Chapter 748: Sword Stance

"Marquis of Jing'an, I have long heard of your great name."

Qin Ziyu, the heir to Prince Cheng, wore a white mink-fur coat. A bald, muscular man over two meters tall stood beside him, and together they walked out of the prince's mansion gate.

Li Fei noticed this muscular man immediately.

Wearing black battle armor, his aura was fierce and menacing—clearly the presence of a man on the battlefield who could stand against ten thousand!

This was a Martial Arts Master, and in all likelihood, one who had returned from the Northern Frontier.

Prince Cheng still valued his son highly, having specifically dispatched a Martial Arts Master to assist him and help guard the mansion.

In Lanling City, if one lacked the combat strength of a Martial Arts Master, it was indeed difficult to speak with any firmness.

"You are too kind, Heir."

Li Fei watched the approaching Qin Ziyu calmly.

Qin Ziyu's smile remained unchanged; he turned his head to glance at Xi Yuchen, whose legs had been broken, and narrowed his eyes.

He had heard the news of "Xi Yuchen gaining enlightenment in the sword amidst the snow" while at the mansion, and had intended to celebrate properly once Xi Yuchen returned.

As both possessed peak combat strength of the Dao Foundation realm, Xi Yuchen was younger, more powerful, and had greater potential than Ji Xiuyong.

Therefore, Qin Ziyu valued this guest advisor highly; perhaps in a few years, the mansion would have a second Martial Arts Master to hold the fort.

And yet, now Xi Yuchen's legs had both been broken.

Furthermore, Qin Ziyu had heard from the messenger that Li Fei had defeated Xi Yuchen in a single move, leaving him severely wounded!

Even regarding Ning Chuan, who was currently ranked second on the overall Wind and Cloud Ranking, Qin Ziyu felt that he would be unable to defeat the newly breakthrough-achieving Xi Yuchen in a single move.

"Has his combat strength recovered?"

Qin Ziyu looked back at Li Fei, guessing to himself.

At the same time, several cars driving toward the mansion gate had stopped, and several officials in official robes hurried out of the cars and rushed toward them.

"I am Song Jun, Chief of the Investigation Division of the Stop-the-War Pavilion. I pay my respects to the Marquis of Jing'an and to the Heir."

A middle-aged official with small eyes and a somewhat long face came before Li Fei and Qin Ziyu and took the initiative to bow.

The Stop-the-War Pavilion official who had assassinated the Emperor at the Altar of Heaven, Wei Hongwen, had been the Chief of the Investigation Division; now, Song Jun had succeeded to this position.

The Chief of the Investigation Division of the Stop-the-War Pavilion was responsible for handling illegal and undisciplined acts by martial artists within Lanling City; it was a position where it was very difficult to maintain a balance.

For instance, at this very moment, Song Jun was extremely unwilling to get involved, yet this was a matter he had to attend to.

He was a Level 15 official, the pinnacle of the fourth-rank officials.

In terms of position, he was on par with Li Fei, the Special Envoy of the Lan Patrol, and more than a rank higher than Qin Ziyu, the heir to Prince Cheng who only held a nominal position in the Military Council.

Yet, in front of the two, he referred to himself as a subordinate and kept a very low profile.

Whether it was the Marquis of Jing'an or the heir to Prince Cheng, neither was someone he could afford to provoke.

"Lord Song, this person attacked and injured a court official in broad daylight. According to the law, how should this be handled?"

Li Fei did not waste words, pointing at Xi Yuchen, who was lying on a stretcher, and asked.

Song Jun's eyes narrowed until they were almost invisible. He first looked at Xi Yuchen, whose legs were broken, and asked cautiously:

"May I ask which official this person injured?"

"He injured me."

Lu Wenxing, who was to the side, said.

"So it is Lord Lu."

Song Jun examined Lu Wenxing carefully and cupped his hands in greeting.

Both served in the Stop-the-War Pavilion, so they knew each other.

"May I ask for what reason Lord Lu was injured by this person?"

Song Jun asked.

"I was driving perfectly fine when he suddenly attacked and split my car in two."

Lu Wenxing pointed at the car parts scattered on the ground. "I went up to reason with him, and he actually attacked me, wounding me. Fortunately, the Marquis of Jing'an happened to be passing by and intervened in time to stop this person from committing violence; otherwise, the one with broken legs might have been me."

Hearing this, Qin Ziyu, who was to the side, smiled without a word, not rushing to refute him.

Song Jun nodded and had his subordinates record what Lu Wenxing had said.

Then he looked at Xi Yuchen on the stretcher, his tone equally polite:

"Mr. Xi, for what reason did you attack Lord Lu?"

Xi Yuchen had barely recovered from the shock and pain Li Fei had inflicted upon him, and he stared fixedly at Lu Wenxing:

"He was the one who drove his car at me first; I only attacked in self-defense."

"Self-defense? You could have easily dodged, but instead, you attacked and split my car. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I might already be dead! This isn't self-defense; it's attempted murder!"

Lu Wenxing shouted loudly, making the matter sound even more severe.

Xi Yuchen gritted his teeth; the sword strike he had used was measured, and even if Lu Wenxing hadn't dodged, he wouldn't have been seriously injured.

But logically speaking, his best course of action should indeed have been to dodge rather than directly attacking the car.

However, some logic depends on the person, as well as the time and place.

Xi Yuchen had just achieved a breakthrough today, reaching a new peak in his life, and he was right outside the gate of Prince Cheng's mansion.

In front of the people of the mansion, you want him to dodge?

Moreover, Lu Wenxing had been the one to provoke him first; if he had dodged, he would have lost not only his own face but also the face of Prince Cheng's mansion!

Therefore, even if it happened again, Xi Yuchen certainly would not have chosen to dodge.

It was just that these things could not be said directly.

"Lord Lu, why did you drive your car at him?"

Song Jun turned to ask Lu Wenxing.

Lu Wenxing shook his head: "I didn't intentionally hit him; the car suddenly malfunctioned and the brakes failed. Besides, if I really wanted to harm him, would I be stupid enough to drive a car at him? I might as well have attacked him myself."

By this point, Song Jun had basically figured out the situation on the scene.

He smiled and looked at Li Fei and Qin Ziyu:

"Marquis, Heir, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Li Fei was expressionless: "I have no thoughts. According to the laws of the Great Lan Dynasty, it should be handled as it should be handled."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ziyu also smiled: "I think the same; Lord Song should just act according to the law."

Song Jun: "."

Despite the cold weather, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

If everything could be handled according to the law, his job as Chief of the Investigation Division would be many times easier!

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Song Jun said cautiously:

"Lord Lu's car went out of control and hit a pedestrian first, so he must bear responsibility regardless. But Mr. Xi's reaction in splitting Lord Lu's car was indeed a bit excessive. In my opinion, why not have Mr. Xi compensate Lord Lu for the cost of a car?"

He made no mention of the injury, wishing only to turn a major issue into a minor one.

Xi Yuchen, lying on the stretcher, felt extremely aggrieved upon hearing this.

He was the one hit by the car, and he was the one who had his legs broken, yet in the end, he was the one who had to pay money?!

He had always relied on the power of Prince Cheng's mansion to bully others; when had Xi Yuchen ever suffered such a grievance?

"Then what about my legs?!"

Xi Yuchen couldn't help but shout sternly.

He pointed at Lu Wenxing: "I didn't attack him at all! If you don't believe me, have someone examine his injuries and see if the wounds on his body were caused by me!"

"Ahem."

Qin Ziyu, who was to the side, suddenly coughed, interrupting Xi Yuchen.

He glanced at Song Jun, who understood immediately and said:

"The Marquis of Jing'an was eager to save someone and acted a bit heavily in his haste, which is understandable. I believe Prince Cheng's mansion would be willing to provide a letter of reconciliation."

If Li Fei had severely wounded a wandering martial artist of the Dao Foundation realm, then so be it, but Xi Yuchen was, after all, a guest advisor to Prince Cheng's mansion and not someone without a background.

If it were truly judged according to the law, for causing severe injury and disability to another, Li Fei would at least face imprisonment.

But of course, Song Jun could not let Li Fei go to prison, so he very tactfully said that Prince Cheng's mansion would provide a letter of reconciliation.

In terms of face, Li Fei gave Prince Cheng's mansion a way out.

In terms of substance, Li Fei had severely wounded Xi Yuchen without having to pay any price.

Both sides were taken care of.

Xi Yuchen gritted his teeth, feeling an unprecedented sense of stifling frustration.

He looked at Qin Ziyu, who gave him a comforting look and was just about to speak when Li Fei's voice rang out.

"He reconciles with me?"

Li Fei's tone turned cold:

"Lord Song, a few months ago, this person severely wounded a court official, and the verdict back then was also given by you, right? Now, this person has once again attacked and wounded a court official, showing such contempt for the laws and majesty of the imperial court. You do not punish this person severely, but instead, ask him to reconcile with me."

"So, are you saying that I am the one who did wrong?"

"."

Cold sweat poured down Song Jun's face, and he could not speak.

Qin Ziyu's expression also sank completely.

"Li Fei!"

A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out.

The bald, muscular man who had been standing behind Qin Ziyu stepped forward, looking at Li Fei with a fierce, murderous gaze:

"Everyone knows exactly what is going on with this business today. If you want to bully others by relying on your status, you have chosen the wrong target! Prince Cheng's mansion is not something you can insult!"

He followed Qin Ziyu out specifically to hold the field.

In his view, Qin Ziyu had already been forbearing and had taken a step back, yet Li Fei was still being relentless.

This was completely failing to give the Prince Cheng Mansion any face!

So, he stepped out.

His name was Tang Zhan; he had followed Prince Cheng on the battlefield for over a decade, eventually breaking through his realm to become a Martial Arts Master, and was then sent back to Lanling City by Prince Cheng to assist the Heir Apparent.

Over a decade of slaughter on the battlefield had cultivated a monstrous ferocity and killing intent within him; as he suddenly erupted in anger, his terrifying killing intent shrouded the long street, causing everyone present to tremble in fear!

Only Li Fei remained completely unaffected; he met Tang Zhan's gaze and smiled:

"Bullying others by relying on your status?"

He also took a step forward, his sharp aura like a keen sword, forcibly tearing through Tang Zhan's monstrous killing intent:

"When this Marquis bullies others, I don't need to rely on status; I rely on 'strength'!"

As his words fell, the white snow beneath his feet melted instantly, and a crack split open in the concrete ground, extending all the way to Tang Zhan's feet.

Tang Zhan revealed a ferocious smile and slammed his fists heavily together:

"Good! In this life, I have roamed far and wide, and what I rely on is also 'strength'! Let me see if your 'strength' is enough for you to rely on!"

He knew that Li Fei had killed a Martial Arts Master with two supernatural abilities, while he only had one.

But a martial artist like him, who had fought his way out of the battlefield, only believed in actual combat; if one had to admit defeat just because the opponent had higher theoretical combat power and a better record, then what was the point of fighting?

Everyone might as well just talk about strategy on paper.

There were countless examples on the battlefield of the weak defeating the strong and finding a way to survive in desperate situations.

He, Tang Zhan, had defeated countless opponents in his life who were theoretically stronger than himself!

So, even if Li Fei's combat power had fully recovered, he did not feel that he would necessarily lose.

Seeing that the two were about to clash, Lu Wenxing retreated decisively.

Seeing this, Song Jun also very tactfully led his subordinates to retreat.

When immortals fight, there was no need for him, the Chief of the Investigation Division, to interfere, nor could he.

With a gloomy expression, Qin Ziyu led Xi Yuchen and the others back inside the gates of the Prince's Mansion.

On the long street, only Li Fei and Tang Zhan remained.

A snowflake dancing above Tang Zhan's head suddenly split into pieces.

Snowflakes were extremely fragile and would completely dissipate with the slightest force, but now this snowflake was being sliced into several petals by an invisible force!

More and more snowflakes were sliced open, and the invisible force rapidly expanded in all directions.

The snowflakes in the air, the accumulated snow on the ground, and even this very world!

If Xi Yuchen's sword strike just now had borrowed the power of heaven and earth to form a world of flying snow, then at this moment, Tang Zhan was using the power of his supernatural ability to slice apart the entire world!

Supernatural Ability—【Cutting】.

Whether it was the hardest diamond or powerful protective internal energy and extraordinary abilities, the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability could slice through them all.

Used in Tang Zhan's hands, this supernatural ability even vaguely carried the implication of slicing through space itself!

Crisscrossing cracks appeared on the snowy ground, and the snowflakes in the sky were also shattering piece by piece; a terrifying force descended upon Li Fei from all directions.

The divine garment Li Fei was wearing also developed cracks!

This Gold-Threaded Jade Kirin Armor had been severely damaged in the Tomb of Heavenly Water, but after nearly half a year, through the 【Golden Pulse Jade Body】 constantly 'devouring' diamonds and jadeite, it had been repaired.

But even this level-seven divine garment could not block Tang Zhan's 【Cutting】 supernatural ability!

Suddenly, Li Fei erupted with an extremely sharp aura.

Xi Yuchen, on the stretcher, suddenly widened his eyes, staring fixedly at Li Fei.

It was happening again, exactly the same as before; in his eyes, Li Fei had turned into a peerless precious sword!

But looking closely, Li Fei was still Li Fei, with no change in form, yet it gave one a strong illusion—

That he himself was a peerless sword!

Tang Zhan narrowed his eyes; he saw a faint golden light emanating from Li Fei's body, and besides emitting a sharp aura, the whole person gave off a feeling of being indestructible.

The 【Cutting】 supernatural ability touched the layer of golden light on Li Fei's body, emitting the harsh sound of metal grinding violently.

White marks appeared on this layer of golden light, which was suffering terrifying damage!

But the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability was ultimately blocked!

"Hmm?"

Tang Zhan looked astonished.

A supernatural ability was called a supernatural ability precisely because it had transcended the level of martial arts.

Even Daoist energy, if it had not reached the Profound Realm level, could only slightly influence a supernatural ability.

To be able to block 【Cutting】 without using a supernatural ability or Profound Realm-level Daoist energy was a first for Tang Zhan.

Li Fei's expression was calm.

After completing the Flying Sword Body, his physique had greatly increased, and the four implants that made up the 【Primordial Heavenly Gold】 had also significantly increased in strength, with his tolerance exceeding the limits of a third-grade implant.

As a result, the pressure brought by the Heavenly Water Soul Bone was no longer as great, and combined with the unification of law and martial arts, the power of his techniques restrained a portion of the Heavenly Water Soul Bone.

Thus, Li Fei could finally use his Dao foundation normally.

Now, he was channeling his Primordial Vajra Energy and 'Golden Body Jade Marrow', while simultaneously incorporating the power of the Flying Sword Body.

This was the unification of law and martial arts unique to Li Fei:

Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow!

Internal energy, blood, skin and flesh, tendons and bones, internal organs, and mental consciousness—the whole person was integrated from the inside out.

All his power was perfectly combined, making Li Fei seem as if he had truly become a flying sword, a flying sword tempered a thousand times and indestructible!

The defensive power in this state was more than just a notch higher than before.

That was why he had blocked the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability.

However, his blood soul was still dropping; the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability was still continuously causing him damage.

Even with his current defensive power, he still could not completely block the attacks of a supernatural ability.

Pfft—

Li Fei used both hands to force his Ghost-Slaying Blade into the ground.

In this battle, he did not intend to use a weapon.

Because he himself was the strongest weapon!

He stepped forward and began to accelerate.

The sharp sword hum that had just resonated through the heavens and earth erupted once more!

The invisible 'lines' in space were severed, and Li Fei's speed became faster and faster!

The implant 【Steel Armor】 had the core-level extraordinary ability 'Danger Perception'.

The implant 【Ghost Feet】 had the extraordinary ability 'Divine Travel', which could utilize the earth's energy to increase movement speed, allowing him to walk on flat ground even in complex terrain.

Just like the combination of 'Golden Body Jade Marrow' and the Flying Sword Body, these two extraordinary abilities had also completed their integration, and with the addition of the Vajra Seal · Listening and Vajra Seal · Roc martial arts, they formed another sword state:

Sword State · Heaven and Earth Unbound!

The earth beneath his feet, the flowing wind, the dancing snowflakes, the power of the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability... everything was clearly reflected in Li Fei's heart.

He could perceive every subtle change and almost instinctively find the 'gaps' within them.

Earth energy, wind, and even the power of space all became his assistance at this moment.

Heaven and earth were like a vast ocean, and he was traveling with the current, riding the wind and breaking the waves!

Whoosh—

Li Fei instantly crossed a distance of several dozen meters, broke through the obstruction of the 【Cutting】 supernatural ability, and arrived before Tang Zhan.

He raised his right arm and threw a punch straight out.

It was unclear whether this was a punch or a sword strike; the extremely sharp internal energy contained terrifying power as it struck toward Tang Zhan.

Tang Zhan was not alarmed but delighted, excitement appearing in his eyes.

He did not dodge or evade, and similarly raised his right fist to trade a punch with Li Fei.

BOOM!!!

The two fists collided heavily, like two high-speed trains crashing into each other.

Both of them had near-perfect control over their power; all their strength was concentrated at a single point, without the slightest leakage.

Therefore, this collision did not cause a massive shockwave, only a deafening roar.

In the astonished gazes of Qin Ziyu and the others, Tang Zhan retreated, while Li Fei stood motionless where he was.

Once the Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow was formed, the upper limit of 【Blood Rage】 increased significantly, from 56 to 122!

"Hahahaha—"

The repelled Tang Zhan burst into laughter.

His right fist was a bloody mess, revealing white bones, as if it had been pierced by a sharp weapon!

"That really packs a punch!"

As his words fell, Tang Zhan returned even faster, his fists slamming toward Li Fei.

His entire body was shrouded in a layer of black internal energy; like Li Fei's Primordial Vajra Energy, this layer of energy was also highly condensed, compressed, and clung tightly to his body.

His Dao foundation was the 【Space-Splitting Battle Body】, a high-level Dao foundation, and the core-level extraordinary abilities it triggered were only four, all of which were enhancement types:

Greatly enhancing strength, speed, defense, and stamina.

After the Dao foundation was successfully constructed and he broke through to become a Martial Arts Master, Tang Zhan's 'Battle Body' reached completion, and the enhancements of the four core-level extraordinary abilities became even stronger!

At this moment, Tang Zhan fully activated his Battle Body.

His height, originally nearly two meters, grew to over three meters, and his entire frame expanded by a circle, looking much like the "Blood Demon State" Li Fei had before perfecting his "Golden Body and Jade Marrow."

The pitch-black Rending Infinite Force was further condensed by him and combined with the 【Cutting】 divine ability, transforming into strands of black "ropes" that coiled around his entire body.

Tang Zhan and Li Fei collided for the second time; this time, it was Li Fei who was knocked back.

After retreating more than thirty meters, Li Fei steadied his body, then charged back again at extreme speed.

Before throwing his punch, he unleashed the Vajra Seal: Dragon-Elephant.

BOOM!!!

The two collided fiercely once again.

Tang Zhan was knocked back again!

He quickly steadied his stance and immediately counter-charged.

The skills honed through countless battles on the field of war had now transformed into simple, direct head-on clashes.

The two were like one black and one gold flying sword, trading blows time and again, clashing in the most simple and brutal way!

The frequency of the collisions grew faster and faster; in the eyes of Qin Zi and the others, they saw only two streaks of light, tearing through the air and crashing together again and again!

Others could no longer see their figures clearly, hearing only a continuous, unending roar.

Although no shockwaves were released, the terrifying momentum made it feel as if two giant mountains were crashing into each other at high speed!

With every collision, both men concentrated their power onto a single point, releasing it perfectly.

This style of combat was what Tang Zhan liked most and was most familiar with.

Slaughter on the battlefield meant using every ounce of strength where it mattered most, killing the enemy in the simplest and most direct way.

Compared to You Ming, his methods were not as rich or varied, but they were highly efficient.

He possessed Dao Force at the "As-You-Will" level; his force was continuous and unending, his moves smooth and fluid, requiring no pause to catch his breath.

Li Fei, however, needed to unleash the Vajra Seal: Dragon-Elephant time and again to overpower him in a frontal clash, making it inevitable that "gaps" would appear during high-frequency collisions.

As a result, it was Tang Zhan who held the upper hand, and the 【Cutting】 divine ability was also constantly damaging Li Fei's sword body.

Moreover, no matter how astonishing Li Fei's combat power was, his realm was ultimately only at the Dao Foundation stage; he could not directly absorb the Qi of heaven and earth from the outside to replenish his strength.

In this situation, his endurance was certainly far inferior to that of a Martial Arts Master.

Therefore, Tang Zhan believed that he would definitely be the one standing at the end!

After the two had collided for dozens of rounds, Li Fei's voice suddenly rang out:

"Is this the power you rely on?"

Tang Zhan raised an eyebrow, and just as he was about to speak, he saw that Li Fei, who was charging toward him, had also grown larger by a circle.

A pale golden fist tore through the air once more, slamming toward him.

A sense of crisis suddenly arose in Tang Zhan's heart; he immediately concentrated more of the 【Cutting】 divine ability onto his right fist, which became wrapped in black "ropes."

The next instant, the black and gold fists collided again.

Following that, the black "ropes" were torn apart, and an unimaginably massive force surged over, piercing through Tang Zhan's force like a hot knife through butter, followed by his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones!

At this moment, Li Fei's fist was like steel, while Tang Zhan's fist turned into soft mud, exploding upon impact and continuing to shatter all the way up along his wrist!

Boom—

Tang Zhan let out a cry of pain and flew backward.

His right arm, from the hand all the way to the elbow, had completely vanished!

The limit of the Sword State: Golden Body and Jade Marrow is 122 units of Blood Rage power.

Layering on the "Blood Demon State" makes it 244 units of Blood Rage power.

Finally, using the Vajra Seal: Dragon-Elephant, it erupts with 488 units of Blood Rage power!

This was a terrifying power twice as strong as what he had back at the Tomb of Heavenly Water, and because of the special attributes of the flying sword body, this power was highly concentrated and even sharper!

With just one move, Li Fei crippled one of Tang Zhan's arms.

Another Martial Arts Master defeated!

"The power you rely on is nothing more than this."

Li Fei looked at the one-armed Tang Zhan, saying every word clearly:

"Too weak!"

……

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(End of chapter)