Chapter 287: Chapter 283: Slain with a Single Strike

Ahead, a thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army stood in Steel Helmets and Armor, brandishing their Weapons with a palpable killing intent.

"Lord White Cloud, you have only two choices now. Either you obediently hand over the treasure and surrender, or you wait to be cut down on the spot by my Imperial Army," Crown Prince Li Yu said, his voice chilling.

"Heh, you think this mob of Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals can do anything to me?" Ye Xing’s gaze was disdainful as he sneered. "I could just toss a few Heaven-shattering Thunders and blow a huge chunk of you to kingdom come."

The moment Ye Xing said this, the surrounding Imperial Army soldiers were all greatly alarmed, their expressions becoming incredibly tense. The Heaven-shattering Thunder was a powerful weapon developed by the Tang Sect. It was expensive and could inflict immense damage on all Postnatal Realm Martial Artists below the Innate Realm, earning it a fearsome reputation throughout the Martial Arts Continent. And rumor had it that White Cloud City possessed a great many of these Heaven-shattering Thunders.

"Hahaha!" Crown Prince Li Yu burst into wild laughter. "Lord White Cloud, since I dared to move against you, how could I not have considered your Heaven-shattering Thunders? You may have them, but will you have a chance to use them?"

"Oh? And why wouldn’t I have a chance to use them?" Ye Xing asked, looking surprised.

"Hmph, Lord White Cloud, are you playing dumb or just truly clueless? With me personally tying you down, do you think you’ll have a chance to free up your hands to use a Heaven-shattering Thunder?" Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan sneered. "When evenly matched, a single moment of carelessness can lead to instant death. If you get distracted trying to use a Heaven-shattering Thunder, I won’t mind taking your life!"

The Dong Brothers and Sisters and Crown Prince Li Yu had clearly planned this long ago. Dong Yuan would engage and pin down Ye Xing, giving him no opportunity to use his Heaven-shattering Thunders. Then, the horde of Imperial Army soldiers would swarm in and overwhelm Lord White Cloud, killing him on the spot. Such a battle formation would likely make even a top-ten expert on the Wind and Cloud List turn pale with fear.

"Heh!"

Ye Xing turned his head to look at Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan, the corner of his mouth curling into a cruel, cold smile. "You... are nothing but a dead man. I’ll take your life right now!"

The moment his words fell, a terrifying killing intent erupted from Ye Xing’s body, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees in an instant. A chill washed over everyone, sending a shiver down their spines.

"CLANG!"

The Treasure Sword left its sheath, its ring as clear as a dragon’s cry, as an invisible Sword Intent burst forth.

’Nameless Broken Sword—First Form!’

As he executed the Sword Technique, the aura around Ye Xing soared wildly, and a terrifying amount of True Qi rapidly infused into the Cyan Blade Treasure Sword.

The tip of the sword, seemingly imbued with a faint golden Sword Qi, transformed into an afterimage and stabbed toward Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan.

"WHOOSH!"

A sharp, explosive sound ripped through the air.

A terrifying killing intent enveloped him. The Sword Intent carried a dreadful mental pressure, and Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan’s pupils contracted violently. He felt as if the world had suddenly gone dark. He couldn’t see anything; people, trees, and houses all vanished, leaving only a field of darkness.

In that dim, murky space, a streak of golden Sword Qi suddenly flared to life, arriving in a flash of lightning—

Fast. Incredibly fast. So fast that he had no time to react!

"SQUELCH!"

The sound of a longsword sinking into flesh rang out abruptly. By the time Dong Yuan’s vision returned, he discovered a cyan Sharp Sword had already pierced his chest. The tip protruded from his back, and crimson blood dripped from it, forming small pools on the ground.

"You—" Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan’s face was filled with disbelief. His eyes quickly dimmed, and a moment later, his aura vanished completely. His body fell, stiff as a board.

The entire exchange happened in but a moment. Everyone present was completely stunned—from the numerous Imperial Army soldiers to Crown Prince Li Yu, and even Lieu Nuoning, Little Yahan, Mrs. Dong, the Lieu Family’s Third Elder, and all the Lieu Family guards. They were all dumbfounded.

Who was Dong Yuan? He was known in the martial world by the moniker ’Broken Water Saber,’ whose quick blade technique was lethally precise, responsible for countless deaths. He was ranked thirty-third on the Wind and Cloud List. An expert of his caliber could even fight an Innate Realm master and retreat safely. Yet now, he had been killed, and with a single strike, no less!

It was simply horrifying. Had they not seen it with their own eyes, no one would have dared to believe it.

In the Southern Tang Country, it wasn’t unheard of for an expert from the Wind and Cloud List to fall in battle. But for one to be killed in a single strike? That was a feat only the terrifying masters of the Central Plains Martial Arts from legends were capable of. At least, since the founding of the Southern Tang Country, no such fearsome individual had ever appeared.

Gasps of cold air could be heard from all around as everyone was completely terrified.

"Brother!"

Mrs. Dong’s eyes looked ready to split with rage and grief. Staring at her brother Dong Yuan’s corpse, she wailed in sorrow.

The surrounding Imperial Army soldiers also snapped back to their senses, and instantly, panic and chaos erupted.

"Your Highness, flee!"

"What terrifying combat power! Lord White Cloud is an Innate Realm master!"

"Quick, protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Escort His Highness back to the palace!"

"Go, Your Highness! We will hold him back!"

The Imperial Army soldiers shouted in alarm. One group took up the rear to block Ye Xing while the other escorted Crown Prince Li Yu away from the scene. If anything were to happen to the Crown Prince, they, the soldiers responsible for his protection, would not escape a death sentence.

"In... Innate Realm... he has the power of the Innate Realm... No, even a typical Innate master isn’t this terrifying..."

Crown Prince Li Yu’s face was ashen. He frantically wheeled his mount around and, riding his Demon Beast Warhorse, fled for his life without a single look back.

In the center of the field, Ye Xing stood with his sword retracted, his cold gaze sweeping over Dong Yuan’s corpse on the ground. ’It could be considered an honor for Dong Yuan to die by my Nameless Sword Technique.’ Back when Ye Xing had just entered the Ninth Realm, the True Qi he had absorbed through the Daluo Evil Skill was still chaotic and unrefined. His strength was average at best, yet even then, by using the Nameless Sword Technique, he had managed to severely injure Grey Eagle Cang Hong—ranked sixty-sixth on the Wind and Cloud List—with a single strike, nearly killing him. Now, Ye Xing’s own strength was equivalent to the top thirty on the Wind and Cloud List, a cut above Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan. So, after using the Nameless Sword Technique, killing him in one blow was a simple matter.

Back at Shuanglong Bridge, the reason Ye Xing hadn’t used the Nameless Sword Technique to kill Dong Yuan was that he wanted to use their battle as an opportunity. He hoped to achieve an epiphany and break through to the Innate Realm, or at the very least, gain combat experience and deepen his understanding of the Sword Dao. He had been enjoying the fight so much that a moment’s inattention allowed Dong Yuan to escape. Now that they had met again, how could Ye Xing possibly let him live?

"Lord White Cloud, you killed my brother! I curse you to a terrible death! Argh, it’s all because of these two little bastards! I’ll kill them!" Mrs. Dong’s gaze was venomous as she gripped her Sharp Sword and thrust it toward the brocade-clothed young boy, Lieu Yahan.

Taking advantage of everyone’s stunned state, Mrs. Dong had already gotten extremely close to Lieu Nuoning and her brother.

Lieu Nuoning’s pretty face turned pale, and she hurriedly pulled her brother back.

"Quick, stop that venomous woman!" the Lieu Family’s Third Elder shouted anxiously.

The Lieu Family guards rushed forward, but there was already some distance between them and the siblings. They wouldn’t make it in time.

"Ahang, run!"

Lieu Nuoning shoved her brother aside and stepped forward herself, blocking the path of the incoming Sharp Sword. The blade’s sharp edge gleamed with a cold light, and combined with Mrs. Dong’s ferocious, hateful expression, it terrified Lieu Nuoning so much that her delicate body trembled and her beautiful eyes squeezed shut.

Just as Mrs. Dong’s Sharp Sword was about to plunge into Lieu Nuoning’s chest.

Suddenly, at that very moment—

"BANG!"

A gunshot suddenly rang out.

A bloody hole instantly appeared on Mrs. Dong’s forehead, with blood trickling down. Her eyes were wide open, filled with venom and unwillingness, as her body fell to the ground with a THUD.

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