Chapter 244: The Dust Settles

Facing this spray of black light shooting toward him.

Yu Liancheng's long sleeves rose and curled in the air, twisting and turning like a dragon; in an instant, he wrapped up the black light, then gave a light flick, and that spray of black light fell to the ground, revealing itself to be a cluster of poisoned long arrows, though they had already been twisted into smithereens.

At the same time, he struck out with a palm through the air, a burst of Pojing blasting out and slamming heavily into the Big Boss's back.

The Big Boss immediately spat out blood, his massive frame flying out of the window like a rag doll, soaring quite a distance before finally rolling onto the ground.

After struggling on the ground for a moment, this once-formidable Big Boss breathed his last.

And at the very moment Yu Liancheng struck with that palm, a flash of sharp light erupted in the eyes of Mr. Chou Er; he knew his opportunity had arrived.

The long sword behind Chou Er suddenly left its sheath; as the long sword unfurled, the sword light illuminated the entire room, and it pierced toward Yu Liancheng like lightning. This strike was sharp and swift, impossibly fast, and was the very essence of Mr. Chou Er's swordsmanship.

He had always been very confident in his sword.

Over the past half-year, he had traveled all over Jiangnan, and with the long sword in his palm, he had already faced seven of the ten great swordsmen of Jiangnan, and not a single person had ever been able to last thirty moves under his sword.

Some had even said that after the Third Young Master of the Xie Family died, if Chou Er were willing, he could take down that plaque inscribed "Number One Sword Under Heaven" at any time.

This was, of course, flattery, but it undoubtedly proved his strength.

Clang!

A crisp sound of collision rang out.

This strike of Chou Er's, which he believed would never miss, was flicked away by Yu Liancheng's finger; the entire sword light shattered instantly, and he himself was pushed back by a great force, stumbling as he retreated.

His eyes held a look of disbelief.

The sword strike he had unleashed with all his might had actually been broken by the other man with a single finger.

Yu Liancheng said calmly, "With swordsmanship like yours, if you want to hurt me, I fear you will need to practice for another hundred years of bitter work. If you stop now, you might still save your life."

Chou Er's face darkened; if he were alone, he might truly have slunk away in defeat.

But he still had a friend named Mao Da.

Most people in the Edo believed that Mr. Chou Er's swordsmanship was more terrifying than Mao Da's, and his martial arts higher than Mao Da's.

But only he himself knew how foolish and ridiculous such a view was.

And only Chou Er knew that if Great Teacher Mao Da wanted his life, a single move would be enough.

That was a truly fatal move.

No one could imagine the speed, power, and variations of that move.

He and Mao Da had faced life and death and shared hardships for many years, yet he had only seen it once.

Clang!

Great Teacher Mao Da had indeed made his move.

It was indeed a sword strike as fast as lightning.

The Sword Qi was chilling, like the eternal ice and snow on the peaks of distant mountains. One did not even need to touch it; just by looking at it with one's eyes, one could feel that bone-piercing chill, enough to make one's blood and marrow turn completely cold and frozen.

This sword strike was not only fast, but the sword hummed accompanied by the whistling wind, and the power contained within it was not to be underestimated.

Furthermore, this seemingly simple sword strike contained seventy-two variations.

No matter how the opponent dodged or blocked, the subsequent seventy-two variations could lead them to their death.

Chou Er had also struck at the same time.

Perhaps Great Teacher Mao Da's sword strike could not win in one blow, but with his sword strike to complement it, it could cover all flaws and loopholes, forming a move where heaven and earth intersected, a move that would shatter the earth and shock the heavens.

It had once been said that when they joined forces to use this move, no one in the world could withstand it.

Yu Liancheng's expression did not change; his pair of slender, clean hands reached out, drifting and guiding within the sword light.

This move looked simple, but it was truly a supreme technique in martial arts; it was precisely—"Parting Clouds, Turning Moon."

The two sword lights, which had been crossing like Qinglong, were somehow diverted from their path.

Only two cries of agony were heard.

Yu Liancheng remained motionless.

Mr. Chou Er's body had actually flown out, a sword wound on his chest; he groaned twice, then fell silent.

Great Teacher Mao Da knelt on one knee, using his sword to support his body so he would not collapse to the ground. And in his chest, Chou Er's Sword was embedded, having entered through the front and exited through the back.

He gritted his teeth, suddenly pulling out the long sword from his chest with a backhand motion, blood gushing out like a spring, and said with a trembling voice, "You... you..."

Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back and said faintly, "If you want to put others to death, then you must be prepared to die yourselves."

Great Teacher Mao Da's eyes bulged with rage, as if they wanted to spit fire; his lips parted and closed, as if he wanted to say something, but he could not utter a single word—and never would again.

Li Zhenzhen's pair of pitch-black eyes shone, like stars in the night sky.

Her martial arts were naturally not as good as Mao Da's or Chou Er's, but as the head disciple of the Emei Sect, her discernment was naturally quite good.

She had already seen Yu Liancheng use "Parting Clouds, Turning Moon" twice; the first time, it made the eight burly men guarding the door kill each other, and this time, it made two First-class Swordsmen kill each other in an instant; it could be called a peerless technique that was marvelous under Heaven.

If she could get her hands on this martial art...

For a moment, Li Zhenzhen's thoughts began to churn.

Yu Liancheng turned his body and arrived before Bamboo Leaf Green, smiling slightly, "I know your swordsmanship is quite good; why didn't you strike together with Mao Da and Chou Er?"

Bamboo Leaf Green's back was already soaked with cold sweat: "I... I was just waiting..."

Although he was dressed like a weak scholar, his martial arts were extremely profound, especially his attainments in swordsmanship, which were perhaps only a notch inferior to Chou Er's.

But not only was his name "Bamboo Leaf Green," his nature was also like a bamboo leaf green snake. He excelled at waiting for the right moment to act and striking from the shadows. Originally, he had intended to wait until Yu Liancheng and the two men, Mao Da and Chou Er, had fought to the death before unleashing a fatal strike.

But he had not expected those two to be defeated so quickly, and so cleanly.

Yu Liancheng said faintly, "Strike, I will give you one last chance. Of course, if you don't strike, I will still kill you."

Bamboo Leaf Green's face turned deathly pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He suddenly let out a roar and lunged toward Yu Liancheng, and a cold light flashed in his long sleeve as a soft sword was drawn, like a startled swan or lightning.

Yu Liancheng's expression did not change; at the moment the Sword Qi was pressing against his eyebrows and the tip of the sword was about to pierce his throat, his hand suddenly reached forward.

Li Zhenzhen had not seen how Yu Liancheng struck at all, but Bamboo Leaf Green had already fallen heavily to the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with his eyes unclosed.

Yu Liancheng lowered his sleeve: "Tell someone to clean this place up; I will rest in this mansion tonight."

Li Zhenzhen looked left and right, and it seemed that apart from herself, there was no one else, so she hurriedly said, "Good, good, I understand."

This was also an opportunity to escape, but having witnessed Yu Liancheng's martial arts, she had already developed other thoughts.

Yu Liancheng walked to the doorway and looked up; the sky was covered in dark clouds, as if a rainstorm were brewing, and he muttered, "No matter what, I will be able to see the Life-Taking Thirteen Swords tomorrow."