Chapter 334
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Seeing Liu Qingyang wielding a massive battle-axe and Mi Kong, gripping his bronze staff, locked in fierce combat, Zhang San laughed and said: “Sect Master Ou, I, Zhang, though unworthy, would also like to spar with you. Might I ask for your guidance?”
Ou Peng replied: “I was thinking the same. I wish to settle the blood feud of my two junior brothers with Alliance Leader Zhang.”
“Hahaha,” Zhang San laughed, “One who wanders the Jianghu cannot avoid crossing blades. Chief, come at me as you please. Zhang awaits you.”
At this, Ou Peng let out a cold snort through his nose. Without any visible exertion, his body floated toward Zhang San like a willow branch in the wind. As he drew near, his right hand shot out, two fingers joined together, striking at a major acupoint on Zhang San’s chest. Zhang San dared not be careless; he shifted his body slightly, his palms fluttering as he unleashed a set of Great Qiankun Palms, meeting Ou Peng’s secret finger technique head-on.
The five members of the Heaven’s Way Alliance had barely set foot atop Piaomiao Peak before three entered the fray, each facing off against a member of the Piaomiao Sect. These six, all leaders of their respective factions and renowned experts of the Jianghu, formed three dueling pairs. This battle atop Piaomiao Peak was not just a test of individual martial prowess, but would also decide the fate of their sects, who dared to hold back? Each unleashed the full extent of their skills, exchanging ingenious and deadly moves. Danger soon filled the air, and all pretense of restraint in a friendly duel vanished.
Though Piaomiao Peak was crowded with Piaomiao Sect disciples, most were of modest skill, many of them womenfolk. Understanding the critical stakes of this battle, they anxiously kept their distance, fearing they might affect the outcome.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the situation in the arena seemed unchanged. The duels were evenly matched, which in itself spoke volumes of the Piaomiao Sect’s strength. After all, among the three Heaven’s Way Alliance leaders, apart from Mi Kong, the others were elderly men whose internal energy had been honed over decades. In martial cultivation, shortcuts are rare; the older one is, the deeper their internal strength. The three Piaomiao fighters, all around forty years old, were much younger than their opponents. Even with youthful vigor, it could not make up for less time spent cultivating inner power-yet they were holding their own, which was remarkable.
At this moment, among the two locked in a sword duel, Li Jian suddenly shouted, his face suffused with a violet glow, and he hefted his sword, bringing it down on Chai Qingrong with deceptive slowness and weight. Chai Qingrong frowned. After several exchanges, both had grown familiar with each other’s swordplay, but this slash from Li Jian was strange. He had never used it before, and such a move was rare in sword techniques, especially with his sword still sheathed. How could it possibly harm anyone?
But Chai Qingrong, a cautious elder with decades of experience, dared not take it lightly. He raised his sword to block this crude-looking move. Yet just as their swords were about to meet, Chai Qingrong noticed a faint blue light flickering from Li Jian’s scabbard. He did not know what it was, but a sense of foreboding struck him. Sure enough, when the swords clashed, there was no metallic “clang”-instead, a muffled “crack” rang out. Chai Qingrong felt his sword suddenly lighten, as if it were rotted wood; Li Jian’s sheathed sword had effortlessly sliced it in two. Alarmed, Chai Qingrong cried out: “Sword Light!!!”
At that moment, the momentum of Li Jian’s sword did not diminish in the slightest. The sword light within the scabbard grew even more intense, extending over half a foot beyond the blade as it slashed straight toward Chai Qingrong’s face. Seeing this, Chai Qingrong immediately pushed off with all his strength, desperately dodging to the side in an attempt to avoid this disemboweling strike. But the azure sword light on Li Jian’s blade was controlled with such precision that by the time Chai Qingrong realized it, it was already too late-he could only watch as Li Jian’s sword was about to cleave him in two.
Just then, a large hand suddenly reached in from the side, grabbing Chai Qingrong’s arm and yanking him away from Li Jian’s sword at the last possible moment. It was only enough to save his life, however, Li Jian’s sword light sliced through Chai Qingrong’s entire right arm as easily as if it were rotten wood.
Chai Qingrong, still in shock, was struck by a wave of searing pain. He let out a scream and immediately fainted. Blood gushed from his severed shoulder like a fountain. The one who had saved him was none other than You Zhanfei, the Second Vice Alliance Leader of the Heaven’s Way Alliance. Without delay, You Zhanfei quickly sealed several major acupoints on Chai Qingrong’s shoulder to staunch the bleeding. The Third Vice Alliance Leader, Yan Yang, also rushed over, pulling out golden wound medicine and various other remedies from his robe, applying them inside and out to treat Chai Qingrong’s injuries.
Li Jian watched the three of them coldly, his unsheathed sword in hand, the tip pointing at the ground, without saying a word.
At the very moment Chai Qingrong cried out “Sword Light!”, Mi Kong heard it as well, his heart trembling. He thought to himself, “As expected.” Sensing his opponent’s distraction, Liu Qingyang took a deep breath and shouted, “Mi Worm, watch my flying axe!” With that, he hurled the axe in his right hand like a hidden weapon, sending it whistling straight for Mi Kong’s forehead before charging forward, his massive fist following close behind. Normally, such a move with a battle-axe would be nothing more than a joke-easily dodged with a tilt of the head. Yet this time, Mi Kong felt his mind go blank. The axe seemed to carry the force of thunder, descending like Mount Tai, with an inescapable, overwhelming might.
Seeing the battle-axe closing in with no time left to dodge, Mi Kong’s skill showed itself. At the critical moment, he forcibly regained his composure, broke free from the invisible pressure, crouched down, and tilted his head to the side. The enormous axe whistled past his ear with a sharp “whoosh”, leaving Mi Kong drenched in cold sweat.
But before he even had time to get up, a massive fist came hurtling toward him, growing larger and larger, about to strike his head. Liu Qingyang’s punch was fueled by deep resentment; while its force might not match Zhang Xiaohua’s legendary strength, if it landed squarely, no one would doubt that “peach blossoms would bloom”.
Mi Kong, however, was no ordinary opponent. Hearing the wind as the fist approached, he knew the danger and immediately performed an “iron bridge” maneuver, arching his upper body backward. At the same time, he tossed aside his bronze staff and, with empty hands, propped upward, attempting to lift Liu Qingyang’s arm away. But just as he was about to fully execute the move, Liu Qingyang’s fist had already reached his chin. Mi Kong’s palms managed to brace against Liu Qingyang’s arm, but the moment he exerted force, he was shocked to find Liu Qingyang’s arm as solid as stone-he could only nudge it upward slightly. Realizing things had gone awry, Mi Kong’s heart sank, but it was too late for regrets. With a dull “thud”, the fist landed squarely on Mi Kong’s chin.
Though Mi Kong’s internal strength was profound, he had not trained his face and jaw to be as tough as iron. There was no way he could withstand a blow of several thousand catties. His vision went black, golden stars danced before his eyes, and he instantly lost consciousness, his body sent flying by the force of the punch.
Had this been on level ground, it might have been less dire, but they were atop Piaomiao Peak. The spot where Mi Kong landed was right at the edge, and he tumbled down the mountain path, his fate uncertain, whether he lived or died, no one could say. You Zhanfei, who had just sealed Chai Qingrong’s acupoints, had been keeping part of his attention on this fight. Seeing what happened, he handed Chai Qingrong over to Yan Yang and quickly used his qinggong to pursue, hoping to rescue the now-unconscious Mi Kong.
Two flowers bloomed, and then another one appeared. Meanwhile, as Chai Qingrong cried out “Sword Light”, in another part of the battlefield, Zhang San also heard and was momentarily distracted, his gaze involuntarily shifting to the side. Ou Peng noticed, a mocking glint in his eyes. His left hand, hidden in his sleeve, suddenly shot out, aiming a finger strike at Zhang San’s dantian acupoint.
Although Zhang San was briefly distracted, he was still a master of awareness. Instantly, he dodged to the side, clapped his palms together, and countered with the Great Qiankun Palm. Just as Ou Peng’s finger was about to touch Zhang San’s palm, Ou Peng withdrew his finger, formed a fist, and struck out. At the same time, his right hand’s two fingers jabbed forward. Zhang San had no choice but to split his defense, sending one palm to meet Ou Peng’s right hand.
Just as Zhang San’s palm had barely moved away, Ou Peng’s left index finger shot out again, striking directly at Zhang San’s Great Qiankun Palm. The very same palm that had left a handprint on Liu Qingyang’s iron battle-axe was suddenly pierced clean through, leaving a finger-sized hole. “Invisible Sword Qi!” Zhang San was utterly shocked. Not daring to linger, he tried to retreat, but how could Ou Peng let him go? His figure soared forward, sticking close like a shadow, and his right hand’s two fingers, forming a sword gesture, stabbed straight toward Zhang San’s dantian.
There was no way Zhang San could allow himself to be struck there, the dantian is the very core of internal energy. If a master’s inner force were to shatter, all of one’s cultivation would be lost in an instant, let alone if it were someone of Ou Peng’s caliber. If that invisible sword qi entered his body, Zhang San would be crippled on the spot.
At this moment, among the five who had swaggered up Piaomiao Peak, You Zhanfei had just disappeared from the summit, leaving only Yan Yang supporting the unconscious Chai Qingrong.
Seeing the alliance leader in grave danger, Yan Yang could no longer tend to Chai Qingrong. He set him on the ground, drew his sword from his waist, flicked out a sword flower, and prepared to rush in to assist.
Nearby, Li Jian, whose sword tip was pointed at the ground, glanced at the triumphant Liu Qingyang returning. He frowned deeply. Judging by the martial prowess of these Heaven’s Way Alliance leaders, they were nothing special. All six of his own brothers had taken Qi-Boosting and Bone-Strengthening Pills, their internal strength far beyond the ordinary. If these alliance leaders could not overcome them, how could they possibly have killed Old Fourth and Old Sixth? It must have been a case of ganging up with numbers.
With that thought, a cold gleam flashed in Li Jian’s eyes. He twirled a sword flower with his scabbard and strode forward.
The situation in the arena immediately shifted to two-on-two. Yan Yang hesitated, unsure how to intervene, when Zhang San suddenly called out from the rear slope: “If you don’t come out now, I’m going to be seriously injured by this Ou Peng!”
Ou Peng was momentarily taken aback. With his profound internal strength, he had already been keeping an eye on the rear slope and had detected nothing unusual. Yet, to his surprise, as Zhang San shouted for help, several figures suddenly leapt up from behind Piaomiao Peak!
