Heavenly Mountain Divine Light, Ling Weifeng

As Squad Leader, Qin Shuang naturally kept an eye on the entire team. Seeing more and more martial artists surging in from all directions to join the battle over Ni Pusa, while the Dragon Guards found themselves in increasingly dire straits, he could not contain his fury.

Qin Shuang immediately changed tactics. "Dalu, Taiping, the two of you help me hold off Long Xiling!"

As he shouted, Qin Shuang drew Sorrow Dispeller and Hatred Severer. Ignoring his injuries, he unleashed Mocking Wind's Howl. Blue radiance instantly blazed around his entire body, giving him an otherworldly air. Then, using the Innate Formless Divine Art, he executed the Dream Slaying Saber Technique and charged into the crowd.

Qin Shuang was as fierce as a savage tiger. Sorrow Dispeller and Hatred Severer flashed like bolts of lightning, and wherever their blades passed, severed limbs flew and blood sprayed in all directions.

The Innate Formless Divine Art Qin Shuang cultivated not only allowed his internal force to replenish itself endlessly; even more astonishingly, it could imitate any martial art in the world. Once cultivated to its highest realm, any move or martial art could be understood at a glance and mastered with a single lesson.

Moreover, when any martial art was performed in conjunction with the Innate Formless Divine Art, its power would increase explosively, making it even more formidable than the technique it was originally paired with.

Just imagine it: if someone could learn an opponent's martial arts in the blink of an eye, then execute them with even greater power, that person would be virtually invincible among others of the same realm.

Thus, from a certain perspective, the Innate Formless Divine Art was utterly abnormal, a technique that had broken free from the bounds of ordinary martial arts. Its ability to steal the moves of every martial art, combined with its ability to amplify them all, made it a unique existence among the countless cultivation methods.

Under the combined amplification of the Innate Formless Divine Art and Mocking Wind's Howl, the twin sabers in Qin Shuang's hands became soul-reaping messengers from hell, constantly harvesting the lives of those martial artists.

Yet death was insignificant before human greed.

Qin Shuang's outburst merely slowed the enemy's offensive for a moment. Ni Pusa was right before them, and the Dragon Guards were on the verge of collapse. More people leaped out from the shadows one after another and charged at the convoy. Each Dragon Guard was often surrounded by eight or nine attackers.

The pressure of death and Qin Shuang's example drove the Dragon Guard prodigies to erupt completely as well. Everyone unleashed their ultimate techniques and killing moves. For a moment, saber light and sword shadows filled the air, while fists thundered and palms hacked down in another bloody eruption.

As the two sides fought in a tense stalemate, dust billowed in the distance along the official road. A rumble of hoofbeats, like muffled thunder, approached from afar, and the earth began to tremble faintly.

The fine steeds neighed and galloped at full speed. Yet several hundred light cavalrymen charged with the might of a vast army, sweeping toward them like a violent storm.

As they neared the crowd, the cavalry suddenly split into two groups. In a perfect arc, they instantly encircled everyone.

When the martial artists from Tai and Qing Provinces saw that the cavalry wore the uniform black brocade armor of the Dragon Guards, they were scared out of their wits.

"Those of the Qing Province branch of the Dragon Guards, heed my command! Kill everyone except our own! Take no prisoners in this battle!"

The speaker had deep-set eyes and sharply defined features. An old sword scar marked his cheek, yet it did nothing to diminish his heroic bearing. He was tall and powerfully built, like a mountain range, his skin darkened by the sun as though he had weathered countless storms, yet remained as tough as ever.

Red patterns were embroidered on his armor. He was none other than the Military Sima commanding the Qing Province branch of the Desolation Unit of the Dragon Guards—Heavenly Mountain Divine Light, Ling Weifeng!

Under the shocked and terrified gazes of the crowd, Ling Weifeng led four hundred Dragon Guards as they leaped from horseback into the battlefield, formally commencing their slaughter.

More than a hundred Dragon Guards still sat mounted around the perimeter, preventing anyone from escaping. They clearly intended to wipe out every last one of these martial artists!

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, Qin Shuang and the others were instantly invigorated. Their pride made them unwilling to be looked down upon, so they continued striking with ruthless force.

But they had been worrying needlessly. No one dared look down on them. With just over forty men, they had held off the assault of nearly two hundred martial artists from Tai and Qing Provinces—let alone the absolute disparity between the two sides' Martial Way realms.

Not only had they protected Ni Pusa under such perilous circumstances, they had also killed countless enemies in return. Qin Shuang alone had slain no fewer than thirty.

The moment Ling Weifeng arrived, he targeted the enemy's strongest fighter. With a wave of his hand, he fired three Heavenly Mountain Divine Lights like lightning, aimed at Wei Wuyai's face, chest, and dantian—the three vital points.

The Heavenly Mountain Divine Light was a short-sword-shaped thorn that grew only on Mount Heaven. It was incredibly sharp and as hard as metal. Ling Weifeng used it as a hidden weapon, striking with unfailing accuracy and piercing anything in its path.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Wuyai flipped and rolled away in a panic, but the metal wheelchair beneath him was shattered by the divine thorns.

Ling Weifeng's martial arts had already reached the mid-stage of the Grandmaster Realm. Relying on the Heavenly Mountain Divine Light and Heavenly Mountain Swordplay, he had dominated Qing Province and cowed the petty villains there.

He also knew that three Heavenly Mountain Divine Lights alone could not defeat the long-renowned Wei Wuyai. The Azure Steel Sword in his hand had already been drawn, and his Heavenly Mountain Swordplay unfolded. His sword forms were powerful and swift, entering through every opening with razor-sharp ferocity. Within five moves, Wei Wuyai was enveloped beneath the sword's radiance.

Ling Weifeng's killing intent had already risen. Every move seized the initiative. Cold light speckled the Azure Steel Sword, which seemed to split into dozens of swords. Sword radiance scattered in thousands upon thousands of points, pouring down like a violent storm and giving Wei Wuyai no chance to catch his breath.

By the thirteenth move, Wei Wuyai no longer had the strength to resist. Ling Weifeng pierced his heart with a single thrust.

With the chief of the Twelve Zodiacs dead, chaos erupted in the hearts of the remaining fighters. Some attacked wildly, others turned and fled in terror, while still others abandoned resistance and surrendered. The scene descended into utter disorder!

Yet this only hastened their defeat!

A force hastily pieced together could never compare to a truly disciplined army. They might conceal many problems while enjoying temporary success, but once they encountered difficulty or adversity, those problems would be exposed one by one.

Thus, by this point, the battle's outcome was already decided. The Dragon Guards were now carrying out a one-sided massacre!

"Uncle Ling, if you hadn't come, my mother would have been preparing your funeral feast!" Qin Shuang looked at Ling Weifeng and said with seventy percent jest and thirty percent reproach.

Seeing the bodies piled up within twenty paces of Qin Shuang, with the earth stained dark red by blood, Ling Weifeng knew how difficult the battle had been. He was not angry. Instead, he explained, "Xiao Shuang, after receiving your message, I gathered the men in a day and a half and rushed here from Qi Commandery without pause, aside from the necessary rest stops. I simply didn't expect them to move so quickly. Thinking back, I should have come in separate groups, with the first force setting out earlier!"

Since Ling Weifeng had put it that way, Qin Shuang could no longer bring himself to criticize him.

In truth, Ling Weifeng had arrived at exactly the right time. If he had been any later, Qin Shuang's Dragon Guard unit might have been wiped out, and Ni Pusa would not have been saved. If he had arrived any earlier, however, he would not have drawn out so many martial artists from Tai and Qing Provinces who defied the imperial order and showed no respect for the court.