The delay allowed Wen Yinyue and Li Yujiao to arrive, flanking He Fengxia. Wen Yinyue cast a light thrust; her blade conjured a phantom lotus, indistinct and ethereal.
Li Yujiao unleashed a flurry of icy light, shimmering like falling snow, causing the surrounding air to plummet several degrees with biting cold. Nie Wangqiu let out a cold laugh, his sword tip narrowing to a pinpoint of chilling radiance, colliding with Wen Yinyue’s.
A crisp, melodious ding echoed incessantly. Wen Yinyue retreated a step, her sword continuously withdrawing.
Li Yujiao’s icy blade followed instantly. Nie Wangqiu made a slight deflection—ding—a sharp clang, the lingering reverberation fading as the sky full of cold light retracted.
Li Yujiao also stepped back, her sword trembling like a serpent. Though both women retreated, Nie Wangqiu could not press the attack.
In that brief moment, Wang Xiaoyao rushed forward like a maddened hound, his sword light raining down. Nie Wangqiu flickered, suddenly vanishing, only to reappear directly behind Wang Xiaoyao, raising his sword to strike his heart—utterly unexpected.
He was close to Wang Xiaoyao, while Li Muzhan stood farther from the pair, making a precise finger strike difficult. Wen Yinyue and Li Yujiao felt their sword hilts vibrating as a peculiar internal energy drilled into their weapons.
The two women urged their qi to resist, wishing desperately to help but finding themselves powerless. Li Muzhan snorted coldly and flung his long sword forward.
“Whoosh!” The sword sliced through the air, shooting out a streak of light toward Nie Wangqiu. Though this thrust did not employ the Yellow Dragon Flying Sword, it was peerlessly fast, swifter than the finger strike, arriving before Nie Wangqiu in an instant with astonishing momentum.
“Heh heh heh…” Nie Wangqiu let out another long, resonant laugh, flashing suddenly to stand right before Li Muzhan, swinging his sword out with lightning speed. “Heh heh heh…” Li Muzhan responded with a drawn-out laugh, holding his left palm flat against his upper chest, his right thumb poised—his expression utterly composed.
“Pfft!” The sword tip instantly pierced his palm, while simultaneously his finger strike hit Nie Wangqiu. Nie Wangqiu could have avoided it, but he was unprepared for a strange force surging from the blade, like a drill boring straight toward his heart.
He wavered, his movement momentarily halting. With a soft pop, like a small stone dropping into a deep well, a bloody hole appeared on his right shoulder, blood surging forth.
Li Muzhan flipped and twisted his left palm. Nie Wangqiu’s strength bled out through the wound, his sword immediately slipping from his grasp.
Li Muzhan snatched the weapon with his right hand and yanked it outward. He stamped his foot, turned, and fled, vanishing into the deep woods like a wisp of light.
Li Muzhan flicked his wrist, sending the sword shooting after Nie Wangqiu like a meteor. A muffled thud sounded from the trees, followed by absolute silence, save for the soft rustle of the breeze.
Though the tale seems long, in reality, the engagement spanned only two exchanges, executed with impossible swiftness. In the blink of an eye, by the time the other four reacted, Nie Wangqiu was gone.
Wen Yinyue flickered to stand before him, her gaze sweeping over him as she chastised, “Junior Brother!” Li Yujiao rushed over, “Brother Zhanran, are you alright?” She seized Li Muzhan’s left hand; the Laogong point on his palm was a bloody gash, revealing the stark white bone beneath. …………………… Li Muzhan smiled.
“I’m fine.” If not for his mastery of the Dragon Slaying Hand, combined with the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, that single sword thrust would have pierced his palm and sunk straight into his heart. “A formidable Nie Wangqiu!” Wen Yinyue shook her head.
Indeed, he was worthy of his fame; his martial arts were extraordinary. The qi in that last sword strike was incredibly peculiar, like a ball of flame that ignited upon entering the body, using internal energy as fuel.
Fortunately, the profound mystery of the Wonderful Lotus Scripture and its unique energy directly extinguished it. Any other person would have been left waiting for their qi to deplete, losing the fight without even moving.
Li Yujiao’s Snow Jade Divine Skill was also esoteric enough to suppress the residual damage. “This Nie Wangqiu truly is contemptible!” Li Yujiao scoffed, pulling a porcelain vial from her robes.
She carefully dabbed a white paste onto Li Muzhan’s wound. Wang Xiaoyao looked ashamed.
“Master Zhanran, I…” Li Muzhan waved his right hand and smiled. “Xiaoyao, no need for formalities.
Nie Wangqiu is a sect master; his martial arts are naturally extraordinary. We lost because we outnumbered him.” “I am ashamed; I didn’t help at all, becoming a liability,” Wang Xiaoyao lamented with a bitter smile.
He now understood that Master Zhanran’s fame was no fluke; his skill truly surpassed his own by a great margin. Never mind Master Zhanran, even Fairy Wen and Miss Li were superior to him.
It was laughable that he had felt unconvinced before, thinking Fairy Wen’s reputation was exaggerated, perhaps bolstered solely because she was a peerless beauty. Now he saw how utterly ridiculous he had been.
Li Muzhan chuckled. “Nie Wangqiu’s Flying Immortal Sword Style seems to incorporate elements of the Seven Killings Sword.
Fusing the two makes its power quite formidable.” He felt a surge of joy. This was the first time he had achieved victory without relying on the Great Bright King Sutra.
Although it involved a degree of cleverness, the result still thrilled him immensely. Previously, his victories against stronger opponents were always attributed to the Great Bright King Sutra, leaving him slightly insecure.
Now, winning without it was a massive encouragement. However, he admitted that without strategy this time, injuring Nie Wangqiu would have been difficult.
Nie Wangqiu seemed to have countermeasures for the Vast Sea Divine Sword, always managing to evade it at crucial moments. He surmised that his Master must have sparred often with the Vast Sea Divine Finger in his youth; Nie Wangqiu possessed experience countering it.
Recalling the exchange, Nie Wangqiu was indeed treacherous and cunning. He targeted He Fengxia immediately, using her as bait to force Wang Xiaoyao into a reckless charge.
After the two women protected He Fengxia, Nie Wangqiu focused on killing Wang Xiaoyao to pressure Li Muzhan into throwing his sword. Li Muzhan turned the scheme to his advantage, hurling his sword, then using the Dragon Slaying Hand and Vajra Indestructible Divine Art to inflict heavy damage with a mutual destruction technique.
Nie Wangqiu could never have anticipated this move and was forced to flee, nursing his injury in anger. Li Muzhan sighed, reflecting that in combat, the trinity of steadiness, precision, and ruthlessness was indispensable.
Had he not been ruthless enough, Nie Wangqiu, with his skill, could have kept them all reeling, making the outcome uncertain. ………………………… After applying the salve, Li Yujiao took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and wrapped his hand, looking up.
“Senior Brother, you cannot use this hand for three days!” Li Muzhan nodded with a smile. “Thank goodness it was your left hand.
That last move was too close; it truly scared me!” Li Yujiao patted her chest, still feeling the lingering fright. Though she couldn't fight, she saw clearly that had the sword carried even slightly more force, it would have pierced the palm and stabbed straight into his heart, ending his life instantly.
Li Muzhan smiled. “I have a strong fate; it’s nothing.” He Fengxia approached, looking at Li Muzhan with shame, her eyes glistening with moisture.
Li Muzhan smiled. “Miss He, there’s no need to say more.
Since Nie Wangqiu is injured, he won’t pursue us right now.” He Fengxia brightened instantly. Li Muzhan shook his head.
“However, he won’t let us off. Killing to silence witnesses is always necessary.
We should expect quite a few masters to be sent after us; we must prepare.” Wang Xiaoyao quickly interjected, “But Master Zhanran, your injury…” He saw Li Muzhan cough up a mouthful of blood, indicating an internal injury. Li Muzhan shook his head to signal it was fine.
Wang Xiaoyao asked, “Then must we travel through the night?” Although the group was strong, the Changbai Sword Sect was one of the Seven Great Sword Sects, possessing numerous masters. Even ants can overwhelm an elephant; even with peerless movement techniques, being surrounded meant certain death.
Li Muzhan shook his head. “No point.
If they truly mobilize their top masters, we won’t be able to evade them.” “Why not?” Wang Xiaoyao was unconvinced. Given their speed, even riding horses couldn't catch them.
Li Yujiao shot him a look. “You’re dense!
Do you think all the Changbai masters stay on the mountain? With a carrier pigeon dispatch, masters everywhere receive the message and will set up an ambush ahead of us!” Wang Xiaoyao’s face flushed red, cursing himself for never using his brain, allowing her to catch his weakness again.
Li Muzhan smiled. “We travel at our normal pace—rest when we should rest, travel when we should travel.
The priority is preserving our fighting strength to avoid being surrounded and left with no recourse.” He drew a jade flute from his robes; it shone with a warm luster in the firelight. He raised it to his lips and pursed them to blow, yet no sound emerged.
Though silent, everyone felt a wave of nausea and tightness in their chests. Two clear cries suddenly pierced the sky, high and resonant, echoing throughout the night.
Two dark shapes suddenly swooped down. Just as Wang Xiaoyao stood up, the shadows were already perched on Li Muzhan’s shoulders, a powerful gust shaking the campfire.
Wang Xiaoyao focused his eyes—they were two hawks, one large and one small, their eyes sparkling like gemstones, magnificent and brimming with intelligence, staring intently at him. Li Muzhan smiled.
“These are my friends; I asked them to help send a message.” ………………………… He found a piece of bark, carved a few characters onto it, murmured a few words while tying the message to the smaller hawk’s claw, then held both birds gently in his hands and launched them upward. The two hawks soared toward the sky, emitting two clear whistles before disappearing.
“Brother Zhanran, you can’t move that left hand!” Li Yujiao chided gently. Li Muzhan smiled and nodded, promising to keep it still.
After resting for the night, they set off early the next morning, everyone in high spirits, their success in injuring Nie Wangqiu lifting their mood considerably. The night was hazy, the moon a silver platter, casting bright moonlight across the surroundings.
The five sat in a sparse grove, bathed in the lunar glow. The air was cold, but the campfire in the center still burned, warding off the chill.
Dawn was approaching. Li Muzhan suddenly opened his eyes and whispered, “Senior Sister, they are here.” Wen Yinyue, sitting beside him with a serene expression, slowly opened her eyes upon hearing this.
“People from the Changbai Sword Sect?” Li Muzhan nodded, then shook his head and smiled. “I didn't expect them to arrive so late.” Wen Yinyue shot him a sidelong glance.
“How many?” “Twenty,” Li Muzhan replied. Wen Yinyue frowned.
“All high-level experts?” Li Muzhan nodded. “Nie Wangqiu has suffered a loss; they wouldn't send low-level fighters to their deaths.” “Can we fight, or should we run?” Wen Yinyue asked.
Li Muzhan said, “Run first. Perhaps we will run into our own people.” “Mm, I’ll follow your lead,” Wen Yinyue agreed.
As the two spoke softly, Wang Xiaoyao and the other two woke up and gathered near them. Li Muzhan instructed, “Young Hero Wang, you and Junior Sister Li take Miss He and go first.
Senior Sister and I will hold them off; our people should be arriving soon.” “I…” Wang Xiaoyao was initially unwilling to agree, but remembering the previous battle and realizing he would only slow them down if he refused, he hesitated before nodding.