Chapter 67: Atop The Spinal Ridge, Annihilating All Masters
Whoosh!
Chen Jiulang’s clothes fluttered wildly as he gripped the hook spear in one hand, grabbed the eaves with his other, and leaped onto the rooftop ridge of Dingsheng Tower.
No sooner had he landed than ‘whoosh whoosh’ sounds rang out beside him. The Helian Brothers, Tie Ao, Cui Hao, and others arrived as well, spreading out around him, standing steadily on the glazed tiles with weapons in hand, closing in to surround.
Chen Jiulang raised his hook spear and let out a sudden roar like thunder resounding: “Hong Yuan is here. Anyone capable can come take this one hundred thousand taels. My Grain Transport Gang won’t touch a single coin.”
Chen Jiulang burst out his qi and blood in the roar, the sound rolling like raging waves, echoing through the long street inside and out.
In an instant, the already noisy and chaotic market grew even hotter, with many martial artists’ eyes flashing with murderous intent, eager to try.
On a restaurant not far away.
A delicate youth in brocade robes poked his head out the window, looking toward Dingsheng Tower. Under the gleaming light, the glazed tiles reflected brilliantly, allowing him to see only a few figures confronting each other on the high rooftop ridge.
The youth’s face went slack, not expecting the ‘Divine Spear’ they had just been discussing to appear in public so quickly.
Urgent footsteps rang out on the green stone street, as many martial artists carrying sabers and swords, exuding fierce auras, dashed over.
Helian Tao struck first!
Without any verbal exchange needed, Helian Feng and Helian Hai quickly coordinated with him. The bintie long pole and two heavy sabers wove into a meat grinder net, suddenly pressing toward Hong Yuan.
On the other side, Tie Ao swept out with a fierce leg, and amid a ‘clattering’ roar, a large swath of glazed tiles was flung by him, rolling and smashing over.
At the same time, his figure burst upward, wind whistling between swings of his hands, revealing extremely astonishing palm kung fu.
Slash!
The ‘Ghost Scholar’ Cui Hao’s movement was quite eerie, darting left and right, a smile playing at his lips as his iron bone fan slashed out, bringing a sharp cutting airflow sound.
Only Chen Jiulang held his dragon pattern hook spear, standing motionless, gathering momentum, waiting for the best moment to unleash a thunderous strike.
He heard the sounds of clothes cutting through the wind in his ears, and a faint smile appeared on his face as three more figures quickly leaped up from below the building.
Judging by their movement alone, their martial arts were not weak.
Hong Yuan’s spear flicked up, silver light turning into a bolt of cloth whipping out, instantly shattering the thrown glazed tiles into a sky full of debris, smoke and dust suddenly spreading.
“Good chance!” Cui Hao pushed off with his foot and suddenly flashed into the smoke and dust, the iron bone fan flipping in his hand, slicing out like a sharp blade.
Nicknamed ‘Ghost Scholar’ for his ghostly figure-like movement, Cui Hao frowned at a faint ‘chi’ sound, vaguely feeling something off with the sensation.
This strike was aimed at the opponent’s throat, but it felt like hitting empty air. As he wondered in surprise, a crisp ‘pfft’ rang out, silver light piercing through the iron bone fan and straight into his chest without resistance.
“Fancy tricks!”
Hong Yuan drew back his spear and advanced like a roaming dragon, meeting the Helian Brothers’ joint attack. He held the spear in one hand to block the mad assault of Helian Tao and the other two, while his other hand grabbed at empty air.
This grab was meant to hit nothing, but as Hong Yuan’s five fingers reached out, Tie Ao happened to attack right there, as if delivering himself on purpose.
Hong Yuan’s fingers clamped down, claws sharp as swords, instantly seizing Tie Ao’s hand, sharp claws piercing into his skin and flesh in a moment, followed by a surge of immense force.
Boom!
Tie Ao’s face changed drastically, his body involuntarily lifted by the grab, flying toward Helian Tao and the others like a little chick.
The bintie long pole and two not-light steel sabers instantly landed on him, blood and flesh exploding amid screams, bones cracking.
Helian Tao and the other two also staggered in panic on the slick glazed tiles, retreating. The next moment, a silver light bloomed before their eyes.
Before the three could react, they felt intense pain in their throats, strength rapidly draining from their bodies, and they tumbled off the building.
As successive cries of alarm rose on the long street, Chen Jiulang lunged forward, taking advantage of Hong Yuan having just killed several people and his force waning, flashing over like lightning.
Instantly closing within one zhang.
Chen Jiulang gripped the hook spear in one hand and pinched a small wooden block in the other, suddenly crushing it, immediately spreading a strange ripple.
“You’re dead!” Chen Jiulang’s cold voice rang out.
Whoosh!
Hong Yuan suddenly felt darkness before his eyes, as if someone had prankishly pulled the switch in the night, or someone had closed his eyes.
Pitch black, devoid of light.
Pfft!
A sound of flesh and blood being pierced rang out, followed by the ‘clang’ of a weapon hitting the ground, and the crisp impact on the glazed tiles.
The sound of drops of blood falling onto the roof tiles was exceptionally clear.
Hong Yuan waited quietly for about three breaths, his eyes restoring light. He slowly turned, looking at Chen Jiulang behind him, whose heart he had pierced with a backhand spear thrust.
When this man lunged at him, he had only feinted a spear thrust, then circled behind at top speed while he was suddenly plunged into darkness and stabbed with the hook spear.
At this moment, Chen Jiulang’s face was full of disbelief. His powerful physique kept him alive even with his heart pierced.
But his eyes were filled with despair, all his ambitions and aspirations turning to jokes in this moment. He only wanted one answer.
“Why… why weren’t you affected by the obscuring talisman…”
In this life’s martial arts, one ultimately relies on hearing and eyesight to discern attacks and respond.
Of course, masters at a certain level can maintain decent combat strength even with eyes and ears sealed, even sensing attack directions from airflow changes.
But there is always a slight delay.
And that darkness came too suddenly, with no mental preparation in the haste. Even a microscopic level master would be shocked or dazed by sudden blindness.
In true combat, there’s no margin for error like that; a moment’s daze is enough to decide life and death.
“So that thing is called an ‘obscuring talisman’…”
Hong Yuan smiled at Chen Jiulang, seeing the confusion in his eyes, and chuckled: “I stabbed your heart, not your brain, right? Memory that bad, already forgetting what I just said? Don’t expect your enemy to explain it to you.”
“Go be a confused ghost in peace!”
Actually, that ‘obscuring talisman’ wasn’t useless; even the Clear Eyes and Penetrating talent was somewhat affected. It was just that Hong Yuan’s spiritual sense was even more astonishing.
He slapped his palm on Chen Jiulang’s forehead. The latter fell straight down, face full of unwillingness.
Hong Yuan turned his gaze to the three martial artists who had just arrived on the rooftop ridge, their faces stiff.
These three martial artists had come rushing after hearing Chen Jiulang’s roar and seeing Hong Yuan surrounded by many masters, thinking they could pick up a big bargain. With so many in the city unmoving, they couldn’t resist the temptation.
Who would have thought, in just this short time, a few breaths, Chen Jiulang and the others were all killed.
At this point, the three were caught in a dilemma, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
“I wonder what teachings the three have for me?” Hong Yuan chuckled lightly.
Two of them said nothing, pushing off with their feet to retreat violently backward. Hong Yuan’s spear flicked, and amid ‘clang clang’ explosions, the Helian Brothers’ two long sabers shot out, piercing the bodies of the two fleeing men.
The remaining one stood at the other end, body rigid and unable to move. Seeing Hong Yuan flash over, he forced a smile uglier than crying: “Young hero, spare my life…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy. It won’t hurt much!”
