At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Faced with layers of encirclement and attack, Xiao Yunche remained calm and composed throughout, with no trace of panic or fear in his eyes, only a serene and aloof demeanor.

Clang...

A crisp sword cry suddenly pierced the night, reverberating throughout the entire bamboo grove!

The three-foot-long sword was suddenly drawn, its cold light piercing the wall, and a chilling sword aura instantly swept over him.

Xiao Yunche leaped into the air, his body nimbly flipping and turning, like a startled swan in the wind or a dragon swimming among bamboo, using the momentum of his flight to perfectly dodge several long swords that came slashing down from behind him at the same time.

Several sharp blades grazed past, striking the bluestone ground with tremendous force, sending fragments of stone flying and sparks flying everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yunche's longsword launched another attack.

The sword light crisscrossed, its graceful movement carrying the exquisite sword intent of the Lingxi Sword Technique, combining softness with strength, and excelling in both offense and defense.

He stood alone amidst the encirclement, his movements fluid and agile, advancing and retreating with ease. Alone with his sword, he calmly maneuvered among more than a dozen assassins.

These elite warriors from the Yan Kingdom were all seasoned veterans who had fought countless life-and-death battles. They were ruthless and fearless, with excellent teamwork and insidious techniques. Even three to five ordinary martial arts practitioners working together could not withstand a single blow from them.

But today, in front of Xiao Yunche, he completely lost his fierce aura.

Xiao Yunche possesses profound martial arts skills. After three years of seclusion in Jingzhou, he has integrated the martial arts of many schools and comprehended the true nature of the sword. His realm has long surpassed that of ordinary martial arts masters and border generals.

The sword light rose and fell with dazzling speed, each strike precisely targeting the enemy's weakness, the sharp sword energy bursting forth from their body.

However, they only exchanged a dozen or so moves!

puff!

puff!

puff!

Several bursts of blood erupted in the night, splattering crimson blood onto the green bamboo and stones, dazzling and eye-catching.

The five Yan soldiers at the forefront didn't even have time to scream before their vital organs were pierced by the sword energy, and their bodies crashed to the ground, instantly losing their breath.

Upon seeing this, the remaining people were greatly shocked. Although their killing intent was strong, a sense of horror and fear arose in their hearts, and their encirclement was slightly halted.

On the pavilion, the black-clad leader of the Yan Kingdom, who was observing the battle, suddenly narrowed his eyes, gasped sharply, and his eyes were filled with extreme shock and disbelief.

He knew his trained group of assassins all too well.

These people were all carefully selected and trained by him over many years, and tempered through countless desperate battles. They were ruthless, fearless, top-notch in individual combat, and skilled in team battles. They were absolute killing machines, and ordinary martial arts masters would be crushed in an instant.

But now, even with more than a dozen elite assassins joining forces to besiege him, they not only couldn't do anything to Xiao Yunche, but also lost five of them in a short time, suffering heavy casualties!

Xiao Yunche's martial arts cultivation is so incredibly powerful!

This man was only in his early twenties. He had been living in seclusion on the border for three years. He was always low-key and reserved, never showing off his talents. Everyone thought he was just a prince who lived a leisurely life and kept a low profile. Who would have thought that his swordsmanship had already reached the pinnacle!

The leader in black was in turmoil, his face darkening completely, and he dared not be the slightest bit careless or negligent.

He knew that such a martial arts master was resolute, loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty, and guarded the vital southwest region. Since he could not win him over today, he absolutely could not let him leave alive!

If we do not eliminate him today, he will surely become a formidable enemy of Yan's southward expansion and a major obstacle to Yan's conquest of Daqian!

Having made up his mind, he hesitated no longer and shouted in a deep voice, "Form the formation! Contain and kill the enemy!"

Upon hearing the sound, the remaining nine surviving Yan soldiers instantly adjusted their posture, their footsteps shifting and their bodies moving rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, a bizarre and unpredictable, layered, closed-loop killing formation was instantly formed.

The nine people's positions concealed a hidden strategy, with their positions linked together, complementing each other in offense and defense, and interlocking in a series of ways. Their surroundings were filled with a web of malevolent energy, and their sharp sword energy layered upon layered to seal off the surrounding space.

As the formation operated, a strange restraining force subtly arose, imprisoning the surrounding airflow and locking down escape routes. Compared to the previous scattered encirclement attack, its power increased several times over!

Looking at this bizarre killing formation he had never seen before, Xiao Yunche, who was surrounded, showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, a blazing light suddenly appeared in his eyes, revealing the excitement and joy of a martial arts fanatic encountering a powerful opponent.

He spent half his life practicing martial arts, studying various schools of techniques, comprehending countless sword arts mysteries, and fighting countless opponents, but he had never seen such a mysterious, exquisite, and deadly exclusive formation.

In ordinary matches, the moves and routines are largely the same, so they no longer excite him.

But the formation before us is unpredictable, exquisite in its offense and defense, and full of hidden dangers; it is full of novel moves and ways of maintaining balance.

Tonight, I am trapped in a deadly trap; for others, it is a dead end.

For him, however, it was an excellent opportunity to hone his skills!

Taking advantage of this desperate situation, I can personally break the formation, explore new weaknesses in martial arts, temper my own sword intent, and improve my martial arts cultivation!

With this thought in mind, Xiao Yunche's mind became even clearer, suppressing all distracting thoughts and concentrating his aura to its fullest extent.

His eyes were fixed on the changing figures and movements of the people in the formation, his long sword held horizontally in front of him, completely focused and ready for battle.

Faced with the layers of deadly formations, he calmly parried and deciphered the moves with his sword. While accurately dodging the barrage of sword light, he rapidly deduced the flaws in the formation, captured the weak points in the flow of the formation, and focused on finding a way to break it, immersing himself in the martial arts duel.

The murderous intent intensified in the forest, with swords flashing and blades clashing wildly, the sounds of metal striking metal echoing continuously throughout the entire bamboo grove.

Inside the pavilion, the leader in black gazed at Xiao Yunche, who was calmly facing his enemies and becoming more and more stable in battle. The killing intent in his eyes rose to its peak, his fierce aura was chilling, and his face was sinister.

Since the formation is not enough to kill this person in a short time, we can only use secret hidden weapons to kill him in secret!

The leader in black stopped watching, quietly took half a step back, and hid in the shadows of the pavilion. His right hand quickly reached into the hidden pouch at his waist and pulled out a bone-piercing poison nail that was completely black and had a cold, eerie green light.

The poisoned nails are coated with a secret, deadly poison that is fatal upon contact with blood and has no antidote. If the skin is even slightly bruised, it will instantly paralyze the meridians, freeze the blood and qi, and attack the heart with the poison. Even the most skilled martial artist will not escape its effects!

His eyes were fixed on Xiao Yunche, who was focused on breaking the formation. A fierce and resolute look flashed in his eyes. He gathered all his internal energy into his fingertips and suddenly flicked his wrist!

call out!

A tiny, incredibly fast black shadow shot out from the sky, silently and without a sound, carrying deadly poison and chilling killing intent, aimed directly at Xiao Yunche's fatal heart acupoint!

Its speed, trajectory, and presence are so subtle that it's impossible to defend against!

"Go to hell!"

The leader in black roared inwardly, his eyes filled with ruthless determination.

This sneak attack was silent and sudden. Xiao Yunche was caught in the formation and distracted in breaking the formation, so he would not have noticed it and would have had no way to avoid it!

But just as this deadly poisoned nail was about to strike Xiao Yunche's back...

hum!

A chilling, domineering, and fierce sword aura suddenly burst forth from the dark bamboo forest on the right!

The sword light was as white as snow and as fast as thunder, traversing the entire open space!

clang!!!

A deafening clang of metal clashing suddenly rang out!

The bone-piercing poison nail, coated with deadly venom and concealing deadly intent, was precisely intercepted by this sudden sword strike. It was sent flying and deflected in mid-air, its force completely dissipated.

The cold, long sword that stretched across the sky, carrying a vast sword aura, landed heavily on the bluestone ground!

Boom!

The invisible sword energy swept in all directions in an instant, and the strong wind blew up the withered bamboo leaves all over the ground. They swirled in the sky, and the surrounding array of air currents was instantly dispersed and torn apart. The formation of the nine assassins was instantly disrupted and shattered!

Under the bright moonlight, the long sword stuck in the ground exuded a chilling aura and a chilling sword intent. A martial arts aura that was elegant yet domineering, restrained yet powerful, instantly enveloped the entire area!

As everyone stared in astonishment, a figure in pure white gracefully emerged from the shadows of the bamboo forest on the right, like a white feather under the moon or a startled swan in the forest. She landed steadily on the ground, her figure elegant and graceful, her temperament aloof and otherworldly.

The person who arrived was none other than Shen Luotang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news!

She accepted the order and left, quickly arranging for a messenger to rush to the capital to deliver the message. When she returned to her study to report back, she immediately noticed the note Xiao Yunche had left on her desk.

Upon learning that Xiao Yunche had gone alone to the Green Bamboo Garden in the eastern suburbs to face danger, she was greatly alarmed. Knowing the perilous nature of the journey, she dared not delay for even a moment. Without time to gather a large number of troops for support, she rushed to his aid at full speed, day and night, relying solely on her own strength!

Unexpectedly, he happened to witness the black-clad leader secretly launching a deadly attack on Xiao Yunche with a poisoned hidden weapon. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and broke the deadly trap with a single strike!

The deadlock in the bamboo garden was broken in an instant, and the entire place fell into a deathly silence.

The black-clad leader of the Yan Kingdom in the pavilion suddenly narrowed his eyes, his face filled with disbelief. He stared blankly at the white-clad woman standing in the moonlight, his heart churning with turmoil, his horror evident in his expression.

He had met Shen Luotang several times when he visited Jingzhou to see Xiao Yunche half a year ago.

At that time, Shen Luotang often accompanied Xiao Yunche, brewing tea, grinding ink, and taking care of trivial matters. She was elegant, gentle, and quiet. She looked like a weak and gentle woman who was not strong enough to kill a chicken, without any of the sharpness or fierceness of a martial arts expert.

Therefore, he always had a preconceived notion and regarded her only as an ordinary confidante who depended on the prince. He never took her seriously and never had any wariness towards her.

But tonight's earth-shattering sword strike completely overturned all his understanding!

Intercepting hidden weapons from a distance, shattering the formation with a single sword strike—the sword energy was vast, the power domineering, and the precision unparalleled. Such terrifying swordsmanship was beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists, and it was no less formidable than Xiao Yunche, who was fighting fiercely in the formation!

The leader in black was deeply shocked and secretly alarmed.

Xiao Yunche has always been calm, low-key, and unassuming. People only know that he guards the border, but no one knows that his martial arts are extraordinary.

Even more unexpectedly, the seemingly gentle and harmless woman beside him was actually a martial arts master hidden in the world!

Truly a place where hidden talents abound, and whose depths are unfathomable!

In his shock, a strong urge to retreat instantly surged into the black-clad leader's heart.

Shen Luotang's arrival alone meant that she was already aware of the battle situation here.

Given her loyalty to Xiao Yunche, she must have already secretly sent a message that the troops and elites of Jingzhou Prefecture are on their way to his aid and will arrive in an instant!

This place is not far from the Jingzhou government office. Once a large number of guards surround Cuizhu Garden, he will be trapped and isolated, unable to escape. He will surely die today!

The situation has reversed, and there is no chance of victory left!

We must evacuate immediately!

With this thought in mind, the leader in black lost all desire to fight. He disregarded the need to encircle and annihilate Xiao Yunche and complete the assassination mission. Without hesitation, he leaped into the air!

His figure transformed into a ghostly black shadow, his toes lightly touching the edge of the pavilion. His movements were unpredictable and elusive. He used the momentum to leap into the air, intending to turn around and disappear into the dark bamboo forest, fleeing hastily under the cover of night.

Seeing that the other person was about to leap out of the pavilion and prepare to disappear into the dense forest, Shen Luotang's cold eyes suddenly surged with a fierce killing intent, and her aura suddenly became as cold as frost.

Her red lips parted slightly, and a cold snort echoed through the night, each word carrying a murderous intent:

"Want to leave? Not so easy!"