Xiang Shaolong dismounted his horse and stepped into the snow forest path.
Thinking about Cao Qiudao's natural talent, although he is over forty, he can walk as fast as flying, and it is not easy to escape if he can't be beaten.
Moreover, it is very inconvenient to escape on a high platform. As long as Cao Qiudao blocks the way to get off the stage, he will become a trapped beast.
Thinking of this, my heart moved. I secretly thought that there was still less than half an hour before the appointed time. As a senior, Cao Qiudao respected his status. Wouldn't he arrive early to wait for him as Zhongsun Xuanhua said? Then he should still have time.
Make some arrangements.
I hurriedly quickened my pace and walked through the forest and path. A "Huan Gong style" platform painted with white ash stood majestically in front of me.
Since Xiang Shaolong had a plan, he didn't dare to hesitate. He ran up the long steps from the north to the white roof. He saw that the platform was surrounded by hundreds of columns on three sides, and iron pillars were erected every ten feet. Some were hung with flags, and some were hung with flags.
Hang up a wind lantern and illuminate the stage as bright as day.
He couldn't see Cao Qiudao and breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to the end of the stone railing at the other end of the stone steps, untied his waist rope, and hung down. Although he still missed the ground by a few feet, but with his special forces
With his great skills and the help of his waist bag, it is really easy to slide down.
Then he fastened the other end to one of the stone pillars, and after arranging it properly, he sat down cross-legged and breathed a lot, entering a state of forgetfulness about things and myself.
The sound of footsteps with a strange rhythm woke him up, and his first sight was the stars in the clear sky.
Xiang Shaolong was surprised. When he came just now, he didn't feel the splendor of the starry sky at all. Why now, his mind is clear and he is moved by the beauty of the night sky.
If everyone can think of this, although human affairs may change, the universe will never be destroyed. If everyone can think of this, many unnecessary struggles in the world will be greatly reduced.
At this time, Cao Qiudao's majestic figure gradually appeared on the steps.
Xiang Shaolong stood up and saluted with his hands raised.
Cao Qiudao still wore a long shawl. He changed into a gray warrior robe and added a pair of wide wing sleeves, making his already majestic figure even taller.
Cao Qiudao returned the greeting and said: "The last time I went to pay homage to the General's unique skills, Cao had endless aftertaste. I hope the General will give me his teachings tonight."
Xiang Shaolong laughed and said: "I am a general who was defeated by Duke Cao's sword. How can I say that I am brave? Please show mercy to Duke Cao."
Cao Qiudao's face was as cold as ice. Without revealing the slightest feeling in his heart, he said calmly: "It was Cao who was defeated. The general did not use a special weapon that night. It was just luck that Cao was able to defeat the general."
Xiang Shaolong was a little stunned. Listening to his tone, he seemed to think that he would not be able to deal with him within ten moves. So are you ready to play with yourself? Cao Qiudao said calmly: "Cao never holds back his sword after he unsheathes it.
Only by fighting life and death can the swordsman show his respect for the sword. Does this sword have a name, General?"
Xiang Shaolong took a deep breath, worked up his ambition, took off the sword of Bai Zhan, held the scabbard in his left hand, and the sword in his right hand, smiled and said: "The sword is called Bai Zhan, please give me some advice, Duke Cao."
Cao Qiudao stared at the sword in his hand and nodded repeatedly. He said calmly: "For more than ten years, except for one person, no one else can stand so firmly in front of Cao. It's hard to find an opponent. Does the general know how happy Cao is?
.”
"Qiang" the long sword was in his hand.
Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that that person must be Guan Zhongxie’s master, the great swordsman named He Zhai. He even forgot his name for a moment, but he wondered if they were also fighting at night. Thinking of fighting at night, his heart suddenly moved.
, and looked into the scabbard.
Cao Qiudao stretched out his finger and lightly rubbed the edge of the sword, and whispered: "This sword was smelted by Cao himself. The name of the sword is "Beheading General". General, be careful."
Xiang Shaolong had a plan in mind, Zhuo Li didn't move, and said calmly: "Mr. Cao, please take action first."
Cao Qiudao looked up to the sky and laughed loudly and said: "There is always one person who has to strike first, look at the sword." The sound of "look at the sword" started, and the stage was immediately filled with murderous aura and clouds of war.
This was all because Cao Qiudao had already moved towards him, and with the sound of "sand" when his boots hit the ground, his aura was extremely calm and frightening.
Xiang Shaolong gathered his mind and focused on his opponent.
He knew that Cao Qiudao's decisive victory was only within a few moves, and these ten moves were not easy to block.
On the last trip, he had taken advantage of a surprise attack, but the opponent was a great expert in martial arts. After the last contact, he should have figured out his sword technique, so it would be difficult to bully him again.
He asked Cao Qiudao to take the initiative to attack, not because he was trying to make a big move, but because he had another clever plan.
For a person like him in the 21st century, strategy is extremely important. If you can outwit it, it is not appropriate to rely solely on hard work.
Cao Qiudao's footwork contained a certain mystery, making it difficult for him to grasp the speed and timing of his approach.
Xiang Shaolong's mind entered the realm of clarity and stillness, with no worries or joy, and all four elements were empty.
Suddenly, Cao Qiudao came closer, and when "Zhan Jiang" made a large sword shadow, the sword body suddenly appeared, and lightning struck across it. It was extremely sharp.
Xiang Shaolong felt that the opponent's "Zhujiang" sword faintly blocked all attacks from his sword and the end of the sword. He was taught that he could only use the sword to seal the attack.
He had already experienced Cao Qiu's astonishing power. If he were to fight against the opponent's full-strength sword, it would be strange if the tiger's mouth would burst into pain. There would be no need to fight after that.
However, he was not afraid at all. He slightly angled the scabbard, and the scabbard reflected the light of the lamp, which immediately caught Cao Qiudao's eyes.
Just as Cao Qiudao had thrown out a sword light just now to disturb his eyes, Xiang Shaolong's use of the scabbard to reflect the firelight had the same effect.
But there is a huge difference between difficulty and ease.
Xiang Shaolong just waved his hand and achieved his goal.
No matter how superb Cao Qiudao's swordsmanship is, he is still a human being of flesh and blood, but his talent is higher than others, and his potential is used more vividly.
When the firelight entered his eyes, his eyes, which were accustomed to the light and dark on the stage, couldn't help but squint slightly. At least for a moment, he couldn't see anything.
The time that passed at the blink of an eye was not enough for Xiang Shaolong to defeat the enemy, but it was enough for him to avoid this thunderous and irresistible sword. At the same time, he quickly counterattacked, took the initiative, and defeated Cao Qiudao with a decisive victory within a few moves. The safe arrangement dealt a heavy blow to his overflowing confidence.
Xiang Shaolong dodged to the blind spot that was out of reach of his sword, first unsheathed the enemy's sword, and quickly slashed out with the sword of hundreds of battles in his right hand without giving the opponent any chance to breathe.
There was a loud "dang" sound.
Cao Qiudao was able to twist Xiang Shaolong's scabbard almost, but he was able to return the sword in time to block his Hundred Battles Sword.
Although Cao Qiudao successfully deflected Xiang Shaolong's sword, which was as heavy as Mount Tai, he also knew something was wrong and wanted to move away to gain a moment's gap in order to seize the initiative. offensive.
Every time Xiang Shaolong struck with his sword, his footwork was perfectly coordinated.
The angle and force of each knife are different, sometimes light and sometimes heavy. Although it is mainly used for cutting, it also contains mysterious techniques such as removing knots, sticking and slowing down, which fully demonstrates the unique characteristics of the knife.
The most astonishing thing is that the swordsmen and swordsmen all risk their lives to attack, and they attack without any regard for life or death.
This is exactly the strategy that Xiang Shaolong has set long ago. The reason is that he is younger than Cao Qiudao, so he forces him to fight a war of attrition as soon as he comes on the stage. He also hopes that within ten moves, the opponent will not be able to completely control the overall situation like the last time.
Last time, Xiang Shaolong was at a disadvantage because he was intimidated by Cao Qiudao's momentum. This time, he used a trick to weaken his momentum and turned against the guest.
With Cao Qiudao's ability, he was struck by Xiang Shaolong three times in a row and was forced to dodge left and right. It was only at the fourth time that he found an opportunity to turn his defense into an attack. He got into the shadow of the knife and was about to attack.
Xiang Shaolong was cut down by the sword, and Xiang Shaolong was given a scabbard to break the siege, and the sword cut his lower body, forcing him to return the sword to block it, creating an evenly divided situation.
Cao Qiudao's eyes flashed across the cold light, showing that he was angry for the first time. Spring thunder burst out of his tongue, he shouted loudly, opened his scabbard, looked into the void and struck down with his sword.
When Xiang Shaolong was wondering, Cao Qiudao's sword had changed its attack midway, from an upward strike to a forward sweep. The sword was like a living creature, and it quickly struck Xiang Shaolong's throat. The skill of the sword move was surprising.
People are sincerely amazed.
Xiang Shaolong swung his scabbard, letting the firelight reflected by the gems on the scabbard once again catch Cao Qiudao's sharp eyes.
When Cao Qiudao felt that the stab was in the air, Xiang Shaolong had moved to his left side and struck out three more swords with his backhand.
Cao Qiudao staggered forward and slashed out a circle of sword light. The outer circle just met Xiang Shaolong's first sword.
Xiang Shaolong was shocked, knowing that the other party had learned his lesson and dealt with it better than last time.
"Dang-dang" two swords. Xiang Shaolong struck the opponent's sword with both swords. He wanted to repeat his old trick, hoping that all three swords could strike the opponent's sword in the same place, but it backfired and he couldn't do it.
But the eight moves have passed.
There are only two moves left.
Even though he was at a slight disadvantage, Cao Qiudao's momentum was still unparalleled, leaving Xiang Shaolong completely unable to find an opportunity to take advantage of.
Cao Qiudao suddenly started to spin, and countless sword lights shot out from his body like thorns, and turned toward Xiang Shaolong like a tornado.
Xiang Shaolong knew that he must never give in, otherwise he would be defeated like a mountain and would never be able to block the remaining two moves.
At this time, he had completely forgotten any swordsmanship strategies, and since the opponent was turning rapidly, the strategy of using firelight to distract his eyes was useless, so he could only rely on instinctive and intuitive reactions to deal with the opponent's superb swordsmanship.
As the rabbit rose and the crane fell, the two passed by each other and exchanged two more moves in an instant.
Xiang Shaolong's left arm burst out with blood, and his sword cut a two-inch-long blood mark, but it was just a flesh wound.
However, his Baizhan Blade cut off Cao Qiudao's long hair, which was dancing in the wind as he turned. It flew away in the wind between the two of them and slowly fell down.
Cao Qiudao was greatly astonished, stopped, laughed and said: "What a great sword. Cao has never tried such a sword."
Xiang Shaolong thought he would stop there, so he breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Xiang is really not the opponent of the seniors. Now that the ten moves are enough, everyone can stop fighting."
Cao Qiudao's eyes flashed, and he shouted coldly: "What a joke, what are the ten moves? The general is our number one enemy in the Eastern countries. Do you think I, Cao Qiudao, will let you go back alive?"
Xiang Shaolong was stunned for a moment, the respect he had for him immediately disappeared, thinking that you are just a despicable person with no credibility, why should you be called the Sword Master?
However, there was no time to think about it at this time. As soon as the figure flashed, Cao Qiudao's offensive was coming with a furious and furious attack.
Xiang Shaolong's Hundred Battle Sword flew up and down, shooting cold lightning, and could barely block Cao Qiudao's three swords. By the fourth sword, his arm was numb due to the shock, and he was about to fight with the scabbard of his left hand.
When he took a breath, he didn't know that Cao Qiudao was right in his heart. He immediately moved the sword to twist and strike, and with the help of his spinning body, Xiang Shaolong's injured left arm could no longer hold the scabbard, and it flew out of his hand and fell to the rear. In a critical situation
I don't know where it fell.
At this critical moment of life and death, Xiang Shaolong unleashed his life potential, dropped the handle of his sword, and hit Cao Qiudao's sword, which slashed through the wide opening of his left arm.
With a "dang" sound, Cao Qiudao didn't expect Xiang Shaolong to have such a strange move in danger, so he had no choice but to retreat.
Cao Qiudao laughed and said: "If you lose the scabbard, what tricks can you do?"
Xiang Shaolong knew that this was a critical moment of life and death. If Cao Qiudao was allowed to organize another offensive and take the initiative to attack, he would be covered in blood without using ten swords.
Those who dared to hesitate rushed toward Cao Qiudao like a shadow. At the same time, they held the sword with both hands instead of one hand. They raised it high above their heads, and with the footwork that could avoid the enemy's weakness, they struck at Cao Qiudao head-on.
Cao Qiudao quickly stopped his retreat and coldly yelled, "Looking for death." As he leaned forward slightly with his sword, Xiang Shaolong jumped into the air beyond his expectation and struck him with the sword with all his strength.
Taking advantage of the momentum of leaping into the air and wielding the sword with both hands, its momentum is so great that its power cannot be compared to any previous sword.
The Baizhan Sword pierced through the air and made a sharp knife whistle.
With Cao Qiudao's ability, he could of course retreat and avoid it, but this would not only have a negative effect, but would also make Xiang Shaolong's momentum stronger. It would take a lot of effort to subdue him.
Cao Qiudao gritted his teeth and jumped up to catch the sword.
Two clear sounds echoed in the mountains and valleys, spreading throughout every corner of Jixia Palace.
Even Lu Buwei and others who were watching the battle from a distance on the city wall could clearly hear it.
In fact, ever since the two men fought, the sound of swords clashing could be heard faintly, but it was not as loud as this blow.
The two exchanged positions.
The sound of Cao Qiudao's breathing reached Xiang Shaolong.
Xiang Shaolong's war of attrition finally worked. He turned around, grasped the handle of the Baizhan sword with both hands, and used the centrifugal force of the rotation and the strength generated by his waist movement to slash Cao Qiudao diagonally from the left shoulder, who was facing him.
Cao Qiudao was still calm and composed. At least on the surface, he swung his sword to block his attack, then turned away to regroup.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Shaolong struck his back with another backhand knife like a shadow.
Cao Qiudao thought that Xiang Shaolong could change his moves so quickly, so he showed a little panic and reluctantly returned the sword to swing the Baizhan knife away.
Xiang Shaolong was unyielding when he gained the upper hand. While shouting wildly, he couldn't stop moving his sword with both hands. He raised each sword above his head, sometimes slashing straight, sometimes slashing at an angle. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but just wanted to force the opponent to stick to the sword.
The sound of "ding-dong" is endless.
Although Cao Qiudao's strength is better than Xiang Shaolong's, the difference is not too far apart. However, now Xiang Shaolong wields the sword with both hands. In addition to wrist and arm strength, the most important thing is waist strength, and it is done from top to bottom.
Mount Tai pressed down on the top, and like a violent wave rolling over his body, Cao Qiudao was immediately struck by him, sending him retreating.
The best thing is that Xiang Shaolong deliberately kept a distance from him. After ten blows, at least six of them struck at places that were beyond the reach of his sword.
This is where Xiang Shaolong is smart.
When it comes to the exquisiteness of his moves, he is no match for Cao Qiudao.
But this kind of wide-open and wide-open slashing is the best advantage of wielding the sword and reveals the sword's weakness.
As one thing goes down, the other goes down, Cao Qiudao can only be on the defensive.
However, this advantage cannot last long.
At the beginning, every sword attack was able to force Cao Qiudao back a step, but unfortunately Cao Qiudao finally regained his disadvantage with various tricks. Xiang Shaolong had to work very hard to force him back a step.
Xiang Shaolong knew it well, and when Cao Qiudao refused to retreat even a step and prepared to counterattack, he no longer held back and used all his strength to slash three times.
A "ding" sound.
The general's sword was unable to bear the blow, and a two-inch-long section of the sword's edge was finally severed.
Cao Qiudao was struck by him and his body was shaken violently. He roared violently and stabbed fiercely with his sword, but he forgot to cut off the small edge of the sword. When it only touched Xiang Shaolong's chest, the castration was gone and Xiang Shaolong was stunned.
Escaped by a hair's breadth.
Xiang Shaolong had already rested his strength and retreated quickly. He quickly closed the distance between the two to more than three feet, which also made him only about five feet away from the "escape rope" behind him.
Cao Qiudao lowered his head to carefully examine the sword in his hand, shook his head and sighed: "Even if the sword is broken, it can still take your life."
Xiang Shaolong knew in his heart that the violent attack just now had made him a tired soldier, and he would no longer be as brave as before.
But of course he wouldn't show it on his face. He took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Cao, please think twice. If Xiang asked for a loss-lose situation just now, it's not impossible."
Cao Qiudao said calmly: "It is a very calculated decision to exchange Cao's order for the general's order."
There is something in Xiang Shaolong's words: "But this is decided by me. Not by Duke Cao."
Cao Qiudao snorted angrily and sneered: "Do you think you can anger Cao? Let's see what other skills you have."
Lifting up the sword that cut off the sharp edge, he swung his wrist left and right, and at the same time moved towards Xiang Shaolong.
Xiang Shaolong swung his knife forward, adjusted his breathing, and stepped back at the same time.
The two of them advanced and retreated, and in a blink of an eye, Xiang Shaolong had reached the edge of the stone fence.
Xiang Shaolong shouted: "Wait a minute"
Cao Qiudao said in astonishment: "Is there anything else you can say?"
Xiang Shaolong raised his sword and saluted, "Thank you, Mr. Cao, for your advice. I'm leaving now."
Cao Qiudao came to his senses and rushed forward with his sword.
Xiang Shaolong turned over and disappeared outside the stone fence.