After Changling called for people to come forward, not a single person dared take that first step. How fierce was Yuan Hai’s Arhat’s Vajra Palm? Just a moment ago, before everyone’s eyes, it had been neutralized and dissolved into nothingness by one person in one move, and the one who struck was actually a young woman! A young woman with a light, graceful bearing and captivating beauty!
In that instant, gazes filled with disbelief and wariness shot toward her frequently. Changling, accustomed to this, squinted slightly and said lightly: “If no one makes a move, I’ll take him and leave.”
As she spoke, her gaze fell behind her. Seeing Ye Qi propping up his tottering frame, she asked: “Can you still walk?”
Ye Qi lowered his head and discovered that the flint hidden in his sleeve that should have exploded had somehow been extinguished. He was completely stunned, not having recovered his senses: “I…”
“Miss! How can you be here? Do you know these past days I…” The one speaking was actually Mingyue Zhou.
Changling turned her head back and saw Mingyue Zhou staring fixedly at her with furrowed brows. Not understanding, she asked: “You what?”
Mingyue Zhou saw her indifferent gaze and forcibly swallowed back the words “After you were abducted, I’ve been searching for you all along.” He glanced at the Soul-Reaping Blade in her hand and Ye Qi behind her, his tone suddenly turning cold: “How can you be together with him?”
Changling looked toward Mingyue Zhou: “Who I’m with—what business is it of yours?”
After saying this, she saw Mingyue Zhou’s face pale. Considering that he had at least roasted a rabbit for her, she softened her tone: “Anyway, I certainly didn’t come for you.”
Better not to have supplemented at all. Adding this superfluous statement only made Mingyue Zhou’s expression even worse: “You came to rescue the eight sect leaders?”
Changling’s gaze didn’t even bother to glance in the eight sect leaders’ direction. “How is that possible?”
“Or could it be,” Mingyue Zhou pressed his lips together, his face tense as he looked coolly at Ye Qi, “from the very beginning, you were his person?”
Hearing this, Ye Qi was startled. Before he could open his mouth, he heard Changling say: “If I were his person, why would I have led you out of the fortress that day? I have my own reasons for taking him away. You need not ask further.”
Mingyue Zhou was stunned for a moment and said in a low voice: “Miss should know I’m unwilling to make things difficult for you, but if you know his identity, you should understand that this prince absolutely cannot let him leave today. If you insist on taking him away, I’m afraid…”
He didn’t spell out what he was “afraid” of, but everyone caught the meaning clearly.
Given the current situation, even a blind person could see that Mingyue Zhou had protective intentions toward this heavenly beautiful young woman, but she didn’t regard their little prince as worth a scallion at all. Sure enough, hearing him say this, she nodded and said: “Fine. Since that’s the case, there’s no need for more nonsense. Do you plan to come one by one or all together?”
Everyone present felt this young woman’s attitude was arrogant. Someone who could repel Abbot Yuan Hai with one palm surely had extremely brilliant martial skills. However, no matter how capable, when it came to saying she had the ability to break through the encirclement, they found it hard to believe.
At this moment, Abbot Yuan Hai’s spirit had slightly settled. He clasped his hands together: “Amitabha. Since the female benefactor is neither Marquis He’s person nor has any connection with the eight sects, the Daxiao Temple naturally cannot bully the few with the many. If the female benefactor is willing to leave now, this old monk absolutely will not make things difficult…”
Before he finished speaking, Changling gave a low laugh: “I’ve been watching all night—which thing you’ve done wasn’t bullying the few with the many?”
Yuan Hai coughed lightly: “The female benefactor’s words are too harsh. Today’s matter is a national affair between Yan and Xia. If we still strictly followed martial world rules…”
“Sixteen years ago at the Battle of Nanqiu,” Changling looked toward everyone, “Great Yan’s martial world and the Central Plains sects were also involved in the conflict. The two countries fought without rest for seven days and seven nights, so they made an agreement—both sides would send five pairs of experts to compete. After five rounds, the Central Plains martial world was slightly inferior. At that time, the Great Yan experts were all exhausted. The Great Yan First Prince, Mingyue Qi, was also present. If the Central Plains martial world wanted to go back on their word, they could have seized the prince at any time as leverage. But a loss was a loss. The Central Plains martial world withdrew without another word. If we follow the master’s reasoning that national affairs need not honor agreements, then the territory of Nanqiu today would probably no longer belong to your country, would it?”
Everyone shuddered. They didn’t know how this young woman at her age could be so clear about events from sixteen years ago. Especially when Mingyue Zhou heard Mingyue Qi’s name, his expression suddenly changed. Yuan Hai said: “What the female benefactor speaks of had an agreement in advance. Since it was a covenant, naturally it should be followed. But at this moment, Eastern Xia’s army is at the city gates, all from this Marquis He’s designs. If we just let him leave like this, wouldn’t we be losing the greater righteousness for small propriety?”
One of the Daxiao Temple monks interjected: “Exactly! Letting him leave—isn’t that the same as letting the tiger return to the mountain?”
“I only said I’m taking him away. When did I say I wouldn’t let you try to stop me?” Changling looked askance at everyone. “I’ll ask one more time—do you plan to come one by one, or all together?”
With these words, she was truly arrogant to the extreme. Even Yang Xuzi and the others couldn’t help but look at each other, secretly guessing: Who is this young woman’s background that she would have such bold words?
Ye Qi’s gaze was fixed on the graceful figure of this woman before him. In that brief instant just now, he had used almost all his life’s wisdom to guess her motives for this action. But hearing that last sentence she said, his heart inexplicably grew anxious: “Miss, I’m injured and already a dying person. I’m not worth you rescuing me like this…”
“I’m the one who wants to save you. Whether it’s worth it is for me to decide.” Changling turned her head and saw Ye Qi looking at her with a face full of worry. She couldn’t help but say softly: “Use the mental technique I taught you to circulate your energy. You won’t die so quickly. Look, the sun has come out—haven’t you lived another day?”
Changling shifted her eyes, gesturing for him to look at the rising sun. Ye Qi only saw the morning light reflected in a pair of bright eyes, beautiful as if gilded with gold.
At this moment, the Four Great Elders had already discussed and stepped forward. Yuan Kong said to Changling: “The benefactor is alone. If our Daxiao Temple attacked in a group, it would be too much bullying. How about letting us four brothers compete with the young lady first?”
Originally, when experts dueled, even those small fry couldn’t interfere even if they wanted to. These words seemed polite and proper, just short of saying all five great monks would go together. Changling smiled slightly: “What if I defeat you?”
Yuan Zhan said: “If you truly have the ability to defeat us, then you can fight with our abbot senior brother. If you win twice consecutively, we’ll let you and this young marquis leave.”
Chi Zishan really couldn’t stand it and said with a sneer: “How shameless—four old monks fighting one woman is already too much, yet you’re even playing a war of attrition? If this isn’t bullying, what is?”
Changling didn’t mind. The corner of her lips curved up: “What if the abbot interferes while I’m fighting you four?”
“If this old monk intervenes midway, then this old monk concedes defeat.” The one answering was Yuan Hai himself.
“It’s settled then.” Changling nodded once and looked toward Mingyue Zhou. “Mingyue Zhou, you have no objections, do you?”
Mingyue Zhou’s heart was truly conflicted.
On one hand, he didn’t want to see Changling face danger, but just letting them go like this would mean all his efforts were wasted… Especially seeing her protect Ye Qi like that, his heart felt uncomfortable. Either way, he’d already offended her. If she got slightly injured in this match, maybe he could keep her here. At worst, he’d pour tea and admit his fault afterward, let her beat and scold him, and beg her forgiveness.
Thinking this way, Mingyue Zhou also slowly nodded: “Fine. But since it’s a contest, life must not be endangered.”
Changling slowly raised her arm. Everyone saw clearly the blue-sheathed curved blade in her hand. Someone exclaimed: “It’s the Soul-Reaping Blade!”
The Four Great Elders simultaneously rushed forward. Palm winds attacked from the southeast, northwest, and northeast, using the Xun, Qian, Kun, and Gen positions to trap the enemy in the array’s eye—this was precisely the Four Symbols Formation’s “Heaven and Earth in an Instant.” Changling stood in the center. Seizing the timing, she swung the Soul-Reaping Blade out with one throw, sweeping upward directly at the four. The Four Great Elders dodged sideways. That Soul-Reaping Blade seemed to have eyes of its own. Spinning twice in the air, it followed the rotating array positions, passing dangerously close to the Four Great Elders’ necks.
Now, forget about getting close to hurt someone—the Four Great Elders couldn’t even dodge in time. They saw Changling catch the Soul-Reaping Blade with one hand, pause only briefly, and throw it out again, instantly disrupting the Four Symbols Formation.
Everyone was shocked. Who didn’t know that curved blade spiraling and soul-reaping was the ultimate skill of Tianhun and Tianpo? Even if this young woman held the divine blade, where had she trained to such mastery in blade techniques?
Among the eight sect leaders were several masters who had practiced blade techniques for years. Seeing the four great monks forced by this spinning blade with nowhere to hide, they were all extraordinarily shocked. Jiang Fangyao made a sound of surprise. Yang Xuzi also felt something was wrong, murmuring: “That Soul-Reaping Blade…”
Yuan Hai immediately said: “Yuan Kong, Yuan Jue, Yuan Zhan, Yuan Xian, no need to panic! This female benefactor is using silver thread wrapped around the blade handle to control the blade. You only need to sever the line, and it will break without attack!”
With these words, people finally noticed a silver thread connecting the blade in mid-air to Changling. Because the sky had just brightened, they hadn’t noticed it at first. Yuan Zhan immediately drew a short blade from his sleeve and with sharp eyes and quick hands slashed at the thread. Unexpectedly, that silver thread was extremely resilient and didn’t break with one slash.
Yuan Xian was startled. Landing and standing firm, he was about to make a second slash when he suddenly felt a gust of force behind him. Without time to turn his head, he heard a “buzz” of tinnitus and then knew nothing more.
The Daxiao Temple monks couldn’t help but cry out in alarm. When Yuan Xian made his move, Changling was still five steps away from him. How could it be that in the blink of an eye, she had circled behind him and knocked him out with one palm strike—this lightness skill was so incredibly fast, it was truly outrageous!
Chi Zishan exclaimed in admiration: “What impressive skills!”
Lu Tianlan also couldn’t help but nod: “If they hadn’t detected that silver thread, if she could endure another hundred moves, perhaps this young lady could win…”
The Soul-Reaping Blade was retrieved back into her hand. It turned out that before she had jumped out from the Great Ascension Tower, she had already wrapped the Soul-Reaping Blade with Nanhua silver thread, originally intending to use this blade as if it were a Nanhua needle. Unexpectedly, the flaw was discovered after just two exchanges.
Seeing she couldn’t bluff them anymore, Changling casually untied the silver thread, switched the blade from her left hand to her right hand, and looked calmly at the remaining three elders: “I originally didn’t plan to see blood, but unfortunately time is limited. I can’t afford to drag this out.”
What… what does that mean?
Everyone present, including Mingyue Zhou, didn’t understand what these incoherent words meant.
Ye Qi’s eyes flickered slightly, and he involuntarily took a step forward.
When Changling said “can’t afford to drag this out,” her figure suddenly shot up. The three great elders were already prepared—Yuan Kong in front, Yuan Jue from the side, Yuan Zhan striking down from above with his palm. These three all used the grappling techniques passed down from Bodhidharma, every move targeting vital points throughout the body. If struck even once, one’s life would be in danger.
Changling saw their figures move slightly. Though striking later, she arrived first, her figure shooting forward in a flash, seizing the initiative. With one blade, she severed the wrist meridians of Yuan Kong and Yuan Jue. They cried out in pain and fell heavily to the ground.
Everyone present: “…”
Who… who just said it would take a hundred moves?