A dark night with a high wind, a day for killing and arson.
In the Shi Mansion of Yudu in the southwest, firelight filled the sky, sword light and blade shadows flickered, and blood light rippled.
Watching helplessly as his wife and children fell one after another into pools of blood, yet being unable to do anything, in an instant, it felt as if his fifty-some years of life had passed. Shi Xin, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted with graying temples, could not help but feel his heart sink into an icy abyss, filled with sorrow.
A life of loyal military service with countless honors, was it all to be overturned in this one night by political treachery?
The clanging of weapon blades and the successive tragic wailings pulled Shi Xin back to reality; the Shi Mansion was completely dyed in blood red.
"Long Yao! Go! Take as many people as you can!" Shi Xin roared at a man not far away who was wearing golden brocade clothes, tall and imposing, currently engaged in battle with several people.
Hearing this, Long Yao unleashed his Dragon's Roar, his sword slashing in all directions. Several people with inferior cultivation levels had their bodies immediately pierced by the sword qi, fresh blood splattering everywhere, while two others with higher cultivation bases retreated swiftly, temporarily avoiding the sharp edge.
A streak of golden light flashed, and the Dragon's Roar sword had already pierced through more than ten people in front, with Long Yao landing beside Shi Xin.
"General, Long Yao is incompetent and failed to protect your children and grandchildren. As for the current plan, Long Yao will first take you and break out. As long as the green hills remain, we can make a comeback." Long Yao felt deeply apologetic.
"Brother Long, haven't you seen it yet? These people have a clear target; they are coming for me, Shi, and the Shi family. They want to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots! Now, I am the only one left of the Shi family. Even if we flee to the ends of the earth, they will certainly not let us go. You are outsiders and owe nothing to my Shi Mansion. You go!" Shi Xin's heart felt as if it were being stabbed by a knife, and he said sternly.
"Brother Shi..." Seeing that Shi Xin was clearly overcome with grief and could barely stand, Long Yao hurriedly stepped forward to support him.
The Grand General's body was no longer majestic and powerful, appearing slightly aged and heavy.
"Brother Shi!"
Who would have thought that Shi Xin would suddenly break free from Long Yao's support, leap out, and wave the silver-gleaming Demon-Suppressing Halberd, pouncing toward a young girl like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. He spun in the air, unleashing a domineering strike that swept away the several people surrounding the girl, then grabbed the girl and threw her to Long Yao, who had followed closely behind and landed. "Long Yao, take all your disciples and leave. You have nothing to do with my Shi Mansion."
"..." Long Yao caught the girl, already not knowing how to speak.
"Father..." The girl was clearly frightened and did not know why Shi Xin called her an outsider, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Go, Zhao Ge, and find your martial brothers." Long Yao said no more, pulling the girl and turning to leave.
Having only walked a few steps, he heard Shi Xin's deep voice from behind, "The imperial court is corrupt and lawless, and demons run rampant in the world, but the common people must not suffer innocently. Admonish the children not to let hatred blind their eyes; they must bide their time and keep the safety of the world in their hearts."
Long Yao remained silent, saying nothing more, and did not look back.
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In the middle of the night, in a relatively hidden alley outside the Shi Mansion, more than ten figures appeared.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Great Hero Long."
..
Seeing Long Yao stumble at his feet, his figure appearing unable to stand, and having to use the Dragon's Roar sword to prop himself up against the ground, the people behind him exclaimed with concern.
"It is no problem, just exhausted," Long Yao said.
"Hehe, is it really no problem? I feel much more at ease hearing you say that." Suddenly, a cold and tragic, cackling laughter sounded.
"You Gui? I did not expect that your Netherworld Cult would also come to share in this loot." Long Yao recognized the voice and knew who had arrived, saying coldly.
"Of course, the Shi Mansion is a cup of good wine. It is good wine, so there are many who covet it, and we naturally had to come and take a sip," You Gui replied with a laugh.
"Why, did only you come alone? Could it be that you think you can stop the ten or so of us with your own strength?"
"Times change. If it were at an ordinary time, you alone would be enough to give me a headache, but now... hehe."
"Then you must not regret it." As the words finished, Long Yao had already swung a streak of sword qi toward the dark place.
Black shadows moved, and You Gui finally appeared before everyone.
However, clearly there should have been one person, so how could there be two identical You Guis? Could it really be ghostly shadows?
"Piao Ling, remember what Master said. This is Master's final request." Long Yao did not look back, as if talking to himself.
And a long-haired man with a handsome appearance in the team behind him felt a pang in his heart upon hearing this, "Master... please rest assured."
The night was so deep, yet suddenly a dazzling golden light streaked across, tearing through the darkness; it was so resolute and peerless.
Only a muffled groan was heard, followed by You Gui's vicious voice echoing in the alley, "Long Yao, I want the people you brought out to pay with their lives for the ten years of cultivation I lost!"
The voice came from the mouths of the two You Guis, but compared to the two completely indistinguishable figures from just now, one was already flickering in and out of existence in the dark night.
Long Yao, on the other side, landed leisurely, then leaned against the wall, his sword edge pointing at the flickering "You Gui," "Piao Ling, your opponent is him."
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Shu Prefecture, Falling Phoenix Slope.
A man in white robes, with delicate and pretty features and a graceful demeanor, walked along the road.
Gu Suche, one of the Vice Sect Masters of the Formless Sect, loved to travel to famous mountains and rivers, intoxicated by the beautiful scenery. Time was not important to him, so he never traveled by horse, but instead carefully experienced the life of every step under his feet.
A few days ago, he happened to be near Yudu and heard about the incident at the Shi Mansion, so he went to see what had happened. Seeing the ruins and the scene of blood flowing like a river that had not been cleaned up even after two days, his heart suddenly stirred, and he thought about returning to the Formless Sect to check on the situation, so he set out on his journey.
The Formless Sect was in the Wudang Territory, and at Gu Suche's walking speed, it would take more than ten days, but what did that matter?
Hearing the barely audible rustling sound in the dense forest on both sides of the mountain path, Gu Suche stopped his steps.
"Which friend is it? Do not hide anymore. There are many mosquitoes in the forest; be careful not to grow a few more pounds of meat," Gu Suche teased.
"The person who will take your life!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
More than ten people leaped out from both sides of the mountain path. The dress of these people clearly came from two different gangs, and they seemed somewhat surprised by each other.
There were actually two groups of people coming to take his life, and Gu Suche also felt it was quite interesting, "I do not know what virtue or ability I, Gu Suche, have to make both of your sides so interested."
"Why so much nonsense from a dying man? Brothers, attack!" said the leader in black clothes.
"You cannot harm his life, capture him alive!" said the leader in grey clothes.
"Hey, you all should discuss this well," Gu Suche laughed.
However, although the two sides disagreed, their actions were consistent, each displaying their strengths as they attacked Gu Suche.
Gu Suche's face was like frost, he unsheathed his sword, and several streaks of sword light appeared, like a huge folding fan, meeting the blades head-on.
The clanging of swords and blades had ceased, but the white robe had become a red robe.
More than ten corpses lay on the ground, and the fresh blood staining the white robe had just been inside these people's bodies.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
The sound of rapid horse hooves approached from afar, and three figures came into view. Seeing their attire, they should have been from the government, and Gu Suche let out a long sigh of relief.
After the three approached, they dismounted and smiled at Gu Suche.
In this very instant, several hidden cold gleams revealed their ferocious faces, flying toward Gu Suche.
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On West Mountain Island, on a lawn, a sparring match between young disciples was taking place.
The weapons used by the youths were all wooden, and this sparring was just a game played in their daily lives.
At this time, it had reached the final two rounds, and the final winner had to be decided among the remaining four youths.
There was no reward for the winner; it was just enjoying the cheers from these youths.
A youth in white clothes named Han Tian, relying on the Metal Element Internal Energy Cultivation Method he had cultivated to the second level, the Golden Light Cloud-Sweeping Technique, was always victorious and soon defeated his opponent, entering the final round.
"Brother Han Tian is amazing!"
"Brother Han Tian is powerful!"
"As expected of Brother Han Tian, too amazing!"
On the other side, a youth who used a wooden sword and had a slightly thin figure and a youth who used a saber and was like a tall tower also decided the outcome. In the end, the youth with the thinner figure used dazzling sword techniques to make the opponent's strength advantage unable to be displayed, winning with skill.
"Yichen, your sword technique is still amazing. Even though we possess internal energy, it is difficult to win against your lightness and liveliness." The tall tower youth was named Li Feng; losing to the youth in front of him did not discourage him, but instead, he was highly appreciative of his opponent.
"I concede." The thin youth named Yichen heard this, a flash of imperceptible sadness appearing in his eyes for an instant, then he immediately cupped his hands in a return salute.
In the end, it was the final battle between Han Tian and Yichen.
Both of them used wooden swords, and this final winner could also be called the strongest sword among this group of youths.
Han Tian moved first, operating the Golden Light Cloud-Sweeping Technique, and a layer of pale golden luster appeared on the wooden sword, intending to imitate the winning method of the previous rounds to win in one strike.
But Yichen did not choose to fight him head-on, dodging with a side roll, and then attacking from the side.
The one strike missed, and Han Tian was not surprised. He parried Yichen's incoming sword, then immediately exerted his full internal energy cultivation method, turning from defense to attack, with a stormy and rapid attack following closely behind, not giving the opponent half a chance.
After a while, the two had not yet decided the winner. Han Tian was still full of vigor and power, while Yichen appeared somewhat exhausted, and what was worse was that the wooden sword in his hand was riddled with holes from the collisions with the opponent. If they continued to fight, it would not take long before it broke.
At this time, Yichen had been forced to leap into the air by the sharp and peerless sword qi of Han Tian's Golden Light Cloud-Sweeping Technique. Seeing the wooden sword in Han Tian's hand glow with a faint cold gleam, it was clear he was about to use the Meteor Style. He had nowhere to borrow strength to dodge in the air, and if he were hit, he would undoubtedly lose. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and he had a plan.
Two cold lights streaked across the sky simultaneously. One rushed toward the upper diagonal, which was exactly the position where Yichen had just been, while the other rushed toward the ground. Yichen used the Meteor Style to accelerate his landing speed.
Then, the sword turned to the side, drawing an arc, and stabbed directly toward the neck of Han Tian, who had killed his way to the front and was about to land.
The outcome was about to be revealed.
Finally, the edge of Han Tian's wooden sword hovered in front of the forehead of Yichen, who was sitting on the ground, and Yichen's sword was lying on the ground just like him.
Han Tian's hand reached out to Yichen, "Among us, only you cannot cultivate internal energy, but I did not expect you to still be this amazing."
Yichen was stunned for a moment, then took Han Tian's hand and stood up, smiling calmly.
"I concede," Han Tian said.
"Oh oh, Brother Han Tian is the most amazing!"
"Brother Han Tian is great!"
"Brother Yichen is also very amazing!"
"That's right, Brother Yichen just cannot cultivate internal energy; otherwise, he might be just as amazing as Brother Han Tian."
..
Not far from the lawn, two old men were cooling off and chatting under the shade of a tree.
"What do you think?"
"Hehe, children's play, what is there to see?"
"Not at all, not at all. I see you were watching intently."
"Hey, it was still good. Both of these little dolls, Tian'er and Chen'er, are good."
"It is a pity, Chen'er's move just now was stunning enough and enough to win."
"Since he held back, then losing is losing."
"He was afraid of hurting Tian'er."
"This is a sparring match between children; winning or losing is not important. If it were a life-and-death struggle, he would already be a dead person."
"Are you saying that he would also show mercy in a life-and-death struggle?"
"Perhaps because of the consumption disease that prevents him from cultivating internal energy, Chen'er's sword technique among the younger generation can be called superb, but he has no heart for being brave and fierce. Inside, he can be called kind-hearted and benevolent, but if he goes outside, to say something unpleasant, it is hypocritical and cowardly."
"Your words are a bit too much. It is not that Chen'er cannot cultivate internal energy, it is just that it is indeed difficult to find one suitable for him. Chen'er is also not gifted with extraordinary talent; it is all relying on his own striving and persistence that he has exchanged for such ability today. The reason is only because he does not want to fall behind others because he has no internal energy."
"Forget it, forget it, I will not argue with you. If this internal energy were so easy to find, would it still be nowhere to be found until now? Not falling behind others, if he does not leave the island and spends his life here, there is no difference."
"...That is true."
Suddenly, the faint sound of a xun came from afar, three short and one long, quite urgent.
"This is..."
"Is there an enemy invading? Let's go and see."
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