Abbess Dingyi had not expected Pagoda Hand Ding Mian to be lurking in the shadows, ready to launch a sudden attack.
Caught off guard, she was struck by Ding Mian's palm force and staggered back several steps, shattering the bluestone floor tiles before barely managing to stop. Blood had already spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Master..." Yi Lin cried out in alarm and hurried forward to support Abbess Dingyi.
At this moment, Liu Zhengfeng and Fei Bin had already exchanged several palm strikes without either gaining the upper hand, and the two briefly separated.
Liu Zhengfeng suppressed the surging true qi in his meridians and looked at Ding Mian, his eyes flickering. "Pagoda Hand Ding Mian."
"That's me. Second Master Liu, I trust you've been well," Ding Mian said with a genial smile.
"Alliance Leader Zuo truly thinks highly of Liu. To deal with me, he actually sent two of the Thirteen Protectors. I truly don't know whether I should be pleased or afraid," Liu Zhengfeng said.
"Heh heh." Ding Mian merely chuckled without answering.
Amid his laughter, another man appeared: Crane Hand Lu Bai.
The moment Lu Bai appeared, all the gathered heroes were stirred.
Three Protectors!
Zuo Lengchan had actually dispatched three Protectors at once to deal with a single Liu Zhengfeng.
That lineup was simply too extravagant.
Great Songyang Hand Fei Bin, Pagoda Hand Ding Mian, and Crane Hand Lu Bai were all renowned figures in the martial world.
The former was an expert at the middle stage of Minor Grandmaster, while the latter two were even experts at the late stage of Minor Grandmaster.
As for Liu Zhengfeng's side, only he himself possessed cultivation at the middle stage of Minor Grandmaster.
Facing the joint assassination attempt of the Three Great Protectors, Liu Zhengfeng would likely meet a grim end today.
Looking at Ding Mian and the other two, Liu Zhengfeng felt waves of fear rise within him.
Three Protectors—these were three Protectors of the Mount Song Sect.
Such a lineup could very likely wipe out the entire Hengshan Sect, much less deal with Liu Zhengfeng alone.
"Heh heh, everything Lord Su said was true. Zuo Lengchan really intends to wipe out my entire family."
Liu Zhengfeng recalled what Su Chen had told him before, and intense regret welled up in his heart.
"If I had been willing to believe Lord Su back then and made preparations early, how would I have ended up in this situation?"
Looking at his wife, children, and elderly relatives beneath the blades and swords, like lambs waiting for slaughter, Liu Zhengfeng gave a bitter smile.
"I was the one who harmed you."
"If I were given another chance, I would certainly heed Lord Su's words."
In this situation, Liu Zhengfeng deeply regretted his past choices. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.
Since he had already made his mistake, he naturally had to pay the price for it now.
With that thought, Liu Zhengfeng looked at Fei Bin and the others. "Whatever it is, I, Liu Zhengfeng, will bear it alone. Do not make things difficult for my family."
The only response he received was the cold laughter of Ding Mian and the other two.
The Mount Song Sect had plotted for so long solely for this day.
How could they let the matter go lightly because of a single sentence from Liu Zhengfeng?
"Words are useless. Let our hands decide the matter," Fei Bin snapped. He immediately leaped forward and engaged Liu Zhengfeng in battle.
Ding Mian and Lu Bai followed close behind, stepping forward to help Fei Bin besiege Liu Zhengfeng.
With three great experts joining forces to kill him, Liu Zhengfeng was unable to hold on alone.
In only a brief moment, he had fallen into a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Yue Buqun and the others sighed inwardly.
"Liu Zhengfeng will likely be defeated within five moves."
Sure enough, when the two sides exchanged their third move, Liu Zhengfeng was careless for a moment and took a palm strike from Lu Bai on the shoulder.
At the same time, Fei Bin's and Ding Mian's palm force also landed on him.
Liu Zhengfeng was immediately sent flying backwards like a tattered sack. He crashed to the ground, unable to move.
On the rooftop, Su Chen, who had been silently watching all this time, finally made his move.
He stood up, stretched lazily, and gripped the Ring-Pommel Saber in his hand.
"The timing is about right. Liu Zhengfeng has already been forced to the brink. Right now, he would probably agree even if I told him to sell his underwear for silver to give me."
After muttering softly, Su Chen waited with his saber in hand.
In the courtyard, Ding Mian and the other two looked down upon Liu Zhengfeng.
"Liu Zhengfeng, you colluded with Demonic Cult Cultists and remain stubbornly unrepentant. Today, this Protector shall uphold the righteousness of the martial world and execute you."
After delivering that righteous proclamation, Ding Mian raised the broadsword in his hand, preparing to behead Liu Zhengfeng.
Liu Zhengfeng's face was filled with despair. He closed his eyes and waited quietly for death to descend.
But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Liu Zhengfeng, how much are you willing to pay now?"
Upon hearing that voice, Liu Zhengfeng abruptly opened his eyes, and wild joy burst forth within them.
He knew that voice too well. Wasn't it the voice of Lord Su, whom he had met not long ago?
He had thought that he had reached the end of the road, that his entire family falling victim to disaster was already unavoidable.
Yet he had never expected the situation to suddenly turn around, granting him a chance to survive in desperate circumstances.
He immediately gathered his last shred of strength and shouted into the air, "My lord, there are still one hundred thousand taels of cash in my residence. I am willing to offer every last tael. I only hope Lord Su can overlook our past grievances and lend us a hand."
"Good!"
The sudden turn of events startled Ding Mian. He looked up at the sky and barked, "Who is it? How dare you play tricks here? Get out here!"
The next second, a cold flash shot down from the rooftop and embedded itself in the floor roughly three feet to Ding Mian's left.
Only then did Ding Mian see clearly that it was a saber—a Ring-Pommel Saber.
Before he could think further, a young man dressed in black with short hair drifted down from the rooftop and landed beside the Ring-Pommel Saber.
The young man in black with short hair was Su Chen.
The moment he appeared, he drew everyone's attention.
"It's him." Yi Lin and Linghu Chong cried out at the same time, recognizing Su Chen.
"It's that senior." Behind Yue Buqun, Lin Pingzhi's eyes suddenly lit up as well.
Likewise, Yue Buqun, Abbess Dingyi, Daoist Tianmen, and the others all stared at Su Chen in astonishment.
"Black clothes, short hair, a Ring-Pommel Saber—it's the swordsman who killed Yu Canghai and Tian Boguang. He actually appeared here."
"And judging by what Liu Zhengfeng said just now, it seems he already knows this swordsman."
"What exactly is going on?"
Yue Buqun and the others were filled with doubts.
Meanwhile, the faces of Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin changed at the exact moment they saw Su Chen.
Wasn't this suddenly appearing man the very person who had brought the three of them endless humiliation at Tingsong Pavilion?
The moment they recalled the humiliation Su Chen had inflicted upon them, Ding Mian and the other two were immediately blinded by rage.
"You still dare to come here? I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces to ease the hatred in my heart!" Fei Bin roared. He raised his broadsword and charged at Su Chen.
A cold gleam flashed in Su Chen's eyes as he swiftly pulled the Ring-Pommel Saber from the ground.
He opened with his ultimate move, unleashing the perfected Unrivaled Saber Technique without giving Fei Bin even the slightest chance to react.
Terrifying saber light spread out like layered clouds, bringing with it a suffocating sense of dread.
Fei Bin's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised his sword to block.
However, he had ultimately underestimated Su Chen's strength.
Although Su Chen was also at the middle stage of Minor Grandmaster, and his cultivation level appeared no different from Fei Bin's—
Su Chen cultivated the Hundun Treasure Mirror, and the quality of his true qi surpassed Fei Bin's by far more than a single level.
Moreover, the saber technique Su Chen used was a powerful killing move like the Unrivaled Saber Technique.
Therefore, this strike of his was far beyond what someone like Fei Bin could withstand.
As the saber light flashed past, Fei Bin's broadsword instantly broke into two pieces.
"How is that possible?!" Fei Bin was horrified, but he had no opportunity to react at all.
The saber light had already reached him.
Swish!
The sound of flesh being cleaved apart rang out.
A line of blood appeared across Fei Bin's body, extending from the crown of his head to between his legs. His entire body was split in two.
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