Value

Everyone's expression changed.

The true energy attached to this punch was weak, but the power was terrifyingly strong!

Zhao Yi had already learned from the guards that Gu Qingxuan had undergone a complete transformation and had made preparations, but he never expected that Gu Qingxuan would dare to face him directly, and immediately channel his energy throughout his body and release his protective aura!

When one cultivates to the point of perfect enlightenment, all the meridians in the body are connected and the true energy is abundant; when one reaches the innate realm, the energy rushes to the Purple Palace, the spirit and energy are in harmony, and the true energy can be released outward, and the power of the moves is multiplied!

Although the difference between innate and acquired innate qualities is only one realm, they are worlds apart.

Zhao Yi formed a three-foot-high wall of qi around himself, his protective aura as transparent as a copper or iron wall. Ordinary martial artists of the acquired stage couldn't even get close to him. He was confident that he was invincible.

Gu Qingxuan punched the qi.

In an instant!

Unparalleled strength permeated his body!

The three-foot-high air wall shattered like a glass screen struck by a heavy hammer!

Zhao Yi's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly crossed his fists to protect his chest and slammed his fists hard at the point where his arms crossed. The power of the dragon and elephant erupted, and the force traveled from his fists to his arms, and then from his arms to his body, pounding hard into his chest!

boom!

Zhao Yi grunted and stumbled back more than ten steps, each step causing the blue bricks to shatter. He only managed to regain his balance when he reached the edge of the steps.

He spat out a mouthful of blood!

Everyone around was stunned.

The contempt on Liu Qiang's face froze, and the guards of the Marquis's mansion were all dumbfounded.

Zhao Yi is no ordinary person; he's a Xiantian (innate) cultivator! Even he couldn't withstand this brute force? Where did this son-in-law obtain such terrifying power?!

Gu Qingxuan took the initiative with one move, giving him no chance to catch his breath. He flashed forward again and unleashed all twelve forms of Frost Sky – Mountain Collapse, Formation Break, Sweep, and Cloud Piercing. Each move transformed his spear into a fist, fierce and domineering!

Zhao Yi had lost the initiative and suffered internal injuries. He was suppressed by him for seven or eight moves, and his face became increasingly ugly. He roared and suddenly changed his sword move. The cold light on the [Suihan Sword] surged, and a string of fine ice crystals condensed in the air where the sword blade swept.

Kunlun School, "Frost Sword Technique".

This sword technique infuses the sword with cold air, each move condensing frost and freezing ice. When unleashed, the surrounding area of ​​about ten feet turns into a frigid winter.

Zhao Yi had immersed himself in this sword technique for twenty years and had mastered its essence. His sword light, like a flurry of snowflakes, enveloped Gu Qingxuan, and for a moment the whole street was filled with a chilling atmosphere, even the light of the torches was frozen and dimmed.

The audience was mesmerized by the battle. One side unleashed the powerful Vajra Force, while the other displayed the chilling aura of innate swordsmanship. The interplay of fist and sword energy was so intense that viewers forgot to breathe.

Suddenly, the sword's edge shifted.

Zhao Yi's sword strike suddenly changed direction midway through the move. This change was completely unexpected and as fast as a ghost. It was the ultimate killing move of the Frost Sword Technique!

A strange, cold light flashed upwards, tearing Gu Qingxuan's clothes and leaving a sword wound in the center of his chest, from which blood seeped out, but fortunately it did not penetrate deep into the flesh.

Zhao Yi, having landed a successful strike, regained the upper hand. His mind settled, he sneered, "This move is the ultimate technique of the Frost Sword Art, 'Cold Moon Condensing the Edge.' Since acquiring the [Frost Sword], I've used this move twelve times, and every strike has hit its mark. You will be no exception!"

Gu Qingxuan glanced down at the bloodstain on his chest and sneered, "Is that so?"

He pounced again.

Zhao Yi cursed under his breath, thinking he was courting death. He flicked his Suihan Sword, and the cold light reappeared as he unleashed another "Cold Moon Condensing Edge" strike. The sword energy condensed into a white rainbow, the tip of the sword reflecting cold light, both sinister and unpredictable, aimed straight for Gu Qingxuan's heart.

But this time, Gu Qingxuan was waiting for this very sword strike.

The Frost Sky Spear Technique originated from the border army's battle formations and was honed over twelve years. Every move is a killing technique forged in the midst of thousands of troops.

One of its signature moves is called "Armor-Piercing Cone," a spear technique specifically designed to break through heavy armor. On the battlefield, enemy generals are clad in heavy armor, making it difficult for ordinary spear thrusts to penetrate. This move is used to counter such attacks.

With a quick twist of his hands, the gun spun rapidly, and his true energy flowed into the shaft. The high-frequency vibrations shook off the opponent's grasping hand, and then he concentrated all his strength at the tip of the gun, using that point to break through the surface and piercing through the iron armor in one strike!

There was no gun at this moment, but Gu Qingxuan had his hands.

He channeled the power of the "Armor-Piercing Cone" into his palms, and facing the cold light, he slammed his hands together, precisely clamping the incoming sword blade!

The power of the dragon and elephant is infused into the ten fingers.

With a flick of the wrists, two opposing forces were simultaneously applied to the sword. The essence of the "Armor-Piercing Cone" lies not in the "thrust," but in the "vibration" and the "flick"—the two forces overlapped in opposite directions, causing the Cold-Blooded Sword to tremble violently between the two palms, emitting a piercing, sharp sound.

Zhao Yi and Liu Qiang both thought he had made a foolish mistake again. This was an extraordinary treasure from outer space, a spiritual weapon that could cut through iron like mud. How could human strength possibly break it?

Then the next instant.

There was a crisp cracking sound!

The blade of the Suihan Sword actually broke!

"What?!"

Liu Qiang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise!

The outer blade shattered inch by inch, and fragments of iron flew everywhere, reflecting countless silver rays under the moonlight.

From within the shattered blade, a streak of icy blue light shot out, hovering in mid-air, revealing its true form—a short sword about three inches long, its blade entirely icy blue and as thin as a cicada's wing.

"A sword hidden within a sword!"

Everyone was shocked.

Gu Qingxuan, however, seemed to have anticipated this.

He gripped the suspended short sword with his left hand, the blade cutting his palm and blood seeping into the blade.

The small, icy blue sword trembled violently, emitting a clear, melodious sword cry, as if a creature that had been dormant for countless years had finally awakened.

Immediately, Gu Qingxuan flung his hand and threw the ice-blue short sword, which transformed into a streak of light and went straight for Zhao Yi's face!

Zhao Yi quickly snapped out of his daze at the broken sword, dodging to the side. The short sword grazed his earlobe, shaving off a lock of his sideburn.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when Gu Qingxuan revealed a cold smile. A glint flashed in his eyes, and the short sword suddenly turned in mid-air, drawing a strange arc before piercing into the back of Zhao Yi's neck and exiting from his Adam's apple!

puff!

Blood splattered!

"Hehe..."

A transparent hole appeared in Zhao Yi's neck, and blood gushed out from his Adam's apple.

He stared wide-eyed at Gu Qingxuan, his face full of disbelief. He reached out to cover his throat, but halfway up, he lay face up on the steps, eyes wide open, dead.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

No one understood why the extraterrestrial treasure broke, or why the sword could bend, and no one understood why Gu Qingxuan seemed to have foreseen it all along.

For a moment, the streets were deathly silent, with only the crackling of burning torches.

The icy blue short sword spun in the air, flew back to Qingxuan's side, and hovered on his shoulder like a bird returning to its nest.

Gu Qingxuan casually took it, his face paling slightly. Only after reaching the Innate Realm in sword control, opening up the Purple Mansion, and cultivating divine consciousness, could one control the sword with perfect ease.

In his haste to bind his blood to the master, he could only rely on the "spirit" of the three treasures of the human body, namely "essence, energy, and spirit," to control it. Just by changing its direction, his spirit seemed to be drained, leaving him feeling weak and feeble.

Fortunately, the sword struck...

Gu Qingxuan breathed a sigh of relief. Without even glancing at Zhao Yi's corpse, he turned and looked at the two vermilion doors behind him.

Have you seen enough now?

I refuse to believe you can just stand by and do nothing!

"You little bastard!"

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out.

He Juncheng's figure swooped down from the rooftop, his crimson true energy like flames enveloping him, and struck Gu Qingxuan's crown with a palm!

He arrived just in time to witness Gu Qingxuan killing Zhao Yi. Shocked and enraged, he unleashed a palm strike filled with hatred and full of power. The true energy of a peak innate master surged like a tide, and the ground began to crack even before the palm wind arrived.

Gu Qingxuan neither dodged nor avoided, remaining calm and composed.

At the critical moment, a sharp sword aura pierced through the air from the direction of the Zhenfu Division's gate!

The sword energy arrived first, striking precisely before He Juncheng's palm.

The two forces collided in mid-air with a muffled boom, and the shockwave blew out, extinguishing all the lanterns on both sides of the street!

He Juncheng groaned, his whole body was thrown backward by the shock, and he staggered to the ground, retreating more than ten feet before he regained his balance, his right palm still trembling.

He suddenly looked up, his face ashen: "Sword Finger Divine Power..."

A figure descended from the sky and landed steadily on the steps in front of the Zhenfu Division.

The man was in his forties, dressed in a flying fish robe embroidered with cloud patterns, with a silver belt around his waist. He was of medium height, with fair skin and three wisps of goatee under his chin. He didn't look like a military general at all, but rather like a clerk in charge of accounts in a government office.

It was none other than Wu Dingbang, the Commander of the Northern Garrison!

He stood with his hands behind his back on the steps, leisurely glancing at the crowd on the street. His gaze lingered on Gu Qingxuan for a moment before sweeping over Qin Yi, who was already dead on the ground, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

At the same time, dozens of officers from the Zhenfu Division appeared simultaneously from the walls, alleyways, and rooftops, armed with crossbows, and expressionlessly surrounded the Jinwu Guards and the Marquis's mansion guards in layers.

Liu Qiang jumped in surprise and immediately clasped his hands in a salute: "Liu Qiang, the commander of the Imperial Guard's patrol team, greets Your Excellency the Garrison Commander!"

The armored soldiers behind him clasped their hands in unison: "Greetings, Commander!"

The crowd bowed deeply, like wheat swaying in the wind.

Gu Qingxuan was the only one who didn't move, coldly watching the old man clean up his mess.

"I was the one who offered myself up just now, and you were just putting on airs. Now that your appraisal skills have been demonstrated, everyone knows what this means for an extraterrestrial treasure. If you don't save it, plenty of others will. Let's see how you bid!"

Wu Dingbang straightened his cuffs, coughed lightly, and asked knowingly, "In the middle of the night, there's banging gongs and drums, and hundreds of people have completely blocked the Zhenfu Division... What? Are you planning a rebellion?"