The young man, resembling a farmer, was first shocked, then half in pain and half in anger shouted, “Third Brother!”
Since he blocked the escape route and his aura blended seamlessly with the surroundings, Meng Qi could not leave unless he forced his way through. Facing the aggrieved party, Meng Qi hesitated to draw his blade, which made him appear indecisive.
At this moment, Meng Qi instantly realized he had stepped into a trap. Delivering the coffin was meant to lure him into investigating its origin. Killing the coffin shop owner and his assistant was to cover the real clues. The paper strip in the mouth was deliberately placed by the murderer to lead him to seek out Jiang Tabo, thus framing him as the killer—caught red-handed by Jiang Tabo’s elder brother!
The entire plan was intricately connected, with the “clues” hidden logically, making it difficult for Meng Qi to detect anything amiss in the moment.
But how could they be certain he would investigate the coffin immediately that night? If he had waited until morning, when the corpses were discovered and the paper ball ended up in the Six Gates’ hands, the trap would no longer work!
Had they understood his personality and habits so thoroughly that they could predict his actions?
Or had a high-level martial artist followed him, watching him search for the coffin shop before committing the murders, observing him retrieve the paper ball without missing anything, and then arriving early at Hefeng Cottage, framing him while he questioned the assistant?
Regardless of the reason, it was terrifying. Who would want an enemy who understood them so well? Who would want to be followed without ever realizing it?
Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
This incident caused Meng Qi to reevaluate the previous assassination at the gambling house—he might not have been related to Qiu Fei at all.
It seemed someone or some faction had truly set their sights on him…
Had it started when he deliberately revealed his identity at the Hero Building, alerting them?
What grudge did they hold against him? Or what were they afraid of, so desperate to target him? He hadn’t even done anything yet!
Thoughts raced through his mind in an instant. Suppressing his doubts, Meng Qi spoke, “Esteemed Brother…”
The aura, the appearance, the characteristics—something about him felt familiar to Meng Qi, who had studied Six Gates intelligence thoroughly.
The young farmer turned his gaze toward Meng Qi. His expression still carried traces of pain, his eyes now devoid of emotion. His aura surged, merging with the heavens and earth, no longer distinguishing inside from outside.
Meng Qi had initially sensed his flow of internal energy and every muscle in his body, but now he felt nothing—as if the young man had become part of the courtyard, part of the universe itself. How could one possibly fathom the heavens?
“It’s you!” he spat out the words through clenched teeth. “I know you’re here for that incident, but why involve my family? Why not come after me directly?”
What exactly had happened…why did people always speak in half-truths like Qingyu? Thinking this, Meng Qi immediately recognized who the young farmer was.
“Jiang Hengchuan, the ‘Hundred-Mile Shock’!” ranked tenth among the Human List!
He must have had some reason to deliberately separate from his third brother, Jiang Tabo, and reside in Guanjin Courtyard under assumed names. Otherwise, Meng Qi would have surely noticed something about Jiang Tabo’s background…
“Brother Jiang, it’s a misunderstanding…” Meng Qi tried to explain. Even if it looked like him, the actual evidence would differ unless it was the medicinal residue master using the Purple Lightning Seven Slashes. But if it were him, he would have come directly to kill Meng Qi—why go through such a roundabout scheme?
Jiang Hengchuan seemed consumed by rage. He snorted coldly, ignoring Meng Qi’s explanation, and struck directly with his palm.
His left hand clutched his right wrist, as if grasping a serpent or a dragon. His right palm surged forward, mobilizing his entire body. His right arm, left hand, and spine traced out the enigmatic arc of a hidden dragon ascending to the heavens.
With a single palm strike, the nearly three-zhang distance between them vanished. The palm wind surged forward, fierce and overwhelming. His internal energy and qi coalesced into a ten-foot-long dragon, sending whirlwinds in all directions. The ground shook violently, and the house behind Meng Qi creaked ominously.
With every movement, Jiang Hengchuan displayed the power of nearly half a step into External Manifestation or a common Qi-Opening cultivator using External Manifestation techniques—far surpassing an ordinary Nine-Aperture cultivator. Without relying on qi resonance or an equally strong opponent to provoke it, he could naturally interact with heaven and earth.
If he wished, he could break through the threshold of life and death at any moment!
This was the power of the top ten in the Human List!
The dragon of qi was fierce, purely overwhelming in force. The part directly aimed at Meng Qi was at its peak, highly refined, with no weak spots. Only the sides and the follow-up had slight openings. But Meng Qi couldn’t bypass the palm wind enveloping him to strike the “dragon’s body” from the side!
Absolute power, absolute momentum—even if you saw the opening, you couldn’t exploit it!
Meng Qi inhaled deeply, calming his hesitation. With his life at stake, regardless of whether Jiang Hengchuan attacked out of misunderstanding, he had no choice but to fight with all his might.
His long blade suddenly vanished, as if disappearing into thin air.
In this eerie moment, a silver-white glow flashed. “Heaven’s Scar” appeared high above. Meng Qi slashed nine times in rapid succession, each strike heavier than the last, layering pressure until a massive thunderous explosion erupted in the air.
“Boom!” At the same time, Meng Qi released a thunderous voice, meeting force with force, matching ferocity with ferocity!
The thunderous voice shook Jiang Hengchuan slightly, dispersing some of his qi. The blade force and palm wind collided violently.
Bang!
An explosive sound echoed outward, sending gusts of wind in all directions. Leaves fell, trees bent, dust swirled, enveloping the courtyard like mist and haze, as if gods and demons had descended.
Meng Qi staggered back three steps, spat out a mouthful of blood, and felt the pressure in his chest ease slightly. He was still outmatched in strength, his ferocity inferior to Jiang Hengchuan’s. Fortunately, the thunderous voice had shaken him, and the Undying Seal Art had diffused the force, so he only spat out some stagnant blood without serious injury.
The shaking ground nearly caused him to lose balance, but Meng Qi pushed off with his toes, countering instead of fleeing. His blade slashed through the void, aiming at Jiang Hengchuan.
Against such an opponent, running would only lead to capture!
As the blade struck, Jiang Hengchuan seemed prepared. His left palm sliced downward, his qi tightly clinging to the edge of his palm, leaving no room for leverage. He precisely targeted the blade itself. If struck, with the difference in their cultivation and strength, Meng Qi’s “Heaven’s Scar” might be knocked from his hands.
Meng Qi changed his slash from vertical to horizontal, aiming for Jiang Hengchuan’s wrist.
Jiang Hengchuan’s face was filled with deep hatred. His left palm flipped, his right palm rose to meet it, forming a net-like motion, like a spider catching a fly, enveloping “Heaven’s Scar” with a natural elegance, approaching the principles of the universe itself.
Meng Qi had no choice but to change tactics again. However, Jiang Hengchuan’s counter was always one step ahead. In a short time, they exchanged dozens of blows, none connecting. Each time, Meng Qi was forced to change his move.
He clearly understood why. Jiang Hengchuan, in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, had an incredibly detailed grasp of everything around him. Meng Qi’s flow of qi, muscle reactions, even the opening of his pores—all were transparent to him. How could any move remain a secret?
This was the pressure of a higher realm!
If not for his mastery of the Solitary Sword and the Heaven Blade Principles, which allowed him to predict Jiang Hengchuan’s moves through the unchanging laws within infinite variations, he would have been cornered in three moves, not dozens!
This couldn’t continue! A thought crossed Meng Qi’s mind. He temporarily activated the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique, supplementing his Golden Bell Cover, deliberately altering his outer muscle reactions and surface qi flow.
Such precise control was unique to the Eight-Nine Mystical Technique. No one else could divide their control so finely!
Then, he rushed forward with his blade, the sword force merging into Primordial Unity, encompassing all possibilities like chaos itself. Before the blade met the palm, every possibility remained viable, adapting to the situation, changing with the moment. Unless Jiang Hengchuan could see the core flow of his internal energy, he couldn’t predict the shifts between yin and yang, hardness and softness.
Yin and Yang in triple harmony—what is the origin, what is the transformation?
This was a sword technique Meng Qi created by combining “Heaven’s Inquiry” and Zi Wu Blade, a culmination of his sword cultivation insights and understanding, truly his own. It was akin to Jiang Zhimei’s creation of the “Yama Scroll” sword technique, capable of dominating the Qi-Opening realm.
For the first time, Jiang Hengchuan’s face showed seriousness. His right palm curved, his left palm guided, the shaking ground stilled, the surrounding winds ceased, and the creaking house finally stabilized. All the airflows and vitality in the area gathered into his palms, creating a deadly silence filled with killing intent.
Meng Qi couldn’t identify the origin of Jiang Hengchuan’s martial arts. He had already fused all External Manifestation techniques into one, eliminating falsehoods to grasp the essence, expressing them in the way most suitable for himself, breaking free from rigid imitation, returning to form after formlessness.
Qi threads intertwined, internal energies clashed, and the long blade entered between Jiang Hengchuan’s palms.
There, the gathered qi cocoon was empty, ready to absorb any force like a clay ox sinking into the sea. Yet Meng Qi’s blade remained untouchable, like a greeting between two forces, producing no interaction.
At that moment, Meng Qi’s “Heaven’s Scar” shifted from yin to yang, mutual roots generating each other, unleashing a mighty force surging forth.
The transformation was abrupt. Once the blade energy penetrated the qi cocoon, the cocoon detonated to dissipate the force, yet its reaction lagged by a fraction. Jiang Hengchuan was compelled to step back to evade the brunt of the impact.
An opening! The “Heaven’s Scar” between his palms flicked upward, the blade light hazy, like a sorrowful rainy night.
Heavy rain poured down, each drop striking the heart. Lightning flashes brought indescribable loneliness and sorrow.
In such a rainy night, under such lightning, who could remain calm?
Seizing the chance, Meng Qi used the A-nan Breaking Precepts Blade to disrupt Jiang Hengchuan’s calm, shattering his composure, creating a brief hesitation to allow his escape and seek further clues and evidence to clear his name.
He didn’t expect a single External Manifestation blade technique to defeat someone ranked in the top ten of the Human List. Moreover, their fight was based on a misunderstanding, and Meng Qi still hesitated to kill him outright.
The blade light fell, and Meng Qi seemed to see the reflections of lakes and mountains, the fields and paths, the fleeting nature of the mundane world, the process of grain growing from seed to sprout, to stalk, to harvest. He sensed every inch of soil, every weed in the courtyard, every insect hiding within, every movement they made.
Moonlight shone low, the courtyard was quiet, insects chirped, and natural beauty flourished. Meng Qi’s heart felt an indescribable calm.
No, this wasn’t the normal backlash of the A-nan Breaking Precepts Blade!
Meng Qi quickly regained his senses, just in time to see Jiang Hengchuan hiding his pain.
He had severed Jiang Hengchuan’s calm with the A-nan Breaking Precepts Blade, but Jiang Hengchuan’s state of Unity of Heaven and Man naturally retaliated, pulling Meng Qi into a subtle sensory realm, causing both to hesitate simultaneously.
Heart imprinting heart—thus, one strike wounded both!
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