Chapter 82

“when–”

The sound of gongs and drums came from the mountain path. Everyone looked over and saw several strongmen carrying a brown wooden palanquin up the mountain. Sitting on the palanquin was an old man with white hair and a youthful face. The old man held a feather fan in his hand and had an arrogant expression on his face, striking a pose.

It was none other than the Ninth Prince Wei Dongxiang! Qi Fei and Li Yuyao’s eyes both revealed hatred when they saw him.

Behind Wei Dongxiang followed a mighty army of about two thousand people. Half of them were clad in golden armor and the other half in silver armor. They were all tall and imposing, and they were the Golden Armor Dragon Guards and Silver Armor Imperial Guards of the Great Gan Dynasty, who were famous throughout the world!

When the martial arts figures from Kun Kingdom arrived, the people of Aojian Manor were on high alert. Now that the people from Dagan Imperial Court have arrived, the people of Hongye Manor are in a completely different mood.

Originally, the number of people from Aojian Manor was more than twice that of Hongye Manor. Now that the Dagan Imperial Court has sent people, the number is no longer just twice, but four times!

There are over four thousand people at Aojian Manor, while at Hongye Manor, even including heroes from all walks of life and people from Kun Kingdom, there are only a little over one thousand to less than two thousand people.

However, this martial arts tournament is mainly a duel between Ye Hongyi and Bai Xifeng, not a large-scale brawl, so the number of participants is not important and can only affect the momentum. This has no impact on a grandmaster-level expert like Ye Hongyi.

Wei Dongxiang led his men to Aojian Manor, dismounted from the wooden carriage, and sat down next to Bai Xifeng.

At this moment, a man dressed as a eunuch stepped forward and said loudly, “Recently, His Majesty the Emperor heard of this grand event in the martial arts world and specially ordered Eunuch Wei to come and watch the battle. You need not worry about it. Just fight as you please. The court will not interfere in your grudges in the martial arts world!”

The people at Red Leaf Manor were all sneering. The imperial court was clearly on the side of Proud Sword Manor. They said they “would not interfere in the feuds of the martial arts world.” No one believed such nonsense, but no one would expose them directly.

Ye Hongyi suddenly opened his eyes, a bright light shooting from them. He grabbed the Golden Crow Blade, slowly walked into the arena, and said, “Brother Bai, you challenged me to a duel some time ago. Today, let’s settle our score here and fight to the death to settle our long-standing grudges!”

Bai Xifeng, who was opposite him, also stood up. He didn’t speak, but a deep voice came out and said, “That’s right, let’s fight to the death.”

Everyone knows this is ventriloquism, which uses the energy from the dantian to produce sound. It allows one to make sounds without opening their mouth, and the sound is deep and can travel far and wide.

This kind of martial art requires extremely high levels of internal energy cultivation to master.

Speaking with ventriloquism makes the voice elusive and unpredictable, making it impossible to pinpoint the speaker’s location; it could be anywhere nearby.

Ye Hongyi said coldly, “I hope you won’t run away this time!”

Bai Xifeng’s ventriloquism remained low: “Brother Ye, don’t worry, it’s definitely not me who’s running away this time.”

The two walked forward slowly, stood about ten feet apart, and drew their respective divine weapons.

Everyone stared intently at the scene.

Qi Fei also stopped stroking Fang Huaxian’s black-stockinged legs and focused his attention on the scene.

The show is officially starting!

Qi Fei looked at Fang Huaxian and asked, “Sister Fang, who do you think will win between Hero Ye and Bai Xifeng?”

Fang Huaxian shook her head and said, “The two are evenly matched in martial arts, so it’s hard to compare them. Ye Hongyi’s knife skills have reached the pinnacle of the Dao of the Knife, and Bai Xifeng’s swordsmanship is also the best in the world. The outcome of this duel is unpredictable and depends entirely on their performance on the day. If it is a life-or-death battle, it will most likely end in mutual injury or even mutual destruction.”

Qi Fei thought to himself, “It shouldn’t be a case of mutual destruction, right? After all, so many people are watching. The experts on both sides certainly won’t just sit by and watch these two grandmasters perish together.”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ye Hongyi made the first move.

With a “hum”, the world-renowned Golden Crow Blade trembled, and a red light emerged from it, transforming into a huge blade of light that was more than ten feet long and more than one foot wide. It slashed down directly at Bai Xifeng, covering the distance of more than ten feet in an instant!

As soon as the blade flashed, faint ripples appeared in the surrounding space, as if even space itself had been severed!

Qi Fei was secretly shocked. This was the power of a Heavenly Realm expert, which was on a completely different level from the Innate Realm!

Ye Hongyi’s swordsmanship was natural and effortless, seemingly simple and clumsy, yet it forced people to confront it head-on, leaving them with no possibility of evasion.

Faced with this domineering strike, Bai Xifeng held the White Rainbow Sword upright in front of him. A white beam of light shot out from the sword, more than ten feet long. Four sword lights appeared from the White Rainbow Sword and landed in front of Bai Xifeng, barely blocking Ye Hongyi’s blade.

The blade’s edge collided with the sword’s light, and the four sword lights shattered one after another. The blade’s edge, however, remained undiminished and landed on Bai Xifeng’s White Rainbow Sword, producing a loud “clang”!

Bai Xifeng staggered back more than ten steps before finally dissipating the power of the blade’s edge!

Ye Hongyi asked in surprise, “Strange, how come your skills have deteriorated so much?” Bai Xifeng’s voice rang out again, “My son was injured some time ago and lost an arm. I used up a lot of my true energy to heal him, and he hasn’t recovered yet. It’s alright, you can continue to attack!”

Ye Hongyi sneered and said, “If that’s the case, then you’re destined to die by my hand today. I won’t show any mercy! Take this—”

Having said that, he picked up the Golden Crow Blade, his figure flashed rapidly, turning into a series of afterimages as he flew towards Bai Xifeng!

However, he intended to take advantage of the opportunity when Bai Xifeng’s skill was inferior to his own to strike a fatal blow.

Qi Fei suddenly felt something was strange. Since Bai Xifeng’s power had been diminished, why would he take the initiative to challenge Ye Hongyi?

This is a doomed outcome, but the people of Aojian Manor don’t seem to be worried about it at all.

What Qi Fei found particularly strange was why Bai Xifeng was using “ventriloquism” to speak.

Seeing this, the people from Red Leaf Manor were all delighted. Ye Hongyi had gained the upper hand, which was a good thing for them.

Faced with Ye Hongyi’s offensive, Bai Xifeng stood still, holding the White Rainbow Sword, calmly watching the enemy who kept closing in.

Just as Ye Hongyi stepped forward, Bai Xifeng suddenly threw a white package from his hand. The package quickly arrived in front of Ye Hongyi and was then shattered by a burst of energy. A large amount of white powder fell from the package and rushed towards Ye Hongyi’s face!

“Poison powder?” Ye Hongyi instinctively activated her internal energy, forming a protective aura three feet thick around her body to block the white powder.

“What’s going on?” The onlookers looked at each other in disbelief. It was simply unbelievable that Bai Xifeng, known as the “Sword Saint,” would use poison powder against his enemy.

Taking advantage of this moment, Bai Xifeng shouted and thrust his White Rainbow Sword forward, unleashing the “White Rainbow Sword Technique.” Enveloped in innate qi, he swiftly stabbed towards Ye Hongyi!

Ye Hongyi snorted coldly, without dodging, and with a flash of her Golden Crow Blade, she slashed fiercely down at Bai Xifeng’s left shoulder!

He anticipated that Bai Xifeng would definitely sheathe his sword, because if he didn’t, it would inevitably result in a lose-lose situation.

Bai Xifeng’s swordsmanship was faster, but Ye Hongyi’s knife skills were more powerful and forceful.

In the past, whenever he fought with Bai Xifeng, Bai Xifeng would sheathe his sword and retreat in this situation, choosing to attack with other moves.

However, this time Bai Xifeng did not sheathe his sword. Enveloped in innate qi, he continued to thrust the white rainbow sword in his hand toward Ye Hongyi’s chest!

Normally, Bai Xifeng’s skill would not have been able to harm Ye Hongyi. However, the sharpness of the divine weapon Baihong Sword was simply indestructible. It directly pierced through Ye Hongyi’s protective aura and kept approaching his heart!

“Hmph! Since you’re not afraid of death, let’s see who dies first!” Ye Hongyi was also a ruthless person. Seeing that Bai Xifeng didn’t dodge, he chose to continue his attack, putting all his strength into the blade. With a fierce slash, carrying the momentum to cut through everything, he slashed down hard towards Bai Xifeng’s left shoulder!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ye Hongyi’s longsword struck first, breaking through Bai Xifeng’s protective aura and slashing fiercely at his left shoulder blade. With a crisp cracking sound and Bai Xifeng’s scream, the Golden Crow Blade pierced into his left shoulder, and a spurt of blood gushed out!

This scene stunned almost everyone watching, even Ye Hongyi herself was taken aback!

How could Bai Xifeng be so easily wounded?

This is completely illogical!

He and Bai Xifeng had fought countless times, and every time it ended in a draw without exception. He knew Bai Xifeng’s abilities all too well. Even if Bai Xifeng’s skills had declined, they could not have declined to this extent!

Ye Hongyi instinctively felt that something was wrong, but she couldn’t figure it out for a moment.

At this moment, “Bai Xifeng” let out a muffled groan, then roared loudly, his eyes shooting out two cold glints as he thrust his white rainbow sword fiercely toward Ye Hongyi’s heart!

Just as Ye Hongyi was about to retrieve the Golden Crow Blade, he discovered that “Bai Xifeng” had gripped it tightly, even though his hand was cut by the divine weapon. Bai Xifeng did not let go, and at the same time, he tilted his head to the side and clamped the blade in Ye Hongyi’s hand, making it impossible for him to pull it out!

Ye Hongyi felt a chill in her heart and quickly shifted her chest to avoid being stabbed through the heart.

Suddenly, Bai Xifeng’s white rainbow sword changed direction and slashed at Ye Hongyi’s left arm. At this moment, Ye Hongyi wanted to back away or dodge, but it was too late. A cold light flashed, blood splattered, and an arm flew off Ye Hongyi’s shoulder and fell to the ground. The cut was a bloody mess, and blood gushed out!

“Uh… Ah!”

Ye Hongyi let out a scream, her eyes turned cold, she gripped the Golden Crow Blade tightly in her right hand, and with all her strength, she slashed the blade downwards. The Golden Crow Blade, which could cut through iron like mud, immediately sliced ​​through Bai Xifeng’s body, almost splitting him in two!

“White West Wind” fell to the ground, its body split in two, but a strange, mocking smile remained on its face.

“Uh…” Ye Hongyi pulled back and quickly sealed the acupoints on her left shoulder to stop the bleeding.

He is highly skilled; if a renowned doctor can reattach his severed arm in time, his injury can be cured.

“Whoosh—” All the spectators around stood up, their eyes wide open, staring at the fallen body of “Bai Xifeng” and the severed-arm Ye Hongyi. They were all shocked. Was this the end of the battle?

Is this too fast?

The people of Red Leaf Manor were all overjoyed. Although Ye Hongyi had lost an arm, she had at least killed Bai Xifeng, so they could be considered to have won the battle.

Just as Ye Ruiyun was about to celebrate, a man in white robes walked out from the direction of Aojian Manor.

Qi Fei recognized the face; it belonged to Qiu Haixuan, the Right Envoy of Aojian Manor.

Qiu Haixuan stepped forward and slowly picked up the White Rainbow Sword from Bai Xifeng’s hand, holding it in his own.

Then, in full view of everyone, he wiped his face and pulled off a human skin mask, revealing another face, a face exactly the same as the previous “Bai Xifeng”!

The people around were immediately bewildered. What was going on?

How can there be two white westerly winds?

Upon seeing this, Ye Hongyi’s body trembled, and she tightened her grip on the Golden Crow Blade, gritting her teeth as she said, “So that’s how it is… You are Bai Xifeng!”

Bai Xifeng chuckled, stood tall and elegant opposite Ye Hongyi, and said with a faint smile, “Brother Ye, your martial arts are indeed still as domineering and fierce as ever, without any decline.”

Qi Fei, who was not far away, asked Fang Huaxian, “Sister Fang, what’s going on?”

Fang Huaxian said with a solemn expression, “That one just now was a fake Bai Xifeng, this one is the real Bai Xifeng.”

“How despicable.” Upon hearing this, Qi Fei immediately sensed something was wrong.

Unexpectedly, Bai Xifeng was so cunning that he had his subordinate impersonate him and fight Ye Hongyi, successfully severing one of Ye Hongyi’s arms at the cost of his life.

At this moment, Ye Hongyi was already seriously injured, and if Bai Xifeng were to challenge her, he would definitely be no match for him.

Fang Huaxian stroked his head and said, “This is the world of martial arts.”

Ye Hongyi stared coldly at Bai Xifeng, gritting her teeth and saying, “You shameless scoundrel, you actually used such despicable means to seriously injure me. You are truly unworthy of being a martial arts master!”

Bai Xifeng chuckled, not angry at all, and said, “Brother Ye, you misunderstand. It’s just that my subordinate Qiu Haixuan has followed me for many years and witnessed many of our duels. He felt itchy to fight you, Brother Ye, to see who lives and dies. However, considering that you, Brother Ye, would definitely not accept his challenge, I specially spent a lot of money to have a skilled craftsman in the capital make two exquisite human skin masks for him to fight in my place, fulfilling his lifelong wish. For this battle, Qiu Haixuan even took a precious drug that overdraws his life force, allowing his power to surge within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand even a single strike from you, Brother Ye. Hehe, you still killed him easily, truly living up to your reputation.”

Ye Hongyi was furious. She couldn’t believe his lies. The other party had clearly planned this conspiracy in advance, using the life of a master of innate cultivation to seriously injure him.

Once successful, Bai Xifeng can seize the opportunity to strike, at which point Ye Hongyi will be no match for him.

As a result, Bai Xifeng’s plan succeeded!

He set the duel for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while allowing Ye Hongyi to choose the location within Qingzhou. In terms of both time and venue, Hongye Manor had the advantage.

Because on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the night is the night of the full moon, Feng Liyao’s “Bright Moon Flying Phoenix” can exert its greatest power, and Qingzhou is the territory of Red Leaf Manor, so Red Leaf Manor has the final say.

This would lull Ye Hongyi into a false sense of security, making her believe she had the upper hand.

The fake Bai Xifeng never uttered a word; it was the real Bai Xifeng who spoke using ventriloquism, and no one could detect it.

Just then, Bai Xifeng’s son, Bai Bufan, had his arm severed by Qi Fei. Bai Xifeng then had a reason to say that his internal strength had regressed in order to heal his son. This gave Ye Hongyi reason to believe that he had only experienced a regression in his internal strength, and she did not suspect that this “Bai Xifeng” was not the real Bai Xifeng at all!

A master of innate level traded his life for an arm of a master of heaven level level. What a bargain!

Bai Xifeng held the White Rainbow Sword, its blade reflecting the blazing sun and radiating a dazzling light.

He sneered at Ye Hongyi and said, “Brother Ye, you killed my subordinate. He was like a brother to me. Today I will avenge him. At the same time, I formally challenge you. Today we will truly fight to the death!”

As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted from his body, causing his robes to billow and flutter even without wind. The surrounding sand and stones trembled and, influenced by an invisible force, levitated in mid-air.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Ye Hongyi’s forehead. The loss of his arm had a huge impact on him, and he could not exert his full strength at all. At most, he could only exert 70% of his strength. If he were to fight Bai Xifeng at this time, he would definitely lose!

He held the Golden Crow Blade horizontally in front of him, a mocking look on his face, and said, “Bai Xifeng, you injured me in such a despicable and underhanded way, and now you’re taking advantage of my vulnerability to fight me to the death. Heh, you’re truly shameless! Do you even deserve to be called a grandmaster?!”

“This is not fair!”

“That’s not fair!!”

The people from Red Leaf Manor started cursing and swearing, saying that it was completely unfair for Ye Hongyi to fight Bai Xifeng to the death in this state!

Bai Xifeng ignored them, only looking at Ye Hongyi, and said with a faint smile, “Brother Ye, do you know where my realm surpasses yours? It’s that I can let go of vanity, abandon so-called benevolence and morality, ignore what others think of me, no matter how others see me, as long as I win, as long as I can win, what does it matter if the whole world curses me? It has no effect on me at all! But you… hehe, you can’t let go of your reputation and vanity at all, your realm is still stuck in the worldly stage, so you are destined to be no match for me, you are destined to die by my hand! Hahaha…”

Ye Taixuan shouted, “Brother, don’t fight him! Quickly find someone to reattach the severed arm, and we can fight later!”

Sweat dripped continuously from Ye Hongyi’s forehead, and even his lips turned pale. Clearly, the blood loss from the severed arm had a significant impact on him.

Bai Xifeng said mockingly, “What, you don’t have the guts to fight me to the death? What’s the point of accepting my challenge then?”

Just as Ye Hongyi was about to speak, the Ninth Prince Wei Dongxiang chuckled and said, “I am here to watch the battle on the orders of the Emperor. Although it is inconvenient for me to interfere in the martial arts competition among you Jianghu people, if someone indiscriminately kills innocent people… hehe, I will have no choice but to intervene. Now that Hero Ye has already killed someone, it won’t be so easy for him to leave. After Hero Ye and Master Bai finish their match, I will handle it properly and will not let the innocent die in vain!”

This means that Ye Hongyi and Bai Xifeng are being forced to fight. If Ye Hongyi doesn’t fight now, Wei Dongxiang will definitely make a move. He has more than two thousand experts from the palace under his command, plus more than two thousand people from Aojian Manor, enough to surround the people of Hongye Manor.

Now there is no turning back.

“Haha…” Ye Hongyi laughed heartily, her laughter filled with pride, arrogance, grief and indignation, and a heroic spirit!

At this moment, he suddenly thought of his sworn brother Hua Zhenbei, and his eyes revealed a resolute look. “Fine, very well! Bai Xifeng, since you want to die, I will grant your wish. Today, we shall fight to the death!”

“Okay, come on.” Bai Xifeng twisted his neck.

Ye Hongyi raised her knife high in her right hand, the blade facing the sun, radiating a strong red light that was incredibly dazzling!

At the same time, Bai Xifeng’s White Rainbow Sword rose above his head, facing the sun, and the blade emitted a white light that shot straight into the sky, like a white rainbow piercing the sun!