“Flowing Cloud Swordplay: Parting the Clouds to See the Sun!”
Clang!
The clear cry of a sword rang out.
The sword momentum was as soft and gentle as drifting clouds.
But the moment the sword's edge touched the blade of the saber, the situation suddenly shifted!
Hanlin thrust upward at an angle, its flat pressing against the saber's blade, using the momentum to guide and deflect it!
As the forces clashed, Zhao Zhiqian's incredibly heavy slash was completely absorbed and neutralized, as if sinking into a bottomless abyss.
The edge of the saber veered off by several inches, crashing heavily into the ground!
Bang!
Shattered rocks flew outward, kicking up a cloud of dust!
Who was it?!
Zhao Zhiqian's heart shook violently!
Before he could even pull back his saber, three sharp, piercing whistles of tearing wind exploded near his ears—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
His pupils contracted as he instinctively swept his saber to deflect them!
Two metallic clangs rang out, sending sparks flying!
Two copper coin darts, carrying fierce streams of qi, were knocked away by the blade, falling into the overgrown weeds.
Yet the third one!
Like a phantom, it slipped through the gaps of his saber stance, flying straight toward his face!
'Not good!'
In the blink of an eye, at the absolute critical moment!
Zhao Zhiqian exerted every ounce of his strength to tilt his head to the left.
Slash!
The sharp edge of the copper coin dart grazed his right cheek, instantly slicing open a bloody gash an inch long. A few droplets of blood splattered onto his shoulder armor, a shocking sight.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Zhao Zhiqian stumbled back three steps, only managing to stabilize himself by planting his long saber into the ground. He raised a hand to wipe his cheek, looking down at the trace of blood on his fingertips. The rage in his eyes was almost ready to spill over!
Feng Zhilan had already been in despair, but hearing that sudden sword cry, she froze in place!
By the time she snapped out of it, what met her eyes was a tall, slender back, clad in a blue robe that fluttered sharply in the wind.
As the fabric whipped around, the person turned his head slightly, revealing a face that was almost excessively young.
Yet those eyes were as calm as still water, radiating a composure that was entirely mismatched with his age.
“T-Thank you, Senior Brother, for saving my life. Zhilan offers her deepest gratitude!”
Feng Zhilan hurriedly bowed, her voice still trembling with lingering panic.
The core disciple robes of the Star-Plucking Sect's Tingquan Academy...
Coupled with that exquisitely brilliant sword strike just now!
Who else could it be but the recently renowned “Moonlight Sword”?!
Only...
Feng Zhilan had never expected that Core Disciple Shen would step forward to help her!
After all.
Back when Shen Xiuhan had sought to enter a sect in the prefecture capital, his first choice had been her very own Bixia Villa!
However...
He had been rejected by both the Qi and Sword Lineages in succession.
But now...
'His talent is peerless, his cultivation profound, and he possesses such a broad-minded character that he's willing to overlook past grievances to save my life...'
Deeply moved, Feng Zhilan felt a prickle of warmth in her nose, and her eyes grew slightly red.
“My friend!”
Zhao Zhiqian's face was incredibly grim as he pointed the tip of his saber at Shen Xiuhan from afar. His voice was as cold as ice. “The Longxiang Army is conducting business here. For you to interfere like this, do you intend to make an enemy of us?”
Using the Longxiang Army to pressure him?
Shen Xiuhan sneered inwardly, but his face remained completely calm. He spoke in a flat, indifferent tone, “I have long heard that the Longxiang Army is one of the Five Armies of Great Qi. Under the strict discipline of the Zhendong General, they stand alone at the border against both Wu and Yue, protecting our Great Qi territory. It is truly admirable.”
“But I never expected that a soldier under his command would turn a blind eye to members of the demon sect, only to ruthlessly attack a fellow cultivator of our Nanxiang Prefecture...”
He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four demon sect experts watching from a distance like hungry wolves, before a mocking curl touched the corner of his lips. “Could it be...”
“That the Longxiang Army has been colluding with the demon sects at the border for so long that it has made you this brazen in your actions?”
With these words, a simple dispute over treasure was instantly elevated to the level of colluding with the demonic path!
Zhao Zhiqian's expression changed dramatically. He had never imagined Shen Xiuhan would be so venomous, pinning such a massive, ruinous accusation on him with a single sentence!
Colluding with the demon sects was a capital offense under the Qi court, and an absolute taboo in the martial world.
Furthermore.
The current Zhendong General had only been able to take command of the Longxiang Army because his predecessor had been executed for treason and colluding with enemies.
If these words were spread by the onlookers around them...
Forget about Zhao Zhiqian himself; even his father, Colonel Zhao Zheng of the Zhenyue Camp, would be implicated and face severe repercussions!
“You... Stop spouting nonsense and slander!”
Shocked and enraged, Zhao Zhiqian refuted him sharply, “This place is not Great Qi territory! Our clash is merely a struggle for opportunities along our respective cultivation paths!”
“If the treasures on this woman were to actually fall into the hands of those demon bastards, I would naturally snatch them back myself! Stop trying to pin such a treasonous label on me!”
“If it is a struggle for opportunities...”
Shen Xiuhan continued unhurriedly, “Then are you aware that before entering the Blessed Land, the Four Sects of Nanxiang signed a pact to stand united, helping one another and advancing together?”
“Since you have harmed a member of our alliance, what is wrong with me stepping in to assist her?”
“You!”
Zhao Zhiqian was left utterly speechless by this airtight response. His face flushed between green and red, and his lips twitched for a long while, yet he could not find a single word to refute him.
He was, after all, a soldier by trade, far better with his fists than his tongue. Finding himself outtalked, he simply gave up on words. Sweeping his long saber horizontally, he spoke in a freezing tone:
“I am a military man, not a man of words! Since you sharp-tongued brat dare to block my path, I'll just hack you to pieces along with her!”
“Well said! Hehehehe!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a grating, sinister laugh echoed from the slope.
Among the four demon sect members.
The bald man leading them licked his lips, his eyes sweeping back and forth across Shen Xiuhan, brimming with undisguised greed.
“If I'm not mistaken, you're the kid who slaughtered those useless trash in Cangwu County, aren't you?”
“Do you have any idea that your head is already on our Yinsha Sect's must-kill list, with a bounty of a full three thousand taels of silver?”
“A walking bounty like you actually dared to enter the Blessed Land alone. Isn't this a god-given opportunity delivered right into the hands of us four brothers?”
Whoosh!
Before his voice could fade.
The bald giant pounced downward like a sparrowhawk.
The other three demons followed closely behind him, fanning out in a semi-circle, their faces twisted in cruel grins, their eyes flashing with chilling killing intent.
“Brother from the Longxiang Army, that woman is yours! We'll be taking this kid's head! Hahaha!”
The bald giant laughed wildly.
The muscles on Zhao Zhiqian's cheeks twitched violently.
Meeting Shen Xiuhan's half-smiling, highly suggestive gaze...
Zhao Zhiqian was thoroughly infuriated!
He wished nothing more than to chop these four demonic scoundrels to pieces with a single stroke!
'What a vicious, cunning scheme!'
'They deliberately worded it so vaguely, fully intending to make that kid think I'm colluding with the demon sect...'
'But so what?'
'As long as I slaughter every single person here, why would I ever have to worry about news leaking out?'
Rate on N.U.
