Chapter 437: First, Kill the Human Cat; Second, Break the Land Immortal; Third, Trample the Finger-Mystery

The Red Thread Three-Foot Sword snapped.

The small sword named "Qiuran" thrust toward the eunuch in the Python Robe.

Han Renmao's retreat was cut off by "Li Jing," leaving him no choice but to face "Qiuran" head-on.

Seeing the thick, archaic Qiuran about to pierce Han Renmao's heart, he let out a cold shout, his eyes erupting with sharp light. His palms, as delicate and fair as a woman's, clamped shut with force. With a "Bang!" sound, the Qi energy exploded; he had actually caught "Qiuran" between his palms using the "empty-handed disarming" method.

Yu Liancheng ignored the immense pressure, simply holding his fingers upright to drive "Qiuran," pushing it forward continuously.

In truth, with Yu Liancheng's cultivation, killing Han Renmao was not overly difficult, but he first wanted to test his Flying Sword Technique and the three small swords.

The Flying Sword Technique was learned from Deng Taie, and after extensive and bold modifications, it had become quite suitable for Yu Liancheng to practice.

Now, using his Qi and Blood and spiritual sense as a guide, it moved as easily as an extension of his arm, flying across a hundred zhang. In the future, it might well become another trump card of his, capable of killing from a thousand miles away.

As for those three small swords, they were crafted by the Beiliang Prince Mansion with all their might, and they were not a whit inferior to Deng Taie's twelve small swords.

Right, these three small swords were named Autumn Hair, Li Jing, and Red Flail respectively.

They were precisely the "Three Heroes of the Red Dust."

Among them, "Red Flail" was small, light, and agile; it came and went without a trace, darting like lightning, killing without form.

"Li Jing" was second in speed, but it was the sharpest, capable of sweeping through and breaking a thousand troops, and could even sever the Primordial Spirit.

"Autumn Hair" was the slowest in flight, but it was archaic and heavy; if wielded with the "Alluring" technique, its power was peerless.

These three swords each had their strengths and weaknesses; apart from sparring with Li Chungang twice, today counted as their first real battle.

At this moment, "Autumn Hair" contained immense force, and even though it was clamped between Han Renmao's palms, it continued to push forward, looking as if it would not stop until it had pierced the opponent's heart.

Han Renmao let out a roar, his bones emitting a series of thunderous cracks as if he were squeezing out the strength from every inch of his muscles. His pair of hands gripped "Autumn Hair" tightly, and the veins on his withered arms bulged. Yet even so, Han the Human Cat could not stop retreating, the ground beneath his feet cracking and shattering, with countless fissures spreading out.

On the other side, under the mountain-like pressure, Yu Liancheng's calves were almost buried into the ground.

But he seemed unaware, a flash of ferocity crossing his handsome face as he urged his sword-finger. "Autumn Hair" let out a dragon's roar, spitting out sharp Sword Energy, and spun in Han Renmao's hands.

Swish!

In an instant, Sword Qi shot out in all directions.

Han Renmao's sleeves were shredded into powder by the Sword Qi, and his entire arm was likewise carved with several wounds by the Sword Qi, through which the stark white bone could be vaguely seen amidst the blurred flesh.

"Die for me!"

Yu Liancheng let out a sharp shout, driving his Qi and Blood further.

Whoosh!!

"Autumn Hair" finally broke free from Han Renmao's restraint.

A flash of sword light.

Heavy as a mountain.

One sword pierced through the chest, chilling the heart.

This sword strike was fierce, not only piercing through the entire heart of the withered Han Shengxuan but also forcing him to fly horizontally backward for over ten zhang.

They say a cat has nine lives; the vitality of this Human Cat was also extremely vigorous.

Even with a sword through his chest, he was still able to prop up his body. One could vaguely see dozens or hundreds of red threads emerging from the transparent hole in his chest, intertwining and spreading as if trying to stitch up this gap.

However, as Yu Liancheng flicked his sword-finger, the three swords—Autumn Hair, Li Jing, and Red Flail—flew out simultaneously. As the sword lights intertwined and danced, they instantly hacked the Human Cat into eight pieces.

If the Human Cat could still revive after this, Yu Liancheng would... mince him into meat paste on the spot.

After dealing with Han Renmao, Yu Liancheng let out a long whistle that shook the clouds, then stomped his foot on the ground. The already shattered ground cracked and subsided once more, with countless fissures spreading out for dozens of meters, as if a great earthquake had occurred.

And relying on this stomp, he leaped violently toward the Guest Minister from before.

This Guest Minister had a look of astonishment in his eyes, clearly not having expected that the opponent could rely on brute force to break free from his restraint as a Land Immortal.

"You motherfucker, have you pressed enough!!"

Yu Liancheng's face revealed a ferocious expression, and a blood mist steamed up around his body. The scorching high temperature burned the air itself, as if he were turning the world into a furnace.

The next moment, he clenched his fist and blasted it out.

It was still a plain and ordinary punch, yet several black cracks were distributed and intertwined around his fist. The punch was heavy as a mountain; at first glance, it gave one a feeling of slowness, almost as if it were frozen, pushing forward inch by inch.

But in reality, this punch was as fast as lightning, and his Qi had already locked onto the Guest Minister Elder opposite him; no matter how he dodged, he would have to take this punch.

Yet for every inch this punch advanced, another crack appeared. By the end, the path the fist had traveled was filled with dozens of black cracks, as if it were a mirror that had been shattered by someone.

The Guest Minister's face showed surprise, even carrying a trace of fear.

He was a true Land Immortal; even if he was not a martial artist specializing in slaughter, his realm was set there.

But under this punch, he felt his heart jump with fright, and a chill crept from his spine into his heart.

"No, I am a Land Immortal! I have not yet ascended to immortality!!"

This Land Immortal was gripped by an unprecedented sense of fear, his heart roaring.

He was a Land Immortal; if he wished, he could ascend through the Heavenly Gate at any time and become a true immortal of the upper realm.

And as a Longhu Mountain master who had ascended through the generations, even in the heavens, he would be a Carefree immortal.

How could he die here!?

In an instant, the Land Immortal's robes billowed and buzzed, emitting a low, thunder-like rumble. His long sleeves fluttered, and light flickered vaguely within them, as if he had packed the entire sky's thunder and lightning into those sleeves.

In the Datang world, Du Fuwei's "Sleeve-Hidden Universe" was a technique famous throughout the land. But if compared to this Land Immortal's "Full Sleeve Wind and Thunder," it could only be considered a child's trick.

When Yu Liancheng's fist collided with the sleeves for a moment, the entire fluttering cloud-sleeve instantly shattered. And as the light flickered within the sleeves, clusters of thunder exploded with a boom, and gale winds swept across the sky.

The sky and earth were filled with white light.

The rumbling of thunder was incessant, and the wind howled.

And when the thunder dissipated, the area for dozens of zhang was completely shattered, as if it had been bombarded by hundreds of bombs.

Yu Liancheng still stood in his original spot, a long tear on his sleeve, marked with charred traces.

As for that Land Immortal, he had been smashed dozens of zhang away, his chest collapsed.

Yu Liancheng took a large step forward, as if shrinking the earth into an inch; after walking only a mere seven or eight steps, he had already arrived before that person: "When I appeared, I said I would take you two on by myself. Zhao Huangchao was held back by Dali Wang, so the people I have to deal with are naturally Han Renmao and you, Zhao Xuansu. Did you think I didn't know who you were?"

He had long since discovered the presence of Zhao Xuansu.

However, he did not take to heart a Land Immortal who was not skilled in combat.

In the original timeline, Deng Taie of the Finger Profound Realm could almost be said to have easily slaughtered this Longhu Mountain ancestor.

At this moment, this Land Immortal had not a shred of the demeanor of an expert; he spat out fresh blood, his True Qi was withered, and he used his hands to half-prop himself up on the ground.

Meanwhile, his appearance was changing rapidly, at times turning into a seven or eight-year-old child, at other times becoming a tall and burly man, and finally settling on a white-haired, elderly man; one would assume this was his true face.

"The Daoist Canon's prophecies claim to be able to foresee fortune and misfortune and predict five hundred years of wind and rain; why don't you calculate how much life you have left, old God?"

Yu Liancheng was in a leisurely mood; beating a dog in the water was, after all, one of his great hobbies in life.

The Longhu Mountain ancestor Zhao Xuansu, however, was not as panicked as one might imagine, merely saying coldly: "Worthy of being a supreme martial artist who broke three thousand armored cavalry with one hand; you indeed have some skill. But a martial artist is always just a martial artist; you will never understand the Luck of longevity, nor do you understand what a nation is."

"Damn it, you need to get your position straight right now." Yu Liancheng raised an eyebrow, his leg shadow flickered, and with a 'Bang', he trampled this Land Immortal underfoot, the sole of his shoe making intimate contact with the other's old face: "A loser should look like a loser; don't put on airs of a high-level expert in front of me."

"You dare..."

Zhao Xuansu's complexion immediately became extremely unsightly.

As a Land Immortal, he was high above, looking down upon the world's turmoil.

Even when he occasionally displayed his methods, it was like a divine dragon suddenly appearing; when had he ever been this disheveled?

Zhao Xuansu used his hands to prop up the ground, wanting to struggle to his feet, but the foot on his face felt like a mountain, and his whole body could not move at all.

A slight agitation of his True Qi only triggered his injuries, causing him to cough incessantly, his True Qi rapidly withering.

Immediately following, an astonishing scene appeared. Cracks began to bloom on Zhao Xuansu's skin and started to spread. A moment later, the cracks covered his entire body.

"I forgot, you were hit by one of my 'Broken' strikes; you were bound to die anyway. Fly." Yu Liancheng shook his head, took his foot off Zhao Xuansu's head, and kicked him.

Zhao Xuansu flew out, and while still in mid-air, he completely exploded, scattering a cloud of blood mist.

Yu Liancheng's previous punch had contained the power of 'Broken' realized in the Finger Profound Realm, which was a force with extremely strong destructive power.

Although it had been blocked by that 'Full Sleeve Wind and Thunder' and only three or four tenths of its power remained, it had all been vented into Zhao Xuansu's physical body.

With Zhao Xuansu's Land Immortal realm, he could barely suppress it, but later, due to his anger and frustration, he tried to struggle to his feet, which aggravated his injuries and caused the 'Broken' force to run wild in his body, ultimately leading to the scene before them.

And just at the moment the blood mist scattered and his physical body collapsed, Zhao Xuansu stubbornly used his Primordial Spirit to Exiting Aperture and fled into the distance.

For a Daoist Land Immortal like him who had cultivated for a hundred years, even if his physical body were destroyed, as long as he found a peerless expert capable of Opening Heaven Gate, he could still ascend to immortality in one step. At worst, while his Primordial Spirit was still gathered, he could find a good family for Reincarnation, and it was not impossible to live a second life in the future.

"Go!"

Yu Liancheng held up a finger.

'Li Jing' flew out, drawing a rainbow light across the horizon, and instantly nailed itself onto Zhao Xuansu's Primordial Spirit.

Zhao Xuansu let out a miserable scream; his Primordial Spirit was actually pinned down, becoming increasingly illusory and drifting, and he said in disbelief: "What kind of weapon is this, that it can actually injure my Primordial Spirit?"

"Heh, this sword is 'Li Jing'; it slashes the physical body and also injures the Primordial Spirit. If you want to blame someone, blame Zhao Huangchao; otherwise, you might have really escaped today."

Yu Liancheng chuckled. Ever since he let Zhao Huangchao's Primordial Spirit escape last time, he had begun to forge a weapon capable of injuring the Primordial Spirit. This 'Li Jing' had been tempered by his divine sense day and night, and it already possessed a certain lethality toward the Primordial Spirit.

Subsequently, Yu Liancheng turned his finger, and 'Li Jing' twisted in mid-air, sword light shooting in all directions, and amidst Zhao Xuansu's screams, his soul flew away and scattered, completely dissipating between heaven and earth.

Bang!

A fist slammed heavily into Zhao Huangchao's chest; Zhao Huangchao felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out blood, but he seized the opportunity to grab the other's arm.

At the same time, he held up a finger and chanted words, and that fresh blood instantly transformed into a talisman that floated out, instantly congealing on Dali Wang's head.

The blood talisman emitted a glowing red light, like an invisible force, instantly binding Dali Wang and making him unable to move for a moment.

Immediately after, Zhao Huangchao flicked his finger, and the fishhook that had appeared before emerged, hooking into Dali Wang's brow, and silver thread of unknown length wrapped around his entire body.

"This monster's physique is truly too formidable. If it weren't for the fact that he has no intelligence and only attacks blindly, I truly wouldn't be able to control him."

Only after wrapping Dali Wang up tightly did Zhao Huangchao heave a sigh of relief.

Of course, with this monster's physique, he could not kill him completely in a short time.

And now, the most urgent thing was to go and help the other two finish off Murong Tonghuang.

Of course, he only had Finger Profound Realm cultivation now, and after fighting Dali Wang for a long time, his True Qi was mostly exhausted, so he could only provide support and harass from the sidelines.

"You monster, I'll come back to take your life later."

Zhao Huangchao took one more look at Dali Wang struggling in the silver threads, his sleeves fluttering, and prepared to leave.

"Whether he dies is one thing, but you are indeed going to die."

Just at this moment, a clear and resonant voice rang out, but it resounded in Zhao Huangchao's mind like rolling thunder, erupting with a massive, turbulent echo like a mountain collapse or a tsunami.

Zhao Huangchao trembled all over, a bad premonition arising in his heart. He looked up at the sky, and a shoe descended from above, constantly enlarging before his eyes, and finally stepped onto his face.

Boom!!

Zhao Huangchao could not even offer the slightest resistance; his head and body were fiercely trampled into the mud by this foot.

With just this one stomp, the True Qi in Zhao Huangchao's body was completely scattered, his bones rattled, and fresh blood flowed out from his meridians, staining the mud red.

Zhao Huangchao turned his eyes with difficulty and could vaguely see a figure as handsome as a demon, one foot stepping on his face, the corners of his mouth curled into a wanton and arrogant smile.

"The Daoist Canon says that a Great Truth-Seeker who attains immortality can make the earth level and sink, and mountains and rivers shatter."

Yu Liancheng looked down at Zhao Huangchao, his thigh exerting slight force, causing the other's physical body to immediately crush patches of land, his injuries worsening, and he smiled: "That Zhao Truth-Seeker has now fallen into the Finger Profound Realm, yet can still achieve this step; it truly makes this junior admire you greatly."

"You..." Zhao Huangchao gritted his teeth in hatred, just about to curse, when a chill suddenly crept into his heart.

Wasn't Yu Liancheng being dealt with by both Han Renmao and Zhao Xuansu?

He knew the strength of those two better than anyone; one killed Heavenly Phenomenon from the Finger Profound Realm, and the other was a genuine Land Immortal.

Even if this man surnamed Murong were powerful, it would be impossible to defeat and kill them so quickly, but if that were not the case, why would Murong Tonghuang appear here?

"You've lost three times in a row, a failure. Do you know why you failed? It really makes me feel sad for you."

Ignoring Zhao Huangchao's resentful gaze, Yu Liancheng shook his head and sighed loudly.

He finally understood why villains were always so talkative; this feeling of controlling everything was truly wonderful, and furthermore, watching the incompetent rage of his past opponents was also very pleasing to the eye.

Originally, Yu Liancheng was going to loudly praise how brilliant and martial he was and how stupid and powerless his opponent was, but suddenly his expression shifted, and he looked toward the foot of Huishan.

"Alright, I've spoken enough reason to an old thing like you; you should be satisfied. Go down and keep that Zhao Xuansu company." Yu Liancheng exerted force with his foot, and this ancestor of the Zhao Family was dead beyond any doubt.

"Another guest has arrived."

"It is time to go and properly entertain them."

Yu Liancheng tapped his toes, and his figure soared upward.

Before the ceremonial gate of Huishan, Xuanyuan Qingfeng watched that black-clad figure, who resembled a divine dragon and a heaven-gifted talent, her beautiful eyes filled with admiration and reverence.

Xuanyuan Jingcheng looked at the corpses covering the ground and shook his head with a sigh.

This scholar, who had once entered the realm of a Confucian Sage, coughed heavily twice, coughing up blood.

Having mobilized his Qi twice, even without employing the methods of a Land Immortal, it had still aggravated his injuries.

He turned his head to look at his daughter, dressed in simple black mourning clothes, and a decision was already made in his heart.