"Run!"
A hysterical shout rang out in the small town swept by the clash of swords and sabers.
Yao Wenzhong didn't know why Ye Jingtang had suddenly become so terrifying, but he understood that it would be very difficult for him to leave the town alive today. With a furious roar, he violently twisted the heavy saber, using his body and the Junshan Saber to clamp the long saber that had pierced through. At the same time, he drew out a short saber with his left hand and slashed at Ye Jingtang's wrist.
Swish——
It wasn't easy for Ye Jingtang to pull back the long saber that had passed through the Junshan Saber. Seeing the slash coming, he directly released the saber handle, bent over like a tiger, and retracted and extended his hands.
Bang, bang——
Two powerful punches landed on the broad-backed heavy saber.
With a dull thud, the Junshan Saber hit Yao Wenzhong's chest.
Yao Wenzhong's huge body immediately flew backward, but he didn't lose his balance. The moment the force of the punch subsided, he forcefully pushed the heavy saber, pulling out the long saber that was stuck in his chest. Then, holding the saber with both hands, he delivered a powerful downward strike like splitting Mount Hua:
"Yah——"
Ye Jingtang nimbly leaped backward. When the saber blade swept past in front of him, he stomped heavily on the ground, and his whole body directly bounced up. His knees smashed into the position of Yao Wenzhong's collarbone, instantly creating two depressions in his chest.
Bang——
Although Yao Wenzhong's talent couldn't compare to Xuan Yuan Tian Gang's, his hard work was unparalleled among his peers. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been cultivated as the future sect leader by the Xuan Yuan Dynasty.
Even though there was a clear gap in their hard power, Yao Wenzhong's basic skills could still be described as "steady as a rock".
The extremely fierce knee strike landed on his chest, and Yao Wenzhong was knocked back again. But his body was like an indomitable bull. He quickly discarded the heavy saber that he couldn't use effectively, grabbed Ye Jingtang's right foot that had crashed into his arms with both hands, and using the technique of the Dragon-Slaying Order, he forcefully smashed it backward with all his strength:
"Die for me!"
Ye Jingtang really didn't expect Yao Wenzhong to be so tough-skinned. His whole body was swung half a circle and smashed towards the ground. Just as he was about to touch the ground, he used his five fingers to grip into the blue bricks on the ground as support, and his left foot kicked at Yao Wenzhong's waist and abdomen. His body suddenly straightened.
Even with Yao Wenzhong's imposing physique, he couldn't withstand the huge upward force. He was lifted up by Ye Jingtang's kick on his waist and abdomen, and he was thrown into an inverted over-the-shoulder throw, crashing onto the street.
Boom——
The old street bricks instantly shattered, and a depression was brutally smashed out.
Ye Jingtang took the opportunity to bounce up and landed a fierce kick on Yao Wenzhong's ribcage, kicking Yao Wenzhong sideways towards the street, crashing through the wall of the gambling house alley.
"Cough——"
Yao Wenzhong coughed up a mouthful of blood and quickly rolled up. Before he could stand firm, the explosive sound of a fist wind came from the front.
Bang!
Ye Jingtang almost rushed out following Yao Wenzhong's figure. When he stopped, he stepped sideways and delivered a powerful cannon punch from behind to the front.
This punch was without any reservation. The strength of the inner energy was so great that the moment the heavy punch was thrown, cobweb-like cracks appeared on the blue bricks of the old street, and the lanterns in the distance were immediately extinguished, as if the night wind of the whole street was stirred up.
Blood seeped from between Yao Wenzhong's teeth. In a situation where there was no way to avoid it, he raised his hand and threw a punch with all his strength, trying to clash head-on with Ye Jingtang.
Rumble——
The two fists met, and the raging fist wind instantly tore apart the walls on both sides.
Yao Wenzhong's right fist bones were immediately shattered. The sleeve robe on his thick right arm shattered inch by inch from the wrist. There was a crisp "click" sound, and the white bones pierced out from his back shoulder. His huge body instantly turned into a shell fired from a cannon, shooting backward, crashing through more than ten houses and leaving a huge groove nearly a zhang wide among the buildings.
Crash——
After throwing the punch, Ye Jingtang didn't pursue further. He just looked indifferently at the end of the groove.
"Cough, cough——"
Yao Wenzhong fell into the rubble. He tried to prop up his body with his left arm, but he fell down again on the way. Covered in blood, his eyes were fierce as he stared fixedly at Ye Jingtang in the distance:
"You... you..."
Ye Jingtang knew what he wanted to ask and replied, "It's not surprising to have this effect with the Tianlang Pearl refined from half a jin of Xuehu Flower."
"Cough, cough..."
A look of "as expected" flashed in Yao Wenzhong's eyes, along with a bit of regret. He wanted to speak, but his throat was choked with blood, and he couldn't make a sound.
Screech~~
After taking a look, Ye Jingtang ignored him. He leisurely sheathed his saber and turned to walk towards the messy street.
On the street, the swordsman in black lay on the ground with his body and head separated. His head, which had rolled into the drainage ditch, still had its eyes open.
Lord Fan the Eighth had been kicked through the chest. Since the battle ended quickly, he wasn't completely dead yet. Lying on the ground, his gradually dimming old eyes reflected the figure of Ye Jingtang walking past.
And Han Shaoping's end was the best among them. He had been pierced through the heart meridian by a sword. The wound wasn't big, and there was just a bit of blood on his chest. At this time, he had dropped his two sabers, was holding his chest, and was staggering towards the street entrance, muttering vaguely:
"Cough, cough... Damn it, hiring someone to kill a Martial Chief. They really came up with such an idea... They deserve to have their whole family killed..."
Ye Jingtang was very confident in his saber skills. He knew that this insignificant figure in the martial arts world wouldn't be able to go far, so he ignored him and turned to the alley on the side of the restaurant.
In the alley, Pei Xiangjun was dressed in a black martial arts uniform, holding the Overlord Spear with both hands, blocking the exit of the alley.
Luo Ning stood on the wall, holding the Qishui Sword and pointing it obliquely at the ground. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were quite indifferent as she stared at Xuan Yuan Hongzhi in the alley.
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi had just sensed something was wrong. Without waiting for Yao Wenzhong's reminder, he decisively betrayed his teammates and tried to flee for his life.
But Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning weren't just watching. Seeing that Ye Jingtang could handle the situation, they blocked Xuan Yuan Hongzhi's escape route.
In his prime, Xuan Yuan Hongzhi wasn't afraid of the two of them joining forces. But he had fought with Ye Jingtang yesterday and injured both his left and right arms. Also, he didn't know the background of these two maids holding spears. He charged forward with the Junshan Saber, but he directly ran into the "Wind Pool Reverse Blood" move of the Overlord Spear.
The Junshan Saber that Xuan Yuan Hongzhi had found temporarily wasn't much different from Yao Wenzhong's. It was pierced through by the Overlord Spear, and he had an additional hole in his right shoulder.
At this time, the Junshan Saber was knocked flying and landed among the houses. Xuan Yuan Hongzhi held the "Spiritual Opportunity Sword" and stared at Pei Xiangjun at the entrance of the alley, saying coldly, "Red God of Wealth... As the leader of the Honghua Building, don't you think it's beneath your dignity to follow the young master's behind as a lackey?"
Pei Xiangjun not only served as a lackey during the day but also warmed the bed at night.
However, this matter obviously couldn't be revealed. She looked at the "Spiritual Opportunity Sword" in Xuan Yuan Hongzhi's hand and snorted softly, "The young master of the Thousand Crane Villa was actually killed by you at Junshan Terrace. Don't you think it's heartless to kill a junior who came to seek advice just for the sake of a precious sword?"
Although Xuan Yuan Hongzhi knew that he had done many unjust deeds and might not be able to leave this alley alive, he didn't want to take the blame for the Zhou family. He still explained, "The person was killed by Zhou Huaili, and it has nothing to do with our Junshan Terrace."
Tap, tap...
Ye Jingtang emerged from the street entrance. Although one of his trouser legs was torn apart and his appearance wasn't very elegant, his temperament wasn't affected. He frowned and looked at the back of Xuan Yuan Hongzhi: "The Thousand Crane Villa produced a Sword Saint in the previous dynasty. They value love and righteousness, are benevolent and eager to do good deeds, and have a great reputation in the martial arts world. Now that the sword is in your hand, if you say it was the Zhou family who killed him, the Zhou family probably won't admit it."
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi turned around: "Even if this blame is put on me, so what? I had a feud with Zheng Feng back then and held a grudge. First, I fanned the flames and crippled his body. Afraid that you would seek revenge, I prepared to eliminate the root of the trouble.
"My father made great contributions to the Great Wei Dynasty in the past. He was loyal, heroic, and upright. He ordered me, his unfilial son, not to violate the law with my martial arts skills. I didn't listen to his advice and came here with Yao Wenzhong, committing a serious mistake. Now that I attempted murder but failed, I should pay with my life according to the law. What else do you want, Lord Ye? Do you want to help the current Emperor slaughter the meritorious ministers?"
Ye Jingtang was clear about the situation of Junshan Terrace. Although Junshan Terrace didn't have a very good reputation in the martial arts world, in the eyes of the court, it was considered a model among people in the martial arts world.
When the Great Wei Dynasty was founded, Xuan Yuan Chao joined the army in his teens. Starting as a common soldier, he made remarkable military achievements and was finally granted the title of a founding marquis based on his military exploits. After returning to the martial arts world, he was also the court's most loyal follower, always thinking of currying favor with the court. This was the kind of martial arts force that the court liked the most.
If this matter were reported to the court, and Xuan Yuan Chao didn't step forward, and Xuan Yuan Hongzhi insisted that it was his own idea and a personal feud, if the court directly sentenced the family to be exterminated and executed its loyal follower, people in the martial arts world would probably be even more unwilling to be controlled by the court. The meritorious aristocratic families, who were already on tenterhooks and afraid that the Empress would discard them after they had served their purpose, would probably start to have wild thoughts.
Moreover, Ye Jingtang couldn't possibly exterminate the entire Xuan Yuan family. Xuan Yuan Shuye and Xuan Yuan Tian Gang were also members of the Xuan Yuan family. There should be a clear target for revenge, and this enmity could only be counted against Xuan Yuan Chao and Xuan Yuan Hongzhi.
Ye Jingtang encountered Xuan Yuan Hongzhi in the mountains but didn't tell Benben about it. This was because if Benben knew, he would definitely help Ye Jingtang get revenge and teach Junshan Terrace a lesson. But there would be no reason to kill Xuan Yuan Chao, and at most, he could only kill Xuan Yuan Hongzhi.
Once the court made a statement, and Junshan Terrace admitted its mistake and restrained its actions, if Ye Jingtang went to trouble Xuan Yuan Chao again, just like Zhou Chiyang, it would mean that he didn't accept the court's judgment and wouldn't be in the right.
So from the very beginning, Ye Jingtang didn't plan to rely on the court's power to settle his personal grudge. Instead, he wanted to pay back the blood debt with his own hands.
However, in front of Xuan Yuan Hongzhi, Ye Jingtang wouldn't speak so rationally. He flicked his wrist and took out a gold plaque: "The law is set by the Emperor. Junshan Terrace secretly funded King Wu's conspiracy to rebel. Bai Siming and Zhang Jinglin have both testified. After the matter was exposed, Xuan Yuan Chao sent his young master and eldest son here, trying to silence them. Now, with both the criminal and the evidence in hand, do you think the court can't confiscate your Junshan Terrace?"
When Xuan Yuan Hongzhi saw the words "As If the Emperor Himself Is Present", his face suddenly changed, and he glanced around with his peripheral vision.
Seeing this, Pei Xiangjun said, "What? Now that you know great disaster is coming, do you want to go back and spread the news, so that the old Xuan Yuan can quickly flee far away?"
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi knew that it was impossible for him to escape and said in a deep voice, "Matters in the martial arts world should be resolved in the martial arts world. Born in the martial arts world, relying on the power of the government to suppress others, what kind of ability is that?"
Ye Jingtang slowly stepped forward and placed his hand on the saber handle: "What can you do to me?"
"You..."
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi's eyes were filled with fury. He gritted his teeth and suddenly took a step forward with his sword raised.
The next moment, a cold light flashed in the alley!
Clang——
In just an instant, Ye Jingtang had crossed the alley and came close to Pei Xiangjun. The Chi Dragon Ring-Hilt Saber was sheathed: "The starting move of the Eight Steps Frenzied Saber. You should be very familiar with it. When you first encountered this saber back then, you were defeated by this very move. It can be considered a fitting end."
Ding, dang~
The "Spiritual Opportunity Sword" fell to the ground, making a clear and low sound.
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi covered his neck with his left hand, and blood seeped out between his fingers. He slowly turned his head and stared fixedly at Ye Jingtang's back. His eyes were filled with mixed emotions, and before he died, a look of belated regret flashed in his eyes.
After a moment, Xuan Yuan Hongzhi's body swayed twice, and he knelt on the ground. Then he fell forward and gradually stopped moving...