Chapter 49: That Arrow, That Blade
That arrow transformed into a streak of white light, sweeping through snow and splitting the wind, silent and piercing straight into the depths of the alley. That shadow of the feathered arrow, swift as a shuttle and fast as lightning, was swirling among the falling snowflakes one moment, and in the next instant, it reached Gu Zhan’s front; the initial low humming transformed within a blink into a roaring thunder.
This arrow,
You Yangsheng was very satisfied, so satisfied it reached the extreme.
This was the strongest arrow of his life.
There are many kinds of martial arts in this world, but generally, they are divided into three realms.
The first is from Initial Glimpse to having some achievements, known as Entry Realm.
The second is from entering the hall to becoming masterful, known as Minor Success Realm.
The third is from understanding in one’s heart to reaching the peak, known as Great Success Realm.
These three realms are also three processes,
Within the same realm, there are differences in strength and weakness.
And in battle, everything changes in an instant; timing, terrain, and mental state are crucial, every small detail could affect the outcome.
And now,
You Yangsheng had reached his peak mental state,
His archery broke through,
In that instant, perhaps pressured too deeply, or perhaps for some other reason, his archery broke through from Minor Success to Great Success Realm.
All this time, though he’d roamed the Martial World with his archery skills, his archery was only at the peak of the masterful Minor Success Realm—but just now, in that instant, he came to a realization with that arrow,
This arrow, too, reached the pinnacle of his life,
This was a realm, a state,
He had ascended from masterful to intuitive understanding.
His entire being felt as if it had been elevated,
This state let him touch upon a different layer,
He felt joy within his heart,
Once barred outside the threshold of Great Success, unable to touch it—now, he stepped into another sky, barely, but the state was completely different,
The road that seemed at its end suddenly opened wide again,
If he had more time, he would surely soar smoothly and rise without end in this new sky.
Should be some time left, right?
The joy was not obvious,
Because he was still fighting,
Though he was very satisfied with this arrow, as a veteran of the Martial World, he knew one truth: until the end, anything is possible.
Should be able to pull it off!
This arrow was his pinnacle—also drained all his cultivation,
If Gu Zhan didn’t die, then it would be him who died!
The arrow, like thunder and wind rumbling,
Gu Zhan gripped his saber in both hands, slashed out,
The blade struck the arrow tip,
With a tremendous clang,
The blade of Gu Zhan’s Brocade Spring Saber shattered instantly, crushed by that feathered arrow.
But,
The feathered arrow seemed to freeze in midair,
Paused for a moment,
Then, the arrow tip shattered, breaking all the way to the shaft and the tail,
The feathered arrow split in two, shooting out to both sides,
"Cheng"—
Two massive crashes echoed together; two holes appeared in the stone walls on both sides of the alley—the split feathered arrow pierced through the stone walls.
At the same time, a blade shadow thin as a cicada’s wing appeared in the alley, slicing through air and snow, the sword shadow seeming no harder than a paper sheet, agile and ghostly,
In You Yangsheng’s shocked gaze, it brushed past his jaw, leaving a faint blood mark.
Saber Qi,
Jinghong Saber Technique at Peak of Perfection Realm,
This slash was also Gu Zhan’s strongest, breaking that specially made feathered arrow, and a strand of Saber Qi cut through the swirling snow, slicing You Yangsheng’s throat.
You Yangsheng’s gaze lost its clarity,
He collapsed with a crash, stirring up the snow.
[Experience Points +1899]
Listening to the system notification in his head,
Gu Zhan took a deep breath, gently pressing his chest, as fierce movement caused more blood to seep out.
His face was deathly pale, his whole body weak, he dragged himself to the damaged stone wall nearby and leaned against it, catching his breath.
He still felt lingering fear at You Yangsheng’s final arrow—luckily he had the Golden Finger, different from ordinary men; otherwise, tonight’s outcome would be unpredictable.
Ordinary people cultivating martial arts, Entry, Minor Success, Great Success, are three processes, but Gu Zhan is different—he has three thresholds.
He didn’t pass through processes; every breakthrough brought him directly to the peak. So, his Golden Bell Shield is Peak of Perfection; his Jinghong Saber Technique is Peak of Perfection; his Cloud Platform Three Falls is also Peak of Perfection.
You Yangsheng wasn’t the strongest in the Postnatal Realm, but definitely the trickiest. As an archer, he possessed long-range capability rivaling Innate Experts, perhaps even superior in some aspects,
After all, his arrows could kill from hundreds of yards away.
Even Innate Experts couldn’t do that.
Moreover, any successful archer must have considerable Qinggong, to avoid being tangled by enemies.
You Yangsheng was a successful archer,
Only, luck was not on his side—he met the wrong opponent.
The night sky sprinkled snow in abundance, cold winds howling, and the residential alleys were extremely silent.
Gu Zhan tore a piece of clothing, simply wrapped his wound, then dragged You Yangsheng’s corpse quickly toward the direction of the Hundred Households Office.
Though he was wounded, as a Second Grade Martial Artist, it didn’t affect his movement too much.
At this moment,
The battle around the Hundred Households Office was still raging,
But because five elite experts were slain in front of everyone, the Celestial Water Gang members’ morale plummeted, while the Embroidered Uniform Guard grew more and more fervent,
Thus, the situation almost completely one-sided already, only short of the last straw before total rout.
Gu Zhan dragged You Yangsheng and, gathering his power, shouted loudly: "You Yangsheng is dead! Surrender and your punishment will be light! Those who stubbornly resist—your families will be implicated!"
As soon as his words fell,
Gu Zhan tossed You Yangsheng’s corpse into the midst of the battlefield.
You Yangsheng, Vice Gang Leader of the Celestial Water Gang,
Now the direct leader,
He was also, in this battle, the spiritual leader of the Celestial Water Gang members,
But now, You Yangsheng was dead,
After a moment of shock, the already overwhelmed Celestial Water Gang collapsed instantly—those who couldn’t flee tossed their weapons and crouched with heads in arms, while the high-levels such as hall masters desperately fled, chased relentlessly by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Seeing this scene,
Gu Zhan casually picked up two steel sabers from the ground,
"Kill!"
Gu Zhan shouted loudly, raised his dual sabers and charged forth; everywhere he passed, Celestial Water Gang martial men lay—some died outright, some severely wounded and howling, miserable beyond words.
Blood stained the streets everywhere,
Gu Zhan, carrying two sabers, kept slashing for several streets,
Only when he no longer saw anyone ahead did he toss his now-blunt steel sabers onto the ground.
After tonight’s battle, he surely must break through to First Grade!