Chapter 165: Brother Kun, Just Call Me Little Gu (4)

This made Kun's scalp tingle with dread. For reasons unknown, he felt a natural, innate terror of such things.

The heavy coffin lid slowly slid open, releasing an overwhelming stench into the air. Night Kun tightly furrowed his brows; if circumstances permitted, he would have loved to split it open with a single sword strike.

However, the Ancient Ginseng Tree had explicitly warned him against making too much commotion. If he were to slash out with his sword now, the catastrophic consequences would be entirely unimaginable.

Suddenly!

Night Kun saw a hand press against the edge of the coffin. It was an exceptionally fair hand, resembling that of a woman, yet thankfully the fingernails appeared entirely normal—a detail that allowed Night Kun to breathe a slight sigh of relief. As long as he could see what he was dealing with, his mind was somewhat at ease.

A young man suddenly sat up, gasping for breath as he muttered, "That damn near suffocated me to death!"

Night Kun, clutching the Fire-Cloud Cleaving Heavens, stood frozen in utter astonishment. This scene deviated wildly from his expectations. He had anticipated rotting flesh, a missing eyeball, and hideous, protruding fangs.

Instead, before him sat a refined, scholar-like youth. His lips were exceptionally vivid and red, forming a stark, striking contrast against his pale, flawless complexion. He wore a white, embroidered brocade robe topped with a pristine white cap, with two slender strands of hair cascading gracefully beside his temples.

"Damn you to hell, Yuan Hao! I curse your mother, and I hope your entire family gets wiped out down to the last root!"

Hearing these impassions, Night Kun let out a soft sigh. Just how utterly obnoxious and detestable was the Sword Emperor Yuan Zun, anyway, for so many people to harbor such profound curses against him?

The man climbed out of the coffin, casually brushed the dust off his garments, and cupped his fists in a polite salute. "This exalted brother's immense and boundless kindness shall never be forgotten. Farewell."

With that, he turned and broke into a run, though his running speed was so agonizingly sluggish it made one worry for him.

Instinctively, Night Kun raised the Fire-Cloud Cleaving Heavens in his hand. A sudden burst of flames erupted from the divine blade, transforming into a long wall of roaring fire that blocked the man's path.

The man froze in his tracks, then turned around and ran backward toward Night Kun. The sheer absurdity of the movement left Night Kun utterly speechless. Could this guy act like a normal person for once?

"Does this respected brother require anything further of me?" the man asked, turning around, cupping his fists again, and oozing a thick, obsequious servility.

Night Kun couldn't help but feel utterly bewildered. A person like this could easily be subdued by three ordinary spirit beasts—unless, of course, he was just putting on an elaborate act.

"What's your name?" Night Kun inquired.

"Ah, how terribly impolite of me. This humble one is known as Bone-Erase. May I have the privilege of knowing my benefactor's esteemed name?"

"Night Kun."

"Oh! So it is Brother Kun! I have heard of your great reputation for the longest time. Just call me Little Bone."

Night Kun: "......"

When someone is smiling obsequiously and flattering you like this, how is one supposed to swing a sword? As the old saying goes, one never strikes a smiling face.

"So, um, Little Bone..."

"Yes! What instructions does Brother Kun have?" The expression on Bone-Erase's face was that of a professional underling who had practiced the art for tens of thousands of years, easily rivaling Dong Ci and Da Ci.

Night Kun said leisurely, "Little Bone, this matter has taken a rather twisted turn. Hearing it might dampen your spirits somewhat, but I feel obligated to inform you anyway: I am here to kill—no, to wage a punitive crusade against you."

Using the word "crusade" hit just the right note; "kill" sounded far too direct, especially since the fellow had just showered him with flattery.

"Ah! Brother Kun, how could you harbor such a cruel and merciless thought? You are breaking Little Bone's heart, causing him agonizing pain. I... I can't breathe!" Bone-Erase clutched his chest dramatically, wearing an expression of utter anguish as if he had been utterly forsaken by the heavens and earth.

He hunched his back, turning away from Night Kun while emitting a desolate, sorrowful wail, making it look entirely as though Night Kun were the wicked bully picking on an innocent soul.

Night Kun was completely defeated. Could he please, just once, encounter an opponent who was normal, fierce, and capable of uttering menacing threats, much like that golden-clothed woman?

Just as Night Kun's attention momentarily drifted, a flash of silver light pierced straight through Bone-Erase's robes. The speed was so blindingly fast that even Night Kun failed to react in time.

Night Kun lowered his gaze toward his own abdomen, only to find a sword completely impaling his midsection, the blade protruding visibly from his lower back.

Viewing the scene from the side, Bone-Erase stood hunched with his back turned to Night Kun, grasping the hilt of a sword whose blade extended outward for several dozen yards.

"Brother Kun, didn't Yuan Hao ever teach you never to let your guard down during mortal combat?" Bone-Erase slowly turned his head to look at Night Kun.

At this moment, Bone-Erase was like an entirely different person compared to moments before. His eyes were narrowed slightly, exuding fierce malice and chilling cunning, while a bloodthirsty grin played at the corners of his mouth.

This marked the very first time Night Kun had ever sustained an injury, and the realization left him feeling thoroughly awful. Underestimating the enemy—the cardinal sin of military strategy!

Clearly, Kun was still far too young and severely lacked worldly experience.

Still, Kun was merely a child, so such a lapse was somewhat understandable.

Bone-Erase straightened up and turned to face Night Kun directly. Night Kun finally saw clearly that the weapon Bone-Erase held was indeed a sword; that streak of silver light earlier had been none of than his blade!

"Brother Kun, you appear rather tender in years, yet you dare to wield the Fire-Cloud Cleaving Heavens in a bid to slay me. You certainly possess a measure of raw courage," Bone-Erase said as he paced slowly toward Night Kun. The longsword dragged lightly across Night Kun's abdomen, sending waves of biting, icy chill straight into his flesh!

"Yet, even with the Fire-Cloud Cleaving Heavens in play, I feel not the slightest shred of fear."

Night Kun asked in a cold voice, "Are you truly not afraid of a divine sword?"

"A divine sword? Hmph... Brother Kun, you really are too naive. Do you honestly believe a divine sword is some kind of supreme treasure? They are nothing more than instruments designed to harvest human lives! Take this Fire-Cloud Cleaving Heavens of yours, for instance. It is constantly scorching the meridians beneath your skin. Over time, even the divine sword itself will grow to despise you."

Listening to these words, Night Kun felt something wasn't quite right. The burning sensation he felt had always been rather comfortable, truth be told.

Night Kun slowly lowered his right arm, feigning extreme weakness as he asked, "Could it be that you harbor no desire to possess a divine sword yourself?"

"Of course I desire one."

Night Kun shot him a look of utter contempt. He spoke with such solemn righteousness earlier, yet he wanted one just as much.

Bone-Erase felt a brief flash of awkwardness and gave a light cough to mask it. "Don't bother trying to tempt me with a divine sword! How could such sheer garbage ever compare to my Bone-Cleaver!"

"Listen here, Little Bone."

"Yes."

"Whose Little Bone do you think you are calling? Is 'Little Bone' a name for you to throw around? Have you gotten too full of yourself lately!"

"Do you even know who I am? Bone-Erase! A swordsman at age ten, slaughtering countless tiger-vultures! A sword king at age twenty, who went and split an entire sword emperor in two! A sword emperor at age twenty-five! On that fateful day, I brandished my Bone-Cleaver and cut a bloody path all the way from the city gates straight to the imperial palace without blinking an eye once!"

"If you didn't blink, weren't your eyes terribly tired?"

"Is that the critical point here? Am I talking about blinking right now? Brother Kun, could you please put a little heart into this conversation!"

"Continue."

"On that day, I was ambushed and surrounded by three sword masters, yet I, Bone-Erase, didn't flinch for a single second! As the saying goes: a gentleman takes his revenge ten years later!"

Night Kun's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "You actually managed to phrase running away as something so refined and transcendent."

"What does a little brat like you know? That is called a strategically planned tactical retreat!"

"Fine, fine. And then?"

"Then, by the time I reached the age of one hundred, I attained the realm of a sword master and hacked my way from the city gates to the imperial palace all over again."

"Did you blink this time?"

"Brother Kun, please stop trying to provoke me. I'm genuinely afraid I might lose control and accidentally chop you into two pieces."

"Ahem... very well, please proceed."