Back in the decaying, poisoned heart of the temple, a profound and dangerous silence reigned. Unbeknownst to the injured and immobilized martial artists—chained and sprawled across the cold, cracked courtyard—a fierce battle had already begun miles away on Sunset Mountain.
The poisoned survivors, their bodies wracked with pain and their minds desperately searching for a way to escape their captors and the imminent threat of death, were jarred by a sudden, metallic sound. It was the sharp, unmistakable clash of swords, ringing out in rapid succession, a sound that sliced through the stillness of the courtyard.
The drained martial artists—those few still capable of moving—craned their necks and focused their gazes. Peering through the gaping hole in the stone wall that had been shattered during the earlier escapes, they saw a chaotic, desperate struggle unfold on the road just outside. In the distance, they could make out a flurry of motion: many martial artists, their weapons flashing, were locked in brutal combat with the people of the Seventy-Two Islands. The sight, though blurry and distant, was a shocking revelation that rescue—or at least a dramatic distraction—had finally arrived.
Lee Kong Bai exclaimed excitedly, "If I remember correctly, they are people of Sword Village!"
Yong Taihua opened his eyes and saw his juniors fighting against the people of Seventy-Two Islands. The poisoned martial artists whispered among themselves, a flicker of hope igniting in the despair.
Yong Gui burst in through the front door, swinging his sword left and right to clear the path. He stood tall and shouted, "Taihua!"
Following close behind Yong Gui were Kuo Wenqian and some members of Jinfeng Sect. Kuo Wenqian called out desperately, "Changchang! Ah Lok!"
Ten members of Sword Village rushed in, all going straight to Yong Taihua. "Da shixiong!"
Yong Taihua, recognizing the immediate threat to the hostages, pointed to the rooms on the far left. "Go over to the third house and save Caixia and Cao guniang!"
Ten members of Sword Village rushed toward the third house, immediately clashing with members of Seventy-Two Islands. Yong Gui rushed toward Yong Taihua. With a wave of his sword, Yong Gui severed the chains that bound Yong Taihua's hands.
With a large blade flying over the wall, Zhang Wei aimed his sword directly at Yong Gui's back.
Yong Taihua shouted in fear, "Father, watch out!"
Yong Gui quickly turned around just as Zhang Wei's blade swung directly at Yong Gui's head. Then a guzheng string flew straight toward Zhang Wei's blade, hitting it with great force, sliding Zhang Wei away from Yong Gui.
Ma Jingguo stood up and pulled Hong Lei out of the scabbard around his waist. He pointed Hong Lei at Zhang Wei and asked, his voice sharp with intent, "Did you kill Liu jiefu or was its Wang Biming?"
Zhang Wei glanced at Ma Jingguo, a sneer spreading across his face. "I killed him, I cut off his head with my own blade." He smirked and looked at his blade, relishing the memory. Then he pointed his blade at Ma Jingguo. "The next head is yours, Xin Taiyang."
Kuo Wenqian, standing near the collapsed wall, froze in place, her expression twisted with hatred. She asked furiously, "Why did you cut off his head? Why?" She pointed her sword at Zhang Wei. "What hatred did my husband cause you?"
Zhang Wei replied callously, "Liu furen, I have no grudges with Lui gongzi. I was just simply following the order that was given to me."
Kuo Wenqian screamed in rage. "I'm going to kill you and avenge my husband!" Ma Jingguo quickly grabbed Kuo Wenqian's hand. "Ah Chen! Let go of my hand!"
Ma Jingguo's voice was firm. "Wenqian shijie, you won't be able to defeat him." He gently lowered her hand. "If you believe me, I will kill him and avenge Liu jiefu's death."
Kuo Wenqian murmured, her lips trembling with grief and hope. "Ah Chen, cut off his head with his blade."
Ma Jingguo agreed. "Alright." He swung his sword at Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei raised his blade to block Ma Jingguo's sword energy, and Zhang Wei slid back toward the other end of the courtyard.
Wu On unsheathed his sword and rushed out, joining forces with Zhang Wei to fight Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo knew that between Wu On and Zhang Wei, Zhang Wei's fighting effectiveness was much better than Wu On's. Therefore, Ma Jingguo quickly focused his attack on Wu On and only avoided Zhang Wei's blows.
Sure enough, when Wu On swung his sword at Ma Jingguo, Ma Jingguo quickly grabbed the sword with his left hand and then hit Wu On's chest with the hilt of Hong Lei, causing Wu On to slam onto one of the old broken house walls. Wu On crawled out of the house vomiting blood, having suffered serious internal injuries.
With Wu On out of Ma Jingguo's way, his attention was now only on attacking Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei wouldn't go down easily because he was one of the grandmasters with great fighting skill. Zhang Wei rushed forward and swung his blade at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo quickly blocked Zhang Wei's blade. The light and flexible Hong Lei's endurance was not as good as Zhang Wei's heavy blade. Ma Jingguo flashed the guzheng strings at Zhang Wei, and Zhang Wei quickly stepped back, avoiding the strings before they could hit him.
Ma Jingguo looked down at his trembling hand that was still holding Hong Lei tightly. He saw that Hong Lei had suffered several injuries; the edge of Mu Dishi's sword now had multiple cracks. Ma Jingguo was afraid that if he continued to use it, his beloved's treasured sword would be broken, so he sheathed Hong Lei back into his waistband.
He noticed that Zhang Wei had slowed his movements when swinging his heavy blade at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo realized that if they faced each other head-on, he might not win the match easily or quickly. He decided to use his legendary lightness skills to deal with the slower Zhang Wei. He drew the small knife from the sheath on the left side of his belt and pointed the knife at his opponent.
Zhang Wei smiled dismissively when he saw Ma Jingguo's small knife. He asked confidently, "Do you think your knife can withstand my blade?"
Ma Jingguo smiled in return. "She has never let me down, and this time is no exception."
Zhang Wei pounced on Ma Jingguo, but Ma Jingguo quickly slipped past Zhang Wei's large blade. Ma Jingguo immediately dropped down to the ground and rolled behind Zhang Wei, utilizing his speed to cut off both of Zhang Wei's Achilles tendons. As Ma Jingguo submerged on the other side of Zhang Wei, he jumped up and pierced the knife deep into Zhang Wei's right wrist. Ma Jingguo's right hand quickly grabbed the handle of the large blade's hilt from Zhang Wei's now-useless right hand. Ma Jingguo's left hand quickly withdrew the knife from Zhang Wei's wrist and slashed it across Zhang Wei's throat. Zhang Wei collapsed to his knees, clutching his bleeding neck with both hands.
Ma Jingguo handed the large blade to Kuo Wenqian. He said, "Wenqian shijie, you should do the honor."
Kuo Wenqian snatched the blade from Ma Jingguo and rushed toward the kneeling Zhang Wei. She kicked Zhang Wei's chest hard, slamming him backward into the wall. She ran forward and swung Zhang Wei's own blade directly at his neck. The sharp blade separated Zhang Wei's head from his body.
Kuo Wenqian screamed through her tears, "Lao gong, I killed him to avenge you! You can rest in peace now!"
Ma Jingguo walked slowly toward the seriously injured Wu On. He grabbed Wu On's neck and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. Ma Jingguo gnashed his teeth, demanding to know, "Where is Wang Biming?"
Wu On gasped out the critical information. "He took Mu Dishi and went up Sunset Mountain!"
Ma Jingguo stood over the collapsed body of a fallen Seventy-Two Islands member, his face a mask of cold, brutal fury. He grabbed Wu On, the traitorous guard, lifting him effortlessly by the neck until his feet dangled uselessly above the floor.
"What is that he wants to do in Sunset Mountain?" Ma Jingguo demanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
Wu On struggled frantically, letting out a choking, gagging sound. He managed to force out a few broken words. "Chief Fu want to take over Sunset Sect and build a new branch of Seventy-Two Island up there!" He felt Ma Jingguo's powerful hand squeeze his neck tighter, cutting off the last wisps of air. "Please... Please..." he begged, kicking desperately. "Please let me go, Chief Xin..."
Wu On's plea fell on deaf ears. With a sound like a dry stick snapping, Ma Jingguo instantly broke Wu On's neck. He threw the lifeless body onto the ground with cold indifference. The knowledge that his home was about to be seized ignited a new, singular purpose in him. He turned and strode toward the front door, his weariness replaced by a chilling, concentrated intent.
Yong Taihua shouted after him desperately, "Ma Jingguo, you have to save shizun!" He watched as Ma Jingguo slowly disappeared outside the door of the old temple, leaving the ongoing battle behind for the desperate pursuit.