Chapter 1668: Battle of the Ruins (Lower)

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Li Chen Zhou could almost determine that the other side had already prepared for their arrival from the very beginning, shooting down the eagles and falcons, decisively killing the Beast Tamer on their side. In fact, he also understood that even if he had kept the Beast Tamer alive, it might not have been enough to handle the scene of ten thousand rats swarming before them.

A group of experts were being chased by rats, scrambling with their heads in their arms—this scene was also incredibly ironic.

Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua also dared not delay; if they stayed in place, they would soon be surrounded by the rat swarm. Though small, the rats were formidable—they could swim and climb trees, and in these mountains and wilderness, when they moved in groups, they were unstoppable. Before the rat swarm reached them, they withdrew first.

The two leapt and vaulted through the forest, reaching higher ground. Those rats rarely surged upward but instead rushed straight down the mountainside in a frenzy. Because the entire mountain was covered in snow, the black rat swarm was especially conspicuous. One could only see the rat swarm like a rushing stream flowing straight down the mountain, yet their direction was toward Yongdu City.

Hu Xiaotian sucked in a breath of cold air and said: "Just how many rats are hidden here?"

Ji Feihua gazed into the distance at the ruins, where rats continued to pour out endlessly. Furrowing her sword-like brows, she said: "I never expected Hei Hu to also have such a skilled Beast Tamer."

Hu Xiaotian regretted it deeply: "If only I had known to bring Zhangming along." Xia Zhangming was a top expert in beast taming; if he were here, perhaps he could have found a way to respond.

Ji Feihua smiled: "Don't forget why we came here tonight." They had come with the intention of sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, but they hadn't expected the situation to be so one-sided—Li Chen Zhou's side hadn't even had a chance to display their strength before being routed by Hei Hu's rat army.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, secretly thinking: Li Chen Zhou had clearly been careless about this matter. In tonight's operation, he was cautious but unprepared. Perhaps Li Chen Zhou was still holding a wait-and-see attitude, or perhaps he didn't believe Qiu Xian Guang's intelligence, which is why he was thrown into chaos by Hei Hu's surprise attack.

Li Chen Zhou and his companions fled all the way down the mountain. At last, they escaped the rat swarm, seeing it mighty and mighty continuing toward Yongdu. At the same time, they saw a black smoke spiraling upward from the direction of the ruins, quickly gathering into clouds in the night sky—countless bats, their wings fluttering and blocking the moonlight. Soon they passed over their heads, flying toward Yongdu City.

Li Chen Zhou gazed at the bats in the air and the rats on the ground, suddenly sucking in a breath of cold air, silently thinking: "Not good." From the situation before him, such a grand display was clearly not prepared just for the few of them. He worried that Yongdu was about to change, and said to Shi Kuan: "Go. We must return to Huangcheng immediately."

Hu Xiaotian also saw the bat swarm and said softly: "Do you still remember when we went to Jian Shan Zhuang in Tian Xiang Guo to wash our swords?"

Ji Feihua nodded. At that time, she and Hu Xiaotian had agreed to go to Jian Shan Zhuang to rescue Xu Ling Kong, but due to unforeseen changes along the way, they decided to split up—Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming went to Jian Shan Zhuang to save Xu Ling Kong, while Ji Feihua went to Kuai Huo Lin. That was also the time Hu Xiaotian encountered the demon beast Yan Hu Xiao on a narrow path.

During that previous trip to Jian Shan Zhuang, although Hu Xiaotian hadn't found Xu Ling Kong, he had, by a twist of fate, rescued the Beggar Sect's Transmission Elder, Guan Yun Chong's teacher Qiao Fang Zheng. From that incident, one could infer that Yan Hu Xiao and the Guan father and son were colluding.

Upon seeing the rat formation before him, Hu Xiaotian's first thought was of Yan Hu Xiao.

Ji Feihua suddenly said: "Look!"

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw a black and a white figure approaching them—none other than the Black and White Corpses. They had seen the rat army drive Li Chen Zhou and others away and had left, but they hadn't expected that today's attackers were not only Li Chen Zhou's side—Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua were also hiding nearby.

Ji Feihua looked at Hu Xiaotian, clearly seeking his opinion.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Leave it to me!" He drew the great sword Hidden Edge Sword from his back. This sword was forged for him by Sect Tang in the past. Though its power was immense, it was not suited for casual use.

The Black and White Corpses were sprinting at full speed across the snow, like two bolts of lightning—one black, one white. Suddenly, a figure dove down from midair. Before landing, he swung his great sword horizontally, and the invisible sword qi struck the snow, sending up a blast—*Peng! *—as snow was flung upward from the ground by the sword qi, forming a snow wall before the Black and White Corpses, blocking their path.

They stopped just in time. The snow mist cleared, and Hu Xiaotian's tall, stalwart figure appeared before them. He gripped the sword with one hand, the blade angled forty-five degrees downward, his body slightly turned thirty degrees in the opposite direction. One had to admit this fellow's posing skills were not bad—he looked indeed handsome, elegant, and graceful like a jade tree in the wind.

Even Ji Feihua, still hiding in the tree, couldn't help but want to clap and cheer—but though it looked good, in actual combat it seemed useless. In a life-or-death struggle, showing off seemed unnecessary unless one was a habitual show-off or possessed overwhelming absolute strength to afford such playfulness, to tease the opponent.

The faces of the Black and White Corpses were wooden and unfeeling, their eyes unmoving. No wonder it's said that strangers don't enter each other's doors. The White Corpse let out a cry and charged first.

Hu Xiaotian chopped with his sword—this was one of the Seven Slays of Heaven Sword. The vast inner breath from his Dantian Qi Sea surged, rapidly transmitted through the meridians to the sword blade, then released from the blade, sword qi emanating outward. The invisible sword qi had substance yet no form, tearing through the air, suddenly arriving before the White Corpse.

The White Corpse had already sensed the threat from the air currents. Its body flickered sideways, leaving only an afterimage in place. The sword qi struck the afterimage. If it had been a split second at night, the White Corpse would certainly have been split in two. Looking again at the snow where it had just stood, a trench three zhang long had appeared—snow completely cleaved, revealing the frozen earth below.

Ji Feihua saw Hu Xiaotian repel the White Corpse with one sword and secretly praised: It seems Hu Xiaotian's swordsmanship has improved again. His inner strength is formidable; as long as he can freely release his sword qi, ordinary experts would find it hard to get close. If he could fully convert his inner strength into his own use, perhaps few in the world would be his match—even she herself would not be an exception. Ji Feihua did not feel the slightest jealousy at Hu Xiaotian's strength; instead, she felt delighted for him.

Just as the White Corpse retreated, the Black Corpse came rushing at Hu Xiaotian like a black smoke. The White Corpse dodged Hu Xiaotian's sword and immediately coordinated with the Black Corpse to block Hu Xiaotian's possible retreat.

Hu Xiaotian had never thought of retreating. The Seven Slays of Heaven Sword he had just used was merely a test. Facing enemies, one must use the simplest, most direct, and most effective technique to defeat them. At this critical moment, he didn't use a sword at all—instead, he reversed the Hidden Edge Sword and plunged it back into its sheath behind him, then charged straight at the two.

Ji Feihua widened her eyes in concern, having never seen such a technique before in her experience.

Seeing Hu Xiaotian bare-handed and seemingly offering himself up, the Black and White Corpses were overjoyed. They waved their claws, trying to grab his body and tear him to pieces. But when their distance became infinitely close, their expressions suddenly changed—because a chilling sword qi suddenly appeared before them.

Hu Xiaotian had not drawn his sword—where did this sword qi come from?

The Sword Demon Dong Fang Wu Wo once asked Hu Xiaotian about the realm of swordsmanship. Hu Xiaotian answered with three: sword in hand, sword in heart; no sword in hand, sword in heart; no sword in hand, no sword in heart.

Dong Fang Wu Wo finally took him as a disciple, teaching him one sword technique. The Sword Demon Dong Fang Wu Wo practiced swordsmanship his whole life, making himself into a sword slave. He told Hu Xiaotian: A sword need not be held in the hand. Though people speak of sword and man as one, true unity means no distinction—man is sword, sword is man. Given Hu Xiaotian's inner strength level, why pursue external sword qi? Through the sword, one can transmit the formless qi—after all, it's much trouble. If one makes oneself into a sword, then one can likewise emit sword qi.

This matter had troubled Hu Xiaotian for a long time, until at last he understood: it was simply about training oneself to become a sword person! When facing enemies, don't see yourself as a person—see yourself as an unbreakable, ever-victorious sharp sword.

Therefore, the Po Tian Yi Jian technique cannot be practiced without strong inner strength as its foundation. Without strong inner strength as backup, charging forward equals suicide. What Dong Fang Wu Wo taught Hu Xiaotian was actually just sword intent—merely teaching him how to freely store and release his inner breath, when to conceal killing intent, when to reveal it. Moreover, more importantly, the sword qi Hu Xiaotian erupts with is more direct and powerful than that emitted through weapons.

Only by truly facing the Po Tian Yi Jian can one feel this terrifying, suffocating power.

The Black and White Corpses felt as if a sword had suddenly been inserted between them, and this sword, surrounded by immense sword qi, suddenly expanded outward. They had no time to react—their bodies were severed by the invisible sword qi.

Ji Feihua had been watching the battle closely, yet even so, she didn't clearly see how Hu Xiaotian had severed the Black and White Corpses at the waist—and done so cleanly, a double kill.

On the snow lay only the corpses of the Black and White Corpses. Now they truly deserved their name as a married pair of corpses. Hu Xiaotian saw the Black Corpse's upper half still twitching, lifted his foot, and kicked it far away.

Ji Feihua floated down behind him. Usually unperturbed by honor or disgrace, she now couldn't help but exclaim: "You're wielding the sword with your body—sword and body as one!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and nodded: "Impressive, right?"

Ji Feihua glanced again at the corpses on the ground and sighed softly: "I never thought you'd become a sword person in such a short time!"

Fourth—thanks to all the brothers and sisters for their support. I suddenly noticed the first three chapter titles were really shameless: first came a hundred mouths, second a giant egg, third a long fish demanding flower petal rain? I don't know if the elder brother behind me can't have chrysanthemums rained on just because they're far away? Is it really that Old Zhangyu can't be poked? Or should we come with some foreplay lubricant? Can't stand it—teasing the elder brother, let's go further! In the coming days, let's march on Chang Ayi's chrysanthemum!

【It's almost 515—hope we can keep pushing for the 515 Red Envelope List. On May 15th, the red envelope rain will reward readers and promote the work. One effort is also love—definitely keep updating well!】(To be continued~^~)