A sound that seemed singular was, in fact, five simultaneous metallic collisions, blending into one indistinguishable crash.

At that moment, a profound silence descended over both the city walls and the ground below. Even with the borrowed power of an external elixir, Zong Shou, at his Innate Realm strength, could not possibly shatter those five Wolf Fang spirit arrows, each carrying the force of tens of millions of pounds.

Yet, amidst that chaotic, raging wind, a slight deviation in the trajectory of the five arrows would be enough to send them harmlessly astray. And those five Cloud Flame Flying Daggers, finally revealing their presence, struck with absolute precision at the tips and tails of the arrows—the points most susceptible to leverage. Immediately, the flight paths of the arrows veered away. Missing Zong Shou by a hair’s breadth, an inch that meant a thousand miles of difference, they grazed past him in mid-air.

Witnessing this spectacle firsthand, everyone on the battlements, whether You Wusheng or the elder surnamed Xue, was utterly lost in a trance. Shock, astonishment, and sheer disbelief surged up from their chests like a tidal wave.

You Wusheng clenched his fists so tightly he nearly ground every single one of his steel teeth to dust!

How could this be possible? To strike the shafts of high-speed projectiles within a raging gale. How could such exquisite Flying Dagger artistry exist in this world?

How did he calculate the flow of the wind's turbulence? And how could he have predicted the trajectory of my Wolf Fang Arrows beforehand?

Such a world-defying, ultimate technique was wielded by a child under fifteen years old—this Young Master of the Qiantian Mountain proved to be far more unfathomably profound than he had anticipated, beyond even the Innate Realm.

Below the ramparts, after a moment of stunned quiet, Hu Zhongyuan and Tan Tao let out simultaneous, echoing roars.

They instantly leaped into the air. Saber energy crisscrossed the space as the two wove a dense, layered curtain of blades around Zong Shou in an instant, intercepting every single incoming arrow.

In that moment, their hearts swelled so intensely they were almost moved to tears. While Zong Shou had managed to break the five Wolf Fang Arrows carrying immense power, he certainly could not evade this dense rain of thousands of arrows, nor the full complement of one hundred and fifty colossal four-armed great crossbows arrayed on the city wall.

Rising into the air, placing himself in such peril—it had momentarily confused them before, but now, in their eyes, it meant something entirely different. This clearly showed that the Young Master had entrusted his very life and death into their hands! He had handed over his back, without reservation, almost completely yielding it to them.

A subject dies for a confidant; how could a minister not repay such sincere trust with their own life? They felt that having such a liege, one who trusted them completely, even if they died here, they would have no regrets.

In that instant, nothing else existed in the minds of Hu Zhongyuan or Tan Tao. Only one thought remained: this time, even if they lost their lives, they would fully protect the Young Master!

The Tiger Dominating Blade and the Twin Blade lights spun wildly. The combat strength of both men surged to one hundred and twenty percent of their normal output, exploding within their bodies. Countless phantom blades whirled and shredded, pulverizing every approaching arrow.

However, their strength was gradually reaching its limit. A few gigantic crossbow bolts suddenly pierced through the gaps in the blade shadows.

Just as Hu Zhongyuan and Tan Tao’s faces turned ashen, anxiety flashing in their eyes—

Two streaks of blade light, one long and one short, joined the frenzy of steel.

They cleanly sliced through and shattered all the remaining arrows.

As the two men descended and settled back onto their saddles, they looked up again. Li Luo had caught up from behind. Though pierced by several arrows and heavily wounded, he smiled without changing his expression: “What excellent swordsmanship just now, gentlemen! Li Luo has never seen such perfectly coordinated, tight blade work! To break through a volley of a thousand arrows at once!”

Hu Zhongyuan and Tan Tao exchanged a look, feeling a searing flow of hot blood rush between them. They burst into loud laughter: “Brother Li is truly a man of mettle! We salute you!”

Hu Zhongyuan glared fiercely forward. The battle was far from over! He was determined to help the Young Master seize this city.

Back on the wall, You Wusheng watched as Zong Yuan’s figure closed to less than three zhang from the battlements. Lightning energy surged around him, so potent that even the spirit formation within the pass seemed unable to resist. The invisible barrier was being shattered as if by breaking bamboo—his expression finally shifted, and a deeply ill premonition struck his heart.

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue also had a grave look: “Placing himself in mortal danger to draw fire from the crossbows, covering Zong Yuan’s charge? Heh, this Young Master has quite the scheme, and certainly the spirit for it!”

You Wusheng started slightly. Looking around, he saw that most of the surrounding armored archers were also stunned, seemingly shaken that the Young Master, whom they believed incapable of cultivation, possessed such terrifying strength, leaving them unable to recover their senses. It was clear they could no longer be relied upon in the current situation.

Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on his spirit bow: “Bohai, Ren Li! Intercept this man! Today, I want to see exactly how many arrows this future peerless general, the Purple Thunder Spear, can withstand against me!” The two Xuanwu Grandmasters nearby responded instantly, leaping from dozens of zhang away, each wielding a saber and a staff, striking almost simultaneously towards Zong Yuan in mid-air.

The elder surnamed Xue, however, furrowed his brows slightly and kept his gaze fixed on the distance several hundred zhang away.

He saw that after Zong Shou’s figure soared to an altitude of forty-five zhang, he did not descend. Instead, his feet stood upon a gleaming purple longsword, and he shot towards the city wall with a speed nearly double what he had shown before, albeit a bit unsteadily.

The elder surnamed Xue couldn't help but shake his head, barely daring to believe it. He squinted and looked closer, then immediately sucked in a sharp breath:

“Sword Flight! A Night Roaming Realm Spirit Master who has condensed five True Charms!”

His mind felt as if the ground beneath him was shaking violently; his very composure seemed on the verge of collapse.

Then, in the next instant, he saw two more slender streaks of blade light emerge from Zong Shou's sleeve, one following the other, front and back.

The speed of these blade phantoms was clearly more than ten times faster than before. They began to transform midway; at a glance, there appeared to be dozens of fluctuating shadows. For some inexplicable reason, looking at them evoked the feeling of a Sword Cultivator descending to strike with his sword.

Now the distance was less than three hundred zhang—a mere sixty-one-thousandth of a blink—and the blade light was already above the city wall.

Then the entire battlements fell silent again, so quiet a needle drop could be heard. In the preceding blink, the two Xuanwu Grandmasters, Bohai and Ren Li, were still blocking Zong Yuan who was within spitting distance. In the next blink, a streak of crimson light erupted from Bohai’s neck.

His entire throat was pulverized and pierced by the sharp flying blade, leaving a hole the size of a teacup!

Blood sprayed wildly. Bohai’s eyes were vacant as he clawed at the wound before pitching forward. His life force hadn't completely left, and his limbs convulsed, seemingly in a futile attempt to stand up again. Ren Li was equally terrified, a warning bell ringing violently in his heart. Watching Bohai die from a single strike, he was terrified to the point of near madness, retreating wildly toward his left flank.

Ignoring the many rows of archers and armored soldiers arrayed behind him, he recklessly charged backward, crashing into the crowd. All he desired was to get as far away as possible from that deadly blade light.

But the dozens of blade shadows pursued relentlessly, flashing after him. They suddenly made another turn, slipping through the gaps beneath the feet of the armored soldiers, striking Ren Li’s left chest from the most unbelievable and defenseless angle, piercing it with a hole the size of a wrist.

For a moment, Ren Li’s eyes held nothing but disbelief.

It was as if he couldn't accept the reality that he was on the brink of death, or couldn't believe that his life would be taken by such a small flying knife.

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue involuntarily took a step back. A chilling sensation seemed to wash over his neck and left chest.

“This is the second blade redirection—the Startling Cloud Divine Annihilation Sword Intent!”

Spirit Masters possess the art of sword flight to kill from hundreds of miles away. Martial cultivators have projectile throwing techniques that can injure targets beyond visual range.

However, there were distinct advantages and disadvantages between the two. The former was more agile, while the latter channeled the strength and True Qi of the martial cultivator, following a fixed path. In both lethality and speed, it far surpassed sword flight. Its only deficiency was agility.

Ordinary martial cultivators, only after reaching the Celestial Rank, could use the stored True Qi to remotely guide a thrown weapon and complete directional turns, making the projectile agile enough to rival a Spirit Master.

Yet this person, whose power was currently only at the initial pulse of the Innate Realm, had not only performed one directional change with his flying knives but two in succession!

As for the Startling Cloud Divine Annihilation Sword Intent, it was even more unbelievable. The secret technique of the Lingyun Sect appearing in the hands of this Young Master of Qiantian Mountain was startling enough.

To superimpose Sword Intent onto flying knives made one utterly terrified.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, the eyes of the elder surnamed Xue contracted sharply.

“This is the Six Divine Blade Control Technique! Six Divine Blade Control, a deadly strike—a legendary secret martial art!”

Without a second thought or any hesitation, a gentle breeze rose beneath his feet. Supported by a shuttle-shaped spirit artifact, he also fled rapidly toward the rear of the city wall.

All distracting thoughts vanished from his mind. He only wished to exert all his effort to hurry back to Qiantian Mountain City.

He absolutely had to relay this news to his clansmen immediately: a child who was already a Night Roaming Spirit Master, at the initial pulse of the Innate Realm, and who mastered the Six Divine Blade Control. If the Xue Clan wished to return to the Cloud Realm, this Young Master of Qiantian Mountain could not be allowed to live! He must be eliminated at all costs, by any means necessary!

What an astonishing Demon King Zong Weiran this man was, to be willing to make his only son endure such concealment. Possessing peerless talent, yet feigning to be a useless failure, suffering the disdain of others. He had kept them deceived for several years—his intentions were truly damnable!

Zong Shou, on his side, was also momentarily stunned. Since arriving in this world, this was the first time someone had recognized the origin of his flying knife technique. (To be continued)