The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 374 The Old Eunuch: Although I can't beat you, you must give me an explanation.
The red ribbon, like a swimming dragon, darted out of the darkness and swiftly wrapped around the old eunuch's body.

It coiled and twisted, creating dazzling afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, it tightly wrapped around the old eunuch's body and limbs, binding him into a stick.

The whole process was too fast, too swift, and too quick to be noticed!
By the time the old eunuch instinctively tried to resist, his hands and feet were already immobilized.
Xu Xingchen calmly extended her right arm, her hand suddenly clenching into a fist.

Boom~~~!

A raging inferno rose up, enveloping the red ribbon and the person within it.

It also illuminated an area of ​​several dozen feet in the vicinity.

Seeing this familiar scene, Ouyang Feng, who was not far away, couldn't help but tremble, thinking of the pain he had felt when he was burned earlier.

The eyes of Hong Qigong, Zhou Botong, and Huang Yaoshi, who were in the other three directions, also flashed with a sharp light, gaining a deeper understanding of Xu Xingchen's martial arts skills.

They had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.

After the old eunuch unleashed the power of breaking through to the fourth realm, his martial arts skills were no less than those of the three of them, but he was still easily defeated by Xu Xingchen.

This is enough to prove that Xu Xingchen could defeat any one of the three of them!

Seeing the tall, young figure on the battlefield not far away, the four of them were momentarily stunned, as if they were reminded of Wang Chongyang, the Central Divine, from more than twenty years ago.

Back then, Wang Chongyang was so amazing and decisive that he completely overwhelmed the four of them, along with Emperor Duan Zhixing of the South, and thus ascended to the throne of the number one master in the world.

However, Wang Chongyang was already quite old at the time, which is why he passed away peacefully not long after the Mount Hua Sword Tournament.

This young man before us, only in his twenties or thirties, has already achieved what Wang Chongyang did back then; doesn't that mean that this young man's martial arts talent is even higher than that of Wang Chongyang, the number one martial artist in the world back then?!
Thinking about this, all four of them felt a sense of disbelief.
Among the spectators atop the four city walls, martial arts masters witnessed how the Cloud-Stepping Immortal and the Black and White Impermanence had effortlessly forced the old eunuch from the imperial city into a disadvantageous position.
Now, they even wrap it with a red ribbon and burn it fiercely.
Amidst their astonishment and horror, they couldn't help but silently mourn for the old eunuch.

The eunuchs and imperial guards in the Song Dynasty palace reacted very strongly.

Their expressions were agitated: worry, fear, panic, and dread.
A variety of negative emotions played out on their faces in a spectacular and ever-changing display!

In their minds, the old eunuch was a pillar of stability in the Song Dynasty palace, and also their ancestor.

Almost all the eunuchs, both high and low, in the imperial city, as well as every imperial guard, had received guidance from the old eunuch.

These people held the old eunuch in high esteem and believed that he was far more powerful than the so-called martial arts masters known as the Four Great Masters of the Jianghu or the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains.

The old eunuch had always stayed hidden in the palace, protecting the emperor's safety, and never went out into the world to make a name for himself, which is why the upstart became famous.

The old eunuch is the real number one martial arts master in the world!

This has always been a consensus among them!

结果
Today, tonight, at this hour.
Their pillar of strength, unparalleled grandmaster, and number one in the world, was actually being repeatedly defeated and forced into a disadvantageous position by a young man who was many years younger than the old eunuch.
This brutal scene shattered their preconceived notions, causing each of them to shudder slightly.

The superior attitude he had always held in his heart, which stemmed from his disdain for those crude men who roamed the underworld, has crumbled completely, leaving him utterly defeated!
Many people blushed.
Some even had red eyes.
Others let out cries of pain and resentment.
On the battlefield beneath the imperial city.

This time, without anyone else interfering, Xu Xingchen was able to focus all her efforts on dealing with the old eunuch!
He used the red silk to tightly bind the old eunuch's body while simultaneously drawing upon the power of flames to burn him.

He knew that with such power, it was somewhat unrealistic to expect to kill the old eunuch.

In a life-or-death crisis, the old eunuch might very well go all out and use desperate measures.

Moreover, he only wanted to defeat the old eunuch and thwart his attempt to take advantage of the situation.

I really had no intention of killing it!

Therefore, he still held back somewhat when he made his move!

The old eunuch, engulfed in flames, let out an angry roar.

With a twist and turn of its body, after several struggles, it miraculously broke free from the red silk, like a snake wriggling and flipping.

Such wondrous footwork caught Xu Xingchen's eye, and he secretly praised, "The martial arts of the Nine Yin Manual are indeed extraordinary."

The old eunuch, having escaped, landed on the ground not far away. With a burst of energy, he shook off the remaining flames.

Let's look at his appearance now.
The crystal armor became dirty, black, and messy, and the sparse hair on its head was burned away, leaving only a few strands.
Aside from these, his body was surprisingly unharmed!

The crystal armor possessed extraordinary defensive power, effectively protecting the old eunuch's body from the raging flames.

On the other side, Hong Ling extinguished her raging flames, swirling and dancing as she returned to Xu Xingchen's side. Xu Xingchen didn't attack again for the time being, but calmly said, "Senior's martial arts are extraordinary; I, a junior, have the utmost admiration for them!"

"However, it seems your plan is doomed to fail! How about we shake hands and make peace?"

The old eunuch's eyes were gloomy as he stared intently at Xu Xingchen, scrutinizing him from head to toe for a long time.

Then, his gaze swept over the magnetic ring, the several-foot-long red ribbon, the ten-foot-long sword beam, and the three-inch-long hill surrounding Xu Xingchen.

Taking a deep breath, the old eunuch concealed the fierce glint in his eyes and asked in a stiff voice, "Why is your martial arts so powerful? How could you defeat someone who has practiced the Nine Yin Manual?"

Xu Xingchen smiled slightly: "Senior finds it hard to believe that I, a junior, could defeat a senior who has cultivated the most extraordinary book in the world?"

The old eunuch said in a deep voice, "That's right!"

Xu Xingchen pursed his lips and smiled, "Although the Nine Yin Manual is the number one divine martial arts manual in the world, it is not necessarily true that there are no martial arts that cannot contend with it."

"Besides, no matter what kind of martial art it is, it is ultimately practiced by us martial arts practitioners, and everyone's martial arts talent is different."

Even the same martial art will yield different results when practiced by people with different talents.

"This junior's martial arts talent is somewhat extraordinary, which is why the martial arts skills I have cultivated are somewhat stronger than others."

This statement is the truth.
But when Xu Xingchen said it, the people present felt uncomfortable, as they felt that the kid had a bit of a boastful intention.

The old eunuch fell silent once again.

He realized that Xu Xingchen had no intention of killing him.

Otherwise, when he was entangled by the red ribbon and burned by the flames, Xu Xingchen could have continued to use the Green Mountain Phantom, the Fierce Sword Light, and the Yuan Magnetic Ring to launch continuous attacks.

Under the relentless onslaught, he may not be able to escape.
Having understood this, he extinguished his anger, no matter how resentful he was.

Seeing the old eunuch's eyes flicker, Xu Xingchen knew that the other was weighing things in his mind. He was not in a hurry to urge him, but instead felt that the longer the old eunuch thought about it, the better.

The longer the time, the more internal energy Hong Qigong and the other three would recover.

The more power the four regain, the less likely the old eunuch's plan will succeed!
Half a day later.

While the old eunuch was still hesitating, Hong Qigong jumped up from the ground and laughed loudly, "Brother Xu, our skills have recovered somewhat. We can run and jump now, so we won't be a burden to you!"

Zhou Botong jumped up from the ground and said with a grin, "Tonight's fight was really exhilarating! Practicing martial arts is indeed the most fascinating thing in the world."

Huang Yaoshi slowly stood up from the ground, his gaze sweeping over the old eunuch and Xu Xingchen, without saying a word.

Ouyang Feng, who looked the most disheveled, struggled to his feet. His aura returned to calm, and some of his injuries began to heal.

His charred skin was slowly regenerating, and it was believed that it wouldn't be long before his skin returned to normal.

At this moment, the old eunuch seemed to finally come to his senses. He snorted coldly, and the crystal armor on his body transformed into wisps of wind, which he absorbed into his body.

The aged face reappeared in the air, and he said coldly, "You lot have no respect for the law. You have disobeyed the Emperor and caused the Great Song Dynasty to lose face. Shouldn't you give the court an explanation?"

Xu Xingchen looked at Hong Qigong, Ouyang Feng, Zhou Botong, and Huang Yaoshi, and asked with a light smile, "Seniors, is there anything you wish to say?"

Zhou Botong scratched his head and said, "You are the final victor in tonight's great battle; therefore, you are now the undisputed number one expert in the world. Say what you want to say, don't worry about saving face for us."

“That’s right! In this world, the strong are respected and the weak are obeyed; the words of the strong are the rules, and the weak have no room to resist!” Hong Qigong said these words in a very loud voice, and all the spectators on the four city walls heard them clearly.

Moreover, as he said this, he glanced meaningfully at the old eunuch, which made the old eunuch snort coldly again.

How could the old eunuch not understand the meaning behind Hong Qigong's words?!
This is clearly a mockery of the Song Dynasty, which has been weak for many years, lacks ambition, cannot withstand the attacks of the Jin Dynasty, and still needs to pay tribute every year.
The princes, ministers, and officials of the Song Dynasty were all well aware of these matters, but everyone pretended to be deaf and dumb, covering their ears and blinds, and focusing on living a life of extravagance and debauchery.

No one wanted to tear off this last fig leaf!
Now, the Song Dynasty court is being taken advantage of by these江湖人士 (jianghu figures), who not only used the imperial palace as a battlefield, razing everything there to the ground, but also uttered disrespectful words, mocking the Song Dynasty court's inaction.
I wonder what the Emperor and all the ministers in the court will look like when they find out?
The old eunuch was merely a member of the harem.

His life's mission, besides serving the royal family, was to protect the lives of the emperors; he did not participate in important court affairs.

Therefore, there are many things that we can only turn a blind eye to and ignore!
Faced with Hong Qigong's sarcastic remarks
He had no room for rebuttal!

(End of this chapter)