A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 371 The Battle of Yicheng

One of the four from Sea Shark Palace was killed in an instant. The remaining three, seeing how powerful Jia En was, exchanged glances and then attacked together again. Their goal was to obtain as much information about the enemy as possible. In these few short moves, Jia En had not yet used any special moves. Naturally, the three were unwilling to retreat. Seeing the three attacking again, Jia En's face turned cold. His precious sword flashed with a cold light, and a streak of light like a bolt of lightning slashed out.

The three men from the Sea Shark Palace were no pushovers either. Although they were far inferior to Jia En, they still possessed some skill. Upon seeing Jia En's blade approaching, all three used their lightness skills to leap into the air, dodging the blade. They then unleashed a barrage of hidden weapons at Jia En, who remained unfazed, guarding his position. The clanging sounds of the weapons clashing filled the air. Just as they ran out of hidden weapons, the three men had already landed, no more than three feet away from Jia En.

A grappling hook came hurtling through the air, and Jia En swung his blade in a backhand strike. The weapons clashed, sparks flew, and a metallic clang rang out as the grappling hook retracted, leaving only half of it intact.

"That sword is powerful; do not engage it head-on."

The man holding the hook felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the smooth, clean break. This hook was made of finely forged iron, yet it hadn't even lasted a single round against this precious sword. With this sword in hand, Jia En had gained a significant advantage.

The masked man casually tossed aside the broken hook and then took out a long black iron ruler from his sleeve. It whistled as he swung it, and a faint, stern sound emanated from it.

The other two felt a slight sense of relief when they saw him take out the black iron ruler, but at the same time, they were also somewhat wary. This black iron ruler was a gift from Black Shark and was called the Soul-Severing Ruler. Countless experts had their brains splattered and died tragically on the spot by it, so it was infamous. Its material was taken from a black reef in the deep sea and it took several years to polish it to this state. Ordinary weapons would break after hitting it for less than ten times.

When Jia En saw the leader take out the black iron ruler, his eyes flashed slightly, and he moved instantly, attacking the other two. The two were already on guard, one holding half a spiked club and the other holding a steel whip to meet him, while the man holding the black iron ruler stared intently at the scene.

Seeing the two soldiers attacking, Jia En's expression turned slightly cold. He slashed horizontally with his precious sword, intending to cut the two weapons in half. However, the two men had already been warned. Upon seeing this, they simultaneously flipped their weapons, the blades slicing across the spiked club and the steel whip. Just as the two men breathed a sigh of relief, a sudden palm wind struck. The man holding the spiked club felt a tightness in his chest. As he was about to swing the club, he felt a lightness in his hand. Half of the spiked club had vanished, leaving only a wooden handle in his hand. Before he could think further, he felt a chill on his neck and immediately collapsed to the ground, dead.

Just as Jia En was about to strike down the man wielding the steel whip, a flash of black light appeared. Without hesitation, Jia En met the attack with his sword. The iron ruler clashed with the precious sword, and both were shaken. Jia En remained motionless, holding his sword horizontally in front of him. A small, rice-grain-sized notch appeared on the sharp blade, a sight that pained Jia En deeply.

As Jia En felt distressed, the man holding the iron ruler gritted his teeth in anger. A shallow crack had appeared on the iron ruler, extending from one end to the other.

"If I don't kill you all today, I will have failed the sword in my hand!"

With a furious roar, Jia En charged forward with his sword. A powerful blade of light slashed through the air, its target the man wielding the steel whip. The man, who had been stunned by Jia En's imposing presence, was now disoriented. Sensing the impending danger, he immediately raised his steel whip high. Where the blade of light passed, a scream was heard, and then the light vanished, leaving only two halves of a corpse and a broken steel whip.

"What a domineering move."

The masked man wielding the iron ruler narrowed his eyes when he saw his companion being cleaved in two by a flash of light. Such skill was comparable to that of Commander Black Shark. No wonder Guan Yutian dared to entrust this man with guarding Jiuyi City; he was indeed quite capable.

"Walk."

Knowing he had already obtained the intelligence and suffered heavy losses, the masked man with the black iron ruler was unwilling to confront Jia En. He moved lightly, and just as he was about to leave, a huge light blade, emitting a cold glint, slashed down through the air. The blade was slightly lowered, but its momentum was already there. A heavy pressure made the masked man's expression change drastically. The surroundings were already sealed off by the light blade. At this moment, using light footwork to dodge would undoubtedly be courting death.

Without time to think, the masked man shouted and raised the black iron ruler in his hand. He poured all his true energy into the ruler, and a black light appeared, forming a black aura. Red dots on it were like stars. A thick bloody aura spread out, howling sharply and eerily, making the surroundings look like a hell.

"The Blood Demon of the Sea Shark Palace, this person is considered to be in the middle level of the Sea Shark Palace."

Jia En immediately recognized that the person opposite him was using an evil technique from the Sea Shark Palace. A look of disgust flashed in his eyes. He channeled his true energy, and the fierce blade light struck the black light shield squarely. With a loud bang, the air surged, and dust scattered. Except for the place where the two stood, everything within several feet was reduced to ruins.

With a flick of his sleeve, Jia En noticed a disturbance and raised his hand to strike, but the force of his palm only kicked up dust. Jia En thought to himself that something was wrong and turned around to look, only to see a figure already gone.

"If you take my attack, even if you don't die, you will be seriously injured. If you don't get treatment in time, you will be completely crippled within three to five days."

Just after Jia En put away his sword, footsteps came from outside. Soon after, the remaining six people arrived one after another. A cold glint flashed across Jia En's face, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Master, what is this?"

The white-haired old man scanned his surroundings, looking at the mangled corpses and the ruins of the houses. He was secretly alarmed. Although he already had some guesses, he still asked a question as usual.

"People of the Sea Shark Palace, this Black Shark seems to have the same idea as us. The enemy has been eliminated, and we should be fine tonight. Everyone, please go back first. The next few days outside the palace are the most important!"

Without offering further explanation, Jia En waved his hand, dismissing them. Everyone bowed respectfully and then quickly departed.

With the house destroyed, Jia En simply sat cross-legged on the ruins, waiting for news from Song Xuan. An hour later, Song Xuan finally returned and was slightly surprised to see the house reduced to ruins.

"Brother Song." Jia En heard the noise, opened his eyes, and got up to walk towards Song Xuan.

"Master, Liu Wen and Wang Zhao have already turned against us. The two elders who went with them have died at the hands of the Sea Shark Palace, but four of their experts also perished with them."

Knowing what Jia En wanted to hear, Song Xuan immediately recounted all the information he had gathered.

“These two scoundrels are still useful. Now is not the time to kill them. Brother Song, have Liu Wen and the others found any trace of you?”

"No, but Master, I have something to say. Since Liu Wen and his companion have pledged allegiance to the Sea Shark Palace, they must be presented with a generous gift in order to formally join us."

"If we're talking about a grand gift, wouldn't my own head be the most suitable?"

……，……

On Pingling Road, the Supreme Alliance forces were speeding along, with Sima Tian at the forefront. Originally, this task should have been given to Ren Qianxing, but after being persuaded by several elders, Guan Yutian finally decided to let Sima Tian take charge of the expedition. However, while Guan Yutian outwardly agreed to this, he secretly instructed Ren Qianxing to lead another elite team along the back roads, traveling by night and hiding by day, and to try to reach Jiuyi City within two days.

Sima Tianyi gripped the reins and asked the person beside him, "How far are we from Jiuyi City?"

"Reporting to the Hall Master, there are still about 500 li to go. If we continue at our current speed, we should be able to arrive around dawn the day after tomorrow." "That's still too slow. The Sea Shark Palace is coming with great force, and the leader of their army is Black Shark. He is good at using speed to fight speed. They may already be outside Jiuyi City. With just Jia En and the others, Jiuyi City will be hard to defend."

Sima Tian was also slightly anxious. He carried too many expectations this time and had to fight a brilliant comeback to satisfy the elders who supported him. Only in this way could he gain a foothold in the Supreme Alliance. Otherwise, he would be stuck in a position below Ren Qianxing for the rest of his life, which he could not tolerate.

“Master, we are already at the fastest speed. If we increase the speed further, it will put a huge burden on our men and horses. Once we engage the enemy, we will inevitably be at a disadvantage.”

The trusted confidant paused for a moment, then cautiously said, "Master, the elders' intentions are quite clear: they only care about the result, not the process. Even if Jiuyi City is temporarily breached by the Sea Shark Palace, with our current strength, we are confident of victory against them. Why be aggressive? A steady and methodical approach is the best strategy."

Upon hearing this, Sima Tian glanced at his confidant, nodded, and sighed, "Never mind, the overall situation is more important. It's just a pity about Jia En and the others."

Upon hearing this, the confidant immediately said, "It's all fate. As long as the leader can turn the tide, all the losses can be made up."

"That's true. Pass down the order: everyone must arrive at Jiuyi City by dawn the day after tomorrow. Anyone who falls behind will be executed!"

"Yes!"

Sima Tian flicked his whip and continued marching forward. His confidant lagged behind and relayed orders to the rear. After a short while, the marching speed increased slightly.

Just as Sima Tian was rushing to the aid of Jiuyi City, Ren Qianxing led thirty elite warriors from the Four Halls ahead of them. They first traveled north by boat, then abandoned the boat and went ashore, heading west. The outline of Jiuyi City was already clearly visible.

"Master, Black Shark and his men have set up camp ten miles outside Jiuyi City. They number about five hundred and don't seem to be in a hurry to conquer Jiuyi City."

"This Black Shark wants to confront our alliance head-on, and then regroup. If it can severely damage our alliance in one fell swoop, it can rely on Jiuyi City to continue advancing towards our faction. On the other hand, this place is not far from the three southeastern cities that have already been conquered. If it is defeated, it can hide among them. This move is both offensive and defensive, which is somewhat inconsistent with the Black Shark's nature."

Before engaging in combat with his enemy, Ren Qianxing first had to gather all the information about this person. According to the intelligence he gathered, this Black Shark was a sadistic and cruel person with a deep mind. Although he ranked third among the four sharks, he was the most dangerous person in Ren Qianxing's mind.

"Master, should we go to Jiuyi City first, or proceed according to plan?"

"The situation in Jiuyi City is unclear, so it is not advisable to reveal our whereabouts. Let's find out about the situation in Haisha Palace first, and then proceed according to plan after Sima Tian arrives."

Ren Qianxing was no reckless man. Although the thirty men around him were all elites, they were no match for five hundred men.

"Yes."

Seeing that Ren Qianxing had no further instructions, the confidant bowed and turned to leave, while Ren Qianxing stood on the high hill, his gaze fixed on the distant Jiuyi City.

"Sima Tian, ​​this time you'll never be able to turn things around."

Before leaving, Guan Yutian gave Ren Qianxing some instructions. In his words, it seemed that his patience with those elders had reached its limit. He bluntly told Ren Qianxing that no matter what the outcome was, the Azure Dragon Hall had to be taken back.

At this moment in Jiuyi City, Jia En sat in the head seat with a pale face, while three other people sat below him, all of them injured.

“Jiuyi City can no longer be defended, Brother Song. I will trouble you to lead the two of you to retreat. The secret passage left in the city will come in handy now.”

"Master, you..."

Upon hearing this, Song Xuan's expression changed slightly, and the other two also turned their gazes towards him.

Seeing this, Jia En waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "I am responsible for guarding the city and will never abandon it. Let me do my best for the sect one last time."

Hearing Jia En's words reveal his determination to die, Song Xuan and the other two sighed, knowing they couldn't persuade him. They rose and bowed respectfully to Jia En, who nodded slightly and waved his hand. The three of them immediately withdrew and went to the backyard, which was overgrown with weeds and had several lonely stone pillars standing in the four directions. Song Xuan took out the token that Jia En had given him beforehand and imprinted it on the notch of the eastern stone pillar. With a rumble, the stone pillar slowly sank into the ground, and at the same time, a dark secret passage was revealed. Song Xuan nodded to the other two, and the three of them, without hesitation, leaped up. Just after they disappeared, the stone pillar rumbled again and slowly rose up.

Outside Jiuyi City, Black Shark led the group from Sea Shark Palace slowly in. Looking at the dilapidated city gate, Black Shark swung his hand and smashed the broken gate to pieces. He pointed forward, and the people behind him rushed in.

"With the capture of Jiuyi City, all obstacles in the southeast will be cleared. The commander has made such a great contribution, and the palace master will surely reward him handsomely."

Black Shark simply waved his hand at his confidant's words and said calmly, "It's not that easy. I've been waiting here for two whole days, and not a single message has come from the rear. Isn't that very strange? If it's not that the Palace Master is deliberately making things difficult, then it must be my good brothers who are interfering."

At this point, a sharp glint flashed in Black Shark's eyes. He had originally hoped that some manpower could be provided from the rear, no matter how many, as long as it was a gesture. But it seemed that he would not be able to wait for that.

"Walk."

Black Shark, his hand on his sword hilt, slowly entered the city, followed closely by his entourage. Just after they entered the city, a disciple saw Black Shark and hurriedly ran over, bowing and saying, "Commander, Jia En is ahead."

"Oh, this Jain is quite a man."

Black Shark smiled knowingly upon hearing this and said, "Lead the way." The disciple led the way, and soon they arrived at a ruin. Before they even got close, they could hear the sounds of weapons clashing, angry shouts, and wails of pain.

Black Shark flicked his sleeve, his figure flashing as he landed in the ruins. There, he saw Jaen fighting four people alone with only a sword, and he even had the upper hand. Just as Jaen was about to finish off one of them with a single strike, a sword light suddenly struck Jaen's sword. A soft, yin-like force instantly dissolved the sword's fierce power. Jaen turned and dodged, sheathing his sword and standing still, his eyes fixed on Black Shark, who had sheathed his sword.

(End of this chapter)