The heavy rain swept down.
Dark clouds rolled.
Outside the vast Shisu Town, Li Yuanshan sat upright on horseback, one hand holding an umbrella, the other clasped behind his back, rising and falling with the sway of the horse.
Chen Yang held a sword in one hand, his gaze indifferent.
The two were separated by thirty meters.
One still, one in motion.
Behind them was Shisu Town; people came and went constantly on the road, some hurrying past, others stopping to watch.
At this moment, this sceneāany frame cut from it would be a monochrome painting steeped in Martial World flavor.
"What's wrong, is that question so hard to answer?"
Seeing Chen Yang remain silent, Li Yuanshan spoke again; he seemed full of good humor, yet his eyes gradually narrowed.
Chen Yang shifted the umbrella a bit more over Gu Zhiqing's head, then said lightly, "I just don't want to answer."
"Boy, you dare go against my wishes?"
Threads of force rippled out, forming circles of visible waves; the rain was lifted, as if a thousand layers of water surged toward them.
Within that small space.
The swept-up droplets spilled and crashed down in torrents, white mist billowing.
In an instant, everyone held their breath.
No one dared speak.
"Thisā¦"
"Who is this man? So terrifying!!"
On both sides of the road, a sudden murmur of hushed discussion rose, everyone deeply shaken by Li Yuanshan's strength.
And this was merely a wisp of aura overflowing.
If he actually made a move, what kind of scene would that create?
Chen Yang raised his hand and pointed forward.
One finger to sever mountains and rivers.
In that instant, in the seemingly empty space before him, the raindrops exploded, white mist churned, dead leaves on the ground whirled with the wind, like a hanging Milky Way cascading from the heavens.
Li Yuanshan's expression shifted slightly; the corner of his mouth lifted in a hint of interest.
Though it was only a wisp of qi, not just anyone could disperse it.
The next second.
Da-da-da.
The sound of galloping hooves rose from afar and drew near on this field.
At the head was Cao Jing, Family Head of the Cao Family, one of the local Royal Family branches in Shisu Town.
After tracking down news of Gu Zhiqing, he personally led a team out at once; he hadn't expected that just after leaving Shisu Town, he would learn that Gu Zhiqing was with Chen Yang, and they were right outside the town.
To him, this was truly "worn-out iron shoes, yet found without effort."
"Looks like there are quite a few people who want you dead."
Dozens of meters away, after seeing the situation on the field, Cao Jing slowed his pace as he laughed, his gaze sweeping past Li Yuanshan and fixing on Chen Yang and Gu Zhiqing.
"Boy, you sure have no shortage of enemies." Li Yuanshan shrugged and tossed out a teasing line.
Chen Yang raised an eyebrow. He could be sure that before today, he had never once met Cao Jing, much less offended him.
"Bitch, the fact that my son Cao Chong took a fancy to you was your ancestors' accumulated blessing. But you, instead of accepting it calmly, resisted with all your might, causing my son to be grievously wounded."
After confirming that it was indeed Gu Zhiqing, Cao Jing listed her crimes and said coldly, "You thought you could run? Hm?!"
"Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I'll dig you out and make you taste every suffering in this world."
At this point, Cao Jing spread his arms, as if in full control of the board. "Still, since someone wants to kill you, I naturally must abide by the principle of first come, first served."
The implication being: you two fight first, I'll just watch from the side.
"Family Head, that middle-aged man looks unfamiliar. We don't know what his background is," an elderly man beside Cao Jing said.
"Who cares who he is? Once the two of them start fighting, best if they both end up badly hurt. Then I'll capture Chen Yang and Gu Zhiqing alive."
Cao Jing toyed with the sword at his waist, his expression sinister. "Gu Zhiqing will be handed over to Chong'er. As for this Chen Yang, during Gu Zhong's funeral, I'll present him to Biluo Sword Valley."
"I suppose Biluo Sword Valley will be overjoyed, don't you think?"
Even though this morning Chen Yang, with his lone strength, had crushed all of Princess Ling'er's guards, shocking many ill-intentioned peopleāsome core members of the Cao Family includedā
since they'd run into him now, it also meant a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How could they just turn a blind eye?
Besides, the situation on the field at this moment was only waiting for them to fight to the death.
"This dog-eat-dog show is bound to be very entertaining." Cao Jing chuckled.
The old man smiled and said no more.
"Hm?"
Seeing that Chen Yang and Li Yuanshan still hadn't made a move, Cao Jing frowned and looked over, urging with some impatience, "Why are you still standing there in a daze? Hurry up and fight, don't waste my time."
"Heh heh..."
Li Yuanshan couldn't hold back a laugh, shaking his head as he muttered to himself, "So he's trying to use me, Li Yuanshan, as a gun?"
At the same time, Chen Yang had already learned the whole story from Gu Zhiqing.
A wastrel disciple tries to abduct a civilian girl, fails, gets castrated instead; then a doting father jumps out, swaggering and roaring about revengeāhow familiar a scene is that?
The key point was, he didn't dare trouble the true instigator, Mu Ling'er, but clung to Gu Zhiqing insteadāa textbook case of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Chen Yang then asked in a faint tone, "The Cao Family? So you're treating me, Chen, like some soft persimmon you can knead at will?"
"Jumping around this muchāaren't you afraid of having your entire clan wiped out?"
As these words rippled out, not to mention Cao Jing, even Li Yuanshan couldn't help being stunned.
Before they could reactā
Clang!
Chen Yang drew his sword.
In flowing radiance, the Ancestral Sword shot straight into the sky, circled once above his head, and then streaked toward Shisu Town.
In an instant.
Heaven and earth changed.
"Good heavens, wh-what kind of power is this? And what is he trying to do?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that sword is aimed straight at the Cao Family."
Voices filled with horror and shock rang out, so intense even the curtain of rain seemed to tremble. Under countless gazes, a beam of light forged from the Ancestral Sword shot forth like a long spear, tearing open the void. Its ferocity was such that it seemed it would even pierce the sky.
"If I, Chen, fail to annihilate your Cao Royal Clan today, I'll kill myself on the spot!"
Cao Jing: "..."
The crowd: "..."
Frost-like Sword Qi, its might vast and overwhelming.
One strand after another of awe-inspiring divine power spread out, nearing complete materialization, like a resplendent river of stars across the firmament, spanning the sky, stunning beyond compare.
Thisā¦
Countless people looked up. In their hearts, aside from endless dread, there was only shock and disbelief.
The rain swept down.
The field fell silent, a chill pervading the air.
Even Li Yuanshan, whose experiences and encounters from Lingjing City surpassed anyone present, was slightly taken aback the moment the Ancestral Sword streaked forth.
He truly was astonished.
To him, a Spiritual Artifact was nothing rare; what shocked him was the aura and power contained within the Ancestral Sword.
The great sword cleaved through the sky.
Heading straight for Shisu Town.
"Family Head, this..."
The old man at Cao Jing's side looked utterly panicked, his features twisted in terror, even his ten fingers trembling.
"With my father there, what's there to fear?"
Cao Jing took a deep breath and swept a cold gaze at Chen Yang. This fellow's strength was far beyond his expectations. Then he bared a feral grin. "Can the might of our Cao Royal Clan be something you can even fathom?"
"Ants Shaking a Treeāoverestimating yourself."
"..."