Chapter 704: 704 shocks everyone, ’brothers’ share deep bond
Following that, an eye-catching crimson light flooded the sky. Mu Hanfeng’s sword energy tore through the void, condensing into a fiery Gray Dragon, its body blazing with flames as it clawed its way into Mu Ziping’s Nine Heavens waterfall.
With a "boom," a loud crash echoed as the Gray Dragon burst through the ice and snow waterfall, shooting straight into the clouds, as if to tear a giant hole in the thousand-mile sky.
The ice and snow waterfall, created from the condensed Qi of Mu Ziyun, shattered like fragile soap bubbles. The surrounding air twisted and chaotic sword energy spread in all directions like shock waves.
Apart from a few experts like Mu Rui’an and Mu Hanyan, the rest of the young members of the Mu Family, including Mu Ze, were thrown into disarray by the shock.
"Chi Xiao Sword, impossible, how could you possibly have the Chi Xiao Sword!" In the middle of the field, Mu Ziping spat out a mouthful of blood, staring incredulously at the words "Chi Xiao" on the longsword in Mu Hanfeng’s hand before coughing up another mouthful of blood.
At that moment, Mu Ziping’s hair was disheveled, his body bore patches of charred flesh from the searing flames, and he continuously vomited blood, clearly suffering severe damage to his internal organs.
Yet that was not the worst of it; the worst part was that his True Water Sword had been broken into two pieces.
Although the divine swords passed down in the Mu Family were known as Divine Swords, they were merely far superior in quality compared to ordinary blades. How could they compare to the legendary Chi Xiao Sword?
The Chi Xiao Sword was a true Divine Artifact. Even those few who had possessed the Chi Xiao Sword in the past were famous because of the sword. Without the Chi Xiao Sword, whether they could have become extraordinary masters of their time is still a matter for debate.
"The Chi Xiao Sword! It’s actually the Chi Xiao Sword!" Staring at the legendary divine artifact in his hand, Mu Hanfeng also experienced a momentary daze.
He had been worried that the sword given to him by Mu Hanyan wouldn’t withstand his Sword Master’s power, so he had held back some of his strength. After all, this was the first official gift from Mu Hanyan, and he was reluctant to damage it.
But who would have thought that it was, in fact, the legendary Chi Xiao Divine Sword.
It was fortunate that he had held back some of his strength, otherwise, Mu Ziping would no longer be alive.
Holding the Chi Xiao Sword, Mu Hanfeng’s eyes also moistened. Compared to it, the grade of the Cold Sky Sword he gave to Mu Hanyan was unknown how much lower. If it had been someone else, for such a divine artifact, it wouldn’t have been surprising for them to turn against their own master or sibling in brutality. Yet, Mu Hanyan had unhesitatingly given it to him.
But how could he accept such a gift with a clear conscience?
Mu Hanfeng looked towards Mu Hanyan, about to speak.
"If you still consider me family, then keep it well and protect yourself. Don’t make me worry," Mu Hanyan spoke first, sensing what Mu Hanfeng wanted to say.
Her voice was calm and strong, filled with concern and affection for her brother, along with a newfound authority she had never exhibited before.
"Mhm." Looking at Mu Hanyan, Mu Hanfeng found himself unable to utter a single word, merely nodding vigorously in response.
Silence engulfed the surroundings. Shocked by the divine might of the Chi Xiao Divine Sword and touched by the deep brotherly affection between the "siblings" Mu Hanyan and Mu Hanfeng, Mu Ze and the others were profoundly moved, even forgetting to cheer.
"Ziping, what’s wrong with you, what happened to you!" Just then, the frantic and sorrowful cries of Mu Yunshui echoed in everyone’s ears.
People turned their heads to look, only to see Mu Ziping not only spitting out fresh blood but also seeping fine streaks of blood from the pores of his skin, clearly indicating his meridians had ruptured severely.
For a typical swordsman, aside from the Dantian Qi Sea where Qi is refined and stored, the meridians are of utmost importance. Though the Mu Family’s Heavenly Heart Technique focuses on the Heart Meridian, the meridians are still equally crucial. Injuries like these could cause great damage to Mu Ziping’s cultivation, possibly leaving him unable to surpass the peak of a Great Swordsman, much like the fate his father met, for the rest of his life.
Mu Shuiyun’s fingers flickered rapidly across Mu Ziping, sealing his meridian points one after another, then took out more than a dozen bottles of elixirs, pouring them all into Mu Ziping’s mouth without hesitation.
Even from a distance, everyone could smell the faint fragrance of the elixirs, which was still refreshing to the senses—there was no need to guess, everyone knew that these were top-grade healing pills, incredibly valuable and hard to come by.
Sealed by Mu Shuiyun’s technique and after consuming a large quantity of elixirs, Mu Ziping’s bleeding stopped, and he fell into unconsciousness. His breathing steadied, suggesting that his meridian injuries were temporarily alleviated, and he seemed to be out of critical danger. However, elixirs were after all an external force; given the severity of his injuries, whether he would fully recover or if his cultivation would be affected still depended on his own constitution and a bit of luck.
"Mu Rui’an, how dare you allow your child to act violently, injuring Ziping to such an extent, and even destroying the Zong Family’s ancestral True Water Sword... I... I will never let this go!" Mu Yunshui roared with a face full of sorrow and anger, his eyes red.
His own talent was mediocre, managing to secure his place within the family only due to his father’s shadow and his adoptive father’s status. He held no significant position, but as the old saying goes, a master’s prestige could elevate a disciple. By sheer luck, he took in Mu Ziping, a disciple with astonishing potential, and was able to become the Ninth Tributor of the Mu Family, thanks to his adoptive father pleading on his behalf on his deathbed.
He and others might not speak of these matters, but he was well aware of them. Therefore, he particularly valued Mu Ziping, having even given him the True Water Sword left by his adoptive father. He knew that to secure or raise his standing in the Mu Family, his hopes rested solely on Mu Ziping, especially since he was no longer young and any further cultivation breakthroughs were unlikely.
Never had he imagined that just as Mu Ziping was on the cusp of advancing to the Sword Master Realm, he would suffer a calamity in Heishi City, gravely wounded by the hand of Mu Hanfeng. If this left any sequelae, all his aspirations would be dashed.
The more Mu Yunshui thought about it, the angrier he got, wishing he could flay and dismember Mu Rui’an and his entire family.
"A fair duel is inherently dangerous, and it’s common for accidents to happen when two combatants are evenly matched," Mu Rui’an said indifferently.
Although he felt some sympathy for Mu Ziping’s father’s plight, he did not feel a shred of guilt. After all, the man had brought it upon himself. He hadn’t personally lifted a finger against Mu Ziping, which was already quite merciful of him.
Judging from the bout just now, had Mu Hanfeng been slightly weaker, or if his longsword had been of a lower grade, it would be hard to predict the outcome. Had Mu Hanfeng lost, his fate would undoubtedly have been more wretched than Mu Ziping’s, and there’s no way he would concern himself with Mu Ziping’s life or death.
"What accident? Mu Hanfeng, as a practitioner of the Sword Master Realm, is far more powerful than Ziping, and furthermore, wielding the Chi Xiao Divine Sword, is way beyond him. How could there be any accident? It’s clear he intended to harm!" Mu Yunshui leaped up, pointing at Mu Hanfeng, his voice filled with boundless hatred.
"You shameless old man, how can you spew such slanderous lies? That sword was clearly given to Mu Hanfeng by Brother Han Yan just recently. How could he have known it was the Chi Xiao Sword? If he had really intended to harm, Mu Ziping would have been dead long ago; how could he still be alive now!" Mu Yuying, a fierce tigress in a gentle appearance, dismissed any concern for family hierarchy or tributor status and spoke with scorn.