“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The sounds of metal clashing rang out continuously as Qi Fei clashed with two top experts, Zhao Bufan and Wu Qingchuan, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, with no clear victor for the time being.

Everyone was astonished. They knew that both Zhao Bufan and Wu Qingchuan were true top-tier masters and leaders of their respective factions in the martial arts world. They were not comparable to ordinary masters. Even people like Gu Yinzhang and Li Huiyu could only manage a draw with one of them at most. Defeating them would be extremely difficult. Yet Qi Fei had managed to hold off both of them single-handedly and even manage a draw.

How is that possible?

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their expressions one of disbelief.

Jia Yue looked at Du Ao and laughed, “It seems that even Chief Zhao and Sect Leader Wu can’t take it down. Sect Leader Du, shall we try?”

“The martial arts of the Diancang Sect are indeed unique.” Du Ao chuckled, drew his longsword, and leaped into the battle.

At this moment, Gu Yinzhang struck out with his sword, blocking Du Ao’s attack.

Du Ao smiled and said, “Miss Gu, you can’t beat me.”

As he spoke, a surge of innate qi erupted from his body and rushed toward Gu Yinzhang’s face. Gu Yinzhang felt a suffocating sensation and his feet kept retreating.

This is the difference between the Innate Realm and the Acquired Realm. The Acquired Realm uses ordinary true qi, while the Innate Realm uses innate qi, which has much greater power and is incomparable.

Li Lingyun stood alone, watching Qi Fei’s thin figure fighting the enemy, then looked at Gu Yinzhang and Li Yuyao, then at the more than thirty Diancang Sect disciples behind him, and finally raised his head to look at the bright moon in the sky, and smiled bitterly. In a few days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It’s a holiday for family reunions, what a pity…

He closed his eyes in pain, then suddenly opened them, a sharp glint in his eyes.

At that moment, Du Ao twirled his longsword and attacked Gu Yinzhang.

Just then, a blue figure swiftly descended and blocked Du Ao’s path.

“Brother Li, what are you doing?” Du Ao stared at the man in front of him.

It was none other than Li Lingyun!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Lingyun glanced at Qi Fei, who was fighting the enemy, then at Gu Yinzhang and Li Yuyao, before withdrawing his gaze. He slowly drew his Panlong Sword, his eyes cold and his face expressionless. He said, “Today you schemed against, besieged, and oppressed my Diancang Sect, causing it to be driven to desperation and facing annihilation. My Diancang Sect will remember this debt. If you are lucky enough to survive, you will surely pay for it in blood one day!”

“You…” Du Ao frowned, he didn’t expect Li Lingyun to go back on his word at this time.

Gu Yinzhang glanced at Li Lingyun, then coldly withdrew his gaze, twirling his longsword as he attacked Wu Qingchuan.

She couldn’t face Li Lingyun at that moment. The hurt he had caused her was too great, and even though he had pulled back from the brink, he couldn’t get her forgiveness immediately.

Li Lingyun naturally understood this as well. He twirled his sword, pointing the Panlong Sword directly at Du Ao, and said, “Brother Du, please make your move!”

Du Ao looked at the Ninth Prince.

“Good, very good.” The Ninth Prince smiled. “Kill all the men of the Diancang Sect, and capture the women alive.”

After saying this, he didn’t even look back, and had his men lift the wooden palanquin and leave. He disappeared down the street in no time.

Why would he need to personally deal with the mere members of the Diancang Sect who were already surrounded?

As soon as the Ninth Prince left, everyone immediately sprang into action!

Jia Yue’s short, stout figure bounced up like a ball, and while still in mid-air, he struck Li Lingyun below with a palm.

Du Ao also used the Danxia Sword Technique to attack Li Lingyun.

Assassin Black Pupil, notorious thief Xue Jiuzhi, Aojian Villa’s Qiu Haixuan, Imperial Palace Dragon Guard Luo Weichen, and others also surrounded Li Lingyun.

The others also drew their weapons and rushed towards the disciples of the Diancang Sect.

These Diancang Sect disciples were mostly mediocre in skill, no match for the fierce and powerful martial arts masters from various sects around them. Screams rang out one after another as Xu Yuan, Qian Mu, and other Diancang Sect disciples fell into pools of blood.

Facing the onslaught of the crowd, Li Lingyun roared, “Those who block my way shall die!”

The Panlong Sword in his hand shone with a dazzling light, and dragon-shaped sword energies emerged from it, making a “whoosh” sound as they cut through the air, shooting straight out in all directions!

Jia Yue, Du Ao, and the others did their best to defend themselves. A “crack” sound rang out, and the weapons in everyone’s hands broke off, all cut in half by the Panlong Sword and falling to the ground.

Jia Yue chuckled: “The Panlong Sword truly lives up to its reputation as one of the three great divine weapons; it is indeed powerful!”

The others were also extremely wary, and they all looked for opportunities to confront Li Lingyun head-on.

Although their martial arts skills were in no way inferior to Li Lingyun’s, Li Lingyun possessed divine weapons that could break upon contact and injure the body upon touch, making it extremely difficult to subdue him in a short time.

On the other side, with Gu Yinzhang’s help, Qi Fei successfully overpowered Zhao Bufan and Wu Qingchuan, gaining the upper hand.

At this moment, Zhang Jian also flew over from a distance and said, “Break through quickly!”

Gu Yinzhang looked around and found that, apart from himself and a few others, all the members of the Diancang Sect had fallen into pools of blood, and the enemy was closing in on them. His heart sank to the bottom.

Qi Fei shouted, “Master’s wife, I’ll clear the way. You take Yu Yao and Mei’er and charge out!”

As he spoke, he deflected the swords of Zhao Bufan and Wu Qingchuan with a single stroke, knocking them back, and charged forward, causing enemies to stumble and fall wherever he went.

Gu Yinzhang hurriedly took Li Yuyao and Mei’er with him and followed behind Qi Fei, fighting and retreating as they moved towards the city gate.

Li Lingyun also knew that a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous, so he quickly forced everyone back and, together with Zhang Jian, followed behind Qi Fei, Gu Yinzhang, and the others to cover their retreat.

“kill!”

Countless shouts rang out, and for a moment, all sorts of sounds filled the street: the clash of swords, the roar of men, and the sounds of fighting.

To Qi Fei and the others, this sound was like being surrounded by enemies on all sides, with ambushes from all directions.

Hearing this noise, the local people dared not go out to check and had already closed their doors.

On a nearby street, several servants were carrying a sedan chair, with an attendant leading the way. Upon hearing the noise, the attendant stopped and said, “Master, a fight has broken out up ahead.”

A deep, resonant voice came from inside the sedan chair, saying, “It’s just dogs fighting, nothing new. Let’s not go and watch the show. Let’s go, take a detour.”

“yes!”

“How is the young lady from the Ye family doing lately?”

“Replying to your question, sir, Miss Ye has been staying in her room these past few days and has not gone out.”

“knew.”

Soon, several people carried the sedan chair to the gate of a mansion. There was a large red lantern on the mansion with the character “flower” on it.

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard stepped out of the sedan chair, entered the mansion, and soon disappeared inside the gate.

In recent days, the extraordinary skill within Qi Fei’s body has been operating automatically every moment, and his internal energy has been increasing every day. To this day, he has firmly established himself among the top-tier masters.

Unfortunately, the enemies he was facing were numerous and powerful. Qi Fei was no match for them and couldn’t handle them all. He was soon injured, with several cuts on his chest and back, his skin slashed and bleeding.

As the two sides clashed, and it seemed that Qi Fei and his group were about to be overwhelmed by the surging crowd, a hissing sound suddenly rang out, followed by a scream. Someone shouted, “Snakes! Poisonous snakes…”

“Ah…” Another scream rang out.

Looking down, everyone saw that many poisonous creatures had suddenly emerged from the street, including snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos, and toads. These little creatures squeezed into the clothes of the people around them and bit them. In no time, dozens of people were killed or injured.

Jia Yue’s expression changed, and he said, “Everyone be careful, there are poisonous women from the Five Immortals Sect around!”

The Five Immortals Sect is a major sect in the martial arts world of Kun Kingdom, with numerous members and great influence. However, in the Qian Dynasty, it is deeply hated because the disciples of the Five Immortals Sect are skilled at controlling the five poisonous creatures. These creatures are harmless during the day, but at night they are impossible to guard against. They can suddenly jump out from the darkness and bite a person, which can kill them in a short time. No matter how high one’s martial arts skills are, they are useless.

After being ambushed by the five poisonous creatures, chaos erupted among the enemy’s group, giving Qi Fei and his companions a chance to break through. Everyone rushed forward.

Before long, they arrived at the end of the long street. Qi Fei was not familiar with the streets of the capital, but Li Lingyun knew them very well. He pointed to a small street on the left and said, “Go this way, into the alley, and split up!”

Qi Fei acted decisively, cleaving down a master in front of him with a single sword strike, and rushed towards the small street. Gu Yinzhang and the others followed closely behind, while Li Lingyun remained at the rear, blocking Jia Yue and other top masters. He held the Panlong Sword, a formidable figure who stood guard against ten thousand men.

After entering the alley, Qi Fei said, “Master’s wife, you take Yu Yao and go first.”

Gu Yinzhang didn’t stand on ceremony and pulled Li Yuyao towards the narrow alley ahead.

Qi Fei forced the others back and rushed into a wide alley. Mei’er followed closely behind him. The enemy troops immediately caught up, shouting battle cries.

After entering the narrow alley, Gu Yinzhang and Li Yuyao ran wildly, and soon they were panting heavily. They had just gone through a bloody battle, and their bodies were stained with the enemy’s blood. Their true energy was severely depleted, and they were already somewhat exhausted.

Seeing that many enemies were chasing them from behind, they mustered their strength and continued running forward. But then they came to a fork in the road and didn’t know which way to go.

Suddenly, a slender figure appeared at the crossroads, wearing a red dress and a veil over her face. She said, “Come with me!”

Li Yuyao’s eyes lit up; she had already recognized the other person’s voice. She said, “Sister Ye, is that you?”

“It’s me, let’s go!”

This person was none other than Ye Ruiyun, whom they had met on their way to the capital.

Gu Yinzhang and Li Yuyao quickly followed her directions and headed towards the fork in the road.

A group of enemies, wielding swords and knives, pursued them menacingly. Ye Ruiyun slowly drew her long sword from her waist. With a flash of blade light, screams rang out as the pursuing enemies collapsed to the ground.

Ye Ruiyun sheathed her long sword, and her slender figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Qi Fei led Mei’er through the wide alley. Enemies would pounce from all sides from time to time. Qi Fei brandished his longsword, using the “Panlong Sword Technique” to cut down the powerful enemies one by one. At this moment, Mei’er was panting heavily, her face pale, clutching her chest, clearly exhausted.

Qi Fei bent over, turning his back to her, and said, “Come on up!”

Mei’er quickly climbed onto his back, and Qi Fei got up and carried her on his back. Her full body pressed against his back, especially her plump breasts, which felt soft to the touch. Stimulated by this, Qi Fei felt a surge of power welling up from his lower abdomen and instantly flowing through his entire body!

He carried Mei’er on his back and ran quickly forward. Before long, he reached the end of the alley. There, he saw a middle-aged man standing there with a long sword in his hand, blocking their way. It was Zhao Bufan, the leader of the Dajiang Gang, who had come from a different direction.

“Run, why aren’t you running anymore?” Zhao Bufan sneered.

Qi Fei glanced behind him and saw a group of enemies rushing towards them.

He looked at Zhao Bufan, tightened his grip on the long sword in his hand, and without saying a word, thrust the sword forward.

The two instantly clashed, the sounds of metal clashing against metal ringing out continuously.

Zhao Bufan’s martial arts skills are no less than Qi Fei’s. It would take Qi Fei a lot of time to defeat him. He cannot fight for long. Once the fight drags on, he will inevitably be caught up and surrounded by the enemies behind him. At that time, he will not be able to escape.

Just then, a white figure flashed out from the side, flicked one hand, and a hidden weapon flew out of his hand, aiming straight for Zhao Bufan’s vital points.

Zhao Bufan was taken aback and quickly swung his longsword to knock down the hidden weapons. At that moment, Qi Fei seized the opportunity, flicked his longsword, and used the last move of the “Eighteen Panlong Swords”, “Azure Dragon Soaring into the Sky”!

A dragon of energy shot out from the sword and pounced on Zhao Bufan. With a muffled “thud,” Zhao Bufan’s body trembled, and he slowly lowered his head to look at his pierced chest before collapsing to the ground.

Qi Fei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. That move had been extremely taxing on his inner energy, and he wouldn’t have dared to use it lightly without absolute certainty.

A woman dressed in white and wearing a veil appeared in front of the two and said calmly, “Go to the left front, walk to the end, cross the city wall, and you can leave the city.”

This person is actually Leng Ning.

Qi Fei glanced at her but didn’t move, because Mei’er on his back was very excited, looking at him with tears in her eyes, choking and unable to speak.

Leng Ning hissed in a low voice, “There’s no time, let’s go!”

“Take care!” Qi Fei said, then quickly left with Mei’er on his back.

Leng Ning watched their retreating figures, took a deep breath, her vision blurring. She held back her tears and slowly turned around.

A group of people had already caught up. One of them saw Leng Ning and asked, “Cold Beauty, where is she?”

Leng Ning didn’t speak, but slowly walked forward. Taking advantage of the fact that these people were not on guard, she suddenly drew a soft sword from her waist. As the sword flashed, screams rang out continuously, and a group of them fell down in an instant.

Leng Ning sheathed her soft sword and turned to leave.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

As the Panlong Sword was wielded, the weapons in the hands of the surrounding enemies were cut off and fell to the ground. In front of Li Lingyun, no one could use their weapons. Even those who had weapons dared not touch his Panlong Sword, otherwise they would soon be left empty-handed.

Jia Yue, Hei Tong, Xue Jiuzhi, Liao Fa, Qiu Haixuan, Du Ao, Luo Weichen…

A group of experts took turns using their best skills to deal with Li Lingyun, intending to exhaust his true energy first. At that time, even if he had the Panlong Sword, he would not be able to exert its power, and killing him would be as easy as turning one’s hand.

Seeing that Gu Yinzhang, Qi Fei and the others had left, Li Lingyun let out a long roar, grabbed Zhang Jian with one hand, and the master and disciple flew over the crowd, decisively choosing to retreat.

“Chase him! We absolutely can’t let him get away!”

Jia Yue was the first to leap forward, and the others followed suit.

The Ninth Prince ordered that the Diancang Sect members must be killed tonight, and Gu Yinzhang and Li Yuyao must be captured alive. If they fail to perform their duties, then this month will be disastrous.

While they couldn’t compete in terms of weaponry, Jia Yue and the others were no less skilled than Li Lingyun in terms of agility and internal energy. In particular, Li Lingyun had just fought a fierce battle with everyone, and his internal energy was greatly depleted, leaving him at his limit. With everyone’s full effort in pursuit, they quickly closed the distance.

Li Lingyun suddenly gathered a breath of innate internal energy, and his speed instantly increased dramatically!

Upon seeing this, Du Ao exclaimed with emotion, “Brother Li, you’re overdrawing your vital energy! You’ll shorten your lifespan!”

Li Lingyun snorted coldly, his face grim as he sprinted forward. He had already made one mistake, and he couldn’t afford to make another. Even if he died in battle tonight, he would never surrender.

Before long, Li Lingyun arrived at the city gate. The city gate was closed at night, and the soldiers guarding the city tower were fast asleep. Li Lingyun carried Zhang Jian, and the two of them flew up to the city tower together, where they found that Qi Fei, Gu Yinzhang, and the other three had already met up there.

They just arrived.

One after another, figures leaped onto the city wall and appeared in front of the group. Jia Yue and his companions were extremely fast, far surpassing the speed of ordinary experts, and they kept close behind.

Li Lingyun, sword in hand, faced the horde of enemies and said coldly, “Madam, you all go out of the city first. I’ll hold off these villains!”

Gu Yinzhang pursed his lips, about to say something, when suddenly, Li Lingyun let out a muffled groan. He clutched his lower abdomen, glared angrily at Zhang Jian beside him, and shouted, “You traitor!”

Zhang Jian released the dagger in his hand and quickly retreated to prevent Li Lingyun from retaliating. After retreating to Jia Yue’s side, he breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled slightly and said, “I’m sorry, Master. I’ve been one of them for a long time. Originally, if the Diancang Sect had also pledged allegiance to the Ninth Prince, we would still be one family, and I would still call you Master. It’s a pity that you changed your mind halfway through. It’s really a shame.”

At this moment, a dagger was stuck in Li Lingyun’s waist, from which flowed dark blood, seemingly poisoned. It was Zhang Jian who had ambushed Li Lingyun when he was off guard.

“Father!” Li Yuyao cried out in disbelief.

Gu Yinzhang’s face was also pale. At this moment, Li Lingyun had been betrayed by Zhang Jian and suffered trauma. Deep down, she had already forgiven him for the most part.

Jia Yue chuckled and said, “Sect Leader Li, I’ve said it before: tonight you either pledge allegiance to the Ninth Prince or face the extermination of the Diancang Sect. There is no other choice. You can’t leave. You might as well give up.”

Li Lingyun slowly straightened up, ignoring the wound on his waist. He simply raised his right hand, pointing the Panlong Sword at the group of enemies, and let out a long roar. A powerful innate qi poured into the Panlong Sword, and the sword burst out with a dazzling blue light, like a blazing sun shining in the night sky!

********************

Author’s Note: The title of this book emphasizes that it is a novel about extraordinary heroes and uses the works of Master Huang Yi as a reference, but I have found that many readers still do not understand.

Beyond martial arts, the realm of “Strange Heroes” possesses an even higher potential.

If you still don’t understand, you can refer to “Storm Riders”, “Pili Puppet Show”, and “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”.

Master Huang Yi’s works, “Shattered Void” and “Overturning Clouds and Rain,” ultimately share the theme of breaking through the void and transcending life and death, which goes beyond the scope of traditional martial arts fiction. In fact, there is nothing left to write about in traditional martial arts fiction, as the framework has been fixed.

Because this book describes the immortal realm and reincarnation, some people think it is a fantasy novel. Then let me ask you, what kind of books are Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Dream of the Red Chamber?

In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, the Old Immortal of Nanhua passed on three volumes of heavenly books to Zhang Jiao, and Zuo Ci learned magic. In *Water Margin*, the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden passed on three volumes of heavenly books to Song Jiang, and all 108 heroes were reincarnations of celestial stars. In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Jia Baoyu was a stone from Nuwa’s patching of the sky undergoing tribulation, and was the reincarnation of the Divine Stone Attendant. Lin Daiyu was also the reincarnation of the Crimson Pearl Fairy. Jia Baoyu even visited the Land of Illusion in his dream.

Many readers lack traditional knowledge and approach problems with a habitual way of thinking.

It’s actually quite normal for local novels to include metaphysical content—do you dare say you’re a soulless person?

But that doesn’t mean it’s a fantasy novel. If you add a few slices of ginger while stir-frying fish, does that mean the dish is stir-fried ginger?