Chapter 279: Long Time No See

Between the third courtyard and the second courtyard was a long corridor. On both sides, there should have been rockeries and landscapes, but they had disappeared without a trace, leaving only crushed stones, wood chips, and broken walls everywhere.

As the old man walked through it, several points of light from the ruins on both sides were reflected onto him, then vanished instantly.

Those were fragments of iron, reflecting light.

The old man narrowed his eyes.

On the ground ahead, there was a deep pit one zhang in diameter, cutting the corridor in half.

He frowned, walked to the side of the deep pit, and looked inside.

At the bottom of the pit, a puddle of flesh and blood remained.

Splash—

The old man slapped the bottom of the pit with his palm, and vigorous true energy "scraped" the flesh and blood out, splashing it onto the ground to the side. He looked at the bottom of the pit again, his brows locked tight.

At the bottom of the pit was a palm print and a broken Emei piercer.

He turned to look at his side, where there was a broken corridor pillar. The cut was "concave" in shape, the raised parts on both sides were full of cracked wood thorns, but the concave opening in the center was as smooth as a mirror, like a circular passage running through the entire pillar. The old man walked up, rubbed his finger on the concave opening, and twisted it; dry blood stains slowly drifted from his fingertips.

The scene at that time appeared in his mind.

One person held an Emei piercer and stabbed straight out. The other flipped up, dodged the straight stab in mid-air, and then slapped the opponent's arm with a palm. The opponent flipped the Emei piercer, meeting needle with needle. The ground was hit by his palm wind, creating a large pit; the opponent's Emei piercer broke, and he also left behind an arm. In pain, his figure stalled for a moment.

Then, the opponent's other Emei piercer pierced through his body, transparent from front to back, and the true energy that passed through the body pierced the corridor pillar again, leaving his blood in the concave opening in the middle.

The corridor pillar and he fell to the ground together.

The fight ended there, with no other traces.

The old man's brows were locked tight.

The one who died was a Heaven-Man, who should have cultivated "Jin Gang" like him, yet was pierced through the vital point in one blow and died here. The only remaining remains were the puddle of flesh and blood at the bottom of the pit.

This was the courtyard guardian of the third courtyard.

And the person who had to pass this third courtyard to be qualified to meet—the Pacification Commissioner of the Northern Pacification Division—what kind of person would he be?

The old man slowly shook his head, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

Since he had already reached this point, there was no turning back. When experts fight, the outcome is decided by a single line; a slight flaw in one's state of mind could very well be the final factor deciding victory or defeat. The opponent left these traces without cleaning them up, which should have been intentional. Since he had reached this point, it was impossible not to observe them. After observing, seeds of cowardice would be left in his heart, leaving a flaw in his state of mind.

"Psychological warfare."

The old man looked at the courtyard gate ahead.

He stepped inside.

The sunlight coming toward him flickered in his vision, and then his eyes gradually adapted to the light. The old man scanned the courtyard in front of him.

Unlike the first and second courtyards, this courtyard was extremely spacious, but it was clearly not the original layout. Traces of some buildings remained on the ground to the left, right, and front, but now only fine sand and stones remained. It should have been that four or five surrounding courtyards were destroyed in the Heaven-Man battle, expanding this space.

A faint fishy smell lingered at the tip of his nose; that was the bloodiness remaining in the cracks of the bricks and stones. The ground was pitted and full of bumps and deep pits. As soon as he entered the courtyard gate, there were several pit holes the size of fingertips under his feet, bottomless.

But the old man had no mind to look at these traces carefully.

He stared fixedly at a person in the courtyard, his hands clenched into fists, his hard-body cultivation technique operating at full power. His footsteps moved slightly, one hand lifted to his chest, the other protecting his waist, directly setting up a defensive posture.

"Your Excellency, you look very unfamiliar."

A young woman's voice came from opposite.

"Although I haven't walked the Jianghu for a while, there are only so many experts. Even if I consider all the experts who might have broken through to the Peak in the last thirty years, there is no such person as you. Moreover, looking at your hands, you should be cultivating hard-body techniques, but they are definitely not the ones I am familiar with."

"Where do you come from?"

The old man remained silent.

"Unwilling to say, unable to say, or unable to say to me?"

Attendant Ruan Mei asked, reaching out to pull out the Emei piercer hanging at her waist, spinning it in her hand, and holding it in reverse.

"The latter."

"Oh... so, are you planning to pass my courtyard and speak after seeing the Pacification Commissioner?"

"Yes."

"That's fine."

Attendant Ruan Mei said.

"If you want to fight directly, it actually won't delay things. Either way, we have to exchange a few moves, but whether it's a matter of life or death depends on your fortune."

The old man frowned.

"Your Excellency... what do you mean?"

"If you are qualified to pass, you will naturally know."

Before the words finished, Attendant Ruan Mei had already appeared in front of the old man!

The Emei piercer in her hand stabbed straight at the old man's throat!

————————

Boom!!!

Ahead, a dull, loud noise suddenly came. Then followed a series of explosions, the ground shook, and the stones on the ground jumped up.

Liu Chengxuan, Qi Shuyun, and Wen Lianrong all stopped, shocked and uncertain.

"Is this the Heaven-Man realm?"

"Such a big commotion... it's almost like attacking a city."

Qi Shuyun turned to look at An Ziyang.

"Young Master An, are we really going over?"

An Ziyang smiled.

"Of course not now; if we get involved, we'll turn into meat paste in an instant."

"However, the three of you can rest assured. It shouldn't take long."

"When the sound stops, we can go over and take a look."

————————

The old man operated his hard-body cultivation technique with all his might, and in an instant, he had exchanged over a dozen moves with Attendant Ruan Mei, but the more he fought, the more shocked he became. Because the opponent's realm was clearly displayed before his eyes—Sumeru, Jiezi! Cultivating both paths, yet there was not the slightest sign of the Five Decays of Heaven-Man; her Qi and blood were full, her true energy was agile, and with a wave of her hand, she could break his Jin Gang hard-body cultivation!

Before a stick of incense had passed, there were already over a dozen wounds on his arms deep enough to see bone, and the opponent's offensive showed no signs of stopping; he simply didn't have the time to operate his healing technique to heal his flesh!

Hard-body cultivation is strongest only when the whole body is perfect. Only when true energy is integrated into the tendons and bones and Qi and blood are full can the power of hard-body cultivation be exerted. But the opponent had opened over a dozen holes in him in this short stick of incense, Qi and blood were flowing out, true energy was not smooth, and his hard-body cultivation was getting weaker and weaker.

"I am not her opponent."

The old man's heart sank, his gaze passing through the gap between his arms to look at Attendant Ruan Mei's eyes.

Sumeru true energy, Jiezi force; the opponent's offensive was almost the peak of below the three-path combination. His own thin Jin Gang realm simply couldn't withstand the opponent's moves. And the opponent's inheritance was exceptionally brilliant, with almost no flaws in her moves; it was difficult for him, who played with hard-body cultivation, to limit the opponent's movement.

If it weren't for the opponent having no killing intent, he would probably have been defeated quickly.

The old man gritted his teeth, his gaze swept toward Attendant Ruan Mei's back, his feet moved slightly.

Swish!

In an instant, his vision blurred.

Looking again, the old man's expression had sunk.

Because Attendant Ruan Mei was already standing in the direction he was looking, raising her hand to shake off the flesh and blood stuck to the Emei piercer.

"Are you trying to endure my moves and rush out of this courtyard directly?"

Attendant Ruan Mei said.

The old man remained silent.

"Before you came, there were two Heaven-Men who reached me. One of them knew he couldn't win and wanted to turn back and flee; I caught up with him in the corridor outside. The other had the same idea as you, thinking of rushing out of this courtyard directly, which could also be considered 'breaking through.' How could I not be prepared?"

Attendant Ruan Mei said slowly.

"You don't seem to be from the evil path."

"People in the evil path scheme against each other every day; if they aren't good at hiding their thoughts, they will probably die in the hands of others in a few years. You, however, can't even hide your own eyes, looking straight at the courtyard gate; I couldn't help but notice."

The old man was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak.

"But I have no other choice."

Attendant Ruan Mei smiled.

"That's true."

"In that case, you can try."

The old man nodded slowly, raised his hands to protect his chest and abdomen, and flashed toward the courtyard gate.

————————

"The commotion ahead seems to be getting smaller."

Qi Shuyun turned to An Ziyang and said.

As they spoke, the last loud noise came from the courtyard ahead, and then it fell into a dead silence.

"It's over."

An Ziyang smiled.

"They fought for a full two sticks of incense; this old man is quite a character."

He stepped forward.

"Let's go, Sect Leader Liu."

"'Hero Li' is waiting for you behind this third courtyard."

Liu Chengxuan nodded slowly, reached out to touch his chest, then took it down, took a deep breath, and then turned to look at Wen Lianrong, and the two followed quickly.

The four walked into the third courtyard.

This place was already a mess.

A Heaven-Man battle was almost like a natural disaster. Where Attendant Ruan Mei and the old man passed, it was as if they had been plowed by dense meteorites; trees fell, houses collapsed, rocks were destroyed, and large deep pits and sharp marks were carved into every piece of ground and wall, making it difficult to even find a place to stand.

An Ziyang scanned left and right, but raised his eyebrows.

Because Attendant Ruan Mei and the old man were nowhere to be seen.

He looked at the courtyard gate ahead.

"Did he really break through?"

An Ziyang greeted the three who were staring and looking around, and walked forward quickly.

Passing through the courtyard gate and leaving the third courtyard, where two Heaven-Man lives had already been left, there was another long corridor. An Ziyang walked a section quickly, reached out and wiped a corridor pillar on the side, and touched a handful of wet blood.

This meant that the old man had really broken through the third courtyard.

"Interesting."

An Ziyang walked along the corridor all the way and finally reached a hall.

Spotted blood stains on the ground extended from the ground along the steps all the way inside.

"He really got to see the Pacification Commissioner."

An Ziyang smiled and walked in quickly.

Qi Shuyun stood in place and took a deep breath.

He was over forty years old and had struggled his way up in the Jianghu himself. Long before Liu Chengxuan, he had already guessed An Ziyang's identity. Walking all the way here, he had completely confirmed his guess.

An Ziyang was the Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander, "Young Master Lingxu."

And inside this hall should be the most prominent figure in the Jianghu at this moment who had gathered all the heroes of the world for a banquet.

Embroidered Uniform Guard, Northern Pacification Division, Pacification Commissioner.

A single thought, and the entire Jianghu would be shaken. With a single order, even giants of the martial arts world like Shaolin and Wudang would have to travel thousands of miles to attend the banquet.

Such a figure... was right in front of him.

Qi Shuyun turned to look at Liu Chengxuan.

"Sect Leader Liu, since we have reached this point, there are some things I won't hold back anymore... what kind of friendship do you have with the Embroidered Uniform Guard that could make Young Master An, a Grade Five Battalion Commander, travel thousands of miles to Huguang and escort you all the way here?"

"Who exactly is the 'Hero Li' that Young Master An mentioned?"

Liu Chengxuan was silent for a moment, shook his head, and smiled bitterly.

"Hero Qi, I don't know either."

"I only met Hero Li once, and have never seen him since, nor have I ever heard any Jianghu news about him. If I really had a friendship with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could my Huanhua Sword Sect have fallen to the point of struggling to support itself over the past six months?"

"I also want to know the answer."

Qi Shuyun pursed his lips and smiled.

"Sect Leader Liu doesn't need to lie to me."

"Forget it, let's go."

"Who knows, your Huanhua Sword Sect might just soar into the sky from now on."

After saying that, he lifted his foot and walked into the hall.

Liu Chengxuan took a deep breath and stepped in with him.

After walking into the hall, the first thing that came was a rich fishy smell of blood.

Liu Chengxuan walked in with his head down, his gaze following the spotted blood stains on the ground, slowly lifting, and then he saw a back.

Outside the mountain gate, the old man who made him almost suffocate with just one look was now kneeling on one knee on the ground, his figure constantly rising and falling, clearly breathing heavily. His back, arms, and even the back of his head were covered with wounds deep enough to see bone, blood constantly dripping along the corners of his clothes, and in a short while, a puddle had accumulated on the ground.

Standing beside him was a woman with two Emei piercers hanging at her waist, still stained with undried blood.

The gaze lifted again.

In front of the old man were several steps, covered with dark black bear skin, with palace lanterns standing on the left and right sides, the firelight flickering, casting shadows all around.

Above the steps was a huge chair, a zhang wide. The armrests on the left and right were extremely wide, wrapped in snow-white fox fur. Cushions woven from Su embroidery were placed on both sides. One arm rested on it, elbow supporting the face, and the other hand held a scroll of books, blocking the face.

An Ziyang was standing to the side, looking at him with a smile.

Liu Chengxuan swallowed his saliva and looked at the person sitting in the chair.

"Hero... Li...?"

"Hmm?"

A response with a question came from ahead.

The book was slowly put down, revealing an unfamiliar face.

Liu Chengxuan widened his eyes, his mouth slowly opening.

"Who are you?"

The young girl in the chair tilted her head. She casually put the book on her side, supported the armrest with her arm, and sat up. She looked at Liu Chengxuan with confusion.

Qi Shuyun on the side was also dumbfounded.

Because the person in this chair didn't fit any of their guesses at all. Two thin eyebrows, cute wrinkles on her nose, a goose-yellow long dress—it was actually a pretty-faced girl!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard Pacification Commissioner is actually a girl!?

The three of them were in chaos, feeling dizzy.

And the girl in the chair didn't get an answer for a long time, tilted her head again, and asked confusedly.

"Who is Hero Li?"

Liu Chengxuan no longer had the strength to answer.

He had crashed.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead.

"It's your grand-master."

Bang!

"Ouch! Why hit me!"

"If you block your face with a book, I won't know you're sleeping? If no one comes in, you can't wake up? If you can't memorize it tonight, you'll stay in the room and memorize books for tomorrow night's banquet."

"No!"

"Then memorize it quickly!"

"... I'll memorize it, okay..."

Liu Chengxuan looked up blankly.

The girl they thought was the Embroidered Uniform Guard Pacification Commissioner was covering her forehead with tears in her eyes.

A familiar figure was standing beside the chair. He was still wearing inner clothes, as if he had just woken up, and An Ziyang was diligently putting a bear-skin cloak on him.

"Hero... Li?"

Liu Chengxuan said hoarsely.

Li Miao turned to look at Liu Chengxuan.

He said with a smile.

"Little brother."

"Long time no see."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 280 =====