Chapter 153: Slaying Shangguan JinHong

Who is the strongest person alive today?

It depends on the circumstances, but it should be Shangguan JinHong.

It should be Shangguan JinHong, but if you include Shen Lang, the result changes.

First, eliminate the Old Man of Tianji.

……

On the Weapon List, the strongest person alive today is Shangguan JinHong. In their final battle, Shangguan JinHong prevented Li Xunhuan from launching his flying dagger—had he not insisted on testing Little Li's Flying Dagger, and wasted his chance, Li Xunhuan would be dead.

In The Wanderer of the Border City, Jing Wuming also told Ye Kai that Li Xunhuan's martial arts were truly inferior to Shangguan JinHong's—he won only because of Li Xunhuan's righteous spirit.

Now, the strongest on the Weapon List, Shangguan JinHong, stepped toward Gu Qing.

Jing Wuming followed behind Shangguan JinHong, both moving in perfect unison.

This battle today is unavoidable.

Gu Qing, holding Sun Xiaohong, suddenly leapt upward, covering nearly thirty feet in a single glide, then his feet moved in rapid succession as he stepped through empty air, twisting through the sky before soaring straight into the mountains—his speed and agility surpassed even Chu Liuxiang at his peak.

Shangguan JinHong held his Dragon and Phoenix Rings in hand, yet watched helplessly as Gu Qing vanished into the forest; even without horses nearby, Gu Qing's speed was beyond Shangguan JinHong's reach.

"Did Gu Qing run away?"

Jing Wuming's voice was cold and still—no sooner had he spoken than a scream echoed from the dense woods.

Every move Shangguan JinHong made required absolute certainty. This attack on Gu Qing wasn't just him and Jing Wuming—they had also stationed men in the woods and fields. Now, under the dark night, visibility was near zero. Shangguan JinHong and Jing Wuming stood at the mountain's foot, listening as screams came one after another.

Darkness surrounded them, yet Gu Qing seemed to know exactly where his enemies hid. His movements were decisive, as if he never feared colliding with anything in the dark. The screams moved from near to far, then back again, forming a vast circle. When Gu Qing reappeared, the moon had just risen—he floated lightly, his robes pristine, untouched by dust.

Killing many of the Golden Coin Gang felt like brushing off a speck of dust.

"Excellent eyesight."

Shangguan JinHong did not praise Gu Qing's lightness, martial arts, but his eyesight—only sharp vision could pinpoint hidden foes in total darkness.

"My liver is better."

Gu Qing said calmly—liver nourishes the eyes.

"Excellent killing intent."

Shangguan JinHong added.

For masters like them, killing one person in a day would drain their killing aura. Yet Gu Qing had plunged into the forest and killed nearly a hundred in moments—his killing aura grew stronger, not weaker.

"This is merely a minor slaughter in my lifetime."

Gu Qing said frankly.

Campaigning against the Mongols in Hulin, sweeping through the Japanese Wu Lin—both were mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Today's killings are just warming up.

Sun Xiaohong stood just behind Gu Qing. Moments ago, he had swept her in a whirl, calling it "clearing the enemy line," but she knew he was creating a safe space for her. Now, listening to his words, she realized comparing Gu Qing to Yuan Suiyun, the Bat Lord, had been unfair.

Gu Qing is far more terrifying than Yuan Suiyun.

Shangguan JinHong raised his hand, aiming vaguely at Gu Qing, Dragon and Phoenix Rings firmly gripped.

A ring is an unusual weapon, also called a circle. Legend says Nezha's Qiankun Ring was a type of "ring"—this weapon had sharp edges on both inner and outer rims, used primarily for swinging, smashing, chopping, pushing, locking, hooking, and pressing. Some masters could even throw the rings and summon them back to their hands.

Shangguan JinHong was unquestionably a master of this art.

Jing Wuming stepped forward first, sword drawn.

"Clang!"

Jing Wuming's sword slashed diagonally; Shangguan JinHong followed, his Dragon and Phoenix Rings smashing and hooking—three weapons struck Gu Qing simultaneously, without order.

This was the synchronized Heji art they had trained together for years.

Three weapons now, yet Gu Qing threw out only one punch!

The punch was dense, heavy as a mountain.

Jing Wuming's longsword, struck by this internal force, felt as if it had hit a city wall—his blade veered involuntarily to one side. Shangguan JinHong's overlapping Dragon and Phoenix Rings collided with Gu Qing's fist, mere inches away.

"Dong…"

It sounded like two gears meshing in midair, grinding loudly. Gu Qing and Shangguan JinHong locked in place, neither yielding an inch.

In that instant, Jing Wuming reached Gu Qing's back, his sword sweeping upward to stab his spine!

"Ding dang ding dang ding dang ding dang…"

Gu Qing heard the sound, didn't turn, reached back with one hand, pinching and tapping in rapid succession—his fingers danced, letting Jing Wuming's three-foot sword thrust forward, only for the blade to shatter into three-inch fragments.

Jing Wuming stared in shock at his broken sword. After his weapon was cleanly severed last time, he had specially forged a new blade in the Golden Coin Gang—yet before Gu Qing's fingers, it was no different from ordinary iron.

"Now!"

As Jing Wuming froze in shock, Gu Qing's left hand shot forward, fingers jabbing straight onto Shangguan JinHong's Dragon and Phoenix Rings.

Internal force surged—Shangguan JinHong leapt backward, pulling both hands back, spinning his left wrist so the flying ring spun wildly in his grasp to block pursuit, then released his right hand—just as he retreated, the ring flew straight toward Gu Qing.

Gu Qing tilted his head slightly—the flying ring whistled past his cheek, directly toward Jing Wuming behind him.

Jing Wuming, faced with this sudden change, merely sneered—he and Shangguan JinHong had fought together so long, they knew each other's moves. He tapped his three-inch blade against the flying ring, instantly redirecting it to spin sideways toward Gu Qing.

Gu Qing still didn't turn. His left hand reached back casually, snatching the flying ring into his palm, then leapt forward, hurling the ring at Shangguan JinHong with the same motion.

Shangguan JinHong, having lost one ring, remained calm. With one hand, he clashed, pushed, locked, hooked, and twisted against Gu Qing's flying ring. This strange weapon moved with perfect stability in his hands—not winning through trickery, but through sheer, upright power, yet its inherent oddness naturally lent his techniques a touch of peril.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

After only five clashes of the Dragon and Phoenix Rings, Sun Xiaohong sensed something wrong.

She was the granddaughter of the Old Man of Tianji, raised beside him since childhood—her theoretical knowledge and martial vision were among the finest in the world. Now, she saw: Shangguan JinHong's moves were orthodox, yet his true trick had already been revealed—he had thrown the ring, hoping Gu Qing would catch it.

Rings were obscure weapons; few knew them well. Even renowned ring masters paled beside Shangguan JinHong. Gu Qing's martial arts were peerless, his technique extraordinary—but once he seized the flying ring, his offensive power weakened. Now the rings locked together, blades interwoven, placing Gu Qing at a disadvantage.

"Hu!"

Shangguan JinHong's free hand gathered internal force and slammed toward Gu Qing.

Jing Wuming, wielding only his three-inch blade, leapt forward, stabbing at Gu Qing's back.

Gu Qing flipped his body, still holding the flying ring, falling backward through the air. He pressed his palm onto Shangguan JinHong's incoming arm, then spun the ring, reversing the entire Dragon and Phoenix Ring technique.

Shangguan JinHong had intended to entangle Gu Qing with the rings—but now, as Gu Qing reversed the technique, the interlocking joints of the rings instantly loosened. Gu Qing reversed it three times, then twice more, regaining full control of the rings. Shangguan JinHong had never seen such a move—he recoiled in shock.

Gu Qing, wielding the Dragon and Phoenix Rings, descended from the sky as Jing Wuming, sword in hand, arrived at his side.

"Shua!"

Gu Qing, with the flying ring, severed Jing Wuming's left arm.

The blow left Jing Wuming pale as death, collapsing to the ground.

"You've done well."

Gu Qing praised Jing Wuming: "Too bad you chose to wield a sword against me."

The realm of no sword—sword is everywhere.

Jing Wuming attacking Gu Qing with a sword was no different from cutting his own flesh.

Had he used another weapon, Gu Qing might not have so easily controlled him.

"I still will wield a sword against you!"

Jing Wuming pressed his hand to stop the bleeding. His arm severed, his face turned deathly pale—but his right hand now gripped the sword again.

A three-inch blade is still a blade.

Jing Wuming's right hand wielding the sword was even sharper than his left.

Gu Qing smiled, passed Jing Wuming, and charged toward Shangguan JinHong, swinging the Dragon and Phoenix Rings—each force applied perfectly, as if he had trained with them for over a decade.

Shangguan JinHong raised his hand to clash with Gu Qing's technique—Jing Wuming's sword struck again. Gu Qing curled one finger and flicked it—using the invisible finger-blade technique from the Lu Xiaofeng world, startling Jing Wuming into a desperate dodge.

"Duo duo duo duo…"

Gu Qing wielded the Dragon and Phoenix Rings with one hand, pressing down on Shangguan JinHong.

At this moment, Gu Qing's knowledge of martial arts was vast, forged through countless brutal battles—his experience was beyond Shangguan JinHong's imagining. His entire martial system had fused into one. Now, mastering the Dragon and Phoenix Rings' transformations, his techniques flowed like clouds and water, precise in power, stunning Shangguan JinHong, and complex in change, leaving him bewildered.

Jing Wuming pressed forward with his sword. Gu Qing kept one hand behind, opening and closing it—his finger-blades struck in rapid succession, forcing Jing Wuming to leap, duck, stagger, and parry, never closing within two zhang of Gu Qing.

Sun Xiaohong watched, realizing even the Old Man of Tianji could not match Gu Qing's ease, his effortless mastery.

"Qiang!"

The Dragon and Phoenix Rings locked together once more.

Shangguan JinHong raised his left hand—Gu Qing suddenly shrank his body, slipping into Shangguan JinHong's chest, then shoved his shoulder forward in a powerful Iron Mountain Shoulder strike.

The impact made Shangguan JinHong's eyes bulge—he staggered backward until his back slammed into the mountainside. The rock shattered into pieces beneath him—not a simple retreat, but a backward strike that cracked the stone apart.

The same thing shattered: Shangguan JinHong's heart meridian.

Jing Wuming roared and charged again. Gu Qing opened his hand, grasped the air, then flung it—Jing Wuming landed beside Shangguan JinHong.

Shangguan JinHong's heart meridian was severed. Jing Wuming, as if his soul had died, lay motionless, silent.

The two truly had something between them.

Sun Xiaohong stepped beside Gu Qing, studying him. The Golden Coin Gang's recent chaos had been seen by the Old Man of Tianji as a great calamity—but no one expected Shangguan JinHong to die in an ambush meant for Gu Qing.

This martial world calamity had vanished.

"Xiao Fei, Xiao Fei…"

Lin Xian'er's urgent cries carried on the night wind.

Gu Qing and Sun Xiaohong turned toward the sound and saw "Shangguan Fei" sprinting toward them. Seeing Gu Qing and Sun Xiaohong, he roared and lunged at Gu Qing.

Gu Qing remained calm, watching A Fei approach: "Didn't you say you'd give me a chance to change?"

"Shangguan Fei" slowed, his face twisting into a grotesque mask.

Gu Qing's act wasn't redemption—it was deliberate wrongdoing. But unquestionably, his heart was good—he made A Fei see Lin Xian'er's true nature.

"Remove this disguise! Now!"

A Fei snarled.

Disguising himself as Shangguan Fei had been the deepest betrayal A Fei had ever suffered.

Gu Qing chuckled and prodded A Fei's eyelid; A Fei paid no heed—until Gu Qing poked beneath the eyelid, and his face spontaneously wrinkled, allowing him to tear it away and reveal his true features.

"Little Fei."

Lin Xian'er ran over weeping; when she saw Gu Qing and Sun Xiaohong, her gaze burned with hatred, but right then she had to win back A Fei, sobbing: "It was all fake with him—it's only you who's real."

Lin Xian'er had endured countless battles, relied too heavily on past successes, and so failed to notice the difference in size—by the time she realized it, A Fei had already pulled up his pants and run off.

"The Money Gang's power is too great—I had no choice…"

Just as Lin Xian'er was about to burst into tears and spin a lie, her eyes fell to the side: the famed Money Gang boss lay on the ground, barely breathing, while Jing Wuming—who had once been her lover—now had a severed arm, crawling before Shangguan JinHong.

The martial world's balance has changed.

The famed Money Gang is also beginning to decline.

(End of Chapter)