knife

Chapter 728 Head-on confrontation

When Cui Shu unleashed the full power of the Long River Technique, his true energy gathered like a brilliant, blazing sun, intense and unrestrained, making it impossible to look directly at him, but it was only directed at the person he was facing.

When Li Guohua made his move, the light emanating from him was gentle and refined, filling the entire space with delicate strands. Being within it made one feel lethargic and listless, wanting only to find a place to close their eyes and take a good nap. Yet, his attack was indiscriminate, targeting everyone present.

Cui Shu's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Cui Tu beside him and retreated in a flash. Yang Rong, who was beside Li Guohua, also immediately withdrew and left the area covered by the light.

Outside the Great Wall, Li Guohua never displayed his skills in public, and no one knew the extent of his martial arts prowess. It seemed that within the Linghu Group, he was merely a strategist who made a living with his brains.

However, he has consistently maintained his position as the number two in the Linghuye Group.
It's not that no one is willing to take on the challenge.
But no one is willing to take on the challenge anymore.

The soft sword in Li Guohua's hand flickered and shimmered. To outsiders, its physical form seemed to vanish, replaced by a dazzling, curving beam of light. It was as if an invisible hand was pulling at this light, trying to weave it into a large net.

"Governor Li, try this Star Rain style!" Li Guohua said with a smile.

At each node of the radiant net in the air, clusters of white light, like stars in the sky, broke free of the net and flew down towards Li Dachui below.

With a clang, the Minghong Blade was drawn. Holding the blade in his right hand, he ran his left hand along the back of the blade, creating a flourish. Blue sparks with white edges appeared out of thin air on the blade, surrounding Li Dachui, as if he were wearing a gauze robe adorned with blue flowers.

Blue sparks rose up, meeting each falling white orb of light.

Blue and white light flickered in the air. Some of it went out silently, while others burst into even more brilliant light in an instant. The net of light in the air seemed to be suddenly attacked by a strong wind, with all four corners rising. Some of the light clusters broke away from the net and fell towards Qingxin Pavilion below.

With a deafening roar, the Qingxin Pavilion, a towering three-story structure several dozen feet high, was reduced to ruins before the astonished eyes of the onlookers.

Li Dachui laughed loudly and soared into the sky, his Minghong Blade drawing a blue streak of light from its white glow as it slashed towards Li Guohua.

The large net suddenly fell, but it was like a tangled mess. From the mess, countless threads were pulled out. Some wrapped around the Minghong Blade, but most flew towards Li Dachui. Some thrust straight at him, some fell from the sky, some circled around to the ground like a venomous snake and then rose up, and some circled around and came silently from behind.

Amidst these enveloping rays of light, white orbs of light occasionally burst forth like sparks from a lamp wick, swarming towards Li Dachui.

The white light almost completely engulfed Li Dachui.

"Why make it so complicated!" Li Dachui roared amidst the light, "No matter how many transformations you make, I will shatter them with a single strike!"

Amidst the white light, a bright blue glow shone forth.

Countless blue sparks gathered around Li Dachui's Minghong Blade, covering its entire body, with the excess extending out from the tip.

With a deafening roar, blue sparks and white orbs of light flew everywhere.

A spark landed, and a raging fire broke out.
The ball of light landed, followed by a series of explosions.

Those watching from afar almost instinctively closed their eyes the instant the two sides collided.

When they opened their eyes again, they only saw two people, one holding a knife and the other a sword, facing each other from dozens of feet apart. Li Dachui was quite embarrassed.

His clothes were riddled with holes, some torn into shreds, fluttering forlornly in the wind. Li Guohua wasn't much better off; his once neatly combed hair was gone, strands flying everywhere. Because he was upwind, the wind blew from behind, obscuring his face. His fine cotton robe was now covered in holes, several places even ablaze and burning silently, while many more areas were charred, as if he had just escaped a raging fire. Even more astonishingly, the soft sword in his hand was covered in icicles, which were now falling off with a clattering sound.

Li Dachui stood with his sword in his hand, staring intently at Li Guohua opposite him.

This was the first time he had faced a master of innate strength in a one-on-one fight since absorbing Jiang Qian's internal energy, and his opponent was not at all at a disadvantage.

Whether facing He Zudao, Xiang Ying, or the Shu family father and son, or even fighting Linghu Ye on the banks of the river, he was able to unilaterally suppress them all in terms of cultivation.

If it were the person I was before going to Danyang, I would never have been a match for Li Guohua. If I had encountered him back then, I would have had to run for my life after that one blow.

Li Guohua stared at Li Dachui across from him with a look of shock on his face. Although he did not speak, his expression clearly said that this should not be the case and that this was unreasonable!
But the reality is right here.

The two attacked with all their might, but he could do nothing against them.

For him, Li Dachui was the root of everything. If he could kill Li Dachui, then 99% of the troubles they encountered could be resolved quickly.

Unfortunately, they failed to seize their only chance, the one on the banks of the river.

However, since Lu Xin was one of their people, if he had really been involved, this cunning and treacherous young man would never have come.

"How exactly did you cultivate such profound true power in such a short period of time?" Li Guohua finally couldn't help but ask, his mind full of questions.

"I'm exceptionally talented!" Li Dachui said proudly. "Of course, I also have a good mother, oh right, I also have a good companion! And a good godfather."

His extraordinary talent was obviously an exaggeration, but having a good mother was true. Without He Qingqiu's divine intervention to cleanse his marrow and transform his meridians, he would have been dead long ago. He Qingqiu traded her own life for his; otherwise, even in that battle, four against one, He Qingqiu wouldn't have lost. Unfortunately, she only had two choices: choose herself, and Li Dachui would die.

He had a good friend, which was naturally Qingfeng, but this could only remain a secret to him alone, and no one else would know it.

As for his adoptive father, he was actually quite unreliable. He made him cultivate the Qi of Heaven and Earth from a young age without him knowing anything about it. The reason was also ridiculous: if he couldn't cultivate the Qi of Heaven and Earth, there would be no hope of revenge. What was the point of living so long? He might as well die sooner!

Fortunately, Li Dachui mastered the technique.

Li Guohua sighed and nodded: "That's true! It seems I can't do anything about you. Why don't we just part ways and go our separate ways?"

"Dream on!" Li Dachui laughed. "Right now, my wife is plotting to seize Boling County. If I let you go back, she'll kick me out of bed while I'm asleep! I have to keep you here so I can get a good night's sleep!"

"Then you try and see if you can keep him!" Li Guohua sneered.

(End of this chapter)