Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon looked up.

As dusk fell and darkness descended, Iron Sword Mountain was shrouded in twilight.

The Iron Sword Sect's headquarters is located atop a precipitous mountain in the northern part of Guangling Prefecture, its steep slopes piercing the clouds like a sword.

At the mountain gate stands a huge rock three zhang high, with the three large characters "Iron Sword Gate" written on it, the strokes like swords, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Dugu Yi stood on the steps in front of the mountain gate, his hands behind his back.

He is restless today.

The nibbling away at the outer strongholds of the Green Dragon Society, which began five days ago, was not as effective as expected. The other side reacted extremely quickly, withdrawing all the remaining covert agents that very night, giving him no chance to continue his attacks.

What unsettled him even more was the lack of response from the Azure Dragon Society—no retaliation, no protest, not even a single harsh word.

It's too quiet. Unnaturally quiet.

"Sect Master, there's some commotion down the mountain!" A disciple rushed over, his face filled with panic.

Dugu Yi's heart skipped a beat. He leaped into the air and stood there, looking down the mountain.

On the mountain path, a group of people were walking slowly uphill.

Leading the group was Shangguan Jin Hong, dressed in a black brocade robe. He walked with his hands behind his back, his steps steady and his demeanor composed, as if he were not there to attack the mountain gate, but rather to enjoy the spring scenery.

Behind them, Lu Zhangke and Hebi Weng each led fifty elite troops, exuding a murderous aura.

"Shangguan Jin Hong!" Dugu Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and the unease in his heart became a reality.

He had assumed the Azure Dragon Society would send someone to negotiate first, or retaliate secretly, but he never expected them to come directly to his doorstep! And they came so quickly and decisively!

"Sect Leader Dugu." Shangguan Jin Hong stopped in front of the mountain gate, looked up at Dugu Yi, and said calmly, "Within five days, you killed six of my Azure Dragon Society brothers and burned two of my strongholds. It's time to settle this score."

Dugu Yi sneered, "If you're determined to find fault, you'll always find a reason. You say it was done by my Iron Sword Sect, what evidence do you have?"

"Evidence?" Shangguan Jin Hong's lips curled slightly upward. "What's the point of evidence among those in the martial world?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his hands over, and two dragon and phoenix rings appeared in his palms, shining with golden light.

"kill!"

With this shout, the elite members of the Azure Dragon Society drew their swords in unison.

Dugu Yi's expression hardened, and without hesitation, he drew his iron sword from his waist: "Activate the mountain-protecting formation!"

Around Iron Sword Mountain, beams of light shone, and array patterns flowed across the mountain's surface, indicating that the protective array was being activated.

But at that moment—

"boom!"

A loud bang came from the direction of the back mountain. Immediately afterwards, the light of the entire mountain-protecting array flickered violently a few times, and then quickly dimmed like a deflated balloon.

Dugu Yi's expression changed drastically: "There's someone in the back mountain?!"

Han Tang stood before the Scripture Pavilion, his longsword still dripping blood. At his feet lay three Iron Sword Sect elders who had guarded the array's core. The core—a bronze Bagua disc embedded in the ground—had been cleaved in two by his sword.

"The formation is broken." Han Tang said expressionlessly, then turned and charged towards the mountain gate.

Once the protective mountain formation was broken, the elite forces of the Azure Dragon Society flooded into the Iron Sword Sect like a tidal wave.

Meng Xinghun, clad in snow-white robes, wielded his sword with the speed of a dragon. Han Tang moved like a ghost, his sword swift as lightning. Lu Zhangke and Hebi Weng stood back to back, unleashing their combined Xuanming Divine Palm technique, a chilling aura spreading through the air. Fifty elite members of the Azure Dragon Society fought like ten men each, routing the Iron Sword Sect disciples.

But the battle that truly decided the outcome was the one atop the mountain.

Shangguan Jin Hong and Dugu Yi flew one after the other to the highest peak of Iron Sword Mountain.

The summit is flat, covering an area of ​​about 100 feet, and is surrounded by clouds and mist.

Dugu Yi gripped his iron sword tightly, his eyes surging with killing intent. In his thirty years of service, he had dominated Guangling Prefecture, and no one had ever dared to bully him like this.

"Shangguan Jin Hong, you're courting death!" Dugu Yi roared, swinging his iron sword and unleashing a sharp sword aura that pierced the air.

This sword strike was devoid of any fancy moves, relying purely on brute force to overcome skill, its power and dominance reaching the extreme. Wherever the sword energy passed, a deep trench was carved into the ground.

Shangguan Jin Hong neither dodged nor evaded, but instead crossed her dragon and phoenix rings in front of her. With a loud clang, sparks flew. Shangguan Jin Hong swayed slightly and took a step back, but her expression remained unchanged.

"That's it?" he said indifferently.

A hint of seriousness flashed in Dugu Yi's eyes. He had used seventy percent of his strength in that sword strike, yet his opponent had received it so easily.

"Thirty-six Forms of the Iron Sword!" Dugu Yi no longer held back, his figure suddenly rising up, his iron sword thrusting out like a storm, each strike accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air.

First move, second move, third move... the sword strikes flowed continuously, like a surging river.

Shangguan Jin Hong's expression hardened slightly. He swung his dragon and phoenix rings like wheels, blocking, parrying, deflecting, and deflecting each of the thirty-six swords. His movements were not fast, but every parry was perfectly timed.

During the eighteenth sword strike, Dugu Yi's sword tip grazed Shangguan Jin Hong's temples, shaving off a few strands of hair.

During the twenty-seventh sword strike, Shangguan Jin Hong's robe was torn open by the sword energy.

The Thirty-Sixth Sword – Dugu Yi exerted all his strength, his iron sword carrying the force of wind and thunder, thrusting straight at Shangguan Jin Hong's chest!

Shangguan Jin Hong combined his two rings, using them to clamp the sword tip between his arms, and used the force to propel himself backward several feet, dissipating eighty percent of the sword's power. Even so, the remaining force still made his blood and qi surge.

After the thirty-six sword strikes, the two retreated several steps, standing facing each other at a distance of ten feet.

Dugu Yi was slightly out of breath, sweat beading on his forehead. He had used all his strength in those thirty-six sword strikes.

Shangguan Jin Hong remained calm on the surface, but his eyes were sharper.

"Sect Leader Dugu, your swordsmanship is quite good," Shangguan Jin Hong said slowly, "but you have a fatal weakness."

Dugu Yi frowned: "What weakness?"

"Too steady." Shangguan Jin Hong sneered. "Every strike is perfectly predictable, without any variation. Your iron sword has become rigid."

Dugu Yi's expression changed.

"Finished?" He gripped his iron sword tightly. "Then die!"

He made his move again, this time no longer adhering to the routine of the Thirty-Six Forms, but incorporating his years of experience, making his swordsmanship sharp and unpredictable.

A hint of excitement flashed in Shangguan Jin Hong's eyes—this was the kind of opponent he wanted!

The dragon and phoenix rings danced in the air, clashing with the iron sword and producing a dense clang of metal against metal. The two fought back and forth, sending rocks flying and clouds churning across the mountaintop.

Fifty moves, one hundred moves, two hundred moves...

Dugu Yi's swordsmanship grew increasingly fierce, but Shangguan Jin Hong became more and more composed. His dragon and phoenix rings seemed to come alive, one dragon and one phoenix, one for offense and one for defense, working together seamlessly.

On the 237th move, Shangguan Jin Hong suddenly changed his move.

His right hand, wielding the dragon ring, flew out and transformed into a golden light, attacking Dugu Yi from the side. At the same time, his left hand, wielding the phoenix ring, launched a fierce frontal attack, his footwork suddenly shifting, his figure moving as elusive as a ghost.

Dugu Yi was shocked. He parried the phoenix ring with his iron sword and dodged the dragon ring to the side. But the dragon ring drew an arc in the air and turned back, heading straight for his back!

"clang!"

Dugu Yi blocked the dragon ring with a backhand sword, but the shock made his hand go numb and the iron sword almost slip from his grasp.

Just then, Shangguan Jin Hong lunged forward, striking with both palms at Dugu Yi's chest. Dugu Yi gritted his teeth, holding his iron sword horizontally in front of his chest, and took the blow head-on—

"puff--"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Dugu Yi flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto a rock ten feet away. His iron sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Just as Shangguan Jin Hong was about to step forward, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart—an extremely sharp aura burst forth from the dense forest behind him, heading straight for his back!

The aura was cold and ruthless, carrying a determination to kill. The person who made the move had clearly been lying in wait for a long time, waiting for this moment when Shangguan Jin Hong was exhausted.

In the shadows, pairs of eyes simultaneously narrowed—

In a valley ten miles east of Iron Sword Mountain, Zhao Tianxiong, the patriarch of the Zhao family, smirked as he lunged out like a ghost. He wasn't there to watch the spectacle; he was there to kill.

In a dilapidated temple eight miles west of Iron Sword Mountain, Zhou Yuanli, the grandmaster of the Zhou family, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning: "Zhao Tianxiong has made his move!"

On Jinpeng Ridge, Li Tianpeng's fingers paused, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

On Tianlang Ridge, Xiao Pojun rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and leaned forward slightly.

—Everyone's heart raced at that moment.