Chapter 435: The Protagonist Appears

A light drizzle was falling from the sky.

It shrouded the small town like a mist.

Yet there were quite a few pedestrians on the street, among them many martial artists carrying sabers and swords, travel-worn as if they had come from a long journey.

As for the reason, it was quite simple.

Because a pair of siblings had walked out of this town.

—Murong Tonghuang and Murong Wuzhu.

When their reputation spread throughout Liyang, countless tourists appeared in this small town.

Restaurants, tea shops, and various other businesses saw the business opportunity and one after another claimed connections to this pair of siblings who almost never stepped outside.

The Murong siblings ate steamed buns at this small shop in the morning, listened to music at that tea shop in the afternoon, and never forgot to dine at a restaurant in the evening, occasionally browsing rouge shops and bookstores...

Hearing such talk too often made people secretly wonder if the Murong siblings were street loafers, spending every day wandering the streets, sitting at this shop and looking at that one.

Rumble!!

Amidst the curtain of rain, a troop of over a hundred fierce cavalrymen charged into the town.

Pedestrians on the street scattered in haste; those with a bit of discernment changed color. Black cavalry, black armor, and a majestic aura—could it be the famous Beikui Army?

Although it was said that the Beikui Army had been broken by Murong Tonghuang, who defeated three thousand armored soldiers in one breath, and their momentum was not what it once was, they were still a famous elite force in the world, absolutely not something that ordinary commoners or even martial arts sects could shake.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a fierce build, broad shoulders and a thick waist, possessing the standard swallow-jaw and tiger-whiskers, with leopard-like eyes; if the sharp-tongued Xu Fengnian were to critique him, he would say this fellow looked like he could suppress ghosts and ward off evil.

Hanging from the big man's waist were primitive Double Blades, one long and one short. Those who understood blades might discover that these two blades originated from the fallen Dongyue and were Gedang Blades that only royal nobility could wear.

Indeed, the blade-wielding man before them was a survivor of the fallen Dongyue.

This person possessed considerable strength and had defected to the Imperial Prince Zhao Kai, where he was highly valued.

This time, leading over a hundred elite Beikui Army cavalry, his goal was to capture the entire Murong Family.

Of course, that Imperial Prince Zhao was particular about appearances, so the excuse had to be upright and proper; it was inevitable that he would first find some trouble for the Murong Family.

Originally, the person executing the mission alongside the Dongyue swordsman was the general named Lu Shengxiang. However, that fellow had made an excuse of being ill and unable to get out of bed before setting off, so this mission could only be led by him.

The Dongyue swordsman did not care; before executing the mission, he had investigated the Murong Family, and they were merely a third-rate family.

Let alone a hundred fully armed Beikui Army cavalry, even fifty could charge back and forth and ravage them at will.

What's more...

The Dongyue swordsman cast his gaze to the side. Riding on a fine horse walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him was a strange figure clad in bright red armor, with almost no skin exposed, and even the face covered by a mask. The whole person carried a cold, murderous intent, like a God descending from the heavens.

With the Talisman-General Red Armor sitting in command, there was no fear even if they encountered a true expert.

A moment later, the hundred-plus cavalry had arrived near the Murong Mansion.

Although the Murong Family was third-rate, they were still a prestigious family after all. One could see high walls and red tiles, a grand vermilion gate, and two stone-carved lions crouching at the entrance, looking lifelike.

As if knowing that uninvited guests were coming, the vermilion gate was tightly shut, and there was not a single person about.

"Heh, do they think closing the door is enough?"

The Dongyue swordsman wore a cold sneer, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes. As a survivor of a fallen nation, the thing he loved most was slaughtering the people of Liyang.

The order given by Zhao Kai was that capturing or killing were both acceptable.

But if he were to execute it, it would inevitably end in the extermination of the entire family.

The Dongyue swordsman sneered, kicked his stirrups, and swung his arms, his body soaring like an eagle. While still in mid-air, his hand had already gripped the hilt of his blade.

Swish!

The blade light poured down, and the gate was already Broken.

"The Murong Family is involved in treason; you lot, surrender obediently. If there is any resistance, you will be killed without mercy." The Dongyue swordsman stepped into the courtyard and sneered: "By the way, if you don't resist, you'll die all the same..."

Having finished speaking, he saw the situation in the courtyard, and his expression stalled.

In the spacious courtyard, there were only two people.

One was dressed in white robes with Double Blades hanging at her waist.

The other was in white clothes whiter than snow, graceful and charming.

But without a doubt, these were two peerless beauties.

The beauty in white held a bronze mirror, tidying her slightly messy hair, and could not stop complaining.

"Tonghuang is really something; I already said I couldn't take it, yet he had to be so fast."

The beauty with the Double Blades rolled her eyes at her: "The opponents are already here; at least show them some respect and stop worrying about your hair."

Murong Wuzhu huffed and continued to tidy her waterfall-like black hair: "Speaking of which, why are you here?"

"I was doing just fine at the Listening Tide Pavilion; do you think I wanted to come?"

Nangong Pushe said crossly: "It wasn't because Murong Tonghuang was worried you couldn't handle these guys, and begged me to leave the Listening Tide Pavilion."

Since the incident of promoting "The First Snow of the Season," these two women had not been on good terms.

"I don't need your help." Murong Wuzhu pouted.

"Can't be bothered to talk nonsense with you." Nangong Pushe had already pressed her jade hands onto her Double Blades: "I'll deal with the Dongyue swordsman and the Red Armor Talisman-General; you go and dispose of the Beikui Army. Let's see who wins first."

Murong Wuzhu smoothed out the last strand of hair: "Fine, I'll indulge you once."

Nangong Pushe transformed into a streak of white rainbow, and Xiudong and Spring Thunder were unsheathed simultaneously.

One Xiudong blade stirred up a thousand layers of raindrops, and one Spring Thunder blade slashed down a surging wave of air; the Double Blades struck toward the Dongyue swordsman and the Red Armor Talisman-General respectively.

Murong Wuzhu put away the bronze mirror and sighed leisurely.

The next moment, her graceful figure was swept up like a wisp of breeze, suddenly appearing in front of a Beikui Army soldier.

She extended her slender jade finger and tapped it lightly on the Beikui Army soldier's chest. The opponent was immediately hit as if by a heavy hammer, flying horizontally and crashing into several Beikui Army soldiers behind him.

"Sigh, I really didn't want to make a move; isn't this weather better suited for sleeping in?"

"Lend me your head for a moment."

When he finished saying this sentence, the old man in the Python Robe plucked off the head of the patrol leader.

No, he felt that plucking off one head of the patrol leader was not satisfying enough; his sleeves rolled up, and wisps of slender red threads fluttered like small crimson snakes.

As the small crimson snakes spread in all directions, screams rang out one after another, and the patrolmen closer to the old man in the Python Robe were all decapitated by the red threads.

In an instant, dozens of headless corpses lay before the ceremonial gate, and the stench of blood was nauseating.

The old man in the Python Robe muttered to himself: "A patrol leader is a bit lacking in weight, so if dozens of patrolmen are dead, it can surely be framed as rebellion, and it wouldn't be excessive to implicate the nine clans. Fortunately, this old servant is a man without descendants, so this debt can only be counted on others' heads."

The old man in the Python Robe did not strike while the iron was hot, but elegantly pressed his two fingers together and wiped them across the "Red Cloud" on his arm, looking calm and composed.

But the more this was the case, the greater the pressure faced by the people of Huishan, feeling almost suffocated. Some sharp-eyed individuals had already guessed the old man's identity.

Wearing a Python Robe and killing with red threads, who else could it be but the "Human Cat" Han Diaosi, one of the three Great Demons of the Spring and Autumn period?

This powerful eunuch had experienced many ups and downs and fought countless enemies; back then, he had skinned one of the four great Grandmasters, the Red Armor of the Talisman Generals, establishing his fame for using the Finger Profound to kill the Heavenly Phenomenon.

"Sigh, you people, isn't it good to live well? Why think of killing patrolmen? Truly heinous."

Han Renmao's voice was hoarse; he licked his lips, his eyes fixed on the hundreds of people from Huishan, revealing undisguised murderous intent.

The next moment, Han Diaosi performed an unexpected action.

He picked up the patrol leader's head and tossed it away casually. It was as if a child were angry with a companion, and after failing to win an argument, picked up a Shitou to throw at someone in a fit of shame and anger.

It was just that what he held was a human head.

And not just one human head.

But dozens of human heads.

The wisps of red threads also performed a throwing motion, and the heads, still frozen with expressions of fear, smashed over heavily, the whistling sound incessant.

This method might not be considered brilliant, but when used by the "Human Cat" Han Renmao, known for "using the Finger Profound to kill the Heavenly Phenomenon," it carried a terrifying implication.

Driven by the traction of Qi, the skulls swept over, carrying an irresistible force.

Once the people on Huishan were hit by the skulls, there was no suspense; their flesh and bones were shattered, and their tendons snapped and bones broke. Even if they were only grazed by the force carried by the skulls, they would suffer heavy injuries.

In the space of a breath, people were knocked over. Amidst the shrill screams, a large open space was cleared in front of the Huishan ceremonial gate, and another dozen or so corpses were left behind.

Everyone was terrified; the looks they cast at Han Shengxuan were as if they were seeing a devil, and all felt horrified.

And these Guest Ministers and Xuanyuan direct descendants clearly didn't have much loyalty to "Heaven Beyond Heaven," and having lost their courage, they turned and ran.

"A bunch of rebels, even now you still want to leave."

Han Renmao sneered, his figure suddenly becoming illusory, like a ghost or demon.

He drifted behind a swordsman, drew a finger across, and then pinched his thumb and middle finger together to flick, alive and well, peeling off half a layer of human skin.

He didn't kill that swordsman, letting the swordsman totter and scream heart-rendingly, while Han Renmao shifted his target and continued to strike.

In the blink of an eye, he had peeled off seven or eight layers of human skin.

In fact, facing Han Renmao, if everyone had worked together, they might not have lacked the strength to fight, but most people, like the second-ranked Guest Minister Hong Biao, fled in a sorry state.

The original chief Guest Minister Huang Fangfu hesitated for a moment and barely blocked three or four moves, but after being struck by Han Renmao's palm, his face changed drastically, he spat blood, and also lost the strength to fight.

Xuanyuan Jingcheng shook his head and sighed.

The strength of this Han Renmao was among the best even among the ten in the Martial Evaluation; now that they were fighting like this, it truly created a scene where the entire Huishan would flow with blood.

Xuanyuan Jingcheng's Qi surged, and just as he was about to enter the Land Immortal Realm, he suddenly heard a series of "Boom—" loud noises.

The sound came from far to near, getting louder and louder, like heavy rolling thunder.

In just a moment, it swept over like a mountain collapse or a tsunami. This kind of momentum was no weaker than a large army attacking a city.

The great eunuch Han Renmao straightened his expression, no longer playing cat and mouse, but cast his gaze toward the direction of Guniujiang.

He saw a black figure coming with incomparable momentum; in the blink of an eye, it was less than a zhang away from him, and then a fist kept enlarging before his eyes, filling his entire field of vision.

The speed of the opponent's strike was too fast; Han Diaosi only had time to seal his two hands in front of his chest.

Bang!!

The opponent's punch was extremely powerful, filled with violent Qi, and struck heavily.

Han Renmao retreated four or five steps, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He, who could almost be considered invincible below the Land Immortal Realm, had actually been forced back by someone's punch; it was simply impossible.

However, before he could react further.

That black shadow followed closely, his fists turning into afterimages, each punch carrying the terrifying power to split mountains and break seas, giving him the feeling that his physical body was about to be beaten to pieces alive.

Han Shengxuan's red ropes and crimson snakes danced wildly, as if transformed into a giant red python, forcing the black shadow back two steps, and only then did he have time to size up this opponent.

He saw that this person was tall and burly, and even his breathing seemed to carry majestic Qi; every move seemed to have the power to change the color of the world.

His whole body was shrouded in a black robe, and he even wore a strange Iron mask on his face, revealing only a pair of grim eyes, yet they were so cold that no emotion could be seen.

"Who are you?" Han Diaosi said coldly.

"I, Dali Wang."

A stiff, emotionless voice, as if steel were rubbing together, rang out from the monster's mouth.

Without waiting for Han Diaosi to ask for more information, the monster calling himself "Dali Wang" struck again with a punch; the airflow rolled like a tornado, and even the air seemed to have been punched into a hole.

But Han Renmao, who had killed the most First-Rank Experts today, was by no means a man of empty reputation; his figure drifted like a ghost, dodging the opponent's attack at the last critical moment, then lightly grabbed the opponent's wrist, and the red threads surged, wrapping around Dali Wang's arm like a snake.

Kou Zhi Duan Chang Sheng!

His Finger Profound Secret Technique could not only cut off the Heavenly Human Induction of Heavenly Phenomenon Realm experts, but also cut off the majestic Qi of ordinary First-Rank Experts.

Unfortunately, this Dali Wang's Qi only weakened slightly, and the impact he received was extremely limited; he shook his arm, broke free from the red thread's restraint, and killed toward Han Shengxuan again.

"This is a thread-controlled puppet, and it has already reached the Great Heavenly Phenomenon Realm."

After exchanging a few more moves, Han Renmao, this Spring and Autumn Demon who had killed who knows how many experts, had figured out Dali Wang's background.

Although the opponent had some skills, in the end, he was just a puppet, and he was very confident in defeating him.

However, with Dali Wang's body, which was almost Diamond Indestructible, even if he could inflict heavy injuries, he feared he would also suffer heavy damage.

And if he were injured to the point of being unable to suppress his internal Qi, he would advance to the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm and suffer the trials of heaven and earth. And because he had killed too much, he feared he would suffer divine retribution.

Han Renmao was by no means a brainless brute; once he thought of this, he no longer clashed head-on with Dali Wang, but only used some opportunistic and flashy moves to neutralize the opponent's attacks.

Once again, a sharp shout rang out: "Old God of Longhu Mountain, stop watching the show. Only by finishing this person off can we eradicate Huishan."

After a moment, a silvery-white silk thread descended from the horizon, with a fishhook hanging from its end, as if a Heavenly Human were fishing.

The fishhook accelerated, transforming into a streak of silver light, suddenly hooking onto the arm of Dali Wang and coiling around it like a dragon or snake, instantly slowing his speed and rendering one arm immobile.

"As expected of a Land Immortal, you truly have some tricks."

Han Renmao chuckled; he certainly would not let this opportunity pass, so he coiled a red thread around Dali Wang's other arm and slammed a palm fiercely toward Dali Wang's heart.

With a "bang," Dali Wang retreated repeatedly, his chest slightly caved in, the ground beneath his feet sinking and becoming Broken, and fresh blood spilled from the corners of his mouth.

A full-force strike from the Human Cat, delivered without the slightest reservation, was not so easy to take.

Just as the Human Cat was about to press his advantage, and Xuanyuan Jingcheng was surging with his entire body's Qi to ascend to the realm of a Land Immortal, a black figure blocked the path in front of Han Renmao.

Spreading five fingers, like a canopy of heaven, he lightly and deftly caught Han Renmao's punch.

"Hey, the two of you bullying one is not right; it would be better to let this seat bully the two of you instead."

PS: The editor asked me to write a 515 side story, which is about Yu Youwei. I finished writing it and sent it to the editor; it will probably be released on 515.