The Snake King’s steps were strange, differing from those of ordinary martial experts. His feet clung tightly to the ground without lifting, yet he moved smoothly without resistance, gliding effortlessly. With a slight sidestep, he dodged Meng Qi and lunged toward the door.
If the situation were reversed and the two were engaged in combat, Meng Qi would have been unable to stop his escape. Even the weakest Quasi-Transcendent was still a Quasi-Transcendent!
But right now, there was still Jiang Hengchuan!
He was half a step behind, standing beside the door.
Looking at Jiang Hengchuan, who bore the demeanor of a farmer, with his dark skin, the Snake King mercilessly threw his fists forward. His arms stretched out longer than before, his qi surging like a snake with its gaping maw wide open, determined to seize every moment and carve a path to escape. As long as he left the small building and entered the Northern Street, who could possibly catch or find him?
Crack! Crack! Under the force of his fierce wind-like strikes, the wooden door splintered and flew downstairs, crashing into the ancestral hall, knocking out several vicious fish.
Shadows came alive like tangible entities, stretching toward Jiang Hengchuan’s ankles and arms—thick, heavy, like constricting pythons.
Suddenly, in the Snake King’s eyes, Jiang Hengchuan’s aura changed. He seemed like a hermit dwelling in the mountains, surviving on wind and spring water, unlike any ordinary mortal. Even surrounded by dark shadows and facing terrifying punches, he remained calm and composed. Yet, he also exuded a strong worldly presence, like a farmer tilling the fields beneath the sun and moon, not lofty like a deity but embodying the true essence of nature, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.
Was it “Unity of Heaven and Man”?
The Snake King had long sensed that the White-Clad Swordsman’s follower was no ordinary figure, a top-tier among the Nine Orifices cultivators. But he never expected him to have reached the state of Unity of Heaven and Man!
Back in his days as an assassin, living from one day to the next with uncertainty, he had immediately pursued the Celestial Gate cultivation path upon receiving help from a benefactor, bridging the connection between heaven and earth. He hadn’t even reached the initial stage of interaction between heaven and man. Otherwise, how could he have suffered from declining vitality and aged body at seventy?
Those who achieved Unity of Heaven and Man were akin to having a unique and preliminary form of internal-external integration. With the assistance of qi and the external world, along with powerful spiritual and mental cultivation, they only showed signs of decline when nearing the end of their lives.
Jiang Hengchuan clenched his fists and met force with force, not giving an inch. His punches surged forth like twin dragons emerging from their cave, rushing toward the Snake King.
Whoosh!
The concentrated force of his punches caused the surrounding air to whirl, creating a gale that made the entire small building creak and sway, as if caught in an earthquake, threatening to collapse at any moment.
With a mere gesture, he achieved the resonance between heaven and man!
Boom!
The four punches collided, exploding with force. Qi scattered in all directions, shattering the shadows, blowing away the windows, collapsing walls, and leaving craters in the floorboards, through which one could see the floor below.
Jiang Hengchuan staggered backward, nearly crashing into the railing. The Snake King also slid back a distance. They were evenly matched!
Though the outcome seemed the same, the situations were different. Behind Jiang Hengchuan lay the pond where assassins had perished. Behind the Snake King stood Meng Qi.
Meng Qi raised his long saber high and slashed downward swiftly, delivering nine consecutive strikes. The compressed air produced a thunderous roar.
The saber seemed to form a vortex, absorbing all surrounding vitality, striking with the might of divine retribution.
The blade was like a dragon, its electric light surging as countless silver-white sword qi slashed downward. A nearby pillar, sensing the force, silently split in two, the cut smooth and clean.
Fresh gashes appeared on the walls, the floor cracked, and the small building trembled precariously.
Outside the window, the sky grew darker, as if clouds were gathering.
Though he didn’t use the Purple Lightning Skill’s “Thunder Shaking the Nine Heavens,” Meng Qi had activated the “Heaven’s Wound.” Facing a Quasi-Transcendent, how could he afford to rely on luck? He wasn’t someone who had achieved Unity of Heaven and Man—his normal strike alone could nearly match a Quasi-Transcendent.
The airflow merged with the saber’s momentum, making the heavens and earth seem to “shrink.” Instantly, the Snake King felt as if the saber was unstoppable and impossible to evade.
Frenzied Blade (reckless saber strike)
As one of the most influential figures in the Northern Street, with access to numerous intelligence networks, the Snake King might not have seen Meng Qi before, but upon facing this strike, he immediately thought of the renowned martial artist rising to fame in Maoling.
The Snake King did not dare to be careless. His body twisted and swayed like a slippery, venomous snake, making it hard for the saber qi to lock onto him. Suddenly, with his back still to Meng Qi, he lunged sideways. His right leg straightened like a whip, striking the space behind him with a sharp crack.
This strike was like a snake’s tail lashing out, accompanied by thunderous lightning. So fast that only afterimages remained, seemingly faster than sound itself. With a plop, it shattered the saber qi, striking the blade’s tip. A sound like an explosion echoed through the air, rippling outward.
Meng Qi’s right hand trembled, his tiger mouth nearly splitting open. Activating the Deathless Seal Art, he took several steps back, dispersing the residual force.
Meanwhile, the Snake King, using the momentum of the kick, was about to crash through the window and escape when suddenly he saw Jiang Hengchuan approaching. The latter raised his right palm, slicing downward like a blade aimed at the Snake King’s neck—the vital spot.
The palm force was refined, like a real blade’s edge, accompanied by a sense of scorching heat. Even before it reached him, a wave of intense heat surged toward the Snake King.
Silently, the floor cracked again, as if sliced by a blade, the edges blackened and slowly igniting.
Caught between attacks, the Snake King was cornered. Facing this terrifying palm slash, he seemed unable to evade.
He forcefully inhaled, his body lowering like a coiled snake. His right fist extended again, striking Jiang Hengchuan’s palm from a distance.
At that moment, his tightly clenched right fist suddenly extended his index finger in a strange manner. Shadows gathered, forming a long, thin line that passed over the palm strike and aimed directly at Jiang Hengchuan.
“Snake’s Tongue Flick”—the Snake King’s ultimate killing move!
Jiang Hengchuan’s five fingers, previously closed like a blade, suddenly bloomed like a flower, displaying infinite variations, before snapping shut. He thrust out a single finger—unchanging amidst the unpredictable.
This finger shortened the distance, arriving before the opponent’s strike, as if lying in wait on the path, striking the shadow head-on.
The shadow dissipated, returning to a single point. Two index fingers met.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. The two colliding fingers were like a painting.
A burst of force erupted. Jiang Hengchuan staggered back three steps, each one breaking the floorboards beneath him. The Snake King’s body arched backward, flying away, no longer able to stick to the ground.
But his mind was cunning, and his chosen angle of attack was brilliant. The direction he flew backward was precisely the secret passage entrance.
Suddenly, the Snake King’s pupils constricted violently. Within them was the reflection of Meng Qi’s white robe fluttering in the wind. Though Meng Qi had not yet drawn his sword, the Snake King already felt a sharp sword intent piercing into his very soul. His eyebrows, eyes, body, and aura were all sharp and solitary—like a sword!
This sword strike had already taken form before it was even unleashed, truly terrifying!
Then, the sword was drawn. The Snake King could no longer see Meng Qi’s figure—only a dazzling, radiant beam of sword light, like a rainbow descending from the heavens.
This sword strike had no variation. Qi, strength, aura, and spirit were all fused into one. There was no room left for retreat—man and sword became indistinguishable!
It was so breathtaking, like a celestial immortal descending from the sky. The Snake King struggled to describe it with words, feeling an instinctive sense of awe and the urge to surrender.
What a beautiful sword light.
What a terrifying sword.
The Snake King, mid-air, unable to dodge, twisted his facial muscles, bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and forcibly summoned his resistance.
His body folded in half, then folded again, wrapping his head and neck within.
As the sword light struck, Meng Qi first felt a nauseating sliminess. His sword slid uncontrollably to the side. After finally managing to pierce through, he found the muscles as hard as stone, making progress extremely difficult.
The Snake King extended his left hand lightly, tapping the sword blade. His entire body seemed like a ball, bouncing forcefully to another side.
His body stretched out, standing upright again. His abdomen bore a nearly penetrating sword wound, a few drops of blood trickled out, quickly sealed by the writhing muscles.
Meng Qi landed. Jiang Hengchuan entered the building, sealing off the Snake King’s escape route.
“What exactly do you want?” The Snake King raised his fists, his voice hoarse. Since escape was no longer possible, he had to ask their true intentions to avoid unnecessary conflict.
In his youth, he was a killer ready to exchange his life for another at any moment. But in old age, he preferred to avoid fighting if possible.
The Snake King thought this was because he had been ignorant of life’s value in his youth. Only after gaining enough experience did he realize that life was the world’s most priceless treasure, an irreplaceable wealth—once lost, never regained.
Of course, this only applied to his own life. Others were of no concern.
Seeing the Snake King showing signs of yielding, Jiang Hengchuan whispered into his ear through secret transmission: “Make up a reason first, trick him into going to the assassin’s courtyard. Don’t directly ask about the Wolf King or why he kept visiting the assassin courtyard, or he might fight to the death to protect the secret.”
Meng Qi deeply agreed with Jiang Hengchuan’s words. If the Snake King truly fought to the death, things would become complicated.
It wasn’t that he and Jiang Hengchuan couldn’t defeat an aging, weak Quasi-Transcendent together. The real issue lay in the degree of effort each was willing to expend and the risks they were prepared to take. If Jiang Zhiwei and others were present, Meng Qi could recklessly unleash the Purple Lightning Skill’s “Thunder Shaking the Nine Heavens” and activate the “Heaven’s Wound” without concern for injuries, fighting desperately without hesitation, knowing his companions would back him up even if severely wounded.
But the person beside him was Jiang Hengchuan, someone he could barely call a friend. If they fought too fiercely and Jiang harbored ill intentions, what then?
Jiang Hengchuan surely had similar concerns!
Therefore, despite their alliance, both hesitated and dared not unleash their full strength. Had the Snake King not tried to escape at the beginning and instead fought with the determination to die, he would have had a 70-80% chance of escaping unscathed.
Unfortunately, the Snake King was unaware of their inner thoughts. He assumed that since they attacked together, they must be fully trusting allies. One misstep led to continuous mistakes.
“I have a nephew who was kidnapped to Maoling. After investigation, he was taken into the assassin courtyard at the base of your Northern Street territory.” Meng Qi spread his sword and saber, ready to attack at any moment. His robes remained as white as snow, unstained by dust.
The Snake King slightly hesitated: “There?”
Indeed suspicious… Meng Qi calmly said: “Please, Snake King, lead us there to find him, so the person in charge doesn’t act rashly and endanger the child’s life.”
The Snake King hesitated slightly: “Fine! But this is your intelligence. If it’s incorrect, don’t blame me.”
“As long as you cooperate.” Meng Qi replied briefly. With the Snake King leading them into the assassin courtyard, there was no need to worry about alerting the enemy. He could then use the “Changing Heaven and Earth Method” to interrogate the person in charge and roughly determine who was hiding where.
“What else do you want me to do?” Seeing the two standing still, the Snake King asked.
Jiang Hengchuan spoke: “We fear you might trick us and secretly use secret transmission to command your subordinates to set up an ambush. Therefore, we ask you to swear an oath upon your Yuan Shen not to use secret transmission tonight. If we do not attack you first, you must not strike us…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage