A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 415 The Enemy Approaches Sword City
At Xialong Ridge, Guan Yutian and his group had been staying for four days. In the middle tent, Guan Yutian was looking at a letter in his hand, then handed it to Zhu Leng. After reading it, Zhu Leng's expression changed slightly, and he handed it to Xue Jian. Seeing that the two men looked grim, the latter hurriedly reached out and took it. After a quick glance, he exclaimed, "How could this be?"

The message stated that the six sects that came to join the Supreme Alliance were all severely injured and probably wouldn't be able to reunite with them in time. In addition, the message mentioned that the people who made the move were Huangfu Changhen, Jiu Zhongxian, and Xiaoyao Lang, along with a group of elites from Zhujian City.

"What a brilliant move to undermine our strength! No wonder I haven't seen a single person from Sword Forging City along the way; so this is what they were planning."

Guan Yutian didn't know whether those sects were truly severely injured or just making excuses, but regardless of the reason, he couldn't get their help.

"Alliance Leader, without these six families, we will be at a disadvantage when facing Sword Forging City."

While there is no shortage of top-level experts, the disciples at the lower levels can also play an important role. If one's own experts are entangled with the opponent and the stalemate continues, one's own side will surely lose.

"It doesn't matter. In the end, it all comes down to the number of experts. Right now, besides Sword Master, there's only Gu Xu in Sword Forging City. And Arrow Shadow can handle him. As for the rest, they're all no threat."

Guan Yutian remained calm and composed. He had great confidence in Qianxing's sword that separated worlds, and he was also confident that he could defeat the Sword Master within a hundred moves. At that time, as long as he obtained the Ling Shuang Sword in time, he could determine the fate of the world.

"Alliance Leader, there is one more person, Helian Ba. This person cannot be unaware of the Ling Shuang Sword. When the sword is revealed, he will definitely lead people to seize it. Although Liao Rushen has some strength, it is hard to say how much effort he is willing to put in."

Zhu Long had always kept his distance from Ru Shen, because whenever he met this person, he always felt that he was completely seen through by him and had no privacy at all, which made him very uncomfortable.

“Ignore Helian Ba. Sword Master is probably prepared. The Frost Sword will not fall into his hands. After several battles, the Sea Shark Palace has lost all its elites. Apart from Lian Chixue and Bai Yuer, there is no one else who can stand up to them. How can such a force contend with our two sects?”

Guan Yutian held Helian Ba ​​in utter contempt. If he hadn't been controlled by greed, he might have been able to save his life by living in seclusion. But if he interfered in the seizure of the Ling Shuang Sword, he would be on a dead end.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Long pondered for a moment and immediately understood. The Sword Forging City and the Supreme Alliance were vying for the Frost Sword, but they would never allow a third party to get involved. Once Helian Ba ​​made a move, he would be met with thunderous attacks from both factions.

"I'm afraid the Sword Master won't do what the Alliance Leader wants. If we can join forces with Helian Ba ​​to drive out the Supreme Alliance first, we certainly won't let this opportunity pass. Dealing with a Sea Shark Palace that has been greatly weakened is much easier than dealing with the Supreme Alliance."

Although Zhu Long thought this to himself, he wisely refrained from saying it to Guan Yutian. After all, he was just a subordinate, and it would not be a good thing to recklessly question the alliance leader.

"Judging by the time, if nothing unexpected happens, Qianxing and the others should be back by now."

"The Alliance Leader is wise; your subordinate admires him."

Guan Yutian nodded, then said, "Send a letter back to the Supreme Alliance, and have Chief Chen give those six sects some rewards according to the previous procedures. No matter what the reason, they have suffered in the end, so it is best to appease them."

"Yes, Alliance Leader."

Zhu Long said yes, and Xue Jian, who was standing to the side, looked at Guan Yutian after the two had finished speaking and said, "Alliance Leader, we have already waited for four days. We can wait for three more days at most, otherwise it will interfere with our schedule."

According to the plan set before departure, to reach Sword Forging City on November 11th, it is necessary to travel 300 li per day. The distance between Narrow Dragon Ridge and Sword Forging City is more than 5,000 li. Considering the losses along the way, time is very tight.

"Let's wait three more days."

As Xue Jian was about to speak after hearing Guan Yutian's words, Zhu Long gave him a wink, and Xue Jian immediately withdrew his words. Seeing that Guan Yutian had no further instructions, the two bowed again and turned to leave the tent.

The two left the tent and stopped ten paces away from the main tent. Xue Jian turned around and glanced around before turning his gaze back to Zhu Long, his eyes full of doubt.

What were you trying to say just now?

"The Alliance Leader shows far too much favoritism towards the White Tiger Hall Master, insisting on staying behind to wait despite everything. If we're late and delay the Alliance Leader's important business, Ren Qianxing might be fine, but the two of us might be in trouble."

After Xue Jian finished speaking, Zhu Lang frowned and looked at Xue Jian, saying, "Don't tell anyone else about these things. As the only successor of the Alliance Leader, it is only right that the White Tiger Hall Master receives such treatment. Putting aside everything else, just based on his martial arts skills alone, if we lose him, we will undoubtedly be missing a master when dealing with Sword Casting City. To put it more seriously, it may be precisely because of his absence that the Alliance Leader's efforts will fail. So since time permits, we might as well maximize our own advantages. You should understand such a simple principle."

After saying a few words, Zhu Long gave Xue Jian a few more instructions, then returned to his tent, wrote a letter, and sent it back to the Supreme Alliance by carrier pigeon.

After hearing Zhu Long's words, Xue Jian remained silent, then sighed deeply. He knew this principle all too well, but in a battle, the key was to gain the initiative, and time was the advantage. As the main attacker, they had come from afar and were naturally at a disadvantage. If they didn't seize the time and allow Sword Forging City to have enough manpower, it would be increasingly difficult to shake them as time went on.

"What exactly is the alliance leader thinking?"

Xue Jian believed that he could see the strengths and weaknesses, and so could the alliance leader. With that in mind, Xue Jian shook his head and turned to patrol.

On the other side, Ren Qianxing, who had narrowly escaped death, led seven or eight subordinates in a disheveled flight. After reaching the main road, Ren Qianxing and the others mounted fast horses and headed towards Xialong Ridge.

"Master, how are we going to explain this defeat to the Alliance Leader?"

"To be honest, we could suffer heavy losses at any time, but the Death Heart Sect is not much better off. She was hit by my sword twice. Even if she is a top expert, she will die. The Death Heart Sect can be expelled from the list from today."

Although things took some twists and turns, Ren Qianxing felt it was worth it to destroy the Death Heart Gate with the lives of more than twenty allies.

"There's a town ahead. Let's go eat and rest first, and then head straight to Xialong Ridge. We can't keep Master and the others waiting."

Ren Qianxing wanted to send a message by carrier pigeon, but the carrier pigeon had been lost outside the Death Heart Gate. After several earth-shattering explosions, all the horses had run away. In order to prevent the Death Heart Gate from chasing them, they had no choice but to conscientiously exhaust their true energy and use the Thousand Mile Flowing Light Step to leave the Death Heart Gate in just half a quarter of an hour.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the eight men immediately dismounted. They whipped their horses and, half an hour later, arrived at a small town that wasn't particularly luxurious. After a simple meal, they returned to their rooms to rest. The next morning, after preparing dry rations, dried meat, and water, they galloped out of the town and headed straight for Xialong Ridge.

Traveling day and night, two days later, Ren Qianxing and his group of nine arrived at Xialong Ridge. Just as they were riding forward, the disciples stationed outside quickly noticed them. The leader saw Ren Qianxing on horseback and was overjoyed. He rushed over, bowed respectfully to Ren Qianxing, and said, "Hall Master Ren, you've returned. The Alliance Leader has ordered you to come see him immediately upon your return."

Upon hearing this, Ren Qianxing dismounted, nodded to the disciple, handed the horse to the disciple, and walked alone into the mountain path.

"It seems a great battle has taken place here. The people who came here must be quite powerful." Ren Qianxing looked at the pitted marks on both sides of the mountain wall, which were obviously the result of the impact of true energy. He kept thinking and walked for a while before the disciple led him to the camp in the middle.

"Master, this is the Alliance Leader's camp."

Ren Qianxing glanced at the four expressionless black-clad swordsmen guarding outside, turned around, and tossed a bottle of pills to the disciple. Upon seeing this, the disciple immediately thanked him profusely and then left happily.

"Alliance Leader, the White Tiger Hall Master has arrived."

"Let him in."

Ren Qianxing clasped his hands in a salute to the guard, then lifted the tent flap and went inside.

"Master, your disciple has returned."

"Yes, you're injured."

Guan Yutian glanced at him up and down, and noticed that Ren Qianxing's breathing was unstable, so he raised an eyebrow.

“Master Sixin’s Seven Absolute Zither is too powerful, and there is also the faint help of Gu Xu behind her. This time, I have suffered a great defeat. Of the thirty members of the alliance, only eight are left. I have failed my master’s expectations and am willing to accept the punishment.”

As soon as Ren Qianxing finished speaking, he immediately knelt down. Guan Yutian's heart sank slightly upon hearing this. He lifted Ren Qianxing with his right hand, and the latter immediately felt a force supporting him. He straightened up and looked at Guan Yutian with a respectful expression.

"What exactly happened? Has the Seven Absolutes Zither, which has given up on life, already reached the seventh level? And what about Gu Xu?"

Guan Yutian knew that the only thing he feared about his innate internal energy was the Seven Absolutes Zither of Master Sixin. If she had truly mastered it, he would have to kill her first when they fought, otherwise his innate internal energy would be increasingly restricted as the battle progressed.

"Master, this is how it is..."

After listening to Ren Qianxing's words, Guan Yutian nodded slightly. Judging from Qianxing's description, the Heartless Realm he had activated was not yet proficient, and he must have broken through not long ago. This was not bad news for him.

"I am not surprised that the Death Heart Sect and the Sword Forging City are connected. What is surprising is that Gu Xu values ​​the Death Heart Sect so much that he even left his shadow there. Is there some unknown secret behind this?"

“Master, I suspect that Daoist Gu Xu played a decisive role in enabling the Death Heart Sect to stand with Sword Forging City. If that’s the case, this person probably already had a plan planted in the Death Heart Sect before you even started to take action against them. It was only triggered when I went there. If that’s the case, this person’s scheming is truly terrifying.”

Ren Qianxing didn't consider himself a cunning person and despised those who schemed. However, looking back, Gu Xu seemed to have the ability to foresee the future, managing to perfectly disrupt a grand gift carefully prepared by the Supreme Alliance. This level of cunning was truly astonishing.

"Well, since things have come to this, then it is not destined that the Death Heart Sect will perish. So be it. There will be another battle in Sword Forging City sooner or later. We can deal with it all at once then. Qianxing, you have had a long and tiring journey. Go and rest first. We will set off for Sword Forging City early tomorrow morning."

"Yes, the disciple obeys."

After Guan Yutian inquired about some more details, Ren Qianxing left the camp and returned to the outside of the mountain path, where he settled the remaining eight subordinates next to his own tent.

The next morning, the Supreme Alliance broke camp and, after regrouping, headed towards Sword Casting City at top speed. Meanwhile, Huangfu Changhen and his disciple Jiu Zhongxian, who were at Qingjian Creek, received a message from Sword Casting City and abandoned their plans to continue targeting the sects that were supporting the Supreme Alliance.

"The fact that we drove back those larger sects has weakened Guan Yutian's power to some extent."

Huangfu Changhen shouldered his bag and spoke to the Wine Immortal as he walked.

"Well, the Supreme Alliance has a deep foundation, so these things are nothing to him. Mr. Huangfu, did you say that Ru Shen might also go to Sword Forging City with Guan Yutian?"

"Definitely. After all, he is a first-rate expert. Guan Yutian will not let him go unused. Moreover, not only will Liao Rushen be there, but Helian Ba ​​will also not miss this Divine Sword Gathering. Perhaps this battle will cause turmoil in the martial world."

Huangfu Changhen sighed. Although he was unwilling to see the people suffer, the Sword Master was right. Only by unifying the martial world as soon as possible could peace be brought to the martial world. If the war continued for a long time, it would be the common people who would suffer.

"Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. The divine sword has a spirit and will not fall into the hands of those wolves with ulterior motives. Mr. Huangfu, we must hurry on our way. The Sword Forging City still needs us."

"Ah."

Huangfu Changhen nodded, and the three of them mounted their horses. They cracked their whips, and the horses neighed. Amidst the rising dust, the three figures disappeared.

Inside Sword Forging City, the Sword Master looked at the message reported by his scouts. A month had passed, and the people from the Supreme Alliance were less than a hundred miles away from Sword Forging City. They could arrive here as early as tomorrow.

"That's quite fast, Xiong'er. Have you arranged everything below?"

Upon hearing this, Jianxiong immediately replied, "Father, everything has been arranged. Zhong Ting, Fang Sheng, and Chu Yi, along with thirty-six skilled fighters, are stationed at the city gate. We will not tarnish the reputation of Sword Forging City."

"In addition, the Qingxin Garden, where the Supreme Alliance's high-ranking officials are stationed, has been cleaned up and all personnel are on standby."

"very good."

Sword Master nodded in satisfaction. With Sword Master's guidance and Yao Yuansheng's elixirs, Zhong Ting and the other two had finally become first-rate experts half a month ago. It was just right to let them go and intimidate others. As for Qingxin Garden, Sword Master stroked his beard and smiled. Although it was an independent residence, its location was not good. It was sandwiched between Gu Xu's residence and the Sword Hall. Any slight movement would be discovered. So he was not afraid of the other party playing any tricks.

"Master, where is the divine sword..."

Sword Master looked at Gu Xu to the side, who said, "City Lord, rest assured, I have already set up an array around the Divine Sword. Before the Divine Sword is born, no one can approach it without my permission, otherwise they will be eroded by the array's power."

(End of this chapter)