Luo Shisanlang

An expert!

An absolute expert!

The jianghu folk dining in the tavern were all stunned.

The unstoppable momentum behind that spear strike, along with the breathtaking brilliance of Chen Yuan's slash, were both rare even among Qi Forging Realm martial artists.

The four Iron Garb Sect martial artists were likewise horrified.

The man in front swiftly removed his iron conical hat and held it across his body, forcibly taking Chen Yuan's slash.

After entering the middle stage of the Qi Forging Realm, Chen Yuan's inner strength had surged. The force of this slash sent that Iron Garb Sect martial artist flying, even cleaving the iron conical hat in his hands cleanly in two!

Previously, even with the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker, Chen Yuan had been unable to sever that iron conical hat in a single stroke.

Now, merely breaking through a minor realm had brought such an obvious increase in strength, thanks to the Inner Scenery Deity Visualization Method.

The Iron Garb Sect martial artist's hands were dripping with blood and shaking uncontrollably, his eyes filled with terror.

Chen Yuan did not pause. Surging Waves inner strength roared through him as he brought down the Wave-Treading Slash, its might boundless!

An Iron Garb Sect martial artist behind him hurriedly raised his iron conical hat and smashed it toward Chen Yuan's back.

Yet Chen Yuan's Wave-Treading Slash abruptly changed direction and swept toward him.

As the chilling blade radiance descended, the Iron Garb Sect martial artist let out a furious roar. The muscles across his body swelled as blackish-gray true qi surged forth.

Iron Armor, Cold Garb! Iron Chain Across the River!

He thrust his iron conical hat at Chen Yuan with one hand while forming a fist seal with the other, smashing it down with a howling gale.

This man was somewhat stronger than the one Chen Yuan had sent flying earlier and had likewise reached the middle stage of the Qi Forging Realm.

Moreover, he was experienced in battle. He knew that against the sharpness of the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker, he could not defend passively and had to answer offense with offense.

But the problem was that he could not overpower Chen Yuan.

The iron conical hat was torn apart, and half of one of his hands was sliced away with it.

Yet he seemed not to notice. His fist seal was already less than three inches from Chen Yuan's head, its blackish-gray true qi bearing down upon him!

But in the next instant, Chen Yuan's arm moved like a spirit snake winding around silk. With yielding force, he effortlessly dispelled the savage, domineering power behind the fist seal.

Then Shattered-Jade Force suddenly erupted. Like a giant python strangling its prey, it twisted his wrist and shattered his bones. The Iron Garb Sect martial artist's entire wrist was crushed, exposing jagged white bone.

Before he could scream, the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker in Chen Yuan's hand had already swept across his throat. Blood spattered as his body crashed to the ground.

Chen Yuan turned his head. The previously injured Iron Garb Sect martial artist immediately fled.

The next moment, the power of the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula erupted within Chen Yuan. His inner strength surged as he lunged forward, bringing down the Autumn Wind Slash. Blade radiance filled the sky, magnificent yet carrying chilling killing intent.

Both of that Iron Garb Sect martial artist's hands had been ruined, so he could only circulate the Iron Chain Across the River Method to withstand the attack head-on.

But he was weaker than Chen Yuan, and the sharpness of the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker was the natural bane of the Iron Garb Sect's hard martial arts.

Countless blade radiances fell. Like cutting tofu, they easily cleaved through his Iron Armor, Cold Garb and chopped him directly into a heap of mangled flesh!

The blood on the blade gathered into a line along its edge. Chen Yuan flicked away the blood droplets, leaving behind a neat streak of red.

Sheathing his sword, Chen Yuan turned around. That simple-looking fellow had been scarcely any slower than Chen Yuan and had likewise dealt with the other two Iron Garb Sect martial artists.

The long spear in his hand was like a black roaming dragon, its momentum and force both astonishing.

It was also an exceptionally sharp Mystic Weapon, not much inferior in quality to the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker.

The Iron Garb Sect martial artists had tried to defend with their Iron Conical Hats, only for holes to be punched straight through them.

Their Iron Armor, Cold Garb could withstand ordinary swords and blades, but before that spear, it was no tougher than tofu. Each thrust left behind a bloody hole.

In the blink of an eye, the two men had been pierced full of holes, blood spurting from all over their bodies.

Seeing Chen Yuan also dispatch the Iron Garb Sect martial artists in short order, the simple-looking fellow's eyes immediately lit up.

"Brother, what fine skills! What a swift blade!"

Chen Yuan smiled. "Your spear isn't slow either."

The two returned to the tavern. Wherever they passed, the jianghu folk instinctively moved aside to make way for them.

Though the Iron Garb Sect was not a top-tier great sect, it was still a regional overlord near the border of Youzhou.

In particular, Iron Garb Sect martial artists cultivated formidable hard martial arts. Even if one could defeat them, it was difficult to kill them.

And if one failed to kill them, one would face the revenge of a whole pack of iron turtles.

These two had faced four opponents with only two people, yet slaughtered Iron Garb Sect martial artists of the same realm as easily as chopping vegetables.

Their body-tempering martial arts had been as fragile as paper before these two. Such combat strength was truly terrifying.

When they returned to their table, it was already covered with dishes.

Perhaps the tavern keeper had become frightened and deliberately rushed their food out.

At the sight of the tableful of food, the fellow's eyes turned red. He shouted at the waiter, "Bring me a basin of rice!"

After the waiter brought the rice, the fellow wolfed down half a basin with the dishes before finally feeling somewhat recovered. He looked up and smiled sheepishly at Chen Yuan.

"Forgive me, Brother. I've been hungry for several days. By the way, I still haven't asked your name."

Chen Yuan paused before saying, "Chen Tian."

Not knowing the other man's background, Chen Yuan still gave a false name.

When traveling the world, it was normal to have several aliases.

"So you're Brother Chen. Judging by your accent, you're from Youzhou, aren't you? My name is Luo Lie, and I'm from Yanzhou."

Chen Yuan nodded, then suddenly thought of something and said in a low voice, "Luo Shisanlang of the Day-Changing Alliance?"

Luo Shisanlang grinned and rubbed the back of his head ingenuously. "Brother Chen knows of the Day-Changing Alliance, and even knows my nickname?"

Of course I know. I also know that you'll die horribly in the future.

The man before him was the adopted son of Zhishilang, the leader of the Day-Changing Alliance. After the Day-Changing Alliance raised its banner in rebellion, Luo Lie led deathsworn warriors to be the first to scale the city walls in every battle. Once, he even charged through enemy formations thirteen times back and forth, earning the nickname Luo Shisanlang within the Day-Changing Alliance.

As the Day-Changing Alliance gradually expanded in the later stages, Luo Shisanlang also became one of its core fighting forces, a quintessential fierce general of the battlefield, unstoppable in every charge.

In the end, the Day-Changing Alliance was besieged from within and without and wiped out when the imperial court joined forces with jianghu factions. To cover Zhishilang's escape, Luo Shisanlang fought alone against experts from the imperial court and every side of the jianghu. At last, he was worn down by successive battles and died with ten thousand arrows piercing his heart.

Luo Shisanlang was loyal and righteous, fearless in the face of death. Even when the Day-Changing Alliance was abandoned by its people and driven into a desperate situation, he still chose to remain faithful. He was indeed a true hero.

But the Day-Changing Alliance had only just raised its rebel banner. He ought to have been in Yanzhou, so why had he come to Youzhou?

"The Day-Changing Alliance has risen in rebellion against the tyranny of the imperial court. Who in the jianghu does not know of it?

"Brother Luo, you were the first to scale the city walls and risked your life charging through enemy formations thirteen times. That was truly stirring and valiant."

Luo Shisanlang beamed at the praise. "You flatter me, you flatter me. The Day-Changing Alliance hasn't even made it onto the Jianghu Wind and Cloud Ranking yet. How could we dare claim that everyone knows of us?

"Besides, the imperial court's armies in Yanzhou are rotten beyond belief. Several times, I charged at them, and they ran away after only a few attacks. There wasn't much danger."

The Jianghu Wind and Cloud Ranking was compiled by the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower. It listed the foremost powers capable of controlling Divine Weapons and Demonic Arms and stirring the winds and clouds of the jianghu.

Its order was: one island of the Eastern Sea, two cities of the Northwest, three Buddhist temples, four Daoist sects, five divisions of the demonic path, six fish-and-dragon schools, seven alliances under heaven, eight great aristocratic clans, and nine martial transmission sects.

The Murong Clan of Dragon City in Youzhou was one of the eight great aristocratic clans, while the One Qi Piercing Sun Alliance was among the seven alliances under heaven.

The Martial Suppression Hall of Ningzhou, which Chen Yuan intended to join, also belonged to the seven alliances under heaven.

At present, the Day-Changing Alliance had only just raised its rebel banner and was beginning to display its power, so it had not yet entered the Jianghu Wind and Cloud Ranking.

But it would not be long before the Day-Changing Alliance revealed its might and replaced the One Qi Piercing Sun Alliance as one of the seven alliances under heaven.

"Brother Luo, there is no need to be modest. The Jianghu Wind and Cloud Ranking is not fixed forever. It is only a matter of time before the Day-Changing Alliance takes its place among them."

Chen Yuan said, "By the way, Brother Luo, shouldn't you be in Yanzhou right now? Why have you come to the border of Ningzhou?"

Luo Shisanlang scratched his head and sighed. "I wasn't going to Ningzhou, but to Youzhou.

"The Day-Changing Alliance is currently confronting the imperial court. There wasn't much for me to do if I stayed within the alliance, so I wanted to recruit experts from the jianghu for my adoptive father.

"By chance, I heard that Zuo Xinglie, the 'Nine-River Flood Dragon' and former leader of the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance of the Nine-Dragon River, was living in seclusion in Linked Mountains City, Youzhou. So I wanted to invite him to join the Day-Changing Alliance.

"Who would have thought that after arriving, I wouldn't find Zuo Xinglie? There were also many Murong Clan members in Linked Mountains City killing people indiscriminately, so I even had a fight with them.

"After failing to find him, I planned to head back. But halfway there, I ran into those Iron Garb Sect fellows bullying people again.

"I merely said a few fair words, and they became furious. They insisted on fighting, so I had no choice but to oblige them and poke those few men to death.

"Later, I heard that some damn Demon-Sealing Conference was going to be held nearby, so I decided to come join in the fun.

"I never expected those fellows to be so petty. They actually chased me all the way here. What terrible luck."

Chen Yuan stroked his chin. Had he affected the plot again?

Probably not. In the original plot, there had never been any mention of Luo Shisanlang coming to invite Zuo Xinglie into the Day-Changing Alliance.

Either he had not found him, or Zuo Xinglie had refused.

At that moment, Luo Shisanlang suddenly thought of something and said excitedly to Chen Yuan, "Brother Chen, your saber technique is so astonishing. Would you be willing to join the Day-Changing Alliance? I dare guarantee that your status would never be below mine.

"Oh, right. Why don't you acknowledge my adoptive father as your adoptive father too? The old man cherishes talent above all else. He would definitely treat you well."

Chen Yuan: "..."

His previous adoptive father had only just died. He had no desire to keep becoming someone's adopted son.

Besides, the Day-Changing Alliance had plenty of internal problems. Although Zhishilang was a formidable figure, he also had flaws in his character, causing the Day-Changing Alliance to rise swiftly only to collapse just as quickly.

Even though Chen Yuan knew the plot well, he could not completely turn the tide.

Without enough strength or influence, even if he spoke of the Day-Changing Alliance's many flaws, no one would care.

Thus, Chen Yuan had no desire to jump into the Day-Changing Alliance's pit of fire.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Luo, but I already have plans for the future. For now, I have no intention of going to Yanzhou and joining the Day-Changing Alliance."

Luo Shisanlang shook his head regretfully but did not press the matter.

"It truly is a pity that I cannot work alongside Brother Chen. By the way, Brother Chen, that saber of yours is truly excellent. Could you let me take a look?"

Chen Yuan handed over his Azure Dragon Blooddrinker. Luo Shisanlang drew it from its sheath. The blade was snow-bright, while its edge was crimson like blood jade.

"What a fine saber! If I'm not mistaken, this should be a treasured saber forged from Earth Weapon materials."

Luo Shisanlang praised it before returning the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan accepted the saber. "Brother Luo has sharp eyes. You could tell at a glance."

"Hehe, I used to be a blacksmith. I originally wanted to become a weaponsmith, but then I ended up rebelling alongside my adoptive father."

Luo Shisanlang took out his long spear and handed it to Chen Yuan. "This spear is called the Dark Flood Dragon. My adoptive father found the Earth Weapon materials for me, and I forged it with my own hands. What do you think, Brother Chen?"

Chen Yuan accepted the Dark Flood Dragon and immediately felt its tremendous weight. It likely weighed two or three hundred jin and had clearly not been forged from ordinary materials.

"What a spear! Its exterior is dark, glossy, and gleaming, while its spearhead is fierce and erect, brimming with chilling killing intent. It is truly a murderous weapon."

Chen Yuan praised it before returning the Dark Flood Dragon to him.

Luo Shisanlang scratched his head. Why did he feel that something was off? Yet he could not say what exactly was wrong.