Wan Mengchang

The Golden Saber Society's headquarters was a rather expansive courtyard, its blue-brick walls several yards high, with two stone lions at the entrance glaring with furious, round eyes.

At this moment, the vermilion gates were tightly shut, while the faint sound of clashing weapons came from behind them.

Captain Li reined in his horse before the gates, his voice carrying outward.

"Li Chengfeng, Imperial Guard Hundred Households Officer of Qingzhou Prefecture, is here. Listen up, everyone in the Golden Saber Society!"

"You abducted children to refine pills. The evidence is conclusive. Open the gates and surrender at once, and you may be spared death."

The courtyard fell silent.

Only after a moment did a cold shout come from behind the gates.

"Wishful thinking! Our Golden Saber Society has stood firm in Qingzhou for decades. How could we commit such a heinous crime that offends heaven and reason? The Imperial Guard is plainly framing good people."

"You've come to arrest people from our Golden Saber Society. Do you have an official document issued by the Qingzhou Prefecture Yamen?"

Captain Li's gaze sharpened, and he drew the long saber in his hand.

"At a time like this, you still want to stall for time? The Imperial Guard has never needed any official document to conduct business. Since you refuse to open the gates, men, break them down!"

Four Strongmen carried forward a battering ram as thick as a bowl. Under the watchful eyes of the other Imperial Guards, they slammed it viciously into the gates.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull crashes made even the ground tremble faintly, sending dust flying.

The bronze rings on the gates shook violently, and wood chips sprayed everywhere.

The Golden Saber Society members behind the gates braced desperately against them, but the impact forced the gates open.

"Put your backs into it!"

The battering ram struck the gates again and again, and the cracks in them grew ever wider.

At last, with a tremendous crash, the two heavy gates flew open. Several Golden Saber Society members behind them were caught off guard and sent flying.

"Kill!"

Captain Li charged in at the forefront, his long saber unsheathed, leading the Imperial Guard into the courtyard like a surging tide.

A hundred or two hundred Golden Saber Society members had already gathered in the courtyard. Every one of them held a weapon, their eyes fierce.

A leader shouted noisily.

"Brothers, the Imperial Guard has come to arrest us! They want to cut off our livelihood of selling Qi and Blood Pills too. Brothers, fight them to the death!"

"The Society Master has ordered it: kill one Imperial Guard, and you'll get thirty taels of silver!"

The Golden Saber Society members' eyes reddened.

The Imperial Guard charged forward.

The two forces collided in an instant. Saber light and sword shadows intertwined, while the cries of battle shook the heavens.

The Imperial Guard was well-trained and coordinated seamlessly, forming ranks as they steadily pressed forward.

The Golden Saber Society members were fierce and valiant, resisting stubbornly without pause.

Su Fei rushed out, his Spring Embroidered Saber becoming a streak of flowing light in his hand as he pushed the Thunderous Saber Art to its utmost limit.

His saber light was as swift as lightning and as forceful as thunder. Wherever it passed, Golden Saber Society members fell with screams, and no one could stop him.

He was like a razor-sharp blade, endlessly tearing through the Golden Saber Society's defensive line.

Seeing Su Fei's incredible valor, Wang Meng and the other Strongmen had their blood set aflame as well. Their morale soared, their eyes reddened, and they charged bravely into battle.

The fighting was exceptionally brutal, and blood stained the bluestone slabs of the courtyard red.

Though the Golden Saber Society had many members, they gradually fell into a disadvantage before the well-equipped, highly trained Imperial Guard.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded. A gray-haired old man in brocade robes emerged, surrounded by several guards.

The old man was around sixty years old. Though his hair was gray, his vigor remained quite good. He was none other than Wan Mengchang, the Golden Saber Society's master.

"Everyone, stop at once."

Wan Mengchang gave a low shout. It was not loud, yet it clearly carried throughout the entire courtyard.

Both sides, who had been locked in slaughter, stopped at his words. All eyes turned toward the helmsman of the Golden Saber Society, waiting to see what he had to say.

Wan Mengchang's gaze swept over the corpses and bloodstains covering the ground before finally settling on Captain Li. A trace of bitterness appeared on his face.

"Captain Li, we're all people of Qingzhou. Why must you exterminate us root and branch?"

Captain Li snorted coldly.

"Wan Mengchang, you know you're a Qingzhou man too? Look at the good deeds you've done. You used the blood essence of young boys and girls to refine pills. Look at these Alchemy Furnaces and medicinal dregs. You've utterly ruined the Golden Saber Society's reputation."

Following Captain Li's gaze, Wan Mengchang looked toward the Alchemy Furnaces that had been brought out. A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes before they became resolute.

"That's right. I did all of it."

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying both exhaustion and madness.

"I, Wan Mengchang, began practicing martial arts at six, made my name at thirty, and founded the Golden Saber Society at forty. All my life, I acted chivalrously and upheld righteousness. I asked myself whether I had ever failed heaven, earth, or my own conscience. But what did any of that matter?"

"I've been stuck at the Second Level of Xiantian Realm for a full fifteen years. Fifteen years!"

Wan Mengchang's voice suddenly rose.

"I could not see the slightest hope of breaking through to the Third Level. And I was already over sixty. The wounds accumulated from battles in my early years had long left my body with little lifespan remaining. Do you know what that feels like?"

"If I cannot break through, I can only watch helplessly as my lifespan runs out and I die."

"With such a vast foundation as the Golden Saber Society, I cannot accept that."

He slammed a hand against his chest.

"The Qi and Blood Pills refined from the blood essence of young boys and girls contain the purest vitality. They are the highest grade of Qi and Blood Pills."

"I sold every one of those Qi and Blood Pills to people from the Blood Sea Cult. I intended to use all the silver I gained to buy costly Longevity Pills. I only wanted to live a few more years. I only wanted one more chance to strive for a breakthrough."

Wan Mengchang's eyes became feverish.

"Was I wrong? I just didn't want to die."

"I've nearly gathered enough silver to buy the Longevity Pills. Why wouldn't you give me a little more time? Why?"

"You damned Imperial Guard!"

The more Captain Li listened, the angrier he became.

"Because you couldn't break through in martial cultivation, you harmed dozens of innocent children. For your own selfish desires, you even dealt with the Blood Sea Demonic Cult. Your crimes are piled upon crimes."

A trace of determination flashed in Wan Mengchang's eyes.

"Things have come to this. There is no point in saying more."

"Since you've come today, don't even think of leaving. It won't be so easy to capture me, Wan Mengchang."

Before his words had faded, a powerful aura erupted from Wan Mengchang. The pressure of the Second Level of Xiantian Realm swept outward.

He took a golden long saber from one of his guards. It was the very golden saber upon which he had built his fame.

"Captain Li, take my saber!"

Wan Mengchang moved, rushing toward Captain Li. His golden saber tore through the air, its blade radiance dazzling as he fought with all his might.

A fierce battle erupted once more.

The golden saber in Wan Mengchang's hand drew a dazzling arc. Its blade radiance swept toward Captain Li like a bolt of silk as Second Level of Xiantian Realm true essence burst forth.

Captain Li held his long saber across his chest, releasing the aura of the Third Level of Xiantian Realm.

He forcibly received that overwhelmingly powerful blade radiance.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal was deafening. Airwaves spread in all directions, making even the broken stones on the ground bounce.

Wan Mengchang's body swayed slightly, while Captain Li stood as steady as Mount Tai.

"You're at the Third Level of Xiantian Realm!"

A trace of horror flashed through Wan Mengchang's eyes. He had not expected Captain Li to be so powerful.

Captain Li was younger than him, looking only to be in his forties.

Yet his martial cultivation was actually a whole level higher.

Captain Li snorted coldly and launched his attack. As his long saber swept through the air, layers upon layers of saber shadows appeared. Every strike contained fierce, mighty force, forcing Wan Mengchang to retreat again and again.