"Good show, no wonder you were able to deceive Scholar Lin into trusting you, eventually stealing his wife and concubines and slaughtering his entire family."

Zhou Ping'an spoke in admiration.

He was telling the truth.

If one hadn't heard of the infamy of Fang Buping, and happened by chance upon a conversation with him, one might even consider him a close friend.

In terms of both demeanor and martial arts, he was quite extraordinary, a pleasure to look upon.

"Chief Zhou is jesting."

Despite being bluntly accused by Zhou Ping'an, to the point of being insulted to his face, Fang Buping still maintained a smile, looking as bright and clear as the wind and moon, even in his simple gray robe.

"Past indiscretions were merely the instinct to survive. Had I not been extra cautious, hiding my minions and biding my time, I likely would not have survived to this day, and would have become a pile of bones by the river many years ago.

As for Scholar Lin, ha, Chief Zhou, you would stand up for an imperial examination candidate, no, he later became an Imperial Scholar and was appointed a post to govern a region.

I forgot to tell you, including his wives and concubines, he had a total of thirty-nine rooms, and four hundred and thirty-two maidservants. Even if he were to indulge with one each day for the entire year, he would not be able to favor them all...

Some of his wives and maidservants he didn't even recognize. I humbly relieved him of some worries and don't feel guilty in the least."

At this point, Fang Buping's tone suddenly soared with passion: "Noble families and rich officials indulge in extreme luxury; whereas the poor can't even think of a meal without despair. Having seen for decades a world where man preys upon man, Chief Zhou, you speak to me of loyalty and righteousness?"

His voice grew more and more tragic, with a potency that touched the heart.

As his righteous indignation poured out, the red-blooded Flame Energy around Fang Buping grew stronger, rising into the air and forming rolling waves of smoke and dust, almost coalescing into a vibrant banner that fluttered in the wind.

With the short halberd held high, amidst the devouring flames, a sense of identification suddenly arose within everyone present.

Perhaps, he had no choice.

The world was filthy, chaotic.

Even if it meant destruction, it might be justified.

"Rebellion."

Fang Buping, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, revealed a glint of cold light in his eyes.

The blade of his halberd became a streak of blood light and in an instant traversed thirty feet, reaching the space right in front of Zhou Ping'an.

This time, there was no grandeur like in their previous exchanges, but rather, it seemed all too mundane. The power was concentrated to the extreme, and the tip of the halberd aimed at several major acupoints on Zhou Ping'an's chest was like the tongue of a venomous snake—not only was it exceedingly fast, but it could change direction at will.

He used momentum to overpower, and cleverness to win.

Finally, Zhou Ping'an understood the path that the Red Lotus Guangyun Branch Master had taken.

Compared to Chen Dazhong, who had cultivated the Blood Shadow Divine Skill, his strength was much greater.

The most formidable aspect was his unwavering will.

He always believed he had done nothing wrong.

That he was doing all this for the world, for the people.

Even if the people had to suffer for a while, any sacrifice was worth it for the greater good.

"What a cry for justice and rebellious martial intent," Zhou Ping'an said.

After reaching the Great Achievement of the Five Desires Evil Art, all emotions and desires were fused into the most intricate parts of his body, and his spiritual power was as clear as snow washed away, not influenced by any external emotions.

He watched as the halberd's light instantly produced countless minor variations, eventually gathering into a powerful momentum and crashing down.

It had the might to topple mountains and overthrow seas.

His heart couldn't help but admire the scene.

The Jianghu is full of heroes.

Not only sects of great renown produce formidable masters.

Like this one, who rose from the bottom, who even though practicing the despised True Flame Technique, had battle prowess second to none.

However, Fang Buping's martial intent, though it had sprouted intelligence and his Qi Force was versatile and unpredictable, still had some deficiencies in quality.

In other words, it was somewhat lacking in amplifying his Basic Strength.

The top-notch cultivation techniques of others could amplify their strength tenfold.

He could muster only about six or sevenfold, at most, with all his might.

"Ting ting dang dang..."

Zhou Ping'an's Cang Yue's precious blade in his hand, like a delicate embroidery needle, wove a dense web of Sword Qi, locking the area three feet in front of him tightly shut.

The halberd light leaped in attack, smashing against the blade's edge, not only failing to advance an inch but also being repelled by the slashing Sword Energy, forcing it to retreat step by step.

"The technique is good and the martial intent strong, but your strength falls short, Helm Master Fang," Zhou Ping'an said with a cold laugh.

He took a half-step forward and his arms swelled mightily, tearing open a pitch-black rift in the void. The pale blue Sword Qi suddenly accelerated, surging forward.

"When your baffling theory can't scare anyone, how will you block my blade?"

This strike, transforming from the dense and intricate Sword Light, suddenly converged into a river-like Sword Qi.

The booming wave, tinged with azure blue, seemed to cleave the entire courtyard in two.

"Red Lotus descends, turning heaven and earth upside down!"

Upon seeing this Canghai Sword Qi, Fang Buping...

had just brought his halberd light across his chest when it was dispersed by the unparalleled Sword Energy, split a deep wound from his brow to his abdomen.

There was a moment where it looked like he would be bifurcated.

As he furiously retreated, his martial intent at its peak, his mind free of thoughts except a vast surge of injustice, defiance, and indignation that soared into the heavens.

Boom...

A dazzling red light descended from the sky, enveloping Fang Buping's body.

It halted the rending of his flesh.

His retreating figure suddenly stopped, his eyes turning icy cold and his presence mysterious and majestic.

"You impudent youngster..."

This fellow seemed to have turned into a completely different person. When he spoke, even his tone changed, vibrating the void around them and making it tremble.

"You're trying to fool us with trickery."

At Zhou Ping'an's brow, the imprint of a red lotus twitched slightly, with a faint red glow flickering. His body shot forward like an arrow, dragging his long sword behind before swiftly cutting across horizontally.

The massive aura surrounding Fang Buping had not yet stabilized completely and dissipated as quickly as air leaving a balloon.

A hint of panic, rare in his eyes, emerged. Without thinking, he flipped backward to escape.

A flash of blood in mid-air.

One of his legs had already been severed and fell to the ground.

Before Fang Buping could even finish his scream.

Zhou Ping'an, wrapped in sword Qi, sliced through the void as he chased after him.

"Save me."

Fang Buping was utterly terrified.

This time, there was no longer the eloquence he had shown earlier.

He hoarsely yelled, not knowing who he was even calling to for help.

"Haha, not even the Heavenly King could save you."

Zhou Ping'an's true Qi boiled, his blood turning into dense spiritual power that shot into the sky. The sword Qi roared across the sky, with an indescribable sense of satisfaction in the sound.

"Aren't you called Fang Buping? Always rebelling at every turn, try to rebel again now."

The sky suddenly brightened.

From the west, a fiery red gleam shot across hundreds of yards, like a fallen sun, plunging towards Zhou Ping'an's embrace.

The enormous pressure of the wind lifted the roof tiles along its path, rolling them up as boundless light and heat were the first to imprint on the soul.

Colors seemed to vanish from sight.

And the ears heard no sound...

"Sun-shooting Arrow."

Upon seeing the red light, Zhou Ping'an vaguely recognized it.

Wasn't this the stealth attack he witnessed at the foot of the Cloud Water Sect's Emerald Peak?

Back then, that streak of arrow light targeted the Cloud Water Sect's Law Enforcement Elder Gu Qingqiu, who blocked it easily, merely stepping back three paces.

But now, the target of that arrow light was himself.

"Red Lotus Dharma King, Sun Shooting Divine Arrow Yi Heavenly King, what have I done to deserve this?"

Zhou Ping'an muttered in annoyance.

But he was not overly surprised.

Ever since he learned that the main force of Red Lotus Guangyun intended to forcefully sweep through the Three Counties of Liyou, with their swords aimed directly at Yunzhou, he understood that sooner or later, a powerful expert would come to oversee the situation...

After all, facing the military strength of a whole state, relying solely on a Guangyun Sub-branch as the main attacking force was like throwing an egg against a rock.

Their advantages in high-end combat power were utterly insufficient.

What he had not anticipated was that merely occupying a small county jurisdiction like Qingyang City would actually draw out the Yi Heavenly King.

With Fang Buping, the commander, sneaking into the city to behead leaders was already a bit too much.

Another Red Lotus Dharma King coming into the picture was truly excessive.

He wondered where the problem had arisen from?

Although his mind was racing with thoughts, his actions did not delay in the slightest.

He planted his feet firmly onto the ground like iron nails, sank his shoulders and seated his hips, drawing his sword back only to slash out again.

As the blade swept back, all the light in the sky was drawn into his chest.

His sword light lashed out.

And a myriad of sword lights, layered upon each other, surged endlessly.

The red glow, unstoppable on its path, shattered through hundreds of sword lights in an instant, piercing through the sword technique straight towards the heart.

Zhou Ping'an slightly shifted his body, in the blink of an eye, his sword's tip threw off the powerful trajectory of the arrow, diverting it just enough to miss the vitals.

Puh...

The tip of the arrow buried itself into his shoulder well, creating a huge hole, and then embedded deeply into the ground ten yards behind him.

The arrow burrowed into the earth, its depth unknown.

The extremely volatile flame energy from the wound on Zhou Ping'an's shoulder spread around him, but after only a short moment, was forcefully contained by an intense life force.

His body emitted a burnt scent, the smell of scorching flesh, yet the wound frantically grew fresh flesh, driving away the numbness, reopening the meridians, and restoring the flesh and blood.

In the space of a single breath, his body had miraculously returned to its unharmed state.

"What a fine arrow, worthy of the Peak Ninth Level Mortal Refinement Sun Shooting Divine Arrow..."

Zhou Ping'an narrowed his eyes, looking towards the figure on the hillside outside the city and gesturing for Lin Huaiyu and the others to stop pursuing.

Fang Buping was hopping away on one leg, already outside the city walls.

The ground had indeed become quite uneven for him.

"No need to chase. With Yi Heavenly King here, Fang Buping has managed to save his life, but what I am curious about is why our uncle master was a bit slow to act."

Zhou Ping'an whispered.

Then, he saw a streak of sword light appear on the side of the hillside outside the city.

At first barely visible, it grew into a vast expanse of sword light.

It rumbled as it sliced the hillside into flat ground.

The arrow light and the sword mastery entangled briefly, only to see the red figure pulling Fang Buping away into the distance, leaving behind an old man in a black and white Daoist robe, looking hale and hearty.

"Thank you, uncle master, for saving my life. May I inquire which Elder of which peak you are?"

Zhou Ping'an did not linger in the city. Since he was near the western city wall, he simply followed Fang Buping's example, leaped over the wall, and approached to pay his respects.

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