A fight to the death

"Boom!"

"Click."

The instant everyone in the room disappeared, several figures rushed in, smashing through the windows and walls.

They were two men in black robes wearing golden masks, and three middle-aged Daoist priests whose robes were embroidered with blue, green, and cyan lotuses.

The top-ranking agent, codenamed "Tianji" and wearing a golden mask, glanced around the room and said in a deep voice, "It must be teleportation. I didn't even notice his disguise just now."

They had been lying in ambush nearby, watching everyone who entered the inn. With their eyesight, they could see through disguises like human skin masks without even looking closely.

Another man in black robes wearing a golden mask spoke, his voice cold and crisp. "Yang Qianhuan is here too?"

"Hmm," Tianji nodded, "Xu Qi'an has always had a good relationship with the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy, so it's not surprising."

The female spy scoffed, "He wants to divide us up and defeat us one by one?"

Master Qinglian of the Earth Sect chuckled coldly, "Foolish."

The female spy codenamed "Tian Shu" glanced at him and said, "The teleportation distance limit of a fourth-rank Warlock is about thirty miles, not too far. The only uncertainty is which direction he will teleport the person to."

Tianji pondered for a moment and said, "We can't wait any longer. Split up and keep tracking. Hmm, the Warlock's teleportation can be interrupted. It might have been a surprise attack earlier. With the strength of those two experts, they can't possibly do it a second time. Don't chase too far. If there's still no fluctuation of energy, it means we're going the wrong way. Change direction immediately."

At this moment, outside the inn, multiple groups of people arrived, including disciples of the Earth Sect dressed in feathered Daoist robes, Rogue Person had secretly formed an alliance, secret agents of the Prince of Huai, and martial arts alliance forces that had been alerted.

More than a hundred people gathered outside the inn; the streets and alleys were packed with people.

This was a premeditated ambush. After forming an alliance at Sanxianfang during the day, the young man in white robes revealed his plan.

The spies and the Daoist priests thought it was worth a try, and sure enough, they actually met their match.

Unexpectedly, a fourth-rank Warlock was hidden in the Yuezhi Manor.

Five fourth-rank warriors rushed out of the inn. Tianji looked around and said, "I'll take charge of the west side; the rest..."

He suddenly fell silent, turned his head to look at the street ahead, where heavy footsteps were coming from, each step causing a slight tremor.

In the sights of all sides, a young girl came running, holding a cannon high aloft?

"Hey ho."

Using the momentum of her running, she forcefully threw the cannon.

Whoosh. The steel behemoth spun and pounced towards the crowd, carrying a faint sound of wind.

The crowd instinctively scattered and fled in panic.

Tianji strode forward, tearing off his cloak in the process. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a tidal wave of energy that repeatedly slammed into the cannon, neutralizing its impact.

Tianji reached out and caught the cannon, then casually tossed it to the side of the road, creating a loud "boom".

"You guys go first, I'll deal with this girl from the Power Gu Clan," Tianji sneered.

"This girl is quite pretty. Remember not to kill her; leave her for me to play with," Daoist Lanlian said with a sarcastic laugh.

Tianji frowned, somewhat disgusted by the pervasive malice of the Earth Sect Daoists, and said calmly, "I never show mercy to my enemies."

Master Lanlian chuckled and led his disciples to the other side of the street.

"Amitabha!"

A burly monk blocked their path.

Almost simultaneously, two sword lights appeared, and Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen, riding on their flying swords, intercepted the remaining three fourth-rank soldiers.

"As expected, this was premeditated. I underestimated you," Tianji said in a deep voice.

"Enough with the nonsense. You guys were lucky you ran away last time in Chuzhou." Li Miaozhen had a bad temper.

The female spy, Tian Shu, narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Li Miaozhen, I'm about to settle this score with you."

She immediately laughed and said, "You think this is all the setup we have?"

Chu Yuanzhen smiled slightly, "I'll return the favor."

The town is teeming with martial arts masters, especially the inns, which have been occupied by them for the past few days.

The moment the battle began, the martial arts practitioners in the inn fled, while those living far away, as well as other sects of the Martial Alliance, rushed over.

"What happened?" Rongrong pushed open the door to the room and found that the elders had already gathered in the courtyard.

The host stood on the roof ridge, gazing in the direction of the inn.

"A fight has broken out at the inn. Judging from the fluctuations in energy, it's between fourth-grade fighters."

Xiao Yuenu snapped out of her daze, looked down at the disciples in the courtyard, and said in a deep voice, "Immediately evacuate the townspeople. Those who refuse to cooperate, use force."

"Yes!"

The disciples and elders of Wanhualou said in unison.

"OP, who are the people involved in this conflict?" Rongrong asked in a clear voice.

Then, she saw the landlord, Xiao Yuenu, have a complicated look in her eyes as she slowly said, "Xu Qi'an is coming."

"What?!"

The crowd gasped in surprise.

That's really his style. Rongrong suddenly turned her head and looked in the direction of the inn.

Outside the town, three figures darted through the air on flying swords.

They wore Daoist robes of the same color, one with a red lotus embroidered on its chest, one with an orange lotus embroidered on its chest, and one with a yellow lotus embroidered on its chest.

Among them, the two Daoist priests, Honglian and Chenglian, had gray hair and were quite old. Huanglian, on the other hand, appeared to be middle-aged and was clearly younger than the other two.

"In the south, there are fluctuations in the Qi (vital energy)."

After sensing for a moment, Huang Lian rode her flying sword and charged ahead.

Apart from the Daoist leader who remained vigilant about the mysterious powerful figure who appeared in Chuzhou, all the Lotus Daoists of the Earth Sect were in the town.

Li Miaozhen and the others tried to stop several fourth-rank officials in the inn, but they couldn't.

The three Daoist priests, Red, Orange, and Yellow, were originally there to "hold the line" and guard against any unexpected events; now was the perfect time for them to make their move.

Although the Lotus Daoists have fallen into demonic ways and often find it difficult to control their evil thoughts, their minds have not become corrupted.

"Heh, what a simple-minded fool. He killed one person and then came rushing headlong into our trap." Master Chenglian sneered, a look of disdain appearing on his maliciously arrogant face.

"A warrior is just a warrior; his crudeness is pitiful."

"Jinlian's biggest mistake was inviting a martial artist to help him. Among all the major systems, only the demonic path of my Daoist School's Earth Sect is eternal," said Daoist Chilian calmly.

As long as these young masters can be killed, even if only severely injured, Jinlian will not be able to protect her lotus seeds tomorrow.

If Jinlian, in a desperate act, were to destroy the lotus seeds, it would certainly be heartbreaking, but the one who would suffer the greatest loss would still be Jinlian herself.

Soon, the three Daoist priests saw the two sides engaged in battle.

He was a middle-aged swordsman with a long, flowing beard, a man wearing black iron gauntlets and with a bare, muscular chest.

Noticing the arrival of the three Lotus Daoist priests, the two stopped fighting in unison and smiled amicably, "We've been waiting for you for a long time."

The three Daoist priests, one dressed in red, one dressed in orange, and one dressed in yellow, all froze.

Thirty miles from the town, on a gentle hillside, five figures appeared simultaneously.

Qiu Qian looked around in slight panic, and after seeing his surroundings clearly, he breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled:

"To be honest, I thought you were going to teleport us to the Yuezhi Manor. If that happened, I'd be in real danger. We were caught off guard just now, but now, don't even think about teleporting us again. Should I call you clever or stupid?"

He suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he bent over backwards, his posture arrogant. "I think you're very clever because you know how to flatter and fawn over me, offering yourself up to die."

Xu Qi'an slowly drew his black-gold longsword. "Killing a nobody like you is enough for Senior Brother Yang and me."

Li Miaozhen and the others are all in the town, so there's no point in teleporting them to the manor. First of all, the Nine-Colored Lotus cannot withstand strong energy fluctuations, and although the lotus is a treasure, its wonders are not in defense.

Secondly, the white-robed young master's two henchmen are extremely powerful. If a fight breaks out in the manor, it will definitely involve the Heaven and Earth Society disciples. Although they will inevitably have to engage in the battle tomorrow.

Finally, Yang Qianhuan set up several layers of defensive formations, just like defending a city. If the enemy wanted to climb the city walls, they would have to pay the price of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

There's no reason to send the enemy to the city walls for no reason.

Yang Qianhuan scoffed and shook his head, saying, "I won't make a move. Such lowly ants aren't worth my time."

Qiu Qian raised an eyebrow, an uncontrollable surge of anger rising within him. He deeply resented the white-robed Warlock's tone of voice and arrogant attitude.

"If you deliberately provoked me, then you've succeeded," Qiu Qian sneered.

"You're not worthy?" Yang Qianhuan said calmly.

"You dare not show your true face because you're afraid of my revenge?" Qiu Qian stared at the back of the other person's head.

Yang Qianhuan simply chuckled in response.

"..." Qiu Qian's face twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "Left and Right Envoys, kill this guy for me."

The taciturn Right Envoy suddenly disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was already behind Yang Qianhuan, throwing a punch.

His fist pierced through Yang Qianhuan's body, but only struck an afterimage.

The white-robed Warlock appeared in the distance, still with that deliberately nonchalant and irritating tone, and said:

"You crude brutes, dealing with you is like toying with stupid rats. No, even rats bite when cornered. You are reptiles."

"Kill him!" Qiu Qian shouted sternly.

Senior Brother Yang is really good at stirring up trouble. Even Xu Qi'an felt a little uncomfortable hearing this.

I didn't see him bend his knees to gather strength just now, but he appeared behind Senior Brother Yang as if he had flashed by. This is the wonder of a fifth-grade Transformation Realm cultivator, a perfect control of physical strength. I didn't understand before why Yang Yan and the others would appear and disappear so suddenly when they made their moves, but now I finally understand.

Yang Qianhuan calmly took out an iron box from his pocket, opened it, and a series of cannons and ballistae appeared on his side, surrounding him in the center.

At the same time, numerous muskets appeared and scattered in the void around him.

The cannons, ballistae, and muskets were all engraved with array patterns, making them more than ten times more powerful than ordinary firearms of the same type.

Array patterns appeared beneath Yang Qianhuan's feet, encompassing these heavy weapons. They seemed to become one with Yang Qianhuan, teleporting with him and appearing and disappearing intermittently.

"You crude brute, let me show you the greatness and terror of Warlock." Yang Qianhuan snapped his fingers.

The ballistae, cannons, and guns were all aimed at the right envoy, who was wearing a straw hat and a cloak.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"Clap clap clap!"

A barrage of firepower.

Even the Right Envoy, with his copper-skinned and iron-boned body, dared not withstand such dense and terrifying firepower. Relying on his powerful explosive force, he ran wildly around Yang Qianhuan, trying to flank her and launch a surprise attack.

However, Yang Qianhuan, who controlled the teleportation ability, was faster than him. She could always change her position and adjust the cannon's muzzle in advance, forcing the Right Envoy to constantly abandon his attack plans and continue circling.

Crossbow bolts pierced the ground, cannons tore the earth apart, sending up clods of earth and gravel, creating dazzling flashes of light and deafening roars.

Yang Qianhuan's iron box was like a bottomless treasure bag, constantly replenishing ammunition and crossbow bolts.

Suddenly, the Right Envoy, who had just been forced into a helpless position by the barrage of firepower, mysteriously disappeared. A burly, tall man then appeared behind Yang Qianhuan, less than three feet away.

For a martial artist at the peak of the fourth rank, this distance is enough to severely injure or even kill a master of another system of the same rank.

easy.

However, the Right Envoy only managed to attack the afterimage.

That was close! Yang Qianhuan appeared dozens of feet away, a layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back, but she remained calm on the surface.

"You used a teleportation Law Artifact against me, you used Warlock techniques against me. Should I call you clever or stupid? I think you're clever, because you successfully let me experience the pleasure of intellectual crushing."

Senior Brother Yang is quite skilled as a Warlock. I was worried sick about him just now, but it turns out I was worrying for nothing. He was completely at ease. Xu Qi'an nodded slowly, a weight lifted from his heart.

He was captivated by Yang Qianhuan's steady and reliable voice.

No longer paying attention to Yang Qianhuan's battle, he picked up his sword and slowly walked towards Qiu Qian and the Right Envoy. "It's our time."

Qiu Qian raised the corners of his mouth and stepped forward, saying, "Left Envoy, you hold the line for me; I'll deal with this little bastard."

The Left Envoy frowned and habitually advised, "Young Master, you are of noble birth; how can you risk your life? The safest way is for us to join forces to kill him."

"In a life-or-death struggle, there's no need to act impulsively."

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Both of you come at me together, otherwise, with your ant-like strength, I can take on ten of you."

His tone and expression were calm, as if he were stating a trivial fact.

Qiu Qian sneered, "I have been practicing Martial Dao diligently since childhood, day and night without stopping, and I believe I am no less than any of my peers. Everyone in Great Feng praises you, Xu Qi'an, for your extraordinary talent, a genius no less than the Prince of Zhenbei."

"But I know that you only have your current status because of it and the series of fortuitous encounters it brings. In reality, you are nothing."

He slowly approached Xu Qi'an, extending his right palm. The Left Envoy quickly opened the black wooden box, from which a small sword flew out, rapidly expanding into a long sword as clear as autumn water.

This sword is as clear as autumn water, seemingly able to absorb the moonlight from the sky. The blade and spine are covered with a light, water-like luster.

He knew he possessed a destiny, and harbored resentment. Xu Qi'an's heart surged with rage, and he couldn't wait to kill someone and summon their soul.

The two figures disappeared at the same time. However, where Xu Qi'an had been standing, two deep footprints appeared with a thud, while Qiu Qian's remained untouched.

"Bite!"

The next moment, blinding sparks appeared in mid-air before the figures of the two men were revealed, their swords clashing.

"Your sword is a magical Law Artifact forged by the Imperial Craftsman, but my Moonshadow is no less impressive."

Qiu Qian suddenly exerted his strength, pushing Xu Qi'an away. Sword light followed closely, with more than a dozen sword lights bursting up almost simultaneously, slashing at Xu Qi'an's chest, limbs, and throat.

It sent up a series of blinding sparks.

"Fifth rank?"

Xu Qi'an had unleashed his Vajra Divine Skill, frowned, feeling a faint stinging pain coming from the spot where the sword light had struck him.

They believed that the opponent's sword was a divine weapon no less powerful than the Black Gold Longsword.

"I told you, without your good fortune, you're nothing but trash. Today I'm going to crush you, sever your limbs, and turn you into a human stump. Not only that, I'm going to take everything from you."

As he finished speaking, Qiu Qian's afterimage vanished, and his true form appeared beside Xu Qi'an, delivering the most perfect strike.

A martial artist's instinct for danger alerted Xu Qi'an, allowing him to anticipate the situation and immediately parry with his black and gold longsword.

"Bite!"

Another blinding burst of sparks erupted, and Qiu Qian's expression suddenly froze, his pupils briefly dilating.

Heart Sword!

The previous attack was merely a probe; since this person was not a fourth-rank individual and had not yet grasped the "intention," his Heart Sword could effectively shake the opponent's Primordial Spirit.

Xu Qi'an landed a successful blow, followed immediately by a deafening lion's roar that once again shook the opponent's Primordial Spirit.

At the same time, he gathered his inner energy and slashed at the opponent's head with his sword.

He didn't have time to unleash his Heaven and Earth Slash; he needed to kill this arrogant fellow before the burly man in charge could react.