The Seven Chuns arrived, and even in the 'Lü Zhong' (Middle of the Carriage), there was immense praise! Judging by this single strike alone, even if Shi Yuehua hadn't acted himself, it was doubtful anyone else could have done better! The skill displayed in this sneak attack could be called consummate; reaching the zenith of perfection!

This person remained concealed nearby, choosing the precise moment to strike right after Meng Xiaosong surrendered, when Zhou Jianming’s hostility had greatly subsided; then, in a fit of anger, he kicked Meng Xiaosong up. At the exact, delicate moment Meng Xiaosong reached a certain height, it perfectly aligned the bodies of Zhou Jianming, Meng Xiaosong, and this assassin into a single oblique, horizontal line, precisely obscuring Zhou Jianming’s line of sight.

It was just like how, if a single small leaf blocks a person’s eyes, they cannot see the entire forest!

The adage of 'one leaf obscures the eye' is precisely this!

And at this supremely critical, delicate juncture, this blood-robed assassin erupted forth, rushing along this "obscuring" line with lightning speed, piercing through Meng Xiaosong's body, aiming directly for Zhou Jianming! And at this moment, Zhou Jianming was brooding, filled with rage, and at his lowest point of vigilance!

One sword to obstruct the way!

Judging by the assassin’s Xuan Qi cultivation, although he was also a master who had attained the Tian Xuan Realm, in terms of true strength, he was, at best, equal to Zhou Jianming, perhaps even slightly weaker. If the two had truly faced off head-on, the best possible outcome would have been mutual destruction. If he hadn't chosen such a clever moment, even if he managed an assassination, it would likely have only caused some superficial, non-fatal injuries. But now, he had brutally severed one of Zhou Jianming's legs!

“Ahhh... Aaaaah!” Watching his right leg brutally and cleanly severed, blood erupting like a geyser into a pillar of crimson, Zhou Jianming let out a scream of unbearable agony; his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he threw his head back in pain. And just at that moment, the blood-robed assassin showed no relaxation. Having successfully severed the leg, the long sword swept upward in a smooth motion, splitting his entire right leg in half from the middle, continuing to cleave upwards like an unstoppable force!

Zhou Jianming shrieked in agony, his voice barely recognizable as human. Instinctively, he tried to bound backward, but he forgot he had lost a leg. Instead of springing away, he tumbled backward onto the sky. And at this moment, the assassin's two elbows slammed down like twin mallets glowing with blue light, smashing fiercely into his chest—repeatedly. Crack, crack, crack—ribs on his front and back instantly shattered!

The sound Zhou Jianming emitted was now like the death rattle of a wild beast; blood spewed from his mouth, mixed with fragmented internal organs. His face mask was long gone, his rugged features now twisted like gnarled roots, veins bulging and distorted across his skin.

The assassin’s eyes glittered with cold light, showing no intention of stopping; with a sudden grab, he violently raised both knees, one after the other. His left foot barely landed before his right foot shot up, continuously slamming into Zhou Jianming’s lower abdomen with rapid succession. Meanwhile, his two elbows continued to hammer ceaselessly against Zhou Jianming's chest like a drum roll. His hands instantly closed, striking Zhou Jianming's temples simultaneously with a dazzling blue glow.

Bang! The seven orifices simultaneously erupted into fountains!

A spray of blood!

He moved in a staggered, running motion, continuously striking Zhou Jianming’s body from various angles with frenzied force. In an instant, he dragged Zhou Jianming’s body dozens of zhang away. During this process, Zhou Jianming endured his continuous, insane barrage of attacks, until finally, it ceased. Zhou Jianming's originally tall and imposing body had been reduced to a pulp—thoroughly pulped flesh. When finally released, it shriveled from head to toe, emitting not the slightest sound.

Every single bone in his body had been reduced to dust!

Along the path of this mad rush, every human body encountered was instantly shattered, their bones pulverized by the sheer force of the impact, sending them flying!

“Second Junior Brother.”

“Second Senior Brother.”

Two mournful, enraged cries tore through the air, heart-wrenching. Lei Jianhong and Third Junior Sister Fang Piaohong’s eyes were splitting with rage, and they simultaneously abandoned their opponents and rushed over. But it was too late; Zhou Jianming had already been turned into a mass of shredded meat, without even a flicker of breath left—truly, utterly dead.

“Blood Sword Gate? Who are you?” Lei Jianhong’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the blood-red figure.

“Elder Brother Lei’s eyesight is indeed remarkable; I am but an obscure soldier from the Blood Sword Gate. I have long admired the great names of you two Tian Xuan experts; your reputations are thunderous. Meeting you today is truly a blessing across three lifetimes,” the man in the blood-red clothes chuckled softly, slowly wiping the fine meat shreds and bone dust from his hands. He turned around and smiled, “Earlier, I intended to say I admired the names of all three of you, but since Second Master Zhou has now become dust, I shall just address the two of you. Please, two Tian Xuan powerhouses, do not take offense at my discourtesy.”

Jun Moxie, perched in the tree, watched with a fascinating expression. The few sentences this fellow uttered were simply superb. He insulted someone without uttering a single vulgar word, perfectly aligning with my own sentiments! If it were me, I would definitely have said the same thing. The most remarkable part is that he said exactly what I was thinking! Just for this point alone, this young master has decided: I must give him a whole corpse! (To be continued...)

Amidst the chaotic battle, suddenly, the dazzling blue light flared up again intensely. Lei Jianhong, man and sword combined, transformed into a blue whirlwind, moving with extreme speed, slamming with a tremendous boom right into the defensive circle formed by the Shenfeng Guard.

With a deafening explosion, the dozen or so Shenfeng Guard members facing the impact were the first to bear the brunt. Under this exceptionally fierce impact, they all spat blood and were sent flying backward. Lei Jianhong did not hesitate; he ducked low, and his long sword, wrapped in azure Xuan Qi, instantly swept in a wide arc. Within the range of this single sword strike, at least seven or eight men were cleanly severed in half at the waist!

And just as Lei Jianhong was fighting with all his might, attempting to break through, at the critical moment when his previous strength waned and new strength had yet to gather, Zhang Cunxiao and the other Shenfeng Guards swiftly filled the gap, and over thirty blades and swords simultaneously hacked down toward Lei Jianhong. Lei Jianhong couldn't recover his breath in time and unleashed more than ten consecutive defensive swords strikes. However, he had reached the Tian Xuan Realm after all, and against many opponents, he managed to hold his ground steadily. After weathering several attacks, Lei Jianhong forcefully mustered his Xuan Qi, let out a fierce roar, and his powerful sword momentum reappeared, instantly sending another dozen men reeling with severe injuries.

Lei Jianhong's aggressive breakthrough yielded significant results. However, while he had been forcefully resisting enemy attacks earlier, forcing his Xuan Qi to unleash killing moves had damaged his vital essence. Furthermore, he had endured dozens of sword strikes prior to this. Although his Tian Xuan cultivation made his skin as hard as refined iron, leaving no visible wounds, his clothes were beyond saving. His attire was shredded into strips, resembling a beggar's rags. He then swiftly spun around and retreated from the melee.

For Lei Jianhong, such minor depletion only required a brief moment of breath regulation to recover completely.

However, the result of Lei Jianhong's powerful assault was quite shocking: the gap had been completely torn open! The elite guards belonging to the Li family shouted in unison and surged forward like a tide.

From the other two directions, the other two Tian Xuan experts employed similar methods to create breaches. In an instant, the previously well-guarded Shenfeng Guard formation was exposed with major flaws, and their lines fell into utter disarray!

Lei Jianhong and the other two had originally conserved their strength to deal with the high-level experts from the Blood Sword Gate who were expected to arrive. But since those people delayed their coming, presumably there were no reinforcements at all. The three of them were greatly relieved, adopting the mindset of a swift victory, and unleashed their true strength simultaneously—not even sparing their Xuan Qi, charging into the enemy ranks like tigers among sheep, engaging in a brutal massacre!

“Slow down... don’t kill me! I am the Vice President of the Jiangnan Guild, I—I—I surrender!” A piercing cry tore across the heavens—it was Meng Xiaosong.

With the enemy collapsing like a routed army, this Vice President of the Jiangnan Guild finally could not withstand the fear in his heart and his desperate craving for life, and he offered his surrender.

Standing before him was Zhou Jianming, Lei Wubei’s second disciple! He was about to deliver a decisive sword strike, but he never expected that this opponent, who possessed considerable combat power and was the only one worth fighting, would suddenly drop to his knees with a thud, his face streaming with tears and snot: “Spare me, hero, have pity on my mother who is a hundred years old, and my infant son who cries for milk below!”

Meng Xiaosong cried out emotionally, “Hero... Sob sob... I don’t want to die!”

Zhou Jianming froze.

Even he could not have imagined that there existed such a coward, so greedy for life, so utterly shameless! To kneel down right in the middle of a confrontation between armies, and to be the Vice President of the Jiangnan Guild—this was too disgraceful! “Indeed, there is no lack of shamelessness, only more shamelessness; shamelessness without limit,” he muttered.

“Damn it! Coward, get up for me! If you tell me where that batch of repeating crossbows is, I’ll spare your life!” Zhou Jianming bellowed, his eyes wide.

“Yes, yes... that batch of repeating crossbows...” Meng Xiaosong frantically rolled his eyes. If I knew, how willingly would I tell you! Heaven knows, I have no idea where they stored that batch of repeating crossbows? Isn't this going to cost me my life? I truly don't know!

“Hurry up! Damn it, why are you rolling your eyes, you coward? Do you want to die? Speak quickly!” Zhou Jianming roared.

“Hero, spare my life! I—I’m useless, I truly don’t know where that batch of repeating crossbows is stored!” Meng Xiaosong was both terrified and fearful, kowtowing repeatedly, making a real thud sound with each impact!

“Damn your mother! Then your surrender is worthless! You spineless wretch, utterly useless! I’ll curse you, you coward!” Zhou Jianming’s eyes glared wide, and he kicked out fiercely. With a bang, the kick landed squarely on Meng Xiaosong’s abdomen, sending him flying over ten zhang into the air, making him feel infinitely frustrated.

This coward surrendered without knowing anything... truly...

Meng Xiaosong, still airborne, was yelling, “Spare me—” but his voice abruptly cut off. A blood-red sword gleam materialized in the air, cutting through his body without pause, effortlessly splitting him in two, and then, rather than slowing, it accelerated toward Zhou Jianming!

Just as Meng Xiaosong’s body burst into two halves, scattering a mist of blood rain, a blood-red figure emerged from the rain like a demon god!

Penetration!

With the swiftness of lightning, a flash of light streaked forth, landing squarely on the leg Zhou Jianming had extended to kick. Like a sharp knife slicing through tofu, it split the leg in two.

The timing this person chose was truly precise to the extreme! Even Jun Yixun, observing from the branches high above... (rest of the sentence is likely corrupted/irrelevant metadata)...