A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 160 The Arrogant Liang Yan

Liang Yan strode out, his face ashen and dark as water.

He walked through the corridor, where lanterns hung on both sides, their dim light swaying in the wind.

He walked through the second gate, whose threshold was very high. He lifted his foot to step over it, the hem of his robe brushing against the threshold.

He walked all the way to the gate. From afar, he saw rows of torches outside the gate, illuminating the night as brightly as day, so bright it was blinding.

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

There are quite a lot of people.

A dark mass of at least forty or fifty people, all constables from the Zhenfu Division. Swords were drawn, their blades gleaming coldly in the firelight; bows were strung, arrows were nocked, and arrowheads were pointed at the gate.

They stood in neat rows, silent, confronting the gang members at the door.

The firelight shone on their faces, flickering and dimming, making it impossible to discern their expressions.

No one spoke; only the crackling of the burning torches and the occasional soft popping of sparks.

A flash of anger crossed Liang Yan's eyes, and the muscles in his jaw tensed, making a grinding sound as he clenched his teeth.

But he did not stop.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and then slowly lowering. He straightened his back, pulled his shoulders back, and strode across the threshold.

At the entrance, hundreds of Blood Blade Gang members had already gathered, standing in a dense, impenetrable mass, completely blocking the doorway. They all held knives, the blades gleaming in the firelight.

When they saw their leader come out, they automatically made way for him, and the crowd parted to both sides, like the receding tide.

Liang Yan walked through the crowd to the front.

He stood on the high steps, looking down at the officers of the Zhenfu Division, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, a smile tinged with sarcasm and disdain.

bluff.

It's definitely a bluff.

If they were really going to take action, how could they only send forty or fifty people?

When they were suppressing the Golden Knife Alliance, the Zhenfu Division mobilized its entire force, with hundreds of men besieging them overnight, their torches illuminating half the sky.

They've only sent half of them now; it's clearly just to scare us, trying to subdue us without a fight.

Su Bai dared not actually make a move.

He had just destroyed the Golden Knife Alliance and was not yet recovered. His subordinates were either injured or killed, and how many of them were still capable of fighting?

If we start another war with the Blood Blade Gang, aren't we afraid that the Iron Palm Gang and the Wei family will join forces?

At that point, if they are attacked from both sides, even the strongest Zhenfu Division will be finished.

Liang Yan sneered inwardly.

Speaking of the Iron Palm Clan and the Wei family—

His eyes flashed, his smile deepened, and his eyes gleamed with smugness.

Last night, as soon as news of the Golden Knife Alliance's destruction spread, he sent men to the Iron Palm Gang and the Wei family. He dispatched his most trusted confidants, who rode at breakneck speed through the night.

The message conveyed through someone is simple: the Golden Knife Alliance is gone, who's next?

The Blood Blade Gang has fallen; do you think you can escape unscathed?

Su Bai can destroy the Golden Knife Alliance today, he can destroy the Blood Knife Gang tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow it will be your turn.

The rabbit dies, the fox grieves; the lips are gone, the teeth are cold—you all understand this principle.

Tie Lingshan, the leader of the Iron Palm Gang, and Wei Zhenghong, the head of the Wei family, are both seasoned veterans who have been operating in Qingyuan County for decades. They couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

The rabbit mourns the fox's death.

If Su Bai goes too far, they will definitely not sit idly by.

This morning, he received a reply. Both families relented and agreed to a verbal agreement of mutual assistance with his Blood Blade Gang.

The letter was vague, but the meaning was clear: as long as your Blood Blade Gang fights with the Town Guard, we will step in and stab Su Bai in the back.

If the Blood Blade Gang clashes with the Town Pacification Bureau, they will lend a helping hand.

Of course, the condition is that the Golden Knife Alliance's territory be divided equally among the three parties.

The letter clearly listed everything, from the streets in the east of the city to the shops in the west and the villages in the north.

Liang Yan agreed immediately. He sent a reply saying that everything was negotiable and open to discussion.

Territory can be divided, but the Blood Blade Gang must not fall.

As long as the Blood Blade Gang exists, and as long as Liang Yan is there, they will be able to take back the territory sooner or later.

After dealing with Su Bai and severely weakening the Zhenfu Division, it won't be too late to settle accounts with the Iron Palm Gang and the Wei family.

If the Blood Blade Gang is gone, everything we say will be meaningless.

Now-

He glanced at the constables of the Zhenfu Division, looked at their silent faces and the hands gripping their knives, and felt reassured.

As long as he takes a tough stance and stalls the Zhenfu Division, Su Bai will be in a difficult position once the Iron Palm Gang and the Wei family arrive.

At that time, not only will they have to give up their personnel, but the Zhenfu Division will also have to return all of the Golden Knife Alliance's territories!

Perhaps we can use this opportunity to severely damage the Zhenfu Division, so that they will never dare to provoke the three major powers again.

Maybe we can even drive the Zhenfu Division out of Qingyuan County and make them slink away in disgrace!

As Liang Yan thought about it, the smile on his lips grew wider and wider, until his eyes narrowed.

He stood with his hands behind his back on the steps, his posture upright.

His gaze passed over the constables, over the rows of torches, and landed on the back of the crowd.

There stood a young man dressed in black fish-scale clothing.

The young man stood with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree, motionless. The firelight reflected on his face, outlining his cool and aloof features, the shadows on his brow bones, the lines of his nose, and the curve of his jaw.

He just stood there quietly, neither speaking nor moving forward, as if waiting for something, or as if waiting for nothing at all.

Su Bai.

Liang Yan narrowed his eyes and sized up the young chief clerk of the Zhenfu Division.

He was in his early twenties, fair-skinned, and refined. He looked like a scholar, a Confucian scholar, or a student reciting classical texts in his study.

That's it?

How could someone like that kill Jin Tangjing?

He scoffed inwardly. That old bastard Jin Tangjing was really getting worse with age. Killed by such a brat, his lifelong reputation was ruined in an instant, and he would be a laughingstock even in death.

Liang Yan withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and felt the cool night breeze filling his lungs.

His palm rested on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

It was a thick-backed broadsword with a wide blade, a thick back, and a sharp edge, which gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the firelight.

He slowly drew his sword, and with a "clang," the blade was unsheathed, its bright light flashing in the night like lightning.

The blade rubbed against the scabbard, making a soft rustling sound.

When the gang leader drew his sword, the members shouted in unison. The voices of hundreds of people merged into one, creating a terrifying sound that made people's ears ring.

"drink-!"

The shouts of hundreds of people echoed across the fields and reverberated in the night sky, startling crows in the distant trees, which then took flight in a flurry.

The shouts were like thunder, like a tsunami, sweeping over everything.

Liang Yan stood with his knife in hand, the tip pointing at Su Bai, the blade gleaming coldly in the firelight. He shouted sharply, his voice booming like thunder, echoing through the night: "Su Bai! What are you trying to do, leading your men to surround my Blood Blade Gang?!"

This shout was like a thunderclap, its force terrifying, as if the entire night sky was trembling.

But Su Bai didn't move.

He remained standing with his hands behind his back, quietly at the back of the crowd, his gaze calm as still water, as if that shout was merely the chirping of insects in the night wind, or the rustling of leaves.

Wang Muzhi stood beside Su Bai, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face ashen.

Seeing Liang Yan's audacity in pointing a knife at Su Bai, he couldn't help but step forward and shout, "Liang Yan! Lord Su is here, yet you dare to point a knife at me and utter such arrogant words? Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Liang Yan laughed loudly, so hard he almost fell over, his shoulders shaking, tears welling in his eyes. His laughter echoed through the night sky, filled with mockery and contempt.

After laughing enough, his face darkened, and the smile vanished instantly, as if scraped away by a knife. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, as chilling as icicles in the dead of winter.

His blade pointed at Wang Muzhi, flashing in the firelight. He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "What Lord Su? I don't know him!"

He paused, took a deep breath, and his voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder, making people's eardrums ache: "Coming to cause trouble for my Blood Blade Gang? You're asking for death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the gang members behind him shouted in unison again, their voices even more terrifying, as if they were going to shout the sky down.

"drink"

Wang Muzhi's face was ashen, as dark as raw iron. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword, tightening his grip until his knuckles turned white. Just as he was about to say something, a hand landed on his shoulder.

That hand was long and strong, with distinct knuckles, and the palm was warm.

Wang Mu was taken aback and turned around to see that Su Bai had already walked up to him.

Su Bai's gaze swept past the gang members, past the hundreds of torches, past the gleaming blades, and landed on Liang Yan.

His eyes were calm as still water, without any ripples, as if he were looking at something insignificant, like a stone or a withered blade of grass by the roadside.

Then, he walked slowly forward.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and the soles of his boots made a soft "tap, tap" sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the tense atmosphere. Each sound seemed to strike the heart of every person, making their hearts tremble.

The Blood Blade Gang members blocking their way instinctively took a step back.

Nobody knows why.

They clearly outnumbered the enemy, with over a hundred men blocking the gate completely; they clearly carried knives, their blades gleaming in the firelight; and the enemy was clearly approaching alone, all by himself.

But when he came along, when they saw his calm eyes, they involuntarily stepped back.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

A passageway opened up automatically. The crowd parted to both sides, as if pushed apart by an invisible force.

Liang Yan's pupils contracted slightly, shrinking into two tiny black dots.

The sneer on his face froze for a moment, as if it had solidified.

Su Bai walked to the steps and stood still.

His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

It was a hundred-times-forged sword, its blade snow-white, gleaming with a chilling light in the firelight, dazzlingly white and bone-chillingly cold.

The hilt of the knife was wrapped with a thin black rope, neatly bound, and held gently by his slender fingers.

"Zheng"

The sword is drawn.

The gleaming blade flashed in an arc through the night, as if tearing through the darkness and severing the moonlight.

Su Bai stood holding his sword, the tip pointing towards the ground. His gaze remained calm as he looked at Liang Yan on the steps, at his frozen face, and slowly spoke: "I thought you were a smart man."

The voice was faint and flat, devoid of any emotion, as if it drifted from a very far place.

"It seems I was wrong."

Liang Yan frowned, his lips moved, and he was about to speak when Su Bai's voice continued, still very calm and even: "The destruction of the Golden Knife Alliance is still too insignificant. So insignificant that you think I was just lucky, just caught off guard, just got a bargain."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Blood Blade Gang members.

A very faint glance.

This caused those people to take another step back, some even two steps back, bumping into the people behind them.

"Then—"

'

Su Bai's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint smile. The smile was so faint that it was almost imperceptible, yet it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present, as if they had been doused with ice water.

"Plus your Blood Blade Gang."

He raised his knife, the tip pointing at Liang Yan, the blade gleaming in the firelight. His voice remained calm and even, yet carried an undeniable certainty, as if stating a fact, as if announcing a verdict: "Let the forces of Qingyuan County recognize reality."

"Who calls the shots in Qingyuan County?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the night wind howled, swirling up the fallen leaves and sending them flying into the night sky.

The torches flickered and roared, their flames struggling in the wind, their light flashing and dimming, casting an uncertain glow on people's faces.

Su Bai's voice echoed in the night wind, each word like a cold iron nail, piercing into the hearts of the Blood Blade Gang members.

In the open space in front of the main headquarters, hundreds of torches crackled and burned, their flickering light illuminating countless pale faces.

Many of the gang members' hands, gripping their knives, trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads. They couldn't help but recall the news that had come earlier that night—the Golden Knife Alliance headquarters, the head hanging on the flagpole, and the corpses lying haphazardly.

"Something that hasn't fully grown its fur."

Liang Yan stood at the top of the steps, the firelight shining from behind him, casting a long shadow on the ground.

He stared at the young figure below the steps, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

"Ignorant of one's own limitations."

Before he could finish speaking, he roared and his right hand suddenly reached for his waist.

It was a thick-backed broadsword, the blade as wide as a palm, the edge gleaming with a chilling blue light in the firelight, and the back of the blade so thick it could crush bones.

The blade, weighing over thirty pounds, emitted a deep hum when drawn from its sheath, as if a sleeping beast had opened its eyes.

This knife had been with him for twenty years, and had drunk the blood of countless people.

As he held the hilt of the knife, the familiar cool touch brought Liang Yan a sense of reassurance.

He gripped the knife handle tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

True Qi circulated quietly, rising from the dantian, flowing like a stream into a river, passing through the meridians, acupoints, gathering in the arm, and surging into the blade.

He could feel that power surging within him, warm and turbulent, like a beast awakened and roaring in his veins, ready to burst forth at any moment.

What Su Bai, what Chief Constable, what late-stage True Qi Realm? It's all bullshit!

Liang Yan has been running rampant in Qingyuan County for twenty years. What storms haven't he weathered? What masters haven't he encountered?

How many of those so-called strongmen didn't die by his blade?

How dare a mere brat, barely weaned, come and cause trouble in front of the Blood Blade Gang?

Today we'll show him who's in charge in Qingyuan County!

Liang Yan's gaze passed over Su Bai and landed on the Zhenfu Division constables further away.

His smile grew even more ferocious. Once he killed this brat, none of those constables would be able to leave alive.

Down the steps.

Su Bai stood holding his knife, the tip pointing towards the ground, gently tapping the bluestone slab.

The flickering firelight cast shifting shadows on his face.

The young face was expressionless, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool, devoid of anger, murderous intent, or any other emotion.

He raised his knife.

The blade was snow-white, gleaming with a chilling light in the firelight. That was the unique color of hundred-times-forged steel, which had been folded and forged countless times to remove all impurities, leaving only the purest and hardest steel.

The blade is as thin as a cicada's wing, with faint, fine forging lines visible, one after another, like ripples on water or the rolling of clouds.

He didn't speak.

The blade suddenly flashed.

In that instant, everyone's vision blurred, as if a bolt of lightning had cleaved the night sky.

The gleaming blade seemed to tear through the darkness, leaving a cold, eerie arc in the firelight.

Wherever the arc of light passed, the air seemed to be sliced ​​open, emitting a faint hiss.

Liang Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw the flash of the blade, the figure wielding it and charging forward, and those eyes as calm as still water.

The figure was as fast as a phantom; one moment it was standing three zhang away, and the next it was right in front of you.

fast.

too fast.

He had no time to think. His internal energy surged wildly, and his dantian exploded like a powder keg that had been lit.

He roared, gripped the knife with both hands, and swung the thick-backed broadsword, weighing over thirty pounds, down in a circular motion.

"drink!

'

The shout was like a thunderclap, making the eardrums of those around him ring. Several gang members who were nearby felt a buzzing in their heads and their vision went black.

Liang Yan held the knife in both hands, and the veins on his arms bulged like worms.

He poured all his strength into this one strike, the blade fierce and domineering, carrying the howling wind and the murderous aura of countless deaths over the past twenty years, as if it wanted to cleave everything in front of him in two.

The two swords clashed.

"clang-!"

The sound of metal clashing pierced the night sky, so sharp it seemed to tear eardrums.

Sparks flew everywhere, like fireworks exploding, and the light that burst forth in that instant was even brighter than the torches around them.

The true energy surged, spreading outwards from the two of them, as if an invisible bomb had exploded.

The dust on the ground was stirred up, forming a visible ripple that spread outwards.

The gang members who were nearby felt a powerful surge of force, as if they had been hit by a galloping bull. They involuntarily took a few steps back, some fell to the ground, and others bumped into people behind them, resulting in a chaotic scene of people falling over.

Liang Yan felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth, followed by a sharp pain like being pricked by needles.

He looked down and saw that the skin on the web of his right hand, which was holding the knife, had split open and was bleeding profusely. The bright red blood flowed down his wrist, staining the hilt of the knife, and dripped onto the ground. His entire arm was numb and sore, as if he had been hit hard by a heavy hammer. Every part of his arm, from his fingers to his shoulder, was in pain.

His expression instantly turned serious, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This power—

He suddenly looked up at Su Bai.

Su Bai remained standing in the same spot, his figure as upright as a pine tree, completely still.

The bluestone slab beneath his feet didn't even crack; the earth-shattering blow seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.

He held the hundred-forged sword horizontally in front of him, its blade reflecting the flickering firelight.

His face was expressionless, and his eyes remained calm as still water, as if the slash just now was merely a casual swing, not even a warm-up.

Liang Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He thought of Jintang Jing.

I recall the human head hanging on the flagpole, swaying slightly in the wind.

I recall the Golden Knife Alliance that was wiped out overnight, the corpses, the bloodstains, and the houses burned to ashes.

Could it be that wasn't a sneak attack?

It wasn't poisoning?

Isn't it taking advantage of someone's unpreparedness?

A strange unease welled up in Liang Yan's heart, an unease that rose from the depths of his soul, as if a cold hand had gripped his heart.

He gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and the blood from his tiger's mouth flowed down the blade, dripping onto the ground and blooming into blood flowers on the bluestone slab.

"You—" He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping, "How is this possible!?"

Su Bai did not answer.

He simply raised his knife.

The blade slowly rotated, its edge aimed at Liang Yan. Firelight danced on the blade, casting a flowing light and shadow, as if it had come alive.

The next instant, a blade flashed.

That wasn't a single cut, but countless cuts.

The flashes of blades were continuous, pouring down like a storm, accompanied by howling winds, chilling killing intent, and an irresistible momentum.

The flashing blades formed an impenetrable net, enveloping Liang Yan.

Liang Yan's eyes widened.

He wanted to parry, to retreat, to activate his inner energy to protect himself—but the blade was too fast.

It was so fast that his eyes couldn't keep up, so fast that his body couldn't react, so fast that the words "defend" had barely formed in his mind before the blade had already fallen.

"ah--!"

He roared and exerted all his strength to activate his true energy. His dantian circulated wildly, and his true energy surged out like a flood bursting its banks.

He wielded his longsword with impenetrable force, the blade light forming a barrier in front of him in an attempt to block the torrential downpour of sword light.

"Clang clang clang clang clang—!"

The sounds of metal clashing were dense and heavy, one after another, without a moment's pause.

Sparks flew like fireworks, exploding one after another between the two.

With each exchange of blows, Liang Yan's arm grew more numb and sore; with each exchange, he took a step back, the bluestone slabs beneath his feet creaking under his feet; with each exchange, the despair in his heart deepened.

Unstoppable.

It's impossible to stop it.

The sword strike was too fierce, too fast, and too domineering. His swordsmanship was known for its power and ferocity; he could wield a 30-pound broadsword as if it were the wind. In the past twenty years in Qingyuan County, countless people had died by his sword.

Compared to Su Bai's sword, his swordsmanship was like a child's toy, clumsy and laughable.

What kind of swordsmanship is this?

What kind of power is this?

He was filled with inexplicable horror, and fear grew wildly like weeds, instantly filling his entire chest.

He desperately pushed his true energy to its limit, his dantian felt like it was being squeezed dry, and his meridians ached faintly.

The true energy within his dantian surged out wildly, flowing through his meridians, converging into his arm, and rushing into the blade.

His entire body was enveloped in a faint light, a sign that his true energy had reached its peak and was about to burst forth from his body.

But it's no use.

The blade continued to fall, one strike after another.

Each cut felt like a blow to his heart, shattering the confidence he had built up over the past twenty years.

finally-

The blade flashed for a moment.

Immediately, a bright arc flashed across the sky.

Liang Yan's knife flew out of his hand, spinning in the air before striking the doorpost with a "thud." The blade vibrated and hummed, causing wood chips to fall and pieces of the vermilion paint on the doorpost to peel off.