48: Severely injure Nangong Ren

“The one who will take your life!” Wu Jiulong let out a long laugh, his iron pipe like a poisonous Dragon emerging from its lair, striking directly at Nangong Ren’s throat!

The battle erupted instantly. Nangong Ren, as expected of a sixth-grade Peak expert, remained unperturbed in the face of the sudden attack. His Duan Shui Saber slashed horizontally, actually forcing Wu Jiulong back three steps!

Amidst sparks flying, the two exchanged more than ten blows in an instant. The Saber Qi and smoke shadows cut down the surrounding trees at the waist.

“You scoundrels from Tiandu Martial Hall!” Wu Wenwu charged from the side, his longsword like a rainbow, stabbing directly at Nangong Ren’s ribs.

At the same time, Wu Guohua’s Tian Que Divine Spear also thrust down from the treetops, its spearhead condensing a dazzling golden light!

Nangong Ren remained calm in the face of danger. His great saber drew a perfect arc, simultaneously blocking attacks from three sides! However, this strike also caused his tiger’s mouth to split open, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

“Despicable!” Nangong Ren roared, “Three against one, what kind of hero is that?!”

Wu Jiulong sneered, “Against a scoundrel like you who oppresses the common people, what Jianghu Dao is there to speak of?” Before he finished speaking, his iron pipe once again pointed towards Nangong Ren’s glabella.

Two sixth-grade Disciples from Tiandu Martial Hall rushed forward, intending to assist, but were stopped by a suddenly appearing Golden Tiger.

This ferocious beast struck down with a single paw, directly shattering one Disciple’s longsword!

The other Disciple was so scared his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, turning to flee, but was pounced upon by the Golden Tiger and pinned to the ground, his throat instantly crushed.

Nangong Ren’s eyes turned bloodshot as he watched his Disciple die tragically: “Beast!”

He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, spitting a mouthful of vital blood onto his great saber, which immediately emitted a piercing hum!

“Be careful! He’s going all out!” Wu Wenwu urgently warned.

Nangong Ren’s great saber suddenly transformed into nine Saber shadows, each as solid as reality, striking at the three individuals!

Wu Guohua hastily raised his spear to block, but was still grazed on the shoulder by a Saber Qi, and blood instantly stained half of his clothes.

Wu Jiulong was enraged by this sight. His iron pipe suddenly broke into two, revealing a slender sword hidden inside!

The old man’s hunched body instantly straightened, and his swordplay poured out like a violent storm: “Unsheathed today, just for you!”

Nangong Ren was greatly alarmed. He hadn’t expected this old man’s pipe to conceal such a deadly move!

In his haste, he could only raise his saber to meet the attack head-on, but he was shaken back seven steps by this sword, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

“Now!” Wu Guohua endured his shoulder injury. The Tian Que Divine Spear suddenly flew from his hand, piercing towards Nangong Ren’s back like a golden lightning bolt!

Nangong Ren felt the killing intent coming from behind him and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

Just at this critical moment, he suddenly let out a sinister laugh, pulled something from his in arms and threw it into the air—

“Boom!” A blinding red light instantly illuminated the night sky, and a huge shockwave knocked everyone to the ground.

Wu Guohua felt as if his chest had been struck by lightning, and he was forced back several steps. When the smoke and dust dispersed, Nangong Ren had already used the opportunity to escape more than ten zhang away!

“Trying to run?” Wu Jiulong’s hair stood on end. The slender sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a white light and shot out!

Nangong Ren heard the sound of air breaking behind him and instinctively dodged sideways, but he was still pierced through the right shoulder by this sword. He grunted, but his feet did not stop, and in a few leaps, he disappeared into the darkness.

“Chase him!” Wu Guohua struggled to his feet, but was stopped by his grandfather.

“No need.” Wu Jiulong retrieved his slender sword, his face exceptionally pale. “He’s been hit by my ‘Soul Severing Sword Qi’ and is seriously injured.”

Wu Wenwu supported his tottering father: “Father, are you alright?”

The old man shook his head, looking in the direction Nangong Ren had fled: “This battle was worth it.”

He suddenly coughed violently, spitting a mouthful of black blood onto the ground, “This old man… has touched the threshold of the sixth-grade Middle Stage…”

The Golden Tiger came over, carrying the body of the sixth-grade Disciple in its mouth, its tiger eyes full of worry.

Wu Guohua patted its head, looking at the gradually brightening sky.

Although this battle failed to kill Nangong Ren, it severely wounded this sixth-grade Peak Martial Master.

“First, let’s find a place to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll go into the city and figure out how to eliminate Tiandu Martial Hall.” In the night, the figures of the three gradually disappeared at the end of the official road.

Behind them, the outline of Zhanghe County City was faintly visible in the morning sun. The guards on the city walls were completely unaware that, just last night, a hunt capable of changing the surrounding power dynamics had unfolded there.

The next day, the morning in Zhanghe County City was shrouded in thin fog, and pedestrians were scarce on the bluestone streets.

Three woodcutters wearing bamboo hats slowly passed through the city gate, pushing handcarts laden with firewood.

The guards lazily glanced at them and waved them through—such poor woodcutters, there were at least eighty if not a hundred entering and leaving the city gate every day.

“This Nangong Ren is quite cautious.” Wu Wenwu lowered his voice, his sharp eyes not hidden by his rough linen clothes.

He pretended to arrange the firewood, but in reality, he was observing the defenses on the city wall—each guard had a standard long saber at his waist.

Wu Jiulong coughed twice, his hunched and stooped appearance making him look like an old man on the verge of death.

He gently tapped his pipe on the handcart, and a few sparks fell into the damp air: “First, let’s go to the teahouse to gather some information.”

Wu Guohua walked at the back, his bamboo hat pulled very low. The youth seemed nonchalant, but he was actually memorizing every alleyway and every vantage point along the way.

As he passed a blacksmith’s shop, he deliberately slowed his steps—several longswords hanging in the shop had the words “Tian Yue” clearly carved on their scabbards.

The teahouse was noisy. The three sat in a corner and ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea. At the next table, several people dressed as Martial Artists were talking loudly:

“Have you heard? Tiandu Martial Hall was attacked last night, and even Hall Master Nangong was injured!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down… My cousin works at the Martial Hall and said Nangong Ren’s right shoulder was pierced through, and he can’t even lift his saber now…”

Wu Guohua exchanged a look with his grandfather. A hint of satisfaction flashed in the old man’s cloudy eyes—his “Soul Severing Sword Qi” had indeed worked.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion at the teahouse entrance.

Several Martial Artists in green tight-fitting clothes strode in. Leading them was a lean man in his early thirties, with a uniquely shaped longsword hanging at his waist, its guard carved with a majestic mountain.

“It’s someone from Tian Yue Martial Hall!” Someone whispered.

Wu Jiulong’s eyes narrowed slightly. He noticed that the lean man walked with the lightness of a cat, and his temples were slightly bulging, clearly indicating he was a sixth-grade expert.

Even better, when he heard others discussing the attack on Tiandu Martial Hall, the man’s lips clearly curled upwards. After the Tian Yue Martial Hall people left, Wu Jiulong put down a few copper coins: “Let’s go, follow them.”

The three followed the group of Martial Artists from a distance, passing through several bustling streets, and arrived in front of an imposing residence in the west of the city.

A gilded plaque with “Tian Yue Martial Hall” hung above the vermilion gate, and two spirited guards stood at the entrance.

“Wait here.” Wu Jiulong straightened his clothes, and suddenly his hunched back straightened, his entire demeanor instantly transforming from a frail old man to a hidden expert.

He strode towards the main gate of the Martial Hall, and under the wary gaze of the guards, he took something from his in arms—it was precisely the token confiscated from the Tiandu Martial Hall Disciple!