“Force Han Guang out?” Even though Meng Qi was filled with bold aspirations, longing to roam the martial world without any match, upon hearing the title of a Dharma Body, he couldn’t help but slightly lose his composure.
Without invoking the power of heaven and earth, Meng Qi believed that with his physical strength alone, he could rival most Grandmasters and Half-Step cultivators, significantly narrowing the gap created by cultivation disparity. When facing Grandmasters who practiced physical-hardening techniques like the Golden Bell Cover, Meng Qi felt his martial arts surpassed theirs, his mastery of sword and blade techniques was superior, his integration of techniques was better, and his self-created moves were more effective, still offering a path to victory. In other words, as long as he didn’t encounter powerful opponents like Cao Xianzhi, within the realm of True Gods, below the Dharma Body level, there would be no one capable of opposing him!
Cao Xianzhi, whose physical strength was far superior to Meng Qi’s, wielded techniques that, while not flashy, perfectly suited his own capabilities—such individuals could be described as extremely rare!
However, in ancient times, a Dharma Body represented the distinction between immortals and mortals, a unification of body, dharma manifestation, and yuan-shen that led to a qualitative leap. Even without invoking the power of heaven and earth, it would still be sufficient to crush Meng Qi!
Gu Xiaosang revealed a slight smile, her teeth glinting, as she said with a half-smile, “My dear, rest assured. How could I bear to let you take such a risk? This isn’t asking you to fight Han Guang directly. As long as he appears, immediately abandon Bai Chong and flee far away. His main goal is to eliminate Bai Chong and destroy the entrance map; how would he have spare strength to chase after you? Does he truly believe the capital is his own domain, where he can act as he pleases?”
She appeared ethereal and sacred, yet when speaking of abandoning Bai Chong as a pawn, she showed not the slightest hesitation or emotion.
If Han Guang insisted on killing him, Meng Qi would simply activate the capital’s grand formation and reveal his identity. With Cui Qinghe hidden and divine weapons ready, Han Guang wouldn’t escape unscathed! Meng Qi had already made his decision—this was the advantage of being known as a righteous young hero!
Because of the limited time, he felt preparations from Yuan Lihuo’s side would likely be ineffective.
After making his decision, Meng Qi fell silent, half-closing his eyes to conserve energy and adjust his condition, his aura gradually rising as he awaited the right moment to act.
Gu Xiaosang’s smile faded as she stood up, brushing her skirt. Her expression was pure and sacred, her demeanor ethereal and drifting. A jade-green flute appeared in her hand, which she lifted to her lips, seemingly preparing emotionally.
The river breeze brought a chill despite the spring night. Sun Yuexiu and her senior apprentice sister, Ren Jingxiu, disguised themselves as noble ladies leisurely strolling through the market, occasionally picking up silver ornaments, embroidered items, and calligraphy or paintings to admire and choose.
Clippity-clop, the sound of horse hooves echoed as a strong, muscular man astride a black horse with only its four hooves white slowly approached from the far end of the long street, carrying a long saber at his waist.
This man wore black jacket-style martial attire and held a wine jar, appearing no different from typical members of the capital’s martial sects. However, Sun Yuexiu and Ren Jingxiu’s hands paused slightly as they pretended to examine the embroidery, maintaining outward calm while tensing their muscles and harmonizing their internal organs to channel true qi.
Although he was disguised, Sun Yuexiu, who had previously tracked him, could confirm this man was “Hand of Impermanence” Bai Chong!
“Let’s observe quietly for now,” Ren Jingxiu transmitted to her mentally.
Sun Yuexiu gave the tiniest nod, signaling she wouldn’t act rashly. Her senior apprentice sister had already warned her that many powerful figures were hidden along the street, both openly and covertly, and the first to act might end up like the mantis or cicada.
She dared not extend her spiritual awareness, fearing it might alert Bai Chong. With a sidelong glance, she watched Bai Chong drinking wine and admiring the night view, seemingly unaware of anything.
Just then, four streaks of sword light flashed from different directions as four passersby suddenly attacked, surrounding Bai Chong from front, back, left, and right!
Bai Chong leaned forward, drawing his long saber. It seemed slow but was actually fast, leaving afterimages even without invoking heaven and earth’s power, like frozen fragments in time!
Ding-ding-ding-ding! Sun Yuexiu heard four crisp sounds merge into one. Her right hand instinctively dropped to her wrist, caressing her jade ring, ready to draw her sword!
Suddenly, a melancholic flute melody filled her ears, lingering like an unrelenting thread of longing—soothing yet sorrowful, stirring the deepest and most fragile corners of the heart.
Who?
Instinctively, Sun Yuexiu lifted her head toward the Jinshui River. There, a small boat gently rocked on the water, with a serene and ethereal figure standing at the bow, holding a flute. Her delicate pink lips were pursed, her eyes indescribably beautiful, as if containing all the stars in the sky, forming a Milky Way, filled with sorrow, resentment, and self-pity. Even Sun Yuexiu, proud of her own beauty, felt inferior at that moment!
Beside this white-robed “young girl” sat a figure in green robes, exuding a deep and stable aura, seemingly enveloped within the flute’s melody.
“That young gentleman!” Sun Yuexiu’s gaze suddenly stilled. Wasn’t this the same young man who had helped her before?
As this thought arose, she saw Meng Qi suddenly rise, crossing half the river solely by physical strength. His feet lightly touched the riverbank, rushing toward Bai Chong!
“So powerful!” she heard her senior apprentice sister Ren Jingxiu whisper!
So powerful!
This young gentleman was actually this strong—previously, there had been no hint of it!
Still slightly dazed, she watched an old lady selling silver ornaments suddenly flip over her stall. The silver items transformed into streaks of light, tinged with black, raining down like bullets toward Meng Qi.
At the same time, a disheveled middle-aged scholar raised his brush to strike from the side, while an elderly man with a hunched back attacked head-on with a long stick topped with candied haws.
These three were allies, with two at the Peak and one at the Grandmaster level!
As Sun Yuexiu’s thoughts churned, preparing to rush forward and help, she saw Meng Qi continue without stopping or dodging, his right hand clenching and thrusting forward, striking the “brush” without flourish.
Crack!
Sun Yuexiu’s crystal-clear pupils reflected the disheveled scholar flying backward. His right arm hung unnaturally, blood from his palm staining the judge’s brush. The silver ornaments striking the green-robed young man all rebounded, scattering like flower petals, forcing the old lady to roll away in panic.
His physical body could rival divine weapons!
Thud-thud-thud! Sun Yuexiu heard heavy footsteps and saw the sugar-apple old man, a Grandmaster-level opponent, being directly knocked flying along with his stick. All his techniques and variations became useless in that instant!
Knocked flying… Her eyes widened as Meng Qi’s figure dashed toward Bai Chong, who had just repelled the four swordsmen.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear ghostly wails, but couldn’t locate their source or see any figures. It seemed to swirl around Bai Chong and Meng Qi!
“Without invoking the power of heaven and earth, one can still hide within the void’s shadows…” Ren Jingxiu’s whisper reached her ears.
Hearing this, she suddenly realized. This was the “Free and Unfettered Heavenly Demon” of the Heaven-Destroying Sect, a Grandmaster-level expert of the Left Path who ranked among the Earthly Rankings!
Before she could think further, Sun Yuexiu saw Meng Qi draw his long sword. The blade appeared deep and weighty, as if adorned with tortoise-shell patterns. Suddenly, he pointed it toward the void on his right in a seemingly casual motion, his gaze still firmly locked on Bai Chong.
Plop!
A dark shadow emerged from the void, its intangible aura instantly shattered by the turtle-patterned sword. Forced to retreat several steps, it barely evaded the ensuing transformations.
“One sword repels the Free Heavenly Demon!” Sun Yuexiu found herself utterly unfamiliar with the green-robed young man.
Just then, a familiar sense of danger abruptly surged within her, and her gaze instinctively turned toward a roadside tree.
From behind the tree, a dark light rose silently, like a soul-summoning call from the underworld, aiming for Meng Qi’s back, attempting to pierce him and Bai Chong together!
“Be careful!” Sun Yuexiu blurted out.
She had already recognized this as the terrifying opponent she encountered the previous night. Even with the capital’s grand formation leveling the cultivation disparity, this opponent could easily suppress her, far surpassing ordinary Grandmasters.
However, she saw Meng Qi not even turning his head, his sword flashing backward into the continuous, seamless assault of the dark light, producing a series of crisp clangs as he effortlessly maneuvered within, like a butcher dissecting an ox.
Suddenly, a streak of sword light descended from a nearby rooftop, directly targeting Bai Chong. Its aura was mighty and overwhelming, still striking fear into Sun Yuexiu’s heart despite not harnessing the power of heaven and earth.
“How terrifying!” Her whole body slightly trembled.
“Blue-tier assassin ‘Sword of Death’!” Ren Jingxiu recalled this terrifying legend!
The green-robed youth was entangled by an assassin she had previously encountered, while the Sword of Death seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Bai Chong… Sun Yuexiu seemed to already foresee the outcome.
Suddenly, she saw Meng Qi’s swirling sword light converge with divine precision, striking the pitch-black water-piercing dagger with explosive force. The impact repelled the assassin while Meng Qi used the recoil to propel himself upward, meeting the mighty sword light descending from midair.
Sun Yuexiu felt as if she were in a dream. Then she realized she could no longer see the green-robed young man’s sword. His physical body was so formidable that even without invoking heaven and earth’s power, his sword speed surpassed the mundane, making it impossible for her to catch its trail.
Instantly, she saw countless sword-light afterimages blossoming outward. The green-robed youth brandished a single blade, unleashing the imposing aura of “Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Source.” Every afterimage was indistinguishable—identical in power and density, blending reality and illusion, making them nearly impossible to distinguish.
Ding-ding-ding-ding! The sword light afterimages bloomed like lotus flowers, engulfing from above the mighty sword light and swallowing the blue-tier assassin, Sword of Death.
Ding-ding-ding-ding! A figure flew back onto the rooftop. Meng Qi descended with it, his left hand reaching out with profound Chan meaning, grasping toward Bai Chong, as if not belonging to this world, nor any other, transcending all realms!
Bai Chong, repeatedly attacked and already shaken in spirit by the Sword of Death, tried desperately to resist this palm strike but was ultimately helpless. The palm mysteriously pierced his defenses, grabbing his forehead.
A soft, crisp sound echoed. In Sun Yuexiu’s eyes, it seemed as if countless stars cascaded from the sky, but she knew it was merely an illusion caused by her spirit being affected. She bit her lip lightly, watching a mysterious figure wearing a “Purple Stars Master” mask slide down from the treetop. His fists descended like stars from the heavens, exuding terrifying power.
If it were herself, she would likely be crushed into pulp!
As this thought arose in Sun Yuexiu’s mind, she saw Meng Qi holding Bai Chong with one hand while thrusting his sword forward with the other. He struck with an extremely heavy posture, the sword tip dark and ominous, as if all his power had solidified into a single point.
Bang!
The collision sounded illusory, echoing within their spirits, sending shockwaves outward. The force pushed away every external expert present, causing the river to surge and trees to snap.
Engaging in battle at the Opening Heaven level, yet achieving such terrifying effects!
Sun Yuexiu narrowed her eyes and saw the magnificent steed collapse to the ground, blood gushing forth. Meng Qi stood atop the horse’s back, gripping Bai Chong, his sword held horizontally across his chest, gazing down with disdain at the Purple Stars Master as if no one in the vast world could rival him!
The flute melody continued, melancholic and lingering, not yet finishing half a verse.
Alone, with a single sword… Top-tier masters, Grandmasters, blue-level assassins, Half-Step Dharma Bodies… Amidst layers of encirclement, he effortlessly captured his target… The scenes from moments ago replayed in Sun Yuexiu’s mind, leaving her heart and spirit adrift, her thoughts utterly bewildered.
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