Battle Against the Four Great Evils

Qin Shuang still refused to let up and continued mocking him. "With General Helian's wise leadership, it won't be long before the Western Xia First-Rank Hall dominates the martial world!"

"Kill him!" Helian Tieshu could tell that Qin Shuang was being sarcastic. Enraged and humiliated, he involuntarily took a step forward.

Qin Shuang had deliberately provoked Helian Tieshu precisely to wait for this opportunity. Suddenly, five soft, drifting sword qi shot from each of his little fingers toward Helian Tieshu.

It was the Soft Sword of Qin Shuang's Innate Formless Finger Sword!

"General, watch out!" Amid Helian Tieshu's astonishment, the gloomy, Daoist-robed man behind him was the first to react. He rushed in front of Helian Tieshu and raised the Thunder God Shield in his hand, attempting to block the sword qi.

The ten strands of Soft Sword qi were incredibly agile. They scattered in all directions, bypassed the Thunder God Shield, and circled behind the gloomy, Daoist-robed man. Then, in an exaggerated arc, they stabbed backward toward Helian Tieshu behind him.

Helian Tieshu reacted in time and somersaulted sideways into the crowd. The gloomy, Daoist-robed man's back was left completely exposed, and the ten strands of sword qi shot straight through his body, taking his life on the spot.

"Jiuyi!" Helian Tieshu cried out regretfully.

Qin Shuang secretly sighed at the missed opportunity. He stopped pretending to be poisoned and shot toward Helian Tieshu, determined to shoot the horse before the rider and capture the ringleader first.

Four figures flew out of the crowd and surrounded Qin Shuang. They were the other four conspicuous figures.

From their attire and weapons, Qin Shuang had already guessed their identities. They were none other than the infamous Four Great Evils.

The eldest, "Villainy Reaches the Brim," Duan Yanqing; the second, "Does All Evil," Ye Erniang; the third, "Fierce God and Evil Spirit," Yue Canglong; and the fourth, "Extremely Fierce and Evil," Yun Zhonghe.

Duan Yanqing had originally been the crown prince of the southern minor kingdom, the Dali Kingdom. Later, when the treacherous minister Yang Yizhen rebelled, Duan Yanqing was framed and poisoned into muteness. Though he was lucky enough to survive, his severe injuries left both his legs crippled.

Yet, through astonishing perseverance, he bitterly trained in the Duan Family's hereditary martial art, One Yang Finger. He eventually entered the Innate Realm—a realm that most martial artists could only hope for throughout their lives—despite his disability. He also painstakingly mastered ventriloquism, overcoming his inability to communicate with others.

Ye Erniang had once been a gentle, beautiful, dignified, and virtuous young woman. Later, she lost her chastity and gave birth to a child, only for her enemies to take the child away in revenge. Driven mad by longing for her son, she gradually fell into the path of evil.

Yue Canglong, the leader of the South Sea Sect, was nicknamed the South Sea Crocodile God. He had a hot temper, acted ruthlessly, and loved killing, yet he valued promises above all else. His greatest specialty was twisting a person's neck with a crisp "crack." He and Ye Erniang were both at the Postnatal Peak.

Yun Zhonghe was a lecherous scoundrel with exceptional lightness kung fu. His Crane Snake Eight Strikes was quite formidable, and he had used it to wreak havoc throughout the martial world. His cultivation was at the level of a First-rate Warrior.

As Qin Shuang recalled the intelligence on the Four Great Evils from the Dragon Guard's Cosmos Unit's Sun Division, he attacked with ferocity.

Qin Shuang used the Righteous Sword of his Innate Formless Finger Sword to fight Duan Yanqing's One Yang Finger, the Soft Sword to entangle Ye Erniang's pair of Willow Leaf Sabers, the Heavenly Frost Fist to clash head-on with Old Yue's Crocodile Jaw Shears and Crocodile Tail Whip, and the Flick Sword to pursue the agile Yun Zhonghe.

Fighting four against one, he actually did not fall behind in the slightest!

The most thrilling and spectacular battle was the clash between Qin Shuang and Duan Yanqing. It was a contest between sword qi.

The two exchanged attacks back and forth. Though they seemed to be far apart, their moves contained immense danger. If either of them made the slightest mistake, the other's sword qi would pierce a hole straight through his body!

The other members of the Western Xia First-Rank Hall naturally would not merely stand by and watch. Led by Nurhachi, Duan Yanqing's disciple "Soul Chasing Staff" Tan Qing, and Yue the Third's disciple "Little Fiend God" Sun Sanba, more than twenty people charged toward the poisoned Dragon Guard and Imperial Guards.

The other person among the Dragon Guard who had not been poisoned by the Sorrowful Crisp Breeze was Cheng Lingsu. She single-handedly stopped the numerous experts of the Western Xia First-Rank Hall who charged forward, and she did so with ease.

"I didn't expect this young lady to be so formidable! Not only did the Western Xia poison fail to bring her down, but their martial arts can't do anything to her either!" Heng Feijing sat on the ground, completely powerless, yet he was not worried about his safety in the slightest. As he watched Cheng Lingsu fight, he even had the leisure to comment on it.

"Nonsense. She's the Poison Hand Medicine King's direct disciple. Her master is the commander of the Cosmos Unit's Moon Division, the Military Sima. Not only is her martial arts formidable, but her skill with poisons is also the true inheritance of the Medicine King. How could she be compared to those useless Western Xia nobodies?" Jiang Xiaoyu replied with evident pride.

As he spoke, several more Western Xia men were poisoned and collapsed to the ground. For a time, no one dared approach her again.

"Brother Shuang can fight if he wants, but what's with that grin on his face?" Seeing that there was no immediate danger, Jiang Xiaoyu relaxed as well. He looked toward Qin Shuang and, seeing his exaggerated, completely undisguised smile, could not help wondering aloud. He was certain he understood Qin Shuang very well.

"You don't understand. Brother Shuang is happy because he encountered worthy opponents." Heng Feijing put himself in Qin Shuang's place and sighed deeply. "As expected of Brother Shuang. He uses powerful enemies to temper his Martial Way. Though it's incredibly dangerous, he enjoys every moment of it. He truly is a model for me to learn from!"

"..." Jiang Xiaoyu rolled his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Everyone's attention once again converged on the battle between Qin Shuang and the Four Great Evils.

Yet Qin Shuang was clearly only at the Postnatal Peak, while his inner power seemed inexhaustible. The sword qi in his hands grew sharper and more fearsome, and his techniques became increasingly smooth and natural. He was actually progressing from mastery toward the realm of consummate skill!

In other words, he was about to enter the Innate Realm!

"This brat is using us as whetstones. He wants to use this battle with us as an opportunity to break through into the Innate Realm!" Ye Erniang was knowledgeable and had been stuck at this bottleneck for many years herself. Seeing Qin Shuang's current state, she immediately understood what was happening and became furious.

"What!" Yue the Third wore a look of disbelief. He had remained at the Postnatal Peak for many years and had never been able to touch the threshold of the Innate Realm. He had never expected that a young boy would reach this step before him.

In an instant, Qin Shuang seized the Four Evils' moment of astonishment and suddenly erupted. He thrust both hands sideways, shooting domineering sword qi from both thumbs. With one move, the Hegemonic Sword went straight for Yue the Third and Yun Zhonghe.

In his confusion, Yue the Third crossed the Crocodile Jaw Shears and Crocodile Tail Whip to block, forcibly resisting the Hegemonic Sword. His blood and qi roiled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, suffering internal injuries.

Yun Zhonghe was not so fortunate. The Iron Claw Steel Staff was blasted away by the Hegemonic Sword's sword qi. The sword qi continued onward and pierced through his throat. He was clearly beyond saving.

"Fourth!"

"Let's go!" Seeing this, Duan Yanqing decisively made his choice. He used ventriloquism to inform Ye Erniang and Yue the Third, then shot a One Yang Finger from the iron crutch in his left hand to distract Qin Shuang. At the same time, he struck the ground hard with the iron crutch in his right hand and flew backward toward the forest.