Chapter 400 - 397: Blocking the Way
Chapter 400: Chapter 397: Blocking the Way
You Xin stood with his hands behind his back, his figure cast in sharp relief by the afternoon sun.
His black robe, with its dark silver patterns, was perfectly still. Only the hem would occasionally flutter in the mountain wind, revealing dark, flame-like patterns embroidered with silver thread.
He stood silently in the middle of the official road. Though he was just one man, he seemed to block the entire path.
"Senior Brother Fang..."
Shen Qing’s suppressed voice came from behind, filled with unconcealable horror.
The dozen or so other Qingxuan Sect disciples could now also see the figure clearly.
You Xin, True Inheritor of the Netherworld Pavilion, ranked sixth on the Celestial Pride List.
He was second only to Yue Lingtian, Liu Bai, Mad Saber, Wu Xiang, and Xu Qing—the strongest disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion’s current generation.
To the younger generation of Qingyang County, he was an insurmountable mountain.
’How could he be here?’
’And why now, just after we’ve entered Qingyang County?’
Fang Han didn’t look back.
He simply watched the figure ahead, his gaze calm and profound.
"You all, fall back."
His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
"Senior Brother Fang!"
A disciple couldn’t help but speak, his voice laced with anxiety.
"That’s You Xin, the head disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion..."
"Fall back."
Fang Han’s voice remained calm, but it held an unquestionable authority.
The dozen or so disciples exchanged glances and finally began to retreat slowly.
They understood Fang Han’s meaning. In a clash of this level, if they stayed, they wouldn’t be of any help and would likely just become a burden.
Fang Han took a step, walking forward slowly.
His cyan robe fluttered slightly in the afternoon wind, the Cloud Splitting Sword at his waist swaying gently with his steps.
He didn’t walk fast. Every step was steady.
Behind him, everyone’s eyes were on Fang Han, but they couldn’t help but glance at the black-robed figure in the center of the road.
Thirty zhang.
Twenty zhang.
Ten zhang.
Fang Han stopped.
They were just over ten zhang apart, their gazes meeting in mid-air.
You Xin’s narrow eyes were now quietly watching Fang Han.
His gaze was as calm as still water, yet it seemed bottomless.
"Fang Han."
You Xin spoke, his voice faint and devoid of any emotion.
"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."
Fang Han didn’t speak.
He just looked at You Xin, his mind racing.
’The Black Crow Thieves plundered and massacred the North Mountain Herb Field, then fled into Donglu County.’
’I led men to pursue and annihilate the Black Crow Thieves, only to run into You Xin on my way back to Qingyang County.’
’This is all too much of a coincidence.’
"The matter of the North Mountain Herb Field..."
Fang Han began to speak slowly, his voice no longer calm.
"Was the Netherworld Pavilion involved?"
"Fang Han, do not slander my Netherworld Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, You Xin’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and then the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile as he spoke.
"Slander? Is it really slander?"
Fang Han stared coldly at You Xin.
"Fang Han, stop making baseless accusations."
You Xin didn’t dwell on the matter. His narrow eyes, sharp as a blade, fixed on Fang Han.
"You killed my Netherworld Pavilion disciple Gong Xing, cut down my Netherworld Pavilion Stewards Gao Xiao and Tu Gang, and severely injured Duan Wuya and Meng Xian—it’s time to settle this account today."
"It is indeed time to settle it!"
Fang Han’s voice was ice-cold.
’The North Mountain Herb Field was ransacked. Two Stewards, twelve disciples, and dozens of servants were slaughtered.’
’If this was all a trap set for me, just as I suspect, then those innocent lives were sacrificed for nothing, used as mere pawns.’
An irrepressible rage surged up from the depths of his heart.
He said no more.
His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
CLANG!
The Cloud Splitting Sword was unsheathed.
The dark cyan blade shimmered with a restrained light under the sun. Where its edge pointed, the very air seemed to freeze.
The Profound Wind Technique’s Inner Qi erupted within Fang Han’s body, and the vast Inner Qi of a Late-Stage Fourth Grade cultivator poured into the blade without reservation.
A cyan light flared from the sword, which let out a clear, piercing ring.
The Sword Momentum of the Perfection-level Nine Swords of Sky Splitting surged skyward as ten-tenths of Wind Momentum frantically gathered and compressed upon the blade’s edge.
He didn’t execute any elaborate Sword Techniques.
He just made a simple slash.
But the moment he did, the world seemed to freeze for an instant.
Where the sword light passed, a thin, zhang-long fissure silently split the air. The tear was as clear as a blade’s cut through paper, and it lingered for a long time.
A beam of Cyan Sword Qi, condensed to its absolute limit and carrying a decisive sharpness that could tear through anything, shot straight toward You Xin.
"Hm?"
A trace of surprise flashed in You Xin’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected Fang Han to attack so decisively, especially against him, the sixth-ranked on the Celestial Pride List. And with such a lethal move right from the start.
But he was ranked sixth on the Celestial Pride List.
The strongest of the Netherworld Pavilion’s current generation.
Though surprised, he remained composed, flipping his hands over.
CLICK—
With two soft clicks, a pair of jet-black claws shaped like a ghost’s talons were fitted over his fingers.
The claws were dark, their edges gleaming with a cold light. The tips, about three inches long and curved like hooks, were clearly forged from some extremely rare metal.
Infused with Inner Qi, the black claws suddenly lit up with a dark glow, a light as deep as ink, as if it could swallow all light.
He raised his right hand, curled his five fingers, and executed the top-level Martial Arts, Nether Ghost Claw, striking out to meet the incoming Cyan Sword Qi.
CLANG—!!!
An ear-splitting shriek of metal on metal exploded.
The Cyan Sword Qi and the dark claw-light collided violently in mid-air. The two terrifying forces madly intertwined, corroding, and annihilating each other.
The resulting shockwave was like a physical tsunami, spreading out wildly from the point of impact.
Wherever the shockwave passed, a layer of the road’s surface was scraped away, sending shattered stones flying and filling the air with dust.
The grass and trees on both sides of the road snapped and fell as if struck by a typhoon.
You Xin’s previously indifferent expression changed slightly at this moment.
The power coming from the sword far exceeded his expectations.
That incredibly sharp Sword Momentum, that overwhelming, unstoppable Power, had prevented his claw strike from gaining any advantage at all.
He looked up at Fang Han, a flash of unconcealable surprise in his narrow eyes.
"You..."
he began, his voice low.
"Your strength is far greater than fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List."
Fang Han didn’t answer.
With a shift of his feet, he executed the Wind and Cloud Escape. His body transformed into a stream of pale cyan light, instantly crossing over ten zhang.
The Cloud Splitting Sword slashed out again.
This slash was faster and more ruthless than the last.
The sword light condensed into a thin line of cyan, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek as it aimed straight for You Xin’s throat.
You Xin’s eyes narrowed. He brandished the Nether Ghost Claw, and a jet-black claw-light appeared to meet the deadly sword light.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!!!
The sound of clashing metal exploded in a dense barrage, like popping beans.
The Cyan Sword Light and black claw shadows intertwined, each collision unleashing an astonishing shockwave.
Within a radius of several dozen zhang, the trees on both sides of the road snapped and fell as if swept up by a hurricane.
The ground was plowed with deep, crisscrossing gouges, and shattered stones rained down.
The two figures flickered rapidly on the ruined road, clashing, separating, and clashing again.
Every exchange was accompanied by a deafening roar and an even more violent shockwave.
You Xin’s claws were extremely vicious.
He brought the sinister and treacherous nature of the Perfection-level Nether Ghost Claw to its full potential.
Each swipe of his claw carried a chilling Power capable of eroding Inner Qi. Wherever the claw-light passed, the air hissed with a corrosive sound.
His Martial Technique was a Perfection-level Top Martial Arts.
His Cultivation was at the Late-Stage Fourth Grade Limit, a step higher than Fang Han’s.
But Fang Han’s sword was as fast as lightning and equally fierce.
He pushed the ten-tenths of Wind Momentum from the Perfection-level Nine Swords of Sky Splitting to its absolute limit. With every thrust, a clear fissure was torn in the air.
Where the sword light passed, it was as if space itself trembled.
His Late-Stage Fourth Grade Cultivation, combined with the one hundred thousand jin of physical strength from his Entry Level Xuanwu True Skill, made every one of his sword strikes as heavy as a mountain.
In terms of Power of Attack, he was not inferior to You Xin.
After dozens of exchanges, they were evenly matched.
Neither could gain the upper hand.
In the distance, the dozen or so elite disciples of the Qingxuan Sect had already retreated over a hundred zhang away.
They stood on a higher slope, gazing at the completely unrecognizable battlefield, their eyes filled with unconcealable horror.
"This... This is Senior Brother Fang’s true strength?"
A disciple mumbled to himself, his voice full of disbelief.
No one answered him.
Everyone’s gazes were locked on the two rapidly flickering figures.
The aftershocks from each collision made their hearts pound, even from a hundred zhang away.
If they were any closer, they would probably be severely injured by the stray Qi Force alone.
"So strong..."
Shen Qing murmured, his expression extremely complicated.
He knew Fang Han was strong.
But he had never imagined Fang Han was *this* strong.
Able to fight against You Xin, ranked sixth on the Celestial Pride List, without being at a disadvantage—at least for now.
With this kind of strength, looking across the entire younger generation of Qingyang County, there were probably only a handful of people who could suppress him.
"Senior Brother Fang’s strength is far greater than fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List,"
another disciple said gravely.
Everyone nodded silently.
Everyone knew the gap between sixth and fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List.
Yet the two fighting on the field right now were clearly evenly matched, with no clear winner.
What did this mean?
It meant that Fang Han’s true strength was already enough to rank in the top ten of the Celestial Pride List, or even higher.
"Do you guys think... Senior Brother Fang can win?"
A slightly younger voice spoke up, full of apprehension.
The crowd fell silent.
No one could answer that question.
After all, You Xin was sixth on the Celestial Pride List, the strongest disciple of the Netherworld Pavilion’s current generation. He had been famous for a long time, his reputation renowned.
As for Fang Han, although he had displayed astonishing strength, he had only been in the sect for a little over two years.
"I believe in Senior Brother Fang."
Gazing at the dust-filled "battlefield," Shen Qing said with a firm tone.
"Since Senior Brother Fang dared to make a move, he must be confident."
The others didn’t speak, just turned their gazes back to the "battlefield."
In the dust, the two figures continued to clash violently.
The cyan and black lights were like two entangled flood dragons, tumbling and battling amidst the ruins.
Each collision added more scars to the already ravaged land.