Yi Yang climbed through a gap in the broken wall of the abandoned Ward District, his feet landing on rubble. The Cloud-Treading Wind-Chasing Boots made his landing almost soundless.
He stayed off the broad main roads. The flames east of Crossing Peak Stronghold had already set half the sky ablaze, and the air reeked of char and blood. Far away, experts at Profound Connection Perfection were still fighting, and the ground beneath his feet trembled faintly every few breaths.
Yi Yang moved close to the alley wall, calculating the fastest route back to his lodgings.
Three streets, two turns, then through a cross alley, and he would be there.
He had just taken his third step.
A streak of sword light slashed down from the rooftop ahead and to his left, coming at a vicious angle straight for his neck.
Fast.
But not fast enough.
Yi Yang raised his right fist faster than his mind could react. After he had perfected the Martial Extreme Dragon Elephant Body, his body's instinctive response to danger had reached an astonishing level.
A layer of true qi wrapped his fist as he slammed it head-on into the sword light.
Clang!
The collision between fist and sword was dull and sharp. A ring of force exploded between them, sending loose stones flying into the walls on either side with a rattling barrage.
The teeth-grating screech of twisting metal rang out. The high-grade treasure artifact sword left a white mark on Yi Yang's knuckles, but the recoil bent its blade into an exaggerated arc.
The wielder was hurled seven or eight steps backward, her feet plowing two furrows through the flagstones. She only stopped when she crashed into a broken stone pillar.
Yi Yang got a clear look at his attacker.
Xie Tinglan, an elder of