Chapter 256: Snow Drifting in the Human World, Yagyu Tajima no Kami

In the courtyard.

A trace of killing intent flickered across Liusheng Piaoxu's pretty face, her beautiful eyes coldly fixed on Yu Liancheng. The height of this man's martial arts had far exceeded her imagination; he was an opponent like none she had ever encountered.

Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, a spring-breeze-like smile on his face, not taking her icy gaze to heart in the slightest.

Outside the courtyard, the sounds of slaughter and combat were incessant, and from time to time, one could hear bursts of miserable wailing.

Liusheng Piaoxu found the sounds familiar; many of them were her Xinyin Sect disciples.

But her gaze sank, and in an instant, she entered a state of stillness like an ancient well, completely unaffected by the outside world.

Whoosh!

The next moment, the blade light transformed into a streak of lightning, slicing through the long sky.

This strike was, of course, not "Snow Drifting in the Human World" or "God-Slaying Blade Slash," but unlike the previous fierce and overbearing moves, it was exquisite in its variations; the blade light wove into a net, instantly covering the sky and shrouding Yu Liancheng from head to toe.

Yu Liancheng did not retreat or dodge; instead, he pressed his two fingers together and thrust them out into the air like a Divine Sword, transforming into a stream of light that tore through the air, striking directly at the densest point of the blade light.

The Finger Blade collided, and only a "ding" was heard, like the trembling sound of gold and Iron clashing, echoing endlessly in the courtyard.

Liusheng Piaoxu's "Heavenly Net" instantly shattered, and strands of overbearing and vigorous energy surged from the blade into Liusheng Piaoxu's body, causing her Qi and Blood to churn incessantly.

Yu Liancheng smiled and said, "I said, you had best use God-Slaying Blade Slash or Snow Drifting in the Human World."

"Fine, as you wish."

Liusheng Piaoxu slightly steadied her Qi and Blood, gently exhaling a long, thin breath.

Her jade hand gripped the hilt tightly, the tip of the blade pointing diagonally at the ground.

The next moment, coldness swirled in those beautiful eyes, and it was as if a biting cold wind had suddenly swept through the entire courtyard.

Swish!

A glistening white, chilling blade light sliced through the void.

Liusheng Piaoxu had already unleashed a strike; this strike was beautiful to the extreme, as if she were not killing, but dancing gracefully. Yet, as this strike was unleashed, it was as if snowflakes were falling in profusion from the sky throughout the entire courtyard.

These were not snowflakes.

—They were condensed blade Qi.

And as this strike was unleashed, the snowflakes were carried by the howling wind and integrated into the strike, making its power even more astonishing, like a collapsing snow mountain, capable of crushing all things and destroying everything. It was also filled with a cold, clear beauty that made one involuntarily intoxicated by it.

—Snow Drifting in the Human World.

Facing such an astonishing strike, Yu Liancheng took a light breath and suddenly shouted, "Break!"

The moment this word "break" left his lips, a stream of white air was immediately exhaled, shooting out like an arrow.

The air stream struck the weakest point of the blade light; although it was immediately dispersed by the blade light, the blade light itself also faltered slightly. It was at this moment that Yu Liancheng tapped out with a finger.

This was a simple tap, but the mastery of timing and the swiftness of the strike were truly breathtaking.

The fingertip instantly broke through the blade Qi and collided with the blade edge.

Crack! Crack!

Under the violent impact, the Martial Warrior sword became covered in spiderwebs, cracks opened up, and it fell to the ground in rustling fragments.

Liusheng Piaoxu was shocked, her figure twisting like a wild goose, and she darted away in another direction like lightning.

"I have taken a fancy to you; how could you possibly leave?" Yu Liancheng chuckled, his sleeves rolling, and an incomparable suction force immediately generated from his palm.

Liusheng Piaoxu let out a soft cry, flying toward Yu Liancheng against her will.

But when she was no more than two feet away from Yu Liancheng, she flipped her jade palm, and a ruthless palm force slashed toward Yu Liancheng's chest.

She was young, and her Internal Force had originally been her weakest link; this kind of grinding effort could not be solved by talent alone.

But after Liusheng Piaoxu's brother, Yagyu Jubei, and sister, Yagyu Yukihime, passed away one after another, her father, Yagyu Tajima no Kami, poured all his heart's blood into her, even passing a portion of his own cultivation to Liusheng Piaoxu for this purpose.

Therefore, as Liusheng Piaoxu unleashed this palm, the wind howled, and its power was not to be underestimated.

However, with a flick of his arm, Yu Liancheng had already preemptively wrapped his arm around Liusheng Piaoxu's slender waist, while simultaneously transmitting a pure and profound Internal Force into her body to seal her True Qi.

Liusheng Piaoxu suddenly felt her whole body go limp; the palm that was meant to be a thunderous strike landed on Yu Liancheng's chest, but it felt like a lover's caress.

"So, Miss Piaoxu has a special fondness for me, hence throwing yourself into my arms."

Yu Liancheng looked down at Liusheng Piaoxu, one hand holding her slender waist, the other gently lifting her chin: "What a pity, I have seen so much beauty that few women can move my heart anymore. Oh, are you the one hundred and twenty-third, or the one hundred and twenty-fourth?"

Liusheng Piaoxu had never been in such intimate contact with a man before, and coupled with his frivolous words, she felt her face burning. She scolded angrily, "You... you had better let me go, otherwise when my father arrives, he will surely split you in two."

Yu Liancheng pinched her smooth chin and smiled, "Very well, I was just planning to go see that great Grandmaster of the Xinyin Sect. As for letting you go, that is not impossible."

Liusheng Piaoxu bit her silver teeth and said, "What do you want?"

Yu Liancheng laughed, "It's very simple, just join my 'Heaven Beyond Heaven.' I plan to recruit six experts to manage Heaven Beyond Heaven with me, ranked second to seventh. If you join now, perhaps I can appoint you as the 'Second Heavenly Maiden'; you won't have such a good opportunity later."

Liusheng Piaoxu glared at Yu Liancheng with hateful eyes and scolded, "Don't even think about it."

Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow and said, "There was a woman named Yao Yue who was just as disobedient as you, but later she was trained by me to be obedient and clever; although she occasionally plays some little tricks, she is also quite adorable."

Liusheng Piaoxu snorted coldly.

At this moment, two people walked into the courtyard, dressed in green, but their faces were covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see their features.

Their clothes were embroidered with three peach blossoms, but they were black peach blossoms, giving people a strange and captivating beauty.

—Ink Peach Blossoms.

This was the symbol of the Demon Sect.

The Demon Sect had strict order; Ink Peach Blossoms could not be embroidered at will, and three Ink Peach Blossoms represented the high-level protectors.

In the days when the Demon Sect was at its peak and rampant in the Edo, there was a rumor: "Three plum blossoms, three, even ghosts and Gods find no peace."

"Greetings, Heavenly Venerable." As soon as the two entered the courtyard, they bowed respectfully.

Yu Liancheng said with a calm expression, "How did it go?"

"Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, a total of seventy-three Dongying people have been dealt with. Thirty-three committed unforgivable crimes and were killed on the spot. As for the rest, except for two from the Xinyin Sect and five from the Iga School, the others also had varying degrees of guilt; our subordinates have either crippled their martial arts or severed their hands and feet..."

"Why did you do this? How did we offend you?" Liusheng Piaoxu exclaimed.

"I said, I am just settling the accounts for the crimes they committed in the past. The reason they have such an end is only because of the mistakes they made over the past three years." Yu Liancheng gently stroked Liusheng Piaoxu's hair, a smile on his face.

The Giant Whale Gang is wealthy and powerful, treating this group of Dongying Martial Warriors as honored guests, which inevitably makes them become arrogant and domineering, bullying men and oppressing women.

Before coming to the small town, Yu Liancheng had already dispatched Demon Sect disciples to investigate in secret. Who committed what crime and what punishment they should receive had long been stipulated.

"What kind of rats dare to come to my Xinyin Sect Dao Field to cause trouble? You are courting death!"

Just at this moment, a thunderous roar rang out, traveling from afar, making one's eardrums buzz; clearly, this was someone with deep Internal Force. Immediately following this came the sound of weapons clashing and screams.

But this time, the ones crying out were the Demon Sect disciples.

"My father has already rushed back. He is a Grandmaster of the Xinyin Sect, and his blade technique is extraordinary and holy. Since the death of the 'Phantom Sword' Mian Kuangsilang, he has been the number one expert in Dongying. You could never be his match; I advise you to Escape as quickly as possible."

Liusheng Piaoxu allowed the other party's frivolous and rude actions; though she felt a bit ashamed and annoyed in her heart, she maintained her composure on her crystalline face.

She had originally been very confident in Yagyu Tajima no Kami, but after exchanging blows with Yu Liancheng, she knew that the person before her might not be inferior to her father, Yagyu Tajima no Kami, in martial arts. Coupled with the fact that other experts were assisting him, there were more defeats than victories, so she bluffed, attempting to scare Yu Liancheng away.

"I didn't realize you were so concerned about me; I suppose you have been conquered by my peerless demeanor." Yu Liancheng chuckled.

"You person, why are you so vain? Also, take away your filthy hand... Mmph, mmph..."

Liusheng Piaoxu suddenly could not speak anymore; Yu Liancheng's fingers, which had originally been stroking her cheek, suddenly had two digits probe into her cherry lips, teasing them wantonly.

Liusheng Piaoxu's face turned red with shame and anger; she gathered her final bit of True Qi and bit down with her pearly teeth. Yu Liancheng, however, had already pulled his hand out and looked at her with an expression of surprise: "Is this person a dog?"

Liusheng Piaoxu said, both ashamed and annoyed: "What are you doing?"

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said: "Just a little discipline. Could it be you don't feel it's more suitable for ordinary men and women to flirt?" After speaking, he suddenly lowered his head. He took a bite of Liusheng Piaoxu's cherry lips, and only after slightly feeling that soft texture did he immediately pull away.

"You... you... you..." But Liusheng Piaoxu's face had already become scorching hot, and even her body began to feel warm, yet she lacked the slightest strength to resist. She parted her red lips slightly, unable to even utter a single word.

Liusheng Piaoxu had never taken romance between men and women seriously since she was young, but after witnessing the heart-wrenching love between Yagyu Yukihime and Duan Tianya, she became full of longing for such romance.

The object of her longing was naturally the handsome and dashing Duan Tianya.

Liusheng Piaoxu was peerlessly beautiful, highly skilled in martial arts, and was the future head of the Xinyin Sect, so many noble youths in Dongying had proposed to her, all of whom she had rejected.

Although she knew there was little possibility between herself and Duan Tianya, she still held onto a glimmer of hope, fortifying her heart like a fortress, waiting only to meet Duan Tianya again.

But today, Yu Liancheng had rudely broken in.

Regardless of what complex emotions Liusheng Piaoxu was feeling now, Yu Liancheng had undoubtedly left a deep mark.

Yu Liancheng looked at the shame- and annoyance-filled Liusheng Piaoxu and sighed lightly: "It is a pity that you are not yet a 'bad' woman. Otherwise, it shouldn't be me eating your rouge, but you eating me... *cough cough*... Let's go, it's time to meet Yagyu Tajima no Kami."

Liusheng Piaoxu's delicate body was very light and also very soft, like a colorful cloud, or like a willow branch in the spring breeze. Yu Liancheng picked up her lithe body and, unfolding his form, rushed toward the place where the sounds of fighting were coming from.

Very quickly, Yu Liancheng spotted a wide training ground.

On the ground of the training ground lay two, three, or four corpses scattered about; most were dressed as Dongying Martial Warriors, and there were also a portion of Demon Sect disciples.

A fierce battle was also unfolding in the training ground.

Four Demon Sect experts embroidered with "Ink Peach Blossom" were joining forces to deal with another person.

These four were all renowned experts of the Demon Sect; not only were their martial arts top-tier, but they were also proficient in the secret arts of the Demon sect. With the four of them joining forces, it was feared that few in the martial arts world could defeat them.

But this person happened to be able to.

This person was none other than the Great Grandmaster of the Xinyin Sect, Yagyu Tajima no Kami.

One could see that Yagyu Tajima no Kami possessed the bearing of a Grandmaster; the long sword in his palm moved like lightning, his momentum perfectly integrated, without the slightest bit leaking out. Yet with every strike he unleashed, it was as if a thunderclap exploded in the space.

Even though these four joined forces, they could only barely hold him off, and as soon as one of them exhausted their strength or made a mistake, the four-man encirclement would be broken immediately.

"This group of trash, they are all good at infighting, but when battling top experts, they have lost the spirit of disregarding life and death; otherwise, how could four people be suppressed by one?"

Yu Liancheng could not help but sigh and shake his head, feeling very disappointed in these so-called Demon Sect experts.

However, he was not in a hurry to intervene, merely watching this brilliant one-versus-four battle in the field with indifference.

With Yagyu Tajima no Kami's keen eyes, he had naturally already noticed that his daughter, Liusheng Piaoxu, had been abducted by Yu Liancheng.

But his expression did not have the slightest ripple, and there was no emotion in his gaze; he only danced the long sword in his palm wildly, as if he had poured all his emotions into the long sword—beyond the blade, there was nothing else.

Just by looking at his cold-as-ice eyes, one knew that this person was cold-blooded and ruthless, moving only forward.

No matter who stood in his way, even if it were his daughter, or the Dongying Emperor, or a Shogunate General, he would cut them down with a single blade, without the slightest hint of mercy.

*Ding! *

Only a crisp sound was heard; one of the Demon Sect experts was slightly inattentive, and the weapon in his palm was knocked flying, causing him to stumble backward. The net that the other three had joined forces to weave immediately developed a flaw.

Yagyu Tajima no Kami naturally would not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; a brilliant light shot from his eyes, murderous intent overflowing. With a swing of his long sword, he dismantled the defense of one of the experts like thunder, the remaining momentum of the blade slashing toward that expert's neck.

That Demon Sect expert was suddenly terrified; just as he had nowhere to dodge and nowhere to retreat, a black light struck over, slamming heavily against the long sword.

The black light shattered in an instant; it turned out to be a stone.

But the momentum of the long sword stalled slightly, and that Demon Sect expert did not care about his image, rolling on the ground to barely avoid the blade light, though a wound was still carved into his back, dripping with blood.

"Well, one must look at the owner before beating a dog; Mr. Yagyu is really not giving this seat any face."

Yu Liancheng chuckled, his arm around Liusheng Piaoxu's slender waist, and he had already floated lightly before Yagyu Tajima no Kami.

PS: There will be another four thousand characters in the afternoon.