Chapter 703: The Peerless Spear of No-Self

On the morning of March 19th, Li Fei and his party arrived in Tianshui City.

That afternoon, the people from the Profound Heaven Gate also arrived in Tianshui City.

Zhu Fenghua, with his dark skin, wearing a gray short jacket and black cloth shoes, walked out of the train station with two fellow disciples.

Although he was only 35 years old this year, he looked even older than the two disciples in their forties beside him.

"Is that Zhu Fenghua?"

"It should be."

"He is completely different from what I imagined."

"A bit."

"So this is what Zhu Fenghua looks like."

"Where is the 'peerless elegance' in this?"

"."

Outside the station, there were many martial artists who had come for his reputation, as well as some young ladies from official families who yearned for the martial world.

After seeing Zhu Fenghua's appearance clearly, they were all deeply disappointed.

If it weren't for the two imposing Profound Heaven Gate disciples following him, if he were walking down the street alone, others might even mistake him for a laborer.

"Peerless elegance, unprecedented in history"—this kind of adjective clearly referred to his martial arts, and had absolutely nothing to do with his looks.

The young ladies from official families left in disappointment one after another, but the martial artists did not.

Some took the initiative to go up and strike up a conversation, while others followed from a distance, wanting to see if Zhu Fenghua would go to challenge that Marquis of Jing'an to a duel today.

But Zhu Fenghua and the others went straight to the hotel and never came out again.

That evening, another train arrived in Tianshui City.

A group of people surrounded a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in white gauze, looking like a white crane above the clouds, as she walked out of the train station.

The surrounding crowd was in an uproar, and many were left dumbstruck.

Fifth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, Lan Ruoyun had arrived.

The Lan family did not have a quota to enter the Tomb of Tianshui; Lan Ruoyun had not come to enter the tomb this time, but to watch the duel between Li Fei and Zhu Fenghua.

Not long after Lan Ruoyun's party arrived in Tianshui City, a group of people clearly dressed as martial artists walked out of the bus station, holding various weapons.

Another group had been waiting outside the station for a long time, and upon seeing them, they took the initiative to greet them.

"Greetings, Lord Lanyue."

"Hahaha, Sect Leader Zhang, no need for such formalities."

"."

The two groups merged and exchanged pleasantries.

Many people near the station were surprised to see this scene, because the leader of the group waiting outside the station was named Zhang Hanjiang, the leader of the largest gang in Tianshui City, with a cultivation base at the Dao Foundation realm.

To be able to make him personally lead people to welcome them, the newcomer's background must be significant.

This "Brother Zhou" whom Zhang Hanjiang was welcoming was named Zhou Yan, nicknamed "Lord Lanyue," eighth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, a powerful figure from the neighboring Jiangbei Province!

Zhou Yan also did not have a quota to enter the Tomb of Tianshui; his goal in rushing to Tianshui City this time was the same as Lan Ruoyun's: to watch the duel between Zhu Fenghua and Li Fei.

Just as Zhang Hanjiang intended to take Zhou Yan to a car, Zhou Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the station exit.

A lean man carrying a long, rectangular box walked out of the bus station.

"Senior, what's wrong?"

Zhang Hanjiang asked from the side.

"Unexpectedly, he has come too."

Zhou Yan said with a solemn expression as he watched the man's back.

"Who is this?"

Zhang Hanjiang hurriedly asked with caution.

"The Peerless Spear of No-Self, Yan Dongchen!"

Zhou Yan said softly.

"Yan Dongchen?!"

Zhang Hanjiang was startled.

"The Peerless Spear of No-Self" Yan Dongchen, fourth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking!

Before Li Fei burst onto the scene, he had always been in the top three of the Wind and Cloud Ranking, and even before Shentu Yue rose to prominence, he was second on the ranking.

Yan Dongchen's lineage had always been a single-disciple tradition; his master died early, so he was no different from a rogue cultivator in the martial world.

Over the years, many major powers had wanted to recruit him, but all had been rejected.

Yan Dongchen had just continued to walk his own path alone.

Although his ranking had dropped repeatedly over the years, no one dared to underestimate him.

"Should we go over and say hello?"

Zhang Hanjiang asked in a low voice.

Although he was the local tyrant of Tianshui City, there were some powerful outsiders he was destined not to provoke; he only hoped to build a good relationship.

"Better not. Yan Dongchen is used to being alone and doesn't like to be disturbed."

Zhou Yan shook his head.

And so, the group watched as Yan Dongchen's back disappeared from their sight.

With this, the small city of Tianshui had already gathered six Dao Foundation realm experts from the Wind and Cloud Ranking!

This was a martial world event that hadn't happened in decades!

March 20th.

The Tianshui City government dispatched hundreds of inspectors and hundreds of city guards to clear the area, cordoning off a large stretch of forest more than ten miles east of the city.

Subsequently, the Tianshui City Cease-War Academy and the Red Dust Pavilion both sent martial artists to search the forest and "persuade" those hiding within to leave.

According to estimates, the crack of the Tomb of Tianshui would appear within that cordoned-off forest within three days.

There were three major forces that could enter the Tomb of Tianshui this time:

The official government, the Red Dust Pavilion, and the Profound Heaven Gate.

Among them, Wuan University represented the official government; Li Fei and the others did not need to wait in that forest in advance, they could just go over once the location of the crack was confirmed.

Before that, Li Fei and the others stayed in the official guesthouse in Tianshui City.

The Red Dust Pavilion had properties and residences in Tianshui City, but for some reason, Shentu Yue and the other four chose to stay in the guesthouse with Li Fei.

The afternoon sun was somewhat blinding as a man carrying a long, rectangular wooden box walked through the sunlight toward a mansion.

This mansion was the official guesthouse of Tianshui City.

The two guards at the gate saw the man's extraordinary bearing and were about to step forward to inquire, but the man spoke first:

"Yan Dongchen has come to visit; I request a duel with the Marquis of Jing'an!"

His voice was not loud, but it was extremely sharp, like an iron spear cutting through the sky and piercing the air, clearly audible for several miles around.

Since Li Fei and his party moved into this mansion yesterday, many martial artists had been guarding nearby, wanting to witness the duel between Li Fei and Zhu Fenghua with their own eyes.

They hadn't expected to wait for Yan Dongchen first.

Fourth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking challenging the first!

The news spread quickly, and many people rushed toward this location.

Yan Dongchen stood quietly in the open space outside the mansion, the sunlight shining on him, refracting a metallic luster.

A moment later, Xiang Dongliang walked out.

He glanced at Yan Dongchen, who was over thirty meters away, and for a moment, he couldn't see the man's appearance clearly; he only felt it was blinding, as if something sharp was pressed against his eyes.

"I am Xiang Dongliang, a professor at Wuan University. You know that the Marquis of Jing'an is about to enter the Tomb of Tianshui for an expedition, so why must you insist on challenging him at this time?"

Xiang Dongliang cupped his hands in a salute to Yan Dongchen and asked.

"The Peerless Spear of No-Self" Yan Dongchen was known for his spear technique of no-self, the ultimate in lethal strikes, and was recognized as the most powerful existence in terms of killing force on the Wind and Cloud Ranking!

Such a person, even if one could win against him, would inevitably pay a price.

Therefore, Xiang Dongliang did not want Li Fei to accept such a challenge at this time.

"I only heard of the Marquis of Jing'an's battle record after coming out of seclusion. I heard that even a Martial Arts Master could not break his defense. I spent two years in seclusion and realized a new spear technique; I wish to ask the Marquis of Jing'an to test it."

Yan Dongchen's voice pierced the air again, giving his reason.

He had indeed disappeared from the martial world for the past two years; it turned out he had been in seclusion seeking a breakthrough.

Hearing this, Xiang Dongliang was even less willing to let Li Fei duel with him:

"The opening of the Tomb of Tianshui is imminent. Why don't you wait until this matter is concluded before coming to challenge the Marquis of Jing'an?"

But Yan Dongchen shook his head: "The Dead Realm is not a smooth path, and life has too many variables. Who can predict what will happen tomorrow? Since I have already arrived here, why wait for another day?"

Although what he said made some sense, it was not very pleasant to hear.

The implication was that he was worried that if something happened to Li Fei in the Tomb of Tianshui, he would never get the chance to duel him in the future.

Xiang Dongliang frowned. He was not a man with a good temper to begin with, and since Yan Dongchen was being impolite, he no longer felt the need to save face for him:

"I offer good advice and you don't listen. Who do you think you are? You say you want a duel, and the Marquis of Jing'an must duel you?"

He didn't even need to rely on Li Fei's influence; with his status as a Wuan University professor, he could already reprimand Yan Dongchen like this!

After all, Yan Dongchen was just a rogue cultivator.

By now, more and more people had arrived upon hearing the news, and everyone focused their gaze on Yan Dongchen.

The sunlight shone on his face, making it impossible to see his expression, but his voice remained piercing:

"The Marquis of Jing'an is unwilling to fight me?"

As the words fell, an incomparably sharp spear intent suddenly erupted from his body.

This spear intent made everyone present feel as if they had needles pricking their backs, creating the illusion that their bodies had been pierced through!

This spear intent pierced the heavens and slaughtered the earth; every powerhouse at the Dao Foundation realm within the entire Tianshui City felt it in their hearts at this moment.

"He is stronger than he was two years ago."

Zhou Yan, the Duke of Lanyue who had rushed over upon hearing the news, sighed with emotion.

He had not crossed blades with Yan Dongchen before, but he had seen the other party make a move two years ago.

Compared to two years ago, Yan Dongchen's spear intent was even sharper and struck more directly at the soul!

Standing at the main entrance, Xiang Dongliang's expression changed slightly, and he did not speak.

He truly could not directly represent Li Fei to state a position, so he was also waiting for Li Fei's "response."

After waiting for a moment, no sound came from within the mansion.

This was Li Fei's response.

Xiang Dongliang felt a sense of relief in his heart and said to Yan Dongchen:

"It seems the Marquis of Jing'an will not spar with you now; come back another time."

But Yan Dongchen remained standing in place, not moving:

"Then I will wait here, waiting for him to come out."

These words stunned everyone present; none of them had expected Yan Dongchen to be so persistent.

If they didn't know that the Tianyi Pavilion and Zhu Fenghua were incapable of such things, many would have even suspected whether Yan Dongchen had been entrusted by someone to deliberately choose this moment to issue a challenge.

"Since the Marquis of Jing'an does not wish to spar for the time being, why must Brother Yan be so aggressive?"

A crisp, melodious voice, like a clear spring, suddenly arrived.

The crowd turned their heads one after another to see Lan Ruoyun, dressed in white gauze, walking toward them with a group of martial artists from the Lan family.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all focused their gazes on this beauty, Lan Ruoyun.

They had not expected her to stand up and speak for Li Fei.

Yan Dongchen turned his head to glance at Lan Ruoyun, his eyes as calm as an ancient well:

"This matter has nothing to do with you."

Lan Ruoyun walked over holding her sword and looked straight at Yan Dongchen: "If you want to spar so badly, why not spar with me?"

She was fifth on the overall Wind and Cloud Ranking, only one rank lower than Yan Dongchen, so she certainly had the qualifications to challenge him.

The people around them immediately became excited.

Compared to watching Li Fei and Yan Dongchen fight, they preferred watching a beauty like Lan Ruoyun spar.

"You cannot take my spear."

But Yan Dongchen refused decisively, not giving her any face at all.

Lan Ruoyun's eyes turned cold, and just as she was about to speak, another melodious voice came from inside the mansion:

"She cannot take it, then what about me?"

The crowd turned their heads to look again.

Shentu Yue, dressed in red and wearing a veil, walked out holding a sword.

(End of chapter)