Chapter 817: Silent as a Chilled Cicada (6)

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Xuanyuan Qingfeng arrived with such speed that as she charged towards Xu Fengnian, many martial artists watching from the rooftops seemed to glimpse a purple line stretching from the south of the city to the street of Xiamawei Posthouse. The color of this purple trail was faint at its origin, then progressively deepened, culminating in a rich, profound violet.

As this female martial arts alliance leader swept across nearly half of Tai'an City, she created an immense commotion. Her speed was so incredible that it sounded like a series of thunderclaps erupting from the rooftops of tall buildings.

People first saw the purple, then heard the thunder.

The purple-clad figure from Daxueping Huishan rapidly descended from the rooftop of a tavern into the street, charging directly towards the black-gold python robe adorned with nine pythons and five claws.

A resounding crash echoed on the street. With the python robe and purple attire at its epicenter, the scattered fallen leaves on the uncleaned road did not drift to the sides of the street as expected. Instead, defying the chaotic energy, they first spun on the ground, then were violently pulled upwards, flying towards the two colliding figures, and instantly turned to dust three or four zhang from the epicenter. On the street, a withered yellow phoenix tree leaf, which had just fallen from a high branch, was particularly striking. For some unknown reason, it was not torn apart by the immensely powerful qi surges; instead, like a yellow butterfly, it circled the two figures, spinning rapidly, making one dizzy. The leaf's flight path was unpredictable, yet each time it subtly brushed against the bluestone slabs of the street, it produced a metallic clanging sound!

Inside the tavern, Li Yibai from Dongyue Jie had already brought his two junior siblings to the window. Li Yibai had traveled the martial world for many years with his sword, earning a great reputation for chivalry, no less than Qi Jiajie's foremost disciple in the capital. Gossips even coined the phrase "Two Lis in the Northern and Southern Sword Forests" for them. However, Li Yibai understood the depths of the martial world far better than the narrow-minded Li Haoran, and his way of handling people and situations was incomparable. When Li Yibai temporarily requested three prime window seats for viewing the battle, the tavern staff were willing to grant him this favor. After all, everyone understood which was more important: getting a few more glimpses of Xiamawei Posthouse, or earning a favor from Li Yibai.

The white-clad girl, Shan Eryi, tugged at Li Yibai's sleeve and whispered, "Why is the fight so intense? Even if that woman, Xuanyuan, is slightly better than Qi Jiajie, she shouldn't be able to hold out against the King of Northern Liang for too long, right?"

Li Yibai had personally witnessed the terrifying scene of the young vassal king instantly killing Qi Jiajie. He was more aware of Xu Fengnian's frightening combat prowess than most martial arts grandmasters in the Central Plains. On the way back to Tai'an City from Taoshu Town, he and Sect Master Chai Qingshan had speculated about Xu Fengnian multiple times. Both believed that, let alone a second-rank master, even if one reached the Finger-Profound realm and had steadily cultivated there for fifteen to twenty years, they might not be able to withstand a single attack from Xu Fengnian. Xu Fengnian's martial arts, besides being diverse and refined, had killing methods particularly similar to those of the "Human Cat" Han Shengxuan from earlier times. In life-or-death battles, if you were even one realm inferior, you would certainly die, and die extremely quickly—a matter of life and death decided in the blink of an eye. However, regarding the outcome of a Grandmaster at the Heavenly Phenomenon realm fighting Xu Fengnian, Li Yibai and Sect Master Chai Qingshan had some differing opinions. Li Yibai did not believe that those in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, just below Land Immortals, this handful of rare individuals, would still be utterly defenseless against Xu Fengnian.

Li Yibai couldn't fully discern the truth and wasn't one to speak carelessly. He deliberately ignored his junior sister's dissatisfaction with the Liyang Martial Arts Alliance Leader. He slowly said, "Alliance Leader Xuanyuan is, after all, a prodigy of the martial world, seemingly destined by heaven. Looking across the entire world, even including Beiliang, only her speed in advancing in martial arts can compare to that of the King of Northern Liang. Years ago, she already accomplished the feat of intercepting Wang Xianzhi on the Guangling River. Now that her cultivation has deepened, it's not too surprising that she can hold her own against the King of Northern Liang."

After Li Yibai finished speaking, his gaze became somewhat hazy. On the street, the purple figure and the python robe, like flood dragons circling a great mountain, were truly a sight to behold. Li Yibai clearly remembered his first encounter with Xuanyuan Qingfeng at Kuiaxue Mountain Villa by Spring God Lake. That purple-clad figure, with an unstoppable momentum, looked down upon all other heroes. Even Li Yibai felt an inexplicable sense of inferiority. This woman stood alone atop Mount Huishan; almost all the young talents of the Liyang martial world, including Li Yibai, could only look on from afar, filled with admiration.

For the past two years, the young girl Shan Eryi had grown weary of rumors, such as those about the King of Northern Liang and the purple-clad figure from Huishan secretly flirting. Although it was a well-established fact that Xu Fengnian had transferred most of the martial arts manuals from Tingchao Pavilion's arsenal to Queyue Tower on Daxueping, in the heart of a girl like Shan Eryi, she never truly believed the King of Northern Liang would have any ambiguous connection with Xuanyuan Qingfeng. After all, a woman who was constantly gloomy, even if her martial arts were slightly superior, her face prettier, and her figure more graceful, was ultimately unlikable.

The white-clad girl asked with a smile, "Senior Brother Li, do you think the King of Northern Liang deliberately held back so that woman wouldn't lose too badly? If she were to lose face in Tai'an City, how could she still be the martial arts alliance leader? Isn't that right?"

Song Tinglu rolled his eyes and said, "Master himself said that Xuanyuan Qingfeng is a genuine Grandmaster of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, with cultivation no less than that of Xuanyuan Dapan, who once paved the way with blood. Such martial artists, whether in physique or state of mind, are incomparable to ordinary martial arts grandmasters. Junior Sister, do you truly believe that Xu is invincible under heaven? We still have two other Grandmasters in Liyang: Cao Guanzi and Tao Hushen. Flaunting power in Beiliang is one thing; outside Beiliang, it's quite another. Just watch, when the two great masters, Cao and Deng, make their move, that Xu will be revealed for what he truly is!"

Chai Qingshan did not stand with his three junior disciples, but he also lacked the leisurely composure of Cao Changqing, Chen Zhibao, and Wu Jian. The old man kept his eyes closed, concentrating intently, carefully sensing the flow of the two qi energies on the street.

Chai Qingshan sighed, and in an instant, the sword master's figure vanished from his spot. It was as if a cool autumn breeze had swept past the window. The next moment, Chai Qingshan was seen standing on the threshold of the tavern's entrance.

Behind a window in the inn across the street, Wu Jian, the old family head of the Wu Family Sword Tomb, swiftly extended his hand from his sleeve. Two of his fingers gently tapped on the window sill.

On the side of the street in front of Wu Jian, for several hundred zhang, from Xiamawei Posthouse to the street's end, a hazy curtain of sword energy, rippling gently, rose from the rooftops to the ground.

Spectators on this side suddenly felt a coolness sweeping over them, as if standing beside a deep pool on a scorching summer day.

On the other side of the street, Chai Qingshan lightly stomped his foot, and the entire street seemed to violently tremble for a moment.

After the two sword masters, from the Wu Family Sword Tomb and Dongyue Jie, each tapped a finger and stomped a foot respectively, everyone noticed that outside the epicenter of the purple attire and python robe, countless mottled cracks, thick as wrists and thin as earthworms, appeared on the bluestone street. They spread wildly towards both sides of the street, like a bursting dam, surging towards the hundreds of spectators inside the buildings on either side. Many were terrified, their gallbladders splitting from fear; they had only intended to catch a glimpse of the King of Northern Liang at Xiamawei, never to risk their lives. Fortunately, these crack patterns, writhing like small snakes, slightly slowed their momentum before hitting the "rain curtain" of sword energy formed by Wu Jian's finger tap. Although the cracks quickly climbed along this "wall," by the time they reached approximately the height of the tavern and inn doors, their momentum finally diminished at a speed visible to the naked eye, all in complete silence.

As the dense cracks rapidly spread towards Chai Qingshan's side, with the threshold beneath the Dongyue Jie Sect Master's feet serving as a boundary, they simultaneously exploded along that straight line, sending dust flying.

Li Yibai lamented, "In these two consecutive contests, Xuanyuan Qingfeng lost to the King of Northern Liang, and at the same time, our Sect Master also lost to the head of the Wu Family Sword Tomb."

Song Tinglu rolled his eyes and said, "Master himself said that Xuanyuan Qingfeng is a genuine Grandmaster of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm, with cultivation no less than that of Xuanyuan Dapan, who once paved the way with blood. Such martial artists, whether in physique or state of mind, are incomparable to ordinary martial arts grandmasters. Junior Sister, do you truly believe that Xu is invincible under heaven? We still have two other Grandmasters in Liyang: Cao Guanzi and Tao Hushen. Flaunting power in Beiliang is one thing; outside Beiliang, it's quite another. Just watch, when the two great masters, Cao and Deng, make their move, that Xu will be revealed for what he truly is!"

The girl, lacking such strong sect pride, pouted and said, "Master used his most profound sword art, while the old man of the Wu family did it casually, and Master still lost, didn't he? What's more, by doing so, Master even lost his composure."

The young man said dejectedly, "Junior Sister!"

Because of Xuanyuan's purple attire, the already ill-tempered girl gripped her sword and glared, "What's wrong? You're displeased?!"

The young man mumbled sullenly, "The autumn sky is high and clear, the autumn sky is high and clear."

Li Yibai suddenly reminded them, "Pay attention to the King of Northern Liang!"

Xu Fengnian and Xuanyuan Qingfeng stood facing each other, only about two zhang apart.

Xu Fengnian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking composed.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng showed no signs of fatigue after a life-and-death battle. However, the skirt she had gathered and held when she arrived had now come loose.

The knot had been untied.

Only, Xuanyuan Qingfeng now held that withered leaf in her hand and said indifferently, "Three years from now, I will ascend to the Land Immortal realm, and we will settle life and death on Daxueping."

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly, "If I'm still alive by then, whether you've become a Land Immortal or not, I will, without fail, pay a visit to Huishan."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng twirled the phoenix tree leaf between two fingers, narrowed her eyes, and her aura turned grim.

Xu Fengnian's lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. Yet, Xuanyuan Qingfeng knew what he was saying.

Xu Fengnian's meaning was simple: to use him as a whetstone, defeat him in one battle, and thus reach the pinnacle of martial arts—it was too soon for that. Currently in Tai'an City, Grandmasters like Cao Changqing, Deng Tai'a, Xu Yanbing, Chen Zhibao, and Luoyang were all "watching" this place. It was certainly not Xuanyuan Qingfeng's turn to make a grand showing.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng showed no change in expression.

On the old locust tree with dragon-claw branches, Miss Hehe frowned slightly. The branch beneath her trembled faintly, but after a moment of hesitation, she chose to remain seated quietly.

Suddenly, the "corpse" on the street, which should have been utterly dead, sprang up. And this time, he finally made a complete draw of his blade.

The "corpse's" figure moved like a tornado rising from the land. The blade unleashed dazzling, snowy-white electric light, like a ball of light, tearing a gully in the ground and sending shattered bluestone flying wildly.

The rolling blade's momentum bore some resemblance to Xuanyuan Qingfeng's surge.

And unlike Xuanyuan Qingfeng's open appearance, this one's sudden murderous outburst was particularly sinister and fierce.

Li Yibai and other martial artists who noticed the abnormality instantly all thought it would be a bloody battle with weapons clashing. But the next moment, the sight left them utterly bewildered. The seemingly desperate blade wielder, upon reaching about five paces from the young vassal king, suddenly changed direction, and with a light tip of his toe, was about to leap over the tall buildings. Was he planning to escape?

Xu Fengnian did not even glance at the Zhao Gou leader, but instead looked towards the entrance of a tavern.

That astonishingly fast figure suddenly hung motionlessly in the air, neither rising nor falling, just "suspended" there.

Li Haoran suddenly realized that this "young man" was like a piece of porcelain that had been struck hundreds or thousands of times with a small hammer. The porcelain itself was actually shattered beyond repair, yet it simply hadn't broken apart.

The Zhao Gou leader, who had used a secret art to rejuvenate and successfully feigned death, this time was truly dead beyond resurrection.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng shot up from the ground, a long purple rainbow, and sped away.

As almost everyone was looking towards the motionless young man or Xuanyuan Qingfeng's departing figure, a middle-aged scholar with frosted temples stepped over the threshold and slowly walked down the steps.

Under the sunlight, the green-robed scholar did not turn to face the young vassal king.

Xu Fengnian smiled, his hands hanging at his sides, and lightly shook his sleeves.

On the street, an unassuming middle-aged swordsman first came into view, immediately followed by a second, then a third, each identical in both appearance and demeanor!

However, their sword-holding stances were slightly different.

The leading swordsman used the "Inverted Tai'a" stance, made famous by the Tao Hushen.

He, or rather, they, continuously stepped onto the bluestone path leading to Xiamawei Posthouse.

The same person, different swords.

At the same time, the green-robed scholar twirled a chess piece between two fingers and lightly released it, allowing the piece to slowly fall towards the ground.

After the chess piece fell more than half a chi, he began walking purposefully towards Xu Fengnian, his back to the group of swordsmen.

The dozens of sword-wielders who had already appeared on the street, after the chess piece fell, all their swords, regardless of their holding posture, kept their tips motionless, but their blades all, without exception, began to bend downwards.

However, the unusual phenomena did not end there.

The young vassal king, clad in his python robe, stood unmoving.

But on his left and right, simultaneously appeared an ethereal old man in a sheepskin coat, his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sky with an air of complete indifference to worldly affairs.

A short, stern-faced man carrying a sword-box grinned, revealing missing front teeth.

A burly, barefoot, white-haired old man in coarse linen clothes stood with his arms crossed, his aura majestic.

A tall old man in Wudang Daoist robes slowly raised his hand, forming the "One Finger Severing River" stance.

There was a black-robed monk, solemn-faced, rubbing his head.

There was an eunuch in a large red python robe, his fingers interlocked over his abdomen.

Chai Qingshan, in a manner quite unlike a grandmaster, simply sat on the tavern threshold, gazing at the old man wearing straw sandals beside the young vassal king.

Chai Qingshan's eyes were dazed.

The ancestor of the Wu Family Sword Tomb rested his elbow on the window sill, smiling.

The old Chief Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, seeing this scene, turned pale.

Chen Zhibao finally arrived near the window, followed by Song Tanglu, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, dressed in casual clothes. Song Tanglu looked at the elder in the large red python robe on the street, his expression complex.

The mink-hatted girl on the old locust tree stopped gnawing on her pancake, unsure if she was full or if she was saving some for that person.

A great battle was imminent!

Everyone involuntarily held their breath. There was no more clamor; a pin drop could be heard.

Three of the world's four great grandmasters, three Land Immortals of Liyang, were present: the New Martial Emperor Xu Fengnian, Grand Official Cao Changqing, and Tao Hushen Deng Tai'a.

All gathered in the capital, forming a three-way confrontation.

Each was one against two!

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