Chapter 476: The Gift

Qinchaer spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire world, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth: "Murong Tonghuang, he is right here."

Just as Tuoba Chunsun was knitting his brows, still filled with doubt, the Qinchaer before his eyes suddenly underwent a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering transformation.

The original form of the burly man shattered and fell away, replaced by a young man in black robes, possessing a peerless elegance and a beauty so stunning it defied description by pen or ink.

Even more terrifying was the constantly surging Qi, which filled the space for a hundred yards around.

A heavy weight settled in the hearts of Tuoba Chunsun and his two companions, as if a mountain ten thousand fathoms high had risen from the ground to suppress their spirits, making even the act of thinking difficult.

What was even more terrifying was that this surge of Qi was not directed at any one of them; it was simply released. It was like a brilliant sun hanging high in the sky. The sun merely followed its own laws, rising in the east and setting in the west, operating silently, without harboring any emotions toward the myriad living things of heaven and earth.

Yet its very existence, and the immense heat it radiated at every moment, influenced every blade of grass, every tree, and the billions of living beings.

And at this moment, "Qinchaer" was that scorching sun hanging in the firmament, the ten-thousand-fathom Divine Mountain standing since time immemorial.

No, this was absolutely not Qinchaer.

Under this immense Qi, Tuoba Chunsun and the others retreated repeatedly, their faces deathly pale. Every movement felt extremely difficult, as if even space itself had solidified under this pressure.

"You, you are Murong Tonghuang!?"

Tuoba Chunsun gritted his teeth as he spoke his guess, yet he was already absolutely certain. Besides the number one on the Martial Evaluation, who else could possess such terrifying Qi?

"Correct, there is a reward."

Yu Liancheng smiled faintly, his toe lightly flicking the ground to kick a stone, as if it were a child's play.

*Whoosh! * The stone transformed into a streak of black light, breaking through the air with lightning speed.

The hairs on Tuoba Chunsun's body stood on end; he sensed an unprecedented life-and-death crisis and abruptly drew the python saber at his waist.

*Swish! * He slashed out—a simple, unadorned strike. The blade's momentum was direct, revealing a thick, bloody aura of slaughter, clearly derived from battlefield combat.

This young scion of a top-tier Northern Barbarian family was already at the peak of the Second-Rank Small Grandmaster level at such a young age, and in the future, he was expected to become the second Military God of the Northern Barbarians after Tuoba Pusa.

In this moment of life-and-death crisis, the saber light was fierce, and it actually gave him a faint epiphany. If he could only contemplate it carefully, perhaps it would not be long before he advanced to the First-Rank Vajra Realm.

Of course, that was assuming he could survive.

*Bang! *

The flying stone and the python saber collided.

The stone shattered instantly, turning into a cloud of debris, as if it were unable to withstand a single blow.

Yet Tuoba Chunsun retreated repeatedly, his face devoid of any joy, pale as paper, with a trace of blood spilling from his lips. His entire body was shaken, his Qi and Blood roiled, his internal organs trembled, and a surge of Qi rampaged through his body, making him feel as if he were about to burst apart.

Had he not been trained since childhood by the number one person of the Northern Barbarians, Tuoba Pusa, that single stone would have been enough to claim his life.

But at this moment, Tuoba Chunsun could not spare the time to regulate his Qi; he wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve and said coldly: "A fine number one on the Martial Evaluation, Murong Wudi. If you have the ability, go show off in front of my father; don't you feel ashamed to scheme against a junior who hasn't even reached adulthood?"

Duanboerhuihui and the Colorful Python Brocade Gentleman, both among the Ten Great Devils of the Northern Barbarians, were also acting as if facing a great enemy.

They had both been subdued by Tuoba Pusa, so they naturally knew of Tuoba Pusa's terrifying cultivation.

It was common knowledge that Tuoba Pusa was inferior to Wang Laoguai, and Wang Laoguai had been defeated by the person before them at Wudi City.

Thus, Murong Tonghuang's strength could be imagined.

"You're wrong. Perhaps I am not even as old as you; we are of the same generation." Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back and chuckled: "If your father were to come looking for me to fight, that would be the shameless thing."

Tuoba Chunsun suddenly wore a brilliant smile and said with a cheeky face: "Big Brother Murong, you are too serious. I admire you greatly. This little brother did not know Big Brother Murong was roaming the Northern Barbarians. If there has been any offense or disrespect, I hope Big Brother Murong can be as magnanimous as a sea, please don't take it to heart. Does Big Brother Murong want money or women? Just say the word, and this little brother will arrange it perfectly for you, absolutely without a single flaw."

"Enough of your nonsense." Yu Liancheng extended his hand and held up three fingers: "The three of you, three moves. Each of you takes one move; if you can't take it, you die."

"Big Brother Murong is joking. How could we be your opponents? Let alone one move, we wouldn't be your match even for half a move," Tuoba Chunsun said with a bitter face.

Yu Liancheng continued on his own: "I can let you attack first. I will count to three; if you don't attack, I will. One, two..."

"Big Brother Murong, you can't do this." Tuoba Chunsun's face was tearful, yet the next moment it was filled with murderous intent, and he growled: "Kill!"

Saber and sword were drawn simultaneously, instantly weaving into a web of blade light and sword shadows, tearing through the air and enveloping Yu Liancheng with an unstoppable momentum.

Although Tuoba Chunsun's attack was fast, the other two devils were even faster.

*Rumble!! *

The ground exploded; it was truly a clap of thunder on flat ground.

Three giant pythons with colorful crests on their heads burst through the soil, flicking their snake tongues with a *hissing* sound.

They possessed massive bodies, and their formidable strength caused them to slide across the grassland, shattering every stone and tree in their path.

*Swish*, the giant pythons lunged over, carrying a foul stench and an eerie aura. Opening their great mouths, they spat out poisonous gas, about to stage a scene of python disaster.

The one driving these three poisonous pythons was the old man in brocade robes.

This person ranked seventh among the Ten Great Devils; his real name was unknown, and he was only called the "Colorful Python Brocade Gentleman." Since childhood, he had understood the language of beasts and was skilled at raising fierce beasts and birds of prey. When fighting others, he rarely needed to act himself, instead driving his fierce beasts, making him impossible to guard against.

Especially these three colorful pythons, which were originally exotic species of heaven and earth; after being raised by him, they were even more ferocious and could kill a First-Rank Expert.

As for Duanboerhuihui, who ranked even higher than the old man in brocade robes, he suddenly let out a roar, and a sound like rolling thunder echoed from within his body. His already tall frame grew several feet taller out of thin air, giving people a powerful sense of oppression. Furthermore, his muscles were knotted, giving him the feeling of being cast from copper and iron.

Duanboerhuihui was different from the Colorful Python devil; he relied on his immense combat power and was a top-tier grappling expert on the grasslands, his fist energy like thunder. A single punch could blast an iron man forged of refined iron into fragments. But his truly formidable aspect was not that pair of fists.

His rough face flushed with a sickly crimson, his pitch-black eyes devoid of pupils, and he held his palm in a void, making the motion of throwing a spear.

He stomped his feet repeatedly, and every step left a small crater in the ground. He bent his arm as if holding a spear, his muscles knotted, and finally threw it with a sudden burst of force.

*Rumble!! *

The air exploded, and one could only hear the sound of eardrums being pierced as a spear, invisible to the naked eye, tore through the sky. Where the spear passed, ripples caused by a vacuum appeared, as if a comet were streaking by. Electric light exploded on the spear, sparks flying in all directions, as if it were carrying the thunder of the heavens.

—Thunder Spear.

Duanboerhuihui sacrificed his own Qi and Blood, using this terrifying method that injured the enemy by a thousand while damaging himself by eight hundred, all just to block one of the opponent's moves.

"First move."

Facing the siege of the three, Yu Liancheng's expression was calm. He extended a hand, and this hand seemed to grow rapidly, like an ancient God opening the heavens, waving a giant palm that covered the heavens and earth, sealing off all space.

The giant hand grabbed and squeezed toward the void.

The three giant pythons, over ten yards long, and the old man in brocade robes were like ants in the giant palm, squeezed by a massive, boundless force. Their bodies shrank continuously, their bones creaking. Amidst their wails and screams, they turned into a puddle of mush, dead beyond all doubt.

"Second move."

Yu Liancheng's finger slashed again.

A streak of light flew out.

The speed of the streak of light seemed not fast, yet it gave one a feeling of heaviness and ancient simplicity, as if a small mountain were flying across the sky; the air was whistling, pushed aside like tidal water to both sides.

Clang!

The streak of light and the Thunder Spear collided.

Only then was it discovered that within that streak of light was a small sword, but this small sword seemed rather broad and heavy, the exact opposite of the lightness and elegance of ordinary Flying Swords.

Under the impact of the sword light, the Thunder Spear shattered inch by inch. With every inch that shattered, the face of Duanboerhuihui turned a shade paler. This Thunder Spear was condensed from his entire body's Qi and Blood, so it was naturally linked to his very breath.

When the Thunder Spear completely shattered, Duanboerhuihui spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was as pale as paper. He wanted to flee, but that small sword had already struck directly at him, carrying the great momentum of a mountain, the wind whistling.

With a shout of "Chi!", Duanboerhuihui was pierced through the chest by the sword, staggered two steps, and finally fell to the ground, unwilling to die.

At this moment, the blade and sword of Tuoba Chunsun finally arrived before Yu Liancheng.

The wind howled, and from all directions came the whistling of blade light and sword shadows.

However, this sword strike was merely a flashy display, possessing only the outward appearance.

It was not that this young Tuoba lacked strength, but rather that having seen two Demons instantly killed, his heart and courage had completely withered. Being able to maintain the forms of his blade and sword techniques was already quite remarkable.

"The third move."

Yu Liancheng's sleeve rolled out like a black cloud emerging from a mountain peak; only a clanging sound was heard, and those two blades and swords, famous throughout Northern Mang, turned into fragments and fell entirely into his sleeve. With another roll, they vanished. Such fine blades and swords were not bad to use as snacks to chew on.

With a "slap," a palm as crystalline as jade had already lightly patted the body of young Tuoba.

Young Tuoba sat on the ground on his backside, nearly scared into wetting his pants, yet he discovered that his entire body was completely unharmed. He could not help but look up at Yu Liancheng and hesitate, "You, you aren't killing me..."

"Three days ago, you asked me what I needed. Now I tell you, I need you to bring a gift to Tuoba Pusa. Although I did not help you find Longshu, I did find Murong Tonghuang. Murong Tonghuang is far more valuable than the monk Longshu, so you and I can barely be considered to have fulfilled the agreement."

Yu Liancheng looked at young Tuoba, patted his shoulder again, and smiled, "This gift is already on you; when you see Tuoba Pusa, he will know."

After saying this, Yu Liancheng's figure flickered and vanished, leaving behind only the still-shivering Tuoba Chunsun.