Chapter 388: Killing on the Street
Chapter 388: Killing on the Street
As a gentle breeze swept through the venue, it whisked away the lingering dust and smoke, allowing them to drift back down and settle once more.
"You indeed have extraordinary skills,” said Yin Guang. “Even though you were aided by enchanted tools, you managed to consecutively defeat my second brother and third brother. Your cultivation level is remarkable. You must be the head disciple of the Mount Shu Sect."
"Second," Chu Liang said with a chuckle.
Yin Guang was taken aback and asked, "Is there a prodigy even more powerful than you in the Mount Shu Sect?"
He then sighed and said, "It seems I have indeed been stuck in this place for too long. Back then, Mount Shu was the weakest among the Divine Nine."
Chu Liang wanted to say that not much had changed and that this might only change after the upcoming Assembly of Immortal Sects. However, as he thought more into it, he realized that he might not even make it to the Assembly... Regardless, it was better to deal with the current situation first.
"I'm Yin Guang from the Sun and Moon Pavilion," the man in front of Chu Liang said, cupping his hands together.
Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of qi pressed forward.
Chu Liang felt suffocated and immediately sensed the vast difference between Yin Guang and his previous two opponents.
The previous two were only at the first and second levels of the fifth realm, respectively. They were at the beginning stage of the fifth realm. Yin Guang, however, was at least at the fourth or fifth level of the fifth realm. He had built a strong foundation, and the pressure unleashed by his aura was immense.
He was a formidable opponent.
Chu Liang's expression turned serious as he started observing his opponent.
Instead of letting Chu Liang attack first, Yin Guang suddenly struck forward... or rather, it was more like a powerful stomp.
Boom—
As his foot landed, the black rock around him suddenly shattered into pieces, transforming into countless sharp stone arrows!
This was his legendary weapon made from nature.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish—
The stone arrows rained down, thousands launching simultaneously! There was nowhere to hide!
Chu Liang could no longer rely on the Green Leaf umbrella to block them, as each stone arrow carried the immense weight of a thousand jun[1]. The Green Leaf umbrella was too fragile to withstand such heavy blows.
Boom!
In an instant, a massive shield that towered above Chu Liang appeared in his hands!
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang...
The scattered stone arrows struck the shield, producing deep, resonant sounds like the ringing of an ancient bell.
Even with the massive shield and Chu Liang's strength, resisting the relentless barrage of stone arrows was a struggle. Each impact pushed both him and the heavy shield back.
The rain of stone arrows continued for a moment before finally stopping.
Chu Liang barely had time to catch his breath behind the shield when another thunderous "boom" reverberated through the air.
Yin Guang stomped the ground once more.
This time, the black rock took on the shape of long stone pillars instead of arrows.
Boom—
The stone pillar shot forward like a battering ram, smashing into the heavy shield with tremendous force! It was a clash of two blunt forces!
The heavy shield was hammered several zhang away!
I can't continue this way. No matter how durable the shield is, it would eventually be shattered by the hammering, Chu Liang thought.
With a determined grit, he leaped out from behind the shield!
Yin Guang was about to strike again when he saw Chu Liang, Dustless Sword in hand, launching himself from behind the shield.
With a blank expression, Yin Guang lifted his foot and stomped again, conjuring a stone spear and hurling it towards Chu Liang!
Chu Liang slashed with his sword in mid-air while dodging to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.
At the same instant, another Chu Liang, wielding half a gold brick, leaped out from behind the shield!
Boom!
Amidst the sudden changes, Yin Guang remained unflustered, launching another stone spear, which Chu Liang narrowly dodged upon landing.
From behind the shield, another Chu Liang burst out, gripping a Shark Spine Halberd, with yet another right behind him, wielding the Crimson Executioner sword.
Although Chu Liang seemed to have many weapons, it still wasn't enough as each clone needed one. The last one that charged forward bare-handed.
The five Chu Liangs lunged forward, surrounding Yin Guang.
The group assault didn't faze Yin Guang at all. With a wave of his hands, debris from the battlefield soared into the air, swirling around him like a protective barrier. But as Chu Liang drew closer, Yin Guang abruptly dropped his hands, ready for the real clash.
A heavy ring of stones flew out once more!
But then, the five Chu Liangs suddenly unleashed intense waves of qi!
The wave of qi unleashed was so powerful.
For the first time in the fight, Yin Guang's face showed a flicker of surprise.
He couldn’t hide his astonishment as Chu Liang activated the Celestial Trap formation!
The combination of the Army of Beans and the Celestial Trap had always been Chu Liang's strongest combat method at this stage.
The air around them compressed suddenly!
The flying stones dropped one by one as Chu Liang and his clones precisely struck them with their weapons and bare fists!
Despite Yin Guang's sturdy physique, he was no martial artist. He sensed something was wrong with the very first hit.
Why did it hurt so much?
He had assumed his third brother was struck down because the brick was powerful. Only when he felt the impact himself did he realize it was because this kid was incredibly strong!
It was absurdly strong.
Boom—
It was another punch.
Yin Guang found himself surrounded by the five Chu Liangs and was knocked down after a flurry of hits, followed by a brutal round of kicks...
The Blazing Fire Gang and Sun and Moon Pavilion members around were momentarily stunned, frozen in place.
Is this the power of enchanted tools and divine abilities? It was simply overwhelming.
It was clear to everyone that Chu Liang's cultivation level was far below Yin Guang's, yet with his powerful enchanted tools and divine abilities, he had managed to completely knock down the young master of the Sun and Moon Pavilion!
Not only were the Sun and Moon Pavilion members in shock, but even the Blazing Fire Gang members couldn't help but eye him with ill intentions.
"This kid is loaded with valuable items."
"Killing one like him would be enough for everyone in the city to feast for half a year."
The continuous sounds of pounding and thumping echoed. Chu Liang did not hold back. The only thing he had yet to do was stab with the Dustless Sword. Yet, Yin Guang didn't utter a single cry. He was truly a real man.
"Enough!"
After a while, it was Elder Yin from the carriage who shouted and only then did Chu Liang stop.
With an innocent smile on his face, he retrieved the Puppet Pills and stood calmly on the spot. It was as if the person who had been frantically kicking just a moment ago had nothing to do with him.
Yin Guang lay on the ground, struggling for a long time before getting up. He staggered back to the carriage and slowly said, "Father, I am sorry. He... is really strong."
The other brothers quickly helped him over and they all sat together to treat their wounds together.
Elder Yin looked at Chu Liang for a long time before finally saying, "You won. For the next year, none of our Sun and Moon Pavilion members will set foot in the eastern part of the city."
"Elder Yin, you are a man of your word. I admire that," Chu Liang complimented.
"But if there's a chance, I still hope to talk with you..." Elder Yin seemed to want to say something but stopped, finally saying, "Forget it, it's no use talking here."
While speaking, Chu Liang looked at the brocade-robed man and curiously asked, "The names of the other three combined mean broad, vast, sky.[2]... What's your name?"
The brocade-robed man glanced at Chu Liang nervously and subconsciously answered, "My name is Yin Laosi.[3]"
I see. Chu Liang nodded.
Indeed. These names truly contained Elder Yin's hopes for them.
Even while they stay in Python Belly City, they must keep their sights set on the vast world beyond.
...
Just as the two sides were about to disperse, a shout came from behind: "The Dragon Cavalry is coming!"
"Ahhhh—"
A wave of panic surged through the crowd.
The previous standoff between the Blazing Fire Gang and the Sun and Moon Pavilion hadn't frightened the crowd as much as this did. Now, everyone was extremely terrified.
What was happening?
Almost everyone rushed to hide in nearby buildings, and those who couldn't hide immediately knelt on the ground. In an instant, almost no one dared to remain in the open.
Although Chu Liang didn't understand what was coming, he was in the center of the chaos. With a quick movement, he joined a group of Blazing Fire Gang members in a nearby building.
"Brothers, what's happening?" he asked curiously.
"Shh—" A burly man next to him, his eyes trembling, raised a finger to his lips, signaling Chu Liang to be quiet, and then whispered, "The Dragon Cavalry... they're the city lord's guardians and envoys..."
Although there were over thousands of people hiding here, it was so eerily quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop...
The sound of hooves echoed ominously, growing louder with each passing second.
Chu Liang then saw eight horses appear in his line of sight.
These weren't ordinary horses—they were draconic descendants, covered in black scales with vertical pupils that burned with flames. In addition, the bloodline of these draconic descendants seemed rather pure.
The riders on these majestic beasts were anything but ordinary.
They had dragon heads and human bodies!
Their towering, muscular frames bore formidable dragon heads. There was a patch of silver scale on their foreheads and their flame-flickering eyes exuded this iciness.
They wore black armor and strapped a sharp saber at their waist.
A team of eight knights slowly rode down the long street.
Chu Liang thought they looked familiar. They seemed to be from the Jimeng Clan, a legendary lineage of draconic descendants.
He had encountered a dead one before in the Blue Dragon Hidden Realm.
Everyone who hadn't managed to hide in time was already kneeling on the ground, heads bowed low. No one dared to look directly at the Dragon Cavalry.
The Jimeng Clansmen rode their black-scaled draconic horses to the center of the street.
One of the riders raised his voice and declared, "Hua Zhengshan of the Blazing Fire Gang has offended the authority of the heavens. He will be executed here tomorrow at noon."
"Ah? Chief..." Someone couldn't help but glance up at the Dragon Cavalry.
No one pleaded for mercy; they merely risked a quick glance.
The Dragon Calvarymen suddenly drew their sabers!
Swish, swish, swish, swish—
In an instant, four or five men were beheaded by the flash of the sabers. Blood splattered as their heads flew from their bodies. The remaining onlookers didn't dare to resist; they immediately buried their faces deeply in the blood-soaked ground.
They didn't dare to look directly at the Dragon Calvary.
They were killed on the street.
Witnessing the brutality and ruthlessness of the Dragon Cavalry made Chu Liang frown.
After delivering their message and executing the men, the Dragon Cavalry sheathed their sabers, turned around, and slowly headed back to the north of the city.
The silence felt like death.
It wasn't until they had been gone for a while that anyone dared to lift their heads, only to collapse to the ground in despair.
...
After seeing off the Sun and Moon Pavilion members, Chu Liang turned to face the Blazing Fire Gang.
Winning three rounds against the Sun and Moon Pavilion would have been a cause for celebration. However, this victory was overshadowed by the Dragon Cavalry's killing spree. It casted a dark shadow over the event and left the Blazing Fire Gang members mostly silent.
Chu Liang bowed and said, "Thank you, vice-chief, for not selling me out just now."
Logically, the vice-chief, being someone who held a grudge against his esteemed teacher, was not obligated to help him out. If it wasn't because of the Blazing Fire Gang, the Sun and Moon Pavilion wouldn't have to agree to a duel.
The vice-chief glanced around and suddenly called out to Chu Liang, "Come with me,"
She led him toward an intact stone house nearby.
What for...
Chu Liang felt a bit uneasy, but since she called him, he had to follow her step by step.
Inside the stone house, the vice-chief turned around.
Chu Liang hurriedly offered the Shark Spine Halberd and said, "I have nothing to repay you with, so I present this weapon to your gang as a token of gratitude."
In the resource-poor Python Belly City, such a fine weapon was a dream come true for many martial artists. To Chu Liang, the Shark Spine Halberd didn't mean much, but to the Blazing Fire Gang, it was very valuable.
The vice-chief took the weapon, set it aside, and then said, "I called you here to tell you a secret. Whether you agree to do it or not, you must not tell another soul about it."
"Okay," Chu Liang solemnly agreed, a bit nervous inside, not knowing what she wanted him to agree to.
After all, he had already given his thank-you gift.
The vice-chief leaned in, her voice low and urgent. "I know you want to leave. Actually, there is a way out of the Python Belly City..."
1. Jun is an ancient unit of weight and one jun is equivalent to 15 kg. 1000 jun would be 15000kg or 33069.34 lb. ☜
2. Surname Yin. Given names: Guang, Luo, and Tian. Guang (广) means broad. Kuo (阔) means vast. Tian (天) means sky. ☜
3. Surname Yin. Given Name: Laosi (老四) with the Lao meaning Old and Si meaning four. There are multiple meanings due to the characters sounding like other characters. It can mean old four but it can also mean always dying or dying of old age. So, it could be saying that he wishes for them to be able to leave Python Belly City and grow old and die under the vast sky outside. ☜