Chapter 519: Turning Around and Leaving

Hutou City, prison.

Yu Liancheng, dressed in black, arrived at the prison to see a prisoner.

Chai Qingshan of Dongyue Sword Pool.

In the cell, Chai Qingshan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, showing none of the dejection or panic of a prisoner, possessing the true demeanor of a Grandmaster.

Hearing footsteps, Chai Qingshan opened his eyes, looked up, and saw Murong Tonghuang, who had walked into the cell with a smile, and sighed: "Alliance Leader Murong, congratulations, the plan was a complete success."

Yu Liancheng chuckled and said: "Old Chai, this plan's success also owes a debt to your contribution."

Chai Qingshan sighed again: "I merely did some insignificant trifles; even without me, what was meant to happen would still have happened."

In reality, Yu Liancheng had long known of the young Emperor's plan and had actively gone with the flow, which led to today's events, all for the sake of a justified strike.

As for Chai Qingshan, he was also within Yu Liancheng's plan.

Yu Liancheng and Chai Qingshan could be considered old acquaintances.

When Yu Liancheng first entered the Edo, traveling from Huishan to Beiliang, he passed by the Guangling River to watch the tide and had a small conflict with the Guangling King, which led to the legend of the "Heavenly Venerable breaking three thousand armored cavalry."

Chai Qingshan was a Guest Minister of the Guangling King and was spared by Yu Liancheng.

During the Huishan Snow Gathering, Chai Qingshan also participated in that earth-shattering battle, was defeated by a casual sword strike from Yu Liancheng, yet gained deep insights and improved his skills further.

In this way, Yu Liancheng had the grace of sparing his life and the grace of providing him with enlightenment.

When the Mountain Master Song Nianqing asked him to assist Qi Jiajie in completing this Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword, Chai Qingshan was very conflicted; on one side was his sect, on the other was his benefactor.

After much contemplation, he obscurely passed information to Yu Liancheng and then decided to go into seclusion, no longer participating in the matter.

Yu Liancheng, however, secretly sought him out personally and made him agree to the matter.

But he had to accomplish one thing: when Qi Jiajie released that Ten Thousand Mile Flying Sword, it had to be in full view of everyone, so that it would be easy to make a case of it.

"No matter how powerful the Edo factions are, whether it is Longhu Mountain or Dongyue Sword Pool, in the end, how can they compare to Liyang or Beiliang? They are nothing but chess pieces," Chai Qingshan lamented.

"Heh, in the end, it is still a lack of strength and insufficient confidence. Otherwise, even if one has requests of the Imperial Court, one could stand like a thousand-fathom cliff, unyielding because one has no desires. Look at Deng Taie, Li Chungang, and Sui Xiegu who spits out three thousand sword Qi; which one of them is not Carefree and unrestrained?" Yu Liancheng chuckled.

"Indeed, Dongyue Sword Pool is still too weak." Chai Qingshan shook his head and changed the subject: "By the way, how is Qi Jiajie?"

"Unknown." Yu Liancheng said calmly: "That mad woman named Xuanyuan went to chase him; as long as he can escape from that mad woman, I am too lazy to pursue it."

In the night.

With a "whoosh," a figure flashed by rapidly.

This person wore white robes with a jade belt and carried a long sword at his waist.

The sword was named "Changxia," its scabbard black and ancient, seemingly made from the skin of a flood dragon or python, but its true peculiarity lay in the fact that this sword had no crossguard. Thus, when held by the hilt, the sword would immediately slide out of the scabbard.

Long swords in the world have long been nicknamed "Changxia" since ancient times; using this as a name was enough to show its owner's arrogance in the Sword Dao.

Of the millions of swords in the world, my Changxia alone is enough.

The owner of this long sword was indeed very famous.

—Capital First Swordsman, Qi Jiajie.

Together with Huang Qing of the North Mang Sword Qi, they were known as "Qi Technique and Huang Dao," and were respectively regarded as the successors to the two successive Sword Gods, Deng Taie and Li Chungang.

However, it was a pity that the two Sword Gods were still roaming the world in style, leading the trend, while the fates of these two successors were somewhat unfortunate.

Huang Qing of the Sword Qi was killed in the battle to intercept Yu Liancheng.

Qi Jiajie was also fleeing madly.

He did not have complete confidence in whether he could survive today.

In this "Heavenly Flying Sword" incident, he had exerted great effort and was an extremely important character.

And with that sword strike, he was also in an irreconcilable situation with Beiliang.

In the expert-filled Beiliang, even with his Rooted Mask, he feared his identity had already been guessed.

As the Capital First Swordsman, Qi Jiajie's cultivation was naturally not poor.

Even when facing the encirclement and interception of Beiliang's many experts, he was confident he could escape alive.

But the premise was that the leader of the martial arts world would not make a move.

Just thinking of that peerless figure who reigned over the world on Huishan, Qi Jiajie felt a sense of trembling, feeling fear from the depths of his heart.

If that person appeared, he, the Capital First Swordsman, would not even need to strike; his own fighting spirit would collapse first.

Qi Jiajie unleashed his light-body technique to the fullest, fast as a ghost; the surrounding scenery flashed past his eyes, turning into silhouettes at his side. His movement was so agile and his speed so swift that even flying birds could not catch up.

It was not that he lacked methods similar to riding the wind and controlling a sword, but that would be too eye-catching and easily discovered.

Suddenly, Qi Jiajie frowned slightly; in his peripheral vision, he vaguely saw a figure behind him.

Judging purely by light-body technique, there were not many people in the world who could keep up with his pace, but every one of them was enough to be a formidable enemy.

Thinking of this, Qi Jiajie had already made a decision in his heart.

Suddenly, Qi Jiajie's movement took a sharp turn, he spun around, and his sleeve brushed lightly against a nearby branch, instantly sending several leaves flying toward the person behind him.

Each leaf carried sharp Sword Qi.

For the Capital First Swordsman, plucking a leaf could kill a man.

At the same time, the Qi in his body exploded like a surging river, and the Changxia sword suddenly unsheathed, turning into a startling flash of sword light, stabbing out with a "chi" sound.

But when his gaze fell upon that black figure, the long sword in his palm stalled slightly, and a sense of fear instantly filled his heart.

And that slender black figure flicked her sleeve, turning the leaves into dust, and two slender fingers reached forward, clamping onto the incoming sword.

"Eh, Qi Jiajie, since when did your sword become so soft and powerless?" The black figure opposite him raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled.

"It's you?" Only then did Qi Jiajie realize that the black-clad figure before him was not the person he had imagined, but Xuanyuan Qingfeng, who had given him the Great Snow Order back then.

"Who else could it be but me." Xuanyuan Qingfeng chuckled, her whole body exuding an eerie aura: "Could it be you thought it was Mountain Master Murong? Heh, no wonder that sword strike just now was so anticlimactic; it turns out you were scared out of your wits."

Qi Jiajie turned his wrist, the blade slicing diagonally at Xuanyuan Qingfeng's fingers, forcing the latter to release the long sword.

He did not rush to strike, his gaze looking vigilantly at his surroundings.

"Rest assured, I am the only one responsible for hunting you down this time."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng gave a light laugh, her jet-black, waterfall-like hair rising up as the air within a ten-zhang radius whistled and roared, surging and sweeping through the sky toward her slender, graceful figure. It was as if she had transformed herself into a Heavenly Demon vortex, and even the light grew dim, appearing to be drawn into her body as well.

Whoosh!

This terrifying suction grew increasingly powerful, and the surrounding vegetation seemed to suffer the sweep of a gale, bowing to the ground one after another, as if all of them were prostrating before Xuanyuan Qingfeng.

"This woman..." Qi Jiajie first frowned, then immediately sneered: "Xuanyuan Qingfeng, you were defeated by me in the Capital last time. If you don't want to throw your life away for nothing, then get lost." The tip of his Changxia sword pointed obliquely at the ground, and with a twist of his wrist, that sharp aura unique to a swordsman instantly diffused outward.

"Cackle, cackle, it is true that I lost last time. As for who will be the victor this time, that is not yet certain." A cold, murderous aura filled with undisguised malice had already enveloped Qi Jiajie.

The next moment, the Heavenly Demon Force Field expanded, including Qi Jiajie within it.

This Capital First Swordsman immediately felt a sense of disorientation, as if space were inverted and collapsing inch by inch.

Within it, there was an even more terrifying suction, which actually caused Qi Jiajie's aura to surge uncontrollably toward Xuanyuan Qingfeng at the center of the vortex.

"Seeking death!"

Qi Jiajie narrowed his eyes halfway, and at the very instant his aura surged to its limit, a cold, clear sword light broke through the air, slicing through the Heavenly Demon Force Field. It was like a glimmer of light in the boundless Darkness, cutting through the mist that obstructed the path ahead.

Delay would only lead to trouble; he had to finish off this woman as quickly as possible, otherwise, if the other pursuers arrived, his life would be in danger. For this, he went all out, not even sparing the cost of a drop in his cultivation realm.

"Cackle, cackle, just in time."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng gave a cold laugh and had already swept toward Qi Jiajie. One Heavenly Demon vortex after another emerged, further inverting the space.

Thus, this Soul-Absorbing Rakshasa, whose reputation in the Edo was growing ever more prominent, engaged in battle once again with the Capital First Swordsman.

Qi Jiajie brandished his famous Changxia sword, and Sword Qi overflowed wildly.

This Capital First Swordsman had never apprenticed under a famous master; every step of his path was one he had walked himself.

His sword technique was ruthless and seasoned, every move tempered a thousand times.

He might not be able to ascend to the top ten of the Martial Evaluation, but like Xuanyuan Qingfeng, he was a strong candidate for the top ten.

As for Xuanyuan Qingfeng, after her battle with Yu Liancheng on Huishan, her state of mind had reached a higher level, and confronting Qi Jiajie head-on posed no pressure at all.

The two fought faster and faster, sword light swirling, and explosive force bursting forth in succession.

Although Qi Jiajie's sword technique was high, he was currently agitated and restless, and there were many flaws in his strikes, nearly causing him to be wounded by Xuanyuan Qingfeng.

Fortunately, this Qi Jiajie had been able to firmly hold the position of Capital First Swordsman for many years, having experienced countless battles, large and small; he quickly adjusted his state of mind and fought Xuanyuan Qingfeng to a draw.

As time passed, this battle finally reached its end.

Sparks flew in mid-air, thunderous sounds clanged, and in a flash of lightning, the two figures touched and separated.

Qi Jiajie let out a muffled groan, his face deathly pale, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. He staggered backward, his chest collapsed; his sternum had been shattered by a strike from his opponent.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng also fell from the air, deathly pale, having been stabbed in the ribs by Qi Jiajie's sword, blood soaking her black clothes. However, the moment before she hit the ground, she forcibly gathered a breath of True Qi, struck the ground with her palm, and her body suddenly leaped up again, lunging toward Qi Jiajie.

"This madwoman..."

Qi Jiajie's reaction was also extremely fast, and he thrust his sword out.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng tilted slightly and, without any hesitation, collided with the blade.

She immediately felt a cold, piercing pain, as if it were about to pierce through her entire body.

But the evil, strange smile at the corner of Xuanyuan Qingfeng's mouth grew even more intense; her slender hand curled into a claw, easily grabbing into Qi Jiajie's chest and simultaneously seizing his pounding heart.

Bang! With a casual squeeze.

Qi Jiajie's eyes widened, his face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed limply.

Yet, with his First Grade cultivation, he was still breathing weakly. Xuanyuan Qingfeng's blood-stained palm grabbed Qi Jiajie's wrist, and the Heavenly Demon Great Art operated frantically.

That gradually dissipating True Qi of Qi Jiajie's surged toward Murong Tonghuang like a bursting river.

"Madman, madman, truly a madman..."

This was likely Qi Jiajie's final thought.

His consciousness gradually blurred, the scenery before his eyes rapidly transformed into black, and finally, it grew dark.

"Truly delicious." Xuanyuan Qingfeng withdrew her palm and stuck out her scarlet tongue, licking the uncoagulated heart blood from her fingers.

She felt the flow of energy throughout her body, feeling only that her essence and energy were abundant, her entire being stronger than ever before, the breath flowing through her meridians as long and continuous as a river, impossible to sever.

"Many thanks to you, Capital First Swordsman. By the way, I'll borrow this head as well; I made a military pledge to bring your head back, otherwise, it will be difficult to report back."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng gave a charming smile toward the corpse on the ground, lowered her body, and turned to leave.

PS: Chapter 3, a large chapter of three thousand words, requesting monthly votes.