Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 178 Ambush and Trap, Breaking the Law with a Single Sword

"Brother Tong, you're being far too cautious. He's just a seventeen-year-old boy who's been praised a few times in the martial arts world and called one of the four great masters of the younger generation. You actually believe that?"

A burly man in black armor, with a large face, big ears, round eyes, and a wide mouth, raised his long spear and sneered, "With three hundred elite soldiers of my Dragon Soaring Army here, let alone targeting just one person, even if the entire Heavenly Star Sect were to mobilize, they wouldn't be able to gain any advantage."

"Brother Wu, the battles in the martial world are not the same as those on the battlefield. If we face each other head-on, the Dragon Cavalry is the elite of the world and will naturally have no fear of anyone."

But Lu Wubing is not someone who can be judged by ordinary standards; those who underestimated him are all dead.

Tong Qi, the commander of the Golden Scale Guard, did not dare to neglect Wu Que, the commander of the Dragon Army.

The other party was connected to the Wing King's side, and accompanying them were Master Cangshan Guest, Li Yunzhong, the head of the Li sect.

Li Yunzhong is now nearly sixty years old. He broke through to the Innate Realm six years ago, and his Flowing Wind Sword is well-known in the martial arts world. He also holds a very important position in the Prince Yi's Mansion and is highly trusted by the Prince.

With him here, it's not our place to speak.

Besides, Tong Qi didn't know how the strategists from Prince Gong's Mansion had managed to persuade the officials from Prince Yi's Mansion. He was also a little confused about what the two sides were up to.

All he knew was that this trip to Mingyang Prefecture was crucial to the overall situation in the southeast, and the key figure was Lu Wubing.

If we can deal with this person, everything will be fine.

Otherwise, there will be endless changes.

"My lords, please do not worry for now. In my opinion, Lu Wubing is not in any great danger on his own."

However, since he came to the mountain, the Tianxing Sect has worked hard to revitalize itself, unifying the three branches and greatly increasing its prestige.

Now that we've lured his parents out, we've deliberately left some clues. Anyone who isn't blind can see that the situation in Mingyang City is intricate and dangerous.

Given this situation, he naturally wouldn't dare mobilize a large number of his disciples. Therefore, even if he were to come to the rescue, he would only bring a small number of people.

With the Golden Scale Guards and Dragon Cavalry troops here, having laid an ambush, and with Elder Li in charge, there's no way anything could go wrong.

A scholar-like young man in his thirties with a small mustache said slowly and confidently, "We just need to capture and kill Lu Wubing. Ouyang Zheng of the Tianxing Sect is far away in Liyang, and his disciples are leaderless and just a disorganized mess."

"At that time, no matter how elite the Taiping army is, how could they possibly withstand the combined forces of the three guards of my Western Route General's Office?"

This person was none other than the nephew of Zuo Kuang, the elder of the Ziyang Sect, who was also the one who served as a staff member of the General's Office. He was the one who secretly coordinated and traveled to various parties during the attack and defense of Mingyang.

Although he was not of high status, he was exceptional in both eloquence and strategy, and seemed to have united several forces that were neither clearly friend nor foe, targeting both the Tianxing Sect and Lu Wubing.

"In my opinion, we still cannot be careless. You may not know this, but Lu Wubing's strength is truly unbelievable."

The Moon Shadow Hall of Dongjun was wiped out overnight. At that time, the great swordsman of Dongyi, the swordsman Nagata Shinichi, was present. He only exchanged a few blows before dying by his sword..."

Tong Qi thought for a moment and then instructed the Four Wonders of Tongshan: "Tian Er Weng, you should carefully investigate the movements of all sides. If any people or horses approach within thirty miles, you must report it in advance."

Caiyun Weng, take advantage of the evening glow to set up your Five Poisons Clear Wind Miasma outside the temple in advance to prevent any experts from sneaking in.

"Old man with the long beard, cut off the heads of those fools and hang them on the long pole. Move Lu Changfeng and his wife to the temple."

"Yes, I've been fed up with this big-headed bastard for a long time."

The old man, with a long, trailing beard and resembling a monkey, grinned menacingly as he walked toward a row of carriages.

There stood a tall, burly young man with twisted bones and blood flowing from his mouth, cursing loudly.

"Don't be so arrogant. When my young master arrives, you'll all have to behead yourselves and feed yourselves to the dogs."

"Bah! You bunch of hypocrites, acting like government officials, how dare you attack my Lu family? Don't you even know whose territory this is in Mingyang City, at the foot of Tianxing Peak?"

"You shorty, what do you want? Trying to bite my balls? Who's going to look at you with that face?"

Wang Tietou shouted and cursed, his eyes red.

He may lose the game, but he won't lose face.

Upon realizing something was amiss, he immediately fought desperately. Although he had now mastered the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Fist, and with the help of his internal energy, he possessed a force of 1,500 jin with every move, making him a formidable fighter.

However, when faced with top-tier experts, they still fall short by quite a bit.

At this moment, he was injured both inside and out, and his eyes were covered in blood. Knowing that he was about to die, he wanted to have a good talk.

Both Wang Zhong and Tang Qi were severely injured and on the verge of death. A bitter smile appeared on their faces as they lay on the ground, struggling to breathe.

She both hoped that the young master would arrive soon and wished that he would never come.

With so many experts and hundreds of elite soldiers on the perimeter, it was clearly a trap deliberately set.

Even if the young master is strong and fearless of being surrounded, he might still be ambushed if he is afraid to act rashly.

In particular, a renowned master of Cangshan Mountain, a primordial swordsman, was hiding in the big tree outside the temple.

Lu's mother, Chen Yulian, was now filled with remorse.

He murmured and sobbed, "It's all my fault. I was stupid and didn't know how to guard against people's hearts. In the end, I harmed others and myself."

That damned Wang Teng! He actually colluded with outsiders to frame his master! How dare you!

"Grandma, please don't wrong an innocent person. I was just following orders."

Your son has acted recklessly, murdering officials and rebelling. If the Marquis's mansion doesn't take action soon, won't we be implicated? This is a letter personally written by the Second Master; how could it be fake?

Wang Teng sneered from the side, "Although the old lady's illness is fake, you, as her daughter, have been following a peasant around, causing trouble outside all day long and implicating your own family. Even if you are beaten to death by family law, it will be a worthy death."

With a loud "whoosh," Chen Yulian was so angry that she spat out a mouthful of blood.

"No need to ask anymore, this dog of a servant must have been bribed with money to secretly steal my second brother's seal and come to Mingyang to deceive people."

Otherwise, how could the Marquis's mansion, which rarely contacts our family, know about our current situation? Let alone what the healthy child has been doing.”

Lu Changfeng's face was pale, and for some reason, he became calmer the more urgent the situation became.

He saw through the bluff of the steward of the Marquis's mansion at a glance.

What's with all this talk of family rules and implicating others?

In fact, they are all fake.

Aside from those who are directly involved, no one else has the right to know what happened in Mingyang Prefecture and Tianxing Sect.

How could the Marquis's mansion possibly get involved? They even fabricated a story about the old lady being critically ill to trick them into going on a trip.
In the blink of an eye, the long-bearded old man put away his long pen, took out a bull-ear-shaped dagger from his waist, grabbed Wang Tietou by the hair, and was about to swing the dagger down to cut off his head.

Sudden.

"Om..."

Then everyone heard a melody from a zither.

The long-bearded old man trembled, felt slightly dizzy, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He recalled the time when his son was walking down the mountain and a father and daughter passing by cut off his head and handed it over to the local government for a reward.

That time, he chased the murderer for thousands of miles, but the other party cut off his leg. He barely escaped and dared not seek revenge. For the past few decades, he has been hopping and jumping.

He doesn't actually like jumping around; it's just that one of his legs is a prosthetic, so he can't use it properly and has to walk in this strange way.
If it weren't for his profound cultivation and excellent lightness skills, which allowed him to largely conceal the disability in his legs, he would likely be living under the constant ridicule of others.

The past is like smoke, yet it is etched into his soul. Even with his ruthless, bloodthirsty, and unrestrained nature, he couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow at this moment.

puff puff...

Before he could even realize something was wrong.

Two streams of blood had appeared on his chest.

In the midst of the crisis, the long-bearded old man only had time to shift his body slightly to avoid vital organs. With a powerful push from his left leg, he somersaulted five or six zhang (approximately 10-15 meters) before crashing heavily to the ground.

The white paper in the hands of the Heavenly Ear Elder behind him turned into clouds and mist, and he waved it forward, densely covering the sky with a fine net.

Black blood was now flowing from his ear canals, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his face showed a look of sorrow.

Not only him, but also the seven or eight experts present were slightly stunned and swayed.

Clearly, everything was affected.

Tong Qi's expression changed drastically, and he roared, "Seven Emotions Heavenly Melody, who is playing the zither?"

Zuo Hanshan clutched his heart tightly, half-kneeling on the ground, and shouted, "Kill the musician first, Lu Changfeng..."

He hadn't even finished speaking.

A burst of sword light erupted, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards the carriage from behind.

shhhhhh...

The three men, who were about to tumble and fall, including the long-bearded old man who was about to pick up his brush, the heavenly-eared old man who was about to weave a net with paper, and the old man with colorful clouds who was releasing a seven-colored poisonous mist, all felt a chill in their throats as the sword light pierced through their necks.

Woo!
Iron Inkstone Elder wielded the heavy inkstone, his eyes red, as if wielding a giant hammer, and smashed it down on the head of the approaching figure with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

Unexpectedly, seven more streaks of light appeared behind this person, moving faster than the speed at which light enters through the pupils of a person's eyes, whistling as they flashed past him.

"Form the Seven Star Formation and fight in all directions at night."

The one wielding the sword at the head of the group had a cold face like frost, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent; it was none other than Zheng Yuanbin.

He had just arrived and remembered Lu Wubing's instructions to hold him still for now, so he remained lying motionless in the wild jungle.

As a result, the other party actually tried to kill them with a knife and even wanted to move Grandpa Lu and the others to the temple.

The opportunity was fleeting, and without a second thought, Zheng Yuanbin, his killing intent surging, led seven men out.

I had only taken five steps when I heard the sound of a piano.

The music was like waves, seemingly with eyes, ignoring the soldiers lying in ambush all around, and focusing solely on the group of experts.

"It's Junior Sister Shen."

Zheng Yuanbin was overjoyed and immediately disregarded everything else. His blood and qi surged, and his internal energy circulated wildly as he pushed forward.

At this point, speed is crucial.

Only by killing the enemy so they can't free up their hands will Grandpa Lu Changfeng and the others in the rear be safer.

"What a courageous dog."

Tong Qi has just given the order.

In a moment of mental distraction, three of his top fighters died, and the enemy charged straight at him.

He slapped forward with his left hand, his figure drifting backward, the gold and silver colors shimmering slightly in his palm, a powerful palm print blocking his way.

At the same time, a slash came down diagonally, accompanied by a deep, low howl of ghosts and wolves.

[Golden and Silver Hands, Divine Blade]

Tong Qi, as a commander of the Golden Scale Guard, rose through the ranks due to his merits, and his martial arts skills were even higher than his official rank.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been valued by his superiors and sent to the southeast region to handle Jianghu affairs.

Being in the government or public office provides a good opportunity for cultivation, especially for privileged institutions like the Golden Scale Guard, which offers access to the superior martial arts techniques of various schools and sects across the land.

He was exceptionally talented and diligent in his cultivation, and his skills had long since reached the first rank.

He might be a little less powerful than the leaders of major sects, but he was not afraid of the leaders or elders of second-rate sects.

He immediately faced the attack head-on, knife in hand.

As soon as he received the attack, he broke out in a cold sweat.

The opponent's swordplay was so fast it was beyond the limits of his brain's reaction time, and every move was an attack with no retreat, only offense and no defense.

Even if you get the chance to slap him or cut him, you'll first get stabbed in the neck.

No matter how confident he was in his skills, he wouldn't dare to compare his supple neck to the edge of someone else's sword.

In his haste, he could only retreat step by step, and could only use 30% of his skills.

Behind him, Wu Que, the Left Commander of the Longxiang Army, wielded his long spear like a storm. The soldiers around him rushed forward madly, but after the seven men swept through, they left behind a large number of corpses, which could not stop their advance at all.

The most impressive one is still...

The mournful sound of a zither could be heard from time to time.

It doesn't sound like it would cause any harm.

When I'm not paying attention, my mind keeps wandering.

As I played, I recalled some long-forgotten memories and some regrets that I found hard to forgive myself for.

Despite having the superior numbers, as long as they maintain their position and wait for reinforcements to arrive, they can crush the eight people in front of them in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, he couldn't free his hands and was chased around by eight rapidly moving longswords.

Instead of forming an encirclement, they were surrounded by the enemy in their heartland.

Wu Que, the commander of the Longxiang Army, was completely defeated and had no chance to fight back.

No matter how well he protected himself with his spear, he could only watch as his guards fell to the ground, stabbed one by one. He himself was also struck by several swords in the shoulder, cheek, and ribs because he couldn't dodge in time.

Although it didn't significantly impact their combat strength, they were still in a sorry state. What was most painful was that their elite troops had died so meaninglessly.

It's absolutely heartbreaking...

These are his trusted confidants whom he has cultivated at great expense.

"You dare to kill imperial soldiers? Aren't you, Tianxing Sect, afraid of the imperial army pressing in and wiping out your entire family?"

Wu Que roared angrily.

"You think you can represent the imperial court? Who do you think you are?"

One reason why Jung Won-bin is disliked is that he doesn't like to talk to people and always has a stern face.

Another reason is that he offends people as soon as he opens his mouth.

His words are incredibly sharp, hitting people right where it hurts.

His words infuriated Wu Que, who was screaming in anger, while Wu Que was already considering retreating.

In fact, all the disciples of the Heavenly Star Sect understood this.

His own strength was not actually at the level of a top-tier martial artist.

However, thanks to the Flowing Light Sword Style that the young sect leader forcibly instilled into their minds, they can combine all their internal energy to unleash a sword strike that surpasses their current level.

This kind of swordsmanship is dangerous and can be fatal. It might be useful in a crisis, but in a real fight, it's really hard to last long.

After using up dozens of sword strikes, the eight people would not only collapse to the ground, but their strength would also immediately drop drastically.

Zheng Yuanbin might be able to continue fighting against a third-rank expert, but his other seven junior brothers might even be struggling against fourth-rank experts.

At that point, leaving would be virtually impossible; everything would inevitably be lost here.

It would be better if we all died here.

If Grandpa Lu and the others also die here, then this matter will have been handled poorly.

His eyes darted around, and with a long howl, his sword strikes became even more rapid.

They had already given the signal, preparing to make a hasty retreat if things got too dangerous. They would put others aside for now and at least get Old Master Lu and his wife out first.

"Senior Li..."

Tong Qi was shouting for help.

This person is incredibly shrewd; he saw through the situation at a glance.

He cursed Wu Que inwardly, thinking he must be out of his mind to dare to kill imperial troops at a time like this.

This is already a life-or-death situation; it's really strange to say something like that.

The best course of action is to surround them from all sides and trap them in place.

And the one playing the piano.

However, he was so overwhelmed by the attack that he was drenched in sweat and couldn't even utter a command. He was helpless and could only call out to Li Yunzhong in his busy schedule.

Senior, are you watching a show, or are you just watching a show?
And Zuo Hanshan, why did you retreat so quickly?
Oh, so you went around in circles to drag the Lu family elders back and threaten them. You've got brains.

Uh...

Amidst the music, a soft whistling sound suddenly arose.

The wind was so faint it was almost inaudible, yet it blew straight into everyone's hearts, like standing on a mountaintop, watching the clouds change and the wind rise and fall.

It evokes a poetic and picturesque feeling of appreciating flowers and the moon, with a slight sinking of the body's energy and a languid reluctance to move.

Zheng Yuanbin and his companions were all taken aback.

The eight men acted as one, taking a step back simultaneously, their swords flashing like the sun as they thrust forward.

puff……

The surging true energy transformed a gentle breeze into a raging storm.

A powerful sword light struck the swords of the eight men.

The men trembled violently and flew backward. Zheng Yuanbin felt a chill in his heart and spat out a mouthful of blood.

This person is unmanageable.

He is a master born with innate talent.

A realization dawned on him.

Then I heard the urgent sound of a zither.

Several transparent waves rapidly formed in front of him, transforming into crescent-shaped blades.

But they were all killed by an old man in white robes and a tall crown with a single sword stroke.

"I waited and waited, but no one showed up. Instead, I got a few ignorant juniors. Fine, I'll use you as a sacrifice for the flag first, and then use the blood of the Southern Sword to wash my blade."

Li Yunzhong sneered, holding his sword horizontally at his side, looking at Zheng Yuanbin and his eight companions as if they were eight ants.

After speaking, he slashed with his sword, and a fierce wind howled and a thick fog rolled in front of him.

The sword had already slashed towards Jung Won-bin's throat.

The fifth senior brother gathered all his strength and thrust out his sword in despair, but it broke in two as soon as it touched the sword light, completely unable to block the sharpness of the Flowing Wind Sword.

"is it?"

A deep shout rang out in the distance.

The sound of horses' hooves had just reached my ears.

The sound had already entered everyone's ears, making their eardrums buzz.

Li Yunzhong made a sword strike, his face originally expressionless, but upon hearing this voice, his body swayed heavily.

The innate true energy around him exploded like fireworks.

Blood flowed from his nostrils, and a deep bloodstain appeared from his brow to the tip of his nose.

For some unknown reason, the longsword he was wielding was deflected by an invisible force and struck the grass, its energy surging.

They cut out a long ditch.

"Lu Wubing".

Li Yunzhong looked up and saw a figure standing at the point where light and shadow shifted, seemingly both real and unreal. He clearly saw that the figure was still dozens of feet away, but when he looked again, it was already seven or eight feet in front of him.

He couldn't understand how the other person could possibly hit him with a single sword strike from so far away.

It can even break through one's own innate true qi defense.

As a result, the Cangshan Sect's 8972-style Flowing Wind Sword technique was completely unable to be used or blocked.

"You have some serious audacity to kidnap Lu's parents. Well done, you're very good."

Lu Wubing's voice was filled with extreme coldness as he slowly approached.

The Dragon Cavalry soldiers and Golden Scale Guards who swarmed in from all sides, as they ran, suddenly rolled their eyes back, collapsed on the spot, and stopped breathing.

As he walked, he covered dozens of feet in height, and hundreds of people fell in his wake.

The sunlight in the sky dimmed, and what was once a sweltering evening suddenly turned chilly and desolate. It was as if summer had abruptly given way to winter.

What was most terrifying was that, when facing the young man in blue robes and wielding a long sword, Tong Qi and the others were filled with illusions.

It wasn't like seeing a person, but rather a mosasaur, soaring and roaring wildly in the wind and rain, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

Wu Que, Tong Qi, and the others retreated together, all the way into the temple. They still felt cold, and their trouser legs were soaked.

Zuo Hanshan and his group were not so lucky.

She had just run to Lu Changfeng's side, but hadn't even had a chance to make a move yet.

The five or six people stood frozen in place, and the next moment, blood spurted from their throats.

He looked back, his eyes full of confusion, not knowing when the other party had drawn their sword or when they had approached to attack.

"The Eight Swords of Subduing Dragon, the dragons are without a leader."

Li Yunzhong's voice had become hoarse at some point, and his eyes were full of caution. He pointed his long sword diagonally, as if facing a formidable enemy.

He didn't even bother to wipe away the blood dripping from between his eyebrows.

The sword light and long dragon that condensed in the void before him made him feel like a toad being stared at by a long snake, his whole body trembling and he dared not move an inch.

He knew that any movement would mean death.

"Good for you. Before you came to deal with me, didn't you do any research? You're perfectly fine, so why did you choose to seek death?"

Lu Wubing shook his head and sighed, then swung his sword diagonally.

A deep, dark mark was carved into the void, remaining there for a long time.

Just three zhang in front of him, Li Yuanzhong had just raised his longsword, his sword intent surging, the wind swirling around it, when it was cleaved in two by the black mark.

His upper body, along with the longsword in his hand, was like air, offering no resistance whatsoever.

It couldn't withstand the void slash that stretched for more than ten zhang for even a moment.

"Yang Realm!"

Li Yunzhong's voice was filled with endless regret, as well as some resentment and unwillingness. He never expected that his opponent, who was so young, had honed his sword intent to the point of solidifying it in the void.

Having cultivated his true qi to the innate level and condensed his sword intent not long ago, even his [Yin Deficiency] sword intent was only honed to the point of 20%. How could he possibly withstand this divine sword light that had materialized?

If he had known he was going to deal with such a formidable opponent, he would have been asking for trouble by coming here to die.

False intelligence can be deadly.

"Master."

Wang Tietou was so happy he was almost going crazy.

Ignoring his severe injuries, he practically crawled on the ground, grinning so hard his teeth were showing, his eyes were all blurry.

Damn.

Those boastful bastards all deserve to die.

"Young Sect Leader."

Jung Won-bin and the others also breathed a sigh of relief, their bodies relaxing completely.

Only then did I realize that my internal organs were injured and my muscles and bones were in excruciating pain, but no pain could compare to the joy in my heart.

We finally made it through.

With the young sect leader's swordsmanship being so powerful, none of those present could escape.

Tong Qi, Wu Que, and the others felt as if their hearts had fallen into an ice cave.

That's Master Li, a master of innate level.

You're saying you couldn't even block a single sword strike and just died like that?
It's over now.

Lu Wubing's soft snort had thrown him into a state of mental confusion, leaving his limbs weak and powerless, without even the strength to fight back.

How is this played?
In fact, there's no need to fight at all.

With a slight movement of his sword, Lu Wubing had already struck several people's acupoints.

"Take them all down and interrogate them thoroughly to find out who is behind this."

Wang Teng, the steward of the Hou family, forced a smile and said happily, "Young Master, do you still remember me? When you were a child, I went to Jiangzhou to deliver horses."

"remember."

"Snapped……"

Lu Wubing struck down with a palm, shattering the man's leg bones and forcing him to kneel on the ground. He coldly said, "You wicked servant, you've deceived your master. Confess properly and try to die a quick death."

He turned to look at the distant woods. "Thanks to my senior sister, everything's alright now. Come out."

While others couldn't see it, with his keen senses, he had already noticed that Shen Xinzhu, soaked to the bone and bleeding from the corner of her mouth, struggled to her feet, leaning on her zither.

She wasn't very proficient in mastering the Seven Emotions Heavenly Sounds. She had almost fainted while forcibly holding on against multiple opponents.

Fortunately, I didn't delay and arrived in time.

................................................

(End of this chapter)