Battle Against a First Rank Grandmaster

Niu Ren led the Imperial Guard, mounted on tall horses, and waited outside the manor gates for about half an incense stick's time. Seeing that the gates remained tightly shut and no one emerged, he was about to wave his sword and charge straight in.

At that moment, the manor gates opened, and an elderly man in a blue robe with his hair bound up strode out from within, accompanied by more than a dozen disciples.

This blue-robed elder was none other than Chang Haotian, president of the Five Lakes Association.

Chang Haotian cupped his hands toward Niu Ren atop his horse and said in a deep voice, "Commander Niu, what do you mean by bringing hundreds of Imperial Guard and thousands of government soldiers to surround the Five Lakes Association?"

"What do I mean?" Niu Ren sneered. "You people from the Five Lakes Association have some nerve. You actually dared to rob three hundred thousand taels of official silver and slaughter five hundred government soldiers. Are you trying to rebel?"

Chang Haotian's expression did not change. "Commander Niu says that our Five Lakes Association robbed official silver. Do you have any evidence? If you cannot produce evidence, then this is slander and false accusation!"

Niu Ren burst into laughter. "Our Imperial Guard never needs evidence to arrest people. Once we throw you into the Imperial Prison, you'll naturally confess!"

Then he waved his hand and shouted, "Move! Arrest every last one of the Five Lakes Association!"

A Banner Officer led several Junior Banner Officers and dozens of Imperial Guard Captains rushing forward, reaching for Chang Haotian and the dozen or so followers behind him.

"Courting death!"

Chang Haotian gave a cold shout and struck his palm at the Banner Officer charging toward him.

That Imperial Guard Banner Officer had been eager to earn merit. He had not expected this blue-robed elder to be the president of the Five Lakes Association, much less that he would dare openly attack the Imperial Guard.

Chang Haotian was a Third Rank Grandmaster. How could the power of this Thunderbolt Palm be ordinary?

Although this Banner Officer's martial cultivation had reached the Xiantian Sixth Level, the gap between him and Chang Haotian was simply too vast. He had no way to withstand Chang Haotian's palm strike.

Boom!

The Banner Officer was sent flying more than ten zhang by Chang Haotian's palm. His internal organs shattered, and he died on the spot.

"Outrageous!"

Niu Ren roared in fury, leaping from his horse with his longsword slashing toward Chang Haotian.

This sword strike was incomparably fierce, its sword qi surging.

Knowing how formidable it was, Chang Haotian hurriedly used his movement technique to dodge to the side. He barely avoided Niu Ren's sword, though a corner of his robe was sliced away by the sword qi.

Chang Haotian was horrified!

He had long heard that Niu Ren, the Imperial Guard Commander of Suzhou, possessed exceptional martial arts. This single sword strike told Chang Haotian that he was far from being Niu Ren's match.

At this moment, the other several dozen Imperial Guard engaged in a fierce battle with the dozen or so personal disciples Chang Haotian had brought.

The rest of the Imperial Guard did not make a move.

There was simply no need. Those several dozen Imperial Guard quickly killed some of the dozen or so Five Lakes Association disciples and captured the rest.

Meanwhile, at other sides of the manor, four elders of the Five Lakes Association and more than a dozen stewards led several hundred Five Lakes Association disciples in a sudden charge from the rear gate.

The rear gate was guarded by the Commander of the Infantry and several hundred personal guards.

Seeing the Five Lakes Association members rush out from the rear gate, the Commander of the Infantry shouted:

"Rebels, where do you think you're running!"

Wielding a silver spear, he charged toward a man in black robes.

This black-robed man was Elder Xiao of the Five Lakes Association.

This Commander of the Infantry was the most skilled martial general under Prefectural Governor Luo, having reached the Third Rank Grandmaster Stage.

Elder Xiao, on the other hand, was only at the early Second Rank Grandmaster Stage.

Though they differed by only one rank, the disparity in their strength was enormous.

The Commander of the Infantry's spear moved like a swimming dragon emerging from the sea. In just a few exchanges, he had Elder Xiao flustered and scrambling, forced back again and again.

At the same time, the several hundred personal guards under the Commander of the Infantry also charged in.

However, these several hundred personal guards were far from a match for the several hundred Five Lakes Association disciples.

Even the weakest Five Lakes Association disciple had reached the Postnatal First Level, while most were at the Postnatal Third or Fourth Level.

Those several hundred personal guards, at most, had only just stepped into the Martial Artist Realm.

Most importantly, the Five Lakes Association also had three Grandmaster-level elders and more than a dozen stewards above the Xiantian Realm.

These people leaped directly over the personal guards' heads, seeking to escape the encirclement.

There were another two thousand seven hundred soldiers on the perimeter. Seeing this, they all immediately closed in.

Several hundred more Imperial Guard also swiftly rushed toward the rear, forming a pincer encirclement.

Huang Shaojie and Xiao Qiuyue were guarding the side gate of the manor. When they discovered that Five Lakes Association members were fleeing from the rear gate, they too leaped toward it.

Huang Shaojie crossed the two- to three-hundred-meter distance in just a few breaths.

His legs moved like the wind as he unleashed the third move of the Wind God Leg, Violent Storm, at several Five Lakes Association stewards.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Three Five Lakes Association stewards were kicked several zhang away by Huang Shaojie's legs, which descended like thunder and torrential rain. Their ribs shattered, and they spat blood as they crashed to the ground.

All three of these Five Lakes Association stewards had martial cultivation above the Xiantian Third Level, yet under Huang Shaojie's Wind God Leg, they had not the slightest ability to resist.

Xiao Qiuyue shot forward, swinging her sword at a Grey-robed Elder.

The Grey-robed Elder snorted coldly and struck with his left palm, forcibly knocking aside Xiao Qiuyue's incoming sword.

At the same time, the Grey-robed Elder's right hand curled into claws and seized Xiao Qiuyue by the throat.

This chain of moves was not only lightning-fast, but his true qi surged with savage ferocity.

This Grey-robed Elder was actually one of the Four Great Elders of the Five Lakes Association, his martial cultivation having reached the First Rank Grandmaster Stage.

Xiao Qiuyue was greatly alarmed. Only then did she realize that she had picked a hard bone to bite.

She hurriedly retreated, swinging the longsword in her hand toward the Grey-robed Elder's reaching right palm.

However, the Grey-robed Elder flipped his right palm, moved even faster, and closed in on her. He clamped down on the wrist holding her sword.

On the other side, after Huang Shaojie dealt with the three Five Lakes Association stewards in a single move, his gaze happened to catch sight of the Grey-robed Elder gripping Xiao Qiuyue's sword-wielding wrist.

Xiao Qiuyue's wrist was clamped in the Grey-robed Elder's grip, leaving her shocked and frantic. At this moment, she could not break free at all.

The Grey-robed Elder's right palm was already striking toward her.

Xiao Qiuyue knew that if she took this palm strike from the Grey-robed Elder, she would undoubtedly die.

Just at this critical moment, a figure flashed over like lightning, both legs kicking at several vital acupoints around the Grey-robed Elder's body.

The newcomer was Huang Shaojie.

With the Grey-robed Elder's level of martial skill, he immediately sensed an expert attacking from behind.

If he did not withdraw his palm and counterattack now, he too would surely be seriously injured.

The Grey-robed Elder flashed aside, rotating his right palm as he struck at Huang Shaojie's legs.

Bang!

Leg and palm collided with a dull boom, and even the surrounding air shook violently.

The Grey-robed Elder's palm contained the force of tens of thousands of jin. Even a massive boulder would have been pulverized by it.

Yet Huang Shaojie merely flipped backward and landed safely on the ground, though his legs ached somewhat.

The Grey-robed Elder's palm also felt slightly numb.

This horrified him!

This youth looked only around twenty years old and wore nothing more than the official uniform of an Imperial Guard Junior Banner Officer. Who would have thought he possessed such profound power, able to meet his palm force head-on with his legs?

Could it be that even an Imperial Guard Junior Banner Officer had reached the Grandmaster Stage?

How was that possible!

What the Grey-robed Elder did not know was that this Imperial Guard Junior Banner Officer before him was actually only at the Xiantian Third Level.

The reason he could withstand the Grey-robed Elder's palm was because Huang Shaojie's kick contained two peerless martial arts.

The Wind God Leg and the Indestructible Vajra Technique.

The power of the Wind God Leg, combined with the resistance of the Indestructible Vajra Technique, had allowed him to barely withstand the Grey-robed Elder's palm.