Crash-
A sudden clamor shattered the silent curtain of rain, setting dogs barking madly.
"Woof, woof, woof-"
Luo Ning yanked Ye Jingtang aside. Hearing a window smash inside the courtyard, he immediately charged toward it.
At the same time, three flying needles shot toward the wall he was about to vault.
Two needles were overt, one concealed. The overt pair whistled sharply through the air to draw attention, while the hidden one flew without a sound.
On such a pitch-black, rainy night, an intruder could hardly notice that silent black needle.
But Ye Jingtang knew few moves. Having discovered concealed weapons that were difficult to evade, he abandoned conventional tactics.
Shing-
Blade light flashed at his waist.
The old courtyard wall before Ye Jingtang exploded beneath his blade, turning into rubble that rained down on the house and swallowed the incoming needles, both overt and concealed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Countless broken bricks instantly riddled the already dilapidated house with holes.
Guo Yuanlong had just burst through the window. The sight filled his eyes with horror. Knowing that two experts who seemed to be Grandmasters had come for him, he had no thought of fighting back and fled straight to the side.
Ye Jingtang knew no lightness arts and could not match him in a chase, but his short-range explosive speed was considerable.
Knowing that Wingless Owl possessed extraordinary lightness arts, Ye Jingtang threw his saber the moment he smashed through the brick wall and saw a shadow dart from the house. The blade slashed toward where the shadow would land, denying him a foothold from which to leap.
Whoosh-
The three-foot silver blade tore through the rainy night with a fierce rush of air.
Guo Yuanlong had not expected such a swift reaction. He hurriedly drew back his right foot just before it touched down. The next instant, the blade swept beneath it, shaving a layer from his sole.
That should have restricted Guo Yuanlong's movements, but his reputation was not empty. Unable to touch the ground, he tapped his toes against the spinning blade instead and borrowed its momentum to spring into the air.
Swish-
Yet however quickly he withdrew and extended his feet, it still took a little longer than usual.
Luo Ning had charged into the courtyard alongside Ye Jingtang. How could she let the burglar escape over the wall? Like an immortal descending from beyond the heavens, she leaped into the air and swept her flexible sword horizontally.
Whoosh-
Amid a piercing sword cry, the flexible blade spread like a peacock's tail, becoming a half-moon fan within the curtain of rain.
The sword's wind caught the falling raindrops, turning them into a storm of pear blossoms that shot toward Guo Yuanlong. A few struck the walls of the collapsing house, immediately unleashing a string of explosive reports:
Pop, pop, pop-
Dust flew, and a line of round pits appeared in the wall.
Peacock-Opening Sword?!
Guo Yuanlong recognized the sword technique of the Sky-Pacifying Sect in Southern Heaven. Bewilderment rose within him. Why were rebels from the Sky-Pacifying Sect ambushing him right under the emperor's nose?
But with the Dragon-Mingling Diagram hidden on his person, the entire world was his enemy. His attackers were already upon him; there was no chance to learn how or why this had happened.
With both above and below sealed off, Guo Yuanlong could hardly force his way through. He spun in midair to dodge the shooting raindrops, while tossing a copper ball attached to an iron wire from his sleeve toward the side.
Bang-
The copper ball punched through the wall. Amid flying earth, the iron wire pulled taut.
Guo Yuanlong tugged against it, and his body drifted lightly sideways toward the distant courtyard wall.
After throwing his saber, Ye Jingtang had not stood foolishly in place. If the burglar landed, he might never even touch the hem of his clothes again. The instant he saw the copper ball fly out, he burst forward at full strength, closed toward the middle, and struck with his palm.
Guo Yuanlong had a seasoned eye. From the way Ye Jingtang had shattered the wall with one slash, he knew the man's martial skill was formidable. But surrounded as he was, escape came first. He steeled himself and punched out in midair, intending to borrow the force of Ye Jingtang's palm to fly out of the courtyard and flee into the distance.
Guo Yuanlong's thinking was sound, and he did achieve his aim. Unfortunately, he had grossly underestimated the power of Ye Jingtang's palm. He borrowed a little too much force!
Ye Jingtang had never encountered experts at the border, yet after entering the capital, his very first opponents had been Grandmasters. They had nearly beaten a lasting fear into him.
Now that he was fighting someone, he dared not hold anything back. Seeing his opponent's fierce palm strike coming, he mustered almost every last ounce of strength and blasted out a palm at full power.
Boom-
A thunderous explosion rang through the rain-soaked courtyard.
Luo Ning descended after her sword strike, only to discover in astonishment that the rain inside the courtyard had burst outward from its center, leaving a hollow in the curtain of rain.
The instant the burglar's fist met Ye Jingtang in the center, his body became a torn sack struck by a battering ram. He flew sideways, snapped the iron wire in his hand, and hurtled toward the wall.
Ye Jingtang fared the same.
Ye Jingtang had considerable combat experience. His opponent was airborne, with nothing to push against. No matter how skilled he was, he should have been able to exert only a fraction of his strength. With his own feet planted on the earth, Ye Jingtang should have had no trouble taking the blow.
Yet when that fist struck his palm, he felt as though he had caught the bolt of an eight-ox crossbow barehanded. There was no technique to speak of-only unstoppable, pure brute force!
Merely punching out and straightening the arm had unleashed enough force to numb his right arm instantly. His feet were still on the ground, but he could not hold his stance at all. He slid backward and crashed into the house behind him.
Crash-
Amid the tremendous noise, Guo Yuanlong smashed a hole through the courtyard wall without stopping. Only after crashing through the opposite wall and falling into another family's courtyard did he finally hit the ground.
Ye Jingtang fell into the house, then instantly sprang up and rushed out, his eyes filled with astonishment. That punch had been so powerful that his opponent felt less like a human than a demon transformed from a wild bull or a giant elephant.
Luo Ning had also noticed that Wingless Owl's physical strength was almost inconceivable, though his fighting techniques were hardly impressive. She urgently warned:
"He's badly wounded. After him!"
Guo Yuanlong was certainly strong, but his hand-to-hand skills were mediocre. Otherwise, he would not have been merely a burglar.
Under Ye Jingtang's palm strike, laden with immense internal power, Guo Yuanlong's right arm had lost all ability to fight and hung limply. After landing and coughing heavily once, he sprang up and fled into the distance.
Ye Jingtang raced after him with long strides.
Luo Ning landed, slipped her sword through the pommel ring of the Chi Dragon Ring-Pommel Saber, and tossed it to Ye Jingtang.
Whoosh...
Ye Jingtang caught his saber as he ran. Only then did he notice Luo Ning's pallid expression and the awkward way she held her left arm. It seemed she had been struck by the invisible black needle while forcibly pulling him aside.
"You..."
"Go!"
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang gritted his teeth, saber in hand, and leaped onto the houses, closing straight toward the shadow's back.
Tap, tap, tap...
The constant crack of roof tiles echoed through the old alleys, while crowing chickens, barking dogs, and residents' angry shouts rose one after another.
Guo Yuanlong moved with exceptional agility, making almost no sound as he passed through the rain.
But he had been badly wounded by taking Ye Jingtang's palm head-on. However good his lightness arts, he could not remain wholly unaffected. His flight had become noticeably unsteady.
Ye Jingtang sheathed his blade and sprinted across the rooftops, grabbing tiles along the way. Anticipating where the burglar would land and push off, he kept hurling broken tiles to disrupt him. Luo Ning did the same.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Under this pursuit, Guo Yuanlong forced himself onward for half a li without shaking either of them. His right arm was bleeding internally, and as his blood and vital energy surged chaotically, the injury spread into his chest and abdomen. At last, his pursuers caught up behind him.
Guo Yuanlong was a burglar who had killed men from both sides of the law. With a priceless treasure hidden on him as well, capture meant certain death. He resolved to stake his life on one final struggle.
After vaulting a courtyard wall, Guo Yuanlong abruptly dropped to the ground and scattered a handful of flying needles upward.
He intended to exploit their obstructed view and catch them unprepared.
Unfortunately, Guo Yuanlong had overestimated Ye Jingtang's bearing as a martial expert.
Even third-rate martial artists would gracefully sail over a little courtyard wall barely taller than a man's head.
Ye Jingtang was different. He knew no lightness arts. After seeing the Red God of Wealth, Black and White Impermanence, and Heroine Luo, he understood how terrifying martial experts could be. Recklessly taking to the air left him with nothing to push against; if intercepted, even wings would not save him. Unless he was absolutely certain, he would never let both feet leave the ground.
Seeing the burglar disappear behind the wall and out of sight, Ye Jingtang did not hesitate. He turned sideways and rammed his shoulder into the wall like a wild bull.
Crash-
Guo Yuanlong had barely released his needles when an enormous crash sounded behind him. The old brick wall bulged outward, then exploded, slamming into his back.
Bang-
Overwhelming force struck from behind. A flash of astonishment crossed Guo Yuanlong's eyes before he was sent sprawling forward onto the street beneath the torrential rain.
"Cough, cough-"
With his life hanging by a thread, Guo Yuanlong turned ruthless. He rolled once upon landing, then sprang up and doubled back, drawing a dagger with his left hand and stabbing straight at Ye Jingtang's face.
The move left his center wide open. It was a life-for-life attack.
Shing-
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang drew the saber from behind his waist and slashed straight at the burglar's chest and abdomen, instantly carving a white arc before him.
The slash was flawless and should have cut Wingless Owl in two across the chest, but something unexpected happened.
Screech-
Amid the grating sound, Ye Jingtang discovered in astonishment that the burglar, who should have been severed, had merely suffered a tear in the clothing over his chest.
A slash that could cut into Iron-Armed Impermanence's arm produced only a shower of sparks when it struck the burglar's chest.
Judging by the sound, even those sparks had come from the saber. A line of golden light flashed across the burglar's chest, apparently without so much as a scratch!
When an opponent gambled life for life, exploiting his opening to exchange blows only to fail to penetrate his defenses should normally mean dying to his strike.
That was precisely Guo Yuanlong's plan. Unfortunately, just as Ye Jingtang had underestimated his protection, Guo Yuanlong had underestimated Ye Jingtang's power.
Ye Jingtang had failed to cleave open Guo Yuanlong's chest, but the immense internal power within his blade would not simply disappear.
Under that slash, the indestructible breastplate spread the force across half his chest. To Guo Yuanlong, it felt as though an octagonal copper hammer had struck him there at full strength.
The tremendous force blasted Guo Yuanlong off his feet, sending him flying several zhang away.
This exchange left shock in both men's eyes.
Knowing he was utterly outmatched, Guo Yuanlong desperately tried to throw his dagger to impede his pursuer.
Ye Jingtang, having failed to cut the burglar in two, thought he had encountered another indestructible body like Iron-Armed Impermanence's. Holding back after the fight had reached this point would be asking for death.
Seeing his opponent fly backward, Ye Jingtang unhesitatingly unleashed the second slash he had devised himself. He passed the saber from his left hand into his right with the momentum of the strike, then stamped hard against the ground, surged forward, and slashed!
Boom-
Luo Ning followed behind. She had just rushed past the collapsed courtyard wall when she heard a thunderous blast on the long, rain-lashed street.
The shameless little rogue holding the long silver saber surged like a frenzied dragon bursting from the sea. He smashed through the curtain of rain, drawing a white line of mist along the street.
Swish-
Cold light flashed past, and the trembling blade's cry tore through the rain!
Luo Ning did not even see his figure clearly. Ye Jingtang had already flashed across the street, appearing behind the burglar before he could land. He came to a halt and sheathed his saber with a backhand motion!
Shhk...
The flashing blades and sword shadows abruptly ceased!
Thud-
Rumble, roll...
The burglar's body struck the ground, his hand still clutching the dagger he had never managed to throw.
His head, which had flown into the air, landed a moment later. It bounced a few times and rolled toward the roadside, dark red blood mingling with the muddy rainwater.
The head's wide eyes had not yet lost every trace of awareness. That final flicker of astonishment within them might have been saying four words-Eight-Step Mad Blade...
Hiss...
With that single slash, the ceaselessly clamorous rainy night fell utterly silent...
Before you continue