Chapter 48: Public Rupture (2)

The sound of boots thumping on the ground shook the earth. Two rows of Liefeng Cavalry guards blocked the crowd on the street, and even the people from the Helian Martial Arts Hall were blocked backward. The crowd watching from all sides grew larger and larger, but the entire long street became empty. Huang Fei walked forward slowly, stood still beside Ye Xuanshang, and said to the accompanying deputy general: "Pass the order down, seal off this street, and no idlers are allowed to enter without permission."

The deputy general took the order to handle it. A young man in brocade clothes emerged from beside Huang Fei and winked at Ye Xuanshang. Ye Xuanshang was stunned, only to find it was Han Xi. The city defense guards on duty here had originally received Helian Qi's order not to interfere in this matter and only watched from the sidelines, but they did not expect the Shao Yuan Jun to suddenly intervene. Seeing that the situation had changed, they hurriedly sent people to report to the Marquis Mansion.

Seeing Han Xi disguised and following Huang Fei out of the palace, looking intimate, Helian Qi's face darkened. He endured it and bowed to Huang Fei very reluctantly: "Duqi Commander Helian Qi has met the Lord." Although his Duqi Commander position was an important post in the inner city forbidden army, it was several levels lower than Huang Fei and was also under his jurisdiction. Even though they had never been on good terms, he had to meet him with courtesy.

Huang Fei raised his hand and said: "Since everything is according to the rules of the Jianghu today, Young Master Helian need not be too polite. The Liefeng Cavalry is just clearing the field for the two of you to prevent anyone from interfering, and it has nothing to do with the palace or the mansion." As he spoke, he returned the salute, his posture extremely elegant.

Helian Qi laughed with him: "In that case, please let the Lord witness from the side, so that people won't say later that my Helian Martial Arts Hall bullied the few with the many."

Huang Fei stood with his hands behind his back, nodded with a smile, did not look at Ye Xuanshang, but said in a low voice: "Don't worry about acting. I will take responsibility before the Helian Marquis Mansion and the King."

A sharp light flashed in Ye Xuanshang's eyes. He knew that this person who could influence the political situation of Chu had finally made a clear response to the Di Du, and he also felt an extreme self-confidence and thunderous means from his actions. This battle had truly become the key to the future division and union of Chu, Mu, and the Di Du. He looked ahead faintly: "Thank you, Lord."

Huang Fei smiled slightly and moved to the side to watch the battle. Han Xi hurriedly followed him: "Helian Qi has bad intentions. He says it's a martial arts competition, but he clearly wants to take the opportunity to kill. Why don't you try to stop him?"

Huang Fei's eyes were full of interest, as if looking forward to a good show before him: "Just watch the battle with peace of mind. It is too early to determine life and death. What's more, I cannot interfere in this matter, nor can I interfere."

This kind of challenge to compare sword techniques is very common for martial arts practitioners. If one does not fight, it means one is afraid of the opponent and has no courage to compete, which will inevitably be ridiculed by the Jianghu. Therefore, even if Huang Fei tried to stop it, Ye Xuanshang would never stop fighting because of this. Han Xi also understood this point, frowned helplessly, and looked forward.

At this moment, Ye Xuanshang and Helian Qi stepped into the field, their eyes fixed on their opponents at the same time. As soon as the two sides confronted each other, the demeanor of masters was immediately visible. The long street seemed to be captured by a low-pressure momentum, becoming silent.

Helian Qi locked onto Ye Xuanshang, slowly drew his sword from its sheath, and set up a posture of preemptive attack at the beginning. The long sword pointed at the opponent from afar, constantly trembling. A cold sword Qi made everyone feel that he might jump up at any time and launch a fierce attack, but because of the changes in the sword body, no one could grasp the angle at which he was about to strike.

The Zhu Ri Sword, deeply hidden in its sheath, seemed to have sensed that compelling momentum. Huang Fei raised his hand to touch the hilt. Just by looking at this starting posture of Qi penetrating the long sword and turning reality into emptiness, he knew that this direct descendant of the Helian family was not as frivolous as he appeared and indeed had true talent and learning.

Ye Xuanshang stood still, still resting his sword on his shoulder, with a lazy, faint smile on his lips, and asked loudly: "Master, you have been slow to draw your sword. What are you waiting for? Could it be that you are afraid of the sword in my hand?" His tone was arrogant, not taking the opponent seriously at all, appearing very contemptuous of the enemy.

Helian Qi's eyes sharpened, overflowing with murderous intent. Han Xi stared at the field without blinking, full of worry, but a smile that was hard to detect rose in Huang Fei's eyes.

Helian Qi used True Qi to urge his sword to force the enemy, intending to lead the opponent to strike first to probe his reality. This was exactly where his sword technique excelled. However, Ye Xuanshang was unmoved and took the opportunity to sneer coldly. Not only was his momentum not inferior to his opponent during the confrontation, but he also saw that Helian Qi was naturally arrogant and conceited, so he goaded him. This move not only showed his exquisite martial arts cultivation but also used stillness to control movement, hiding his true strength, which secretly matched the way of military strategy and could be said to be very brilliant.

Helian Qi was worthy of being a master of a famous family. Although his anger rose suddenly, his sword intent could remain calm and he did not attack rashly. But if the two of them continued to stalemate like this, no one would think there was anything wrong with Ye Xuanshang, who stood proudly in the field waiting for the enemy. Instead, Helian Qi, as the challenger, would be considered hesitant and afraid to fight, which would inevitably lead to a great loss of face.

Sure enough, after a while, discussions began to arise in the watching crowd. The murderous intent in Helian Qi's eyes grew stronger. He could no longer hold back, let out a cold shout, stepped forward, and the long sword turned into a terrifying sharp light and slashed toward his opponent.

The strong wind hit his face, but Ye Xuanshang still stood still. Until the sword light approached his eyebrows, he suddenly moved diagonally to the left with lightning speed, and the Guili Sword in his hand shot out a few inches from his shoulder with a clang.

The Heart-Piercing Sword brushed past his face and slashed toward his arm, but it hit the sword edge that was instantly bursting with cold light. With a hoarse, muffled sound, the Guili Sword appeared and disappeared, quickly retracted into its sheath, and the Heart-Piercing Sword was actually blocked by the edge of the blade.

Helian Qi's heart was slightly startled, and his sword momentum was stifled by this strange move that had no reason to follow. But he responded extremely quickly, sank his waist and sat on his horse, the sword edge dropped suddenly, then leaned forward and moved horizontally, his elbow hitting Ye Xuanshang's vital point on his chest.

This strike was precise, fast, and ruthless. If Ye Xuanshang did not abandon his sword and retreat immediately, he would inevitably have his chest broken and die on the spot. He laughed loudly, flew back rapidly, and at the same time exerted force in his hand. The Guili Sword sounded like a dragon's chant, snatched out of its sheath, and after standing still, pointed at Helian Qi from afar.

In an instant confrontation, Helian Qi snorted coldly, the long sword flashed with cold light again, carrying the power of thunder, and struck forward directly. It was exactly the "One Hair's Breadth" move, which was extremely fierce in the Thousand-Character Heart-Piercing Sword!

The people of the Helian Martial Arts Hall cheered loudly! Just by this move, it could be seen that Helian Qi's sword technique had already caught up with his father's, entered the upper-grade sword realm, and his strike not only grasped the essence of "fast" but also brought the ruthlessness of the Heart-Piercing Sword into full play.

The sound of breaking wind was sharp and ear-piercing, showing how sharp the sword Qi was. But unexpectedly, facing such an offensive, Ye Xuanshang raised his eyebrows and shook his wrist, the sword edge slanted upward, actually wanting to block this sword that penetrated the rainbow with one hand.

Exclamations arose outside the field, and Han Xi even grabbed Huang Fei's arm and blurted out: "Ye Big Brother, be careful!"

A flash of light, the Guili Sword suddenly slid sideways at the moment of hitting this devastating sword. It was still a real sword-to-sword clash, but most of the Heart-Piercing Sword's offensive was resolved by borrowing force, and it bounced upward with a ding.

Helian Qi attacked again, a whistling sound appeared under the sword, the moves were continuous, one after another, not allowing the opponent half a chance to breathe. It was exactly "Thousands of Armies and Horses"!

The long street seemed to be a battlefield, and the murderous aura surged like a tide.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of intense clashing was endless. Helian Qi slashed several swords in a row like lightning. Every time the Guili Sword was slashed, brilliant light burst out. Under his storm-like offensive, Ye Xuanshang had no chance to fight back and kept retreating.

Cheers arose all around. Even those who didn't like the Helian Martial Arts Hall had to admit that Helian Qi's sword technique was indeed extraordinary, and at the same time, they secretly felt sorry for Ye Xuanshang, who was clearly at a disadvantage.

Han Xi was very anxious. Suddenly seeing several birds flying past in mid-air, her pretty eyes turned, and she had an idea. Who knew that just as she pinched the spiritual formula between her fingers, she was suddenly held by Huang Fei: "Don't be naughty!"

"Helian Qi will kill Ye Big Brother!" Han Xi said, struggling backward, but was held by him and couldn't move.

Huang Fei looked at the sword light that burst out frequently in the field. If you want to weaken it, you must first strengthen it; if you want to take it, you must first give it. It would be difficult to explain this way of using soldiers to Han Xi in three days and three nights. Just let her not cause trouble. "Have you forgotten who killed Zhu Jiuyin?" With a simple question, the struggling hand in his palm stopped. Han Xi blinked and looked at the field again.

Huang Fei let go of Han Xi's hand and smiled faintly. If he couldn't even deal with a mere Helian Qi, then this step was a useless move, which didn't matter.

At this time, Helian Qi, who had clashed with Ye Xuanshang several times, was secretly shocked. Although he forced his opponent to retreat step by step, the force constantly rebounding from the Guili Sword also made him very uncomfortable. It was just that Ye Xuanshang had never made a frontal counterattack, which made him still not take him seriously.

The sharp swords clashed again, and there was another ear-piercing clear sound. The two people in the field flew back into the air at the same time. After pulling away a distance of several feet, they both stood still with their swords.

Dust rose on the long street, and the Heart-Piercing Sword locked onto the opponent, shaking slightly, constantly accumulating compelling momentum.

The sun shone from the sky, and the Guili Sword in Ye Xuanshang's hand pointed diagonally to the side, the blade snow-white.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and everyone outside the field seemed to be suppressed by a cold aura, unable to make any sound.

Ye Xuanshang's lips curled slightly. Although it was a very slight fluctuation of breath, it had already been clearly reflected in his divine sense. Helian Qi had attacked several times without success. Whether it was physical strength, momentum, or patience, he was no longer as sharp as before and had turned from prosperity to decline. And he had just looked like he was fighting with all his strength in every move, but in fact, he had used exquisite techniques to unload force and defend. Although he seemed to be at a disadvantage, he had not consumed a large amount of True Qi like his opponent.

The Guili Sword seemed like a hidden dragon wanting to soar, wind and thunder gathering, like its master, slowly emitting a sharp and arrogant murderous aura.

Driven by this opportunity, Helian Qi shouted loudly and finally drew his sword with all his strength!

The figure of the opponent in his eyes approached rapidly, ten steps, five steps, three steps... Strange light suddenly flourished in Ye Xuanshang's eyes, his body like a soaring dragon, man and sword as one, meeting this earth-shattering sword with a clear whistle!

The fierce light shone in the sky, the amazing light covered the sun, and the world seemed to stop instantly.

A splash of flying blood stained the long sky!

The black clothes and blue robes brushed past each other, the Guili Sword sheathed with a clang, and Ye Xuanshang had already landed behind Helian Qi.

At the moment Ye Xuanshang drew his sword, Han Xi felt the same murderous aura appear and disappear on Huang Fei, who was standing next to her. While still stunned, she saw him raise his hand and flick it to the side, and the Liefeng Cavalry guards acted on orders.

In the field, Helian Qi's body swayed forward and fell straight down. The fresh blood gushing rapidly from his heart slowly stained the long street.

Han Xi stared at Helian Qi, who had fallen to the ground and died, with disbelief on her face. Inside and outside the long street, it was dead silent. After a while, the disciples of the Helian Martial Arts Hall came to their senses, shouted angrily, and rushed forward.

The Liefeng Cavalry soldiers had long blocked in front like a copper wall and iron wall. Swords and halberds clashed, causing the horses to hiss slightly. Huang Fei looked at the crowd coldly, his tone cold: "Since this competition was witnessed by me personally, whoever wants to cause trouble, ask me first if I agree."

The Helian Martial Arts Hall faced the Liefeng Cavalry that swept the Nine Domains and could not cross the thunder pool for half a step. Intimidated by its power, they finally had to withdraw their swords and retreat. One of them bowed and said hatefully: "The Lord's favor today, my Helian family will keep it in mind, and will return it in full another day!"

Huang Fei sneered: "The outcome of today is obvious to all. If the Helian family wants to provoke trouble because of this, I will accompany you to the end." After speaking, he turned and ordered: "Come! Collect the corpse for Young Master Helian!"

The Guili Sword was sheathed, and Ye Xuanshang returned to his lazy demeanor, as if the commotion before him had nothing to do with him. Huang Fei walked toward the carriage. When he passed by him, he suddenly stopped and smiled slightly: "What a Guili Sword that makes people praise, what a wonderful competition. When I have time another day, I will definitely invite the Young Master to compete."

Ye Xuanshang tilted his head slightly: "The Lord is over-praising. Xuanshang also wants to see the demeanor of the Zhu Ri Sword again. At that time, please ask the Lord not to hesitate to give advice."

Huang Fei laughed, walked away with his hands behind his back, Ye Xuanshang carried his sword on his back, didn't even look at the people of the Helian Martial Arts Hall, and left on his own.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 49 =====