Chapter 809

Xin Longzi replied sullenly, his body suddenly darting forth as he charged toward Wu Yuanying.

Wherever he passed, not a single member of the evil faction could withstand even one of his strikes.

After Mu Lang finished his arrangements, he brandished the Sun-Moon Sword in his hand, and as if strolling through a leisurely courtyard, charged toward the Twelve Generals.

"Interesting! Do you really think that just the two of you can take on our Twelve Generals?"

Although there were now only nine Generals left, Gua Ge Luo still referred to them as the Twelve Generals.

The exact origins of the Twelve Generals can no longer be traced.

The people within Great Qing only knew that these twelve men, ever since they first appeared in the martial world, had always followed Fenghuo Liancheng.

Each one's Wu Gong was enough to found a sect of their own within the Great Qing Wu Lin.

Yet these people all willingly served beneath Fenghuo Liancheng, content to be driven by him.

At the beginning of the Qing court's restoration, when the Prohibition on Martial Arts was decreed.

The Twelve Generals, following Fenghuo Liancheng, nearly bloodwashed the entire Great Qing Wu Lin.

Those who submitted joined their ranks, becoming members of the evil army.

Those who resisted had their entire sects slaughtered to the last.

Moreover, when these Twelve Generals slaughtered Qitamen Sect, they would Biding Society behead and display the heads, their methods extremely brutal.

Yet ever since Ziqinglong Society withdrew from the lands beyond the law, the various experts of the Great Qing Wu Lin had all vanished without a trace.

Allowing these twelve men and Fenghuo Liancheng to run rampant across the martial world unchecked.

Mu Lang was the youngest disciple of Huiming Chan Master of the northern branch of Tianshan Sect; his aptitude and comprehension were inferior to his two senior brothers, and his viciousness fell short of Xin Longzi.

But his mind was clear, he was good at thinking and learning, and with the Tianshan sword art it actually complemented each other perfectly.

Han Zhibang entered Rushi Sect much later, but he obtained the peculiar treasure sword She Shen Jian, and every strike carried the force of ten thousand jun.

He charged at the forefront, sweeping aside the countless evil faction members trying to block him, and headed straight for Gua Ge Luo and the others.

Gua Ge Luo and the others, however, looked utterly contemptuous; they could see that Han Zhibang's cultivation had only just entered the Grandmaster realm.

Among the Twelve Generals, he was almost worse than even the lowest-ranked.

Although the She Shen Jian was wielded with broad, sweeping strokes and extraordinary momentum, it was not taken seriously by the Twelve Generals.

Watching Han Zhibang cut his way closer and closer, still no one moved.

"San Zi, you'd better make your move!"

When Fenghuo Liancheng was absent, it was generally Gua Ge Luo who arranged things.

It was also because she was a woman, and rather resourceful, that she gained Fenghuo Liancheng's trust.

San Zi, obeying her dispatch, gave a cold snort from his nose,

"This fellow has nothing but brute strength; though this sword is fine, he cannot use it well."

Saying so, he raised that black umbrella and, with light, brisk steps, charged toward Han Zhibang.

"Haha! San Zi, don't you underestimate this kid—I bet you can't take him down within ten moves!"

One of the Twelve Generals suddenly spoke up, saying playfully.

On the surface it seemed he was talking about San Zi, but in reality he was trying to provoke Han Zhibang.

"Not that bad, not that bad! I'll add to the fun too—San Zi should be able to take him down in nine moves."

Another of the Twelve Generals, stroking his chin, said likewise.

Han Zhibang was already seething with fury, which fit remarkably well with the essence of the She Shen Jian.

Hearing these people belittle him so, the nameless fire in his heart flared even higher.

The She Shen Jian, already swinging like a raging gale, now became even faster and fiercer.

San Zi charged forward with his black umbrella, only to feel the Jian Jingfeng rushing at his face; he wanted to deal with Han Zhibang the same way he had just dealt with the experts of Wu Zhuang, but found he could not.

"Bad luck."

He frowned slightly to himself, knowing that rigidity cannot last long, especially since Han Zhibang's cultivation was ordinary.

Wielding this great sword already consumed tremendous strength; to keep attacking so ferociously would be even harder to sustain.

He immediately used the black umbrella to block and deflect, drawing the She Shen Jian's attacks aside.

In the blink of an eye, two moves had passed.

He had fully expected that after two moves, Han Zhibang would surely run out of strength and need to catch his breath.

Who would have known that the She Shen Jian instead danced even faster, each strike heavier than the last, as if it were the sum of two strikes combined.

"How can this be? There's something strange about this sword…"

San Zi's brow furrowed deeply as he muttered to himself.

If it were a contest of attack against attack, with his cultivation at the Great Grandmaster realm, he could certainly take down a mere beginner Grandmaster like Han Zhibang.

But watching the momentum of this great sword, San Zi felt uneasy in his heart.

He suspected that if he really met force with force, he would inevitably suffer some hidden losses.

Now was truly a critical moment with wolves before and tigers behind; how could he dare to suffer any hidden losses at this time?

With hesitation in his heart, he once again used feints to draw away the momentum of the She Shen Jian.

"Eh? What's going on with San Zi? Why hasn't he struck hard to break this kid's sword momentum yet?"

Tu Shi found it strange and could not help muttering.

At this moment, Mu Lang had already raised the Sun-Moon Sword and, strolling leisurely, cut his way over.

Perhaps the She Shen Jian in Han Zhibang's hands was too conspicuous, so much so that Mu Lang had already walked near the battle circle.

The Twelve Generals watching from afar, and even San Zi who was currently fighting Han Zhibang, only now noticed.

"Ah… don't try a sneak attack!"

Tu Shi was greatly alarmed; he was on good terms with San Zi, so he immediately leapt into the air, raised the Feilong Shield, and charged over.

The Flying Dragon Shield is a shield with blades along its edges.

Normally, the blades are retracted beneath the shield, making people believe the Bald Lion possesses only defensive strength.

At the critical moment, releasing the blades beneath the Flying Dragon Shield can achieve surprise victory.

But now Mu Lang had already stepped to the side and rear of the Umbrella Man, his Sun-Moon Sword angled downward, as if ready to pierce the Umbrella Man's back.

Yet at this moment Pian Pian San Zi did not dare relax his guard against the She Shen Sword, and his mind was greatly shaken.

The Bald Lion, worried for the Umbrella Man, no longer waited for closer range; after a loud roar, he gathered his true qi and hurled the Flying Dragon Shield with full force.

The Flying Dragon Shield spun rapidly through the air.

With the enhancement of true qi, it sparked wildly, as if it had suddenly become a shield of fire.

The force of this strike could not be underestimated.

Mu Lang, seeing the Flying Dragon Shield hurtling toward him, smirked slightly.

The sword that had seemed aimed at the Umbrella Man's back suddenly reversed, rising upward in an upward slash.

Perfectly timed, it struck exactly the center of the incoming Flying Dragon Shield.

The Flying Dragon Shield was saturated with the Bald Lion's true qi, forcing Mu Lang's Sun-Moon Sword to veer as if off-course.

"Hah! You've lost!"

The Bald Lion rejoiced, seeing the Sun-Moon Sword falter, and slammed his palm hard against the Flying Dragon Shield.

Crack!

A sharp crack rang out, and a ring of blades extended from beneath the shield.

Some straight, some curved, some hooked.

The Bald Lion struck again, using the hooked blades to lock onto Mu Lang's Sun-Moon Sword.

Then he surged with power, snatching the Sun-Moon Sword clean from Mu Lang's grip.

"Good! Excellent, Bald Lion!"

The Twelve Gate Generals cheered in unison.

Even Gua Ge Luo could see that this young swordsman, pale and clean-faced, resembling a frail scholar,

possessed strength surpassing Han Zhibang, who wielded a massive sword with grand, sweeping motions!

Han Zhibang had used his massive sword to force even the top Twelve Gate Generals like the Umbrella Man to yield and evade two strikes.

Yet the Bald Lion, in barely a single move, leveraging the Flying Dragon Shield's unique properties, locked and seized Mu Lang's Sun-Moon Sword.

Such a feat could not but stir excitement.

The Umbrella Man, standing so close, now felt humiliated by the Bald Lion's display.