Yang Jueding noticed that Li Yang was already at the end of his rope. He calculated the time; that disciple's running speed should have reached the sect by now.
He immediately twisted around and charged toward Li Yang. The already injured Guang Lantian and Zhang Songjing came at him again, causing a murderous light to flash in his eyes.
"You're asking for death!"
Yang Jueding struck out with all his might. The Nine Heavens Divine Palm exploded forth, internal energy like a flood, sending Guang Lantian and Zhang Songjing flying back with blood spraying from their mouths.
Relying on exquisite footwork, he quickly reached Li Yang. Grabbing the back of his collar with one hand, he dragged Li Yang as he ran toward Azure Firmament Sect. Along the way, his free hand continuously struck out with palm attacks, sending blockers flying.
Guang Lantian crashed onto the snow, unable to stop himself from coughing up another mouthful of blood. He turned his head and looked at Yang Jueding with shock-filled eyes.
This guy...
He couldn't understand Yang Jueding's strength. In previous years, when Yang Jueding had come to the Seven Peaks Alliance, his strength had been quite ordinary. Now, he could easily severely wound him.
Was the legendary divine technique really that powerful?
Yang Jueding, dragging Li Yang, quickly broke through the encirclement. Experts from the three sects immediately pursued. The watching factions hesitated for a moment, then followed as well.
After the arduous battle, Yang Jueding's spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted. That last palm strike against Guang Lantian and the others had consumed the remainder of his energy; otherwise, it would have been difficult to severely wound those two.
However, the Azure Cult, Iron Moon Peak, and the Seven Peaks Alliance still had other experts. One by one, first-rate experts quickly flanked him, continuously launching attacks.
While running, Yang Jueding ducked to avoid a vicious sweeping kick, then leaped over a horizontally slashing broadsword. Taking advantage of the moment, he struck out with his palm, hitting the swordsman in the chest. The man coughed blood, dropped to his knees, and slid backward.
Held by Yang Jueding, Li Yang didn't feel relieved. Instead, he felt immense humiliation, his entire body tensed.
Bam!
Someone kicked Yang Jueding in the back—exceptionally heavy. He stumbled, lost his balance, and tumbled forward. Li Yang was thrown and landed in a daze.
After rolling several times, Yang Jueding used his palm as a pivot point, supporting his body while simultaneously spinning to face backward.
He focused his gaze. The attacker was none other than the Azure Cult Branch Leader, Duan Tu.
Though Duan Tu was short and stocky, at this moment he appeared domineering, like a god of death on the snowy plain, radiating murderous intent.
Many years ago, Yang Jueding had fought Duan Tu and suffered a considerable loss. Seeing Duan Tu blocking his path, he narrowed his eyes, killing intent flashing within.
Duan Tu charged at Yang Jueding again. Not just him—over a dozen major sect experts swarmed in. One-on-one, Yang Jueding could easily slap them to death. But now, with his spiritual energy depleted and strength flagging, he could only evade.
Li Yang's vision had just cleared when a blade appeared before his face. He looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a scarred face, wearing dirty, worn black robes and a bamboo hat.
His eyes met the man's—and he was instantly frozen.
Those were eyes of incomparable coldness. He had never seen such a gaze, as if the man had killed countless people, his heart honed to utter emotionlessness.
"You..." Li Yang instinctively wanted to speak, but then he saw the blade-wielding man turn his head. Following his gaze, Li Yang's eyes widened.
Someone was galloping toward them on horseback—his cousin, Zhao Linglong.
Some tried to block Zhao Linglong, but they were knocked aside by a brutal wave of energy, completely unable to stop her.
Duan Tu turned his head and immediately rushed forward, attempting to intercept Zhao Linglong as he had Li Yang. But the moment he struck, he was sent flying by a powerful energy blast from a distance, blood spraying from his body.
Li Yang's expression froze. He doubted his own eyes.
With Zhao Linglong's forceful entry, the experts besieging Yang Jueding had to stop. They surrounded Yang Jueding while warily watching Zhao Linglong.
Zhao Linglong rode up to Li Yang and the others. Reining in her horse with one hand, the fierce horse reared, letting out a neigh. On its back, her green robes fluttering, she suddenly exuded the aura of a powerhouse—a completely different person from the frail young woman of ordinary days.
Zhao Linglong's eyes were as icy as the blade-wielding man's, carrying an overwhelming sense of oppression.
As the horse's front hooves landed, she stared at the blade-wielding man and spoke. "Bloodblade, Dian Ming. You retired from the martial world over a decade ago. Why meddle in Guzhou's affairs?"
Her voice was soft and pleasant, but now it carried killing intent, carrying far enough for Yang Jueding and the others to hear.
"Bloodblade Dian Ming... Wei Prefecture's number one martial artist from a decade ago..."
An Iron Moon Peak expert muttered to himself, suspicion in his eyes.
Experts from the Seven Peaks Alliance and Azure Cult also sensed something wrong. They hadn't invited anyone from Wei Prefecture. They looked at each other, communicating with their eyes, only to discover that none of them knew Dian Ming.
Dian Ming held his blade one-handed. His Bloodblade was like a willow leaf, with blood-red grooves on either side of the edge. Snowflakes landing on the blade instantly turned to wisps of steam.
His features were weathered, the scar on his right face a full ten centimeters long, hideous and terrifying. His beard was tinged with gray, making him appear like an aging wolf.
"At your age, to possess such power is impossible even with the highest talent. What is your surname?" Dian Ming stared at Zhao Linglong, asking coldly.
The factions arriving from behind stopped in their tracks, watching from a distance as Zhao Linglong and Dian Ming confronted each other. Any keen observer could tell Dian Ming was extremely formidable.
Zhao Linglong didn't dismount. Looking down at Dian Ming from her horse, she said, "Zhao."
A cold light flashed in Dian Ming's eyes. He smiled grimly. "I see. You must be the current inheritor of the Mysterious Yin Art. You've inherited at least two hundred years' worth of power. It seems that old fellow has finally kicked the bucket."
Two hundred years' worth of power!
Not only were the faction experts startled, but Li Yang was also stunned. He had never imagined his cousin was this formidable.
So when his father had insisted he bring Zhao Linglong along, it wasn't for her to gain experience, but for her to protect him.
All along this journey, whenever they encountered danger and escaped, he'd often felt puzzled. He'd never dreamed the one helping them was right beside him.
Zhao Linglong didn't look at Li Yang, lying on the ground. She stared intently at Dian Ming. "Are you after the legendary divine technique too?"
Dian Ming grinned hideously. "A divine technique like that is even more powerful than your Mysterious Yin Art."
He suddenly raised his blade and slashed at Zhao Linglong. The strike was swift as thunder. Li Yang, who considered himself capable of contending with first-rate experts, couldn't even follow the speed of his swing.
Zhao Linglong's reaction was equally fast. Like a phantom, she leaped over the horse's head, landing before it, and struck out with her palm. Internal energy burst forth, forming a visible protective shield around herself and the horse.
Boom—
Dian Ming's slash actually produced three streaks of blade energy, passing through Zhao Linglong's shield and wreaking havoc behind her. The overbearing blade energy tore through the snow, and four martial artists, unable to dodge in time, were directly blasted into minced meat that scattered across the snow. The other martial artists hastily scrambled out of the way.
Zhao Linglong glanced back, then advanced to engage Dian Ming.
Their figures intertwined. Even Yang Jueding found their speed unbelievable. To onlookers, the two seemed to transform into afterimages, their techniques too swift to capture.
Blade energy and protective energy overflowed, continuously melting the snow beneath their feet. Viewed from above, patches of bare soil appeared on the white expanse, rapidly expanding.
Guang Lantian swayed as he stood up, watching Zhao Linglong and Dian Ming with eyes full of fear.
How could there be martial artists in the world with such power?
He felt that the mysterious intruder who had invaded the Seven Peaks Alliance that night couldn't compare to these two.
Bai He, the Azure Cult's Vice Leader, pushed through the crowd like a vengeful ghost. Staring at the battle ahead, his mangled face had eyes wide open, filled with fear; for a moment, he dared not approach.
"Senior Yang, please take my cousin up the mountain."
Zhao Linglong's soft voice rang out. Yang Jueding snapped back to attention, immediately circled around their battlefield, reached Li Yang, helped him up, and fled toward Azure Firmament Sect.
Experts from the Azure Cult, Seven Peaks Alliance, and Iron Moon Peak tried to pursue, but Zhao Linglong turned and struck out with her palm. Palm energy swept across the ground before their faces, forcing them to halt.
What terrifying power!
Dian Ming didn't pursue Li Yang. He focused on fighting Zhao Linglong. The two were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.
Yang Jueding, dragging Li Yang, ran quickly. He remarked with feeling, "Champion, your cousin is truly formidable! What's the origin of this Mysterious Yin Art? To be able to pass down two hundred years' worth of power—I've never heard of such a thing."
Li Yang snapped out of it and smiled bitterly. "I had no idea she was this powerful either. As for the Mysterious Yin Art, I have heard of it. It's the ultimate technique of one of the Three Sects of the Dynasty's Founding—the Li Yin Sect. It's said to have a thousand years of history, capable of transmitting one's power to another. But once transmitted, the giver must die. I never imagined someone could pass on two hundred years of power..."
Yang Jueding questioned him as they moved forward, but his pace gradually slowed. Fatigue began to set in.
After running several li, Yang Jueding finally spotted figures. Looking closely, it was Zhang Yuchun leading a group of disciples. Joy spread across his face.
Having cultivated the Chaos Genesis Scripture, he deeply understood the power of its Nourishing Origin stage. Zhang Yuchun was a second-layer expert. And if Zhang Yuchun had come, Xu Ning was probably on her way too.
Zhang Yuchun spotted Yang Jueding and the others and immediately used the Gale Skill, swiftly approaching. The disciples behind him were those practicing martial arts on the lower half of the mountain, whom he'd gathered along the way; others were still catching up.
Reaching Yang Jueding, he took Li Yang, and as they moved back, asked, "How's the situation?"
"Li Yang's cousin is holding off the enemy for us. There's been a change—a former number one expert from Wei Prefecture has appeared." Yang Jueding spoke rapidly.
Zhang Yuchun frowned. Suddenly sensing something, he violently pushed Li Yang and Yang Jueding aside. A whoosh followed—a flying dart passed between him and Li Yang.
This flying dart shot straight toward the Azure Firmament Sect disciples catching up from behind.
A figure leaped up from behind the disciples, landing like a startled swan. With one sword stroke, she severed the dart—it was Xu Ning.
Xu Ning smoothly sheathed her sword, quite in Li Qingqiu's style.
Seeing Xu Ning had arrived, Yang Jueding completely relaxed. He turned his head and frowned.
Emerging from the rolling wind and snow were seven figures walking toward them. He hadn't seen their silhouettes before, but each made him feel danger—all seemed like supreme experts no weaker than Dian Ming.
With things having reached this point, Yang Jueding realized something was wrong.
No matter how strong the Azure Cult, they couldn't possibly summon so many supreme experts.
Was there an even more powerful force behind this?