Naked Sword Art

They were here for him.

.

.

.

With a quiet breath, Xiao Fang focused his hearing.

'Six,' he counted.

But just to be sure, he activated one of his observation techniques. He wasn't about to make the same mistake he did with Supreme Elder Song.

[ Soul Search ]

'Six,' he confirmed.

[ Spirit Perception ]

'Two Divine realm cultivators. Four Profound realms,' Xiao Fang noted.

They weren't trying to show it off, they simply made no effort to conceal it.

Xiao Fang reached for the Yang Sword he stuck in the ground earlier. But the moment he touched it, he noticed something strange. There was a subtle pull, as if the sword was being drawn toward the group heading his way.

Then, just as suddenly, they stopped moving the moment Xiao Fang put his Yang sword back into his spatial ring.

Xiao Fang's eyes narrowed.

'I see… They're not tracking me. They're tracking the sword. Should I run,' Xiao Fang thought.

He was out numbered and they didn't seem inexperienced. He couldn't feign being weak since they already knew he had the sword…

Paying attention to the group he noticed them all following one man, and in that man's hand appeared to be a sword in the same likeness as Xiao Fang's Yang sword.

'Could it be…' Xiao Fang thought.

A dangerous idea began to take form in Xiao Fang's mind. A terrible idea. At the very least he still had the element of surprise.

'I won't be able to get their guard down… then I'll just have to fight them head-on.'

There was no guarantee Xiao Fang could win even if he went all out—but anything less was certain defeat. So he didn't hide his cultivation methods.

He used them all at once—whatever he felt would give him the best chance at victory. Eliminating the two Divine realm cultivators while securing the Yin sword was his highest priority.

Three [ Solid Clones ] appeared at his sides. One of them was handed two swords. Then, Xiao Fang summoned his Cannibal Abnormal Beast, handing it the Dragon Dynasty Spear.

{"Think you can throw this?"} Xiao Fang asked through a spirit transmission.

The beast tested its weight, then gave a nod, grinning wickedly.

Xiao Fang steeled his resolve, 'Well… it's all or nothing. Too bad Xiao Hei's going to miss this.'

Positioning himself under [ Stealth ], he sent out a clone to intercept the approaching group.

…

"Which way is it?"

"Did you lose him?"

"He should be just up ahead"

The six cultivators advanced cautiously until they reached a clearing near a still lake. There, they saw Xiao Fang's clone, seated cross-legged as if in meditation.

"Do you think that's him?"

"One way to find out."

"You there. What's your name?" one man called out.

As if he was startled, Xiao Fang's clone stood and turned. The first thing they noticed was the blindfold.

"My name is Fang. Who might you be?" the clone responded calmly.

"Just Fang?" someone in the back questioned, clearly trying to gauge his identity.

The young man leading the group stepped forward, holding a blade that looked nearly identical to the Yang Sword. He seemed no older than twenty-three, but carried himself with the poise of a seasoned cultivator.

"Have you seen someone carrying a sword like this—except white?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I cannot see," the clone replied. "I got lost and wandered here. Would you be kind enough to help me return to the city?"

"Ah, of course—" began the woman in the group.

But she was cut off by the young man, who smiled coldly.

"You're... lying~" he said.

In a sudden movement, he reached into his spatial pouch and pulled out a rod that transformed into a bladed windmill. Without warning, he threw it at Xiao Fang's clone—shocking even his allies.

But the clone's expression didn't change.

With a simple pivot, he dodged it easily.

"It's him—get him!" the young man barked.

The clone rushed forward, but was quickly intercepted by the two Divine realm cultivators.

[ Misdirection ]

The first was fooled—but the second was ready.

"Illusions, huh? I see right through you," the man said, cutting down Xiao Fang's clone in a single, clean strike.

[ Clone Reanimation ]

But to his surprise, the clone's body shimmered, then reformed instantly behind him. Before the divine realm cultivator could react, the reanimated clone used his back as a springboard—kicking off with explosive force and launching straight toward the young man at the center of the group.

"Hahaha, come! I'll play with you," the young man laughed, his Profound realm aura erupting like a wildfire. With twin blades in hand, his dark spirit attribute surged, boosting his battle power by an entire realm.

He was ready. His stance was poised, his eyes locked onto the incoming clone with razor focus. Though he was originally in the Profound realm like Xiao Fang, his presence was suffocating.

This was no ordinary opponent—this was the real threat.

"Oh no you don't."

The Divine realm cultivators gave chase, closing in fast. But just before reaching the clone, something burst from its shadow—

[ Shadow Clone ]

Two more [ Solid Clones ] emerged, one for each Divine realm cultivator, grabbed their wrists mid-flight.

"What—?!"

They struggled, but the clones were made from Xiao Fang's spirit attribute Qi, making their raw strength equal to a Divine realm cultivator's. They wouldn't last long—but they didn't have to.

{"Now."}

The Cannibal Beast hurled the spear.

It pierced clean through the restrained cultivator's chest—dead in an instant.

At the same time, Xiao Fang broke from [ Stealth ] and slashed at the second one.

[ Divine Sword Splitting Sea ]

The air cracked as a terrifying projectile lightning slash shot out from Xiao Fang's Yang Blade. The slash carved into the other divine realm cultivator's back. To Xiao Fang's disappointment, it wasn't enough to kill him, but it was close.

The wounded man broke free and retreated back to his group, barely alive.

One divine realm cultivator was dead, the other critically injured.

Meanwhile, the clone that engaged the young man had already landed 3 shallow cuts on him, but more importantly, it disarmed him of the Yin Blade with swift, precise moves. In close quarters with a sword, even Xiao Fang's clone was a nightmare to deal with, an unstoppable force for anyone in the same realm. Divine Sword Swordsmen were revered for a reason, and when it came to raw skill and talent, Xiao Fang was in a realm of his own.

The grin on the man's face was gone, never in his life had he ever been pushed back so early in a fight. Still carrying one of his swords, it looked down at the clone's feet where his Yin Blade was, but as soon as he did, the clone kicked it back to Xiao Fang.

[ Reaper's Grasp ]

The moment Xiao Fang caught it—his battle aura exploded.

The air around him grew heavy, electric. And in that moment, everyone watching understood—

They had encountered a calamity. And he wasn't alone.

The Cannibal Abnormal Beast jumped into the scene, removing his Dragon Dynasty Spear out of the dead man's body. It admired the spear as if it was its new favorite toy. Xiao Fang understood how it felt, because as powerful as his own attack was just now, he wasn't able to one-shot the divine realm cultivator the same way the cannibal abnormal beast did.

Still, the beast wasn't the only one happy.

Now that Xiao Fang wielded both blades of the Yin-Yang Celestial Fangs, he felt unstoppable. He couldn't help but admire how the swords curved like fangs, their opposing auras harmonizing in his grasp.

"You… How—" the girl in the group stuttered, but she quickly hardened her heart—preparing herself to fight to the death alongside her team.

Noticing this, Xiao Fang decided to put all of their courage to rest.

[ Fear ]

If they hadn't already thought about fleeing, they certainly did now. The heavy presence of death weighed on their spirits, suffocating, undeniable. It whispered that staying meant certain doom.

"Scary," the young man muttered smugly. "Since when did they start accepting men into the Black Paradise Sect? Or are you one of those ladyboys I've been hearing about?"

"Ladyboys?" Xiao Fang raised a brow, unsure whether to be insulted or confused. "Are those your final words?"

"Aha, no—actually, I surrender," the young man said casually, letting his remaining sword clatter to the ground. He looked dissatisfied but not ashamed.

"Surrender?" Xiao Fang echoed, eyes narrowing. "Tell me—would you have spared me if I had surrendered?"

Zhao Ren looked away and scoffed.

"Nope."

His teammates wanted to scream at him, but fear choked their voices.

Xiao Fang chuckled. "Then consider it your bad luck that I was your target… and accept your fate."

"Luck is everything in this world," Zhao Ren said coolly. "I've got no complaints. Do your worst. But understand this—if I survive, the next time we meet, I'll be stronger. And you'll be the one begging for mercy."

He stared at Xiao Fang without flinching, unshaken and radiating a dangerous confidence.

"My name is Zhao Ren. Don't forget it."