Chapter 871: The Sword Saint's Fury!

This was Qian territory, certainly.

But not long ago, smoke had risen from the capital of this very country.

And on the soil of this country, an army from another state was still running rampant.

Most importantly, the Emperor of Qian had chosen to surround Prince Pingxi and slowly smother him to death. That decision prevented him from leading his troops back to Shangjing in time. As a result, after the main Yan force captured the capital and completed its assigned strategic objective, it had been able to withdraw at leisure.

Add the fact that Prince Pingxi had forced a weak army through the encirclement by gambling everything on one desperate fight, and the Emperor of Great Qian had truly managed to lose both the lady and the troops.

"Father! They're ours! They're ours! That's our army!"

Liu Dahu shouted in wild excitement.

Over the past few days, he had watched his father fight two against one. If he counted himself and the big sister on the opposite side... well, he himself could be ignored, so his father had effectively been fighting three against one.

For the past two days, more and more Silver-Armored Guards had gathered. The situation of the many bullying the few had become increasingly obvious.

Had he felt aggrieved?

Of course.

The more aggrieved he had been before, the more arrogant he could be now.

You like using numbers to bully people, do you?

Come on, then!

"Great Yan is mighty! The Prince is mighty! The Yan army is mighty!"

The Sword Saint lowered his head and looked at his "foolish son," who had become excited beyond measure.

He could understand.

After all, although his son had followed Prince Pingxi for quite some time, the boy had only truly begun experiencing serious affairs recently.

When a man had already accepted certain death, even prepared himself mentally to die, then suddenly saw hope appear—no, saw the entire board suddenly flip—the joy of surviving catastrophe was enough to drive anyone mad.

Then the Sword Saint's gaze fell upon Baili Sword and the Swordsmith, who were currently standing on the river.

The Swordsmith swept one broad sleeve outward, apparently preparing to say a few proper words for the occasion.

Chu people valued ritual.

And ritual was all about detail.

But Baili Sword beside him simply turned around.

His younger sister turned around too.

The brother and sister leaped away almost without the slightest hesitation.

Carefree, natural, smooth.

Almost as though time had rewound to those days beneath the walls of Shangjing.

"..." The Swordsmith.

At that moment, the Sword Saint moved.

First, he grabbed his own son and lifted him. A thread of sword qi pressed against Liu Dahu's armor, and the boy went flying backward.

At the same time, the Demon Child in his hand performed another relay. To outsiders—to the Silver-Armored Guards surrounding them—Liu Dahu's backward flight suddenly looked somewhat inconsistent with ordinary physical laws.

Whatever the case, Liu Dahu was thrown clear of the encirclement.

With the Demon Child protecting him and the Yan army about to arrive, the Silver-Armored Guard should no longer be able to threaten his life.

Then why did the Sword Saint himself remain?

Because... the Sword Saint was angry.

Very angry.

These past few years, the Sword Saint had become more and more down-to-earth.

But you really could not expect a father, after facing a situation where both he and his son were about to die together, to remain as calm as still water.

The Sword Saint's figure rose and swept directly forward.

The Silver-Armored Guard's blocking formations had mostly been placed around the outer perimeter. The section facing the river had actually been left open, because Baili Sword and the Swordsmith had been responsible for that side.

Add the Yan army's sudden appearance, and no matter how loyal or elite the Silver-Armored Guards were, they were still human.

Especially after the Baili siblings had directly cut and run, which was effectively the same thing as their leaders ordering a retreat.

So nobody reacted quickly enough to block the Sword Saint.

And in that single instant, he had already swept out over the river.

The Swordsmith had fallen behind.

He immediately summoned a long green sword.

"Hmph!"

The Sword Saint, flying toward him, let out an angry snort.

The Swordsmith frowned.

The green sword he had just summoned quietly withdrew again.

Then... he changed the direction of his escape.

The Sword Saint ignored him and chased directly after Baili Sword and Baili Xianglan.

The Swordsmith released a long breath while running.

He understood.

Most likely, the words he had spoken earlier—promising that he could take Liu Dahu away alive—had bought him this opening.

In truth, if he and Baili Sword fled together now, the Sword Saint might not attack either of them.

After all, Yu Huaping himself had said he did not want to die.

But the problem was... was the Swordsmith really going to play at brotherhood unto death with Baili Sword?

Look how damned fast Baili Sword had run just now!

If the man beside him had been Yu Huaping instead, the Swordsmith truly would have been willing to show a little "loyalty unto death."

Even within the same circle... people were still different.

The Baili Clan was not merely famous for fast swords.

Their movement techniques were fast too.

In this respect, the Sword Saint actually could not match Baili Sword's speed.

But... given the difference in weight and realm between them, even if he could not catch Baili Sword, could he really fail to catch Baili Xianglan?

Longyuan screamed upward.

In an instant...

Yu Huaping opened Second Grade again!

His speed abruptly increased.

The distance between him and the Baili siblings shrank immediately.

Baili Sword glanced back.

Then roared:

"Yu Huaping! Are you really going to exterminate us to the last?"

The Sword Saint laughed.

"You make me laugh. Did you leave me any road out just now?"

Baili Sword accelerated, trying to evade the Sword Saint's attack.

But then his gaze sharpened.

The Sword Saint was no longer pursuing him.

Instead, Longyuan stabbed straight toward Baili Xianglan's back.

In an instant... golden light blazed once more in Baili Sword's eyes.

His aura surged violently.

He forcibly opened Second Grade.

Bang!

Their swords collided.

A terrifying wave of force swept outward.

Baili Xianglan staggered and spat out a mouthful of blood. Horror filled her eyes.

The Sword Saint's first strike had been blocked.

He did not stop.

A second sword, carrying the power of Second Grade, crashed down again.

Its target was still Baili Xianglan.

After blocking the first strike, Baili Sword had no choice but to throw himself behind his younger sister.

He laid his sword horizontally and blocked the second blow.

But while the Sword Saint beside him remained perfectly composed, Baili Sword already looked somewhat disordered.

That tiny difference was, in truth, the clearest reflection of the real gap in strength between them.

At their level, a difference of even a little... was already a chasm.

The Sword Saint launched a third strike.

"Brother!"

"Go! Stop being a burden to me!"

Baili Sword roared.

The siblings did not waste time on some long, sentimental exchange about never abandoning one another.

Baili Xianglan kept running south.

Baili Sword gathered his essence, qi, and spirit into one and blocked the Sword Saint's third strike.

But because of that, his own retreat came to a complete halt.

The Sword Saint had forcibly dragged him into a duel right where he stood.

Ordinarily, that might not have mattered.

But the reason Baili Sword had turned and fled so decisively earlier was precisely because he understood that once the Yan army surrounded him, his end would be miserable beyond measure.

Against a great army, a peak Martial Artist actually held more advantage than a peak swordsman.

Prince Pingxi had once laughed and given an example.

A peak swordsman was more like an "assassin" entering a crowd. Of course, the Prince's "assassin" here did not mean a true assassin like Xue San, but rather a label for that general type.

So the Sword Saint did not even need to defeat him now.

He did not need to risk himself.

All he had to do was keep him here.

Once the Yan army completed the encirclement...

Baili Sword would certainly die.

His hair had come loose and streamed around him.

The golden light had not yet faded from his eyes.

His expression was solemn.

Or perhaps... angry.

He lifted his head and stared at the Sword Saint.

Then said:

"Yu Huaping. She is my younger sister!"

Clearly, the Sword Saint's attacks on Baili Xianglan had enraged him.

The Sword Saint laughed.

"Did you ever care that he was my son?"

The Swordsmith had said earlier that Liu Dahu could be spared and taken away alive.

But the Sword Saint understood his own son.

Liu Dahu would never surrender.

If his father died and the enemy truly spared him, the boy would choose suicide.

After personally witnessing eight thousand iron cavalry die for Prince Pingxi not long ago... the Sword Saint could no longer say much about his son's own choice either.

Just moments ago... if the Yan army had not arrived... father and son would both have died here.

And now you stand there accusing me of attacking your sister?

Accusing me of being despicable?

Accusing me of being underhanded?

Naturally, Baili Sword could not know what the Sword Saint was thinking.

Instead, he sneered.

"So you've finally lost your virtue, haven't you, Sword Saint of Jin?"

"No reason. No reason at all."

The Sword Saint sighed.

"He was right. Why should I insist on being a gentleman when dealing with shameless people?

"Our grudge has nothing to do with affairs between states.

"Today... if I, Yu Huaping, fail to keep you here...

"I won't be happy."

The instant he finished speaking...

Longyuan flew out again.

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged dozens more sword moves.

Then the Sword Saint retreated first.

Baili Sword remained standing where he was.

But in the next instant... his aura suddenly surged again.

Blood seemed to seep from both arms and spread into his palms before flowing onward into his sword.

Above them, increasingly vast Second Grade power began gathering beneath the heavens.

At the same time, white began appearing among Baili Sword's originally black hair.

His skin too showed faint signs of aging.

"Using the path of demon beasts to glimpse the heavenly mystery of Second Grade.

"You actually managed to walk that crooked road through."

The first exchange several days earlier had already shown the signs very clearly.

Baili Sword was walking a path similar to that of demon beasts.

He had copied the method of the ancient Pixiu suppressed beneath the palace occupied by the little red-robed eunuch in Yanjing, using so-called national fortune to bless and sustain himself in a state somewhere between life and death.

Baili Sword had likewise borrowed the Zhao imperial house of Qian as a "furnace," forcibly grafting that support onto himself so he could glimpse the mysteries of Heaven.

The Emperor probably knew.

He may even have... agreed.

"If I hadn't heard of your achievement before Snow Sea Pass, Yu Huaping—if I hadn't known you'd already opened the legendary Second Grade—why would I have rushed this badly out of fear that you'd leave me completely behind?"

The Sword Saint raised his eyebrows.

He only found it amusing.

These men had once stood side by side as peers.

But when the matter ceased to be sparring and became true life and death, the skin peeled away and the real person beneath appeared.

Somehow... it looked a little ridiculous.

After all... being good with a sword and being good at being a person were not the same thing.

In this world, the only man the Sword Saint could think of who had truly fused the learning of how to live with the learning of how to act into one whole... was Zheng Fan.

Even Tian Wujing... if one spoke honestly... had limped on one of those legs.

Baili Sword was now using a sacrificial secret art to force out an even stronger Second Grade sword.

That was, once again, exactly the sort of method only demon beasts and spirit creatures ordinarily used.

"Yu Huaping! Dare you receive my strongest sword?"

"Why wouldn't I!"

The Sword Saint let out a long howl.

His aura surged with it.

Baili Sword gripped his sword.

His figure transformed into a streak of startled brilliance and rushed toward the Sword Saint.

Within that sword... thunder seemed to be exploding.

But... in the very next instant... the Sword Saint's aura suddenly dropped.

Without the slightest hesitation, he withdrew from Second Grade.

His entire body retreated rapidly instead of advancing to meet Baili Sword's supreme sword strike.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

Baili Sword released a furious roar.

His overwhelming sword intent swept madly through the surroundings.

The Sword Saint... kept retreating.

Retreating.

Retreating.

He had absolutely no intention of exchanging moves!

The more powerful a sword technique became, the shorter the time it could remain at its peak.

Often, even the attack's effective distance became more restricted.

This was especially true of a temporary forced elevation using a secret art.

It came quickly.

And disappeared just as quickly.

Buzz!

Baili Sword stabbed his sword into the earth.

He dropped onto one knee.

His chest heaved violently.

Had the Sword Saint accepted the attack just now, Baili Sword would have possessed some chance of injuring him.

He might even have had a tiny chance of destroying most of the Sword Saint's cultivation.

That, in turn, could have forced the Sword Saint back and given Baili Sword no choice but to let him leave.

But Baili Sword could never have imagined... that the Sword Saint who had just shouted "Why wouldn't I!"... would stand him up right to his face.

Seeing Baili Sword kneeling there and gasping for breath... the Sword Saint finally stopped retreating.

Longyuan floated horizontally before him and was gently taken into his hand.

At that moment... a particular gesture that one person loved making appeared in his mind.

Cold.

Faintly disdainful.

Able to keep one's own emotions under control so the face never became obviously ugly... while still stabbing directly into the other person's sensitive spot for one's own spiritual satisfaction.

The Sword Saint's eyes sank like still water.

His expression became perfectly calm.

Then, from the corner of his mouth... came one tiny yet perfectly clear sound:

"Tch."

Baili Sword's breathing stopped for an instant.

He looked up at the Sword Saint.

His eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.

Tsk.

The Sword Saint, meanwhile, felt wonderfully satisfied.

That bastard was right.

Immediately afterward... from the perimeter... column after column of Yan cavalry began closing in from every direction.

They completed an encirclement around this battlefield so local it consisted of only two men—yet still required everyone to treat it with absolute seriousness.

The man leading them was Chen Yang.

He did not know Baili Sword personally.

But under these circumstances... his identity was not difficult to guess.

Count Yishan sighed with emotion.

"Old man, I've made a damned fortune on this trip into Qian. Don't tell me I'm about to be made a Marquis?"

...

At the same time... on the opposite riverbank... the enormous Fan Li stood in front of Liu Dahu.

Liu Dahu lay on the ground clutching the red stone. An arrow had struck his left shoulder.

Fortunately, the Yan army had arrived in time.

More precisely...

Fan Li had arrived extraordinarily in time.

He split two Silver-Armored Guards apart and charged out at the most critical moment, leaving Liu Dahu the incomparably broad, reassuring view of his back.

At the same time... a Silver-Armored Guard who had already lost all desire to fight and casually loosed a crossbow bolt from far away... managed to hit Fan Li.

The bolt was still sticking from Fan Li's chest.

It had not gone deep.

But the fletching trembled slightly whenever his chest muscles flexed.

It was extremely conspicuous.

But...

"Where's Master? Where's Master?!"

Liu Dahu froze.

The Demon Child in his hand... stood upright again.

Then rocked... forward.

Backward.

Left.

Right.

"Hiss..."

Fan Li sucked in a breath.

A thousand words and ten thousand thoughts condensed into a single affectionate greeting:

"Fuck."

[End of Chapter 871]