The curling smoke rising from cooking fires embodies the true essence of the mundane world. Yet for those whose desires are insatiable, this is far from enough. Merely having one wife feels too bland; they crave innocence, seductiveness, icy beauty, and reserved charm all at once. Possessing vast wealth is insufficient; they desire riches rivaling a nation’s treasury. Dominating a single county feels too rustic; they must command life and death with a single word. Being a local tyrant seems weak; they must become unmatched adversaries across heaven and earth.
An old man with grayish-white hair gazed at the blade’s glow saturated with worldly aura, as if seeing Zeluo prostrating before him, begging for mercy, and pledging fealty.
Once the leader of a horse-raiding band in the Hanhai region, he had encountered extraordinary fortune and built a formidable reputation. However, he was later captured and forcibly subdued by Zeluo. As a result, he harbored a deep desire to defeat Zeluo, aspiring to become the ruler of Xie Ling and rise as one of the most powerful horse raiders in Hanhai.
A sharp pain in his chest jolted him back to reality. The precept blade had already sliced through his flesh, cutting deeper.
As a seasoned horse marauder who had survived countless battles, he understood that his strength no longer allowed him to evade. His only chance lay in exchanging blows for a glimmer of survival.
He pulled his torso backward and swung his saber diagonally downward, adopting a desperate, mutual destruction stance!
This strike carried piercing coldness. Even Meng Qi, protected by the Golden Bell Shield, couldn’t help but shudder involuntarily. His blood and muscles seemed frozen, his movements instantly slowing.
Had this man also inherited authentic saber techniques?
Before the saber reached him, its chilling intent had already numbed Meng Qi’s body!
Clang!
The saber struck Meng Qi’s right chest, breaking through the shield’s golden glow, carving a deep wound nearly exposing bone. Flesh writhed, gripping the blade as blood streamed down.
Without the Golden Bell Shield’s damage reduction and defense, this strike alone could have taken Meng Qi’s life!
The old man with grayish-white hair fared no better. Although Meng Qi’s momentary stiffness helped him avoid a fatal wound, his chest and abdomen were completely torn open, with intestines nearly spilling out. His injuries were far more severe than Meng Qi’s, as he had struck second and lacked a renowned defensive martial art like the Golden Bell Shield.
This wasn’t Meng Qi’s first encounter with an opponent possessing authentic techniques—Gu Xiaosang’s “Non-Birth Finger” was even more terrifying. Yet the sudden emergence of saber intent from a horse marauder’s lieutenant completely caught him off guard. Could such profound techniques really appear so casually?
Despite his surprise, Meng Qi could only advance, not retreat. He needed to end this quickly, avoiding entanglement. Thus, immediately after the saber clash, without hesitation or fear, completely ignoring his wound, he sidestepped, evading the saber’s frontal assault. His forehead throbbed as his focused spirit transformed into a piercing attack, striking his opponent.
At the same time, his left hand drew the Ice Que Sword, slightly raising it into the stance of delivering the Yama Envelope.
The old man pulled his saber back, intending first to defend and stabilize his injuries while awaiting reinforcements. Suddenly, however, he felt “bells and drums ringing” in his ears. Already slightly dizzy from excessive blood loss, his head spun violently.
In his daze, he vaguely saw a sword light blaze forth—pure and clear, brimming with intense deathly aura and killing intent, like a call from Yama, the King of Hell.
His saber rose to block, but a moment too late. Meng Qi retracted his sword without glancing back, directly bypassing him and charging toward Kang Zhi.
A trickle of blood flowed from the old man’s forehead. His eyes widened in disbelief as he slowly collapsed.
Several pursuing horse-mounted bandits with their acupoints unsealed, along with the remaining ordinary outlaws, witnessed the lightning-fast clash—sabers flashing, swords gleaming—ending in an instant. Yet the barbarian warrior, like an unstoppable war chariot, pressed forward relentlessly, while Luo Hui, the top expert beneath the leaders of the ninth and eighth acupoints, was sent flying backward, his eyes wide with terror—clearly dead!
How could this be?
Luo Hui had once encountered extraordinary fortune, inheriting the true essence of authentic saber techniques and mastering the move “Frost Piercing Flesh.” Even the leader of the Eighth Qiao couldn’t confidently claim victory over him. Yet today, in just a few heartbeats, he was defeated by a seemingly young barbarian!
This savage warrior was truly terrifying!
Instinctively, they slowed their steps, seemingly waiting for others to charge first.
Kang Zhi similarly hadn’t expected Luo Hui’s immediate demise. His remaining preparations couldn’t activate in time, panic surging within.
Not daring to face this fierce deity directly, he quickly turned around, intending to flee the courtyard and escape into the main band of horse raiders.
Meng Qi exerted his legs, employing the “Catching Wind and Grasping Shadows” technique, closing the distance within a single heartbeat.
Terrified beyond measure, Kang Zhi sprinted desperately, trying to shake off the ferocious figure pursuing him.
At this moment, Gu Changqing circled around, blocking his escape route.
Kang Zhi had always prided himself on his intelligence while fearing life-or-death combat. Now, with no intention of fighting to the death, he merely changed his footwork, attempting to bypass Gu Changqing upon meeting his hate-burning gaze.
A wolf ahead, a tiger behind—he burned with anxiety.
Suddenly, a figure “flew” into the courtyard, like a giant roc spreading its wings, claws descending, enveloping Meng Qi completely, seemingly aiming to tear open his skull.
“Hong’er is back!” Seeing another Qi-opening expert notice the anomaly and turn back midway, the horse raiders in the courtyard immediately sped up, scrambling to divide the loot.
Seeing that Luo Hui’s external scene saber technique had drained him greatly, leaving only ordinary combat capabilities, they naturally overcame their fear when another Qi-opening expert stepped forward, eager to seize the opportunity for merit.
Kang Zhi also exhaled in relief, finally rescued!
He rallied his spirit, grinning maliciously, iron-boned folding fan shaking, charging toward Gu Changqing.
This young man appeared gentle yet seethed with animosity, while the fierce figure behind him unmistakably employed the Golden Bell Shield or the Invincible Diamond Technique. How could he fail to deduce their identities?
Originally assuming they had retreated to Central Plains after a month without activity, and with the news just spreading, he hadn’t taken excessive precautions. Who knew they’d appear in Ganshan!
Hmph! This young man barely managed to open the Eye Aperture during his journey. At most, he’s only reached the fourth aperture now. Even if I can’t kill him, I certainly won’t lose either. After all, this is Xie Ling’s territory, and reinforcements are continuously arriving!
Facing Kang Zhi’s attack, Gu Changqing’s expression remained unchanged, instead revealing a sense of fulfilled liberation. Stepping forward with his left foot, sword tip trembling, he enveloped five vital upper body points of Kang Zhi.
This was an extremely formidable move from the Gu family sword techniques—”Sword Pointing at Five Peaks,” equivalent to a mutual destruction!
Facing the acupoint-opening expert swooping down like a hawk, Meng Qi’s mind remained utterly serene as his spirit condensed once more into a piercing force, striking outward.
At the same time, his left sword tilted upward, executing the “Yama’s Envelope,” thrusting straight into the two “razor claws” with a soaring momentum!
He charged recklessly, completely ignoring the eagle claw techniques, attacking without defense, advancing without retreat!
Once again, the terrifying sword light appeared before the pursuing horse marauders’ eyes. It radiated an indescribable aura of mutual destruction—this sword had no intention of returning; it required no return!
The expert in Eagle Strike, skilled in opening acupoints, suddenly swayed midair. On level ground, such a movement might appear insignificant, but he was in the midst of a downward dive!
The sword light shone brightly, capturing all gazes.
The light dispersed, the figures parted—one standing, one fallen. Meng Qi remained upright, while the orifice-opening expert collapsed. His left hand withdrew, shielding his forehead. Yet at the edge of his palm, a deep wound pierced through his brow, blood streaming onto his hand and trickling down his left cheek, forming crimson streaks.
He had nearly blocked that sword!
Had he successfully blocked, facing his eagle claws, Meng Qi would have no defense, certain to have his Golden Bell Shield torn open, his temple shattered, resulting in death or severe injury. Had he not focused on defense, perhaps they might have perished together.
This sword strike—only the brave could prevail in this narrow encounter!
After pulling out the Iceque Sword, Meng Qi merely glanced at the blood and faint chill on the blade before stepping over the corpse and charging straight toward Kang Zhi. All of this happened within one or two heartbeats.
Another master of unlocking had fallen!
There were no remaining experts in the art of enlightenment within the camp!
The pursuing horse bandits nearly went mad. The demon ahead was slaughtering the tunnel-opening experts like chickens or dogs—what use would they be? Whoever charged first would die first!
Despite their ferocity and fearlessness, they still harbored ordinary human fears. In such a brief span, two orifice-opening experts had fallen without putting up any meaningful resistance, utterly crushing their psychological defenses.
They scattered in panic, fleeing the courtyard and rushing back to their homes, intending to gather their valuables and escape from the malevolent deity!
Kang Zhi’s legs nearly buckled with fear. Instantly overwhelmed by Gu Changqing’s suicidal attack, he tried to flee but was intercepted by Meng Qi. The precept blade executed “Severing Purity”—devoid of saber intent yet retaining its variations—anticipating Kang Zhi’s movement shift. Before he could react, the blade descended, cleaving him down.
He originally had some life-saving techniques—though not enough to kill Meng Qi and Gu Changqing, escaping might have been feasible. However, terrified by the sudden deaths of the two orifice-opening experts, he abandoned any thought of using them, focusing solely on fleeing.
Gu Changqing pounced forward, refraining from killing but directly sealing Kang Zhi’s acupoints.
“Take him and leave?” Gu Changqing looked up at Meng Qi, wanting to capture Kang Zhi for later torture, naturally requiring Meng Qi’s agreement without hindering their escape.
Meng Qi’s expression remained unchanged as he replied, “We cannot flee.”
Fleeing would expose cowardice!
Although the Yama’s Envelope didn’t consume as much energy as “Severing Purity” or “Red Dust,” it still surpassed ordinary techniques. After consecutively using “Red Dust” and two Yama’s Envelopes, Meng Qi’s stamina was nearing its limit. Without employing the Sacrifice Formula, he couldn’t outrun the horse marauders’ top experts.
At this moment, other horse marauders noticing the anomaly gathered, numbering nearly a hundred, including several acupoint-opening experts.
“Charge in and rescue the strategist!” someone shouted.
Though doubtful and uneasy, they still retained courage, preparing to divide forces and storm the courtyard from different directions to rescue Kang Zhi.
Plop! A corpse was thrown out, landing before them.
“It’s Luo Dangjia!”
“How did Luo Dangjia die?”
Shouts of shock continued as the horse marauders’ advancing steps immediately slowed. The courtyard before them now seemed like a tiger’s den.
Plop! Another corpse flew out, landing before their eyes.
“Hong’er!”
“Hong’er also died…”
The murmurs spread quietly. Almost all the horse bandits stopped in their tracks. The only two experts in the camp who had mastered the Two Orifices had been killed—and in such a short span of time! Just how fearsome must their enemy be?
This wasn’t a tiger’s den—it was a dragon’s lair!
After throwing out two corpses, Meng Qi tore open his left jacket with a ripping sound, baring his chest glowing with golden hues and still bleeding wounds.
He lifted Kang Zhi, stepping out of the courtyard gate, facing nearly a hundred horse marauders, and with a loud thud, threw Kang Zhi before him.
Seeing someone emerge from the courtyard, the horse marauders instinctively stepped back. Then, seeing a young man with his left chest and arm exposed, his wound gruesome, blood staining red, yet his handsome face showed no trace of fear, radiating a terrifying aura like a hellish Asura!
Meng Qi lifted the blade, his expression icy and resolute, as he proclaimed, “Today, I vow to crush Xie Ling. Let these three serve as your warning!”
With that, he charged directly at the nearest horse marauder who was gathering his energy, raising his blade and slashing down, sending blood spraying skyward!
“It’s him! The Thunder Saber Evil Monk!”
The front-line horse marauders first froze, then turned and fled desperately.
If even two leaders who had opened their second acupoint couldn’t resist and were instantly killed, what use would they be? Moreover, the strategist Kang Zhi seemed to have died as well, and their opponent possessed external scene abilities!
Seeing the front ranks collapse, the rear naturally refused to sacrifice themselves, scrambling to escape.
With a loud boom, nearly a hundred mounted bandits scattered in chaos like a stampede.
Meng Qi swung his ringed blade, carefully controlling his pace as he chased them like a shepherd herding sheep.
Standing by the gate, Gu Changqing watched blankly as this unfolded. Meng Qi had single-handedly chased nearly a hundred men into a panicked retreat!
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