Daqian Martial Saint

The sudden, loud commotion inside the inn jolted the other guests from their sleep. Being travelers, they were all naturally on high alert.

"What’s going on?"

"What was that noise!?"

"..."

The elites from the Garrison Commandant’s Office that Chen Ping’an had brought with him were the quickest to react. The moment the sound rang out, they shot up from their beds and quickly began to assess the situation.

Two figures, one after the other, leaped down from above and landed in quick succession.

"Sir!"

One of the Garrison Commandant’s Office elites recognized Chen Ping’an at a glance.

"Sir, be careful!"

A particularly daring elite from the Garrison Commandant’s Office burst through a broken window, landing on the ground with a roll.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

One by one, sabers were drawn from their sheaths, their bright blades glinting in the moonlight.

Watching the figure attempt to flee, Chen Ping’an’s eyes narrowed.

SWOOSH—

Under the moonlight, a blade flashed, and an incredibly sharp slash of saber energy shot viciously toward the figure.

Faced with Chen Ping’an’s seemingly sky-shattering strike, the figure brandished a Longsword. A Sword Aura surged, and with a clang of metal on metal, he used the force of the impact to propel himself away, making his escape.

The aftershock from the saber aura instantly slammed into the side wall of the inn.

RUMBLE—

The overwhelming force obliterated the wall in an instant, sending rubble and dust flying everywhere!

"Stay put and await orders!"

Chen Ping’an glanced at the Garrison Commandant’s Office elites who intended to move forward and provide support, leaving them with that one command. Then, with a flicker, his figure vanished as he gave chase.

The dozen or so elites from the Garrison Commandant’s Office were momentarily stunned. But when they came to their senses, they gripped their sabers and responded in a thunderous voice, "Yes, Sir!"

Their voices were in perfect unison, carrying a palpable killing intent.

At the inn’s entrance, three burly, fierce-looking men stared at the rubble and dust, completely dumbfounded.

’Looks like we... picked a fight with someone we really shouldn’t have!’

...

Eight Steps Chasing Cicada!

Wielding his Yanling Saber, Chen Ping’an’s footwork shifted as his gaze remained locked on the figure bobbing up and down ahead of him.

’Based on that brief exchange, this person is likely hiding their true strength!’

’They’re using a Concealing Breath Technique, so I can’t determine their actual power at a glance!’

’It’s definitely not as simple as the Third Stage of Inner Qi they’re showing on the surface!’

’Their deliberate retreat is probably a ploy to lure me out.’

Having more information at his disposal, Chen Ping’an instantly discerned his opponent’s intentions.

Watching the figure leap and bound away, a rough guess as to their identity began to form in Chen Ping’an’s mind.

A cold glint flashed across Chen Ping’an’s face. ’Coming out here is fine by me... It’s the perfect place to kill you!’

If they had fought back at the inn, he would have either had to kill everyone present or continue hiding his strength, making it impossible to unleash his full power and decisively crush his opponent.

But out here, he had no such reservations!

’Run. Go on, run!’ Chen Ping’an’s footwork shifted as he followed closely behind.

The figure was clad in night-crawling gear with a black cloth masking their face, leaving only a pair of sharp, gleaming eyes visible. They glanced back at the relentlessly pursuing Chen Ping’an.

’So he really has cultivated a Leg Technique! The intel was correct!’

’Chase me! Keep chasing! Once we’re somewhere deserted, it’ll be time for you to die!’

Both he and Chen Ping’an were of the same mind: once they were far from the inn, in a deserted place, it would be time to finish the other off for good.

And both of them were one hundred percent confident they could kill the other.

...

The figure fled in front while Chen Ping’an gave chase from behind. They ran deep into the desolate woods on either side, moving farther and farther from the official road.

’We’re at least ten li from the main road. This should be far enough!’

The figure glanced at the surroundings and made an instant judgment.

’This is the place!’

Chen Ping’an was also observing the surroundings, and after a quick assessment, he made his decision. ’Time to make my move!’

VMMMM—

Between his brows, the Seed of Profound Light began to flicker faintly. Immense True Power flooded his body, and just as Chen Ping’an was about to unleash his full speed to catch his opponent, the other man suddenly dodged to the side. When he landed again, he was standing face-to-face with him.

"Chen Ping’an! We all underestimated you!

I never thought you’d be hiding this deep! To reach the Celestial Rain Descending Realm Perfection at such a young age! In terms of talent, even Liu Ziming of the Liu Family is no match for you!

You are more than worthy of being called the number one prodigy in all of Weishui!"

Chen Ping’an, holding his Yanling Saber, stood as straight as a pine tree. He stared at his opponent. "Fang Qixian! Did you lure me all the way out here just to spout this nonsense?"

The pupils visible above the black cloth contracted slightly. "You know who I am?"

"Just a bluff," Chen Ping’an said. "I didn’t expect you to be stupid enough to admit it outright!"

Seeing that his identity was exposed, Fang Qixian dropped the act and pulled the black cloth from his face.

"A clever little trick. But... so what if you figured it out? Tonight, you are destined to die!

I’m actually a little curious. Since you already guessed it was me, why did you still dare to chase me out here?"

Chen Ping’an didn’t speak. Instead, he raised his Yanling Saber and pointed it directly at Fang Qixian.

"It seems you’re quite confident!" Fang Qixian sneered, but his expression quickly darkened, his face a mask of suppressed, extreme rage. "Chen Ping’an! Before I send you on your way, I have one question for you: did you or did you not kill Fang Rui!?"

"Enough nonsense!"

Chen Ping’an’s figure shot forward, the Yanling Saber in his hand glinting with a cold light.

SWOOSH—

The saber aura flared.

Gale Intent!

The saber aura carved a wide arc, carrying a faint golden hue as it slashed toward Fang Qixian.

"A petty trick!"

Fang Qixian snorted coldly. With a flick of the Longsword in his hand, he no longer held anything back.

VMMMM—

Along with the sword’s hum, a layer of cyan light enveloped the Longsword, as if its true edge had just been unleashed.

An incomparably sharp Sword Intent radiated from the blade.

A Genuine Treasure Artifact, the Cyan Rainbow Sword!

"Die!"

Fang Qixian roared.

A cyan rainbow, a full seventy or eighty feet long, shot into the air, threatening to tear through the dark night!

The saber aura and the long rainbow quickly collided.

BOOM!

Incredibly powerful energies intertwined, clashing and annihilating each other.

’Profound Light Realm!’

In that instant, Chen Ping’an felt Fang Qixian’s true power with absolute clarity.

As a veteran of the Initial Profound Light Realm, Fang Qixian had intended for this one strike to tear Chen Ping’an to shreds, and he held nothing back.

Aided by the power of the Genuine Treasure Artifact, the Cyan Rainbow Sword, the strike’s might bordered on the very peak of the Initial Profound Light Realm.

Almost at the same moment, Chen Ping’an abandoned his original plan. He retreated explosively, allowing his Yanling Saber to be knocked from his grasp and fall to the ground.

’My first fight against a Profound Light expert, and a veteran one wielding a Genuine Treasure Artifact at that. Better to play it safe!’

’If I’m too aggressive and scare him off, that would be a real shame!’

The cyan rainbow dissipated. His saber knocked away, Chen Ping’an stood before Fang Qixian looking utterly wretched.

To be honest, Fang Qixian was rather surprised that Chen Ping’an was still standing after taking the full force of his strike.

"Chen Ping’an, I dare say that beneath the Profound Light Realm, you have few rivals in all of Weishui County City! Unfortunately for you, you ran into me! Tonight, you will die without a doubt!"