Daqian Martial Saint

Two figures flashed through the rocky woods.

"Where is that Chen Ping’an? Where did he run off to?"

Guan Yu Ping leaped and dodged, searching for any sign of Chen Ping’an, his eyes burning with a trace of fury.

"My lord, we just found a large number of horses in a valley at the foot of the mountain. They’re clearly here on Five Peaks Mountain. Finding them is only a matter of time," Wan Yuanze said, following closely behind Guan Yu Ping and also scanning their surroundings for tracks.

The two of them had departed from Five Peaks Mountain City and traveled at top speed, dismissing their personal attendants along the way to reach Five Peaks Mountain as quickly as possible.

They had assumed that with such a large group, finding their trail would be easy. But after searching the mountain for quite some time, they had found very little.

Guan Yu Ping was getting annoyed. Right now, he should have been enjoying himself at the Red Mill in the mountain city, not suffering through this arduous chase.

It was all Chen Ping’an’s fault!

Killing a Standard-Bearer and openly mobilizing the garrison constables without his written order... It was as if Chen Ping’an didn’t even acknowledge his authority.

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE~

Guan Yu Ping’s ears twitched. He heard a sound from not far away, like something was moving.

He gave Wan Yuanze a meaningful look, and the latter immediately understood.

Concealing their auras, the two moved silently. As they passed several ancient trees, the noise grew louder and louder.

WHOOSH!

A figure whistled past, its Body Technique ghostly and elusive, each movement like a leaping shadow. Two more figures followed close behind, their speed no less impressive. The three of them were locked in a frantic chase through the mountain forest.

’What’s going on?’

Guan Yu Ping held his breath, observing the trio.

Of the three, the one fleeing in the lead radiated a sinister, cold aura. A faint light shimmered around him, marking him as a Martial Arts Master who had stepped into the Profound Light Realm.

As for the two chasing him, one had knotted muscles and a towering frame, like a Little Giant. The other wore a coarse linen shirt and wielded a long saber.

Light flashed around both of them as well, and they emanated equally powerful auras.

’What is with today? Why are there so many Profound Light Realm experts?!’ Guan Yu Ping wondered, having assessed the strength of the people in the chase.

"The man in front is a villain from the Celestial Net Sect! Stop him!"

A deep and powerful voice called out from behind them.

’A Celestial Net Sect villain?’

Guan Yu Ping’s expression froze for a moment, then broke into delight.

Although he wasn’t clear on the situation, the two words "Celestial Net" were deeply ingrained in his mind. Everyone had a duty to execute the villains of the Celestial Net Sect!

’But... this involves three Profound Light Realm experts. Should I really act on the basis of a single sentence without knowing the full story? What if it’s a trap?’

Guan Yu Ping hesitated.

’Hm?’

Suddenly, his eyes glinted. He found the two pursuers somehow familiar.

’This is...’

’Zhao Zhiteng and Chu Long of the Qiankun Bureau!’

As the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy, Guan Yu Ping had naturally had dealings with the Qiankun Bureau before. Though their interactions were few, they recognized each other by face.

It was only because Zhao Zhiteng and Chu Long had used a Burst Secret Technique, which had altered their physiques to some extent, that Guan Yu Ping hadn’t recognized them at first glance.

’If they’re from the Qiankun Bureau, then the one in front must be a Celestial Net Sect villain.’ After confirming their identities, Guan Yu Ping made his decision in an instant.

"Stop right there!"

Guan Yu Ping roared, instantly drawing the Dual Blades from his waist as a flash of light from the blades lit up the sky.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Combined Mating Knife!

Guan Yu Ping, famous for thirty years, was a master of the Dual Blades—one long, one short. In his hands, they held boundless power!

He had once used this technique to defeat a Profound Light Realm master head-on. His combat prowess was in no way inferior to that of Zhao Zhiteng before the latter used his Burst Secret Technique.

Faced with Guan Yu Ping’s sudden attack, the fleeing Xing Rongzi’s expression turned cold.

"You’re courting death!"

SWISH!

His Longsword danced, its ghostly light shimmering as it shot straight toward the gleam of the blades.

BOOM!

Amid a deafening roar, Guan Yu Ping was sent flying backward, his Dual Blades still in hand.

"Profound Light Middle Realm!"

Guan Yu Ping’s pupils constricted, his face pale with shock. A trace of terror crept into his voice.

’How can this be!?’

His body slammed hard against a large tree, the powerful impact snapping the trunk and sending it crashing to the ground with a THUD.

"PTUI!"

The powerful recoil forced Guan Yu Ping to spit out a mouthful of blood.

He looked up to see the figure who had just clashed with him twist in mid-air, using the force of their collision to change direction and flee into the distance.

The two from the Qiankun Bureau chasing from behind had no intention of stopping to talk with him either; they altered their course and continued the pursuit.

"My lord, are you alright?" Wan Yuanze flickered and appeared in front of Guan Yu Ping.

"It’s just a minor injury, I’m fine!" Guan Yu Ping clutched his chest and stood up in front of the broken tree. "Why would a master from the Celestial Net Sect appear here?! And what’s going on with the men from the Qiankun Bureau?"

Guan Yu Ping’s mind was filled with questions.

He had been in his post for so long, yet he’d never heard of any Celestial Net Sect villains active on Five Peaks Mountain! So why had a master from the sect suddenly appeared now?

As if remembering something, Guan Yu Ping suddenly asked, "Didn’t Chen Ping’an send a letter before, saying he had an important discovery and that I should return to the garrison immediately so he could report to me in person?"

"Indeed there was!" Wan Yuanze nodded.

"Damn it!" Guan Yu Ping’s face turned ugly. "Don’t tell me what he wanted to report was about this Celestial Net Sect business!?"

"My lord, you mean to say the mission Chen Ping’an claimed he had to carry out was related to the Celestial Net Sect?" A trace of shock appeared on Wan Yuanze’s face.

’How did he find out about it?’

It wasn’t just Wan Yuanze who was confused; so was Guan Yu Ping. He couldn’t figure out how Chen Ping’an had discovered the matter of the Celestial Net Sect either. Though he was reluctant to believe it, deducing from the outcome, it was highly likely this was what Chen Ping’an had been referring to.

’He gathered men for an urgent mission, with the target being Five Peaks Mountain. And on the same day, I run into a villain from the Celestial Net Sect on Five Peaks Mountain. Plus, men from the Qiankun Bureau...’

’Hm, wait! It wasn’t that Chen Ping’an found some information, but that the Qiankun Bureau found a lead on the Celestial Net Sect. And the mission Chen Ping’an mentioned must have been to cooperate with the Qiankun Bureau to encircle and annihilate them!’

"That treacherous bastard!"

Guan Yu Ping’s expression became incredibly foul. He smashed a fist into the tree, punching clean through the trunk.

"He deserves to die!"

What made Guan Yu Ping so furious was that he should have had a piece of the action in this Celestial Net Sect affair. In fact... if he had played his cards right, it wouldn’t have been impossible to take all the credit for himself. But now, because of that bastard Chen Ping’an, it was all gone!

If he hadn’t happened to be here today, he probably wouldn’t have learned about the Celestial Net Sect until after the dust had settled!

Guan Yu Ping’s eyes looked as if they were about to burst from their sockets, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

"My lord..." Wan Yuanze was just about to say something when, as he shifted his weight, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He faintly saw a figure.

A shiver ran down his spine. He whipped his head around and found a figure standing quietly beside a large tree not far away.

’Holy crap! When did he get there!?’

Wan Yuanze jumped in fright. He hadn’t noticed a thing.

"Hm?"

Wan Yuanze’s sudden reaction puzzled Guan Yu Ping. He raised his head slightly, following Wan Yuanze’s gaze.

There he saw a young man, a saber and a sword hanging at his waist, a long spear on his back, watching them with a smile on his face.

"Lord Guan, were you just talking about me?"