Chapter 73: Successive Slaying of Innate Experts
"No!"
Third Master Rong’s pupils suddenly contracted.
Because he saw Gu Zhan’s saber unleash a terrifying blade shadow, a shockingly brilliant saber light flashed, illuminating the dim morning,
and before this saber light, a wave of Saber Qi erupted like ocean tides. Even the red sunlight scattered in the morning mist became incomparably dim.
"Saber Qi, Innate!"
Third Master Rong’s expression changed drastically in that instant.
The blade of the Horizontal Saber slashed straight at the long sword before him, its sharp edge clashing with the pale golden Sword Qi, hissing and screeching, the intense clangor of metal exploding in a burst, and a chain of sparks suddenly brightened!
Third Master Rong’s arm bent, his tiger’s mouth bleeding, and he couldn’t help but retreat two steps, each step leaving a deep imprint on the stone slabs of the long street.
"Innate!"
He exclaimed in shock,
He hadn’t expected Gu Zhan to have broken through to Innate. After all, Gu Zhan was this young and of common birth.
But Gu Zhan didn’t give him much time to ponder this; a fierce surge of Saber Qi erupted from the blade.
Third Master Rong’s heart sank; abandoning all other thoughts, he quickly swung his sword and fought forward.
Though he’d just been caught off guard by Gu Zhan,
it was only a moment’s surprise,
he still had absolute confidence,
No matter how gifted, you’re just a commoner—without guidance from family elders, without strong resources; even if you achieve Innate by talent, can you make up the gap in foundation? Can you make up decades of difference?
That’s what he thought,
But in their next clash, he suddenly realized he was wrong again,
Gu Zhan’s body glowed faintly with golden light,
The Golden Bell Shield erupted fully,
the increase in power was manyfold.
In just a few exchanges,
Every saber strike made Third Master Rong feel a crushing force,
After fighting, he sensed that Gu Zhan’s True Qi control still lagged far behind his own, with only Innate First Layer cultivation, while he was at Innate Second Layer,
Yet he was utterly suppressed in terms of power.
Dozens of extremely subtle yet crisp breaking sounds burst out in a dense sequence, like thousands of barbarian iron zithers snapping their strings, or thousands of iron centipede kites having their lines cut simultaneously.
The long sword in Third Master Rong’s hand was chipped and cracked, the splits in the blade opening further at visible speed.
"Grand Elder, assist me!"
Third Master Rong quickly retreated several steps, shouting toward Rong Wanlin on the other side.
On the other side, Rong Wanlin was shielding Rong Hao and about to break through the crossbow array. He looked over, instantly aghast.
He never imagined that dignified Third Master Rong at Innate Second Layer would be so oppressed by Gu Zhan.
Immediately, he circulated all his True Qi, transforming it into a surging wave of Innate Gang Qi to shield Rong Hao, throwing him toward a group of Rong Family experts, hardening his body against dozens of crossbow arrows with the Gang Qi protecting him.
Rong Wanlin endured a volley of crossbow attacks, and in that brief moment, threw a long sword flowing with abundant True Qi into the air,
The swift gray shadow streaked skyward. As it was about to be cleaved down by several South City Embroidered Uniform Guard experts wielding fierce blade momentum, it paused eerily in midair and then veered sideways, cleverly dodging their interference with a hiss, and shot straight at Gu Zhan.
The long sword shot through the air, carrying terrifying momentum, letting out a howl in the mist like an evil spirit.
In that instant,
Third Master Rong secretly relaxed a breath—he’d been so oppressed by Gu Zhan that danger loomed, but he still held on. Now, with Rong Wanlin’s help, he could finally reverse the battle.
Except—
Just as the long sword streaked through the air,
He suddenly heard a clear hum from Gu Zhan’s light Horizontal Saber, and then, in that instant, there was a loud roar,
The Horizontal Saber cleaved right onto the tip of the flying sword,
The fierce collision’s sparks were instantly extinguished, and in the mist, wild winds whipped flying debris, blending into the swirling fog.
Amidst the terrifying impact,
The finely crafted long sword split apart, snapped cleanly in two,
But the Horizontal Saber did not halt,
Or rather, the Saber Qi bursting from the Horizontal Saber didn’t stop, still rolling like waves over a lake, arriving with the roaring wind and boundless killing intent!
He had been holding back all along?
That thought flashed through Third Master Rong’s mind in that instant,
He’d thought Gu Zhan had pushed him to the brink, using his full strength. But as this saber fell, he realized Gu Zhan hadn’t used his full power at all,
This strike was his true pinnacle!
The truth was just so,
Gu Zhan had already mastered two slashes of the Celestial Inquiry Three Slashes,
But in the duel with Third Master Rong, he hadn’t used the second slash,
Not that he couldn’t,
He was waiting for the perfect moment,
and Rong Wanlin’s flying sword was the best timing,
Because, as he’d said,
he’d keep them from leaving South City—it was never just about slaying Third Master Rong!
The saber shadow sliced through the morning mist, trailing a streak of crimson.
Third Master Rong’s body split in two, blood flooding like a torrent, slowly streaming beyond the tent, splattering the shattered flagstones of the street deep red.
At this moment, much of the mist in the air dissipated,
The morning sun spread pure and wide.
"Bow!"
Gu Zhan didn’t pause for a moment. He stamped his foot, soared into the air, and reached out his hand.
His bow attendant promptly threw him the hardwood bow and cold iron arrows.
Gu Zhan caught the hardwood bow and swiftly pulled the string.
The bowstring vibrated with a hum, instantly concealed by the morning sun.
The dark hardwood bow was pulled to full draw, seeming even colder.
Three cold iron arrows on the string vanished into the turbulent mist before the bow, disappeared atop the string, carrying streaks of howling True Qi. Three elegant arcs swept out from different directions, encircling Rong Wanlin.
Rong Wanlin had already abandoned his sword,
and Third Master Rong had been killed in a single stroke,
In that instant, he realized they had all been calculated by Gu Zhan,
Third Master Rong was suppressed and schemed against all the way to death, and Rong Wanlin knew, in a solo fight, there was no way he’d match Gu Zhan, especially now without a weapon in hand. His greatest skill was swordsmanship, and without his sword, his combat ability dropped drastically.
So, he was preparing to flee,
But as Gu Zhan’s three feathered arrows came at him,
He could only resist with all his strength,
A massive rumble resounded—the three feathered arrows stopped just a foot from Rong Wanlin, colliding with his Innate Gang Qi. Facing Gu Zhan’s three arrows, he dared not slacken, channeling all his True Qi into Gang Qi as a shield.
With terrifying impact, Rong Wanlin’s body was swept backwards.
His feet stomped the stone slabs like iron pillars, gouging two deep furrows.
The feathered arrows finally fell,
But in that moment,
He saw a saber spinning downward from the sky,
Gu Zhan, like an eagle swooping from above, followed the saber, grasped its hilt, and slashed twice directly.
His Innate Gang Qi, like rice paper, was crushed effortlessly in that instant,
The saber shadow fell atop his head,
severing pale hair, cleaving a skull, and instantly—neck, chest...
his body, split in two!