0p0 Chapter 265 Young Man on a White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze 39
Chapter 265 Young Man on a White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze 39
Just as Baili Dongjun was about to ask a question, Yueyao nimbly jumped off the carriage, stood beside him, and pointed into the distance, saying, "Dongjun, look!"
Following Yueyao's direction, Baili Dongjun looked and saw a dark mass in the distance, about two or three hundred figures dressed in black tight-fitting clothes rapidly approaching them with a menacing aura.
Previously, in order to trap everyone in this mountain, Dark River did not hesitate to pull this place along with the entire mountain into the formation, so that they would not be aware of the movements outside.
However, Xiao Ruofeng's sword strike just now unintentionally severed the net that the Mu family had woven, allowing the world to reveal its original colors once more.
At this moment, the sun has set in the west, and only the last rays of sunset remain on the horizon, adorning this land.
Looking around, the group was astonished to find that, without them noticing, they had been surrounded by three or four hundred assassins from the Dark River. These assassins included men and women, young and old, and were armed with knives, swords, or other hidden weapons.
What's even more unsettling is that among this group are dozens of experts at the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm, while the rest are all at the Free and Unfettered Earth Realm.
Beyond this encirclement, a seemingly heavy black cloud quietly followed. Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it wasn't a black cloud at all, but rather another group of assassins, approaching silently like ghosts in the night.
These assassins had clearly planned meticulously, trapping everyone in a pincer movement.
They were well-trained and fearless, their eyes revealing indifference to death. Even when facing Mr. Li, the best teacher in the world, they did not show the slightest fear on their faces.
As they moved forward with nimble steps, the murderous aura emanating from them merged, making the murderous aura in the air increasingly dense, as if it had materialized, pressing down on people's hearts with a heavy weight.
Let alone others, even Li Changsheng felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this scene.
The Free and Unfettered Heavenly Realm uses the Heavenly Dao as its martial force, and its methods resonate with all things. If one can reach this realm in one's lifetime, one can become a master among mortals.
There are very few people in the world who can reach this level.
However, in order to kill Xiao Ruofeng and Baili Luochen, Dark River actually dispatched dozens of experts from the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm, and these people were even followed by assassins from the Free and Unfettered Earth Realm. Although their cultivation was slightly inferior, their numerical advantage could not be ignored.
Like a tide, they followed closely behind the assassins from the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm, forming an impenetrable defensive line. At the same time, they continued to approach, bringing the scattered people back together.
The Dark River has always been a mysterious and unpredictable entity, its ruthless and decisive style inspiring fear in all who hear of it. But only now do people truly realize that the Dark River's power far exceeds their imagination.
If they disagree, they'll launch a full-scale attack. Who can withstand that?
A gentle breeze blows, the clouds are light, and the bright moon hangs high in the sky.
Tianqi City, Jingyu Prince's Mansion.
King Jingyu, dressed casually, stood on the rooftop with his eyes closed, facing the wind, his clothes fluttering, like a banished immortal who had escaped from the world.
She had lost her usual air of aristocracy and gained a touch of ethereal grace, blending seamlessly with the tranquil moonlit night and appearing exceptionally otherworldly.
After an unknown amount of time, leaves began to fall from the tree without warning, breaking the surrounding silence.
Xiao Ruojin suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. With a flick of her sleeve, the world seemed to sense something, thunder roared, shaking the heavens and the sky. Lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the horizon as if it were daytime.
At the same time, four figures appeared silently at the Jingyu Prince's Mansion.
In the north, the sword is used; in the south, the saber is employed.
Tonight, three of these four uninvited guests are carrying knives.
Looking from left to right, the first one is a burly man, dressed simply, holding a curved knife with a steady and restrained blade.
The second man was a middle-aged scholar-like figure. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture upright, and his demeanor exuded the refined elegance characteristic of a scholar. However, a hint of silver light shone from his fingertips, suggesting that there was a secret hidden in his sleeve.
The third one is a slender girl who looks weak, but she carries a huge heavy sword on her back that is disproportionate to her size, which makes her seem extraordinary.
The last one was an old man with white hair and beard. He held a slender and exquisite short knife. Its elegant shape had a touch of the charm of a woman's weapon, yet it also displayed a different kind of sharpness and killing intent in his hands.
The four stood side by side, looking up at Xiao Ruojin on the roof. A strong fighting spirit rose from their bodies, and this power converged into a stream that soared straight into the sky.
Has it started?
Inside Tianqi City, dozens of people rushed towards Jingyu Prince's Mansion at the same time.
Among these people were retainers of imperial relatives and nobles, experts stationed in the palace, and wandering knights-errant.
In this world where martial arts flourish, there are people fighting almost every moment of the year.
But tonight's battle in Tianqi City is particularly different.
The life-or-death duel between one cultivator in the Divine Realm and two cultivators at the Half-Step Divine Realm and the Great Freedom Realm is undoubtedly the most anticipated duel since the world's number one Li Changsheng and the number one expert of the Southern Manual, Yu Shengmo.
How could they miss it?
As for the fact that one of the duelists is Nan Jue's person—
What does it matter?
The martial arts world and the imperial court have always been two separate worlds.
Now that the people from Nanjue are here under the guise of martial arts practitioners to ask Jingyu Wang for a sword consultation, how could they possibly stop them?
Moreover...
The reasons behind this matter are intriguing. The fact that the people from Nanjue were able to successfully arrive in Tianqi City and hide there for so long must mean that they had important figures from Beili protecting them.
So they came here just to watch the excitement; how could they possibly get involved themselves?
Ji Ruofeng found another rooftop with a good view. Having made all the necessary preparations, he took out paper and pen and began to observe the movements inside the Jingyu Prince's Mansion very carefully.
Then he saw Prince Jingyu, who had been standing on the roof of the palace, with a bright moon behind him, a smile slowly spreading across his face. That smile seemed to contain many meanings, but just as he was about to open his eyes wider to see more clearly—
A gentle breeze blows.
Along with the wind came not only the fragrance of flowers, but also four gleaming, sharp blades that were silently approaching.
Xiao Ruojin looked at the four people in front of her, a mysterious smile on her lips. Her figure was as light and agile as a willow catkin in the wind, and she instantly created a distance between herself and the four people.
Before the four could react, he leaped away, leaving only a faint afterimage.
The four men, having missed their target, were taken aback, clearly not expecting Xiao Ruojin to leave without a fight. But their expressions immediately hardened, and without hesitation, they turned and gave chase in the direction Xiao Ruojin had gone.
"Where is Prince Jingyu going? Is he worried about the safety of the people in the city and planning to lure them outside the city to fight?"
"It doesn't look like it! He didn't go in the direction of leaving the city."
The onlookers were buzzing with excitement, and not wanting to miss the showdown, they followed behind the five.
Finally, a large group of people followed the five to an exquisite mansion. The mansion was spacious, grand, and easy to recognize, and someone immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Ah! Isn't this the Qing Prince's residence? What is Prince Jingyu doing here all of a sudden?"
The group looked at each other, filled with doubt. Just as they were hesitating whether to go in, a deafening roar suddenly came from inside the mansion, startling everyone.
boom--
With a loud crash, half of the Qingwang Mansion collapsed. Immediately afterwards, the tightly closed gates were flung open, and the people inside rushed out in a frenzy, their cries and shouts mingling together in a chaotic scene.
"Ah, this—" The people who arrived were all dumbfounded when they witnessed this scene, exchanging bewildered glances.
Just then, several figures staggered out of the ruins in a disheveled state. It was the Green King and his entourage, each of them covered in dust and looking extremely wretched.
"Xiao Ruojin, are you crazy? Are you deliberately trying to destroy the Qing Prince's Mansion?"
The King of Qing, who had been rescued by his men, flew into a rage and pointed at the gate, cursing loudly.
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Ruojin landed lightly on the gate, a mocking smile on her face, seemingly unconcerned about the King of Qing's anger. She said in a serious tone, "King of Qing, you are mistaken. I had no choice but to do this. There was a reason for it."
Upon hearing this, the Green King became even more furious: "Nonsense! You clearly lured them here on purpose!"
"See, it's a misunderstanding, isn't it?" Xiao Ruojin pointed at Xiao Xie below, chuckling as she tried to exonerate herself: "As everyone knows, I am not good at martial arts. Although I entered the Divine Realm by chance, I was still a little flustered to suddenly face so many experts. I had to familiarize myself with them properly, and also vent my frustration."
Before she could finish speaking, four sharp streams of true energy came crashing down from behind like a storm. Xiao Ruojin leaped into the air, easily dodging the attacks, and then sped off in another direction.
Just as he left, four streams of true energy simultaneously slammed into the gate of the Green King's Mansion.
"boom--"
Another deafening explosion.
"Do not--"
With the Qing King's heart-wrenching roar, the Qing King's mansion was reduced to ruins, and shattered plaques lay scattered at the Qing King's feet.
Witnessing this scene, the onlookers had a vague premonition of what Jingyu Wang would do next.
Sure enough, within moments, commotion came from the direction of the Fallen Feather King's mansion. When they rushed over, the Fallen Feather King was sitting in front of the door, on the verge of tears.
Behind him was another mansion that had been reduced to ruins, suffering the same fate as the Qingwang Mansion, a scene of utter devastation and misery.
Everyone seemed to understand something, and their gazes toward King Luoyu became meaningful.
It seems that the people from Nanjue were brought here by the King of Qing and the King of Luoyu. King Jingyu couldn't kill them directly, so he deliberately lured them here to vent his anger on the two kings' residences.
……
Xiao Ruojin, who had turned two royal mansions into ruins, suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward the palace not far away.
Emperor Tai'an looked at the figures in the distance and felt a moment of panic.
Will this rebellious son destroy the palace too?
Qi Tianchen, standing beside him, held his whisk and watched Emperor Tai'an try to remain calm while actually panicking, feeling speechless.
He's really had enough of Emperor Tai'an now.
To dare provoke Jingyu Wang, who is nothing but a wandering immortal, is like an old man hanging himself – tired of living.
"Imperial Preceptor, this rebellious son won't destroy the palace like he destroyed the residences of King Luoyu and King Qing, will he?" Emperor Tai'an was anxious and confused, looking at Qi Tianchen with some unease.
Qi Tianchen patiently reassured Emperor Tai'an: "Prince Jingyu will not destroy the palace."
In the future, King Jingyu will definitely live here. If it is destroyed now, where will he live in the future?
Upon hearing this, Emperor Tai'an felt somewhat relieved, but his unease did not completely dissipate. If Xiao Ruojin survived tonight, how would he protect himself tomorrow?
……
Looking at the palace, which was already on high alert, Xiao Ruojin felt that she had scared people enough. Immediately, she transformed into a streak of light, crossed the city walls in an instant, and leisurely landed in an open area outside the city.
The four people followed closely behind, silently surrounding them.
Looking at Xiao Ruojin standing before them, the four exchanged glances. The middle-aged scholar stepped forward and said, "Prince Jingyu, I am..."
"Since we're all going to die anyway, there's no need for introductions." Xiao Ruojin waved her hand, interrupting the middle-aged scholar with cold words, without even glancing at the person in front of her. She simply looked up at the moon in the sky, lost in thought.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged scholar's face instantly darkened. With his half-step Divine Travel cultivation, he was always an honored guest wherever he went. He never expected to be treated so coldly today, and he was completely ignored before he could even utter his name: "Your Highness is truly arrogant. Although you are now in the Divine Travel Profound Realm, you are still just one person. While the four of us are not as strong as you, we are only one step away. Therefore, you will surely die today."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruojin remained calm and composed: "Just one step apart, and that makes all the difference."
These people in front of him are here to kill him, so there's no need to give them any pleasantries.
"A frog at the bottom of a well sees only a small area and thinks that the world is as vast as that."
"How are you any different from this frog? You think that the difference between half-step Divine Travel and Divine Travel Realm is just a little bit, but you don't know that this little bit is enough to become an insurmountable chasm between life and death."
Kui Wuwu smiled coldly: "Then let's give it a try and let the world see if this gap is really insurmountable."
Having said that, he leaped up like a tiger descending a mountain, his curved blade whistling through the air as he slashed fiercely at Xiao Ruojin. The air seemed to split in two wherever the blade passed, revealing his profound inner strength.
However, Xiao Ruojin simply shifted her body slightly to the side, her steps light and graceful, and with just a slight movement, she effortlessly avoided this fatal blow.
His movements were extremely precise, neither adding nor subtracting anything, just right.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged scholar's expression changed drastically. He raised his sleeve, and silver needles rained down, their dark tips gleaming with a cold light under the moonlight.
But Xiao Ruojin's figure seemed to vanish into nothingness; though the silver needles were dense, none could touch the hem of his clothes. He seemed to be in another dimension, completely out of place in this world of flying silver needles.