Chapter 277

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Seeing that Qin Shiyue’s inner force was so pure and refined, Situ Yueming couldn’t help but think to himself: Could it be that Qin Shiyue has truly purged the deadly poison from his body, allowing him to mobilize his true qi without restraint? If that is the case, then the intelligence the Heaven’s Way Alliance has on him is outdated. This bastard’s martial arts surpass mine by a level.

Situ Yueming’s guess was not wrong. Just moments ago, Qin Shiyue had been unable to take an antidote pill and could only use his inner force to suppress the spread of the poison. Out of ten parts of his true qi, only three could be used, while the remaining seven were consumed in resisting the poison’s expansion. In this constant struggle, he had fallen far behind Situ Yueming, who relentlessly pursued him, nearly taking his life.

In the martial world, assassinations were always carried out with careful planning. Every move was based on prior intelligence. Situ Yueming had been sent precisely because the Heaven’s Way Alliance believed that with their existing information, eliminating Qin Shiyue would be a smooth endeavor. That “smooth” did involve some effort, but it was not supposed to be excessively difficult—such an operation was meant to showcase the prowess of a sect or faction. If the Alliance had sent someone like Zhang San or Nan Fengyun, one of the Nine Grand Alliance Leaders, to hunt down Qin Shiyue, it would have been a laughingstock. Even if they easily killed him, the Heaven’s Way Alliance would lose face in the martial world.

But the accuracy and reliability of intelligence were always a tricky matter. This time, the Heaven’s Way Alliance had clearly underestimated Qin Shiyue’s strength, sending an opponent who was a step weaker. The outcome was predictable. As the saying goes, between information and martial skill, sometimes martial skill is the less important factor.

In truth, had Qin Shiyue not captured Zhang Xiaohua and taken him back to the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult, had he not encountered Xu Jiaotong in Jingyue City, it was very likely that he would have already succumbed to the poison. But reality was reality—no matter how many possibilities or accidents were dismissed, the fact remained that an unremarkable young man had single-handedly reversed the situation.

And the reason?

It was nothing more than recalling a girl he had thought he had long forgotten.

Qin Shiyue didn’t know how to repay Zhang Xiaohua. Or perhaps, he had never even considered it. Right now, the only thing on his mind was this hero from the Heaven’s Way Alliance standing before him, a man who had once been regarded as his equal in the martial world.

People of the martial world loved gossip, and rumors were never in short supply. Since both Qin Shiyue and Situ Yueming had the character “Yue” in their names, those who delighted in such things would refer to them as the “Two Moons”, subtly implying a rivalry between them. Moreover, they were of similar age and skill in martial arts, making them well-matched opponents. However, Situ Yueming was far more elusive. While his name was widely known, few had actually seen him in person. Had it not been for the unmistakable blade intent of his Crescent Moon Scimitar, Qin Shiyue might not have immediately realized that the one fighting him was the very Situ Yueming, his so-called equal.

Yet, the Heaven’s Way Alliance had miscalculated on two fronts. First, the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult had a profound foundation, far surpassing that of the upstart Heaven’s Way Alliance. The detoxifying Bi Poison Pill was derived from Immortal alchemy. Though its ingredients and refining methods had been adapted with martial arts influences, many of its core properties remained intact. Against poisons of the martial world, this kind of pill was more than sufficient. It naturally allowed Qin Shiyue to purge the poison in a short time and restore his peak strength. Second, the martial arts of the Heavenly Dragon Divine Cult also originated from the Immortal Path, deeply infused with its principles. Though Qin Shiyue was not a direct heir, his techniques were still extraordinary. The intelligence the Heaven’s Way Alliance had on him might have been accurate a few years ago, but they had failed to account for his rapid progress. In just a few short years, he had advanced at an astonishing pace. Measuring him by the standards of their own disciples was an enormous mistake.

In martial arts, even the slightest miscalculation could lead to catastrophic failure, let alone when Qin Shiyue’s skills had already surpassed Situ Yueming’s. Situ Yueming’s scimitar could no longer flash with the same lightning speed as before. The moment his blade struck out, it was immediately subdued by Qin Shiyue’s flexible sword, coiling around it like a spirit serpent and cutting off all momentum. Situ Yueming knew that this mission had ended in complete failure. However, he still had a sliver of confidence—among his peers in the Heaven’s Way Alliance, his Qinggong was among the best. If he abandoned his pride and focused solely on escape, even though Qin Shiyue’s Qinggong was exceptional, it did not mean he had no chance.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Qin Shiyue let out a long, resonant laugh, his voice filled with energy. “Situ Yueming, stay where you are!”

As he spoke, his flexible sword thrust toward Situ Yueming’s face, while his left hand spread its five fingers, aiming for the vital acupoints on his chest. Situ Yueming immediately knew that Qin Shiyue was executing a finishing move. The dazzling sword light left him no room to counter, and even that seemingly empty left-hand strike gave him the illusion that he had no way to evade. Panic surged within him. Without sparing a glance at Murong Jian, he tapped his toes against the ground, his body soaring into the air. With a swift mid-air maneuver, he shot straight toward the hall’s exit. Surprisingly, in that fleeting moment, his movement bore a faint resemblance to Zhang Xiaohua’s.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaohua, hiding behind the crowd, observed the battle using his divine sense. After watching for some time, he unexpectedly discovered yet another marvelous use of his divine sense. Regardless of whether it was Qin Shiyue or Situ Yueming, under his divine sense, all their techniques—be they real strikes or feints, follow-up moves, or variations—were laid completely bare. Even in the final exchange, when Situ Yueming perceived Qin Shiyue’s attack as unstoppable, Zhang Xiaohua, through his divine sense, spotted several flaws in Qin Shiyue’s move. If Situ Yueming had struck at those weaknesses, he could have completely nullified the attack. In fact, one of the flaws was so severe that, if properly exploited, he could have directly defeated Qin Shiyue.

Seeing Situ Yueming flee, Zhang Xiaohua was stunned. Could his martial arts actually be superior to Situ Yueming’s? Through his divine sense, Zhang Xiaohua had already observed that Situ Yueming’s Qinggong was indeed excellent, but it was not much different from his own. He had only practiced the Piaomiao Step up to the third level, and he had not had the chance to cultivate the later stages. At present, he could only use his air-floating technique as a form of Qinggong, which was still inferior to Qin Shiyue’s. Naturally, Situ Yueming would also be unable to outrun Qin Shiyue.

As expected, the moment Situ Yueming’s figure soared into the air, the corners of Qin Shiyue’s mouth curled into a smile. With a forceful step, he shot across the ground like a streak of lightning, racing toward the hall’s entrance. In the blink of an eye, he was less than two steps away. Closing the distance in an instant, he lunged forward and reached out to grab Situ Yueming’s legs. Hearing the rush of wind beneath him, Situ Yueming was horrified. This bastard’s Qinggong is this formidable? But he quickly realized that his knowledge of Qin Shiyue’s martial arts was still based on outdated intelligence. It seemed that even Qin Shiyue’s Qinggong far exceeded expectations.

However, now was not the time to dwell on intelligence failures. Without hesitation, Situ Yueming kicked out repeatedly, dodging Qin Shiyue’s grasp. But this brief delay caused his true qi to stagnate, and his body immediately began to sink. Gritting his teeth, he forcefully reversed the flow of his true qi, propelling himself upward once more and shooting straight out of the hall’s entrance.

The moment he broke free, Situ Yueming felt a surge of joy. Just as he was about to exert another burst of strength to make his escape, the scene before him suddenly darkened—someone blocked his path. Looking closely, he was shocked to see that it was none other than Qin Shiyue, who had just been inside the hall moments ago! In such a short time, how had Qin Shiyue appeared in front of him?

Before Situ Yueming could make sense of it, Qin Shiyue’s right hand flicked, and his flexible sword slashed toward him. Seeing Qin Shiyue actually chop with a flexible sword, Situ Yueming was momentarily bewildered. Is this soft sword even meant to be used this way? However, the movement was fluid, and the technique was incredibly bizarre—faster even than a thrust. At this moment, Situ Yueming was already at the end of his strength, his qi and blood were still unsettled from forcibly reversing his true qi. How could he possibly summon the strength to resist?

With a sharp puff, Situ Yueming’s head was severed cleanly from his body. His headless corpse staggered forward a few steps out of sheer inertia before collapsing onto the ground.

“You… you actually killed him!” At that moment, the rest of the people had just reached the entrance of the hall. Murong Jian, his face livid with rage, pointed angrily at Qin Shiyue and bellowed: “Do you not know that he was this commander’s personal guard?”

Qin Shiyue flicked his flexible sword, sending droplets of fresh blood scattering through the air. Smiling, he said: “Commander Murong, it seems you have forgotten—accidents are inevitable in duels. I deeply regret this mishap.”

Before Murong Jian could respond, Flood Dragon King Xu laughed and interjected: “Commander Murong, although Lord Qin may have acted a bit recklessly, the outcome of the duel is now clear. Does the commander have any further instructions?”

“Instructions?” Murong Jian shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the still-bloodstained flexible sword before him. “Hmph, you lot have the numbers. Just now, some random brat even had the audacity to interrupt the duel. And now, this Lord Qin dares to cut down my personal guard. What more can I say? But don’t think this is over—the navy isn’t so easily bullied.”

Everyone present understood the situation well. Murong Jian hadn’t come here with good intentions under the pretense of a marriage proposal. Even his personal guard’s involvement was likely prearranged. However, since he had wrapped his schemes under the guise of a formal proposal and a duel, no one could openly challenge him. Moreover, he was the commander of the navy and a relative of the city’s governor. For Three Seas and Seven Waters to continue operating in Jingyue City, they had no choice but to tread carefully.

Murong Jian turned to leave, but Flood Dragon King Xu called after him: “Commander Murong, since Lord Qin has won today’s duel, a true man must keep his word. This marriage proposal should no longer be mentioned in the future. Would you agree?”

Murong Jian gritted his teeth and declared: “A true man’s word is as firm as a four-horse carriage—once spoken, it cannot be taken back. Since I have lost to Lord Qin today, as long as he remains alive, I will not set eyes on Lady Jiaotong.”

His wording was peculiar, but the meaning was clear enough. Xu Jiaowang chuckled: “No need to be so dramatic, Commander Murong. The navy and the Southern Seas remain allies. You are always welcome to visit my manor when you have the leisure.”

Murong Jian snorted coldly and lifted his foot to leave.

Just then, Xu Jiaotong called out: “Lord Murong, wait a moment. Please take back the box you brought with you.”

After speaking, she dashed back into the hall and returned shortly, carrying the box. Without even the courtesy of handing it over properly, she casually tossed it toward Murong Jian, making it clear she wanted nothing to do with it. Murong Jian caught the box with a bitter smile, giving it a few pats as he remarked: “Flood Dragon King Xu, you’re not even going to open it and take a look?”

Flood Dragon King Xu merely smiled and shook his head, refusing to respond.

Seeing this, Murong Jian felt thoroughly unamused. Holding the box in one hand, he absently brushed its surface with the other as he strode past Qin Shiyue.

At that moment, an unexpected change occurred. No one knew what mechanism Murong Jian had triggered, but with a sudden click, a streak of dark light shot out from the small box like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for his heart!