Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Might of the Thunder Sword

“My Jiang family has never once surrendered or admitted defeat!” As Jiang Ziyang spoke, he reached out toward the Jiang family crowd. Uncle Zhong, already prepared, immediately tossed a sharp sword his way.

With a crisp sound, Jiang Ziyang caught the longsword. This was none other than the Ghostfang Sword that Uncle Zhong had wielded earlier—so sharp that even the stone qilin statue had been pierced by its tip. Its lethality was beyond question.

Both sides now held their weapons, and the atmosphere shifted at once into another mode of battle. Among the neutral Ning family, an elder martial artist exclaimed, “That’s the Ghostfang Sword… a formidable treasure, capable of slaying monsters and cutting through iron as though it were mud. It’s one of the seven treasured swords of the Jiang family!”

Upon hearing this, Master Ou sneered coldly, utterly disdainful. “Is that what you call a treasured sword? Our Ou family possesses plenty of weapons of this caliber. It merely carries a minor force to banish evil—nothing compared to the Thunder Sword! You have so little knowledge; don’t show off before me, hmph!”

The neutral martial artists all ground their teeth in anger, but when it came to smithing, the Ou family was unmatched. Thus, with Master Ou’s words, they found themselves unable to offer any effective retort and could only swallow their indignation in silence.

At that moment, Su Ye suddenly shuddered. His eyes fixed on the Thunder Sword, and he murmured, “If my thunder pulse can be forged into weapons, concealing thunder within… then…”

He looked up at the sky. Every time, he had waited for a rainy day, hoping to glimpse the ancient methods hidden within lightning, but true thunderstorms were so rare. Yet, even on that distant island, in the depths hundreds of meters below the waves, he could sense the presence of heavenly thunder. Lightning was everywhere—it only lay concealed.

“Liuying, have them stall for time. I have a way! Don’t let anyone disturb me!” Su Ye said to Jiang Liuying, then glanced back, spotting an ideal spot atop the manor’s villa. Without hesitation, he turned and dashed away, leaping up to the villa’s roof in a few bounds.

Though some people noticed Su Ye, the imminent duel between Jiang Ziyang and Yu Xingkun commanded their focus, and so they paid him no further heed.

A metallic clang rang out; the battle began in earnest. Jiang Ziyang wielded the Ghostfang Sword with swift, decisive thrusts, each strike radiating sword energy, a clear intent to eradicate evil.

But Yu Xingkun appeared utterly fearless, his aura surging with overwhelming dominance. “Hahaha! From this day forth, no martial artist in Yang City will dare wield a sword before me!”

He swung the Thunder Sword with wild abandon, its movements grand and unstoppable.

Most impressive were the arcs of lightning crackling along the blade; with every clash, they crashed into Jiang Ziyang’s arm. After just seven or eight exchanges, Jiang Ziyang’s entire arm had been numbed by the electric assault, nearly losing all sensation.

“Hahaha, surrender!” Yu Xingkun’s aura exploded with savagery. The Thunder Sword blazed with light and, with one stroke, shattered the Ghostfang Sword in Jiang Ziyang’s grasp.

With a resounding clang, half of the Ghostfang Sword spun into the air.

Yu Xingkun roared, his voice like rolling thunder, and with a palm strike, he sent the broken sword fragment hurtling into Jiang Ziyang’s arm, embedding it deep and causing blood to gush forth.

Jiang Ziyang stumbled back several steps, the bloody shard still lodged in his arm. Even the red needle pinned in his head fell to the ground with a metallic ping. In that instant, he seemed to age years, his body swaying, barely able to remain standing.

“No one in the Jiang family is a match for me!” Yu Xingkun bellowed, striding forward and landing three savage kicks that sent Jiang Ziyang flying.

Jiang Liuying’s eyes widened. Watching her father flung aside, tears welled instantly in her eyes. She broke into a run, her voice cracking with anguish, “Father—!”

“Family head!” cried a crowd of Jiang family members as they rushed forward, chaos erupting at once.

They found Jiang Ziyang gravely wounded, blood trickling from his lips, unable even to speak. Yu Xingkun, meanwhile, did not press the attack, instead basking in the gazes of all the families. He gripped the Thunder Sword, laughing wildly. “So this is the extent of the Jiang family! Stand against me, Yu Xingkun, and this is the fate that awaits you!”

The Yu family’s martial artists cheered ecstatically. All knew that with Jiang Ziyang’s defeat, the Yu family had secured victory; the remaining Jiang family members were of no consequence.

“The Jiang family must see the coffin before they shed tears! Worthless wretches! I told you, no weapon can stand against the Thunder Sword,” Master Ou boasted.

“Hahaha, congratulations, Master Yu! At last, your family’s honor is avenged!” Zhou Jinghao sneered, feeling his vengeance fulfilled.

“Jiang family, do you still resist? How much longer will you defy us? Hand over Jiang Liuying and Su Ye. The rest of you—leave Yang City at once! Nothing here belongs to you anymore!” Yu Wenhuan shouted.

The Zhou family head, not to be left out—his own hand severed earlier by Su Ye, and now Jiang Ziyang’s arm pierced—finally vented his rage and called out, “Old Yu, I’ll take ten percent less of the Jiang businesses, but Su Ye must be left to me. I want to deal with him myself!”

“Haha, agreed!” Yu Xingkun laughed heartily, striding forward as countless Yu family members cheered him on.

“Jiang family, what are you waiting for? Hand them over!” he demanded.

Leaderless, the Jiang family could only retreat several steps, fear etched on every face.

At that moment, Yan Tian, silent for so long, finally stepped forward, drawing every eye with his presence. He spoke gravely, “Master Yu, victory and defeat are the fortunes of war—must you press us so mercilessly? Why not give the Yan family some face, and let us both compromise?”

“Yan family? Hmph! What business does your Jiang City Yan family have interfering in Yang City’s affairs? If you want a share, step aside!” Yu Xingkun snapped.

Uncle Zhong and the others said nothing, simply drawing their weapons with steely resolve.

In an instant, battle lines were drawn—swords flashing, ready for a mass brawl.

“Vile Yu scoundrels, if it’s war you want, we’ll fight to the end!” Uncle Zhong shouted.

Yan Tian stepped between the two sides, raising a hand to stop them. “Enough! If we fight now, countless will die. If you want justice, we’ll grant it. Take all the Jiang family’s businesses in the west city if you must, but Jiang Liuying will never be handed over! If you truly demand a culprit, then take Su Ye!”

A wave of gasps swept through the Jiang family. They stared at Yan Tian in disbelief.

Jiang Liuying erupted in fury, “Yan Tian, what are you saying? We will never hand Su Ye over!”

Yan Tian frowned, his voice heavy, “Do you think I want this? I’ve always seen Su Ye as a brother. I rescued him myself from the island. This pains me more than anyone. But the truth is, Su Ye killed their people. If we don’t give them someone, do you want the whole Jiang family buried with him?”

Jiang Liuying clenched her teeth, glaring coldly at Yu Xingkun. “No!”

Even the gravely wounded Jiang Ziyang managed to speak through trembling lips, “No one will be handed over. Bring them inside. Any who set foot in the Jiang family’s gates—let us perish together.”

Yan Tian, desperate, shouted, “Family head, do you not even trust me? It’s only Su Ye! They won’t kill him, believe me! If you don’t listen, tragedy is certain! Do you want anything to happen to Liuying? I will never let her be harmed!”

Yu Xingkun laughed uproariously and pointed the Thunder Sword at them. “So, you refuse to listen to reason! What right do you have to bargain with me?”

At these words, Yan Tian stood tall, his eyes blazing with newfound confidence. He looked around, as though waiting for this moment. His voice was steady and ironclad: “I, Yan Tian, am more than qualified to bargain with you—Yan family martial artists, step forth!”