The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Duanmu Yan looked disappointed, somewhat disdainful, and even a little dissatisfied: "What's the point of letting a fish slip through the net?"

Wang Sheng laughed and said, "It's better than not having a single fish, isn't it?"

If some fish slip through the net, it means there's an opportunity to strike; if none slip through, it means there's no opportunity! Adults only make choices!

Advancing in martial arts is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind!

For martial artists, only by constantly engaging in combat can they maintain their fighting strength! Only through continuous honing can they continuously improve their combat power!
The best way to hone your martial arts skills is through real combat!

The most effective real-world combat is a life-or-death battle!
A life-or-death battle is naturally more likely to unleash a person's potential than a mere friendly spar!
The stronger the enemy, the more it can unleash one's potential! Of course, a sane martial arts master wouldn't easily seek out a duel with someone more skilled than themselves! Only a fool would attempt such a futile endeavor!
The best practice partner is someone whose martial arts skills are lower than your own, but not too much lower!
But some people don't care. To them, it doesn't matter if an enemy with lower martial arts skills is far weaker than expected, because human potential is limitless! The opponent's internal strength may not be enough to cause a major upheaval, but they might unleash an incredibly exquisite, extremely threatening, or even fatal move in a life-or-death situation, a desperate counterattack! Such a deadly move can still unleash one's potential!

The best whetstone, as recognized by the martial arts world, must possess two key characteristics! First, its combat power must be lower than one's own! Second, its combat power shouldn't be too low; ideally, it should be within a manageable range!
The best whetstone is one that can sharpen knives without damaging the blade itself!
Once upon a time, Feng Jiuxiao was Ying Dingtian's best whetstone!
But to Ying Dingtian's utter surprise, Feng Jiuxiao was simply too extraordinary!

Ying Dingtian saw that Feng Jiuxiao had exceptional talent and a promising future. However, he was arrogant and confident that he could suppress Feng Jiuxiao indefinitely! His original plan was to hone his martial arts through continuous battles with Feng Jiuxiao, and then completely eliminate Feng Jiuxiao after breaking through to the sixth level of the Glazed Realm, thus preventing future troubles!

Unfortunately, Ying Dingtian's arrogance ultimately led to his downfall!
Feng Jiuxiao's whetstone did indeed sharpen Ying Dingtian's "blade" to an unparalleled edge, and his combat power did indeed reach the expected breakthrough to the sixth level of the Glazed Realm. However, he overlooked the special nature of Feng Jiuxiao's whetstone, which could actually reverse the situation and turn the whetstone into a blade!

The roles of offense and defense have shifted, and the original sharpener has changed from Ying Dingtian to Feng Jiuxiao!
Although Ying Dingtian never said it aloud before he died, many people believe that he must have regretted it!

Without his "indulgence and leniency," Feng Jiuxiao's progress would not have been so astonishing!
Every time Ying Dingtian used Feng Jiuxiao as a whetstone to practice his skills, wasn't he also using Feng Jiuxiao as a whetstone and practicing with her?

Who's sharpening whose knife? Perhaps the roles were misaligned from the very beginning!
Duanmu Yan said somewhat insincerely, "You're right! Something is better than nothing!"

At this moment, Xiong Mengyan circled around from behind the Maoshan disciples to Wang Sheng's side. She looked ahead and asked, "Why has Young Master Feng made his move? Why aren't you going up to help?"

Wang Sheng smiled and said, "Is it appropriate for us to make a move now?"

Xiong Mengyan was taken aback, then laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? Since these are the remnants of the six major families, everyone has the right to kill them. What's wrong with us taking action?" Duanmu Yan's eyes flashed as she glanced at Wang Sheng, her gaze full of mockery, as if she was waiting for Wang Sheng to "make a fool of himself"!
When asked the same question, Xiong Mengyan gave a different answer; he wanted to see how Wang Sheng would respond!

Wang Sheng chuckled dryly, and as expected, did not refute: "Miss Xiong, please feel free!"

Xiong Mengyan glanced at Wang Sheng with a seductive look, a half-smile playing on her lips. How could she not know Wang Sheng's ulterior motives? "If you don't want to play the bad cop, then I'll do it!" She didn't care about any of that scheming; with a flick of her left hand, Diewu behind her handed her the Seven Deadly Demon Harp!
Xiong Mengyan held the zither in her left hand and gently stroked the strings with her right hand. A melodious sound suddenly arose, like the tinkling of a spring, melodious and touching the soul!
Countless eyes were instantly drawn to the prelude and turned to look!

The martial arts heroes were instantly astonished!

Isn't this the demonic sorceress Xiong Mengyan? What's she doing here? The two men beside her are none other than Wang Sheng, a former disciple of the Shu Mountain Sect, and Duanmu Yan, the young master of the Yedi Zhai!
The three members of the Demonic Cult are indeed inseparable!
A hint of suspicion immediately arose in some people's minds—why would the three members of the Demonic Sect stand with Zeng Yong, Big Wolf, Chang Zijin and others from Sky Eagle Fortress?
Aren't Zeng Yong and the others all Feng Jiuxiao's brothers? Could it be that the rumors in the martial arts world about Feng Jiuxiao having an ambiguous relationship with the demonic sect's enchantress Xiong Mengyan are actually true? But I've heard that Feng Jiuxiao's fiancée, Yuan Zishan, is a jealous woman; can she tolerate this? The key point is, who in the martial arts world doesn't know that Yuan Zishan has always been by Feng Jiuxiao's side?

Although the woman in the black fur coat next to Zeng Yong had her face covered by a black veil, her graceful figure and charming demeanor were undeniable. She must be Yuan Zishan!
Many people are confident in identifying her as Yuan Zishan not only because of her charming demeanor, but also because the girl in red next to her is too eye-catching!

The girl in red had her hair styled in a double-looped bun, her red dress was as fiery as fire, and she wore a fox fur coat. Her bright, lively eyes were full of spirit, and her whole person was both quirky and adorable. She was none other than the now famous "not very skilled in martial arts, but quite famous" Chili Girl!

Who else could make Chili Girl snuggle up to you so obediently? Only Yuan Zishan!

At this moment, a sudden wind rose on the shore of Qinghai Lake. The wind was as cold as a knife, swirling up snowflakes that turned the world into a chaotic, desolate expanse.

Thousands of martial arts heroes stood around the lake, their robes fluttering like banners, their eyes fixed intently on Xiong Mengyan, dressed in white, not far away. She stood there like a painting, draped in a snow-white fox fur coat, her alluring eyes filled with seductive charm, yet radiating an invisible and chilling killing intent. In her left hand, she held a seven-stringed zither, its body as black as ink, but the strings gleaming with an eerie, ghostly blue, as if containing boundless magic!
At this moment, hundreds of Tibetan soldiers surrounded Feng Jiuxiao and the other three like an iron barrel, shouting wildly and unrestrainedly!

Their rugged faces were filled with excitement! They were going to chop these four arrogant Central Plains people into mincemeat!
They swarmed forward!

But the black-clad youth had incredibly strong fists; he could knock someone down with almost a single punch! Each time he knocked someone down, he would quickly dodge, engaging everyone in a prolonged fight. After all this time, no one had managed to land a hit on him! This further fueled everyone's ferocity and anger, and more and more people wanted to kill Pang Shiwu!
The white-robed monk and the Huashan sect leader seemed to be following suit, defeating one person each time and then quickly changing positions, moving among the soldiers.

The white-clad youth only knew how to run, lacking even the courage to resist. Yet, he deliberately provoked his pursuers during his escape, igniting the fury of the Tibetan soldiers! More and more men joined the pursuit! The more they couldn't catch him, the more they wanted to! The more they wanted to, the less they could catch him! This fellow was incredibly cunning! His skills were superb; he moved through a battle formation of hundreds as if it were empty!
The Tibetan soldiers thought they had the upper hand, unaware that the four Central Plains men were luring them deeper into their territory! The men the black-clad youth had knocked down all stood up again, seemingly unharmed, but in reality, their internal organs had long been damaged, and they could only sustain life for an hour! They were completely oblivious to the fact that these Central Plains men had never attacked the same Tibetan soldier twice! Nobody noticed this detail!

As for how Bai Lian and the others distinguished whether the Tibetan soldiers charging at them had already been "killed beforehand," their method was primitive, yet most effective! The armor of every Tibetan soldier who had been knocked down would be cracked! If a soldier with cracked armor appeared before them, Pang Shiwu, Bai Lian, Linghu Jing, and the others would ignore him completely! These soldiers were nothing but walking corpses; a mere touch would send them spitting blood and dying! Therefore, everyone would avoid soldiers with cracked armor!
Only in this way will the Tibetan soldiers have the illusion that "the advantage is in our hands"! Only then will they swarm forward like mad tigers! Those soldiers whose internal organs are damaged will only take effect after an hour, and only then will they collapse and not get up. An hour is enough time to give each soldier a "heart-crushing palm strike"!

The plan was that simple and straightforward.

But then—suddenly, the sound of a piano rang out!
The music was clear and melodious, like a flowing spring, pure and timeless, reminiscent of snowmelt from a high mountain peak. The Tibetan soldiers were captivated by the beautiful tune, unconsciously lowering their guard, and some even swayed gently to the rhythm.

Pang Shiwu frowned, thinking to himself: "Is Xiong Mengyan getting impatient and wanting to join the fray?" He saw Feng Jiuxiao still easily maneuvering amidst the pursuit and interception, seemingly having a great time, not even glancing at Xiong Mengyan. He thought to himself: "Damn it, I'd better hurry, or Xiong Mengyan will intercept me!" He suddenly quickened his pace, attacking with both hands, knocking down one person with each punch, charging forward and actually tearing a path through it!

Seeing the black-clad youth suddenly become as fierce as a tiger, the Tibetan soldiers abandoned their previous guerrilla tactics and launched a direct, head-on attack! This aggressive move immediately ignited the Tibetan soldiers' murderous intent!
This is blatant provocation!
"Kill him! He's so damn arrogant!"

"kill him!"

"This guy actually dares to go head-to-head with us, let's kill him!"

The offensive was like a tidal wave, swarming forward!

Suddenly, the music shifted, concealing a deadly intent!
The clear, spring-like melody suddenly transformed into a violent storm. Sound waves, like tangible blades, shot out from the strings, tearing through the air and emitting sharp whistles! The Tibetan soldiers felt a chill run through them as their armor was silently torn apart, and blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the snow beneath their feet red!
"Ah!" A Tibetan general screamed first, his head cleaved in two by an invisible sonic wave, his brains splattering onto the faces of the soldiers beside him. Immediately afterward, invisible sonic blades surged forth like a waterfall! Hundreds of soldiers were swept away as if by an invisible giant hand, flying backward and crashing onto the frozen lake. Their heavy bodies shattered the ice with a cracking sound, and with countless splashes, countless figures fell into the icy water!
Their bodies had already been torn to shreds by the sound waves! The blood instantly stained the lake water crimson!
Among the martial arts heroes, someone exclaimed in shock: "The Seven Deadly Demonic Zither! Sound waves transform into blades!" They had just arrived from the Central Plains and this was the first time they had ever witnessed Xiong Mengyan kill with the sound of her zither!
Xiong Mengyan's fingers flew across the strings, and the music grew increasingly violent, like a stampede of ten thousand horses or a thunderclap! Wherever the sound waves passed, the ice cracked, the lake water surged, and even the distant snow-capped mountains echoed with a faint rumble! The corpses of the Tibetan soldiers scattered like fallen leaves; some were shredded into a pulp by the sound waves, while others had their internal organs ruptured, gushing out of their mouths and noses!

Pang Shiwu and Venerable Bailian exchanged a glance and instantly understood each other!
The reason everyone controlled their strength was to avoid scaring away the Tibetan soldiers, but now that Xiong Mengyan had suddenly joined the fight, none of them could escape! Since they couldn't escape, why should he suffer? Pang Shiwu suddenly drew his sword! The sword light shone brightly, and the Frost Condensation Sword was already unsheathed! The sword light surged three zhang! With a move called "Sweeping Across the Six Directions," the longsword swept across, and the three-zhang sword light instantly cut more than ten people in half at the waist!

The White Lotus Venerable suddenly stomped his foot, and a wave of lightning rippled outwards, killing anyone who touched it instantly as if struck by lightning!
At this moment, Linghu Jing also drew his Hunyuan Sword and unleashed the Huashan Sword Technique, slashing at the Tibetan soldiers! His sword moved like the wind, his sword energy like a dragon, each strike deadly; in an instant, he unleashed thirteen sword strikes, killing thirteen men!

Only Feng Jiuxiao was still evading the pursuit! He kept luring the pursuers towards Pang Shiwu and the other two, acting as bait! He hadn't killed a single person yet! His purpose in stretching his muscles now was only one thing: to review his "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch" technique! What if he became rusty from inactivity? What if he encountered a stronger opponent and couldn't defeat them or outrun them? So he needed to practice his lightness skill! Of course, to outsiders, he was clearly helping Pang Shiwu sharpen his sword! Many secretly praised his high level of strategic thinking!
The music of the zither and the flying knives filled the sky, then converged like a waterfall, surging towards the Tibetan soldiers' formation!
The swords cascaded down like dragons, shattering the battle formation into pieces!
Among the martial arts heroes from the Central Plains watching the battle, someone muttered under their breath: "Those Tibetan soldiers are about to be completely wiped out, why are they still resisting to the end? Why don't they run away? Are they scared out of their wits by kneeling?"

Someone retorted, "What do you mean they're scared out of their wits? Their minds are controlled by the music; they only know how to charge forward recklessly! They're in a frenzy; this battle will be fought to the death!"

Pang Shiwu was as fierce as a mad tiger, moving as if he were in an empty field, invincible in all directions!
Using a sword instead of a blade, the sword unleashes the intent of a blade! The Blood Blade technique flows endlessly!
A single vertical slash—sweeping across the ages!
A single, sweeping sword strike—sweeping across the entire realm!
A backhand slash—sweeping away eternity!
A forward thrust—with the force of a thunderbolt!
Each sword strike possesses the power to stir up wind and thunder, and shake the heavens and the earth!
Wherever the three-zhang sword light passed, screams echoed and severed limbs flew everywhere!

The powerful addition of the Seven Absolute Demonic Harp relieved Pang Shiwu and his men of any worries! They knew that Xiong Mengyan's Seven Absolute Demonic Harp could control the entire battlefield and ensure that not a single Tibetan soldier would escape! Therefore, Pang Shiwu and his men immediately intensified their offensive!
Tibetan soldiers fell in droves in an instant!

Duanmu Yan said, "If we don't seize this opportunity now, we'll miss our chance!" He had already taken out the Great Compassion Bow!
Seeing that Duanmu Yan was about to make a move, Wang Sheng immediately lost his composure and shouted, "Unsheath Qing Shuang!" A bolt of lightning shot out from behind him, soaring straight into the sky!
By the time Chiji Ling realized the strangeness of the zither music, it was too late! He tried to escape, but the music was overwhelming, like invisible musical knives flying everywhere, impossible to escape no matter where he hid! Moreover, the music seemed to contain seductive tones, causing his heart to race uncontrollably. He felt that even if he wasn't sliced ​​to pieces by the musical knives, the bewitching music would shatter his heart and kill him! He tried to cover his ears, but unexpectedly, the black-clad youth suddenly appeared before him!

Since we can't escape, we might as well fight!

He brandished his curved sword and charged towards Pang Shiwu!

Pang Shiwu flicked his longsword, and a sword dragon burst forth, hurtling straight at Chi Jiling!

Chijiling immediately fled!
Unfortunately, no matter how skilled he was, it was useless. He was nothing but an ant in front of three times the strength of a Glazed Warrior! *Poof!* The sword dragon burrowed into his back and emerged from his chest, leaving behind a large cloud of blood mist! Akakiri collapsed on the spot!

Xiong Mengyan's fingers flew across the strings, leaving many onlookers secretly astonished! She was clearly playing the zither with one hand, yet the sound made it seem as if she were using both! The music was rich and flowing, smooth and seamless!
*Thud*—A Tibetan soldier's forehead exploded with blood, and he fell straight down! An ice arrow pierced his skull and then went through the armor of several other Tibetan soldiers before exploding into countless ice shards!

The Tibetan soldier beside him was still in shock when—whoosh—a long sword suddenly emerged from his chest and flew into the sky! Before he could even see what the sword looked like, everything went black, and he collapsed!

Thanks to the "unconscious cooperation" of Xiong Mengyan, Pang Shiwu, and others, not a single Tibetan soldier survived; corpses littered the fields, and blood stained Qinghai Lake! (End of Chapter)