Chapter 249: Storming the Mountain Gate

"Does Professor Xu know my teacher?"

Li Fei looked at Xu Jing with curiosity.

A look of exaggerated laughter appeared on Xu Jing's face:

"Of course, he and I are very good friends!"

Upon hearing this, Li Fei nodded calmly, though he felt some disbelief in his heart.

If they were truly such good friends, and he happened to be a professor at Martial Arts University, why had Hao Yi never mentioned this person to him when he first arrived at the university?

"What, you don't believe me?"

Xu Jing asked with a smile.

Li Fei shook his head: "No, it's just that I have never heard my teacher mention you before."

"Oh? He has never mentioned me?"

The smile on Xu Jing's face suddenly vanished; he narrowed his eyes, and his tone turned cold:

"Let's go, it's time to set off."

As he spoke, he placed the white fox in his hand onto the ground, letting it leave on its own.

Li Fei did not ask further, simply following this professor out of the ice field.

After the two walked out of the exotic beast breeding zone, a black car was already parked outside.

Xu Jing did not say anything more, getting straight into the car and sitting in the back row.

Li Fei consciously sat in the front passenger seat.

The car started and slowly drove out of Martial Arts University.

More than forty minutes later, the car drove out of the Datong Prefecture city and headed toward the northwest.

Along the way, Xu Jing did not say another word, and Li Fei did not ask any more questions; the interior of the car remained very quiet.

After driving for over an hour, the car stopped in front of a gate arch.

This gate arch was a mountain gate, with stone steps leading upward behind it; three large characters were written on the arch—Iron Blade Gate.

Several disciples of the Iron Blade Gate were guarding in front of the gate, and upon seeing the car, they revealed solemn expressions.

A disciple with a long blade strapped to his back walked quickly toward them.

Before he could get close, the driver of the car took the initiative to step out, met him, handed him a letter, and spoke a few words.

After the disciple received the letter, he turned and ran back quickly, beginning to ascend the mountain at a very high speed, seemingly to deliver the letter up the mountain.

The driver who went to deliver the letter did not return to the car and remained waiting outside.

Li Fei sat in the passenger seat, quietly watching what was happening outside, never asking a single extra question from beginning to end.

"Your composure is quite good."

Xu Jing, sitting in the back, suddenly spoke, "Do you know why I was the one sent to the Iron Blade Gate this time?"

Li Fei turned to look at Xu Jing and shook his head.

Xu Jing laughed, revealing a row of white teeth: "Because I am the best at killing."

Li Fei's pupils contracted; upon hearing this, he felt a chill run through his entire body!

He steadied his mind and asked:

"So, you mean the Iron Blade Gate has been set up?"

"Oh?"

Xu Jing showed an interested expression, "Why do you say that?"

Li Fei replied without hesitation: "The fact that Martial Arts University sent you to the Iron Blade Gate this time should represent the will of the imperial court, right?"

Xu Jing: "I don't know, and I don't care. But even if I truly represent the will of the imperial court, why do you think the Iron Blade Gate was set up, rather than it actually being in collusion with Western spies?"

Li Fei shook his head: "If it had already been confirmed that the Iron Blade Gate was truly in collusion with Western spies, the imperial court would not have this reaction, nor would they have sent only you."

"That makes sense."

Xu Jing nodded and continued to ask curiously, "Then why do you say the Iron Blade Gate was set up?"

Li Fei said slowly: "At first, the General Inspectorate only discovered that people from martial arts schools were in collusion with Western spies. Later, someone used this matter to make a fuss, aiming the spearhead at the Iron Blade Gate and causing over a dozen martial arts schools to withdraw from the Martial Arts School Association.

After the Iron Blade Gate found out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, they immediately retaliated, which actually meant they fell for the trap, exactly as the person behind the scenes intended."

Xu Jing was thoughtful: "You mean, the person behind the scenes wanted the Iron Blade Gate to retaliate?"

"Yes."

Li Fei nodded, "Because this matter is not a simple grudge in the martial arts world; it also involves Western spies. Even if the Iron Blade Gate only had suspicion, they should have kept a low profile until the investigation results came out. But the Iron Blade Gate not only failed to restrain themselves, they even struck back to show their strength. This looks a bit like challenging the authority of the imperial court."

The situation in Datong Prefecture is different from Xingcheng.

In Xingcheng, the former Tiger Blade Gang had strong influence over the local government, even capable of suppressing the Chief of Xingcheng; they were a typical 'local emperor.'

But here in Datong Prefecture, because there is a Martial Peace University, the authority of the imperial court is much stronger, and there is no such thing as a 'local emperor.'

Martial arts forces like the 'Seven Princes' certainly have their own people within the imperial court and possess a certain amount of influence, but in the end, they cannot go head-to-head with the imperial court.

"Heh."

Xu Jing laughed, "Interesting, you seem to understand this whole officialdom business quite well?"

Li Fei was silent.

Of course, he couldn't tell the other party that he had spent nearly ten years in officialdom in his previous life, and reading people and assessing the situation had almost become an instinct.

It's just that in this life, he didn't want to live like that anymore, which is why there is the 'Green-Faced Ghost.'

"No wonder this time they asked me to kill but wouldn't let me kill to my heart's content; it turns out it was just to beat the Iron Blade Gate into submission. How boring."

Xu Jing shook his head.

Hearing his words, Li Fei became even more certain of his speculation.

It seems that this time, the 'Blade King' truly failed to see the situation clearly and fell into someone else's trap, becoming the object used to 'kill the chicken to warn the monkey.'

"Since you are so smart, why don't you guess why you were required to accompany me this time?"

Xu Jing asked suddenly.

Li Fei thought for a moment and shook his head: "This student cannot guess."

"Heh, then I'll tell you."

Xu Jing looked into Li Fei's eyes and said word by word:

"Because you are Hao Yi's student. Thanks to him, I was thirty years later than expected in cultivating my martial arts foundation, so I demanded that you must follow me this time!"

These words were like a peal of thunder exploding in Li Fei's ears.

In an instant, a cold murderous intent filled the car; Li Fei felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his 'Danger Perception' gave him the strongest sense of crisis he had ever felt!

He subconsciously clenched his fists, almost unable to stop himself from directly using his Blood Soul Technique.

So Xu Jing really is a martial arts master!

And it looks like there is a deep-seated hatred between him and Hao Yi!

"Did you call me out this time to take revenge on my teacher? Wanting to use the hands of the Iron Blade Gate to kill me?"

Many thoughts flashed through Li Fei's mind in an instant, but in the end, he just took a deep breath, suppressed the inner turmoil, and looked at Xu Jing with a calm expression.

Xu Jing observed Li Fei's eyes with interest, and seeing that he could calm down so quickly, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"I didn't expect Hao Yi to take in a student like you; this is truly interesting."

A smile appeared on Xu Jing's face again as he stared at Li Fei:

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"I am afraid, but would you stop killing me just because of that?"

Li Fei asked back calmly.

"Rest assured, you are Hao Yi's student; I won't kill you with my own hands."

Sure enough, Xu Jing said with a smile, and the cold murderous intent in the car dissipated along with it:

"But whether you can survive today depends on your own fortune."

After saying this, he looked straight ahead: "Look, the reply is here."

Li Fei turned to look and saw that the disciple who had gone up the mountain to deliver the letter had returned.

Iron Blade Mountain is not very high, and the disciple delivering the letter is at the Martial Master realm; at his speed, he could make a round trip in a few minutes.

This person walked up to the driver and said a few words, then the driver turned and returned to the car, saying to Xu Jing:

"Professor Xu, the other party has agreed to our proposal."

"Good."

Xu Jing clapped his hands in approval, the smile on his face growing wider, "Let's go, get out of the car."

After saying this, he opened the car door and stepped out.

Li Fei followed closely behind and also stepped out.

"You are following Wen Ke to learn how to comprehend the Heart of Slaughter, right?"

Xu Jing asked as he walked forward.

Li Fei followed behind him: "That's right."

Xu Jing looked ahead: "I was the one who taught her the Heart of Slaughter back then. You haven't learned it after studying with her for so long; today, it's my turn to teach you."

Li Fei was startled; is this the 'benefit' that Wen Ke mentioned?

At this moment, the two had already walked to the front of the Iron Blade Gate's mountain gate.

Xu Jing pointed to the steps ahead:

"It has already been negotiated with the Iron Blade Gate. Next, you will storm the mountain gate. The Iron Blade Gate will send different disciples to fight you along the way, all of whom are at the Martial Master level. If you can defeat these disciples and reach the top of the mountain, then the storming of the mountain gate will be considered a success, and your mission this time will also be considered a success."

Having said this, he turned his head and gave Li Fei a cruel smile:

"According to the rules of the pugilistic world, when storming a mountain gate, life and death are of no concern, so the people of the Iron Blade Sect will use every possible means to kill you! If you fail, you will die here today."

Li Fei nodded and said calmly to Xu Jing:

"Understood."

He knew he had no right to refuse.

"Then go."

Seeing no fear or panic in Li Fei's eyes made Xu Jing feel somewhat bored; he waved his hand, signaling that Li Fei could begin.

Thus, Li Fei held the Ghost Severing Blade and walked toward the mountain gate ahead.

The disciple who had delivered the letter earlier blocked Li Fei at the mountain gate; he drew the long blade from his back and looked at Li Fei with murderous intent:

"Iron Blade Sect disciple Guan Hanxiong. If you wish to storm the mountain gate, you must first step over my corpse!"

Li Fei slowly drew the Ghost Severing Blade and then thrust the scabbard in his hand into the soil at his feet:

"Please."

As the words fell, Guan Hanxiong immediately took a heavy step forward, his feet leaving two deep imprints in the soil.

In that instant, Guan Hanxiong displayed immense explosive power, leaving an afterimage in his wake.

He swung his blade with both hands, and a brilliant golden light erupted from the long blade!

This strike, from top to bottom, was merely the simplest downward hack, yet he executed it with the momentum of a cavalry charge and the slaughter of a battlefield!

Being arranged by the Iron Blade Sect as the first disciple to guard the mountain gate, Guan Hanxiong's combat power was definitely in the upper tier of the Martial Master stage. Even if placed in the Martial University, even if he couldn't rank at the top, Guan Hanxiong would at least have a chance to compete with those elite students.

Li Fei sensed the familiar Geng Metal Qi from his opponent, though what the opponent had cultivated was certainly not Geng Metal True Qi. This aura was both sharp and overbearing; it should be Geng Metal Gang Qi.

Facing this strike, Li Fei held his blade with one hand and swept upward, countering with the Rolling Thunder Style.

A dark golden blade aura lingered on the body of the Ghost Severing Blade.

Clang—

The two blades collided fiercely.

The next second, the layer of Geng Metal Gang Qi on Guan Hanxiong's long blade was sliced open, then the blade body cracked, and immediately after, it snapped into two pieces!

His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly retreated.

Li Fei stepped forward in pursuit, his physique swelling violently as he entered the 'Tyrant Body' state.

In the 'Tyrant Body' state, Li Fei's speed and strength were both enhanced. Borrowing the strength bonus from the 'Tyrant Body' in that instant, his speed suddenly increased by a notch, allowing him to catch up to the retreating Guan Hanxiong in time, and he continued to swing the Ghost Severing Blade.

Swish—

Guan Hanxiong's head flew high into the air!

The headless corpse sprayed blood and then slowly collapsed.

"Senior Brother Guan!"

Several Iron Blade Sect disciples watching the battle were stunned for a few seconds before reacting, exclaiming in shock.

They never imagined that the powerful Guan Hanxiong would be killed in a single move!

Looking at the long blade snapped in two on the ground, the disciples were horrified.

As a Martial Master-level disciple, the blade Guan Hanxiong used was a Level 1 exotic weapon.

Materials used to forge exotic weapons are certainly harder than ordinary steel, and the key to an exotic weapon lies in its adsorption and amplification of Innate Qi and force; sharpness and hardness are secondary. Therefore, a Level 1 exotic weapon could normally clash with Level 3 or 4 exotic weapons without sustaining damage.

That Li Fei could snap Guan Hanxiong's blade with one strike showed that the exotic weapon he used was of a very high grade, excellent in sharpness, and his Innate Qi was far too sharp!

The disciples looked at Li Fei with hateful eyes, then they carried away Guan Hanxiong's corpse, taking his head and the broken blade, leaving only bloodstains on the ground.

Li Fei looked at the blood on the ground, his mood complex.

It was not his first time killing; he had killed many before, but this was the first time he had killed without his own subjective desire.

If today had been a one-on-one duel with Guan Hanxiong, he would have chosen to hold back, spending more effort to beat the opponent into losing mobility rather than killing him outright.

But Xu Jing had made it very clear: storming the mountain gate required Li Fei to fight his way up, continuously engaging different people, and these people would kill him at any cost!

With Xu Jing, a Martial Arts Grandmaster, watching from the side, Li Fei dared not recklessly use the ability of the Myriad Blood Bead to avoid exposure.

To hold back in such a situation was to be cruel to himself.

Likewise, these Iron Blade Sect disciples acting under orders would not hold back against Li Fei!

The content of the letter Xu Jing sent was: let Li Fei storm the mountain gate; if he succeeds, the Martial University will then pursue the negligence of 'Blade King' Gu Vanguard Commander. If Li Fei fails, Xu Jing will leave immediately, and the Martial University will no longer pursue the previous matter.

So this was a clash between the Martial University and the Iron Blade Sect, a collision of the wills of two major powers.

No one cared whether the two sides fighting on this mountain path today were willing or unwilling.

After standing silently in place for a while, Li Fei held his blade and passed through the Iron Blade Sect's mountain gate, walking to the stone steps leading up the mountain, and looked up.

The stone steps led upward, with no end in sight.

How much more blood would be shed on this mountain path today?

PS: There will be another chapter tonight.

(End of this chapter)