A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 336 The Dawn Has Arrived
Just as Yu Rang and his two companions were besieging Shen Henian, several other battlefields were also fiercely fighting. Lu Aotian and his wife, with their swords combined, were driving six experts back in defeat. If it weren't for the six of them working together in offense and defense, plus the assistance of hidden weapons, the situation would have been out of control long ago. However, as Lu Aotian and his wife's skills continued to improve, the six of them were starting to falter. The leader, a dark-faced man, released three more darts and then retreated rapidly. Behind him, two long spears, like dragons probing the sea, blocked the two long swords.

With two soft clangs, the sword tip struck the spear tip precisely. A surge of immense force rushed through the sword, causing the two spears to bend into crescent moons. The two men wielding the spears couldn't withstand the force, their faces turning pale as they staggered back several steps. Before they could even catch their breath, two flashes of cold light flew like lightning. Where the sword light passed, the spears were sliced ​​in two, and the two men wielding the spears died instantly from the sword strikes.

Lu Aotian and Lü Fengming exchanged a glance. Their hands moved without stopping, their swords combined. A bright sword light flashed by, and the dark-faced man in the lead changed his expression immediately. He hurriedly flew forward, his true energy surging, and a pair of iron plates in his hands shot out, heading straight for the sword light.

The remaining three, seeing the dazzling sword light, hurriedly threw out their hidden weapons. They had seen this sword light before; it was this very move that had taken the lives of four of their brothers before. It was incredibly powerful. They dared not engage in close combat and could only cooperate with the dark-faced man to attack from a distance.

The two iron plates hurtled through the air and collided with the sword light. Instantly, a white light flashed, followed by several cracking sounds. The sword light cleaved through the iron plates and rushed straight towards the dark-faced man. The sword light was as swift as lightning and its power was unparalleled. The hidden weapons that attacked along the way were shattered by the sword energy before they could even get close. The sword light was like shooting stars, and in the blink of an eye, it was in front of the dark-faced man. The latter had no weapon in his hand, but he was unwilling to die. He shouted and his true energy exploded. A layer of golden light appeared around his body, trying to block the sharp sword light.

With a few hissing sounds, the sword light easily tore through the protective barrier and passed right through the dark-faced man. The latter stared blankly at the clear sword mark on his chest, then groaned a few times before collapsing to the ground, dead.

"Master Li!"

Seeing that even Chief Li's golden body protection had been broken, the remaining three lost all their spirits. All eight of them attacked the Black and White Duo, but in the end, only the three of them remained.

"Leader Li and the others cannot die in vain. Even if it costs me my life, I will drag Lu Aotian and his wife down with me!"

The gaunt, middle-aged man holding the ring had a gloomy and uncertain expression. At this point, they could not back down. Even if they were not working for Shangguan Yun, they could not let this brotherly feud go unavenged.

“We have received great kindness and brotherhood from the Hall Master, and now it is time to repay that kindness. Gentlemen, I, Wu, will take my leave first.”

The gaunt, middle-aged leader, Wu, bowed to the two men, then his expression turned serious. The copper ring in his hand hummed as he looked at the approaching Black and White Duo. He shouted and leaped forward to meet them. The other two exchanged a glance. Leader Chen's eyes revealed a resolute and unwavering determination. He moved swiftly and immediately followed Leader Wu. Leader He, on the other hand, sighed for Doctor Wu, then gripped his wooden stick tightly and chased after them.

Although the Black and White Heroes, with their combined swords, swiftly and decisively defeated Chief Li, they had also expended a considerable amount of their inner energy. However, they were more than capable of dealing with the remaining three. Seeing Chief Wu arrive alone, they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

“He is a respectable man, but that is no excuse for you to aid and abet evil and harm the innocent.”

Lu Aotian's expression turned cold, and his sword trembled, producing a clear and melodious sword cry that echoed across the surrounding area. Upon hearing this sound, the leader of the Black Helmsman, who was rushing towards him, was momentarily stunned and paused in his steps. However, he was also a man of strong will and immediately regained his senses from the sword cry. He moved nimbly and stood firmly on a tree branch, his venomous eyes fixed on the Black and White Duo who were not far from him.

"Three breaths, not bad."

Lu Aotian nodded slightly, turned around and gave Lü Fengming a few instructions. Then, he single-handedly cleaved through the air with his sword, a dazzling sword light extending several inches, directly piercing the leader of the Wu Helmsman. Upon seeing this, the latter's expression changed drastically.

"Sword light!"

The leader of the Wu guild was horrified. He had intended to use his superior skills and backup plan to catch Lu Aotian off guard, but he did not expect that the other party had mastered the legendary sword aura. This thing can cut through anything. Although he had cultivated the Golden Bell Shield to the tenth level, he knew that even if he cultivated it to the highest level of the twelfth level, he would not be able to block the other party's sword aura.

Sensing the chilling sword energy, Chief Wu didn't hesitate to pull out a handful of fire grenades from his pocket and forcefully flung them towards Lu Aotian.

Lu Aotian thought the other party had thrown another hidden weapon, but after seeing the true appearance of the thing, his expression changed slightly. He quickly spun his long sword, abandoned his attack on Wu Hezhu, and with a slash of sword light, the sword energy rolled up, and the sound of slicing and cracking rang out continuously. The fire thunderbolt was completely cut off by the sword light and was scattered by the sword energy before it even hit the ground.

Lu Aotian sliced ​​away Huo Leizi with his sword, his steps unwavering. As he sheathed his sword, a palm strike suddenly attacked Wu Tuozhu. Just as Wu Tuozhu was about to retaliate, he noticed two sounds of air being torn apart approaching from behind. He paused, turned around, and saw two sharp, cone-shaped hidden weapons attacking the palm strike simultaneously. The palm strike was like thick clouds being swept away by a gale, or first snow being melted by the sun; it vanished in an instant.

"Breaking Qi Cone".

Lu Aotian immediately revealed the origin of the object. This Qi-breaking cone is also a very special type of hidden weapon. It was specially made to break through Qi, but because of its large size, the opponent will be on guard before it is used. Therefore, this object is really somewhat useless for experts.

However, the fact that Chen and He used this item to break through his own layered clouds and mountains made him look at them with new respect.

Seeing the piercing energy cone hurtling towards him, Lu Aotian swept and deflected it with his longsword, sending it aside. The blade of his longsword gleamed, and Lu Aotian let out a deep shout, turning his body with the sword and rushing straight towards Chief Wu.

"drink!"

Seeing that the Qi-breaking cones had no effect on Lu Aotian, Chen and He were not annoyed. When they saw him attacking with his sword, they immediately flanked Wu, the leader, with their longswords and wooden sticks blocking the attack, directly meeting the white sword light. At the same time, Wu's true energy surged, and the two copper rings in his hands vibrated. When they clashed, a sound that shook the mountains resounded all around. Lu Fengming, who was watching the battle from the side, frowned upon hearing this sound. She wanted to step forward to help, but remembering her husband's instructions, she could only keep her sword still and keep her eyes fixed on the battle. If anything went wrong, she could not worry about anything else.

Chen and He did not underestimate the power of the sword light, so they used all their strength from the very beginning. A layer of energy appeared on the longsword and wooden stick, which were infused with true energy. The blue and black light flowed, and when the white sword light struck, the light immediately leaked out, and the three colors of light competed for brilliance. However, after only a breath, the white sword light still had the upper hand. The sword energy kept rushing up and instantly wore away the blue and black light. Then there was a crisp breaking sound. The longsword and wooden stick broke together. A bright sword light slashed across the necks of Chen and He at the same time. The momentum did not decrease and it rushed straight towards the leader of the Wu gang.

Seeing the impending killing intent, the leader of the Wu guild remained calm. He swung his twin rings outwards, sending them hurtling through the air and piercing the clouds. The immense force of the rings met the sword light head-on. The twin rings hummed as they collided with the sharp sword light. The rings paused for a moment, then the sword light passed right through them. The rings cracked and shattered into fragments, instantly being ground into powder by the remaining sword energy and scattered in the air.

Lu Aotian's eyes narrowed, his aura surged to its peak, and he roared loudly. A dazzling sword light swept across the void, leaving a faint mark. The opposing Wu Chief, having realized the danger when his twin rings were destroyed, had a fierce look in his eyes. Just as the sword light was about to tear through his body, Lu Aotian was horrified to find that his aura suddenly surged. The sudden appearance of the blinding blood light caused Lu Aotian's blood to surge, his aura to stagnate slightly, and even the brilliant sword light dimmed a little.

The leader of the Black Helmsman, who was bathed in blood mist, had changed drastically. His flesh and blood had disappeared, leaving him without a physical body. Only his empty eyes emitted a pale, eerie light.

"Blood Essence Disintegration!" Lu Aotian's expression turned slightly cold as he suppressed the surging blood and qi within his body. Without another word, he raised his sword again, and a bright white light fiercely tore through the blood mist, piercing straight towards those eyes.

This "Blood Essence Disintegration" is an extremely powerful forbidden technique that anyone, regardless of their cultivation level, can practice. Once used, it can unleash three times the original power, but once activated, it will inevitably lead to death. This time, Chief Wu did not intend to leave alive; he wanted to take one of them with him before he died.

"Being able to kill the renowned Black and White Duo, I think I've done my job."

Lu Aotian ignored the cackling sounds and focused solely on driving the sword light to sweep away the filth before him. However, the Black Helmsman was already quite powerful, and with the added enhancement of this forbidden technique, his strength was no less than Lu Aotian's. Moreover, the blood mist was extremely corrosive, especially effective against the sword light. After only a short while, Lu Aotian saw that the sharp and brilliant sword light had dimmed considerably, and a thin layer of blood mist had covered the sword.

With a circulation of true energy, the power of pure Yang flowed into the longsword. The longsword trembled slightly, instantly dispersing the blood mist. However, this method only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Only by killing the leader of the Black Helmsman could the harm caused by this forbidden technique be completely eliminated.

Just as Lu Aotian was engulfed in the blood mist, Lü Fengming could not sense her husband's aura. After enduring it for a long time, she finally became worried about her husband's safety and leaped towards the blood mist. However, just as she reached the edge, she saw a blood shadow shoot out from the blood mist and a ball of blood light rush towards Lü Fengming.

Upon seeing this, Lü Fengming's expression changed slightly. Now she was certain that this was the disintegration of the blood essence. With a sweep of her longsword, the sword light crisscrossed, shattering the incoming blood light. However, the scattered blood light moved slightly, drifting around in the air as if it had a spirit. Although it was smaller, the threat had greatly increased, staring at Lü Fengming menacingly.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, Lü Fengming roared angrily, his longsword spinning, and the chilling sword energy shot out like a myriad of stars, rushing towards the blood-red light. When the blood-red light saw the sword energy flying towards it, it did not retreat but advanced instead, and with a single lunge, it caught a sword energy. Just as the blood-red light was about to devour the sword energy, all the blood-red light paused. The pure white sword energy solidified like frost, sealing them all within it. Then, with another sweep of the sword, as the ice shattered, the blood-red light was also cut apart.

Lu Fengming broke through the bloody light with a single move, but without stopping, he slashed forward heavily with his longsword. Instantly, the sword light cleaved through the bloody mist, revealing a passage. Upon seeing this, Lu Fengming's face lit up with joy, and he transformed into a beam of sword light, rushing straight into it.

Meanwhile, Lu Aotian, deep within the blood mist, was clearing it away with his sword. He sensed Lü Fengming's attack and his eyes sharpened. He then swept his sword across the area, abandoning his previous defensive stance and instantly obliterating the blood mist in front of him. The sword's momentum continued unabated as it slashed into the depths of the blood mist, but the sword light seemed to sink into the mire as soon as it landed there.

"Another one comes to die."

The leader of the Wu Helmsman's eyes flashed slightly, and then his mind moved. The blood mist that had been covering the surrounding area for several feet suddenly shrank inward, turning only a few feet into a deep red cocoon. A strong smell of blood made Lu Aotian feel dizzy. At the same time, Lu Fengming, who was about to join Lu Aotian, also suddenly felt the pressure around him increase. He hurriedly opened his protective aura and rushed towards a certain place according to the connection between his two swords.

When Ni Qingfeng arrived, he saw that Chief Wu was using the Blood Essence Disintegration Technique to suppress the Black and White Heroes. Ni Qingfeng reached out and drew his longsword, slashing at the deep red cocoon. Instantly, a bright light flashed in the sky, and the red cocoon was torn open. The scattered blood mist was continuously worn away by the sword energy. In just a few breaths, the color of the red cocoon gradually faded. Seeing this, Ni Qingfeng did not linger and continued to fly towards another battlefield where the battle was fierce.

"Yes, Master Ni!"

Lu Aotian's expression changed, and a smile appeared on his face. Now that Ni Qingfeng had appeared here, Shangguan Yun's fate was predictable.

Now that Chief Wu was severely injured, the two of them did not hesitate any longer and drew their swords at the same time. With the combination of their swords, Chief Wu's life force was immediately extinguished, and the cocoon curtain also burst open. The blood energy in the sky merged into the void and quickly disappeared.

Although the effects of the medicine had worn off, Shen Henian still had some internal energy remaining. Relying on the sharpness of the Xuan Tie sword, he was able to fight fiercely with Yu Rang and the other two. Whenever Shen Henian wanted to concentrate on dealing with one of them, the other two would come to his aid from the side. This exquisite coordination left Shen Henian somewhat at a loss. He also knew that his internal energy could not last long, so he had to finish the fight quickly. Thinking of this, Shen Henian's eyes sharpened, and he stared intently at Yu Rang.

Yu Rang was wielding his sword to meet the attack when he saw Shen Henian's gaze fall upon him. He immediately felt a chill run down his spine. At that moment, Shen Henian made a risky move, exposing his vitals to Chief Qian's axe. He thrust his longsword straight at Yu Rang, the cold light emanating from the tip of the sword sending a shiver down Yu Rang's spine. If he were to be struck by this sword, there would be no chance of survival.

Yu Rang shouted and immediately sheathed his tiger-headed saber, holding it protectively in front of him. Qian, the leader, saw an opportunity. Although he knew it was Shen Henian's scheme, he was confident that one strike of his axe would finish off Shen Henian.

Upon seeing this, Chief Song, who was holding a sword, changed his expression slightly and hurriedly rushed to Yu Rang's side. Anyone with eyes could see that Shen Henian was planning to kill Yu Rang with a desperate attack. The more this was the case, the more Chief Song could not let him succeed.

However, just as Chief Song rushed to provide support, Shen Henian suddenly changed his sword stance. His longsword, which had been thrusting forward, suddenly slashed horizontally, its target none other than Chief Song, who had come to provide support.

"not good!"

Upon seeing this, Yu Rang was startled and rushed forward, slashing down with his tiger-head saber to cut the longsword in two. However, Shen Henian sneered, and his longsword, swift as lightning, pierced his own heart before Song, the leader of the gang, could see. His body went limp and he collapsed.

However, although Shen Henian killed Chief Song, Chief Qian's axe was about to hit him in the back.

However, after waiting for several breaths, Shen Henian did not feel any pain. He became puzzled and turned around to look back. He saw that Chief Qian had disappeared. Only a broken axe was left on the ground. Yu Rang was looking at Ni Qingfeng who was floating down with a look of horror.

"Junior brother!"

Shen Henian exclaimed in surprise, looking at the composed Ni Qingfeng, and felt reassured.

Ni Qingfeng nodded slightly.

At that moment, a faint red glow appeared on the horizon.

(End of this chapter)