Teng Qingshan was one or two zhang ahead of the Blind Sword Saint. If Gu Yong ran haphazardly, the result would clearly be Teng Qingshan bringing his axe down squarely on Gu Yong. Although Gu Yong was protected by Divine Armor, the face area of the helmet was exposed. With Teng Qingshan’s methods, the axe would absolutely strike Gu Yong’s face.

The Blind Sword Saint was to the north of Teng Qingshan, so if Gu Yong ran north, he could close the distance with the Blind Sword Saint.

"Yes, Ancestor Master."

Gu Yong, far in the distance, remained calm in the face of danger. He instantly judged the best direction and darted toward a spot slightly west of north. He had only darted out ten-plus zhang when two streaks of light descended at almost the same moment.

"Old thing, truly cunning," Teng Qingshan’s brow twitched with anger. Gu Yong’s flight erased the slight advantage Teng Qingshan had held. "However, can your running speed match the speed of my axe-blade light beam attack?" Teng Qingshan was still several tens of zhang away from Gu Yong.

"Whoosh!"

Teng Qingshan mercilessly brought his axe down in a savage sweep. A semicircular axe-blade light beam rapidly enveloped Gu Yong. The Blind Sword Saint’s face changed drastically, and almost reflexively, he thrust his staff forward—a black line of light piercing through the axe-blade light beam. The axe-blade light beam shattered, but it still surrounded Gu Yong.

Even as he was running, Gu Yong had already lowered his head, simultaneously holding both arms across his face.

"Boom!" The seven or eight fragmented axe-blade light beams struck Gu Yong’s body.

Gu Yong was sent flying like a sandbag, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Swoosh."

The Blind Sword Saint snatched Gu Yong up, immediately ascending and hovering in mid-air.

"Are you alright?" the Blind Sword Saint asked urgently.

"I'm fine, thank the Divine Armor," Gu Yong finally managed to breathe a sigh of relief, his face pale as he hung suspended in the air alongside the Blind Sword Saint. He looked at the Divine Armor on his body with amazement. "Ancestor Master, this Divine Armor is truly formidable. That attack from Jing Yi didn't leave even a scratch on the armor. I only suffered internal injury."

Although the impact force was immense, Gu Yong was a Xiantian Golden Core expert, protected by True Essence. For the shockwave, merely weakened after passing through the Divine Armor, to only injure him was already remarkable.

...

Teng Qingshan stood on the ground. The numerous Azure Lake Island soldiers in the distance dared not approach.

Teng Qingshan looked up at the Blind Sword Saint hovering in mid-air and roared angrily, "Tie Wu, are you too scared to come down?" His voice sounded like rolling thunder, causing even the surrounding Azure Lake Island soldiers to clutch their ears in pain.

"Hmph." The Blind Sword Saint ignored Teng Qingshan.

"This Gu Yong actually didn't die." Teng Qingshan’s gaze, however, fixed on Gu Yong. "My severed axe light, even when shattered by the Blind Sword Saint's staff thrust, is absolutely not something a Xiantian Golden Core can withstand. Even ten Xiantian Golden Cores would be finished." What attracted Teng Qingshan’s attention the most was—

The silver battle armor on Gu Yong!

"Not a single scratch? Even the attack of a Void Realm expert couldn't leave even a scratch on it?" Teng Qingshan had excellent eyesight; even though Gu Yong was nearly two hundred zhang high in the sky, Teng Qingshan could see clearly.

"What kind of armor is this?" Teng Qingshan had never seen such armor. He also understood... Gu Yong was alive entirely because of this armor.

Teng Qingshan glanced back, revealing a faint smile.

At this moment, on the city walls of Jiangning Commandery City, the armies of the Guiyuan Sect held firm. Meanwhile, the Azure Lake Island army had actually retreated from the ramparts, pausing the hostilities for the time being. They effectively had to pause... The Guiyuan Sect’s 'Dragon Ridge Guard' was equivalent to the Azure Lake Island’s 'Golden Scale Guard.' Furthermore, the Dragon Ridge Guard outnumbered them!

Attacking the city would only result in sending lives away.

With the three armies in a stalemate, Teng Qingshan’s focus returned to the armor on Gu Yong: "What exactly is this armor?"

"Tie Wu, I didn't expect you wouldn't wear it yourself, instead giving such a precious treasure to Gu Yong. You truly value him highly," Teng Qingshan transmitted telepathically.

In mid-air, the black-clad Blind Man sneered back via transmission: "Hmph, what? Are you envious? I’m afraid even your Celestial God Palace can only muster one or two sets of Divine Armor at most. You aren't qualified to receive one, are you?"

"Divine Armor?" Teng Qingshan inferred from the Blind Sword Saint's words—

Divine Armor was extremely rare.

For a force like the Celestial God Palace, based on what the Blind Sword Saint said, they probably only possessed one or two sets of Divine Armor.

The Blind Sword Saint actually assumed Teng Qingshan, originating from the Celestial God Palace, would certainly know the common knowledge regarding 'Divine Armor,' so he didn't pay attention to secrecy during their exchange.

"Where did your Azure Lake Island get this Divine Armor?" Teng Qingshan transmitted.

"Hmph, as long as it wasn't taken from your Celestial God Palace!" The Blind Sword Saint currently had no time for pleasantries with Teng Qingshan. He was observing the Guiyuan Sect army and his own Azure Lake Island forces, simultaneously communicating with two of the generals commanding the three armies via telepathy. As long as the general spoke, the Blind Sword Saint could hear them, even if they were dozens of li apart.

"Hmm?"

The Blind Sword Saint was greatly surprised upon hearing the reports from the two generals within his domain. "Such a formidable army? Does the Guiyuan Sect truly possess such a powerful army? No, it must be from the Celestial God Palace!"

"Only a terrifying sect like the Celestial God Palace could cultivate such elite troops in such numbers, right?"

"It's just as I suspected. The Celestial God Palace had premeditated this, dispatching an elite army to Jiangning Commandery City long ago. If the Celestial God Palace truly attacks Yangzhou, the coordinated attack from inside and out would lead to Yangzhou being occupied by the Celestial God Palace." The Blind Sword Saint deduced this.

He could not believe that the Guiyuan Sect, which only governed a single commandery, could possess so many first-rate martial artists!

...

Suspended in mid-air, Teng Qingshan was unable to fly, but the Blind Sword Saint also couldn't just go kill Zhuge Yuanhong and the others.

Because—

A Void Realm expert could leap over a hundred zhang high, whereas the Jiangning Commandery City walls were barely that tall. If the Blind Sword Saint descended even a few tens of zhang, Teng Qingshan could leap up and attack him in the air. If the Blind Sword Saint were tied down by Teng Qingshan... he would be in a difficult spot too.

With Gu Yong needing protection, he could not fully commit to a life-or-death struggle with Teng Qingshan.

"Retreat!" The Blind Sword Saint ordered with a hateful transmission, his face grim with frustration.

Instantly—

The two generals within his domain received the order and breathed a collective sigh of relief. The armies at the foot of the East City Wall and the North City Wall began to withdraw, and subsequently, the Azure Lake Island troops at the West City Wall, having received the news, also retreated.

Staring down at Teng Qingshan, the Blind Sword Saint transmitted a cold sneer: "Hmph, Jing Yi, you are lucky today."

"Let's go."

Carrying Gu Yong, the Blind Sword Saint immediately tore through the void and flew away.

...

In the swirling mist, only Gu Yong and the Blind Sword Saint remained.

"Ancestor Master, this Jing Yi is so powerful that even you couldn't kill him?" Gu Yong had witnessed that after tossing him away, the Blind Sword Saint attacked Jing Yi but failed to kill or even injure him.

"Of course, he is not my match," the Blind Sword Saint said confidently. "Today, I had to protect you, so I couldn't use my full strength! As for... tossing you away just now to attack Jing Yi. It was because my attacking move was inappropriate... I used my fastest move, which is also my most proficient technique. If he couldn't block it with one move, he would surely die."

"But his defensive technique was even more exquisite than mine," the Blind Sword Saint sighed.

"So, fighting over the subtlety of techniques, or speed, is useless."

"To truly kill him, there is no need for exquisite techniques, only the strongest offensive power directed at him! I would gather ten-tenths of the power of Heaven and Earth into a single sword strike! To overwhelm him with sheer force... Even if he could barely block it, he would surely reveal a flaw, which I could then exploit to kill him," the Blind Sword Saint stated.

Overwhelming with force—the Blind Sword Saint usually disliked this approach because he specialized in swordsmanship.

But—

Who would have expected to encounter Teng Qingshan, whose techniques were even more refined than his own? However, it wasn't entirely the Blind Sword Saint's fault; no matter how powerful the Blind Sword Saint was, how could he compare to Emperor Yu, who created the Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting?

"It's a pity that with you nearby this time, I dared not take the risk again," the Blind Sword Saint said.

The Blind Sword Saint carried Gu Yong and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the direction of Azure Lake Island.

On the city walls of Jiangning Commandery City, large numbers of Guiyuan Sect soldiers and disciples were busy tending to the wounded and moving the dead. Excitement mixed with relief was visible on most faces.

Their Guiyuan Sect had once again achieved victory against an attack from 'Azure Lake Island,' one of the Eight Great Sects.

"We held it."

Teng Qingshan turned around and walked toward the city gate. Many Guiyuan Sect disciples and soldiers looked at Teng Qingshan with adoration, respect, and... gratitude! Those who witnessed the battle between the two Void Realm experts knew that it was precisely because of this senior 'Jing Yi' that they held off that terrifying, blind man from Azure Lake Island.

Whoosh!

Teng Qingshan leaped up like an arrow, landing on the city wall.

"Senior Jing Yi." Immediately, a group of people nearby, including Elder Yan, Elder Ni, Zang Feng, and others, came to offer their thanks. Elder Yan, in his excitement, even knelt down.

"No need, no need," Teng Qingshan helped Elder Yan back up.

This was what he, Teng Qingshan, was supposed to do.

Because he was a member of the Guiyuan Sect!

Zhuge Yuanhong, standing nearby, watched Teng Qingshan’s actions with a smile. He faintly recalled the 'Sect Entrance Assessment' when Teng Qingshan first joined the Guiyuan Sect, fighting Yue Song, the disciple of the Cangjiang Sword Saint. Back then... Zhuge Yuanhong had judged—Teng Qingshan’s future was limitless.

"Limitless future, truly limitless," Zhuge Yuanhong sighed endlessly. "The Sky Eye Sword Saint, I hear, is a powerhouse at the Great Accomplishment stage of the Void Realm."

Just then...

"Xiao Yun." A beautiful figure appeared on the city wall, holding a pair of young children to her chest, quickly running toward Zhuge Yun.

Teng Qingshan looked at the familiar figure—his younger sister...

His own sister, Qingyu!

"Qingyu," Zhuge Yun, who had taken off his armor and was bandaged, his face pale, suddenly lit up and ran toward her.

"Daddy, Daddy."

Milky, childish voices also emerged from the two children Qingyu was holding.

Qingyu’s eyes were red and swollen. She looked at the bloody stains seeping through the white bandages on Zhuge Yun and nearly cried: "Xiao Yun, you..."

"It’s fine, it’s all over now," Zhuge Yun, also holding a child, had tears welling up in his eyes. "To see Qingyu, to see the children... even if I become crippled, I am content."

Teng Qingshan stood on the side, silently watching his most beloved sister, and suddenly felt—all his efforts were worthwhile.

As long as he could see his sister's happy smile.

As long as he could see his clan members' hearty laughter, it was all worth it.

Suddenly, a hand rested on Teng Qingshan's shoulder. Teng Qingshan turned his head to see Zhuge Yuanhong. Zhuge Yuanhong smiled faintly at him: "It's all past now. The Guiyuan Sect is safe, everything is well."

"Yes, everything is well." Teng Qingshan nodded and smiled.

Suddenly sensing something, he looked up at the sky.

A streak of sword light tore through the void, shooting directly toward Teng Qingshan.

"Senior Jing Yi, be careful!" Elder Ni was the first to cry out. They all knew... Void Realm experts capable of flight were top-tier existences within that realm.

"It's fine," Teng Qingshan smiled and went to meet it.

The sword light landed in front of Teng Qingshan, transforming into a figure—it was the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, clad in a black robe with stern white eyebrows.

"Brother Huhe, what happened? Where are the Azure Lake Island people?" he asked, somewhat confused.

Pei San had ordered him to drive away the Azure Lake Island army and protect the Guiyuan Sect.

"Brother Li, the Azure Lake Island people have already left," Teng Qingshan replied with a smile.