Chapter 155: Opponent

The intent of the blade was shocking, warping the space.

All tangible and intangible objects centered on Shen Juesheng seemed to dissolve into nothingness amidst the distortion.

In an instant, as if from the heavens, a blade descended with unstoppable force, striking down from above the entire Zhanlu Manor.

The room originally belonging to Ruan Zhenhui, its roof tiles and beams above, instantly turned into a cloud of dust floating in the air.

And the entire small courtyard where everyone stood seemed about to turn to ash under this single blade strike.

At this moment, whether it was Ruan Zhenhui or Shen Anran, or Hu Ruian and Shen Liancheng, a fear that could not be suppressed suddenly arose in their hearts, and they could not help but tremble.

Even Shen Liancheng had never seen his father strike with such terror; although Shen Juesheng's image in his heart was hard to surpass, he felt he could always chase the other's footsteps.

However, now that he had witnessed the other's true martial prowess, while being utterly shocked and terrified, he only felt that the mountain was too high to climb, despair filling his heart.

But just as everyone was shocked and terrified by Shen Juesheng's strike, the next moment, everything vanished in an instant.

The invisible heavenly blade hovering above the entire Zhanlu Manor dissipated, the room suddenly stopped turning to dust, and the terrifying blade intent pressure that had covered everyone's hearts vanished in an instant.

And immediately after, everyone's gaze suddenly froze in shock.

They saw Shen Juesheng, a famous Wu Lin elder in white robes with white hair and a youthful face, suddenly bend his back like a shrimp for no reason, and the entire person suddenly retreated backward at an astonishing speed.

Then, in an instant, he crashed through the green brick wall of the room, creating a human-shaped hole, becoming a blurred afterimage, and disappearing from everyone's sight just like that.

Inside the damaged room, now open to the sky, Shen Anran and the other three, having witnessed this scene, were all stunned in place, unable to react for a long time.

Until Li Musheng shaded his eyes with his hand, seeing Shen Juesheng fall into the night under the hazy moonlight and completely lose his trace, he then reached out and patted Hu Ruian's shoulder, who stood beside him like a wooden or clay statue.

Hu Ruian's whole body shuddered violently, and only then did he react first.

He slowly turned his head, looking at the young man standing before him; the face he originally knew suddenly felt so strange at this moment.

"Your Highness... this... did you do it?"

Hu Ruian could hardly believe it, his mind in a daze, and for a moment even forgot to conceal it, directly shouting out Li Musheng's true identity.

Li Musheng glanced at Hu Ruian, shrugged:

"Lord Hu, isn't this very obvious?"

Saying this, he waved his hand lightly and said:

"Alright, let tonight's matter end here; rest early, as we must continue the journey tomorrow morning."

Having spoken, Li Musheng swept his gaze over the other few people in the room, lingering only briefly on Shen Anran.

He rubbed his chin; previously, when the other had used the beauty trap on him, it was hard to say she wasn't captivated by his handsome face.

But there was no way around it; who could blame him for having such a handsome face?

Sigh, I'm used to it!

Li Musheng shook his head, then called out to Hu Ruian, turned around and walked out, as if not taking a single speck of dust with him.

Hu Ruian followed somewhat woodenly, even forgetting to take another look at Ruan Zhenhui, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock, or perhaps simply could not believe that the Eighth Imperial Prince before him had, with just one punch, sent Shen Juesheng, whose martial cultivation was so terrifying, to who knows where?

At the same time, Shen Liancheng finally reacted, his face suddenly showing a look of shock, and he cried out:

"Father!"

The next moment, he flashed his figure without hesitation, disappearing from the spot, and hurriedly chased in the direction where Shen Juesheng was.

Shen Anran and Ruan Zhenhui also slowly came to their senses; the two stood in place, still somewhat dazed, then stiffly turned their heads to look at the backs of Li Musheng and Hu Ruian as they left.

For a moment, disbelief and extremely complex expressions appeared in their gazes.

However, they did not stay long; after taking a deep breath and withdrawing their gaze, they immediately followed Shen Liancheng to search for Shen Juesheng.

At this time, the entire Zhanlu Manor was silent, terrifyingly quiet.

And in various parts of the manor, the many Wu Lingaoshou who had come to watch or participate in the martial arts marriage contest were all terrified.

One by one, they stayed silent in their respective residences, daring not to move rashly.

Indeed, the scene of Shen Juesheng striking just now was too terrifying; whether it was that shocking blade intent shooting up to the sky, or the heavenly blade hovering above the entire Zhanlu Manor.

Even though it was not directed at them, merely the wisp of aura that leaked out made their scalps tingle, leaving them in panic and unease.

Inside a courtyard, before a table lit by a candle, the burly giant Bei Shi looked out into the night outside the room through the slightly open window, his face solemn.

And sitting before him was a young man wearing a Yunfeng Xuan robe; at this moment, fear still lingered on the other's face:

"Elder Bei, just now... was that Shen Juesheng of Zhanlu Manor striking? How could it be so terrifying?"

Hearing this, Bei Shi withdrew his gaze from outside the window, looked at the young man before him, and slowly nodded, saying:

"It should be correct; Shen Juesheng became famous in the Jianghu many years ago, his martial cultivation is unfathomable, far beyond our comparison; we just do not know why he struck tonight."

Upon hearing this, both showed expressions of shock and doubt, falling silent.

After a moment, seeing no further movement within the manor, Bei Shi pondered for a while, gazed at the young man before him, and continued speaking:

"Young Peak Master, I originally thought that even though Shen Juesheng was once famous in the Jianghu, he should now be old and weak, and his martial cultivation must have declined."

"But judging from tonight's situation, I obviously misjudged the other; Shen Juesheng's Martial Realm has likely improved over these years."

Having spoken, Bei Shi sighed heavily; seeing this, the young man's expression shifted, and he said:

"Elder Bei is also a Heavenly Man expert; is the gap between Heavenly Man experts truly so huge?"

Hearing this, Bei Shi looked at the other, then nodded lightly, saying:

"Young Peak Master has not yet stepped into this realm, so you are not clear; even the gap between every small realm among Heavenly Men is far greater than the gap between a Natural Martial Wudaoda Sect Grandmaster and a Post-Natal expert, simply like the difference between heaven and earth."

Saying this, Bei Shi's expression suddenly became solemn, and he said:

"For this martial arts marriage contest at Zhanlu Manor, Young Peak Master must go all out and capture the manor's Third Young Lady."

"If Young Peak Master can gain Shen Juesheng's support, then your status among the peaks of Luoshen Peak will surely rise, which will be greatly beneficial for competing for the position of Peak Seat candidate."

Hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up, a flash of sharpness passing through them, and he nodded heavily, saying to himself:

"Elder Bei, rest assured; among this group of peers participating in the martial arts contest at Zhanlu Manor, I truly do not place anyone in my eyes; I will surely capture the championship of this contest."

Bei Shi nodded lightly, thought for a moment, and said:

"Once the matter at Zhanlu Manor ends tomorrow, we must immediately set off back to the peak; in recent days, rumors have circulated that the Great Li court is stirring, seemingly about to make a move against our Luoshen Peak."

"Now the peak has issued an order, summoning all disciples of the sect to return within the peak immediately; we cannot afford any delay."

Upon hearing this, the young man let out a cold snort and said:

"The Great Li court dares to covet our Luo Shen Peak? They must have been too secure for many years, forgetting the ruling dominance and deterrence of the Four Great Jianghu Sects."

"If they truly dare to make a move, they will surely have no return. Hehe, by then, the Great Li will likely be no far from national ruin, and perhaps our Luo Shen Peak can even claim a share of the spoils."

Hearing this, Bei Shi narrowed his eyes but did not say much more.

For the Great Li to attempt to move against Luo Shen Peak is nothing but a pipe dream; this is the firm belief in the heart of every sect disciple, a confidence and assurance born from the deep foundation Luo Shen Peak has accumulated while dominating the Jianghu for many years.

Meanwhile, not far from the courtyard where the Luo Shen Peak group resided, amidst the trees, two figures, one old and one young, stood silently within the pitch-black night.

"Grandpa, are we still going to act tonight?"

The little girl in pink clothes, her face taut, suddenly asked in a soft voice.

The old man in hemp clothes remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting uneasily on his aged face; finally, he sighed lightly and said:

"Forget it. I didn't expect Shen Juesheng to actually make a move. I am no match for him. For the sake of caution, let them live a few more days."

Having spoken, the old man in hemp clothes glanced once at the courtyard where Bei Shi and the others were located, then turned and left with the little girl in pink without hesitation.

"Grandpa, I don't understand. Why did Elder Zhuang Shen suddenly make a move tonight?"

The little girl in pink clothes spoke, clearly still somewhat shaken, while the old man in hemp clothes walked and pondered at the same time:

"For him to make a move, he must have encountered a true opponent; otherwise, he would not have recklessly released such terrifying blade intent."

As he spoke, a look of extreme confusion appeared on the old man's aged face once more, and he said:

"It is just that I cannot quite understand: his appearance was swift, and his disappearance was swift too; everything just now was simply too brief."

From the moment the Sky Blade appeared above Zhanlu Manor, to the old man in hemp clothes being suppressed by the terrifying martial arts aura released by Shen Juesheng, his heart pounding and unable to move rashly, until everything vanished, it seemed as if it all happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time he came to his senses, everything was calm and peaceful again, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Perhaps this is how masters are; one move is enough to decide victory or defeat."

The little girl in pink clothes blinked and said; the old man in hemp clothes looked at her and nodded:

"That makes sense."

At this moment, the little girl continued:

"It is just that I am somewhat curious: I wonder who, between Elder Zhuang Shen and his opponent, actually won or lost?"

Hearing this, the old man in hemp clothes pondered for a moment and said:

"Judging from the martial arts aura of Shen Juesheng that we felt just now, the opponent was very likely suppressed by him and probably lost."

The little girl in pink clothes nodded lightly, her eyes flashing:

"Although that person lost, the fact that Elder Zhuang Shen had to exert his full strength means the opponent must also be a very formidable master."

Meanwhile, within a courtyard inside Zhanlu Manor.

Xu Qingcang, a middle-aged scholar with a pale face, wearing a long coat of indigo silk, stood before the window; his seemingly thin and tall body was now hunched, his aura sharp and fierce.

Behind him stood a young man with a heroic countenance, dressed in brocade robes.

"Elder Zhuang Shen is indeed still vigorous in his old age, truly worthy of the title 'Sky Blade of Zhanlu' who once dominated the Jianghu with the Dao of the Blade!"

Xu Qingcang spoke slowly; his originally pale face suddenly became ruddy, shifting through countless different facial expressions before finally revealing the face of a very ordinary old man.

The young man behind him, from beginning to end, did not say a single word, merely staring blankly at the middle-aged scholar in front of him.

Yet deep within his gaze, there flowed a profound terror and despair.

At this moment, the "Xu Qingcang" wearing the old man's face slowly turned his head and smiled as he looked at a middle-aged scholar sitting shirtless at the table inside the room.

Clearly, the one sitting at the table was the real Xu Qingcang; gazing at the old man before him who had disguised himself as his own likeness, his body trembled slightly, as if he wanted to make a move.

However, his four limbs were now bound and pulled by invisible threads of true qi, leaving him like a marionette, completely unable to act on his own, forced to be controlled by others.

"You... are Wu Xiang Lao Ren..."

The middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang struggled to open his mouth, his voice broken and weak, his gaze fixedly staring at the old man before the window.

"To recognize this old man's identity, you young one do have some eye for it."

Wu Xiang Lao Ren nodded slowly, looking at the other; the face that now appeared bore no expression whatsoever.

"We... seem to have no grudge or entanglement with you, senior..."

Xu Qingcang continued to resist the control of the true qi threads on his body with all his might, speaking with a look of shock and suspicion.

Wu Xiang Lao Ren seemed to pay no attention at all to the other's resistance and said slowly:

"You are mistaken. During the day today, your carriage was traveling on the road; this old man merely wanted to hitch a ride for a stretch, yet you splashed mud and water all over me?"

Hearing this, Xu Qingcang's expression changed, but he had no memory of this whatsoever and did not recall ever encountering the other party.

Of course, it might have truly happened, but at that time, he naturally would not have cared about such a thing.

After all, given their status, they would not let just any old man who wanted a ride board their carriage.

"At that time, I did not know... it was Senior Wu Xiang... please forgive me... allow us... to make amends..."

Xu Qingcang did not argue but expressed his apology with utmost sincerity.

However, Wu Xiang Lao Ren merely waved his hand and said:

"No need for amends. This old man has important business to attend to; I shall simply borrow your identities for a while."

As he spoke, Wu Xiang Lao Ren walked from the window back to the table and sat down, while the young man in brocade robes, uncontrollably, followed to his side and then served him tea and water, acting like a mere attendant or servant.

Xu Qingcang's expression shifted uneasily as he looked at Wu Xiang Lao Ren sitting opposite; he struggled to open his mouth:

"I wonder... what business does Senior have... perhaps we... could do it on your behalf..."

Wu Xiang Lao Ren took a sip of tea, glanced at the other indifferently, and said nothing; seeing this, Xu Qingcang continued in broken sentences:

"We... are men of the General of Shengzhou... we have influence here... we can help Senior..."

(End of this chapter)