Chapter 278: with translation of chapter title

The sky full of stars vies with the waning moon for brilliance.

Torches like a forest below the building, in the firelight shadows swayed, unknown how many had come; the Sun Moon Sect followers etc. were already impatient, yet all remained utterly silent, not making a sound.

Feng Yi in his blue robe fluttered, leapt down from the building, landing soundlessly, not disturbing a speck of dust, lighter than a bird.

Everyone shuddered; although Feng Yi's fame was great, few had truly seen his skills, especially among the Sun Moon Sect, who had only heard rumors from the martial world.

People in the martial world say his martial arts are high, but nobody can say exactly how superb he is, nor do they know which school or sect he belongs to.

After all the talk, it ends up just the four words "unfathomably deep".

Thus Feng Yi's reputation grew even greater.

At this moment the Sun Moon Sect followers finally knew that the nickname "Palm-Sword Lethal" was no empty boast; just this lightness skill alone was enough to shock the world.

No wonder a single flute melody could claim hundreds of lives; it shows this person's skill has reached the divine, the pinnacle of perfection.

Demonic Sect members held torches, forming a large circle that lit up every detail inside; they watched Feng Yi approach with his jade flute and blue robe, carefree, when with a clatter swords were drawn and bows strung, taking up strict readiness.

Feng Yi, however, looked left and right, as if strolling to admire the moon, utterly at ease: "Elder Jia, this is where the Hongwu Emperor established his capital; the moonlight is still bright, the prosperity not yet faded—by mustering troops like this, you truly place no regard on the imperial law."

Although the capital is no longer at Gold Hill, it remains a secondary capital; along the Qin Huai River, even in the hazy night, its prosperity is undiminished.

Yet this group dares to openly surround the building with weapons; one must say they simply do not regard the imperial court at all.

Jia Bu smiled and said: "Hero Feng, each of your massacres kills hundreds or thousands, harming countless innocent lives—where do you place the imperial court?"

Seeing Feng Yi stride calmly to the edge of the circle, the Sun Moon Sect followers had the men on both sides part, making a path.

Feng Yi paused not at all, walking and saying: "Even the mighty Demonic Sect has learned slander—truly chilling!"

"Slander?" Qin Weibo said in a deep voice: "Rather, Hero Feng's reputation is not small—hard to invite!"

Feng Yi's eyes flashed with vicious light, but one saw his nose bruised, face swollen, grimy and dusty, his speech leaking air—clearly he had been badly thrown by the Green Bamboo Elder, losing several teeth, something even the Holy Maiden now hates.

Qin Weibo was burly, but under Feng Yi's gaze his heart involuntarily grew fearful, like a young bride, he edged closer to Jia Bu and Shangguan Yun, thinking to himself: "How can this man's gaze be so fierce—even the sect leader falls short!"

Feng Yi said calmly: "Alright, time is short—do you want to duel me for victory, or greet me with whatever poison needles and poison water? Come on then!"

Several elders exchanged glances, knowing Feng Yi was formidable; these several hundred were all capable followers of the Sun Moon Sect, each quite skilled.

They split into three groups: one mixed swords and blades, also some strange occult weapons; one wielded crossbows and bows; another carried sprayers of poison water—so if Feng Yi dared enter the encirclement, it would be suicide.

Who would have thought they would just walk in like that; they had been secretly pleased.

Yet hearing that he knew what weapons they had prepared, he still entered voluntarily, nonchalant, leaving them somewhat unable to fathom him.

These Demonic Sect elders, having risen through merit, were naturally veteran jianghu figures; as the saying goes, "Even if Mount Tai collapses before them, their countenance does not change"—certainly the bearing of a master, but for Feng Yi, whose appearance is refined, speech unrestrained, and indifferent to life, it is clear a demon dwells within.

If he does not move, he is fine; once he moves, he seals throats and takes lives, wild as a wolf.

When they actually deploy the poison water, it is truly said that Buddha and demon are but a thought apart; it will surely overturn the Buddha in his heart, naturally inviting his demon.

Jia Bu forced composure, clapped his palms and said "good," then remarked: "Hero Feng truly has extraordinary courage and color; I just don't know which master could have trained someone like you."

Under Jia Bu's great reputation, and having been sent on orders, he refuses to suffer any setback, acting with extra caution; seeing Jia Bu increasingly courteous toward Feng Yi, everyone guessed his teacher must be someone of considerable background.

"With such a grand formation, could it be you've come to ask about my teacher?" Feng Yi said offhandedly, very composed.

Yet an intangible aura surged forth from deep within him; the elders naturally felt apprehensive: "Feng Yi is not old, yet he is already this formidable—what is his teacher's sect behind him?"

Even though the Sun Moon Divine Sect does not even regard the imperial court, meeting Feng Yi they truly fear him!

Because these two are fundamentally not the same matter.

The imperial court dares to act against the Sun Moon Divine Sect; the court is fixed, while they can sneak attack and assassinate, or blossom across the nation, throwing the court into chaos.

If the imperial court tried to encircle and suppress Black Wood Cliff, the terrain there is easy to defend but hard to attack; even a hundred-thousand-strong army could hardly take it, basically a loss, so everyone just goes their own way.

Just like gangs fighting in some modern localities, the court wouldn't really keep managing it.

Thus the grudge between the Demonic Sect and the orthodox martial world spanning a hundred years has seen only the Demonic Sect attack the various orthodox schools, with no school daring to even think of attacking Black Wood Cliff.

It's not that they don't want to; it's simply impossible to do!

No matter how reckless a martial artist, they never feel their sect's strength could match the imperial army.

Their strength lies only in covert sabotage.

Naturally, precisely for this reason, the court can manipulate those martial orthodox figures with families and livelihoods, but dealing with black‑path individuals gives them a headache.

Everyone fears being struck by guerrilla tactics.

Feng Yi is exactly like that now—lonely, without a fixed abode, running about wildly; from the moment he debuted he played with prostitutes, clearly a wastrel, so what is there to care about?

Once you fail to kill the snake, you bring harm upon yourself.

The Sun Moon Divine Sect too will, like the court facing martial figures, find it a loss not worth the gain.

"Since you all want my life," Feng Yi snapped his head up and shouted, "Why hide and skulk?"

As soon as his words fell, someone shouted loudly: "Now we are united against a common enemy—what sect divisions? Whether for revenge or gratitude, everyone come out together!"

In an instant, people leapt onto the roofs of all four sides—east, west, south, north—numbering fifty or sixty, men and women, old and young, monks and daoists, each with glinting weapons.

At that moment a sound of footsteps was heard; a group hurried over, torches held high, revealing dozens with heads wrapped in white cloth and waists bound with white sashes.

Jia Bu's eyes flashed; he immediately waved his hand, letting the Sun Moon Divine Sect members step aside—nothing could be better than sitting on the mountain to watch tigers fight.

Feng Yi glanced over and saw another forty or fifty rushing over, looking rather familiar, especially their attire, which seemed to be that of the Qingcheng Sect.

Only to hear Hou Renying shout loudly: "Surname Feng, you killed my master and harmed my junior brother—today you shall pay with your life!"

Feng Yi also did not know him, but seeing his shameless boast, he retorted irritably: "Just you?"

Hou Renying cried: "Not enough with me, but how could the heroes of the world tolerate a madman like you!"

Feng Yi smiled and said, word by word: "Who are the heroes of the world? Let me see them!"

Suddenly a voice rang out boldly: "Bold demon, how dare you look down on the heroes of the world!"

With those words, four figures shot out like lightning from the right, leaping before Hou Renying; their steps were uneven yet uniform, they wore tall caps and purple robes, bore long swords at their waists, and were about forty years old.

Jia Bu shouted: "The Emei Four Swords!"

Everyone was shocked—these four turned out to be from the Emei Sect.

The Emei Sect's martial arts form a unique school; over the ages its sword style has become known for being ruthless and swift.

The Emei Four Swords possess a Four Symbols Sword Formation derived from the Emei Four Symbols Palm, truly combining offense and defense.

If trapped in the sword formation, it is nearly impossible to survive.

When the four join forces, they can match any expert under heaven, yet I never expected them to appear here.

"Emei Sect?" Feng Yi gave a slight nod: "The Demonic Cult seeks me because I killed their people; the Qingcheng Sect seeks me because I killed Yu Canghai—did I also kill yours?"

One from the left said: "You dealt ruthlessly with Qingcheng disciples, not only killing Observant Yu but also murdering his disciple with the stolen Heart‑Destroying Palm. Such cruelty, disregarding righteousness, is demonic; eradicating demons and upholding the Way is our duty—do you still not submit?"

Then Jia Bu said: "The Emei and Qingcheng sects are both fellow martial artists of Sichuan, with deep ties—so it makes sense!"

"Ties?" Qin Weibang shouted: "I don't see it; these people each have their own pretext, but really they're after the Evil‑Repelling Sword Manual!"

"You bastard's son is full of hot air!" Hou Renying loudly cursed.

An Emei Daoist said: "Measuring a gentleman's belly with a petty heart, we cultivators uphold justice, eliminate demons and defend the Way—our responsibility is inescapable."

Only four sharp cracks were heard; the Emei Four Swords cried out, spewing fresh blood, and dozens of teeth scattered on the ground.

The heroes froze on the spot, each in a different posture; in their astonishment, hundreds stood silent as if time had stopped, thinking only: "How could this person's movement be so swift?"

These Emei Four Swords are all skilled fighters of the Emei Sect; in the original plot they once besieged Xiang Wentian. Linghu Chong saw that Xiang Wentian was no match and hastily came to his aid—though Xiang Wentian wore shackles, the prowess of these few is evident.

Yet when Feng Yi struck, they could not draw their swords or dodge in time; their hearts suddenly constricted, nearly ceasing to beat, so frightened they could not speak.

It turned out that when Feng Yi darted forward to strike, the heroes did not see clearly; upon returning to his original spot he was but a flash—coming and going in an instant, as if his body had not moved at all.

Though there were many experts present, none had witnessed Feng Yi's heavenly net‑like lightness; truly his advance and retreat were godlike.

Moreover, just how high Feng Yi's martial arts truly are is a question all jianghu folk wish to know, yet it remains unanswerable.

For even those who have seen him act only witness a raise of hand or lift of foot; no matter how formidable the opponent or how many, it is truly hard to gauge his full ability.

Feng Yi flicked his robe and spoke in a graceful tone: "Today, for the sake of the late Guo Jing, the Great Hero, I will spare you once; if you dare speak arrogantly again, you won't be so lucky."

The crowd blinked: "Guo Jing? A great hero?"

Only the Emei Four Swords and a few well‑versed in ancient and modern lore knew that Feng Yi referred to Guo Jing, father of the sect's founder Guo Xiang.

Jia Bu laughed heartily, utterly pleased: "The Emei Four Swords—just you old fellows—how could you be a match for Master Feng? Better go fetch the Venerable Golden Light!"

Everyone knew that Venerable Golden Light is the head of the Emei Sect, but his temperament is bland, he stays clear of disputes, transcends the vulgar, and enjoys himself; thus he earns neither praise nor blame, unlike the famed masters of Shaolin, Wudang, the Five Peaks Sword School, or the Sun Moon Divine Cult.

Hence the Emei Sect has always kept itself pure, avoiding worldly affairs, and enjoys a fine reputation.

Feng Yi then turned his gaze to Jia Bu and said lightly: "You've gloated enough here—come out and show your skill!"

Jia Bu smiled faintly: "You should first deal with them; my Sun Moon Divine Cult will not ally with false righteousness."

Feng Yi chuckled, looking around: "Could it be that you all intend to join forces with the Demonic Cult to deal with me?"

"Surname Feng!" someone in the crowd coldly chuckled: "It seems you cannot escape justice today!"

Feng Yi remained unmoved, saying lightly: "Bullying the few with the many is justice, joining with the Demonic Cult is justice—heh, this righteousness of the martial world's orthodox path is truly admirable!"

The orthodox crowd hearing this felt their faces flush; then a sudden hearty laugh was heard, and upon looking, a figure flickered.

On the opposite roof stood two people, their faces indistinct, appearing to be young men with long swords on their backs, their tassels fluttering high in the night wind.

Before the crowd could speak, the two floated down like great birds into the fire ring.

The two appeared to be about thirty; one tall and thin, the other of medium build, yet both handsome, with flying brows that swept into their temples, eyes bright and spirited, exuding heroic vigor.

Seeing their righteous bearing, Feng Yi asked: "Who are you two? Is my speech really that funny?"

One of them shouted angrily: "Ignorant brat, you don't even know our Point Azure Twin Swords!"

The other cried: "Today we will erase your palm‑sword lethal form from the jianghu!"

With a clang, both drew their longswords—one pointed straight at Feng Yi's face, the other lowered and swept straight at his lower body, aiming to slash his legs.

Feng Yi, relying on foreknowledge of jianghu figures, knew less than these long‑time wanderers, who all knew that the Point Azure Twin Swords had recently risen to fame in Yunnan‑Guizhou‑Sichuan, slain many evildoers, earned a reputation for chivalry, and were famed as "Point Azure Twin Swords, sword aura piercing the heavens."

Although we do not know their exact skill, they are certainly no ordinary lot; seeing them act against Feng Yi, even if we do not claim victory would rid the martial world of a great scourge, we can at least glimpse something of Feng Yi's ability or origin.

Thus, it is not hard to devise a countermeasure.

Not a single mistake, not a single thread, not a single hair, not a single inner part, not a single thing is missed in viewing!

Now we see sword light flash across the sky—one blade already reached Feng Yi's brow, the other was about to chop his foot; their sword speed was unprecedented in a lifetime, and all felt the Point Azure Twin Swords' artistry extraordinary, truly living up to the name "sword aura piercing the heavens."

Feng Yi saw a few points of cold light flying toward his face, a chilling wind at his legs; the long sword seemed about to pierce him, he gave a light laugh, channeled power into his index and middle fingers—with a ding, the steel sword snapped in two; he stepped down, and one sword was crushed under his foot.

The three‑inch sword tip was pinched between Feng Yi's fingers; with a casual flick, two hissing sounds rang out, blood spurted from their throats, and they collapsed with a thud.

The crowd was startled again.

Someone shouted in alarm: "This fellow knows sorcery!"

Hearing this, the heroes felt even more terrified and anxious.

Even though the crowd guessed the Point Azure Twin Swords were no match for Feng Yi, they never expected the outcome to be so absurd!

Those who had seen Feng Yi at Liu Zhengfeng's gathering thought at least to make him display a second move; thus these people's deaths would have some value.

But now?

The Point Azure Twin Swords entered with mighty vigor, yet were killed in a single move!

Just now Feng Yi slapped the Emei Four Swords; some thought it was a sneak attack, but now the Point Azure Twin Swords attacked first and were still felled in one blow—truly inconceivable.

Feng Yi looked around and proclaimed loudly: "Who else wishes to uphold justice?"

"Me!" As the words fell, a sudden wailing sound rang out; several steel cones turned into streaks of light flying from the crowd.

The crowd heard the mournful whine of the concealed weapon tearing through air, knowing its force extraordinary; the thrower's martial skill was superb.

Yet Feng Yi glanced not, flicked his sleeve; the streams of light hissed several times, then shot back along their original path.

Several thuds sounded as people fell; at once someone shouted: "Surname He, you damn bastard!"

"This is clearly Feng Yi's doing—why don't you go after him instead of framing Hero He?"

One in the crowd cried: "Everyone, don't panic—this villain brings calamity to the martial world, obviously harboring ill intent; let's all attack together!"

Suddenly another voice hissed: "With such skill, Surname Feng, if we don't kill him today, when will we ever have peace?"

"Surname Feng aided Liu Zhengfeng in colluding with the Demonic Cult, and consorted with a demonic cult temptress—everyone deserves to kill him; let's all rush forward!"

"Kill him and split the loot, Feng Yi's head is everyone's share, the treasure should also be divided equally, but we must first subdue him!"

Everyone couldn't help but startle, thinking that Feng Yi, this demonic fiend, was extremely hard to fight; once he got entangled with them, they would never have peace again. Since they had already forged enmity, it would be a matter of life or death; treasure or not treasure was secondary.

In an instant, someone shouted, and they all rushed forward.

Feng Yi had anticipated this.

Someone like him, once he appears, will arouse everyone's jealousy and hatred. Normally, in one-on-one encounters, no one dares to provoke him. But if they abandon righteousness and swarm him, they won't lag behind.

Because very few people wish for someone like Feng Yi to exist in the world.

Because he is far stronger than they are.

For example, Qiao Feng being besieged and Linghu Chong being framed were both because they were too strong.

Just as, in modern times, if someone possessed superpowers, behind their glory would also mean that someone wants to slice them up for research.

Everyone thinks this way: 'How dare you be so arrogant?' This is the most straightforward way to court death.

Because among the people of the jianghu, those who truly uphold justice are few and far between.

Just like court officials, there are not lacking those who wholeheartedly serve the people and hold convictions, but the majority are officials and politicians whose sole aim is to climb higher.

Someone like Feng Yi, who sees things clearly and dares to speak out openly, must be eliminated.

In short, the world cannot allow someone so arrogant to exist.

As Feng Yi was focusing, he suddenly heard a sharp whistle; then the sky darkened above, a black shadow swooped down from the air, and a flash of light covered his head.

This was a monk holding aloft a monk's spade, pressing it down.

Its momentum was astonishing; Feng Yi slightly sidestepped, the monk's spade missed, with a thud it buried itself half a foot into the ground.

As the monk was about to lift his spade to change stance, he suddenly heard a light laugh; Feng Yi kicked the spade, casually swung it, and with a swish, the monk's head rolled to the ground.

At that moment, a monk wearing an apricot-yellow robe thrust his staff forward toward Feng Yi's head.

At the same time, a man wielding double halberds thrust toward Feng Yi's ribs; these two weapons were heavy and their force immense.

Feng Yi sidestepped, and the monk, taking advantage of the motion, brought his staff back to hook Feng Yi's head and neck.

This move is called 'Seeming Past, Returning to Reality,' one of the most lethal techniques in the Subduing Demon Staff Technique; the move is unexpected and comes and goes like the wind—even if the enemy anticipates it, they often cannot dodge in time.

Moreover, at this moment four people surrounded Feng Yi from all directions, each with different weapons; one wielded a single blade, flashing wildly, all offensive moves, the sword technique fierce and ruthless,

one wielded a jointed steel whip, flexible as a snake.

one wielded a meteor hammer, its watermelon-sized hammerhead whistling through the air with terrifying momentum.

one wielded a straight spear, its force extremely vigorous!

These are all martial arts masters.

However, as Feng Yi deflected the staff, his hand movements never paused; he reached out and seized the wrist of the whip-wielder.

With a flick of Feng Yi's arm, the man felt his body slip from his control; his weapon flew from his hand, and his own body became a shield that Feng Yi used to block the weapons of the others.

Only hearing a series of 'thuds,' the few attacking Feng Yi felt a huge force surge forth; the monk's staff jerked up, nearly slipping from his grasp, while the others, lacking his deep and pure internal strength, could not withstand Feng Yi's transmission of power through objects, spat blood, and were flung away, rolling on the ground.

Only hearing a few 'clangs,' the weapons then fell to the ground, showing how fast Feng Yi struck.

That monk was not knocked down by Feng Yi; he gripped his staff, about to strike again, but Feng Yi's attack flowed seamlessly, incredibly swift—he stepped left with his foot, his left hand like an Azure Dragon probing claw, and seized the monk's vital chest point, the 'Chest Center Point'.

Releasing his internal energy, with a bang the monk fell heavily to the ground and instantly fell silent.

When Feng Yi unleashed this palm power, not to mention him, even top-tier masters like Dongfang Bubai and Fang Zheng, if struck in such a vital spot by this palm, would be either dead or crippled!

Feng Yi, feeling exhilarated, called out loudly: 'Have you seen enough?'

He casually took the monk's staff, turned his body, and with a whoosh, the staff shot forward like a spear toward Jia Bu of the Demonic Sect.

The staff flew like lightning; Jia Bu turned pale with fright, dared not catch it, and hastily dodged.

With a puff, the staff pierced one person's body, flesh and blood flying, its momentum undiminished, it carried that person and impaled another behind him, linking five people in a row before its force spent.

The five were already dead, yet remained standing.

The heroes watched, their souls fleeing their bodies; they never imagined one person's martial arts could reach such a height. Instantly, all fell silent, and the steps they had been about to take forward halted.

Only seeing dozens of people glaring angrily, gripping their weapons, eager to try, yet not a single one dared to step forward and attack on his own.

Here there are many old-timers, well-versed in the art of self-preservation; looking at it now,

All that's needed is the right moment and a suitable expression, and that's plenty!

As long as I don't die today, I have once stood at the very forefront of those besieging Feng Yi.

This achievement is glorious enough to brag about for a lifetime; wherever I go I could take the chief seat. There's really no need to fight to the death, unlike those reckless chargers who end up lying on the ground—there's hardly any benefit or glory in that.

Fortunately, their mental process was not in vain.

Because some people came with a mission.

Jia Bu narrowly avoided being skewered like a candied hawthorn by Feng Yi, his face drained of color, he shouted: 'The sect leader's order is to capture Feng Yi, dead or alive!'

'Not bad!' Hou Renying stepped forward, his face full of righteousness, and said: 'When the moment arrives, sticking out your head is a blade, pulling it back is also a blade; we all share a common hatred, let's swarm him—once his true qi is exhausted, he cannot escape death, so what is there to fear?'

'Kid,' Feng Yi chuckled, 'what are you from the Azure City Sect, daring to scare this old man here?'

Hou Renying's face flushed with anger; he hadn't expected Feng Yi not to know who he was, and he protested indignantly: 'I am Hou Renying—do you have the ability to kill all the over a thousand people here?'

Feng Yi smiled faintly, shook his sleeves, nodded slightly, and said: 'I thought I was someone; no wonder you're an elite inner-door disciple of the Azure City Sect, you have some courage. But Feng Mou might not be able to kill everyone, yet killing you should not be difficult!'

A slight movement of his sleeve sent a thread-thin gust of force toward Hou Renying.

That force moved extremely fast; only a master of concealed weapons would hear a soft 'hiss' and think Hou Renying was done for.

Unexpectedly, a black shadow shot out from the side, striking with a palm; Hou Renying's sleeves fluttered, yet he was unharmed, and he coldly replied: 'That's not necessarily so!'

Feng Yi raised his eyebrows: 'Any more masters? Then take another palm from me!'

He stood still, pushed his palm forward slightly, and a tremendous, immensely solid force surged toward Hou Renying. (End of chapter)