Chapter 218: Yan Nantian and Zhang Jing (Bonus chapter for Hall Master Da Zizai Wuyou)

On the embroidered bed.

Yao Yue's pair of cold, piercing eyes had already opened, like a deep, tranquil pool of cold water, revealing not a shred of emotion. Yet, within this cold pool, it seemed as if waves could be stirred up at any moment.

She gritted her teeth, with only one thought in her mind.

Lost.

Lost completely and utterly.

She could sense that when Yu Liancheng dealt with her, he had not even used his full strength.

For Yao Yue, who had been invincible under the heavens for decades, this was no less than a heavy blow to her pride and dignity; such a defeat was simply more terrifying than being killed.

The first thing she thought of after waking up was suicide.

But immediately after, she thought of how to take revenge.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just at this moment, the sound of collisions rang out.

The sound of lightning-fast clashes was as dense as the beating of drums.

Upon hearing it, Yao Yue could immediately guess that two peerless experts were fighting.

She could not help but reveal a look of confusion.

She could naturally guess that one of them was undoubtedly Yu Liancheng.

But who could the other person be, to be able to fight Yu Liancheng for so long without being defeated? Their martial arts must surely not be inferior to her own.

Could it be that Yan Nantian has come back to life?

Or are there other top-tier experts in the world today?

Yao Yue could not guess, but she was already filled with curiosity. Thus, she pushed aside the quilt, barely supporting her injured body, and walked toward the window.

In the courtyard, two figures moved unpredictably, like ghosts, exchanging dozens of blows in an instant.

In the eyes of others, these two had turned into lightning, impossible for the naked eye to track.

Yet, Yao Yue's eyes could clearly reflect the figures of the two; one of them was, of course, Yu Liancheng, but when she saw the other person clearly, her already pale complexion instantly turned as white as paper.

——Lianxing!

That person was actually Lianxing!

Lianxing's martial arts were clearly inferior to her own, so why could she fight Yu Liancheng for over a hundred moves without being defeated? Could it be that Yu Liancheng was intentionally holding back?

But soon, Yao Yue made a terrifying discovery.

There was a strange suction force in Lianxing's attacks; her palms struck out continuously, and her Internal Force seemed endless.

And with every attack she made, there was a chilling frost, like ice and snow, to the point that even the ground was covered in a thin layer of ice.

This... could it be that Lianxing has reached the legendary Mingyu Ninth Layer!?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Yao Yue's jade hands clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Learning that Lianxing had reached the Mingyu Ninth Layer seemed even harder to accept than being defeated by Yu Liancheng.

This was not hard to understand.

People can accept others surpassing them—being richer than them, luckier than them...

But if this person is someone by their side, then it immediately becomes unbalanced.

What's more, Lianxing had always been her follower, not even daring to speak loudly to her.

And now, not only had Lianxing found a lover with higher martial arts than her, but even Lianxing's own martial arts far surpassed her own; how could Yao Yue swallow this bitterness?

Mingyu Ninth Layer.

She must break through to the Mingyu Ninth Layer.

Only then would she have the qualifications to fight these two.

But as for how to break through, Yao Yue had no direction in her heart at all.

Just as Yao Yue was dazed, Yu Liancheng and Lianxing had already stopped fighting and were walking toward the room where Yao Yue was.

Yao Yue's heart skipped a beat, feeling as if she had been caught spying on others; she could not help but lie back down on the bed and close her eyes to feign sleep.

Even Yao Yue did not understand why she did this; given her personality, even though she was still injured, shouldn't she be fighting Yu Liancheng to the death?

The sound of footsteps approached, and the voices of Yu Liancheng and Lianxing talking also drifted over.

"The Mingyu Ninth Layer is indeed powerful; not only is one's own True Qi inexhaustible and never-ending, but it can also absorb the True Qi of others, and one can freeze people into ice at will." This was Yu Liancheng's voice.

"But even so, if we continue to fight, I will always lose and never win, and I would lose quite miserably." Lianxing's voice came out, seemingly carrying a trace of regret.

Yao Yue, lying on the bed, was even more shocked; she had been distracted earlier and had not watched the two fight carefully.

But now, hearing that even the Mingyu Ninth Layer was no match for Yu Liancheng, a sense of despair could not help but arise in her heart.

"No." Yu Liancheng shook his head: "The Mingyu Ninth Layer may not necessarily be a match for me, but the reason you were defeated so quickly and so thoroughly is because you have only just ascended to this realm, and your control over the Mingyu True Qi is not yet sufficient. Wait another three to five months, and your strength will far exceed what it is now. By then, even if I wanted to deal with you, I fear it would take some effort."

"Hmm, you are right; let's have another fight then." Lianxing shifted her gaze toward Yao Yue and sighed: "If Sister could let go of the obsession in her heart, perhaps she would have already reached the Mingyu Ninth Layer. Your medical skills are excellent; quickly check on Sister, why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"If she could let go, she wouldn't be Yao Yue." Yu Liancheng shook his head, walked to the bedside, and took Yao Yue's pulse.

He glanced at Yao Yue, a trace of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Rest assured, I was very measured in my strikes, and your sister's martial arts are high; at most, after a period of recuperation, she will recover."

Lianxing breathed a sigh of relief: "That is good."

"By the way, while you were unconscious, San Guniang of the Duan Family sent me a message saying that Yan Nantian has appeared in the Edo again."

Lianxing said in surprise: "Yan Nantian? Isn't he a living dead man in the Villain's Valley?"

"In reality, his injuries can be treated; he is not truly a living dead man."

Lianxing's eyes flickered as she said: "Since he has appeared, he will inevitably seek revenge on Yihua Palace. Fortunately, I am now at the Mingyu Ninth Layer; apart from you, there is no one else in the world who is my match."

"You are wrong." Yu Liancheng shook his head again and said: "If I am not mistaken, Yan Nantian's Wedding Dress Divine Skill has also reached completion; in terms of power, it is by no means inferior to your Mingyu Kung."

Lianxing gave a cold snort and said: "Is that so?"

She was spirited and confident, possessing an inherently captivating charm, already vastly different from the Lianxing of before.

"Let us go, and let your sister rest."

Yu Liancheng smiled and reached out to wrap his arm around Yao Yue's slender waist; through her thin palace robes, he could already feel the delicacy of her waist: "Yannantian is likely coming to find me; perhaps you will be able to see him in these next two days."

Only after Yu Liancheng and Lianxing had completely departed did Yao Yue open her eyes.

"Yannantian?"

She murmured the name; she had originally intended to force herself to leave despite her injuries, but she decided to take a look at Yannantian, for he was, after all, a supreme expert who had once stood on equal footing with her.

……

Following the collapse of the "World's Number One Hero" reputation of Dilingzhuang, another matter resounded throughout the pugilistic world.

The "World's Number One Hero" and "World's Number One Divine Sword," Yannantian, had re-emerged in the pugilistic world.

Once this news was confirmed, the various Demons were immediately cowed into submission, and the Dao grew while the Demon waned.

The Thirteen Bandits, who had previously run rampant on Mount Tai, vanished without a trace, and the evil expert "Heavenly Ghost" Ying Buchou voluntarily turned himself in.

The Four Great Thieves of Jiangnan died violent deaths, simply because two of them were so frightened by the news of Yannantian's return to the pugilistic world that they wanted to retire, while the other two would not allow it, leading to a heated argument and, ultimately, mutual slaughter.

The reputation of the "World's Number One Hero," even after a lapse of more than ten years, still possessed a tremendous deterrent force.

According to rumors, Yannantian seemed to be going to find the recently rising "Heavenly Soldier Master" Yu Liancheng.

As for the reason, no one knew.

But the meeting of these two generations of experts would likely trigger another legendary storm, leaving people expectant and yearning.

……

A long street.

The street was bustling with people coming and going, very lively.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Suddenly, a burst of hoofbeats rang out sharply.

A horse was seen suddenly charging out from the street corner on the right.

The horse was fire-red, and the person on the horse was also fire-red, just like a ball of fire, flying as they charged into this street.

The rider's horsemanship was truly excellent, and this horse was truly a rare steed in the world; as it wove through the busy market, causing a scene of chaos, it did not hit a single person or knock over a single stall.

"Finally slipped out; Mother is truly too annoying." The person on the horse was a young girl in red, peerlessly beautiful, with a bright smile on her lovely face, simply like a fairy descending to the mortal world.

In her hand, she held a fire-red horse whip, and her waist was also bulging, seemingly concealing a soft weapon.

"That guy Yu Liancheng has already finished off Jiang Biehe, and his reputation has soared. I don't know what he plans to do next; this young lady will just go and help him."

The young girl on the horse was, naturally, "Xiaoxiannv" Zhang Jing.

She had originally intended to go home and explain a few things to Sanniang before coming to find Yu Liancheng.

But Sanniang was both worried that it was unsafe for her daughter to roam the pugilistic world alone and wanted her daughter to spend more time with her, so she would not let her leave.

Zhang Jing had finally found an opportunity to slip away and had come running to find Yu Liancheng again.

Just at this moment, a person suddenly walked out from the corner.

This person clearly was not moving very fast, but for some reason, in the blink of an eye, they were already in the middle of the long street.

Seeing that she was about to hit this person, Xiaoxiannv reined in her horse in the split second before impact.

"Hey, hurry and scatter, don't block the way." Zhang Jing snorted coldly.

"Little girl, riding a horse on this long street, aren't you afraid of hitting someone?" The person's voice was low and hoarse, as if their throat had been torn.

Hearing such a voice, Xiaoxiannv could not help but be startled, then she snorted coldly: "With my horsemanship, how could I hit anyone?"

The person said: "In any case, it is always better to be a little careful."

"What are you? You dare to lecture me."

Xiaoxiannv was already angry; although she hated evil, she was inherently arrogant and domineering by nature, and although she had been tempered quite a bit by Yu Liancheng, after being cooped up at home for a period of time, her old habits had resurfaced.

As this rebuke was uttered, the horse whip in her palm also flew out.

The originally limp leather whip in her hand seemed to suddenly turn into a venomous snake, then into a flickering flame, whipping toward that person.

That strange person's reaction was extremely slow, as if they did not know at all that being whipped would hurt, and they just stared at the whip in a daze.

Just as the whip was about to leave a bloody scar on their body, who would have thought that as the tip of the whip reached their hand, the long whip would suddenly break into a dozen pieces, each piece falling to the ground.

Not to mention the onlookers who were dumbfounded at this scene, even Xiaoxiannv could not figure out what had happened.

She only felt a strange force transmitted from the long whip; her body immediately felt as if it had been electrocuted, and she nearly fell off the horse.

If it were someone else, suddenly seeing such astonishing martial arts, even if they were not scared half to death, they would usually not dare to strike again.

But Xiaoxiannv dared.

She was even eager to try.

While staying at home with Sanniang, she had also been diligently practicing the "Five Ultimates Divine Art," and her martial arts cultivation had greatly improved. She had originally intended to find Yu Liancheng to test her skills, but she had not expected to encounter this strange person first.

Xiaoxiannv had already leapt out, and with a split of her hands, she drew two short swords.

Sword light flashed like a startled swan or a bolt of lightning; in that very instant, Xiaoxiannv had launched seven strikes at the strange person. Each strike was unfathomably profound, each strike was the most dangerous in the world, and each strike was a refined sword technique recorded in the "Five Ultimates Divine Art."

Seeing this sword technique, the strange person's eyes lit up.

It was as if the most fastidious gourmet had seen a delicacy.

Their body swayed, and somehow, all seven of Xiaoxiannv's strikes missed.

Xiaoxiannv gritted her teeth, the sword light unfurled, and a brilliant sheet of sword light swept toward the strange person once more.

She was already a top expert among the younger generation, and combined with this sword technique, there were likely few people in the world who could match her.

But this strange person only swayed gently each time, and without any apparent cleverness, they had already dodged the short swords.

By the time Xiaoxiannv had finished the set of sword techniques and began to repeat them, the strange person finally shook their head and said: "This set of sword techniques is truly not bad, and you, little girl, are also very talented. But it is a pity, you are too impatient and have not learned the essence of the sword technique at all."

As the last word was spoken, the strange person gave a light shout, and without anyone seeing what movement they made, the two long swords in Xiaoxiannv's hands suddenly flew from her grasp, like two green sparks, embedding themselves into the wall nearby.

Xiaoxiannv herself also stumbled back repeatedly, using a deflection method from the "Five Ultimates Divine Art" to dissipate this force before steadying her stance.

"Eh!" The strange man seemed surprised for a moment.

When he unleashed this move, it should have been enough to make Xiaoxiannv fall to the ground and struggle to get up for a while, giving her a lesson, yet he had not expected the martial arts she practiced to be even more profound than he had imagined.

The strange man frowned: "It seems you are a disciple of a martial arts family, but no matter which family you belong to, you should not strike people so heavily."

Fortunately, Xiaoxiannv had not yet drawn the "Nine Appearances Divine Dragon Ghost Sorrow" from her waist; having been defeated by this person twice in a row, she finally began to examine this strange man seriously.

She saw that the strange man was very tall with broad shoulders, yet he was as thin as a rail, wearing a short blue cloth robe that hung loosely on him, as if a gust of wind could blow him onto the roof.

His eyes were sunken from his thinness, his face sallow and gaunt, full of signs of illness, yet his eyes appeared awe-inspiring, and his whole person was like a sick tiger.

Though a sick tiger is sick, it can still roar in the mountains and forests.

Although Xiaoxiannv had been traveling in a great hurry, she had heard of the most sensational event in the martial arts world recently.

She suddenly grew alert, having thought of one person. A look of respect appeared on her face as she cupped her fists and bowed: "Junior Zhang Jing pays her respects to Yan Nantian, the World's Number One Hero."

The strange man nodded: "I only hope you will not bully others with your martial arts or gallop horses through busy streets in the future."

This man, who looked as if he would fall over with a single push, was actually the "World's Number One Hero," Yan Nantian.

Zhang Jing said: "This junior understands."

Yan Nantian added: "Little girl, whose disciple are you? Who taught you your martial arts?"

"The whip technique was taught to me by my mother, Sanniang, and the sword technique was learned by this junior from a secret manual," Zhang Jing said truthfully.

Yan Nantian suddenly widened his eyes: "Wait, who is your mother?"

Zhang Jing said: "My mother, Sanniang, has always admired the World's Number One Hero and hopes that you might find time to visit us."

Yan Nantian looked at Zhang Jing, his gaze suddenly softening, and he muttered to himself: "Alike, indeed alike, it is as if she were carved from the same mold, yet their personalities are completely opposite; I wonder how she raised her."

Zhang Jing asked in confusion: "World's Number One Hero?"

Yan Nantian finally returned to his senses and laughed heartily: "Little girl, are you heading to Anqing?"

Zhang Jing nodded.

Yan Nantian smiled again: "Good, good, that is exactly the same way I am going."

Zhang Jing said hurriedly: "It is a great honor for this junior to travel the same path as the World's Number One Hero."