Chapter 440: Boss Fang's Failure to Establish Authority? (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

Boss Fang looked up at the two cloaked, half-human, half-ghost figures streaking across the sky: "Defeated is defeated... what on earth is the best way to establish authority?"

If the members of the Nangong family still belonged to the realm of cultivators, then the two "Sword Slaves" before them had completely transformed from cultivators into humanoid weapons born solely for battle!

Every move and every stance carried a heart-stopping aura of slaughter, and the thick, sickening scent of blood instinctively evoked images of countless bones piled high within withered tombs, souls fallen beneath the blade.

It could be said that the Nangong Clan of the Heaven-Inquiring Sword Palace owed its current illustrious and fearsome reputation to these Sword Slaves; aside from a few ancient legends, almost everything else was inextricably linked to them.

The super forces of the Lingzhou Continent possessed a might that the factions of the Deserted Sea Region could never hope to match; as for the two Sword Slaves present, such a monstrous sword prestige could easily annihilate an entire sect if unleashed in the Deserted Sea Region!

In recent years, the Nangong Clan of the Heaven-Inquiring Sword Palace had grown increasingly arrogant and domineering, and though it had drawn quiet complaints from the other great families, not a single dissenting voice had been raised openly until now, a silence owed not only to their recent gains within the depths of the Golden Palace of Creation, but likely also to the profound heritage they held in reserve.

This was a super force, and these were its bred weapons of war—devoid of emotion, ignorant of fatigue, with nothing but slaughter in their eyes.

It had been a very long time since anyone had seen these war weapons suffer any attrition; in the history of the Lingzhou Continent, wherever they passed, not a blade of grass survived, yet they themselves had never been seen to sustain any damage.

Perhaps one day they might truly revive the ancient, distant glory of the Heaven-Inquiring Sword Palace; it was not entirely impossible.

Massive sword qi, hued in red and black and trailing billowing clouds of thick smoke, cleaved downward, and within the slashes, the faint, piercing wails of the damned could be heard.

The cliff faces on both sides shattered in tandem, turning into countless boulders that rumbled down into the abyss.

Had the City of Yuanyang itself not possessed an exceptionally formidable defense system, the entire city would likely have been reduced to ruins by the mere aftershocks.

Outside the City of Yuanyang, a beam of spiritual light rose, signaling that the defensive array had indeed been activated; occasional surges of sword qi struck this barrier of light and exploded instantly like fireworks.

The guards atop the city wall parted slightly to form a path, revealing several sentries gathered like stars around a moon, surrounding a middle-aged man with graying temples and a fierce, majestic bearing, who at first glance gave off an impression of grandeur as solid as a mountain.

Standing upon the grand city wall, overlooking the mountains and rivers, he exuded a heroic spirit that few in the world could match.

"My Lord City Master!" The surrounding guards bowed in quick succession.

The middle-aged man merely gave a faint nod, then looked up into the sky, his expression shifting uncertainly as if lost in deep thought.

"The last time the Nangong family deployed the Sword Slaves was two hundred years ago, wasn't it?" Beside him stood a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a long robe, who appeared elegant and refined at a glance, imparting a sense of otherworldly detachment.

"It has been some years."

"How many moves does City Master Zong think this young man can withstand?" The robed middle-aged cultivator inquired.

The City Master remained silent, appearing to be in deep contemplation.

"Five moves, perhaps?" The robed gentleman offered a baseline.

"About ten moves," City Master Zong finally spoke. "Looking at the current situation, the lad is about to reach his limit."

"What a pity for such a fine young talent. Why did he have to provoke the Nangong family?"

The moment the word "family" left his lips, a sudden clamor arose from beneath the city tower.

"What happened?"

"Has this kid gone mad?!"

"I think he's just waiting to die!"

In the sky above, the young man standing atop the flying sword appeared to be driven into a desperate corner with every passing strike; even though his flying sword was incredibly swift, the enemy's sword momentum had already formed, manifesting as a dense, terrifying web of swords that blanketed the sky, leaving nowhere to hide and nowhere to run!

Yet at that exact moment, they saw the young man on the flying sword make a move that was entirely unexpected, an action they could not have fathomed even if they racked their brains!

Facing the terrifying sword momentum converging upon him from front and behind, Boss Fang comfortably lit a cigarette for himself.

The flickering spark of the cigarette butt shone brightly against the gloomy, overcast sky.

Immediately after, two ink-black lines of sword qi crossed paths!

"Crack!"

"Boom!"

A massive chunk was sheared off the cliff faces on both sides once again.

The entire field fell into absolute silence.

A faint, incandescent glow of spiritual light, adorned with strange, treasured talismans, enveloped Fang Qi's body.

"Whew..." Boss Fang gently exhaled a cloud of smoke, completely unscathed.

He opened his left hand slightly, and the spiritual light rapidly shrank, transforming into an exquisitely crafted, palm-sized, hollow metal sphere that resembled copper or steel and was covered in strange cloud patterns.

The light within it gleamed brilliantly, shining in his palm like a dazzling miniature sun!

"This is...!?"

"He blocked it?!"

Every cultivator who witnessed this scene opened their mouth wide, seemingly forgetting how to close it.

"What kind of Dharma treasure is that?!"

"To think it could withstand a strike from two Sword Slaves and leave him completely unharmed?!"

"A supreme treasure! It's definitely a treasure on the same level as those obtained from the Golden Palace of Creation!"

The Sun Jin Wheel!

One of the supreme guarding treasures of the Kunlun Sect in *Zu Mountain*!

In the movie, its power was such that even the Heaven-Shrouding Blood Demon found it extremely difficult to breach before absorbing the energy of the Blood Cavern!

At this moment, the two Sword Slaves instantly unleashed several more strikes, their sword momentum like mountains, their power far greater than before!

Clang!

Clang!

Two thunderous strikes slammed fully against the treasure, yet the onlookers saw that the young man in the sky had not moved a single fraction of an inch, nor had a single hair on his head been harmed!

"Could it be another treasure obtained from the Golden Palace of Creation?!"

Many cultivators already showed eyes red with envy, wishing they could rush up and seize it for themselves.

How could such a heaven-defying treasure exist in this world?!

At this very moment, City Master Zong and the robed cultivator atop the city tower exchanged a glance, a trace of surprise surfacing in their eyes as well.

"To think he possessed such a trump card, no wonder he dared to challenge the Nangong family!"

The robed cultivator watched as the tireless Sword Slaves struck the Sun Jin Wheel again and again in the sky, yet he shook his head: "This treasure may be powerful, but a long defense must eventually fail. The moment his spiritual energy runs low, he will surely die!"

The City Master nodded: "The sword arts of these Sword Slaves consist entirely of offense and possess no defense. Perhaps a sudden, explosive strike now could trade for the life of one Sword Slave, but who would be willing to trade lives with a Sword Slave?"

"This lad is finished!"

Even as they spoke, many cultivators below had already begun moving toward the edge of the array, seemingly rubbing their hands in anticipation of the treasure falling.

Before his words had fully faded, another crescent-shaped, bronze-wheel-like Dharma treasure appeared in Fang Qi's hand.

With one hand holding the sun-like Sun Jin Wheel and the other forming a sword incantation, the Moon Jin Wheel circled his body like a brand-new crescent moon.

As the two Sword Slaves attacked, Fang Qi remained as still as a mountain.

With two crisp clangs, the figures parted, and the Moon Wheel suddenly traced a beautiful, crescent-like arc!

Everyone watched the midair scene in dumbfounded shock; the Sword Slaves, who had been attacking furiously just moments ago, had their bodies cleanly severed in two at some unknown point.

Some of the cultivators who had been waiting to scavenge the treasure just now could not help but take several steps back in terror!

Yet, the battle was still not over, for everyone saw that from the two severed halves of the bodies, countless surges of black smoke rushed out like a tide, and the two separate halves were forcibly reattached.

"I remember now!" a cultivator suddenly cried out from below in astonishment. "Two hundred years ago, the Nangong Clan's sword slaves entered the great spirit-extinguishing array of the Azure Ox Valley. When they emerged, every last cultivator of the valley had been decapitated, yet those sword slaves were completely unscathed!"

"I always believed the rumors were false, but to think they were actually true!"

Even Boss Fang, a cigarette dangling from his lips, stared in slight surprise at the two sword slaves who had once again recovered before his eyes, momentarily dazed. "They can't even die from that?!"

The city lord's countenance shifted slightly as well. "It seems we have still underestimated the deep heritage of these hereditary clans!"