Jianghu Demolition Squad

Martial Arts Competition Under The Heavens (Part Thirty Two)

Si Yu, a Martial Champion with a mastery of spear techniques that rivaled Hao Yun’s, wielded a divine spear known as “Chuanyun.” Unlike Hao Yun and others who weren’t accustomed to using daggers, Si Yu’s primary skill was with the spear, making his entrance into the battle particularly formidable.

Yan Li, aside from her past issues with the City Lord of Jile City, never let personal feelings influence her judgment. She knew that keeping the forces from the Jile City here was the best way to ensure everyone’s safety. Moreover, with Mo Chenggui present, she and Jian Ying found themselves unable to act against him, making Si Yu’s involvement a preferable option. Thus, despite her reluctance to renew ties with the City Lord, she no longer voiced any objections to Si Yu’s assistance.

Yan Jianyu was completely taken aback by the unexpected arrival of the people from the Jile City. He was aware of the longstanding feud between the Jile City and the Wuwei Palace. He had a fair understanding of the relationships and grudges among all the sects within Mingjian Manor. Knowing this, he had deliberately arranged the seating to pit those with deeper grudges against each other, so that in times of crisis, they would be unlikely to cooperate, making it easier for the corpse puppets to break through.

The feud between the City of Jile City and the Wuwei Palace was deep-seated. Only Yan Li from Wuwei Palace had some rapport with the City Lord of Jile City, but even if she were present, the hatred between the two sides was like a deep sea. If one side were in trouble, the other might at most not kick them while they were down as a matter of decency, but would certainly not go out of their way to offer help.

Yan Jianyu was utterly baffled and stood there dazed for a long time.

Yan Li had changed her appearance and hidden her identity. He had no idea that Yan Li, who had some connections with Wu Yu, was right in front of him, and the relationship between Yan Li and Wu Yu was not something that could be explained in a few words.

With the addition of the forces from the Jile City, the tide of the battle quickly turned.

Zixia passed torches to everyone, and the bright yellow flames instantly lit up the night, further suppressing the walking corpses.

Yan Jianyu’s expression darkened as he glared coldly at Yu’er. He hadn’t heard the conversation between Si Yu, Yan Li, and Jian Ying clearly. Pondering for a while without understanding the reason, he assumed these people were here to rescue Yu’er and to owe Jie Qianchou a favor.

Consumed by jealousy, he seized the moment when everyone was distracted by the walking corpses to attack Yu’er.

Yang Chun, who had been avoiding the walking corpses and was on a rooftop with a clear view of the battlefield, saw Yan Jianyu’s murderous gaze directed at Yu’er. Knowing he was about to repeat his old tricks and secretly attack Yu’er, Yang Chun immediately shouted, “Miss Yu’er, be careful!”

Yu’er was standing with two disciples from Qixian Palace, who were no match for Yan Jianyu wielding the Qiushui sword.

Qi Tianzhu and Hao Yun, hearing the shout, looked towards Yu’er and saw Yan Jianyu taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by the arrival of the people from the Jile City. He had already sneaked behind the walking corpses and was making his move towards Yu’er.

Yan Jianyu brushed aside two disciples from the Qixian Palace disciples and, with his sword drawn, was only a few meters away from Yu’er.

Qi Tianzhu, seeing Yan Jianyu’s assault on Yu’er, felt his blood boil, his anger erupting, his neck turning deep red.

Qi Tianzhu’s wife and daughter had been victims of bandits, and despite nearly a decade of monastic life, he had never been able to fully renounce worldly attachments, revealing the depth of his fixation. Later, in his quest for vengeance, he stormed the bandit fortress and by chance met Yu’er and others. Since then, he has followed the group, finding a sense of belonging despite their nomadic lifestyle. He has devoted himself to teaching and protecting Yu’er, watching her grow and devoting himself to her as if she were his own daughter. This regained home, this regained daughter—he could not allow anyone to take her away again!

Ignoring the sharp claws of a corpse digging into his waist, not even bothering to dodge, he lifted the corpse over his head with a tiger’s roar, his eyes blazing like a furious deity, and shouted at Yan Jianyu, “How dare you try to hurt her?!”

With a mighty roar that shook the air, Yan Jianyu’s heart trembled, his reaction a beat too slow. He felt an immense pressure overhead and looked up to see Qi Tianzhu hurling a corpse at him.

The throw was incredibly powerful, like a mountain bearing down. Yan Jianyu hurriedly dodged backward.

Seeing Yu’er in danger, Hao Yun, who was entrusted by Qing Jiu, was furiously determined not to fail his friend. Despite his own injuries and his discomfort with daggers, he reverted to his preferred weapon, the zhanmadao, and attacked Yan Jianyu with the ferocity of thunder, shouting, “Brat, you don’t know what’s good for you!”

The force behind his shout was no less formidable than Qi Tianzhu’s.

Yan Jianyu felt a surge of panic, his courage faltering before the battle even began. Hao Yun wouldn’t let him escape; ignoring another walking corpse that attacked him, he sliced horizontally, intending to cleave Yan Jianyu in two!

Even with Hua Lian’s exceptional lightness skills, he had once narrowly escaped under Hao Yun’s blade, nearly having his robes and legs slashed. Now, Yan Jianyu faced Hao Yun’s zhanmadao with little hope of evasion, resorting to blocking with Qiushui.

As the saber and sword clashed, the saber blade shattered with a crack, while Qiushui remained unscathed.

Yet, the internal energy behind Hao Yun’s strike was overwhelming, beyond what Yan Jianyu could match. Although Qiushui withstood the blade, the shock sent Yan Jianyu flying, losing grip of Qiushui.

Yan Jianyu fell among the walking corpses, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Hao Yun pursued relentlessly, armed with the broken saber, hindered only by the walking corpses that shielded Yan Jianyu, preventing a finishing blow.

With both Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu towering over him like dragons and tigers, Yan Jianyu was struck by fear. Knowing that the warriors from Jile City had joined the fray and that Yu’er was well-protected by various martial experts, he recognized that he had missed his opportunity to strike effectively.

Filled with deep hatred but realizing that the longer term might offer better opportunities, he decided not to engage in a futile struggle here. Safety first, he thought.

Looking for an escape, he noticed Qiushui had fallen near Yu’er; retrieving it would mean confronting Hao Yun and Qi Tianzhu head-on. Weaponless and daring not to approach, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and decisively fled.

By now, Si Yu had subdued Mo Chenggui, piercing his chest with a spear. Mo Chenggui knelt down, motionless, while the pressure on Hua Lian and the others significantly decreased thanks to the support of the Jile City warriors. They focused on subduing the remaining walking corpses, most of which had been restrained.

Yan Li silently walked up to Mo Chenggui, gently cradling his head in her arms, her expression sorrowful and silent for a long while. It was only upon seeing Yan Jianyu’s escape that her gaze, sharp as lightning, fixed on him, she said in a low voice, “Linzhi, don’t let him escape!”

Tang Linzhi replied confidently, “He won’t get far!” Drawing her bow-sword, she swiftly ascended to the rooftops, scanning for Yan Jianyu.

It was deep into the night, and the light was faint. Within moments, Yan Jianyu had vanished from sight.

Yang Chun quickly said, “Miss Tang, Miss Tang! That Yan Jianyu went east!”

Tang Linzhi’s brows twitched, and she flew towards the east, calling out below, “Lian Meiren!”

Knowing she might lose her way in the winding paths of the manor, she called for Hua Lian to guide her. He responded immediately, following close behind.

The two of them had exceptional lightness skills, and Yan Jianyu was no match for them. As an assassin, Tang Linzhi naturally excelled at seeing in the dark night. Not long after their pursuit, Tang Linzhi spotted him.

Yan Jianyu was heading outside the manor. Tang Linzhi, moving elegantly between eaves and branches, found the perfect spot atop a boulder. She leaped towards a pavilion, hooked her foot on a flying eave, and stood suspended in mid-air.

Tang Linzhi took the only arrow from her quiver. This arrow was forged from fine iron mixed with the remnants of Qing Huan, capable of withstanding the might of Chini.

With the bow drawn and aimed, her target was surprisingly not Yan Jianyu but a house.

With the bowstring fully drawn, she released her grip, shouting, “Hit!”

The arrow, freed from the bowstring, flew like a rainbow, striking the house with such force that it pierced through, blasting a large hole in the wall, and continued its flight unabated.

Yan Jianyu was in full flight when suddenly he felt a powerful force strike from behind. It was so swift that almost as soon as he sensed it, he felt excruciating pain in his left leg and collapsed to the ground.

Looking down, he saw his leg was a bloody mess below the knee, the flesh torn apart, and an arrow embedded in the ground, its silver shaft dripping with blood.

Tang Linzhi, having spotted Yan Jianyu’s silhouette through the house, had fired the arrow.

The divine might of the Chini, capable of pulverizing a hundred-year-old Xianglong tree into dust  was evident. Now, with the arrow made of refined iron, its power was even greater. Yan Jianyu’s flesh and blood stood no chance against it. Tang Linzhi had intended only to incapacitate his lower leg, yet the arrow had completely shattered his leg.

Recovering from the initial shock, Yan Jianyu clutched his left leg, screaming in pain as veins bulged on his forehead. His strong willpower kept him from fainting; instead, he quickly applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding and began to crawl away with his hands.

He hadn’t crawled far when he suddenly saw three pairs of shoes in front of him. Yan Jianyu thought Tang Linzhi and another had caught up to him, and in a panic, he looked up to see three unfamiliar faces.

The man on the left wore a blue robe, his gaze cold and detached. A willow-leaf saber and a short dagger hung at his waist. The man on the right was dressed in black, with graying temples and his face obscured by a mask.

The man in the middle was particularly odd, with white hair but a youthful face, an androgynous beauty that made his age indiscernible. A spot of cinnabar marked his forehead, striking against his white hair.

He smiled faintly, his voice casual, “Mingjian Manor is quite lively today. Don’t you think so, Feixu?”

Fei Xu said, “Yes, Tower Master.”

The white-haired man’s smile widened as he shifted his gaze from the scattered architecture of the manor to the woods on the left, speaking cryptically, “Ghosts prey on men, men hunt ghosts.”

He chuckled softly, his eyes landing on Yan Jianyu, and calmly placed an invitation in front of the troubled man, ignoring the chaos around, “Second Young Master Yan, is my visit too late?”

Glancing at the invitation, then back at the man, Yan Jianyu stammered, “Xuan… Xuanji Tower…”

Xuanji Tower was more secretive than Yanyu Pavilion, with very few in the jianghu having seen its masters. This generation’s tower master, Lingyun, was shrouded in mystery, leaving Yan Jianyu unsure if this man truly represented Xuanji Tower.

However, the sudden appearance of these three before him sent a chill down his spine. Facing this man, he felt even greater pressure than facing Tang Linzhi and Hua Lian, who were pursuing him to take his life.

The man glanced past Yan Jianyu, his voice soft, “It seems Second Young Master Yan is in a bit of trouble. Do you need help?”

Yan Jianyu, unsure if the man was friend or foe, felt he had nothing to lose, given his dire situation. Thus, hearing the offer, a flicker of hope arose, “What do you want?” He had no prior acquaintance with this man, so he naturally didn’t believe he would help him for no reason.

The man laughed and said, “I don’t want anything. I simply—take pleasure in helping others.”

Yan Jianyu knew that these individuals were no ordinary people and definitely not the kind-hearted saviors they claimed to be. Lying on the ground, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine, take me away from here and help me escape those two assassins. We can discuss your conditions later!” No matter what, his life was more important.

The man nodded, signaling the man in black with a nod. Understanding the gesture, the black-robed man hoisted Yan Jianyu over his shoulder, picked up the invitation from the ground, and the swiftly disappeared into the night.

As Tang Linzhi and Hua Lian arrived and saw the three departing, recognizing one as Feixu, they exchanged glances and quietly followed.