A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 405 The Power of a Single Sword

Behind the Supreme Alliance mountain, a burly man's spiked club flashed with an eerie light as he swung it at Ren Qianxing. Seeing him make his move, two of the other three attacked with a sword and a whip, while the last one stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on Ren Qianxing.

Ren Qianxing looked at the three deadly attacks coming at him with disdain in his eyes. He trembled his longsword, which hummed, and slashed horizontally at the spiked club. The burly man was delighted to see Ren Qianxing charging at him head-on and added more strength, trying to cut the opponent's longsword in half. However, just as the two weapons were about to clash, Ren Qianxing thrust his longsword forward, and the tip of the sword touched the spiked club first. Before the burly man could react, the sword force surged and knocked the burly man back with a single strike.

Just as Ren Qianxing was about to press his advantage, the two men opposite him attacked with swords and whips. Ren Qianxing slashed back, and with a clang, the two swords clashed, sparks flying. At the same time, a crimson whip whistled through the air, like a long snake, and instantly wrapped around Ren Qianxing's sword. The whip retracted and pulled forward, causing Ren Qianxing's sword-wielding arm to sway, but he quickly regained his balance. He channeled his inner energy, causing the sword to flip and pull the whip-wielder back, making him stagger.

Seeing this, the black-clad swordsman hurriedly attacked with his sword. The sword flashed repeatedly, and a cold light pierced Ren Qianxing's chest. At the same time, the burly man attacked again, his spiked club powerful and forceful, slashing at the longsword that was entangled by the soft whip. Ren Qianxing did not want to fight him head-on, so he pulled back his arm and thrust at the black-clad swordsman. The two swords touched, and the soft whip that was entangled was instantly broken.

With his longsword freed, Ren Qianxing looked at the spiked club coming at him, a fierce glint in his eyes. Apart from the leader, whose strength was unknown, the most difficult to deal with among these three was this burly man. He decided to deal with this man first.

The spiked club, carrying immense force, slashed down. Ren Qianxing dodged the deadly attack with a swift movement. As he retreated, a glint of cold light flashed from his sleeve, and a dagger shot straight at the burly man. The latter, seeing this, sneered and swung the spiked club forward. A fierce wind swept through, and with a clang, the dagger was instantly knocked away. But in that instant, the white bear, who hadn't yet made a move, suddenly changed his expression. He quickly rushed over, grabbed the burly man, and instantly left the spot.

With a few hissing sounds, the dagger that had been knocked away returned and landed squarely where the burly man was. A wisp of white smoke rose from the grass, and the area within three feet around it turned pitch black, clearly indicating that the dagger contained a deadly poison.

Seeing that the burly man hadn't fallen for the attack, Ren Qianxing showed no disappointment. He cut the silver thread in his hand; the dagger contained the corpse-dissolving water concocted by the Thousand-Handed Poison King. A touch of it would cause the flesh and bones to completely dissolve, and even a top-tier expert would turn into a pool of blood if not treated promptly.

This dagger was given to Ren Qianxing by Guan Yutian for self-defense. However, Ren Qianxing has never liked the method of using hidden weapons to injure people. Since obtaining this item, he has only kept it close to his body and never used it. If it weren't for testing the white bear, Ren Qianxing would have been willing to kill the four of them head-on.

"His movement technique is excellent, and his internal strength is also considerable; this is not something that can be cultivated by ordinary forces."

In that short moment, Ren Qianxing had already thought things through and had some guesses in his mind, but he still wanted to test the waters. He was not in a hurry to make a move, but just looked at the person opposite him with a cold gaze.

The burly man looked at the dark ground in front of him and broke out in a cold sweat. If he were to get his hands on the ground, he would already be covered in blood.

"Master Ren, excellent skills."

The polar bear waved for the gray wolf to step aside, and Black Hawk and Red Serpent also sheathed their weapons and awaited the polar bear's instructions.

"When did Sword Forging City produce such figures? I must be quite ignorant."

Ren Qianxing held his longsword upside down and looked coldly at the white bear. The latter was taken aback at first, and then his expression under the mask became serious.

"Master Ren, there's no need to waste your time questioning our origins. The Supreme Alliance acts tyrannically; they should have expected this day. Once we kill you, someone will go to Guan Yutian and make the move!"

At Bai Xiong's command, Black Eagle, Red Serpent, and Gray Wolf each charged forward with their weapons, while Bai Xiong locked his gaze on Ren Qianxing, secretly gathering power in his palm, waiting for the opponent to reveal a weakness.

Black Hawk and his two companions attacked Ren Qianxing in a triangular formation. Learning from his previous experience, Canglang no longer swung his spiked club straight down, but instead swept it horizontally. A fierce gust of air rushed towards Ren Qianxing. Upon seeing this, the latter's expression slightly hardened. He held his longsword horizontally in his hand, flipped the blade, and reflected the moonlight. Caught off guard, Canglang involuntarily closed his eyes, and his movements faltered. At the same time, Ren Qianxing's longsword swiftly pierced through the air, and the whistling sound of it cutting through the air clearly reached Canglang's ears.

With a clang, the tip of Black Eagle's longsword collided with the tip of Ren Qianxing's sword. A cold glint appeared at the point of contact, and a powerful force emanated from the longsword. Black Eagle's arm went numb, his true energy stagnated, and he involuntarily took a half step back. Just as he retreated, Ren Qianxing continued his advance, thrusting straight at Canglang's throat. At that moment, Crimson Serpent Whip lashed out, forming several circles that enveloped Ren Qianxing.

"Little tricks."

Ren Qianxing sneered, his figure flashed, leaving an afterimage in his place. The soft whip fell into empty air. At this moment, Ren Qianxing's long sword was only half a foot away from the wolf. The chilling aura made the wolf's expression change drastically.

With a bang, Ren Qianxing gathered power in his left palm and clashed with Bai Xiong's right palm. The force of their palms collided, and Ren Qianxing was forced back three steps. The danger to Canglang was also resolved. However, before the joy on Bai Xiong's face could fade, a horrifying scene unfolded. In the instant Ren Qianxing retreated, sword lights clashed. The red snake had no time to react and was immediately beheaded by a single sword strike. Its head rolled to the ground, causing Bai Xiong and the other two to grit their teeth in anger.

"Ren Qianxing!"

Seeing the Red Serpent dead, Canglang was filled with rage. Without waiting for Bai Xiong's command, he swung his spiked club at Ren Qianxing. Upon seeing this, Ren Qianxing steadied himself and pointed his longsword at Canglang. A beam of crimson light extended out and landed squarely on Canglang's forehead. A sense of dread immediately enveloped Canglang's heart. Just as he was about to withdraw his attack, he felt a heavy force enveloping his body, from which he could not break free in a short time.

The wolf was not willing to sit and wait for its death. It surged with true energy and activated the Golden Bell Shield. A bell-shaped energy shield slowly appeared around its body, with golden light flowing on it, making it look majestic and extraordinary.

"Do it!"

Looking at Ren Qianxing's moves, Bai Xiong had a bad feeling. He hurriedly called out to Hei Ying, and the two of them unleashed their killing moves, attacking Ren Qianxing in an attempt to use the "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" strategy to make Ren Qianxing give up his attack.

However, Ren Qianxing had finally seized the opportunity, so he was not going to give it up easily. He would use the Azure Wolf to test the power of this sword that separated worlds.

"One sword separates the worlds!"

Ren Qianxing spoke coldly, and with a slash of his longsword, a streak of crimson light flashed and passed through the wolf in the blink of an eye.

Just as the sword struck the Azure Wolf, the killing moves of the White Bear and the Black Eagle also arrived in front of Ren Qianxing. Ren Qianxing only had time to block the Black Eagle's killing move, but the White Bear's right palm struck Ren Qianxing squarely in the chest, sending him flying.

Ren Qianxing spat out a mouthful of blood, watching the white bear and black eagle rush to the side of the gray wolf. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He circulated his true energy to temporarily suppress the injuries in his body, straightened up, and looked at the opposite side. Having been hit by "One Sword Separates Worlds", there was absolutely no chance of survival.

"Third brother!"

The polar bear looked at the vacant wolf and reached out to touch him, only to see cracks spreading across the wolf's body. With a loud bang, the wolf's body was cleaved into pieces by the sword energy, and the scattered flesh and blood covered the polar bear and black eagle's bodies.

Black Hawk turned around, his eyes bloodshot, and looked at Ren Qianxing. Just as he was about to make a move, White Bear stopped him. Before Black Hawk could speak, White Bear gave Ren Qianxing a deep look, and without saying a word, took Black Hawk and quickly left, disappearing in a few leaps.

Just after the two white bears left, Ren Qianxing exhaled a breath of stale air, his body went limp, and he knelt on the ground.

"Your sword technique is powerful, but it consumes a lot of true energy. You can only use it twice at most in a short period of time."

A familiar voice rang in Ren Qianxing's ears. Upon hearing this, the latter said calmly, "Such martial arts naturally have their drawbacks. Twice is enough. Once I, the hall master, cultivate to the highest level, I will kill gods and demons alike!"

Jian Yin emerged from the darkness, crossed his arms, and approached Ren Qianxing. Sensing the latter's fluctuating aura, he placed a palm on Ren Qianxing's back, channeling pure true energy into his body. After a moment, Ren Qianxing's complexion gradually regained its color, and with a soft "pfft," he vomited out a mouthful of dark, stagnant blood. "Why did you help me?"

Ren Qianxing calmed his internal energy, stood up, and looked at Jianyin with a puzzled expression. He thought his relationship with Jianyin was just ordinary, so why was the other party doing this?

"It's just a small bit of help, Hall Master Ren, you don't need to take it to heart. As for the purpose, the Alliance Leader is currently in seclusion, and the Supreme Alliance still needs you to operate. If you get injured, my interests will also be affected. That's all."

"That's all?"

That's all.

Although Ren Qianxing still didn't believe it, he lowered his guard a little. Regardless of Jian Yin's purpose, as long as he didn't harm the interests of the Supreme Alliance, everything was negotiable.

"When Master Ren fought those people, did he discern their origins?"

Arrow Shadow changed the subject, asking about the identities and origins of the four people.

"Hmph, although the four of them tried their best to conceal it, judging from their methods, their cooperation was seamless, and they aimed for a one-hit kill. Their methods were swift and decisive. Apart from Eagle Fortress, I really can't think of any other sect with such strength. It seems that Liao Rushen is still unwilling. Now that I think about it, I was a little too soft-hearted."

Sensing the coldness in Ren Qianxing's words, Jianyin remained silent, for his guess was exactly as he had suspected.

"As far as I know, Liao Rushen disappeared several months ago, and now Bai Yanluo is in charge of the mundane affairs of Cangying Fortress. Is there some misunderstanding?"

“What you say makes sense, but I don’t need to know what misunderstandings there are. I only need to know that the people from Eagle Fortress attacked me. As for the Chief Protector, his position is sensitive, so he should not get involved in this matter. I will make my own decision.”

Ren Qianxing glanced at Jian Yin, said this, then turned and left with his sword.

Jian Yin watched Ren Qianxing leave, his eyes calm and indifferent. He knew what Ren Qianxing meant by his words: since he was recommended by Liao Rushen, his stance would naturally be biased towards Cangying Fortress.

“Three months from now will be the day the Frost Sword is born. When that day comes, all the chaos will return to normal. Gu Xu, just who are you?”

On the other side, the polar bear and the black eagle fled in a hurry. After running for several miles, they came to a forest. The polar bear noticed that the aura on its body had disappeared. It breathed a sigh of relief, released the black eagle, walked to the tree, sat cross-legged, and silently meditated to recover its energy.

Black Hawk had a lot of questions to ask, but seeing the polar bear's expression, he could only wait quietly. After a while, the polar bear opened his eyes, glanced at Black Hawk, and said in a low voice, "Ask whatever you want."

"Why did you stop me just now, and why did you lead me away without saying a word? What's the secret behind all this?"

Even though Black Hawk was furious, he still asked calmly.

“If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have followed in Canglang’s footsteps. The sword technique that Ren Qianxing used was extremely evil, and its power goes without saying. Canglang’s nine-layered golden bell shield was like thin paper. Not to mention you, even the chief would have had to escape here. Fortunately, Ren Qianxing’s sword technique had not reached its peak, otherwise, the two of us would already be corpses.”

White Bear sighed, looking at Black Hawk's gloomy face, and continued, "And do you think there were only the three of us in the arena at that time? The person hiding in the shadows had a profound aura, much stronger than Ren Qianxing. It's just that for some reason he didn't make a move. If he hadn't deliberately revealed his aura, I wouldn't have noticed it."

"Who is that person?"

"The archer recommended by the leader."

"It turned out to be him."

Black Hawk suddenly realized, and upon closer inspection, it made sense. Arrow Shadow was now the chief protector of the Supreme Alliance, second only to Guan Yutian and Ren Qianxing in the alliance. He also had some connection with Eagle Fortress, so it was not surprising that he would lend a helping hand. However, such favors were becoming less and less useful. If they were used once this time, it would be difficult to get the other party to do things for them willingly next time.

"Tonight's battle resulted in heavy losses, White Bear. How are we going to explain this to the Second Leader?"

Black Hawk was heartbroken. Not only had he failed to harm a single hair on Ren Qianxing's head, but he had also lost Canglang and Chishe, which was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Cangying Fortress.

"Keep this matter a secret for now, and don't let the second-in-command know. Since Ren Qianxing is difficult to deal with, then let's find someone easier to deal with: Liu Yiyi from the Heartless Sect and Xiaoyao Lang hiding in Sword Casting City. Their martial arts are far inferior to Ren Qianxing's. The only thing we need to consider is how to lure them out."

"That's not difficult. Liu Yiyi has a close relationship with the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust. If she learns that Sai Huatuo and his wife are in danger, Liu Yiyi will likely come out. As for that Carefree Gentleman, he's even easier to deal with. Didn't the Immortal of Wine appear at the Sea Shark Palace? We can make some moves here."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiong nodded immediately. Liu Yiyi and Xiaoyao Lang were both related to the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust. If things went smoothly, they could be dealt with together.

"First, gather manpower. Three days later, spread the news that the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust have encountered danger. Make sure it reaches Liu Yiyi and Xiaoyao Lang's ears."

"Ah."

After a brief discussion, the two quickly left to prevent the Supreme Alliance from pursuing them.

Sword Forging City, in the volcanic cave

Sword Master and Gu Xu stared at the Frost Sword in the lava pool, most of its blade now white, a sharp aura filling the entire cave.

"Master, based on the forging speed, the Frost Sword will be ready in three months at most."

"Yes, the spirit of this sword is gradually gathering. Once the Nine Dragon Stone is integrated into it, the gathering of spirit will be complete."

(End of this chapter)