A Scroll of Infinite Glory

When the entire bed was thrown out of the doorway, everyone in the yard opened fire on it.

The Goddess of Lightning was about to leap over the wall across the entire courtyard and into the house, but she was startled by the intermittent gunfire. She hurriedly twisted her waist in mid-air and used her strength to pull herself back to the wall by embedding her five fingers into the brick.

"You bastard!!!"

At that moment, she almost wanted to kill all these troublesome good-for-nothings first.

These ordinary Eight Banner soldiers, numbering over two hundred, could easily be chased around by a dozen or so foreigners; calling them useless wouldn't be an exaggeration.

However, the elite troops that Nalando truly relied on had been almost entirely wiped out by Guan Luoyang. Now, although the entire general's mansion was filled with noise and commotion, it was basically just filled with such useless people and those even more wretched maids and servants.

High on the courtyard wall, Xiao Yang's hand rested loosely on the gun handle, his eyes darting around, scanning the entire courtyard. He was trying to discern the location of the Green-Faced Demon by observing the changes in light and shadow in Nalando's bedroom through the doors and windows.

The room was already on fire, flames licking everywhere, and thick black smoke billowing out, making it difficult for him to see clearly.

Suddenly, the flames and smoke in the room all seemed to shift in one direction. Xiao Yang's eyes narrowed, and he immediately guessed that there was a gap in the room outside the original doors and windows.

Just then, the people in the courtyard realized what was happening and stopped firing indiscriminately. Xiao Yang immediately jumped from the wall onto the roof, took a few quick steps, and prepared to look at the direction in which the flames had drifted, hoping to track the path of the blue-faced ghost as it broke through the wall and escaped.

He took two steps when suddenly the tiles beneath his feet shattered, and a hand pierced through the roof, grabbing his ankle and pulling him down.

There was a large hole in the roof, and broken tiles, rafters, and splinters scratched Xiao Yang, leaving him covered in blood. He didn't even have time to draw one of the three guns he had prepared before he was smashed to the ground, almost falling apart.

The figure that had grabbed his ankle took a step forward and broke his neck.

The room was a mess, with a hole in the ceiling and a large hole in the wall. But after Guan Luoyang made that hole, he did not escape from there as Xiao Yang had guessed. Instead, he deliberately waited in the room, using his full hearing to lay an ambush.

choke!!!

A metallic clanging sound filled Guan Luoyang's ears.

The window frame, engulfed in flames, shattered, and the Goddess of Lightning charged into the room, her sword almost invisible, only a flickering, sharp silver light visible. Wherever she passed, marks were left on the ground, and tables and chairs were cleaved in two.

In an instant, Guan Luoyang was forced to retreat rapidly, crashing through the hole he had just created.

The human body is naturally composed of bones, blood, internal organs, skin, and flesh, each with its own distinct structure. Only those who have mastered the art of Qi cultivation can consciously achieve a state where all the bones are unified and the Qi flows smoothly, reaching a state of emptiness and lightness at the top of the head, relieving physical fatigue, and allowing the body's center of gravity to shift freely.

However, in addition to physical cultivation, ancient assassins, combining Taoist cultivation theories, also developed a method of cultivating qi with swords.

This "Minor Qi Cultivation" sword technique treats the longsword as a self-contained entity controlled by the swordsman. The sword has a hollow center filled with mercury. By studying the changes in the longsword's center of gravity, the swordsman diligently practices the method of penetrating the sword's body with force.

The day the swordsmanship is mastered, the moment the hand touches the sword, the force can be simultaneously transmitted to the pommel, hilt, guard, blade, and mercury, as if the five materials are of one and they are intertwined. The hilt can have the sharpness of the blade, and the tip of the sword can have the hardness of the hilt.

Even when a person has not yet mastered the art of Qi cultivation, a sword can still employ techniques that demonstrate the mastery of Qi cultivation.

The Goddess of Lightning tricked a master of the Wudang secret sword technique from a self-proclaimed "swordsman" in the Boxer Rebellion. Although she has been traveling around for years, she has been diligently practicing it.

To put it bluntly, with a sword in hand, she, who was only at the Great Perfection of Skin Training, was almost no different from a true Great Perfection of Boxing Mastery.

More importantly, she gained the upper hand in this battle.

Although martial arts and boxing techniques in this world can greatly improve physical fitness, they are still ultimately limited by the limitations of the mortal body.

In a contest between grandmasters, their fists and feet can destroy stone tablets, break trees and split gold. However, there are some parts of their bodies that cannot be as hard as iron and stone. Even a single mistake or a bit of bad luck, if the opponent hits a vital spot, can kill them on the spot.

Therefore, the more skilled a fighter is, the easier it is for them to lose their life in a fight; the struggle is all about that fine line.

Luohan was killed in one move because he didn't expect the opponent's claws to be so sharp; he was just a hair's breadth away from victory.

Now the situation has reversed, and Guan Luoyang is the one who was previously suppressed.

Retreating from the bedroom to the courtyard, Guan Luoyang took more than twenty steps back, without finding any chance to counterattack, and could only try his best to dodge.

Two figures flashed past, and the stone table, stone benches, and several clumps of bamboo in the courtyard were all destroyed by the flashing longsword. A corner of the stone table was cut off, the stone benches were overturned, and the bamboo joints were shattered. When the broken bamboo pieces were hit by the sword blade, they carried a killing power no less than that of a crossbow.

Seeing that Guan Luoyang had nowhere left to retreat and could only try to break through the wall behind him, the look of surprise on Dimon Seymour's face, which was separated by the wall, was gradually replaced by delight.

He could tell who was approaching and pinpointed their location. He clenched his fingers, revealing the patterns of scales on his skin. He took a step forward, gathered his strength, and unleashed a powerful punch.

His punch was absolutely unexpected. He had calculated that the opponent's attention was completely drawn to the swordsman's pursuit, and he couldn't detect any other unusual activity, especially with a wall providing cover.

The goal of this punch is to punch through the wall and then pierce through the opponent's torso.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the wonders of mastering the art of skin refining. Those who have mastered skin refining do not need any preparation of their own and can spontaneously dodge based on their skin's sensations.

The fist passed through the wall, and just as it was about to touch his back, Guan Luoyang subconsciously used his Tongbei Jin (a type of internal energy technique), arching his shoulders forward and stretching his back into a ball-like arc. With a slight sway, he made the fist slide off his back.

Bronze patterns appeared, and as Guan Luoyang swayed, he used his claw to tear through the brick wall like tofu, grabbed Seymour's arm, and slammed his entire body through the wall, then flung him toward the Goddess of Lightning.

Inside the entire general's mansion, no matter what Guan Luoyang picked up as a shield or cover, it would be absolutely impossible to stop the lightning goddess's sword thrust; he would be pierced through along with the object.

But Seymour, the "hardest thing in the entire general's mansion," delivered himself to their doorstep.

The Goddess of Lightning thrust her sword into him, causing his scales to burst forth, but the sword tip only penetrated less than half an inch.

Guan Luoyang exerted force from behind Seymour, changing his claws into fists. Luohan flipped his hand and swung his hammer, creating a loud bang as it struck Seymour in the back.

This punch couldn't break Seymour's defense, but the shockwave caused his body to shudder, shattering the Goddess of Lightning's sword.

Mercury splashed out from the sword, and large and small silver mercury beads scattered into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the bricks on the ground cracked and dust flew, and twelve consecutive "bang bang bang bang bang bang bang" sounds rang out.

The twelve Arhats flipped their hammers, pushing Dimon Seymour's body into the Goddess of Lightning.

The continuous, thunderous vibrations and powerful force dissipated the power within the Lightning Goddess's body, leaving her no chance to retreat or dodge. Even her well-developed defenses were shattered by the force transmitted through the foreigner, causing her to vomit blood.

After twelve punches, Guan Luoyang stumbled, his hand lost its grip, and the two men's bodies overlapped, flying out together.

Bang!

As soon as he landed, Seymour rolled over and half-squatted, like a crocodile raising its head in anger, looking at Guan Luoyang.

Guan Luoyang knelt on the ground, his clothes, which he had just changed before coming to the general's mansion, now stained with large patches of blood.

From the moment he killed Nalando until now, this intense battle had been fought with such force and frequency that the two gunshot wounds on his body had completely reopened and were bleeding profusely.

When Seymour saw him with his old injury flaring up again, he instinctively wanted to rush over, but he stopped himself.

Just now, the situation was very favorable, and Guan Luoyang was even being chased. But when he threw a punch, the opponent turned the tables.

His own strong physique, which he was so proud of, was like scales blessed by the gods, but it was used by this blue-faced demon. He was like a puppet, unable to put up any resistance throughout the whole process.

That feeling was so humiliating and so powerless.

Seymour spent several hours in quiet contemplation before rebuilding his confidence, but the experience he had just had cast a shadow over it once again.

"No, there's no need to rush. Let's wait for the rest of the general's mansion to arrive. With more muskets, my advantage will be even greater..."

Just as he was trying to convince himself, Guan Luoyang suddenly smiled at him and raised one of his hands.

"Hey, you should be able to understand what I'm saying, right? Do you know how the patterns on my hands came about?"

Under Guan Luoyang's deliberate display, the bronze-colored, simple patterns seemed to shimmer with a dazzling halo.

Dimon Seymour's pupils contracted, becoming narrow and upright.

"you!!!"

He roared, "How dare you?!"

The icy figure, covered in scales, pounced and covered more than half the distance of the courtyard in a single leap.

A cold, angry aura and shadow pressed down on Guan Luoyang's face.

Guan Luoyang's pores closed and his hair stood on end. He changed from a kneeling position and dodged forward. His left elbow struck first, but Seymour blocked it with one hand. However, the fist bounced off the upper part of his forearm and the five fingers flicked.

Seymour instinctively covered his eyes with his other hand, but then his ears rang and his head spun.

Guan Luoyang struck his ear with his right fist, and the pattern of the scales on the earlobe miraculously activated the muscles, sealing the ear canal. The punch didn't even draw blood, but it made him lose his balance and slump to one side.

With a variation of his left hand, adorned with bronze patterns, he scooped forward, his middle finger striking the mark on Seymour's neck, causing his jaw to agape. His thumb was already inside Seymour's mouth, and he tore downwards.

This tear was the force of a tiger's mouth strike. Guan Luoyang's heat surged to his left hand at this moment, forcefully tearing the scales on both sides of Seymour's mouth and ripping off his jaw.

Blood splattered onto Guan Luoyang's body.

The intense pain brought Seymour back to his senses, but he couldn't even scream. As he flailed his arms wildly, Guan Luoyang easily stepped back a few paces, avoiding his feeble death throes.

The severe injury and massive bleeding caused Seymour to lose consciousness after only a few seconds of regaining consciousness, her eyes becoming unfocused, her pupils dilated.

The gruesome corpse collapsed to the ground, more blood flowing out.

The unrest in the general's mansion continued, and more and more places were ablaze.

………………

The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, but the whole world seemed to still be lost in the dream of the long night, lingering in the hazy mist, unwilling to fully wake up.

The docks along the river gradually became lively.

At this moment, billowing black smoke, like a pillar, attracted everyone's attention.

Passengers wanting to board the ship, and a large number of soldiers stationed along the riverbank, quickly spotted the direction from which the fire and smoke were coming from.

"That's... the General's Mansion? How come there's so much smoke?"

"Didn't you hear gunshots when you came over? The gunshots from the General's Mansion have been going on for quite a while."

"Could it have been burned?"

There was a buzz of discussion among the crowd, but everyone kept their voices down.

A voice, seemingly from nowhere, suddenly shouted.

"The General of Guangzhou is dead, almost everyone in his mansion was killed, and the entire mansion is on fire!"

The astonished gasps of the crowd could no longer be contained, and the soldiers stationed there also erupted in a commotion.

Some officers and soldiers shouted and forbade them to talk nonsense, but soon some people rushed towards the general's mansion to help put out the fire.

Amidst the chaos, the sound of a ship's horn came from the river. People rushing to board the boats, no longer caring about the commotion, hurriedly made their way to their destinations.

Wearing a trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, Ma Zhixing simply handed over a ticket amidst the chaos of the crowd and boarded the ship.

He clutched the roster tightly to his chest, but once on the deck, he couldn't help gazing towards the direction of Guangzhou.

That person did indeed do it.

But I don't know if his injuries have worsened, or if he might already be...

While Ma Zhixing was lost in thought, he suddenly saw a short-haired young man on the shore, casually draped in a loose-fitting coat, waving his hand in their direction.

Take care on your journey, and goodbye!

No sound came from him, but Ma Zhixing understood the lip movements. His mind calmed down, and he couldn't help but smile slightly. He raised his hand, waved, and responded in a low voice.

"goodbye!"

"Take care of yourself!"

On the shore, after watching the ship sail away, Guan Luoyang turned and left, gathering the garment he had taken from the general's mansion in his hand.

The clothes were far too big for him, but that was just enough to prevent them from being directly soaked through by the bloodstains on his body.

After disengaging from the fight, he locked the wound to stop the bleeding, but he didn't know if it was because he had lost too much blood, but something seemed to be buzzing in his head.

"Let's find a place to rest for a while before going back to find Uncle Tian."

As Guan Luoyang thought this, he gently patted his temples, and just then, the unpleasant buzzing suddenly cleared up.

Something that he couldn't distinguish as either sound or image suddenly flowed into his mind.

The battle between scales and feathers has lasted for a thousand years.

The struggle, which began with pure desire, maintained a long balance on the painting even after the original two sides perished, until the successor a thousand years later put down the final stroke.

The winner, a descendant of the Bluebird, will inherit the treasures of both parties according to the bet.

Transfer...failed...detection...the winner is not a registered reincarnator, default option enabled.

The inheritance process has been cancelled and replaced with the transfer of the reincarnated person's formal selection opportunity.

Program execution.

Guan Luoyang was stunned by the sudden influx of information, and it took him a moment to react: "What?!"

"Wait, this..."

Before he could finish speaking, a swirling light flashed by.

call--

The wind from the river carried moisture, and the sunlight shone here, but where the wind and light touched, no one was standing.

At the horizon, a lone ship is about to embark on a journey into a period of great change.

As the clear waves of heaven and earth rise and fall, after the long night, the gathering of countless passionate hearts will bring the most captivating clarity and transformation.

However, getting from the obscure prelude to the glorious main chapter is not something that can be accomplished in a year or ten years.

Let us wait for day and night, winter and summer, as we roll ever onward!