Li Muzhan swung his blade as if practicing, crashing heavily into the longsword. "Clang..." a sharp sound echoed.

The couple in the tavern, startled, looked over, then instantly collapsed unconscious. Fan Peiyao floated gently to the ground; upon hearing the sharp sound, a surge of blood rushed to her chest, leaving her nauseous and deeply distressed.

Li Muzhan's body trembled, and he rapidly retreated. Li Tianlei, wielding his longsword, pressed the attack relentlessly, his eyes burning like torches.

Li Muzhan’s back slammed into the wall, which shattered, unable to halt his momentum. But this brief pause allowed Li Tianlei's sword to reach him.

With no other choice, he swung his Broken Yue Blade again. "Clang!"...

another sharp report. Fan Peiyao's face flushed, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

.............................. Li Muzhan inwardly cursed, never expecting Li Tianlei's internal force to be so bizarre, like lightning drilling into the body, momentarily stalling his protective Qi barrier.

His Qi barrier was currently full, making him usually immune to internal force erosion; incoming internal energy was directly absorbed and dissipated by the barrier, much like modern body armor. Li Tianlei’s internal force was exceedingly strange, dense yet carrying a faint, odd resonance; like thunder and lightning, once it entered the body, it caused numbness.

It was only the Qi barrier that weakened this tingling sensation. Coupled with Li Muzhan's formidable physical strength, far surpassing ordinary men, the numbness was further reduced, preventing him from being paralyzed.

Otherwise, upon contact, he would have been instantly stiffened, as if his acupoints had been struck, leaving him at the mercy of his opponent. Li Tianlei's technique was truly vicious; Li Muzhan secretly felt lingering fear.

He was also thankful for his foresight in not engaging him head-on initially, retreating after one strike. Had he been caught off guard, he might have suffered a major loss, trapped in Tianlong City.

His thoughts flashed like lightning; all this occurred in an instant. Airborne, he shattered the Yue Blade while bracing for Li Tianlei's sword—an experience far from pleasant.

However, the Qi barrier proved truly miraculous; though Li Tianlei's internal force was strange, it was blocked. His vital organs remained unharmed; only his entire body felt an inexplicable, deeply strange numbness.

Li Tianlei followed sword strike after sword strike, pressing his advantage while Li Muzhan was in the air, the brief numbness preventing him from exerting full strength. The assault came like a violent storm.

Li Muzhan parried with his blade, barely holding on, as his figure descended, landing on the roof of a building across the street. Li Tianlei followed instantly, also landing on the rooftop, his sword light flashing like thunderbolts.

Li Muzhan's moves were utterly plain, just a few basic forms, but the force of his blade was dense and steady, possessing the bearing of one who stands unmoved against any wind or rain. The two stood on the rooftop, a flurry of sword and blade flashing between them.

The crowd on the street watched from afar, full of amazement; such a scene was clearly uncommon, and they enjoyed the spectacle. Li Muzhan inwardly lamented; in terms of the subtlety of technique, Li Tianlei was divinely skilled, leaving him almost no chance to counterattack, forced into a purely defensive posture.

Fortunately, his Vajra Indestructible Divine Art had reached the Bone-Tendon Refining stage. Even if the longsword struck, it only resulted in superficial wounds, causing no major hindrance to his fighting.

He executed the Broken Yue Blade technique, relying on sheer force to block. If blocking failed, taking a sword strike didn't matter; skin and flesh injuries were insignificant to him.

With the Heaven-Observing Divine Illumination Scripture, as long as he didn't die, he could always recover. Fighting and retreating, he moved from one rooftop to the next, quickly leaving the small town and arriving at the sheep pastures.

Li Tianlei's swordsmanship was exquisite; after a few exchanges, he was certain to land a strike on Li Muzhan. But Li Muzhan's body was inherently powerful; even when struck, it felt no worse than a mosquito bite, drawing a little blood before instantly stopping.

Li Tianlei was inwardly shocked. This young monk possessed profound internal energy and supreme movement skills, yet his blade technique was significantly lacking.

But his physique was utterly bizarre. He must have practiced a tough external martial art, but to reach this level at such a young age was truly exceptional.

He wondered what kind of skill he cultivated. Though his status was extremely high, the martial arts used by Dayan's military were traditionally highly secret.

Even Lei Jian Peak knew very little about them, and due to their separate paths, he had never considered trying to steal the techniques. More importantly, military martial arts cultivation progressed exceedingly slowly; most soldiers merely developed stronger bodies and greater strength by the time they reached the battlefield, rarely mastering any true skills.

Even the officers had limited attainments; their strength lay in numbers. In a one-on-one duel, they were no match for the Black Hawk Cavalry.

If not for the existence of this Ming Kong, the Black Hawk Cavalry facing Dayan's army would be like eagles preying on chicks. Now, it seemed Dayan’s military arts were not entirely without merit; this monk Ming Kong was a genius who had cultivated them deeply.

What was infuriating was that he had killed Bai Shan. Over the past century at Lei Jian Peak, Feng Bai Shan was the most promising disciple in terms of seniority and understanding.

He had grasped the essence of the Thunder Sword technique and, given time, would have surpassed his predecessors, achieving supreme mastery without difficulty. The monk Ming Kong killing Bai Shan was equivalent to severing Lei Jian Peak's hope.

Once Bai Shan became a top master, Lei Jian Peak could rise in prestige and dominate the martial world. The monk Ming Kong had extinguished that hope.

He harbored intense resentment toward Li Muzhan, his killing intent filling the air; he wished to slice Li Muzhan into ten thousand pieces to quench the burning hatred and endless grievance in his heart. Li Muzhan, possessing the ability to perceive others' thoughts, felt Li Tianlei's resentment and killing intent.

He sighed helplessly. Killing indeed brought endless trouble, but regrettably, Feng Bai Shan had to die; if Li Muzhan hadn't killed him, Bai Shan would have killed him first.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..." Li Muzhan's Broken Yue Blade technique slowly improved, and the power he used to resist gradually increased, gaining some understanding of the Thousand Thunders Sword technique as well. The two fought as they moved, and without the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, Li Muzhan would have been destroyed long ago.

Only now did he truly grasp the marvel of that technique. They fought for over ten miles before Li Tianlei suddenly stopped, saying coldly, "You are afraid I will harm that girl, aren't you?" Li Muzhan’s robes were tattered, full of holes, making him look wretched, yet his bearing remained graceful, retaining the demeanor of a noble monk.

He smiled faintly, "Indeed." Li Tianlei sneered, "If I wanted to kill that girl, I could do it anytime!" Li Muzhan fell silent, nodding slowly. It was true; if Li Tianlei truly intended to kill Fan Peiyao, Li Muzhan could not stop him.

This was precisely why he had been hesitant to engage him seriously—a tactical misstep that left him constrained. Li Tianlei said coldly, "However, if you run again, I won't pursue.

I will simply kill that girl!" Li Muzhan's expression darkened, and he stared coldly at him. Li Tianlei looked at him calmly, "What abilities have you been hiding?

Show them now!" Li Muzhan sighed, shaking his head, "Killing Feng Bai Shan was unavoidable; why must you press me so hard!" As he spoke, he sat down cross-legged and began cultivating the Great Bright King Scripture. A vast pressure descended from the sky.

Li Tianlei frowned and looked up, seeing nothing unusual; the deep night concealed the strange phenomena of the Great Bright King Scripture. A beam of blue light entered Li Muzhan's heavenly gate, drilling into his chest.

Li Muzhan slowly stood up, the torn fabric of his robe billowing wildly. Li Tianlei stared at him in astonishment, sensing his eyes were cold, devoid of human emotion, as if he were viewing a lifeless object.

A chill ran through him; he felt a sense of impending doom and somewhat regretted his hesitation. He decided not to delay further, leading with a flash of his sword light, and shouted, "Let's begin!" With that, his sword light, swift as lightning, arrived before Li Muzhan, moving incredibly fast.

A glint of cold light flashed and vanished, illuminating the surroundings. The strike Li Muzhan delivered with his blade was too fast to discern its shadow; it met Li Tianlei's longsword.

"Ting..." a sharp sound rang out. Li Tianlei’s face changed drastically; his longsword nearly flew from his hand.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, pressing his attack, assuming Li Muzhan could not be unscathed and that this was the moment to press his advantage. "Ting..." Li Muzhan swung his blade again.

A streak of cold light flashed, the blade's shadow unseen. Blade and sword collided; Li Muzhan stood as firm as Mount Tai, while Li Tianlei was forced back several steps.

As Li Tianlei retreated, he seized the opportunity to disperse the massive, forceful impact, trying to figure out how to proceed. This monk seemed to have transformed into an entirely different person.

He couldn't fathom what strange technique this was, incredibly peculiar yet terrifying, instantly boosting his martial prowess severalfold—truly astonishing. He had been the hunter, but now he had become the prey.

This feeling infuriated him. He wanted to leave, but he was unwilling.

Having finally tracked him down, letting this monk escape meant he might not find him again for years. Moreover, he was currently in Dayan territory; soon, Dayan martial arts experts would intervene, making it incredibly difficult to focus on capturing this monk.

Now was the best time to kill him. With this thought, he gritted his teeth and resumed his ferocious assault.

Li Muzhan’s robes billowed, but his movements were crisp and clean. The Broken Yue Blade carved streaks of cold light—the blade’s shadow was invisible, only the light was seen.

.............................. One used a blade, the other a sword.

Amidst the flashing sword and blade light, Li Muzhan appeared relaxed, as if playing a game, while Li Tianlei increasingly felt things were going wrong, struggling to shake off the impression of being immovable. Li Muzhan’s blade technique lacked subtlety, but his strength was greater, his speed faster, and the resulting power was naturally different!

It actually suppressed Li Tianlei's swordplay. Li Tianlei’s swordsmanship was fast as lightning and exquisitely refined, but when faced with Li Muzhan’s steady, unshakable Broken Yue Blade technique, it was useless.

Previously, he could rely on finesse to pressure Li Muzhan, but that was no longer possible. Li Muzhan’s Heart Pearl had grown further, increasing his stability.

Utilizing the Great Bright King Scripture, he could now control his movements, remembering not to unleash the Vast Sea Nine Palms or Nine Swords lest Li Tianlei detect any anomaly. He held back from killing; killing Li Tianlei would not be difficult, but killing him would bring even greater trouble.

It was better not to kill him. "Clang, clang, clang, clang..." In a rapid sequence of crisp sounds, their weapons clashed dozens of times.

Li Muzhan drifted back, looking calmly at his opponent. Purple energy swirled around Li Tianlei's face, the entire man seemingly enveloped in a shroud of purple mist.

His eyes were razor-sharp, fixed intently on Li Muzhan. Moments later, he turned and fled, vanishing into the vast darkness of the night.

Li Muzhan stood still, unmoving, closing his eyes. His Eye of the Void surveyed the surroundings.

After a moment, his expression shifted, and he slowly sat down cross-legged. After fifteen minutes, he opened his eyes, slowly stood up, his face somewhat pale.

His cultivation had advanced greatly, but employing the Great Bright King Scripture remained intensely painful; he needed a period of careful recuperation. He let out a long sigh; this major trouble, Li Tianlei, was finally gone, allowing him a moment to breathe.

(To be continued)