Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 168 Yang Shu, the Pig King, a lump of meat by the roadside

At noon that day, the sun was high in the sky, and the poplar trees on both sides of the official road were so hot that their leaves curled slightly and made a soft rustling sound in the wind.

The outline of Hongzhou City was already faintly visible in the distance, its bluish-gray walls gleaming white in the afternoon sunlight.

Gu Guanqi and Zhao Tianfang rode side by side, with a thousand-strong army behind them. Their armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and their horses kicked up fine dust as they trod on the dirt road.

A rapid clatter of hooves came from the bend in the main road ahead. A scout galloped up from the side road, the soldier on horseback landing on his feet, clasping his hands in a fist and calling out, "Reporting to Alliance Leader Gu and Your Highness, there is a group of people at the fork in the road ahead, the leader of whom is Cao Yu, the Vice Prefect of Hongzhou."

Gu Guanqi asked in surprise, "Is this preparation for a desperate battle?"

Zhao Tianfang asked doubtfully, "Although Cao Yu's martial arts skills are not bad, he is at most a first-rate martial artist. Among his retainers, there are no particularly famous masters. He shouldn't have the guts!"

He then looked at the scout and asked, "How many men did he bring?"

The scout reported: "Reporting to the Prince, there are more than twenty people, but none of them are armed, and there are also women and children. They don't seem to be here to fight to the death."

Gu Guanqi and Zhao Tianfang exchanged a glance, both with the same question in their eyes.

"Heh, this is interesting!" Gu Guanqi chuckled. "They're not here to fight to the death, but they can't be here to surrender, can they?"

Zhao Tianfang said, "We'll know once we go and see."

The group immediately continued forward and soon rounded the bend. There was indeed a group of about twenty people standing at the fork in the road ahead, including men, women, and children. They were all neatly dressed but empty-handed and without any weapons.

The leader was a middle-aged scholar wearing a blue official robe. He had a thin face and three long wisps of beard on his chin. He stood by the roadside with his hands hanging down, looking somewhat nervous.

It was Cao Yu, the prefectural magistrate of Hongzhou.

Upon seeing the army appear, Cao Yu and everyone behind him were startled and their expressions became tense.

Cao Yu ran out quickly to meet the army. When he was seven or eight steps away from Gu Guanqi, he knelt down and shouted loudly, "Your humble servant Cao Yu, the Prefect of Hongzhou, along with my wife, children, and elders, respectfully welcomes the esteemed Sword Immortal and Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance of the Three Prefectures, Leader Gu!"

As he knelt down, the twenty-odd people behind him also knelt down in unison. The woman, holding the child's hand, and several young people also knelt on the dirt road with their heads down. Their movements were synchronized, clearly indicating that they had rehearsed beforehand.

Zhao Tianfang waved his hand, and the group stopped instantly.

The official road fell silent for a moment.

The wind blew through the fields on either side, ruffling Gu Guanqi's robes and long hair. He reined in his horse, looked down at Cao Yu kneeling before him, and after a moment of silence, slowly spoke: "Prefect Cao, are you trying to morally blackmail me?"

His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Cao Yu remained kneeling on the ground, slightly raising his head, and declared loudly, "Alliance Leader Gu, please forgive me. I have brought my family here solely to demonstrate my loyalty. From this day forward, Cao Yu and my family are willing to serve Alliance Leader Gu faithfully, without any disloyalty!"

Gu Guanqi leaned slightly forward, letting the light fall on Cao Yu's face, and said, "If I remember correctly, Judge Cao comes from the Hanyue Sect, and many of its members have married into your Cao family. Now that I have destroyed the Hanyue Sect, instead of seeking revenge, you want to pledge allegiance to me?"

Cao Yu said, "Alliance Leader Gu, you are wise. Although I am an outer disciple of the Hanyue Sect, I have witnessed the sect's perverse and oppressive actions against the people in Hongzhou over the years, and I have felt indignant. However, being in that position, I had no choice but to speak out. Now that Alliance Leader Gu has spoken out for the people and eliminated this scourge, I admire you greatly and am willing to abandon darkness for light. I hope Alliance Leader Gu will give me a chance to reform."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand slightly and said, "I don't like these high-sounding words. I'll give you a chance to say it again, tell the truth."

Cao Yu said with a bitter expression, "Alliance Leader Gu's divine might is unparalleled; even the Hanyue Sect was defeated by your sword. When I received the news that day, I was so frightened that I could neither eat nor sleep."

These past few days, I've been waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. After much thought, I've decided to take a gamble here, hoping that Alliance Leader Gu is someone who hates trouble and will see my only value. I just want to save my life and keep my family safe. Alliance Leader Gu, please understand, I truly have no intention of dying for the Han Yue Sect—”

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head again, his forehead almost touching the dirt road.

"I know that given my status, it is impossible for Alliance Leader Gu to trust me. I have never dared to expect his absolute trust. However, I have cultivated deep roots in the Hongzhou government for many years. When Alliance Leader Gu first arrives in Hongzhou, he will need someone familiar with the ways to take control of the government. I am willing to fully cooperate with Alliance Leader Gu to streamline the Hongzhou government."

He paused, then continued, "If Alliance Leader Gu is willing to keep me as a puppet, I will be a puppet. If Alliance Leader Gu doesn't like me, I will take my wife and children and leave Hongzhou, never to enter officialdom again. I only ask Alliance Leader Gu to give me and my family a way to survive."

After saying his last words, Cao Yu remained silent, kneeling there quietly.

The afternoon sunlight slanted down from behind the clouds and fell on Cao Yu's slightly hunched back.

Gu Guanqi sat on horseback, not speaking immediately. The wind swept across the fields, ruffling the hair at his temples. He looked down at Cao Yu and his family kneeling on the ground, and began to ponder.

In fact, it would have been much easier for him to control the Hongzhou government through Cao Yu than through Governor Yang Yuan, because although Governor Yang Yuan was the top official, he was always a puppet and had little real power in Hongzhou.

Cao Yu, on the other hand, was the de facto head of the government. Many of his protégés and former subordinates were in the Hongzhou government. If one could control him, controlling the Hongzhou government would be much easier.

The main reason we didn't consider this person before was that he belonged to the Hanyue Sect faction, and he was also a power-hungry person who was reluctant to relinquish power. If he secretly sabotaged us, it would be very troublesome.

But it seems that this person is quite pragmatic.

If he truly behaves so compliantly, Gu Guanqi wouldn't mind giving him a chance. After all, with the assistance of both Governor Yang Yuan and Prefect Cao Yu, controlling the Hongzhou government would be very easy for him.

Thinking of this, Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "Get up, come with me into the city!"

Cao Yu suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with joy. Although he didn't know if Gu Guanqi would use him again, he knew at least that he and his family's lives were now safe.

As for whether he can continue to serve as an official, that depends on fate.

People in Hongzhou all said he was obsessed with officialdom, and he himself admitted that he was. But when his life was hanging by a thread, he realized that no matter how much he was obsessed with something, it was not that important in the face of life and death.

Immediately, Cao Yu quickly stood up, walked to Gu Guanqi's horse, and said respectfully, "I humbly request the Alliance Leader to grant me the opportunity to lead your horse!"

"What a brilliant Cao Yu!"

Gu Guanqi chuckled and casually tossed the reins to Cao Yu.

Cao Yu carefully accepted it, and said with trepidation, "Thank you for your kindness, Alliance Leader!"

Then he led the horse forward.

Seeing this, Zhao Tianfang couldn't help but give a thumbs up, secretly praising, "No wonder you, Cao Yu, started as just an outer disciple in the Hanyue Sect, yet climbed the ranks faster and higher than those core disciples. You really did it!"

Scorching sun.

The procession moved forward in a grand procession. Cao Yu walked in front of Gu Guanqi's horse, holding the reins firmly with both hands. He took careful steps, making sure each step landed on the flat yellow earth, as if afraid of bumping Gu Guanqi.

His blue official robe was already soaked with sweat, leaving a large dark wet patch on his back. The white hair at his temples was slightly curled by the sun, but he was completely unaware of it.

Along the way, many people saw him and naturally recognized him, but Cao Yu did not feel ashamed. On the contrary, his expression revealed a sense of honor and solemnity. He led his horse for more than ten miles and arrived at the gate of Hongzhou City.

-

The city gates were wide open, and the soldiers guarding the city on both sides were already standing in formation, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

A large group of people stood at the city gate, led by Yang Yuan, the governor of Hongzhou. He wore a scarlet official robe, a jade belt, and a black gauze hat. Behind him were a group of officials from the prefectural government, from the investigating magistrate to the registrar and the chief clerk of each department, a dense crowd of dozens of people.

The moment the army appeared, everyone saw Cao Yu leading the way on horseback.

"Well done, Magistrate Cao! I knew I'd seen him leaving with his wife and children before dawn, and I thought they were fleeing. Turns out, he took a risky gamble and managed to escape from a desperate situation!"

"Prefect Cao is really going all out!"

'

Immediately, there was much discussion.

But many people's expressions changed slightly, and they began to ponder.

Many of the people here originally followed Cao Yu's faction. But after the downfall of the Hanyue Sect, many people intentionally or unintentionally distanced themselves from Cao Yu, because they couldn't predict what Cao Yu would do and were afraid that Cao Yu would fight to the death and implicate them.

Now, Cao Yu has brought Gu Guanqi a horse, which has stirred up many people's thoughts again.

Cao Yu may not necessarily fall from power.

However, everyone looked at Yang Yuan, and most people still felt that Yang Yuan was more reliable.

Because everyone knows that no matter how much Cao Yu surrenders, he is still from the Hanyue Sect. Yang Yuan is different; his relationship with the Hanyue Sect is almost negligible, and he holds the official position of governor. For Gu Guanqi, he is the most useful person, without exception.

Therefore, during this period, the officials of the prefecture were all staying away from Cao Yu and getting closer to Yang Yuan. This was also the first time in so long since Yang Yuan became the governor that he felt that the government was led by him.

At this moment, seeing Cao Yu leading his horse over, Yang Yuan's lips twitched slightly, and he let out a cold snort, lowering his voice to say, "This Cao Yu really has no shame, he has no backbone at all!"

'

The judge next to him smiled awkwardly and was about to reply when he saw Yang Yuan's expression suddenly change. His eyes, which had previously held a hint of disdain, suddenly lit up and were filled with smiles.

The next moment, Yang Yuan seemed like a completely different person. He rushed out quickly, the hem of his official robe fluttering in the wind. From a distance, he bowed, clasped his hands above his head, and said in a loud and enthusiastic voice: "Your humble servant, Yang Yuan, Governor of Hongzhou, respectfully welcomes Alliance Leader Gu! Respectfully welcomes Prince Rong!"

J

Judge: "————"

Subsequently, a group of officials also went forward to greet him, bowing in unison. For a moment, the city gate was filled with shouts of "Welcome Alliance Leader Gu!"

Gu Guanqi reined in his horse, his gaze lingering on Yang Yuan's face for a moment before preparing to dismount.

Cao Yu, quick-witted and agile, immediately loosened the reins, leaned forward, and reached out to support Gu Guanqi's arm.

Almost simultaneously, Yang Yuan also rushed forward. Their hands touched in mid-air, they looked at each other, smiled, and said at the same time, "Alliance Leader Gu, please dismount slowly!"

7

Before they finished speaking, both of their hands reached out to Gu Guanqi's side.

Gu Guanqi waved his hand slightly, gently pushing both of their hands away, and said in a calm tone, "No need."

Yang Yuan and Cao Yu withdrew their hands at the same time, but still had ingratiating smiles on their faces.

Gu Guanqi stopped, his gaze falling on Yang Yuan, and said in a calm and unhurried tone: "Governor Yang, I don't think I need to say more about why I'm here, do I?"

"6

Yang Yuan nodded hurriedly, bowing even lower, and replied in rapid succession, "This humble official understands, this humble official understands! This humble official has already invited all officials of the prefectural government to the prefectural government to report on their duties. The identity files of all officials and their performance evaluation records for the past few years have been prepared, and you may consult them at any time. Whether we, the officials of the prefectural government, stay or leave is entirely up to Alliance Leader Gu's decision!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly. It seemed that Yang Yuan was also a pragmatic person. Things were going much more smoothly than he and Zhao Tianfang had expected. With Yang Yuan and Cao Yu working together, it would be very easy for him to control the Hongzhou government.

Then he said, "Let's go into the city."

6

After saying this, he strode forward. Yang Yuan quickly stepped aside to lead the way, while Cao Yu followed closely behind him, half a step behind. Zhao Tianfang led a group of personal guards close behind. The procession surged forward, passing through the city gate and entering Hongzhou City.

Hongzhou, the prefectural government office.

Deep in the backyard, in a secluded little courtyard.

A thin man dressed as a servant quickly pushed open the door to the main room.

In the center of the room sat an extremely obese middle-aged man, whose round belly was even larger than that of a woman about to give birth. This man was none other than the Pig King, one of the four Dharma Kings of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

Below are several masters of the Heavenly Principle Sect, as well as Yang Shu, a traitor from the Heavenly God Sect.

-

The thin, servant-like man quickly walked up to the Pig King and said in a low voice, "Pig King, Gu Guanqi has already entered the city."

"6

The Pig King's squinty eyes lit up slightly, and he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Good, very good, he has finally arrived."

He slowly stood up, his round body causing the chair beside him to sway slightly. His voice held a barely suppressed excitement as he looked at the high-ranking members of the Heavenly Principle Sect: "Brothers, there's no time to lose. Activate the Poison Heart Formation immediately and await Gu Guanqi's entry!"

Immediately, the group turned around and quickly left.

Then, the Pig King looked at Yang Shu and said, "Sect Leader Yang, let's go see what's going on. You've done a great service in killing Gu Guanqi today!"

Yang Shu frowned slightly and said, "You idiot, I'm a little uneasy. Is your Poisonous Heart Formation truly secure?"

Zhu Chu said, "Sect Leader Yang, you can rest assured. This Poison Heart Formation was created decades ago by several masters of poison who exhausted their efforts to create a complex poison formation woven from 128 kinds of rare poisons."

Once inside the formation, no matter how high one's cultivation level or how many anti-poison measures one possesses, there will always be poison that cannot be prevented. Even a supreme grandmaster at the Dao Entry Realm will be affected.

Furthermore, with Governor Yang assisting us, we can make him fall right into the trap you set with your dragon scale spider silk. When that happens, once my Qilin Tear is unleashed, Gu Guanqi will surely be suspicious!

66

The army entered the city and marched in a grand procession toward the Hongzhou government office.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the government office.

Zhao Tianfang ordered his troops to wait outside, and only brought a few dozen personal guards to escort Gu Guanqi inside, with a group of officials following closely behind.

Yang Yuan and Cao Yu led Gu Guanqi into the government office, one on each side.

Soon, the group arrived at a large courtyard.

The courtyard gate was open, revealing a courtyard paved with blue bricks. In the center stood a stone-built artificial hill with a gently flowing stream. Beside the hill were several neatly trimmed potted plants, and the branches of a few old locust trees peeked over the courtyard wall, swaying slightly in the breeze. In one corner stood a pavilion with a corner eaves, complete with a stone table and benches. It certainly seemed like an elegant place for a male fox.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, Gu Guanqi paused slightly.

His gaze first fell on the artificial hill in the courtyard, then slowly swept over the corridors on both sides, the stone steps, and a few clumps of flowers and trees in the corner, his brows twitching slightly.

Yang Yuan, who had been keeping a half-step distance behind Gu Guanqi, noticed his pace slowing slightly and quickly stepped forward, smiling obsequiously and speaking in a solicitous tone: "Alliance Leader Gu, is there anything amiss with this courtyard? If there's anything you dislike, the official will immediately send someone to demolish it!"

Gu Guanqi said, "It's nothing, I just feel this courtyard is quite elegant. Who usually lives here?"

Yang Yuan quickly replied, "This is where the officials routinely deal with the raccoon dogs, and all the previous governors have worked here."

""

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "So, this is your private space?"

Yang Yuan quickly bowed, his tone tinged with trepidation: "No, no—this belongs to the state government; I am merely here for official business, how could I dare claim it as private property—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Guanqi suddenly reached out, his speed as fast as a snowflake, and his five fingers instantly gripped Yang Yuan's neck.

Gu Guanqi's move came without any warning. Yang Yuan didn't even realize what had happened. He only felt his throat tighten, his breath was instantly cut off, and he was lifted off the ground by that force, his toes leaving the ground.

His face flushed red at a visible speed, and he instinctively grabbed Gu Guanqi's wrists with both hands, but he couldn't pry open those iron-like fingers no matter what he did.

His eyes widened, and he uttered a few muffled sounds, filled with panic and bewilderment.

At that moment, Zhao Tianfang drew his sword with a clang, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Almost simultaneously, the twelve armored soldiers behind him also drew their weapons, the clanging of their armor striking each other, startling the surrounding officials into a panic.

Zhao Tianfang and his men surrounded Gu Guanqi, quickly asking, "Alliance Leader Gu! What's wrong?"

Gu Guanqi said coldly, "This person wants to kill me!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Zhao Tianfang's expression suddenly changed.

The state officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yang Yuan's face flushed red as he forcefully cried out, "Alliance Leader Gu—I—am innocent—I don't know—what happened—!"

Gu Guanqi snorted coldly and said, "There's a poison array in this courtyard that ordinary people can't detect. But, unfortunately for me, I'm quite accomplished in the art of poisons!"

After saying that, Gu Guanqi threw Yang Yuan to the ground.

Zhao Tianfang reacted quickly, catching Yang Yuan and pinning him to the ground, then twisting his arms behind his back.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Guanqi lightly touched the ground with his toes, his body leaping up gracefully into the air. His robes billowed in the wind, his long hair flying backward with a swift motion.

In an instant, he raised both hands, and countless black silk threads surged from his palms, like a flood bursting its banks, spreading across every corner of the entire courtyard.

The silk threads, as fine as silk fabric, covered the entire courtyard in an instant.

"Ah!" "Ah!"

'

In an instant, several screams echoed from deep within the compound.

Immediately afterwards, the silk tightened simultaneously from all directions, like several fine hands pulling out a figure from each of the five squares in the courtyard.

The five men, dressed as servants, were all tightly wrapped in silk, like five insects caught in a spider web, dragged out at the same time and slammed heavily onto the blue brick ground in the center of the courtyard.

Several people fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Yang Yuan, now kneeling on the ground, trembled violently, crying out in terror, "Alliance Leader Gu... I truly... I knew nothing about this..."

Gu Guanqi said coldly, "I noticed the traces of the poison array as soon as I entered this courtyard, but to avoid harming innocent people, I specifically asked who the owner of this place is."

There is a poison array in this courtyard. The array is set up in an extremely hidden way. If an ordinary person enters this place without being on guard, their true energy will dissipate and their meridians will become paralyzed within ten breaths. Even the most profound cultivators will not be able to use more than 30% of their power.

He paused, looked at Yang Yuan, and said, "This poison array is based on the Five Elements and the Five Elements are in full bloom. I sensed that these five people were standing on the Five Elements and the Five Elements are in full bloom. It is definitely not a coincidence."

This poison array was built entirely according to the structure of this courtyard. The poisons in each location counteract and stimulate each other, forming a complete complex poison array.

Setting up such a grand formation is no easy task; it requires a thorough understanding of the quality and structure of every inch of the floor tiles and every pillar. If the owner of this place cooperated, it would be absolutely impossible. Yang Yuan, you say you were unaware? Do you think we're all fools?

Yang Yuan's body stiffened abruptly, his lips trembling. His face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with fear and terror.

Zhao Tianfang roared, "Yang Yuan, you're asking for death!"

He made a gesture as if to chop.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!" Yang Yuan was so frightened that his body went limp, and he hurriedly said, "It's—it's the Heavenly Principle Sect—they forced me to do this!"

Gu Guanqi pointed at the people on the ground and asked, "Is this all there is?"

Yang Yuan swallowed hard and quickly said, "Not only that, but mainly it's Zhu Chu, one of the four great masters of the Heavenly Principle Sect. He also used the softest material, dragon scale spider silk, to set up a trap in this hall, combined with this poison array, intending to restrict Alliance Leader Gu, and then he would use the Qilin Tear, one of the five most powerful hidden weapons in the Heavenly Realm, to kill Alliance Leader Gu!"

Zhao Tianfang shouted, "Where is that pig? He—"

Just then, Gu Guanqi suddenly raised his right hand and slapped the steel of the house on his right.

This palm strike seemed effortless, but as the wind from the palm passed, the air suddenly surged, and a visible burst of energy, like a giant, valve-shaped hammer, precisely struck the outer wall of the house.

With a deafening roar, the entire wall shattered under the force of the palm strike, sending bricks and pieces of wood flying in all directions. Amidst the billowing dust, roof tiles slid off with a crash, and the entire house instantly collapsed into a pile of ruins.

In an instant, a round figure suddenly darted out from the broken bricks and dust.

The figure was incredibly fast, like a ball thrown by a tremendous force. As soon as it landed, it began to roll at a strange angle, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, like a mudfish bouncing on the ground. Its trajectory was crooked and unpredictable, making it impossible to predict which direction it would appear in at any moment.

It is indeed a pig.

Seeing that his poisonous formation had been exposed and all his backup plans had failed, he originally wanted to hide, but unexpectedly Gu Guanqi discovered his attack.

Immediately, he had no intention of fighting Gu Guanqi and only cared about making a fool of himself and running away.

Gu Guanqi snorted coldly, and the Autumn Water Sword flew out of his hand.

In an instant, the Autumn Water Sword shot towards Zhu Yu like a silver streak of light. As the longsword flew through the air, it adjusted its direction on its own, as if controlled by a pair of valve-shaped hands, sometimes veering to the left, sometimes turning to the right, chasing after Zhu Yu.

This was precisely Li Feigong's mental locking technique. Although the Autumn Water Sword was just a sword in his hands, he wielded it like a flying master, constantly adjusting its angle as it flew, always precisely locking onto the pig's ever-changing form.

The pig sensed the sword's pursuit and rolled even more rapidly.

He sprang up suddenly and lunged toward a rooftop in front of him, about to land on the tiles.

However, just as his figure was about to touch the roof, the Autumn Water Sword flew diagonally from the bow, its blade drawing a sharp arc in the air, precisely cutting into the direction from which he was about to land.

With a muffled thud, the sword pierced the pig king's lower back, and blood gushed out from his abdomen, instantly spreading along the blade and splashing a dark red arc in the sunlight.

"what!"

The pig let out a shrill scream, as if all its strength had been drained, and plummeted straight down from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the blue brick ground with a dull thud.

Dust rose, and blood quickly seeped into his body.

Gu Guanqi moved swiftly, leaping across the steel.

At that moment, Zhu Chu was lying on the ground, clutching a flower tightly in his hand.

It was a flower made entirely of gleaming gold metal, about five inches long. The stem was held in the palm of the hand, the flower facing outwards, its petals layered upon each other, each one polished to the finest, like a cicada's wing, refracting the sunlight into a shimmering golden glow. At the flower's stamen, one could vaguely see countless tiny pores.

It is the Qilin Tear, one of the five most powerful hidden weapons in the legendary Heavenly Bow.

Zhu Chu raised his hand, the flower opening facing Gu Guanqi. His fingers rested on an inconspicuous protrusion on the flower stem; with just a gentle press, the Qilin Tears would activate.

Just as he was about to press the button, Gu Guanqi, who was flying through the air, slightly raised his hand, and a dagger slid out from his sleeve. It was as fast as a flash of light, and it arrived in the air, precisely cutting into Zhu Chu's wrist.

The blade pierced flesh with a soft thud, without splattering a drop of blood. Yet, the pig's thick hand was severed at the wrist, falling to the ground along with the Qilin Tear.

Li Xunhuan's Flying Daggers are all incredibly skillful!

"ah--!"

Zhu Chu let out a heart-wrenching scream, blood gushing from his severed wrist. He rolled violently twice on the ground, his round face contorted beyond recognition by the drama, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

He suddenly stretched out his left hand, grabbed the hilt of the Autumn Water Sword stuck in his waist and twisted it with force!

The moment the sword was separated from the body, blood gushed out like a spring.

He suddenly stood up, and his obese body expanded at a visible speed, his flesh bulging and his pubic hair popping out, like a huge sac being inflated.

His eyes turned bloodshot, and the fat all over his body writhed, engorged with blood, and hardened, making him look like a wild beast that had been thoroughly enraged.

"Gu Guanqi, I'll fight you to the death—!"

He let out a hoarse roar from deep in his throat, filled with hysterical madness. With a sudden burst of speed, he charged towards Gu Guanqi like a moving mountain of flesh, accompanied by a stench of blood and dust.

Gu Guanqi stood on the wall, calmly watching the charging pig, then raised his right hand and struck out with a palm strike.

The palm strike was very light, as light as brushing away a wisp of willow catkins falling in front of him. But the instant his palm was pushed forward, dozens of transparent energy energies suddenly appeared in mid-air. These energy energies were like ripples spreading when a drop of water falls into a lake, appearing and spreading in circles, and then condensing and twisting in an instant, transforming into dozens of palm forces of different shapes and swift trajectories.

This move was created by Gu Guanqi by combining the power of the Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm and the White Rainbow Palm.

It combines the myriad transformations of the Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm with the unpredictable and flexible nature of the White Rainbow Palm.

Dozens of palm strikes surged forth simultaneously from all directions. Some came horizontally from the left, some descended diagonally from above, some sprang up from the ground along the blue bricks, and some curved in strange arcs past the pillars before encircling from behind. They weaved and intertwined in the air, like a dense net woven from valve-shaped threads, wrapping around the bloated body of the pig.

The pig immediately sensed the danger, and a final struggle appeared on its distorted face.

He opened his mouth as if to let out a final roar, but the moment he opened his mouth, the palm strikes that converged from all directions simultaneously landed on him.

Dozens of palm strikes arrived simultaneously.

With a loud "bang," the pig's bloated and fat body suddenly exploded at the center of the convergence of dozens of palm strikes, with blood, flesh, broken bones, and tattered clothing flying in all directions.

Dark red blood formed a brief mist in mid-air, shimmering with tiny specks of light under the sunlight. The shattered flesh, like fallen leaves scattered by the wind, spread out in fine, dark red spots.

The blood mist slowly settled.

Where the pig had stood, only a dark red wet stain and a few pieces of blood-stained cloth remained.

His entire body was completely destroyed, as he was struck by dozens of palm strikes from all directions at the same time, blasting into a rain of blood, leaving not even a single intact bone fragment.

In the courtyard, the dust has settled.

Gu Guanqi reached out and pulled the golden flower that Zhu Yu had been holding into his hand.

The moment he touched it, he felt an extremely violent, yang energy boiling within the flower. This was an energy unlike any he had ever seen before; it was neither true qi nor spiritual energy found in special places.

"Is this the Tears of the Qilin?" Gu Guanqi raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Could it really be Qilin blood?"

He had heard of the legendary five most powerful hidden weapons, and he also knew that the legendary Qilin Tears contained a drop of the essence blood of the divine beast Qilin.

However, the truth of this matter cannot be determined.

But at this moment, feeling the energy contained within the Qilin Tear, he was beginning to believe that the power was indeed very special.

Immediately, Gu Guanqi put away the Qilin Tear, then reached out and drew the Autumn Water Sword into his hand. He then turned to look at the house he had smashed into ruins with a single palm strike, and said coldly, "You think you can hide it?"

After saying that, he slapped the pile of rubble with his palm again.

A figure was slammed out from inside, crashing into the wall in a disheveled state, spitting blood, struggling to stand up, but with several broken bones, he couldn't get up at all.

Gu Guanqi lightly touched the ground with his foot and flew over the steel.

When he noticed Zhu Chu again, he sensed that there were two people hiding in the house. However, only Zhu Chu ran out, while the other person remained hidden. He ignored him and dealt with Zhu Chu first.

"Yang Shu, it's you!"

Zhao Tianfang rushed over and immediately recognized the person leaning against the wall. He hurriedly said to Gu Guanqi, "Alliance Leader Gu, this person is Yang Shu, the traitorous deputy sect leader of the Heavenly God Sect. I met him two years ago and I recognize him."

Yang Shu, barely breathing, looked at Gu Guanqi, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and said, "Gu Guanqi, aren't you very proud of yourself? You've turned me into a clown, you—"

Gu Guanqi struck out with a palm.

With a loud "bang," Yang Shu's head exploded, splattering blood and brain matter.

Gu Guanqi shook his hand and said, "What the hell? Do I know you?"

Immediately, Gu Guanqi turned and walked over to the steel structure, glanced at Yang Yuan kneeling on the ground, and then said to Cao Yu, "Find out the truth about this matter. You should understand how to handle the situation, right?"

Cao Yu quickly cupped his hands and said, "I understand, sir."

Gu Guanqi didn't say anything more, turned around and entered the courtyard, then walked into the hall, reached out and pulled out dozens of white spider silks from behind several pillars, which had a faint luster.

Zhao Tianfang hurriedly said, "Dragon Scale Spider Silk is the silk spun by the legendary beast, the Dragon Scale Demon Spider. It is said to be the softest material in the world, yet incredibly tough, unbreakable even by divine weapons. If you are trapped by this silk, there is no way to escape. This—"

At this point, Zhao Tianfang suddenly stopped.

Because he saw Gu Guanqi gently tug and break the dragon scale spider silk. Then, a burst of blazing sun true energy emanated from Gu Guanqi's hand, and the dragon scale spider silk was quickly burned to ashes.

"This—" Zhao Tianfang was speechless for a moment.

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "That's fine then!"

At first, he really thought that the dragon scale spider silk was powerful, but after he got his hands on it, he found that it was not as good as his own celestial silkworm silk. Whether it was toughness, sharpness or fire resistance, it was a level lower than the celestial silkworm silk.

For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if the supposedly miraculous Qilin Tear was really as powerful as the rumors suggested.

Gu Guanqi asked, "Your Highness, do qilin really exist in this world?"

Zhao Tianfang nodded, and said with certainty, "Yes."

Gu Guanqi asked in surprise, "Really?"

Zhao Tianfang said, "It really exists, I've seen it!"

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