Chapter 525: Even Immortals Need to Look Down

Liyang Capital.

Yu Liancheng entered the city with a single sword strike.

"Those who block me shall die!"

Following this declaration, Yu Liancheng, holding his long, broken sword, swung it casually.

Yet this casual strike was tyrannical to the extreme; the Sword Qi was like a heavenly river, surging and cascading down in a vast, mighty torrent.

Boom—!

The ten thousand elite cavalrymen seemed to hear the grand echo of a rushing flood, as if they were submerged within a long river of Sword Qi, with endless Sword Qi pressing down upon them like towering, raging waves, overwhelming and unstoppable. Not to mention the elite soldiers in the front, even those far away could hear their own hearts pounding wildly, and they could not help but cry out in terror.

The Sword Qi seemed to carry the force of ten thousand jun; before it even descended, the entire ground trembled, bricks and stones flew, and countless fragments shot out.

"Oh no!

"

The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, a First Grade Vajra expert named Yang Dongping, furrowed his brows.

This strike was aimed directly at the position of the three hundred Imperial Guards where he stood.

He had previously witnessed Murong Tonghuang's city-breaking sword strike; even if the three hundred men behind him could block this wave of Sword Qi, he feared that most would be killed or wounded.

But he had no other choice. At this moment, the ten-thousand-strong army had not yet found its footing; if their Imperial Guard retreated, the soldiers behind them would be split in two by this sword strike.

At that point, whether the opponent chose to fight or leave would become extremely simple.

Correspondingly, any further attempt to trap the opponent and exhaust Yu Liancheng's Qi would become exceedingly difficult.

"Yang Dongping, a rustic martial artist from the old Dongyue, requests battle. To be able to cross swords with Murong Wudi is a life not lived in vain."

As he spoke, Yang Dongping drew the Yinhui Heaven-character No. 17 imperial saber bestowed by the late emperor. His entire body's Qi surged, and he shouted loudly: "Meet the enemy!"

From behind Yang Dongping, three hundred Imperial Guards drew their sabers in unison. The clanging sound was like a long serpent, yet it was filled with a desolate and tragic aura.

It is not only the Beiliang Army that does not fear death in this world.

"Kill!"

Amidst Yang Dongping's sharp shout, the three hundred Imperial Guards met the vast sword light head-on.

Yang Dongping, possessing the strength of the Vajra Realm, led the charge, each step he took causing the ground to vibrate with a dull thud.

He slashed down with his saber to meet the sword light, but after holding for only an instant, he was sent flying backward like a broken rag Wawa by the force of the mighty sword light, vomiting blood.

Immediately following were the Imperial Guards behind him; the formation they had just assembled was instantly torn open, leaving a massive gap and causing heavy casualties.

The power of a single sword strike was terrifying to this extent.

Having been blocked at the cost of lives by Yang Dongping and the three hundred Imperial Guards, the power of this strike had diminished significantly, yet it was still not to be underestimated.

Just as the vast Sword Qi was about to charge through the formation, an old man in green robes appeared before it.

This old man wore a green shirt and appeared to have a somewhat ethereal demeanor, yet his entire body was hung with swords—eighteen in total. If one did not know better, one might mistake the old man for a down-and-out sword peddler.

It is rumored that there is a peculiar swordsman in the world who, every time he fights someone, only uses one move. After that one move, he will never use that move again in his life, nor will he touch that sword again.

This person is Song Nianqing, the Sect Master of the Dongyue Sword Pool.

Song Nianqing became the head of the Dongyue Sword Pool at a young age, and every time he dueled someone, he used only one sword and one move.

Of course, there were exceptions.

For instance, he once went to Wudi City, and that time he brought twelve swords and used twelve sword moves.

As for the result, there is no need to say more; that was the sixty-year period of Wang Laoguai's invincibility under heaven.

And this time, Song Nianqing brought eighteen swords.

With a "clang" like the roar of a dragon, Song Nianqing had already drawn one of the swords. His green sleeves fluttered, and he stepped down, shattering the hard stone slabs, and delivered a sword strike without haste.

This strike could not be called earth-shattering or ghost-weeping. To the eyes of a layman, it would seem ridiculous and laughable, as if a child who had just started practicing swordsmanship had ignorantly chosen a heavy sword and was stumbling about while barely able to lift it. But if it were an expert in swordsmanship, they would see that the refinement of the sword move, the richness of the Sword Intent, and the vigor of the Sword Qi could all be considered rare in this world.

The long sword named "Morning Sun" collided crazily with the Sword Qi, sparks flying in all directions.

But unfortunately, compared to this wave of Sword Qi, it was still a notch inferior.

Song Nianqing was sent flying backward for seven or eight zhang, crashing into the crowd. Immediately, there was a chorus of screams as bones broke and flesh was crushed; people collided with people, and a full thirty or forty men suffered as collateral damage.

Finally, Wu Jian, the ancestor of the Wu Family Sword Tomb, took action, controlling eight hundred swords to crash crazily into the Sword Qi, losing over two hundred in the process, and finally managed to shatter the Sword Qi.

After witnessing the ferocity of Murong Tonghuang, the expressions of the Liyang generals were all very ugly, but they quickly reacted. No matter what kind of expert they faced, this was Taian City.

The Taian City they needed to protect with their lives.

"Gather the formation, attack!"

Following a general's loud shout, the formation prepared by the ten thousand soldiers instantly unfolded. With the Qi of over a hundred experts echoing each other, each responsible for a specific area, they drew upon the strength of the ten thousand men to form an airtight whole.

A murderous, terrifying, and majestic aura began to permeate the air; just looking at it gave one a heart-stopping feeling.

"Charge the formation!"

"Charge the formation!"

"Charge the formation!"

Boom—!

The next moment, amidst the thunderous sound of hooves, ten thousand soldiers surged toward Yu Liancheng like waves, the ground trembling incessantly.

Murong Tonghuang had the magnificent battle record of breaking a hundred-thousand-strong Beimang army alone; even if that record was somewhat exaggerated, it was enough to prove his terror.

Even though his strength was currently weakened by the Qintian Bureau's Array, he remained one of the top figures in the world.

No matter what the final outcome might be, the soldiers in the very front were undoubtedly doomed to die.

But they did not hesitate in the slightest, charging forward with indomitable will.

Is it only the Beiliang Army that does not fear death in this world?

"Li Chungang has a move called 'Rolling Dragon Wall' that I quite like. Formless Sword Qi is hidden beneath the ground and unleashed from the surface. The Sword Qi intertwines and rolls forward; no matter what blocks it, it will be ground into powder."

Facing the charge of thousands of soldiers, Yu Liancheng did not change his expression. He thrust his broken sword into the ground, and wisps of Sword Qi instantly spread out, hiding beneath the surface.

Boom!

As he raised the long sword in his hand, the Sword Qi hidden beneath the ground erupted instantly; it was as if a True Dragon were rolling beneath the earth, causing the ground to tremble.

In the blink of an eye, the ground for a radius of over a hundred zhang shattered completely, and dust and smoke flew into the air.

The soldiers within this hundred-zhang range were trapped deep in the shattered ground, with men shouting and horses neighing, unable to move. A very small number of soldiers were struck by the scattered Sword Qi, bleeding profusely and dying in a miserable state. The soldiers beyond the hundred-zhang range could not stop their charge in time, which instead caused the most severe casualties yet.

"You are all sons of the Central Plains; I do not wish for you to die here. I wish for you to die outside the passes, to die in the struggle against Northern Mang."

Yu Liancheng seemed to be muttering to himself; his voice was calm, yet it was filled with a strange power that made people involuntarily listen and believe. For a time, their will to fight greatly diminished.

Very well.

Compared to this reason, a more important reason in reality was that under the suppression of the grand formation, killing all these ten thousand elites was a very energy-consuming task.

Conversely, it had become extremely difficult for Murong Tonghuang to absorb Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi.

At the same time, there were still several troublesome figures in this Capital that he needed to resolve.

Therefore, if he could save some energy, he naturally would.

"These soldiers are one thing; they are loyal to their duties. But you martial arts practitioners, even though this clearly has nothing to do with you, you insist on participating in this matter—that truly deserves a beating."

After saying this, Murong Tonghuang's figure flashed and he instantly appeared before the Sect Master of the Dongyue Sword Pool, Song Nianqing.

Song Nianqing had been regulating his breath, but as one of the world's few top Sword Dao experts, his reaction was naturally not slow.

He held up his sword fingers and guided them forward; the remaining seventeen swords resembled a long dragon, with the tail of one sword touching the tip of the next, flying to stab at Yu Liancheng one after another. It appeared to be the same sword momentum, but each sword was different, expounding this Sword Dao master's different insights into sword techniques.

Facing the seventeen swords stabbing toward him, Yu Liancheng flicked his finger at the tip of the first sword, his fingertip condensing a mass of extremely refined Broken Force.

Clang!

After a crisp sound, the long sword named "Hundred Beasts" began to explode from the tip, the explosion traveling from the tip to the hilt. It then transferred from the hilt to the tip of the second sword, exploding from the tip to the hilt again, and so on in a cycle...

In the short span of a single breath, the seventeen world-renowned long swords exploded one after another, turning into powder.

And with each long sword that exploded, Song Nianqing's complexion turned a shade paler. When the last long sword exploded, his entire face was as pale as paper, almost devoid of any blood, and his figure staggered.

Yet a wisp of that Broken Force remained; the moment the hilt of the final long sword exploded, it shot into Song Nianqing's chest with lightning speed.

Consequently, Song Nianqing's chest was instantly soaked with blood, his vision blurred, and he collapsed heavily. The last sentence he heard before losing consciousness was vaguely, "Before the Second Liang-Mang War, your Dongyue Sword Pool must kill ten thousand Northern Mang iron cavalry, otherwise you will be removed from the martial arts world forever."

Following in Song Nianqing's footsteps was the ancestor of the Wu Family Sword Tomb, Wu Jian.

Last year, when the six kings entered the Capital to establish the Crown Prince and the various kings, to prevent Cao Zhangqing from causing trouble, the Wu Family ancestor had been ordered to bring eight hundred swords to guard one side of the Imperial Palace.

Unfortunately, he was still broken through by Cao Qingyi.

And recently, this Wu Family ancestor, under the arrangement of the Imperial Court, entered the Capital again, this time to deal with Murong Tonghuang, this world's number one.

In reality, the Wu Family Sword Tomb, influenced by the previous generation's Wu Family Sword Crown, namely the Beiliang King's wife Wu Su, was more inclined toward Beiliang.

But Liyang was powerful; apart from the very few martial arts factions on Wudang Mountain that were already located in the four prefectures of Beiliang, how many could refuse the demands of the Liyang Dynasty?

The Wu Family ancestor pressed his fingers together, and the remaining six hundred long swords flew toward Yu Liancheng in a mighty torrent, his aged face faintly showing a look of excitement.

Due to certain reasons, he had not been able to attend the Huishan Snow Gathering in time.

Regarding this undisputed world's number one, the Wu Family ancestor had always wanted to find an opportunity to spar.

Of course, he also knew that this so-called sparring would mostly result in him being dismissed by the other party in three moves or two.

But unfortunately, the Wu Family ancestor still guessed wrong.

Yu Liancheng only used one move.

To put it more directly, one punch.

This punch appeared to be pushed out "slowly," yet it was astonishingly fast. At first, it had nothing remarkable about it, like a common farmer throwing a punch. But as the fist slowly pushed out, it seemed to grow larger and larger; in the blink of an eye, it was as if a mountain of a fist were coming to meet him, the wind whistling, blotting out the sky and sun, filling the entire field of vision.

All things in the world seemed to become insignificant before this punch.

Including those six hundred flying swords.

In an instant, three hundred were shattered.

In another instant, the other three hundred were shattered.

Finally, this punch slammed into the chest of the Wu Family ancestor.

The ancestor spat blood and flew backward; before losing consciousness, he heard a sentence as well, though it was much shorter.

"Kill twenty thousand Northern Mang iron cavalry."

After Yu Liancheng had killed or wounded the martial arts experts and was about to leave, that group of immortals from the Qintian Bureau finally arrived one after another.

"Presumptuous!"

One of them, standing in the center, with golden armor faintly visible beneath his wide robes, frowned and let out a cold shout.

He glanced at the soldiers around him whose will to fight had vanished, then suddenly transformed into a mass of golden light and swept toward Yang Dongping, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who had cultivated a Jingang Jingti.

Yang Dongping was already heavily injured and his expression was dim, but the moment he was possessed by the immortal, his entire body radiated golden light, shining brilliantly.

He scanned Murong Tonghuang again, a hint of coldness appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Yang Dongping" did not choose a saber as his weapon; he reached out and grabbed randomly in the air, and a golden long spear wreathed in purple lightning appeared in his hand, the shaft engraved with obscure and profound Daoist cloud patterns.

"Yang Dongping" took a step forward, his momentum like a rainbow. The long spear in his hand pierced through the air, stabbing toward Murong Tonghuang's forehead like a golden-armored War God.

Yu Liancheng lifted his hand nonchalantly, opened his five fingers, and grabbed the golden long spear. He let the purple lightning strike him, yet he remained as steady as a mountain.

"Yang Dongping" frowned deeply, attempting to smash the mortal's head with the posture of Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies, but the long spear did not move at all. Under the shock of the Qi, the golden armor symbolizing the immortal's divine might trembled.

Yu Liancheng increased the force in his five fingers, and the golden long spear suddenly let out a loud bang, actually being snapped by him with a casual gesture. He then threw it away, the spear tip turning into a streak of golden light, piercing into "Yang Dongping's" shoulder and carrying his entire body away. As he was about to crash into the ground, the golden light all over his body dissipated and faded at an extremely fast speed.

A streak of brilliant white rainbow rose and swept rapidly toward the sky.

I came from the heavens, and I return to the heavens.

What can a mortal do to me?

It is just a pity that he encountered Murong Tonghuang.

This world's number one who kills Land Immortals like killing dogs.

A faint sword light suddenly flew out from his sleeve, instantly catching up to that brilliant white rainbow, and then the sword light slammed into the white light, forcing it to plummet toward the ground at an even faster speed.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the immortal who had previously been high and mighty fell at Yu Liancheng's feet, with "Li Jing" pinned right into his forehead.

"You brat, how dare you..." The immortal gritted his teeth; never before had he been looked down upon from above by a mortal in such a way.

Just as the three immortals—the one holding the Yu Lei Sword, the one with the lotus crown, and the one with the crane-like temperament—seemed about to make a move to rescue him, Yu Liancheng stomped heavily onto the immortal's face; because the force of this kick was so great, the immortal instantly dissolved into a golden stream of Qi and scattered, vanishing from the world forever.

"The first one."

Yu Liancheng seemed to be murmuring to himself.