Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 368: Chapter 365: Commandery City Conflict

Fang Han and his two companions exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and hurried toward the gathering crowd.

Pushing through the onlookers, the scene before him made Fang Han’s eyes narrow slightly.

Seven young disciples in Qingxuan Sect Disciple’s Robes lay on the ground. Some clutched their chests and groaned, while others had blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. It was clear they were all injured.

In the center of them all, a figure dressed in the True Inheritance Robe of the Netherworld Pavilion had one foot planted on a Qingxuan Sect disciple.

It was Yin Huang.

He stood with his hands behind his back, applying slight pressure with his foot.

The Qingxuan Sect disciple pinned beneath his foot let out a stifled grunt. His face flushed red as he struggled desperately to get up.

But it was as if a mountain were pressing down on him; he couldn’t move an inch.

"Qingxuan Sect, is this all you’ve got?"

A cold sneer played on Yin Huang’s lips. His condescending gaze swept over the seven on the ground. His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.

"Seven of you, and not one is worthy of me getting serious. And you think you’re fit to participate in the Demon Hunting?"

The Qingxuan Sect disciple beneath his foot trembled with shame and rage. He clawed at the ground, his fingernails digging into the cracks between the stones, but he still couldn’t break free.

"Isn’t he being a bit too ruthless?"

"What’s this? The Netherworld Pavilion and the Qingxuan Sect have always been at odds. It’s common for them to be heavy-handed."

"That may be true, but this is just bullying."

Hearing the crowd’s murmurs, the curve of Yin Huang’s lips grew even more arrogant.

His Netherworld Pavilion already had a grudge against the Qingxuan Sect. On top of that, he had ambushed Fang Han on the main road, not only failing to defeat him but also being forced to flee. He had been bottling up his anger ever since.

Running into these Qingxuan Sect disciples on the street today had instantly ignited that malicious fire within him. He decided to take his frustration out on these ordinary disciples.

"You..."

The pinned Qingxuan Sect disciple struggled to lift his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yin Huang, his voice hoarse.

"If you’ve got the guts, then kill us! What kind of skill is there in humiliating us like this?!"

"Kill you?"

Yin Huang scoffed, adding more force to his foot. The disciple immediately let out a grunt, his face turning beet red.

"Killing you would be letting you off too easy. I want you to remember this: when you see someone from my Netherworld Pavilion, you’d best walk the other way."

Just then, one of the fallen Qingxuan Sect disciples suddenly sprang up from the ground, striking at Yin Huang with his palm.

His injuries were relatively light, and he had been waiting for an opportunity. He had finally found an opening to strike.

"Hm?"

A cold smirk tugged at Yin Huang’s lips as he casually swatted the air with his left hand.

A condensed Palm Seal shot through the air, carrying a bone-chillingly cold wind as it flew straight toward the disciple’s chest.

Although he didn’t use his full strength, with his Early Stage of Fourth Grade Cultivation, if this palm landed, the Qingxuan Sect disciple—who only had a Seventh Grade Cultivation—would be severely injured, if not dead.

Just as the Palm Seal was about to strike the disciple—

A cyan figure flashed like a phantom, appearing between the disciple and Yin Huang.

THUD!

A dull bang echoed.

The condensed Palm Seal slammed into a sheathed longsword, instantly disintegrating into wisps of black vapor that scattered in all directions.

The one who had intervened was, of course, Fang Han.

Yin Huang’s pupils contracted abruptly. The smug, arrogant expression on his face froze in an instant.

"Fang... Fang Han?!"

His voice involuntarily rose, tinged with an undisguised trace of terror.

The news that Duan Wuya had been severely injured by Fang Han had already spread throughout the Netherworld Pavilion.

Who was Duan Wuya?

He was ranked forty-fifth on the Celestial Pride List. After consuming the Blood Coral, his strength was infinitesimally close to the Third Grade.

Even an existence like that had been grievously wounded by Fang Han, let alone him, who was ranked eighty-second on the Celestial Pride List.

Without the slightest hesitation, the moment he saw Fang Han’s face, he made a decision—

Retreat!

He violently retracted the foot pinning the Qingxuan Sect disciple and shot backward, his speed so fast he left only an afterimage.

However, how could Fang Han let him get his wish?

"You think you can just leave after acting so arrogantly?"

Fang Han’s expression was calm as he drew his Cloud Splitting Sword in a flash.

He didn’t even use any elaborate Sword Techniques, simply slashing out with his sword from a distance.

A condensed, cyan Sword Qi cut through the air. Though launched second, it arrived first, slashing straight at Yin Huang.

Yin Huang’s face changed drastically. From this one sword strike, he felt the threat of death.

He roared in fury. The Inner Qi of his Early Stage of Fourth Grade cultivation erupted without reservation. He thrust out both palms, sending two condensed, pitch-black Palm Seals to meet the cyan Sword Qi.

BOOM—!

The Sword Qi and Palm Seals collided, erupting with a muffled boom.

In the next instant, the two Palm Seals were torn apart by the Sword Qi as if they were made of paper. The cyan Sword Qi, its momentum unbroken, viciously slashed across Yin Huang’s chest and abdomen.

PUH—!

Yin Huang let out a muffled groan. As if struck by a giant hammer, he spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

He crashed heavily onto the ground dozens of feet away, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

He struggled to get up but found his body wracked with excruciating pain. The qi and blood in his body churned, and his Inner Qi was in disarray. He had already sustained significant injuries.

If he hadn’t practiced a Body Hardening Technique like the Black Death Skill, which made his physical body far tougher than that of other Martial Artists at his level, this single sword strike would have likely left him grievously wounded.

Before he could even catch his breath, his vision blurred, and a cyan figure appeared before him like a ghost.

Fang Han looked down at the pathetic Yin Huang on the ground.

Without a word, he simply lifted his foot and planted it on Yin Huang’s chest.

The force wasn’t heavy, but it made Yin Huang feel as if a mountain was crushing him, rendering him completely immobile.

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned by the rapid turn of events.

Yin Huang, who had just been so insufferably arrogant, pinning a Qingxuan Sect disciple under his foot, was now being pinned in the exact same manner.

Moreover, with just a single sword strike, this person had sent Yin Huang—ranked eighty-second on the Celestial Pride List—flying back, coughing up blood, completely powerless to fight back.

"This... This is too..."

Someone swallowed hard, their voice barely a whisper.

More people just stared wide-eyed, their gazes fixed on the figure in the cyan robe.

"Who is that? How is he so strong?"

"It’s Fang Han! The True Inheritor from the Qingxuan Sect, the one ranked thirty-sixth on the Celestial Pride List!"

"Thirty-sixth? That’s a full forty-six ranks higher than Yin Huang at eighty-second. No wonder Yin Huang couldn’t even block a single strike..."

"Yin Huang went after Qingxuan Sect disciples, not expecting the Qingxuan Sect’s Celestial Pride True Inheritance, Fang Han, to be nearby. He really picked the wrong fight."

A tide of discussion surged through the crowd, instantly flooding the area.

Lying on the ground, feeling the pressure of the foot on his chest and hearing the piercing discussions around him, Yin Huang’s face alternated between ashen and livid.

Shame, anger, fear... a storm of emotions churned within him.

He glared at Fang Han, his eyes bloodshot, and roared hoarsely:

"Fang Han! You..."

"Shut up."

Fang Han said coolly, applying a bit more pressure with his foot.

Yin Huang let out a sharp grunt, the rest of his words choked back.

He struggled frantically, his hands clawing at the ground, but he still couldn’t move an inch.

The ground beneath him was actually being pressed into a shallow crater.

The surrounding Qingxuan Sect disciples, who had been lying on the ground, had now struggled back to their feet.

They looked at Yin Huang pinned under Fang Han’s foot, then at Fang Han’s calm face, and suddenly felt incredibly gratified.

The disciple who had been pinned by Yin Huang spat fiercely on the ground and muttered:

"Looks like you’re no different from me. In front of someone stronger than you, you’re just a helpless mutt!"

At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted from the edge of the crowd.

"Make way!"

A deep voice rang out, and the crowd automatically parted to form a path.

A figure strode forward.

This man appeared to be in his twenties, dressed in the distinctive dark silver-patterned black robe of a Netherworld Pavilion True Inheritor. His face was handsome, but his brow held a sinister air.

It was Meng Xian, a True Inheritor of the Netherworld Pavilion, ranked seventeenth on the Celestial Pride List.

Meng Xian’s gaze immediately fell upon Yin Huang pinned under Fang Han’s foot, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He looked up, his eyes landing on Fang Han. A flicker of unconcealed surprise flashed in his narrow eyes.

"Fang Han."

Meng Xian spoke, his voice deep.

Fang Han raised his eyes to meet Meng Xian’s.

Their gazes met mid-air, and it was as if tangible sparks flew between them.

"Let him go."

Meng Xian said coolly.

Fang Han neither moved nor spoke.

But his foot, still planted firmly on Yin Huang’s chest, made his stance clear.

BOOM—

A cold glint flashed in Meng Xian’s eyes. He raised his right hand and sent a palm strike through the air.

A Palm Seal as black as ink shot out, its power more than ten times stronger than Yin Huang’s previous attack.

Wherever the Palm Seal passed, the air made a SIZZLING sound as if being corroded, and a heart-palpitatingly cold aura spread out.

Fang Han’s expression remained unchanged. He brought the Cloud Splitting Sword horizontally before him and slashed out from a distance.

An extremely condensed cyan Sword Qi shot from the blade, brazenly colliding with the pitch-black Palm Seal in mid-air.

BOOM—!!!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Black and deep cyan light intertwined madly, corroding and annihilating each other. The resulting shockwave was like a tangible tsunami, spreading wildly in all directions.

Wherever the shockwave passed, the bluestone paving shattered inch by inch, a whole layer scraped clean off as rock fragments shot out.

The surrounding crowd cried out in alarm and scrambled back. A few who were too close were thrown to the ground by the blast wave, cutting a sorry figure.

Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring everyone’s vision.

When the dust settled slightly, the crowd looked back to the center of the scene. Fang Han and Meng Xian were still standing in their original spots, facing each other from a distance of over a hundred feet.

The ground between them was a complete mess, crisscrossed with gullies, as if it had been repeatedly plowed by countless sharp blades.

A hint of unconcealable surprise flashed in Meng Xian’s eyes.

His palm strike just now, though not at full power, had contained seventy percent of his strength.

He had originally thought it would be enough to force Fang Han back, or at least throw him into a panic, making him unable to spare any attention for Yin Huang under his foot. It should have been enough for him to rescue Yin Huang with ease.

He never expected Fang Han to block it so effortlessly with just a single sword strike.

’Six months ago, this was the Qingxuan Sect disciple who was sent flying, severely injured, unable to take even a single move from me. Now, he’s actually grown to this level.’

He felt a flush of embarrassment.

’I am Meng Xian, the great seventeenth-ranked expert on the Celestial Pride List. If I can’t even handle someone ranked thirty-sixth, how can I save face?’

He took a deep breath, and the aura around him began to climb steadily.

This time, he prepared to use his full strength.

Fang Han stood holding his sword, his expression still calm, but deep within his eyes, a trace of battle intent was rising.

’Six months ago, I was severely injured by a single palm strike from Meng Xian. If Yun Muyao hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable. I’ve kept a record of this debt in my heart. Now that we’ve met today, it’s the perfect time to settle both old and new scores.’

He also began to mobilize the Inner Qi within his body. A cyan radiance flowed over the blade of the Cloud Splitting Sword, which let out a clear, ringing hum.

The atmosphere in the arena was tense, like a drawn bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.

The surrounding crowd held their breath, their eyes glued to the two figures in the center of the field.

Everyone knew that this battle was bound to be monumental.

Just as the two were about to strike—

"Stop."

A calm voice sounded.