them was too big.
"Hahaha…" Tiansheng laughed loudly, and in a moment, his expression turned serious. Holding the sword, his aura instantly changed. "How bold! I've roamed the martial world for decades and have never seen someone as arrogant as you. Let's test your skills."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tiansheng's eyes sharpened, and a heaven-piercing sword intent erupted from his body.
"Take this!"
Immediately afterwards, Tiansheng soared into the air. The giant sword in his hand radiated brilliance, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. A sword shadow appeared, its sharp aura splitting the air as it fiercely descended towards Lin Fan's head.