A Halberd Swept Out Like a River of Heaven

In the next instant, Su Qingyang, dusted with ash, slowly emerged from the enormous crater. Golden flames burned beneath his feet as he lightly rolled his neck.

"Decent power."

Su Qingyang weighed the golden arrow in his hand and smiled faintly at Qin Wushe.

Qin Wushe's pupils abruptly contracted, immense shock rising in his heart.

The Crimson Sun Golden Flame Arrow he had fired had actually been caught barehanded.

How was that possible?!

Grandmasters of the same realm had always been able only to evade his attacks and wait for an opportunity to engage him in close combat. Yet now, someone had caught it with his bare hand. This was unprecedented.

"It is discourteous to come without returning the favor!"

With a flick of his right hand, Su Qingyang drew the pitch-black Black God Halberd. Vitality surged through him, and his opening and closing eyes gleamed like a brilliant golden river of stars.

Whoosh!

The Black God Halberd swung, vast blood and qi gathering upon it before explosively condensing into an exceedingly tiny, utterly inconspicuous black hole.

Su Qingyang flashed away and vanished, crossing a thousand meters in an instant without employing any technique.

The Black God Halberd crashed down like a bolt of black lightning, like an endless river of heaven, stirring up a hurricane that lashed faces with stinging pain.

"Call the Wind and Summon Rain!"

Watching the terrifying long halberd descend and sensing its dreadful might, Qin Wushe instantly erupted with true qi throughout his body, as though his blood were burning.

He bent his bow and drew his arrow like lightning, wielding the power of heaven and earth.

Endless threads of rain were drawn by his true qi and gathered upon the arrow, forming an enormous vortex arrow that swept across the four directions!

Qin Wushe fired an arrow, barely intercepting that halberd strike that seemed to leap through the void!

At the instant they collided.

"What?"

Utter shock surged within Qin Wushe's heart.

Heavy!

Heavy beyond the limit!

At that moment, Qin Wushe's heart trembled, for that force was simply too terrifying. It was as if an entire mountain had been compressed into a single point. Its weight had reached an almost unimaginable degree.

It even made him wonder whether strength in this world could truly reach such a level!

Boom!

In an instant, Qin Wushe was blasted backward like a speck of dust!

Terrifying force spread outward. He plowed a trench thousands of zhang long across the ground, seven or eight feet deep, before finally slamming into the sturdy city wall and blasting out a deep pit, even extinguishing the dust and smoke.

"It seems you are slightly inferior."

Su Qingyang spoke calmly, forcefully drawing back the Black God Halberd that had struck down. The terrifying force tore out a sonic boom in an instant, sending up a burst of white vapor.

The torrential rain poured down once more, revealing Qin Wushe's figure.

His arms hung limp, their flesh split open and mangled, blood dripping down. That single halberd strike had directly shattered both his arms!

"Who exactly are you, sir?"

Qin Wushe's expression remained composed, but blazing light erupted in his eyes. It was the joy of encountering worthy prey, a delight from the depths of his heart.

"...Yama!!"

Su Qingyang glanced back at the lofty heavens, swept his sleeve, and collected the unconscious Demon Ghost's mutilated remains before vanishing from where he stood.

"Yama!?"

(O_o)?? Qin Wushe looked bewildered. He racked his brains yet could not find the title of any corresponding expert.

"Looks like he truly is a newly advanced Blood Refining Grandmaster."

"Alas!"

"The waves behind the Yangtze drive those before them onward; each wave is stronger than the last! The younger generation has already become this formidable."

Qin Wushe sighed softly. His true qi flowed slightly, temporarily reconnecting his broken arms, after which his gaze fell upon the place where the Demon Ghost's remains had been left behind.

His expression gradually turned solemn.

Compared with that mysterious Blood Refining Grandmaster, he was more concerned about that ugly Demon Ghost. The appearance of such a thing brought many sealed, ominous rumors to mind.

Just then, black clouds churned once more in the distant heavens.

Qin Wushe sensed something and looked up at the sky.

Two radiant sword lights tore through the curtain of rain and raced down from the clouds.

One was interwoven with gold and white, its vast righteous qi shooting straight into the heavens!

The other was deep, shadowy blue, its chilling aura spreading in all directions!

Airwaves rolled along their path, cutting distinct trails through the rain curtain.

"Sword Immortals?!" Xia Konghan was startled once again.

There were three levels to the art of sword flight. Only those who had mastered the Dragon Soaring Technique, able to roam the world without being bound by mountains or rivers, could be granted the title of Sword Immortal.

Though they were not true immortals who had ascended beyond mortality, they possessed the bearing of immortals.

And to use the Dragon Soaring Technique, one had to be at least a true qi Grandmaster. In other words, both figures arriving upon swords were Martial Dao Grandmasters.

Now two more had arrived at once, naturally leaving Xia Konghan aghast.

As the overlord-level power of Yan Prefecture, the One-Heart Sword Pavilion rarely even had a single Grandmaster. Yet with the imperial clan making the slightest move, three had appeared at once.

The imperial clan's foundation was plain to see.

Hum!

The two sword lights arrived in the blink of an eye, circling above the imperial city without concealing their might in the slightest. Their terrifying auras made martial artists throughout the city tremble in fear.

Then the gold-and-white sword light descended with a roar.

Amid the surging airwaves and cascading rain,

An elderly man in a green scholar's robe strode forth.

His face was aged and imposing, his eyes as still as ancient wells. He swept his gaze around before it landed upon Qin Wushe.

"Even you were defeated."

The old man frowned. He knew that Qin Wushe's archery was peerless beneath heaven, yet he had still been defeated by that Blood Refining Grandmaster.

"Yes! The Blood Refining Grandmaster truly lived up to his reputation. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

Qin Wushe did not make excuses for himself. With his status as the Northern Feather Arrow Emperor, no one was worthy of making him lie.

The old man in scholar's robes remained silent.

In terms of strength, he was still inferior to Qin Wushe. Naturally, he had even less confidence in confronting that Yama from earlier.

His gaze likewise fell upon the Demon Ghost's remains.

His brow furrowed even more deeply. "What is going on? How did such a ghostly thing appear in the human world? Could it have escaped from some forbidden zone?"

"I do not know. That Yama from earlier also came for it. But..."

Qin Wushe paused, then suddenly looked toward Liu Qingni and Ning Qingqing, who were huddled together in fright, as well as Xia Konghan, whose injuries had yet to heal.

"Before this, it seemed these three young friends were risking their lives to fight it!!"

When the gazes of two Martial Dao Grandmasters fell upon them, Ning Qingqing nearly wanted to cry. She could not help silently grumbling about Su Qingyang.

It was one thing for you to leave.

But why did you not take the two of us with you?!

Compared to the flustered Ning Qingqing, Liu Qingni was much calmer. She vaguely understood Su Qingyang's intentions as well.

If he took them away in public, it would be no different from directly confirming their relationship. They were safe now, but how would they continue operating within the imperial city afterward?

Besides, the young master probably intended to use their words to spread news of the changes in Barbarian Prefecture.

Something truly major had likely happened in Barbarian Prefecture. Such a monster had actually been lurking within a constable who had merely returned from Barbarian Prefecture.

Then Barbarian Prefecture...

No, Huang Di had not been found yet! Liu Qingni's expression changed!