Senior

Liang Shenglou saw the black-clad men all rushing in. His feet moved through the Big Dipper steps without a trace of panic, while his hands gradually intensified their offensive. His Internal Energy had always been far deeper than Peng Tianxiao's, and now that he unleashed the Hundred Pace Divine Fist, its fist wind was fierce and sharp. Though Peng Tianxiao held the advantage of a weapon, he did not dare receive it head-on. He used the Entwine Skill, unfolding his movements as he fought in circles.

After forcing Peng Tianxiao to stop pressing him head-on, Liang Shenglou stamped down and suddenly retreated, crashing backward. The black-clad man behind him had just swung his saber in a horizontal cut when Liang Shenglou slammed into his chest, both elbows striking heavily between his chest and abdomen. The sounds of bones breaking and organs rupturing rang out at once. One crash and one blow were enough to kill him outright.

Although Liang Shenglou had killed the black-clad man encircling him from behind, the brief delay allowed Peng Tianxiao to seize the chance. With a Solely Cleave Mount Hua, he hacked straight at Liang Shenglou, advancing with unstoppable force and a chilling air of slaughter. Liang Shenglou had just struck the man behind him with both hands and had no time to block, but he had prepared for this. Following the momentum, he fell with the corpse behind him, his toe kicking the steel saber from the black-clad man's hand. The saber flew up, slightly delaying Peng Tianxiao's descending chop. Seizing that instant, Liang Shenglou performed a Lazy Donkey Roll and tumbled out of the encirclement.

Though Liang Shenglou had delayed Peng Tianxiao's strike, his back was still slashed during the roll, and blood immediately streamed down him. Yet he had no time to care. The moment he rolled free, he darted toward the window lattice on the temple's left. He knew there was another black-clad man on the roof, but he was not worried about breaking through. Even if he was wounded, he could not let Peng Tianxiao catch up. As he sped toward the window, he found time to shout, "Run!"

Ever since Du Yuhan had entered the martial world, few people whose cultivation exceeded his had provoked him because of his master's reputation. Against those weaker than himself, he naturally captured them as easily as reaching into a bag. On the rare occasions he faced opponents slightly stronger than himself, he had still won by relying on his exquisite swordsmanship. Thus, he had developed an arrogant and self-important temperament, believing himself capable of holding off a top expert. Seeing Liang Shenglou flee so decisively, panic immediately rose in his heart. Once his heart panicked, his hand slowed. Cao Chuyu caught the opening, his left-hand sword flashing in from an inconceivable angle and stabbing several of Du Yuhan's vital acupoints in rapid succession. Du Yuhan collapsed limply to the ground and cried in terror, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! My master is the Heavenly Sword!"

Because of Du Yuhan's identity, Cao Chuyu did not strike a killing blow. He intended to discuss how to handle him with Peng Tianxiao and the others later; after all, he was not the one among this group who could make decisions. Seeing Du Yuhan fall, he immediately followed behind Peng Tianxiao in pursuit toward the temple's left side.

Du Yuhan's page, Cheng Ying, saw his master fall and immediately began wielding his weapon in broad, sweeping arcs, preparing to force back the black-clad man fighting him. Who would have thought that his opponent was so experienced? Seeing Cheng Ying's impatience, the man found an opening amid their circling battle and thrust his sword through Cheng Ying's lower abdomen, then casually sealed his acupoints.

After Shi Xuan killed a black-clad man with a pebble, he did not lament his first killing. In Daoist magic cultivation, the most important thing was controlling one's soul and state of mind. Shi Xuan's current cultivation allowed his heart to remain clear as a mirror even in such circumstances. Seeing the escort agency's people in grave danger, Shi Xuan kicked twice, sending two small stones flying toward the two black-clad men with piercing whistles of wind. When Shi Xuan had noticed so many people outside, aside from applying talismans to himself, he had also picked up seven or eight small stones.

The two black-clad men facing the escort agency's group of escorts and runners—most of whom had not even cultivated Internal Energy—were tigers among sheep. Aside from He Dahai, the chief escort and a first-rate expert, only He Xiangshan and Xu Ying, the two Escort Leaders who had opened one or two of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, were worth some attention. Although He Yuqing possessed considerable Internal Energy and had seen plenty of bloody scenes, she had never encountered opponents so powerful, with such a vast disparity between them. Her hands and feet went weak, and her sword lacked strength. Had He Dahai not shielded her desperately, she would long since have perished like fragrant jade.

He Dahai protected his daughter as he fought and retreated, already bearing several wounds. With one moment of carelessness, a black-clad man knocked aside his longsword and thrust at He Yuqing.

He Yuqing's hands and feet had gone limp. It was already too late for her to raise her sword and block. She stared in terror as the black-clad man's sword came at her. Then a whistling sound split the air. The black-clad man seemed to want to dodge, but it was too late. In He Yuqing's frightened gaze, a bloody hole suddenly appeared in his forehead, and a small pebble flew out through it, streaking diagonally several paces before dropping to the ground.

The black-clad man's longsword stopped less than two inches from He Yuqing's chest, powerless to advance any farther. Red and white matter gushed from his forehead, and his entire body crashed to the ground.

He Yuqing stood there with vacant eyes. Only then did He Dahai react. Looking ahead, he saw that the other black-clad man in the escort agency had also fallen. Seven or eight people stood sparsely around them, equally bewildered, while the rest of the escort agency's people lay on the ground, their fate unknown.

After staring blankly for a moment, they looked ahead again and finally saw that young daoist priest from before. He stood beside a pillar, composed and smiling calmly. With a light kick of his foot, two more small stones turned into two black streaks and shot out. They swiftly caught up to the two black-clad men hurrying toward the temple's left window lattice. Then came two soft pfft sounds. The stones passed straight through their bodies, and the two black-clad men ran another two steps before collapsing dead.

Liang Shenglou crashed bodily through the window lattice and lunged out of the temple. He had just flown outside and had not yet landed when a sheet of sword light flared up, like sunrise in the black night—magnificent and dazzling.

Liang Shenglou had originally intended to trade injury for injury and escape swiftly, but only now did he discover that his opponent's cultivation and the subtlety of his moves were evenly matched with his own, half a notch stronger than Peng Tianxiao and Cao Chuyu. Suspended in midair, he had nowhere to borrow force from, and the dazzling sword light blurred his vision. He could only use Iron Chain Across the River to protect his center. Unfortunately, his opponent had calculated against an unprepared foe and waited at ease for the exhausted. The sword light scattered, striking the vital acupoints in Liang Shenglou's legs separately. Only when Liang Shenglou's move had run its course and he began falling did the man thrust one sword into the Tanzhong acupoint on Liang Shenglou's chest, sealing away all his ability to move.

Only then did Peng Tianxiao and Cao Chuyu leap out through the window one after another. Seeing that the black-clad man outside had already subdued Liang Shenglou, they immediately felt greatly reassured. Peng Tianxiao laughed and said, "As expected, Second Brother, you are the capable one. Even the Alliance Leader said that if you made a move, capturing Liang Shenglou would be as easy as reaching into a bag."

The black-clad man shook his head. "In terms of the subtlety of our moves, I am somewhat stronger than Eldest Brother. But if we compare Internal Energy cultivation, he surpasses me by half a notch. This time, we calculated against an unprepared foe. Eldest Brother probably never expected the Alliance Leader to send all three of us at once."

Lying on the ground, Liang Shenglou gave a grim chuckle. "Who would have thought it? Who would have thought that the three brothers I have known for twenty years would come together to hunt me down? Good, good, good! Sun-Revealing Divine Sword, Gao Wenqi—I do not begrudge losing to you."

Gao Wenqi said gently, "The Alliance Leader once saved your life, Eldest Brother. If not for him, you would have died under Zuo Xingqi's hand long ago. Afterward, you secretly joined the Alliance Leader and became the foremost of the Four Great Protectors of the Great River Alliance. Whether for public or private reasons, Eldest Brother, you should not have taken the Longevity Treasury and betrayed the alliance to flee on your own. You also know that the Alliance Leader has been stuck at the Half-step Subtle Realm for nearly twenty years. Such an unparalleled secret manual would be precisely what the Alliance Leader needs for reference."

"I know, I know. When Old Third and I encountered this secret manual left behind by the Guangyang Hermit, our first thought was to offer it to the Alliance Leader. But on my way back, I began to wonder: after giving it to the Alliance Leader, how long would it take him to enter the Subtle Realm? And when he did, would he help me take revenge against Zuo Xingqi? Impossible, impossible. Zuo Xingqi entered the Subtle Realm over ten years ago. No one can say what his current state is. The Alliance Leader would absolutely never challenge him over my private grudge." Liang Shenglou spoke dejectedly, then continued:

"And after the Alliance Leader mastered it, would he let me cultivate the manual? No. A manual left behind by an innate master capable of Shattering the Void would only become the sect-protecting martial art for future Alliance Leaders to cultivate. It could never be given to an old fossil like me, one who had accomplished nothing of note. This old man is nearly sixty. In a few more years, I will have no hope of advancing any further. I can only watch helplessly as that thief Zuo lives free and happy. This was my final chance. I do not regret it."

"I only hate that Heaven never gave me the chance to take revenge. Hate! Zuo, you thief! Hate!" With rage attacking his heart, Liang Shenglou fainted.

After a moment of silence, Gao Wenqi said, "Old Third, Old Fourth, carry Eldest Brother into the temple. Then search him thoroughly and see whether the manual is on him. If it is not, wake him up and ask where he hid it."

Peng Tianxiao and Cao Chuyu carried Liang Shenglou and followed Gao Wenqi through the window, leaping back into the temple.

The three of them had fully expected that the several experts under their command would have already cleared away everyone else. Who could have known that upon entering the temple, they would find several people from the escort agency still standing in the hall, while that inconspicuous young daoist priest stood smiling beside a pillar.

The escort agency's people had originally stood there in a daze. Only when they saw the three men carrying Liang Shenglou inside did they realize that the enemy still had experts. He Dahai hurriedly led them back toward Shi Xuan. Once at Shi Xuan's side, He Dahai bowed deeply and respectfully to him. "Senior, your chivalrous heart has earned the boundless gratitude of us juniors." In his heart, he thought, He does not even look twenty. How could he possibly possess such profound martial arts? Could he be some old monster skilled at preserving his youthful appearance? Or perhaps some old demon whose cultivation went awry, leaving his appearance unable to mature? Northern Desert Blood Saber, for instance, suffered a mishap in his cultivation in his early years, and his height remained forever that of an eleven- or twelve-year-old.

He Yuqing stared foolishly at Shi Xuan, unable to understand why Young Master Du, so graceful and handsome as jade in the wind, had been struck to the ground, while this inconspicuous young daoist priest had turned out to be a great expert who hid his true depth. Remembering that she had spoken ill of him earlier, she hurriedly lowered her head deeply. Then she recalled that moment between life and death and felt a lingering dread. Without realizing it, she edged closer to Shi Xuan, feeling that only beside this young daoist priest was she safe.

Seeing all their subordinates lying motionless on the ground, Gao Wenqi and the other two raised their guard to its utmost. Yet turning around to flee at this moment would be even more dangerous. Half trusting in their own martial arts and half forcing themselves to press on, they set Liang Shenglou down and steadily approached Shi Xuan.