Chapter 182 - 119: Snapped String
Cheng Tianyang of the Celestial Yang Escort Agency was in his fifties.
He had forged the reputation of the Golden Cicada First Escort Agency with his own two hands.
Needless to say, he was no simple man.
Not only did he possess martial arts that allowed him to roam the Jianghu freely, but he was also cunning and shrewd—qualities just as essential.
From the moment he accepted the commission from Sword of No Life to escort the Shattered Gold Saber, he knew it would be trouble.
Although the Shattered Gold Saber couldn’t boast a history as long and storied as the works of the Twelve Celestial Artificers, it was still a treasured blade famous throughout the Jianghu.
Countless people coveted it.
To deliver this blade safely to Red Maple Manor, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down for a second.
The first and most crucial step was secrecy.
Next, Cheng Tianyang accepted another commission.
This job was neither too large nor too small. He had the deputy chief of the Celestial Yang Escort Agency lead the escort personally, while he disguised himself as a common guard and blended into the caravan.
He simultaneously announced that he would remain behind to oversee the Celestial Yang Escort Agency headquarters.
Thus, he slipped out of the city unnoticed.
He later split from the group, heading for Red Maple Mountain alone.
His movements were utterly clandestine.
Everything had gone according to plan. But just as he neared Red Maple Mountain, the unexpected happened.
Someone had discovered the truth about the Shattered Gold Saber.
And in an instant, the cover story at the Celestial Yang Escort Agency was blown.
Everyone knew that Cheng Tianyang himself was escorting the Shattered Gold Saber to Red Maple Manor.
In truth, even that wasn’t a major issue.
He was still a long way from Red Maple Manor, but the rivals he truly feared were even farther...
There was no way they could intercept him in time to steal the cargo.
But he never expected that when he got closer... Red Maple Manor was gone.
Cheng Tianyang had been in the escort business for decades. What hadn’t he seen?
So, though startled, he remained composed. He quickly formulated a new plan in his mind and decided to proceed to Red Maple Mountain regardless.
The place was a vortex where trouble converged, but it was also the best place to shake off that very trouble.
In fact, the moment he set foot at the base of Red Maple Mountain, he announced his presence, his voice carrying far and wide with a powerful projection technique.
Only then did he begin his ascent.
He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before a group of Jianghu People charged out, hollering as they came. Without a word, they attacked.
Cheng Tianyang was furious.
Even bandits of the Green Forest had a code of conduct. Where did these people come from?
’They have no decorum whatsoever!’
But he was not afraid. With a flip of his hands, he raised his palms as if to hold up the heavens. A potent wave of Inner Strength surged from him. Before his assailants could even get close, they felt an invisible force slam into them.
Their formation shattered on impact.
In the next instant, Cheng Tianyang strode forward, striking with a wave of his hand.
The power of his palm strikes was astonishing, easily capable of shattering boulders.
No one he faced could withstand a single blow.
This was because, before he founded his Escort Agency, he’d had the good fortune of studying under a great master, from whom he learned a peerless martial art.
This master, as it turned out, hailed from the Chongshan Sect, one of the Seven Sects of the Golden Cicada Dynasty.
Due to the master’s unique background, his existence had caused several disturbances within the Chongshan Sect over the years.
As that master’s only living disciple, Cheng Tianyang’s prowess was such that he had nearly become the next Sect Leader of the Chongshan Sect.
However, he had always disliked the constraints of sect life and chose to strike out on his own instead.
In terms of pure martial skill, however, his attainments surpassed even those of the current Chongshan Sect Leader.
The technique he was now using was none other than the Chongshan Sect’s Ninefold Shocking Mountain Palm. Its power was layered and immense, crashing down on his opponents like a mountain, making it nearly impossible to block or parry.
In just a few exchanges, the ground was littered with bodies.
Only then did Cheng Tianyang’s anger begin to subside. He came to his senses and looked at the moaning figures strewn across the ground, feeling a bit awkward.
’What am I even doing?’
’The Ye family of Red Maple is gone, which makes this Shattered Gold Saber a hot potato.’
’A group shows up to take this ’potato’ off my hands, and I go and beat them all to a pulp...’
’When is this mess ever going to end?’
At this thought, Cheng Tianyang sighed.
"Don’t blame me for being too heavy-handed. You’re all just too useless."
’If just one of you had been competent, I could have handed over the Shattered Gold Saber.’
’Even one who could withstand a second palm strike would have been enough.’
With that, he looked up in the direction of Red Maple Manor and decided to head there first to assess the situation.
But just as he was about to take a step, he froze.
A chilling sense of dread crashed violently into his heart.
Cheng Tianyang had roamed the Jianghu for decades and rarely met his match; otherwise, he never would have earned the title of the Golden Cicada First Escort Agency.
But this was the first time in his life he had ever felt such a profound sense of alarm.
His feet felt rooted to the spot, as if weighed down by a mountain.
True Qi circulated within him, his power gathering like a storm, yet his outward appearance remained perfectly calm.
It wasn’t just him; the entire forest seemed to have fallen still. The wind died, the birds on the branches went silent, and the insects in the grass ceased their chirping.
’Who is it?’
’Where are they?’
’Are they here for the cargo?’
Thought after thought tumbled through Cheng Tianyang’s mind.
He felt an immense sense of danger all around him.
The source of this heart-stopping terror seemed to be everywhere, pressing in from all sides.
And it was slowly, inexorably closing in.
It felt as if the heavens and the earth had become a cage that was steadily shrinking, threatening to crush him to death.
The unseen pressure swirled around him, almost as if it were toying with him.
It casually probed for an opening, waiting to deliver a "surprise" the moment he revealed a flaw.
Large, bead-like drops of sweat began to form on his forehead.
They trickled, one by one, down his cheeks.
And at that very moment, he thought he heard a sound by his ear—a sharp RUSTLE.