The man wrapped in a cloak crashed through the window and leaped out of the house, only to be met with Fang Jie's fist. The man in mid-air could no longer dodge, so he also threw a punch.
The two fists collided violently, and both men flew backward simultaneously. At the moment of impact, they even heard the groans of their own arm bones bearing the strain. Just before landing, the man managed to twist his body forcefully in mid-air, dodging a sword aura from behind.
Fang Jie landed, taking three steps back before regaining his footing. He subconsciously glanced at his right fist.
The force of the opponent's fist was comparable to Fang Jie's, but Fang Jie vaguely sensed that it wasn't entirely from internal energy. Because Fang Jie couldn't cultivate, he was more familiar with the power of muscles. The sensation returning from his right arm made him suspect that the unfamiliar man's physical abilities weren't necessarily inferior to his own.
The ugly-faced man steadied himself, the pain in his back causing him to wince slightly. He had dodged quickly enough, but Shen Qingshan's swift and sharp sword energy had still left a gash on his back. His cloak, severed, fell slowly to a spot not far from him.
Fang Jie stood before him, Shen Qingshan behind him.
This was the most dangerous situation he had faced since entering Chang'an City.
Shen Qingshan's sword energy filled him with apprehension, but Fang Jie's fist had equally shocked him. He knew Fang Jie was a formidable opponent, but he hadn't expected him to possess such a robust physique. His punch had carried internal energy, though dispersed to deal with Shen Qingshan behind him, it was enough to make his already strong body even more powerful.
However, this punch hadn't broken Fang Jie's arm.
Fang Jie's senses weren't too far off; the ugly-faced man's arm hadn't contained much internal energy. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been only a shallow gash on his back. If he had concentrated all the internal energy in his dantian into his fist, he might have been able to injure Fang Jie, but the wound on his back might now extend to his internal organs.
Fang Jie took a step forward, carefully examining the man before him who had finally revealed his true face in the lamplight. His face was so bizarre it was unbearable to look at; besides being filthy and disgusting, his features were distorted. His skin was aged and lifeless, yet strangely, it had no wrinkles.
"A Buddhist?"
Fang Jie asked.
The ugly-faced man shook his head, remaining silent.
Fang Jie was silent, then pointed to the man's face and said, "You cover your face with this ugliness because you're afraid of being recognized. This is definitely not your true face… I've never seen such youthful eyes on such an aged face. And you don't speak because you're afraid I'll recognize your voice. So… we must have met before. Now… will you tear off this disgusting thing from your face yourself, or should I help you?"
The ugly-faced man grinned, but remained silent. He pointed to his face and shook his head.
Fang Jie looked at him and asked, "Too ashamed to show your face?"
A cold glint flashed in the ugly man's eyes, as if Fang Jie's words had reopened old wounds. His gaze fixed menacingly on Fang Jie, as if he couldn't wait to tear him to pieces.
"Even the most hateful people have a pitiable side. I really can't understand what kind of past you have that would make you dress yourself up like this, neither human nor ghost. If the Great Sui owed you something and killed people, then why don't you seek revenge on those who wronged you? Would you get a great sense of accomplishment from targeting students from the Martial Arts Academy whose cultivation is inferior to yours? Or... do you enjoy the feeling of killing? If it's the latter, then I can only say you're a perverted madman."
Fang Jie seemed in no hurry to attack, instead uttering seemingly unnecessary words.
"He's dead!"
Finally, the ugly man couldn't contain his rage and roared. His voice was hoarse, likely deliberately concealing his true voice.
"As expected, you're nothing but a clown."
Fang Jie sighed, then took another step forward. Without turning back, he said to the people standing behind him, "Bring me a knife, the best knife."
Marylian, protected by a dozen battle-hardened veterans, instinctively tried to move forward, but was stopped by her personal guards. A soldier ran over and handed Fang Jie a broadsword, then quickly retreated to stand in front of Marylian. Fang Jie weighed the sword in his hand, then looked at the ugly-faced man seriously and asked, "Any last words?"
"I want you dead!"
The ugly-faced man roared, then charged forward. In his leap, he flicked his left finger backward, a sharp wisp of energy swiftly pointing towards Shen Qingshan's forehead. Shen Qingshan didn't dodge, but frowned slightly. A sword aura appeared from nowhere, deflecting the energy. At the same time, she raised her hand and pointed at the ugly-faced man's back.
Something intensely cold seemed to condense rapidly in the air, then transform into hundreds of sword energies. It was as if hundreds of sharp swords floated before her, poised to strike. When she suddenly straightened her fingers, these invisible swords, like a meteor shower, pierced fiercely towards the ugly-faced man's back.
At the same time, the ugly-faced man dodged Fang Jie's every move with his sword, his body contorted as he punched Fang Jie in the face. Fang Jie made no attempt to dodge; his right hand, holding the sword, suddenly seemed to snap off, the blade falling at an impossible angle, aimed directly at the ugly-faced man's arm.
...
...
Just as Fang Jie's sword and Chen Qingshan's sword arrived almost simultaneously, the ugly-faced man suddenly let out a piercing howl, and then... a dazzling, holy three-petaled lotus bloomed within his body. It didn't seem to be something ethereal; it was so real that even the process of the petals opening was clearly visible.
Sword energy and the horizontal saber struck the lotus flower one after the other, producing a series of crisp sounds.
With a clang, Fang Jie's horizontal saber was deflected. His right hand, gripping the saber, seemed to lose its hold, and his right arm trembled slightly. Behind the ugly-faced man, hundreds of sword energies rained down on a single white lotus petal protecting his back. The clanging sounds were incessant; the sword energy couldn't pierce the seemingly translucent, delicate petal.
Fang Jie took a step back, his expression growing increasingly serious.
"Sure enough, it's related to that old bald monk."
He snorted coldly, his saber-wielding arm gradually stabilizing.
Standing behind the ugly-faced man, Shen Qingshan frowned slightly, her finger fixed on his back. Sword energy condensed in mid-air, continuously attacking like a persistent shower of stars. But to her astonishment, the lotus flower, which seemed so vulnerable, actually blocked all the sword energy.
Both she and Fang Jie had heard the story of the red-robed high priest, Crane Cry Daoist, chasing Chen Ya. At the most critical moment, it was a five-petaled white lotus that appeared out of nowhere and saved Chen Ya's life. At that time, no one knew who had arrived in Chang'an. Fang Jie had witnessed the white lotus appear a second time. That day, the old monk Zhihui captured him and was surrounded by the proprietress and Zhuo Buyi, along with many other experts. While everyone was attacking, the dazzling white lotus bloomed again.
The first time, the repulsive force of the red-robed high priest, Crane Cry Daoist, cracked two of the white lotus petals. It was a full-force attack from a Daoist master, yet it still failed to shatter the petals. The second time, it took the combined attack of six masters to shatter the white lotus, but the old monk Zhihui used the opportunity to escape.
When the petals behind the ugly-faced man blocked the nine hundred and ninety-ninth sword energy, a soft cracking sound finally rang out. A crack appeared on the petal and gradually spread. It was as if a master artist had used light ink to outline the natural patterns on the petals of a white lotus, making this lotus even more beautiful.
But beauty comes at a high price; the lotus gradually cracked.
Fang Jie let out a low whistle, and a powerful force erupted between his legs, creating a deep crater in the ground and sending dust flying. He rushed towards the ugly-faced man at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, then concentrated all the muscle power he could muster into his right arm. At that moment, the muscles in Fang Jie's right arm underwent a tremendous change. All the muscles exerted force in one direction—something impossible for a normal person!
With a clang, Fang Jie's horizontal blade slashed fiercely at a white lotus petal. The blade shattered instantly, and the white lotus was also cleaved in two, almost severed.
The ugly-faced man, enveloped by the three lotus petals, roared and threw a punch at Fang Jie's chest. Fang Jie's right arm couldn't retract in time, so his left hand swiftly rose and grabbed the ugly-faced man's fist. With a deafening boom, Fang Jie was sent flying like a cannonball.
Several guards from the Guide General's mansion tried to stop him, but were knocked to the ground.
A sharp pain shot through his left arm, spreading throughout his body. Fang Jie felt as if the bones in his left arm had been shattered. He slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
What a pity!
He sighed inwardly.
If he had brought the broken sword the old cripple had given him, this strike could have cleaved that lotus petal in two. But the standard-issue horizontal sword of the Sui Dynasty couldn't withstand Fang Jie's immense force and shattered, nor could it compare to the strength of that lotus petal.
This ugly-faced man was terrifyingly powerful.
Just then, Shen Qingshan suddenly raised her arms. Her hair danced without wind, and her long dress swayed with it. The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze slowly, and in mid-air, a gigantic sword appeared to slowly take shape. The sword seemed imperfect, merely a prototype, yet even so, its chilling sharpness pierced the eyes of everyone in the courtyard. Though the sword was invisible, everyone could feel it.
Mary and the others, unable to withstand the pressure, had to close their eyes. The two elderly stewards simultaneously cried out, blood slowly trickling from the corners of their eyes.
Fang Jie stared in astonishment at Shen Qingshan in the distance, then suddenly a possibility occurred to him.
Just as he hesitated, Shen Qingshan's raised arms suddenly swung forward. His hands snapped together, and the invisible giant sword struck the ugly-faced man like a thunderbolt. At that moment, people even seemed to hear a resounding dragon's roar.
With a deafening boom, centered on the ugly-faced man, the blue bricks in the courtyard shattered, the entire ground seemingly covered by a spiderweb. A storm rippled outwards, dust billowing up instantly. Like a hurricane sweeping across, rubble and dust were forced outwards by an invisible, ever-expanding circle.
The white lotus cracked inch by inch, all three petals shattering!
Meanwhile, four streets away, in the residence of a high-ranking official, Zhuo Buyi, guarding another student who had attended Banyue Mountain, suddenly changed his expression and vanished in a flash. On the twenty-third street east, at the Red Sleeves Pavilion, the old cripple who had seemed to be asleep on a bench suddenly sat up and muttered four words:
Who has entered the Ninth Rank?