Chapter 88: Heaven’s Inquiry Three Blades—Third Blade
The warm blood splattered on Liu Yong’s face, slowly sliding down, dripping onto his clothes.
With an expressionless face, he looked at Gu Zhan and said in a deep voice, "Lord Gu, I hope you will think thrice before you act. If things blow up, it won’t be good for anyone. Lord Wan’s patience toward you has its limits—so does mine."
Liu Yong gently wiped the blood from his face and said, "Young man, being a little arrogant is fine, but if you become too blind to others, disaster will follow. Let me make it plain: this is your last warning—enough is enough, or else..."
"Heh," Gu Zhan suddenly chuckled, then said slowly, "I forgot to tell you something: I too, have my limits. The moment Wan Yan set foot in Linjiang County, he began scheming against me. Last time, regarding the Rong Family, I had already warned you—do not provoke me. Yet you treated my words as mere wind, and this time, you come to provoke me again!"
Liu Yong said in a deep voice, "Then, Lord Gu, what do you intend?"
"Nothing much," Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I just want to settle all troubles at once..."
Before the words had even fallen,
Gu Zhan’s Horizontal Saber suddenly slashed out. The keening wail grew sharper, slicing through the night, killing intent locked on Liu Yong!
Liu Yong’s expression tightened abruptly, eyes wide, drawing his saber with a flash that shattered the darkness.
In an instant, the two sabers clashed again and again, a symphony of crisp, piercing clangs and resounding hums, ceaselessly erupting, golden sparks blossoming like dandelions—sometimes blooming, sometimes scattered by the cool night wind.
"Gu Zhan!"
Liu Yong hadn’t expected Gu Zhan to actually attack outright. After a few quick exchanges he was forced back, barking angrily, "Are you rebelling? How dare you strike at the Inspection Team in broad daylight..."
"Rebelling..."
Gu Zhan sneered coldly, his voice ringing clear, "The Six Great Families intend rebellion, ambushing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and yet your Inspection Team dares be their shield, even to the point of attacking your own colleagues—seems to me it’s you who plot treason. Men! Seize them all! Any who resist—kill without mercy!"
At his order,
outside Baihua Building, the sounds of slaughter erupted at once,
the Flying Axe Team and Crossbow Array, previously used against the Six Great Families, now turned upon the Inspection Team. In an instant, wails, the sound of metal striking metal, thundered through the night sky.
Liu Yong’s face darkened. He said, "Gu Zhan, you actually dare rebel? If you persist in this folly, none can save you. Let me tell you plainly—this is Lord Wan’s iron command. No matter how you twist your words, tonight is certain death!"
"Heh..."
Gu Zhan sneered, "So, by that logic, I have reason to suspect Wan Yan as well—colluding with rebels, plotting treason. Such crimes must be punished!"
Liu Yong replied coldly, "If you seek death, I shall grant it. I have tolerated you again and again—do you truly think I fear you?"
Before he finished speaking,
Liu Yong and the Vice Hundred Households of the Inspection Team struck at Gu Zhan simultaneously.
Gu Zhan gripped his saber to meet them,
After a brief exchange, he had a rough grasp of their strength.
Liu Yong was Innate Third Layer, skilled in saber technique, while the vice Hundred Households was Innate Second Layer, cultivation focused on a fierce palm technique. The two had worked together for years—their cooperation was flawless.
Though it was only probing,
already, Gu Zhan had fallen into disadvantage after that clash.
To face two with one was already a losing hand, especially since his cultivation was lower than Liu Yong’s, so he could only rely on his superior saber technique to resist.
However, the Celestial Inquiry Three Slashes he cultivated was a Profound Tier Middle Grade martial art, already at Minor Success Realm—far beyond the martial cultivation of Liu Yong and the vice Hundred Households. Thus, he wasn’t entirely overmatched.
At the same time,
Liu Yong and the vice Hundred Households also gauged Gu Zhan’s strength.
Immediately, the two exchanged a glance,
and relying on years of tacit understanding, attacked Gu Zhan from two directions, holding nothing back,
intent on killing Gu Zhan with a single strike.
For by now, battle raged everywhere; the longer they tangled with Gu Zhan, the greater the Inspection Team’s losses. If someone came to Gu Zhan’s aid, trouble would quickly follow.
So, once sure of Gu Zhan’s abilities,
they no longer held back.
Liu Yong’s saber momentum towered like a mountain, incomparably thick and heavy. The saber light exploded, sweeping across, sealing off all traces of Gu Zhan’s possible escapes.
Gu Zhan’s right hand moved, Horizontal Saber slashing out. Ferocious saber qi condensed along the blade—clashing with the saber light in a thunderous boom that sent Gu Zhan’s figure flying back several steps.
At that very moment, the vice Hundred Households erupted in body gang qi, surging power charging at Gu Zhan.
Palm Suppressing Mountains and Rivers—the palm seal wreathed in blue true qi came crashing down, in an instant sealing off all of Gu Zhan’s ways to dodge, like a great mountain descending.
Gu Zhan swung his saber in a sudden block,
"Boom!"
A tremendous roar tore through the darkness, surging true qi whipping up gusts and waves.
Under the massive impact, Gu Zhan’s Horizontal Saber bent slightly, forcing him to stagger back and back.
Just then,
Liu Yong unleashed another saber strike—Yaksha Sea Exploration, waves exploding!
Their entire coordination was for this very instant,
With that saber slashed, a brilliant, blood-red saber light burst out, illuminating half of the courtyard. Liu Yong’s blade fell, his saber momentum ancient and desolate, yet laden with the killing intent of the endless night.
The bluestone beneath Gu Zhan’s feet shattered inch by inch. With a final step, he stamped down hard, leaving a deep pit in the stone and halting his retreat.
And at that moment,
Liu Yong’s saber had already arrived,
Gu Zhan’s eyes narrowed slightly,
and in that fleeting instant, his will called forth the system.
[ Use 5000 experience points ]
[ Celestial Inquiry Three Slashes has advanced to Great Success Realm ]
At the nick of time,
Gu Zhan struck—lifting his blade in a slanting cut,
seemingly casual in appearance,
Yet this one slash,
made the confident Liu Yong’s heart jolt with terror,
This blade seemed to draw all things into annihilation!
Gu Zhan suddenly lifted his head, and in his eyes was no trace of human light—only deep, unfathomable darkness, as if his gaze pierced straight into the Nine Netherworld Hell, strange and terrifying.
Saber light rippled along the blade,
A dreadful white saber light tore through the night completely, as if scoring a bloody streak across the endless stars above,
and at the same time, shattered Liu Yong’s seemingly dazzling saber strike into nothingness.
Celestial Inquiry Three Slashes,
The third slash—Questioning Heaven!
Across from him, Liu Yong’s eyes filled with boundless shock—not at death or life, but at a slash that upended everything he knew, everything he expected,
If only he had known of this blade earlier?
For that one slash of the human world,
tearing open the night, challenging the blue sky,
after the slash, all was gone—scattered like smoke.
Liu Yong stood rooted in place—his saber shattered in his hand, still wearing a mask of shock. He muttered, "You... were hiding your strength all along... what deep cunning..."