Chapter 73

These people were the bandits who escaped from the mountain stronghold last night. There were more than a hundred of them, most of whom were dressed in coarse linen clothes and were unkempt. They all exuded a wild and unruly air, and it was obvious at a glance that they were bandits and robbers from the Jianghu, belonging to the lowest of the low among the three religions and nine schools of thought.

However, there were two men with extraordinary bearing, tall stature, wearing golden crowns and golden robes. One had a long sword at his waist, and the other held a twelve-foot-long red spear diagonally behind his back.

Qi Fei, Feng Jianqing, and Leng Shuxue all narrowed their eyes, exchanged glances, and saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.

These two middle-aged men were none other than the two leaders of the Imperial Palace Dragon Guard of the Qian Dynasty, “Sword Demon” Wei Yimu and “Gun Demon” Han Zhuohao!

At this moment, Wei Yimu and Han Zhuohao also saw Qi Fei and his group of four, and their expressions changed simultaneously!

Although his expression changed, he remained calm. Han Zhuohao narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “So it was you, you little thief. Our Imperial Guards have been searching for you everywhere. So you’ve come here!”

One of the bandits said to Han Zhuohao, “Second Master, this little thief killed the Chief Master last night!”

Han Zhuohao waved his hand, indicating that he understood.

Qi Fei chuckled and said, “You two think you can capture this great hero? You’re really overestimating yourselves!”

Han Zhuohao snorted coldly: “Rumor has it that you are the young prince of Kun Kingdom. I have heard that the Kun Kingdom royal family’s ‘Bright Moon Flying Phoenix’ is one of the four great martial arts of the world. I have never had the chance to see it, and I am very eager to learn from it.” He slowly held the long spear in front of him and assumed a fighting stance.

Wei Yimu also drew his long sword from his waist, the tip of which pointed directly at Qi Fei, and a powerful innate aura rushed towards him.

Feng Jianqing, watching from the side, understood perfectly. She knew that although this mountain stronghold was just an ordinary den of thieves, it was actually a pawn of the Ninth Prince. The leader of the Imperial Guard was given the title of second or third leader here, while a small-time bandit was made the leader. Although his martial arts skills were not high, it was convenient for him to do some shady things, such as robbing and kidnapping women. He could also act as a spy and sentry to investigate and pass on information.

Qi Fei didn’t take Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu’s provocations seriously at all. These two top experts at the Innate Realm were no longer a concern for him.

After mastering the “Sun and Moon Divine Skill”, Qi Fei also absorbed the essence of the emperor’s concubines and even the White Empress’s thirty years of internal energy. Not only does he possess the power of sixty years, but the purity of his true energy is also unmatched by ordinary people, even surpassing masters like the Nine Thousand Years Old and Yao Ye.

Furthermore, with the Panlong Sword in hand, dealing with these two innate masters would not be difficult for him.

Qi Fei tossed the Panlong Sword to Li Yuyao and said, “Junior Sister, catch the sword.”

Li Yuyao took the Panlong Sword and asked, “What are you doing? Are you planning to fight empty-handed?”

Qi Fei laughed loudly, “Why would I need the Panlong Sword to deal with such scoundrels? These two lackeys knocked me off the cliff back then, and I didn’t even bother to settle the score with them. But they still dared to come to my door. Let’s see how I deal with them!”

Wei Yimu and Han Zhuohao were both extremely talented individuals. They were trained from a young age to be killing machines, and later commanded the Imperial Palace Dragon Guard. Countless people died at their hands.

These two are more skilled in martial arts than Du Ao. They are hard to beat even in the Innate Realm, only slightly weaker than Jiu Qian Sui and Yao Ye. In a one-on-one fight, even Li Lingyun back then couldn’t defeat them, provided that Li Lingyun didn’t have the Panlong Sword.

Both men were proud and arrogant. They had fought Qi Fei when he caused a ruckus in the palace, but none of them had actually fought him to the death. Their understanding of Qi Fei’s martial arts was not as deep as that of the Thirteen Protectors. Therefore, even now, facing Qi Fei, whose martial arts had greatly improved, they still felt that they had a fighting chance and did not back down.

Wei Yimu thought to himself, “Brother Han and I, even when we join forces, can hold our own against the Ninth Prince. How could we possibly lose to this little thief? Unless those three girls also intervene, our chances of winning are at least 50%…”

Qi Fei, empty-handed, looked up at the sky and said, “If you want to fight, then fight. Don’t drag it out. Don’t blame me for not warning you. If I make the first move, you won’t even have a chance to make a move.”

“You brat, how dare you speak so arrogantly!” Han Zhuohao sneered and made the first move.

With a flick of his wrist, the twelve-foot-long spear transformed into a flurry of spear shadows, falling towards Qi Fei with a whistling sound.

Qi Fei activated his divine skill, gathering a breath of innate true energy. Although Han Zhuohao’s spear technique was fast, it slowed down in his eyes. The countless spear shadows disappeared instantly, turning into a large spear that traced a mysterious trajectory as it fell towards him, aiming straight for his vital acupoint in the chest.

“Good timing!”

Qi Fei gave a soft shout, his right hand forming a sword finger, his hand wrapped in a layer of red and blue innate qi. The powerful qi extended from the sword finger, forming a three-foot-long qi sword, which met Han Zhuohao’s spear.

Han Zhuohao shouted, and a burst of red light suddenly erupted from the tip of his spear. A powerful innate qi was added to the tip of the spear, which was then thrust forward and collided with the qi sword extended from Qi Fei’s sword finger.

The two powerful energies collided, producing a loud “bang.” Qi Fei stood still, completely unmoved, still strolling leisurely, while Han Zhuohao was jolted, staggering back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his spear trembling incessantly.

His expression finally changed, and he said in shock, “I never imagined your internal strength was so powerful! Brother Wei, don’t fight him head-on!”

Wei Yimu nodded. At this moment, he had already drawn his sword. With a flash of white light, streaks of sword light appeared out of thin air and swept towards Qi Fei in a fan shape.

Qi Fei stood still, a three-foot-thick red and blue dual-color qi shield rising from his body. Wei Yimu’s sword light landed on it, and the shield rippled continuously. Dozens of sword lights attacked, and one after another, the sword lights merged into the shield. Only when the last sword light disappeared did Qi Fei’s qi shield shatter.

At this moment, Wei Yimu’s sword momentum also weakened, and he withdrew his sword and retreated.

Wei Yimu’s eyes narrowed, and he was secretly shocked. He had originally wanted to make a decisive move, so he had put all his strength into that attack and used his proud signature move, “Chain Sword Technique.” However, the result was that he only broke through the opponent’s protective aura and could not hurt him at all. This made his heart sink and he almost lost confidence in fighting Qi Fei.

He and Han Zhuohao exchanged a glance and said at the same time, “Let’s attack together!”

The two disregarded all the rules of the martial world, launching a fierce attack on Qi Fei simultaneously with one spear and one sword. Instantly, a series of spear shadows flashed, interspersed with sword beams. The whistling sounds of swords and spears clashing rang out continuously. Powerful innate qi spread outwards, destroying the surrounding vegetation. A pine tree the size of a bowl snapped in half and fell to the ground.

Standing not far away, Li Yuyao felt a strong wind rushing towards her face and couldn’t help but retreat. Leng Shuxue also used her internal energy to resist. Only Feng Jianqing, whose martial arts had reached the Innate Realm, was not affected much.

However, Qi Fei, standing in the center of the storm, became excited instead. He not only ignored Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu’s attacks, but also went to meet them. He transformed both hands into sword fingers at the same time and used the “Panlong Sword Technique”. The dragon-shaped sword energy shot out from his fingertips with a “chichi” sound, and continuously struck Han Zhuohao’s spear and Wei Yimu’s sword. The crisp “clang clang clang” sound rang out continuously.

Li Yuyao watched from a distance, feeling dazzled and unable to make out their moves. Everywhere there were shadows of swords and spears, like a sudden storm, dense and impenetrable.

Suddenly, a crisp “ding” rang out, and the shadows of the gun and the sword vanished simultaneously.

Han Zhuohao’s spear and Wei Yimu’s sword flew out of their hands at the same time, landing in the distance, only to be blasted away by Qi Fei’s powerful qi.

Both of them were shocked and quickly withdrew.

At this moment, Qi Fei’s figure transformed into a series of afterimages, moving even faster than them. In the blink of an eye, he caught up with them, his sword fingers striking repeatedly, instantly hitting the vital points around their bodies.

The two experts at the Innate Realm were instantly frozen in place, unable to move.

Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu were devastated. After a series of exchanges, they finally understood that Qi Fei’s martial arts were not only powerful in terms of internal strength, but his true qi was completely different from ordinary true qi!

Although their skills were less than sixty years old, they had reached the level of nearly fifty years, not much inferior to Qi Fei. In particular, the two of them working together should have been able to compete with him. However, when they actually fought, they found that their innate qi was completely insignificant in the face of Qi Fei’s innate qi!

This can only mean one thing: the power of Qi Fei’s internal energy cultivation far surpasses that of the internal energy cultivation they practice!

“Are the Four Great Skills of Our Time really that powerful?” Wei Yimu and Han Zhuohao were utterly shocked.

Qi Fei clapped his hands with a relaxed expression and said, “Junior sister, it’s up to you now.”

“Take this!” Li Yuyao rushed forward with the Panlong Sword, thrusting it towards Han Zhuohao.

“My god, how come even the second and third leaders can’t beat this little thief…”

“Run!”

When the bandits saw that Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu had been defeated and captured alive, they were greatly surprised. They were so frightened that they ran away without saying a word.

“Wait!” Han Zhuohao exclaimed in shock.

“What else do you have to say?” Li Yuyao placed the Panlong Sword against his neck. This sword was a true divine weapon, its blade radiating a cold light and exuding a chilling aura!

Han Zhuohao gave a cold laugh and said, “You can’t kill us. Not only that, you have to let us go!”

“What utter nonsense! You’re about to die and you’re still so arrogant!” Li Yuyao said angrily, swinging her sword.

Just as he was about to kill him with a sword, Han Zhuohao suddenly said, “Ye Ruiyun is in our hands!”

“What did you say?” Qi Fei’s expression changed.

Han Zhuohao chuckled and said, “Your Excellency has already received news that Kun Kingdom and Red Leaf Manor have formed an alliance, and that Qi Fei is engaged to the eldest daughter of Red Leaf Manor. Hehe. Your Excellency has already deployed many spies and ordered people to keep an eye on your whereabouts. Once there is any news, we will find a way to eliminate you and defeat you one by one. Unfortunately, just yesterday, Ye Ruiyun appeared in Fengzhou City and was captured alive by us.”

Li Yuyao shouted, “That’s utter nonsense! Sister Ye is clearly at Red Leaf Manor, with Senior Sword Master there. How could you possibly capture Sister Ye?”

Wei Yimu sneered, “Brother Han is right, Ye Ruiyun is indeed in our hands. You may not know this, but Ye Hongyi is going to hold a martial arts tournament on the Mid-Autumn Festival to fight the Sword Saint to the death. To show his sincerity, he plans to send people to personally invite martial arts practitioners and Jianghu figures from all over the country to watch the battle. Ye Taixuan, Ye Jingyun, Yao Youwei, and Ye Ruiyun went to Fengzhou City to invite people from the Golden Saber Sect, but they were captured by our people before they even entered the city. Hehe…”

Qi Fei’s heart sank upon hearing this; it really wasn’t impossible!

Ye Hongyi is extremely loyal and values ​​her reputation. For this reason, she did not hesitate to send her own brother Ye Taixuan, her beautiful wife Yao Youwei, and her pretty daughter Ye Ruiyun to join Hua Yushu and others to break into the palace to rescue Hua Zhenbei. It is not impossible that she would send the people of Hongye Manor to invite people from all over the world to participate in the martial arts conference.

Ye Hongyi believed his martial arts were unmatched and looked down on others. He figured that even if the people of Red Leaf Manor encountered a strong enemy they couldn’t defeat, they wouldn’t dare to kill anyone from Red Leaf Manor as long as he mentioned his name.

But if they encounter someone who is nine thousand years old, then that’s a different story.

Qi Fei angrily asked, “What have you done to Miss Ye?”

Han Zhuohao laughed and said, “Young Master Qi, don’t worry. We only arrested Lady Yao and Miss Ye, we didn’t kill them. This matter hasn’t spread yet. After all, Ye Hongyi is not someone to be trifled with… However, just because we don’t dare to take action doesn’t mean our Imperial Guards don’t dare to. They are all hot-blooded men who are extremely interested in women. We can’t guarantee that they won’t accidentally gang rape this mother and daughter… Hehe, you know what I mean.”

Qi Fei gritted his teeth and said, “If you dare to lay a finger on Lady Yao or Miss Ye, I will never let you off! I will turn the entire Qian Dynasty palace upside down!”

Han Zhuohao squinted and smiled, “Young Master Qi’s martial arts are now astonishing, and we really can’t beat him. However, if you dare to kill us, we guarantee that Lady Yao and Miss Ye will be gang-raped to death by our Imperial Guards, even if it offends Ye Hongyi! In fact, we are mortal enemies, so it doesn’t matter whether we offend them or not. You can try if you don’t believe me.”

Qi Fei stepped forward and asked, “Where are Miss Ye and the others now? If you release them, I can release you.”

At this moment, Han Zhuohao had the upper hand and appeared extremely arrogant. He coldly said, “It’s impossible for us to release them. Even if we agree, the Ninth Prince will not agree. However, telling you where they are being held is not a problem. But simply releasing us is not enough. You have to kneel down and kowtow to us a few times to show your sincerity.”

“You…” Qi Fei gritted his teeth in hatred, never expecting the other party to be so shameless. They had accurately calculated how important Yao Youwei and Ye Ruiyun were to him. “Idiot, get out of the way.”

At this moment, Kazami Haru and Leng Shuxue stepped forward.

The two women exchanged a glance, both smirking, before turning their gazes to Wei Yimu and Han Zhuohao.

They are not like Qi Fei and Li Yuyao. Qi Fei and Li Yuyao were influenced by Li Lingyun and Gu Yinzhang from a young age, and deep down they have a tendency to avoid making enemies and live a peaceful life, and are not aggressive.

However, Feng Jianqing and Leng Shuxue are different. The two women are not kind people. Feng Jianqing was taught by Feng Liyao, Rao Zhirou and others since childhood. Later, she followed Fang Huaxian, Yu Youyang, Ji Qiujun and others to roam the world. She has long been shrewd and intelligent, cunning and scheming.

Leng Shuxue entered a dangerous environment from her teenage years and was trained by Jiu Qiansui to be an assassin. She is ruthless, good at hiding, and knows Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu very well.

Leng Shuxue glanced at Wei Yimu and Han Zhuohao a few times and said, “Sister Jianqing, don’t worry. Although these two brothers are the leaders of the Imperial Palace Dragon Guard, the Imperial Palace Dragon Guard has very strict rules. Even if Lady Yao and Miss Ye are really arrested, they wouldn’t dare to act recklessly without the Ninth Prince’s instructions.”

Han Zhuohao and Wei Yimu’s expressions changed drastically. They had forgotten that Leng Shuxue had once been under the command of the Ninth Prince and knew them very well.

It might be possible to outwit Qi Fei and Li Yuyao, but it’s impossible to outwit Leng Shuxue.

“With Sister Leng’s words, I’m relieved.” Feng Jianqing smiled slightly, looked at Li Yuyao, and said, “Good sister, give me the Panlong Sword.”

Li Yuyao handed over the sword.

Kazemi Haru placed the Panlong Sword against Han Zhuohao’s neck. Her beautiful eyes suddenly turned cold, and she said coldly, “Tell me, where have you locked up Miss Yao and Miss Ye?”

Han Zhuohao chuckled and said, “Want to know? Ah…” Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a scream.

Blood splattered everywhere, and an arm was ripped off his body.

However, Kazami Haru directly swung her sword and severed one of his arms, a truly ruthless move.

Qi Fei and Li Yuyao were both stunned; they had never imagined that things could be done this way.

Kazami Haru placed the blood-dripping sword against Han Zhuohao’s shoulder and asked again, “Where are you keeping them locked up?”

Han Zhuohao was sweating profusely from the pain, but because his acupoints were sealed, he couldn’t move or run away. He could only stand there and endure the pain. Half of his body was almost numb, and blood kept flowing out from the cut on his arm.

Han Zhuohao said through gritted teeth, “Let me go first… Ah…” He had only said half of his sentence when another scream came from his mouth.

An ear fell off from his side, and one side of his face was covered in blood, a bloody mess, which was very frightening.

Kazami Haru said coldly, “It seems your hearing isn’t very good. How about I cut off your other ear too?”

Han Zhuohao shouted, “You won’t see them… Ah…” A flash of sword light, and his other ear fell off as well.

Kazami Haru said indifferently, “You won’t talk, huh? Fine, you’re worthless now, die.” As he spoke, he swung his sword, and amidst the splattering of blood, a head flew off his neck and rolled to the ground.

With a thud, Han Zhuohao’s body fell to the ground, kicking up dust and spilling blood that mingled with the dirt, filling the air with a stench of blood.