Hiding behind the window to watch, Wuming felt her heart leap at the sudden crash. Although Zhou Wuji had warned her, the sight of a band of marauding soldiers charging in so menacingly still frightened her.
Wuzheng, in the sitting room, was calm instead. The various organizations and factions would fear the Northern Pole Sect, but marauding soldiers would have no such scruples.
Men driven into a dead end were like a pack of starving wolves. They would devour whatever they found, without a thought for the future.
With disaster upon them, only fighting for their lives offered a way out.
Wuzheng felt a little regret. Had he believed Zhou Wuji, they would not have been in such danger, with the initiative so firmly out of their hands.
But it was too late to say anything now. He could only hope they really could carve a path to survival.
The wooden gate was kicked apart, and a squad of soldiers rushed inside.
Four soldiers holding long sabers charged ahead, followed by four marauders carrying spears.
Wang Jing followed with a five-foot saber in hand. Behind him came another two sabermen and two archers.
Two soldiers raised torches and hurled them through the half-open windows.
The torches spun through the air, illuminating Wuzheng standing inside the doorway.
Wang Jing spotted Wuzheng at once from the rear. He was a little surprised: the man stood there neatly dressed, a longsword in hand, clearly somewhat prepared.
But he paid it little mind. The powerful blood Sha Qi of a fully armed squad alone was enough to resist low-level Law Techniques.
What could a mere Daoist of seventh-rank register reception do, even if he was prepared?
Wang Jing spat out one word: "Kill!"
The soldiers in front raised their sabers and advanced without hesitation, the spearmen following close behind.
In a normal battle formation, spears went in front, and sabers were secondary weapons.
The room was cramped, leaving little space to wield spears. Better to follow the sabermen and wait for an opening.
Every soldier in this squad was an elite, and the two leading them were eighth-rank sabermen.
Charging straight ahead in full armor, they presented an overwhelming threat.
Watching secretly from her room, Wuming had intended to help. But when she saw their full suits of armor, she did not dare throw the few White Eyebrow Needles clutched in her hand.
Even the steady Wuye now had cold sweat coating her sword hand.
Though only a few soldiers charged in formation, their savage, frenzied killing intent seemed almost tangible, pressing down on her until she could hardly breathe.
Even Wuzheng, a Daoist of seventh-rank register reception, was under immense pressure.
The soldiers' gathered Sha Qi was already interfering with the circulation of his Qi.
Without an altar to summon Dao soldiers for protection, and without even time to hurriedly arrange a banner formation, the power of a Daoist's Law Techniques would drop two- or threefold.
Knowing that unleashing a Law Technique would be useless, Wuzheng pointed his Seven Star Sword forward. Using the runes and incantations on the sword to focus his mind, he activated the Yin Thunder Pearl in his left hand and blasted it out.
The Yin Thunder Pearl transformed into a streak of watery light several zhang long. As it rippled and flowed, it divided into a vast net of hundreds upon thousands of luminous strands, enveloping most of the marauders ahead.
Seventh-rank Yin Thunder Pearls required costly materials and enormous time and effort to make. Their precise power depended on their maker's skill.
The two Yin Thunder Pearls Wuzheng possessed were protective magic artifacts his master Yizhen had left him.
As a sixth-rank refining master, Yizhen had opened all nine apertures and could circulate the power of eight stars. His Yin Thunder Pearls possessed their own subtleties and were far stronger than the Yin Thunder Wuzheng could unleash from an altar.
The hundreds upon thousands of scattered strands of watery lightning passed straight through the armor, penetrating deep into the marauders' bodies.
Yin Thunder's true power lay in burning Essence Blood and the soul, reducing living beings to charcoal from within. It was an exceptionally formidable killing Divine Ability of the Daoist tradition.
All these marauders cultivated the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction. The power of their Qi and Blood, strengthened through slaughter, was impure and frenzied. The Yin Thunder entering their bodies immediately ignited it.
The few marauders with the lowest cultivation felt their organs burning and their blood boiling. Parts of their skin had already carbonized, and they collapsed screaming.
Though the two eighth-rank martial artists at the front barely suppressed the Yin Thunder, they felt as though they were burning inside and out, and cried out with faces twisted in pain.
Only Wang Jing remained standing firm. The instant he saw the Yin Thunder erupt, he contracted his muscles and internal organs, drawing his entire body taut.
At seventh-rank transforming force, although he had yet to condense True Qi, he had already unified his body's internal and external strength.
As he exerted himself, his body tightened inside and out like strands twisted into a single rope. Even his frame shrank.
The watery lightning pierced his black, all-steel lamellar armor, passed through his taut muscles, and penetrated his internal organs.
Yet through his pure, unified strength, Wang Jing forcibly withstood the Yin Thunder's assault.
Though his entire body trembled and swayed slightly, the Yin Thunder did not bring him down.
Seeing such formidable cultivation, Wuzheng was both shocked and furious.
He was shocked that his opponent possessed such cultivation, but furious at the dense blood Sha Qi around him, which clearly showed he had forcibly increased his cultivation through slaughter.
Without hesitation, Wuzheng activated his second Yin Thunder Pearl. A long streak of watery light struck straight at Wang Jing like a snake.
Wang Jing knew a Daoist's Law Techniques locked on through Divine Sense. There was no dodging them.
With a fierce shout, he raised his saber to meet it, his blood-soaked goose-feather saber cleaving directly into the Yin Thunder.
With a thunderous crash, the several-zhang-long streak of Yin Thunder shattered. Wang Jing, who had raised his saber for a direct slash, staggered two steps backward.
Seeing his chance, Wuzheng was about to pursue with his sword when the two archers behind Wang Jing drew and loosed.
Caught off guard, Wuzheng could only barely turn sideways and swing his sword to block. One arrow was knocked away by his sword, but the other grazed his left arm, leaving a long bloody furrow across his upper arm.
Wuzheng was skilled in martial arts but had little actual combat experience. The sharp pain left his body weak and disrupted the True Qi he had gathered.
The two seasoned archers had already drawn and nocked again. Just as they were about to loose, Zhou Wuji darted out from behind, his Seven Star Sword sliding soundlessly free as he casually tossed its scabbard aside.
Flowing Cloud Sword was already swift and nimble. With Zhou Wuji's greatly improved physique, one sliding step brought him to the archers' side.
The two archers had only just caught a figure in the corners of their eyes when Zhou Wuji's Seven Star Sword swept left and right, its gleaming edge severing most of both their necks.
At this grievous injury, both archers shuddered and immediately lost their strength. Instinctively clutching their necks, they retreated to either side.
Ignoring them, Zhou Wuji accelerated, thrusting his sword straight at the back of Wang Jing's neck.
The October weather was still somewhat hot. Wang Jing wore a full suit of steel lamellar armor but no helmet.
This thrust would be enough to kill him.
Wang Jing had barely steadied himself by then. Having advanced to seventh rank, his senses were exceptionally keen, and he noticed something wrong the instant Zhou Wuji moved.
Through his six senses, Wang Jing could even "see" the direction of Zhou Wuji's thrust.
He turned and brought his saber across to block, imbuing its edge with the bursting force of the Blood Baleful Intent Instruction.
As soon as saber met sword, he could blast his opponent's sword aside, then follow through with another slash to finish him.
But Zhou Wuji's swift, fierce thrust was a feint. He abruptly halted in place, raising his left hand and sending his broad sleeve billowing upward.
A streak of fire shot from his sleeve, blasting straight at Wang Jing's face.
The sudden flare of fire in the deep darkness was dazzling.
Wang Jing was somewhat surprised, but he paid no heed to such a minor Law Technique. Narrowing his eyes, he shook his saber.
Violent force erupted from the vibrating blade, scattering the ball of fire into flying flames.
Seeing the Law Technique fail, Zhou Wuji knew such petty tricks posed no threat to a seventh-rank martial artist.
His long sleeve flipped again, releasing two more streaks of fire at the sabermen to either side.
Neither saberman possessed Wang Jing's abilities. The flames came so suddenly and strangely that they could only shut their eyes, turn their heads, and retreat, yet both were still struck in the face.
Both sabermen felt their vision go black. For a moment, neither knew where he was, and they could only stumble backward in panic...
Wang Jing ignored his two useless subordinates. He was about to strike straight at Zhou Wuji when he suddenly sensed something wrong. His opponent had actually used this opening to throw another hidden weapon?
The hidden weapon seemed exceptionally powerful, even its passage through the air producing a deep, heavy sound.
In his haste, Wang Jing could not make out what it was and could only turn his saber to block again.
With a clang and a shower of sparks, his five-foot goose-feather saber knocked the hurtling steel ball away.
Even with transforming force, even with his skin, flesh, muscles, bones, and organs working together in successive bursts, Wang Jing found this chain of changes taxing.
He was just about to readjust when he sensed something amiss. He could only force out his strength and reverse his saber for another slash.
Wang Jing's saber technique was highly refined. Even this hurried reverse slash struck the incoming Yin Thunder Pearl precisely.
A mass of watery lightning exploded. The Yin Thunder's power penetrated every limb, bone, and organ. Wang Jing gave another fierce shout, his body abruptly swelling as he once again relied on his immensely powerful, thoroughly tempered flesh to withstand the Yin Thunder.
At this critical moment, Wang Jing burned his Essence Blood without restraint to unleash his strength, finally enduring this Yin Thunder Pearl.
Zhou Wuji seized the opening to thrust again, using the fastest technique, Falling Goose Sword.
A gleaming flash of sword light reached Wang Jing's throat. Wang Jing roared again, sending strength surging throughout his body, right into his hair.
His disheveled topknot burst apart under the surge, strands of hair flying skyward.
In his frenzied state, Wang Jing slashed ferociously at Zhou Wuji.
This strike was savage in the extreme, meant not only to knock Zhou Wuji's sword away but to follow through and cleave him in two.
Wang Jing knew Zhou Wuji was only eighth rank. However exquisite his swordsmanship, he could not withstand a full-force saber strike.
The saber struck the Seven Star Sword and immediately swept it aside. But Zhou Wuji's sword was empty of force, making Wang Jing feel as though he had slashed through empty air.
Having misapplied his strength, Wang Jing had to rein it in to control his saber. Zhou Wuji's left hand moved, and another Yin Thunder Pearl blasted into Wang Jing's chest.
After that succession of changes, Wang Jing truly lacked the strength to dodge. He could only barely contract his muscles again to resist.
After repeated bursts of power, Wang Jing's blood and strength were now exhausted. Hundreds upon thousands of strands of lightning scorched blackened marks across his skin.
Wang Jing was, after all, a seventh-rank martial artist. He could still use his strength to contract his internal organs and resist the invading Yin Thunder.
But his vigor and strength were spent. His body could no longer withstand the Yin Thunder's might, and he convulsed and stiffened within the lightning.
In that fleeting opening, the Seven Star Sword that had been swept away suddenly thrust back.
The thrust seemed both illusory and real, both true and dreamlike, like the moon rippling and flowing in shimmering water. It was Water Moon Sword, the most fluidly changing move in Xiaoxiang Sword.
Wang Jing watched the brilliant blade thrust straight toward him. He barely summoned the strength to retreat, but his body remained sluggish and motionless.
With a soft puncturing sound, the brilliant blade struck Wang Jing's throat.
His skin, tough as oxhide, instinctively contracted, briefly arresting the advancing Seven Star Sword.
Zhou Wuji's Qi moved with his sword. Driven by True Qi, the gleaming blade vibrated with a hum, instantly piercing flesh and spine, its bright edge protruding three fen from the back of Wang Jing's neck.
Zhou Wuji twisted his wrist and flicked upward, sending Wang Jing's head flying on his blade...
Watching from behind the window, Wuming could not help crying out.
The fight had been extremely brief, yet both sides had unleashed their ultimate moves through countless changes. Wuming had watched in a dazzled blur, growing ever more worried for Zhou Wuji.
The sight of Wang Jing's head flying startled her, but also brought a sigh of relief.
Looking again at Zhou Wuji with his sword, she could not see him clearly in the dim light. She could only make out his billowing sleeves as he stood sword in hand, his eyes shining brilliantly, like a sword immortal riding the wind.
Wuming gazed at him in a daze, her heart swaying and spirit drifting, utterly forgetting where she was...
Even the mature, steady Wuye stared wide-eyed.
Had she not seen it herself, she would never have believed Zhou Wuji could kill a seventh-rank martial artist in a head-on fight!
Outside, Wuzheng forgot even his pain and stood stunned. That seventh-rank martial artist had forcibly withstood four Yin Thunder Pearls, yet Zhou Wuji had slain him with a single sword strike. What exquisite swordsmanship...