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

Chapter 161 The Demise of the Blood Knife Gang

Liang Yan stood frozen in place.

His eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets, filled with disbelief, fear, and despair.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he found that only blood foam, warm and sweet, welled up in his throat.

On his neck, a thin bloodstain was widening, like a red line.

Fresh blood gushed out, staining his clothes and chest red, dripping onto the ground and pooling at his feet.

He lowered his head, glanced at the bloodstains on his chest, then raised his head to look at Su Bai.

Those eyes were wide open, reflecting Su Bai's figure, his young face, and his calm, still eyes.

Until his last breath, his eyes remained completely expressionless, as if he had not killed the leader of the Blood Blade Gang, nor a master at the peak of the mid-stage True Qi Realm, but merely an insignificant ant.

His lips moved, silently uttering two words: "What—"

Before he could finish speaking, his body swayed, as if all his strength had been drained, and he fell forward.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed as someone fell to the ground, dust billowed, and blood splattered everywhere.

Liang Yan, the leader of the Blood Blade Gang, is dead.

Zhong Ji stood in the shadows inside the door, his body stiff and cold, like a stone statue.

He shouldn't have come out. Liang Yan told him to stay inside, so he should have obediently stayed inside.

But when the Zhenfu Division came to his door for the second time, making such a big commotion, with hundreds of torches outside illuminating the night sky, how could he possibly sit still?

He quietly walked behind the door, hid in the shadows, pressed his body against the cold door panel, and looked out through the narrow crack in the door.

Then, he saw this scene.

Liang Yan drew his sword with terrifying force, and his loud shout made his eardrums ring.

Su Bai stepped forward, and the blade suddenly flashed brightly, so bright that it stung his eyes.

The two blades clashed, sparks flew, and the loud bang seemed to strike his heart.

Then Liang Yan died.

He just died like that?

Zhong Ji's eyes widened, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.

He opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, making only a faint "gurgling" sound, as if something was stuck in his throat.

Liang Yan is dead?

Liang Yan, the leader of the Blood Blade Gang, who was at the peak of the mid-stage True Qi Realm and had been running rampant in Qingyuan County for twenty years, died just like that?

A fatal blow to the throat?

He recalled the flashes of blades, the torrential downpour of swords, and the impenetrable net of blades.

That was a sword technique he had never seen before—incredibly fast, unstoppable, and domineering enough to induce despair.

Liang Yan, at the peak of the mid-stage True Qi Realm, was powerless against this sword technique.

That heavy, thick-backed broadsword, weighing over thirty pounds, that had been with him for twenty years and had drunk the blood of countless people, was knocked away so lightly, like a straw.

Zhong Ji's body began to tremble.

Start with your fingers, then move to your arms, then to your shoulders, and finally to your whole body.

He was shaking like a leaf, his teeth chattering, and he couldn't stop.

He hugged his shoulders with both hands, trying to stop trembling, but it was no use; the fear had seeped into his bones.

It's not that he hasn't seen experts before.

He had seen Jin Tangjing fight, he had seen An Chen fight, he had seen masters from various gangs fight. But he had never seen a knife like this before.

That's not the power a True Qi Realm cultivator should possess.

At least at the late stage of True Qi Realm.

No, not only that.

Zhong Ji's eyes widened, his pupils filled with fear, despair, and disbelief.

The limit of the late stage of True Qi Realm.

Moreover, his swordsmanship is extremely advanced, at least at the "perfect state," and he may even have comprehended some kind of divine intent.

Divine will.

The two words flashed through Zhong Ji's mind, and he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His blood seemed to freeze, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Cold sweat poured down his back, instantly soaking his clothes.

He thought of Jintang Jing's death.

I thought of An Chen's death.

I recall the Golden Knife Alliance, which was wiped out overnight.

It turned out to be the case.

That's it!

Jin Tangjing wasn't careless, nor was he ambushed, nor did he fall victim to any underhanded tactics. He was killed head-on by someone far stronger than him, just like Liang Yan, who didn't even have the power to fight back.

And this person is right outside the door right now.

Zhong Ji suddenly turned around and ran away.

He couldn't care about anything else. He didn't care about wealth and status, luxurious lifestyle, his standing in the martial arts world, or the Blood Blade Gang.

All he wanted to do now was escape, escape as far away as possible, escape Qingyuan County, escape this terrible place, escape the young man's sight.

He channeled all his inner energy, took large strides, and rushed towards the inner courtyard.

The soles of the boots clattered rapidly on the bluestone slabs, making a particularly jarring sound in the quiet courtyard.

When he pushed his external martial arts technique to its limit, a faint bronze color appeared on his body, as if he were wearing a layer of bronze armor.

That was a sign that he had mastered the external martial arts after thirty years of hard training. He could not be cut by a knife or pierced by a spear. He had once used this to withstand a full-force attack from a mid-stage True Qi Realm expert without being injured.

At this moment, he was as if he were cast in bronze and iron, impervious to swords and spears, and possessed immense strength.

But he didn't turn around.

All he wanted to do was escape.

A figure swept in from behind.

It was incredibly fast, as fast as a gust of wind, a flash of light, a phantom.

Zhong Ji caught a glimpse of that figure out of the corner of his eye, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He wanted to accelerate, wanted to change direction, wanted to—

late.

The blade was already flashing.

The bright arc of light streaked across the night, carrying a chilling aura and an irresistible force, heading straight for his back.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

Zhong Ji felt a tremendous force on his back, as if he had been hit by a charging rhinoceros. He fell forward and crashed heavily to the ground, cracking the bluestone slab. He struggled to get up, bracing himself with his hands and knees, but found his back was ice-cold.

He looked down.

A blade tip pierced through his chest.

Blood dripped slowly from the snow-white blade, falling onto the bluestone slab beneath him with a soft "drip-drip" sound.

His external martial arts skills, his proud defense, and his hard-earned skills honed over thirty years were as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of this blade.

Zhong Ji's eyes widened, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word.

His body swayed, then he collapsed to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Wang Muzhi stood there, his mind blank, as if all his thoughts had been drained.

He only saw Lord Su step forward, only saw the flash of a blade, only saw Liang Yan fall.

As for what happened in between, he didn't see it at all.

The knife was too fast, so fast that his eyes couldn't keep up, so fast that his consciousness couldn't react, so fast that everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

All he knew was—

Liang Yan is dead.

The leader of the Blood Blade Gang is dead.

He died just like that.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat too dry to make a sound, and his lips so chapped they looked like they were about to bleed.

He turned to look at Tang Dingzhen, only to find that Tang Dingzhen's expression was even more interesting.

Tang Dingzhen stood there, her whole body stiff, as if she had been frozen in place.

His eyes were wide open, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, his lips were trembling slightly, and his face was as pale as paper.

He wasn't a civil official like Wang Muzhi; he was the deputy chief inspector, a master of the True Qi Realm, and someone who could see through things.

He saw it clearly.

He saw the blade clearly, saw the barrage of sword light pouring down like a storm, saw the despair in Liang Yan's eyes before his death, and saw how the heavy, thirty-pound broadsword was knocked away.

That wasn't an ordinary slash.

That's the Blazing Sun Blade Technique.

The Zhenfu Division's signature martial arts, a lower-level sword technique, is powerful, domineering, and incomparably fierce.

Throughout the entire Zhenfu Division, many people have mastered this sword technique, but very few have reached a high level of proficiency, and it seems that none have achieved perfection.

But the slash that Lord Su just used—

It's not a minor achievement.

Not a great achievement.

It is perfect.

The state of perfection.

The sword light was continuous, like a raging storm, like a raging torrent, one move after another, one style after another, without a moment's pause, without the slightest flaw.

That's an attack that can only be unleashed when one's swordsmanship has reached perfection.

And that's not all.

The power contained within that blade's gleam, the chilling killing intent, the irresistible domineering force, the oppressive feeling that instilled despair—that was divine will.

The true meaning of martial arts.

That is to incorporate one's own will, one's own understanding, and one's own philosophy into the swordsmanship.

It is a realm that countless martial artists cannot reach even after a lifetime of effort.

Tang Dingzhen's body began to tremble.

Start with your fingers, then move to your arms, then to your shoulders, and finally to your whole body.

He trembled like a leaf in the wind, unable to stop even if he wanted to.

He recalled those legends, those legends about the True Qi Realm.

Above true qi is true qi.

To enter the True Qi realm, one must first comprehend the divine will.

Only by fusing divine will with true qi can true qi be born, and only then can one step into the realm that countless martial artists dream of.

Lord Su is only in his early twenties this year.

In his early twenties, at the peak of the late True Qi Realm, and having perfected the Blazing Sun Blade Technique, what does it mean to have comprehended the Divine Intent?

This means that there is hope for Zhen Gang.

This means that perhaps in less than ten years, the Zhenfu Division will have one more True Qi Realm expert, one more pillar capable of supporting the entire region.

mean----

Tang Dingzhen took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but found that she couldn't do it at all.

His heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to burst out of his chest; his blood was boiling, as if it were about to burst into flames; he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, or as if he had been illuminated by a beam of light.

He looked at the figure standing with a knife, at the young face, at the calm, still eyes, his gaze filled with awe, shock, and disbelief.

That reverence was no longer the reverence of a subordinate for a superior, nor the reverence of the weak for the strong, but rather the reverence of one person for another who far surpassed the ordinary, the reverence for a future True Qi Realm expert.

He suddenly remembered what he had thought when he first heard that Su Bai was coming.

What was he thinking at that time?

What skills could a mere lad in his early twenties possibly have?

Most of them got their positions through connections, came to the Zhenfu Division to gain experience, accumulate seniority over a few years, make some contributions, and then leave to be promoted.

He'd seen plenty of people like that. They'd come in, hang around for a few years, take credit for the work of their subordinates, and when it came to actually getting things done, it was up to the old guys like them.

But only now did he realize that they were wrong.

All of them are wrong.

This Lord Su is not here to gain prestige.

He came to establish his authority.

It is with the blood of the Golden Knife Alliance, the blood of the Blood Knife Gang, and the deaths of Liang Yan and Zhong Ji that we declare to the entire Qingyuan County, from this day forward, who calls the shots in Qingyuan County!

There was a deathly silence in front of the Blood Blade Gang's headquarters.

The gang members stood there, trembling, their faces ashen, looking particularly terrifying in the firelight.

Some people couldn't even hold their knives properly, and one fell to the ground with a loud thud, the sound particularly jarring in the silence.

Some people's legs were trembling so badly that they could not stand steadily. They had to hold onto someone next to them to keep from falling, and even the person being supported was swaying precariously.

Some people had blank stares, as if they had lost their souls, muttering something, but no one could hear them clearly, only indistinct murmurs.

Liang Yan is dead.

The gang leader is dead.

The gang leader who had run rampant in Qingyuan County for twenty years, the one who was absolute and whose word was law, the one they both respected and feared, is dead.

He died just like that.

They looked at the figure standing with a knife, at the young face, and at the calm, still eyes.

His face was expressionless, and his eyes were devoid of emotion, as if he had just killed not a True Qi Realm expert, but merely crushed an ant.

Fear rose from the bottom of my heart, spread throughout my body, and seeped into my bones.

No one dared to move.

No one dared to speak.

No one dared to breathe.

Hundreds of people stood in the open space, yet it was as quiet as a graveyard. The only sounds were the crackling of torches, the sound of the night wind, and the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

Su Bai sheathed his sword.

The sound of the knife being sheathed was very soft, but the "click" was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence, as if striking the heart of everyone.

He turned around and glanced at the gang members.

A very faint glance.

It doesn't even qualify as watching.

But that made those people take another step back, as if they had been pushed by an invisible force.

Someone bumped into the person behind them, someone stepped on someone else's foot, but no one made a sound, not even daring to cry out.

Su Bai didn't look at them again.

He strode forward, passing the automatically cleared passage, past the trembling gang members, past the swords and knives scattered on the ground, and headed towards the direction of the Zhenfu Division's constables.

The soles of the boots made a soft "tap, tap" sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

One moment, one moment.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence of the room, as if it were striking everyone's heart, making their hearts skip a beat with each strike.

Wang Muzhi snapped out of his daze and hurriedly stepped forward. He stumbled slightly and almost tripped over the hem of his robe.

Tang Dingzhen also came to her senses and followed behind him, her steps much slower and lighter than usual, as if she dared not make a sound.

As they gazed at the approaching figure, at the young face, at those calm, serene eyes, an indescribable emotion welled up within them.

It is reverence.

It was shocking.

It's exhilarating.

besides-

Something long forgotten.

That thing is called spirit.

That's something that only comes after seeing hope, seeing the future, and seeing the possibility of the Zhenfu Division regaining its strength.

Su Bai walked up to them and stopped.

His self-illumination passed over them and fell on the trembling gang members inside the door.

"Arrest those who should be arrested, and kill those who resist!" Su Bai said coldly.

Wang Muzhi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, clasped his hands and bowed: "Yes!"

He bent over so low that his forehead almost touched his knees.

Tang Dingzhen also clasped his hands and bowed, bending even lower than Wang Muzhi.

His body was still trembling slightly, but it was unclear whether it was from fear or excitement.

Su Bai didn't look at them again.

He raised his head and looked up at the night sky.

The dark clouds had dispersed at some point, revealing the bright moon. It was a full moon, large and round, its light pouring down like mercury, bathing him and casting a long shadow on the ground.

At the end of the shadows were two corpses that were gradually cooling down.

One of them was Liang Yan, the leader of the Blood Blade Gang. He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes still open, staring at the night sky, his eyes filled with despair.

One of them was Zhong Ji, the third elder of the Golden Knife Alliance. He lay inside the courtyard gate, a blade tip protruding from his chest, blood still flowing.

Overnight, the core fighting forces of the two major gangs were completely wiped out.