"Master."
Just as Tuoba Yu and Chunyu Wei were about to stop Bi Xuan, Bi Xuan had already leaped down from the cliff. A few agile jumps later, he vanished from their sight.
Watching Bi Xuan's disappearing figure, Tuoba Yu and Chunyu Wei exchanged worried glances. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't care much about Bi Xuan's actions. In their eyes, Bi Xuan was invincible. But this time, it was different.
Ning Daoqi had been easily defeated by Daniel Davis, and with such an opponent, even though they had great faith in Bi Xuan, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of worry.
They knew they couldn't stop Bi Xuan. At nearly a hundred years old, even though Grandmasters live long lives, it's hard to resist the ravages of time.
For Bi Xuan, protecting the Turkic people was a wish of his heart, but his greater ambition was to advance further in the martial arts. For those who had reached the Grandmaster level, breaking through the void was the ultimate goal.
Daniel Davis's appearance had made Bi Xuan see a glimmer of possibility for breaking through the void. Even if the chance was slim and it might cost him his life, Bi Xuan wouldn't hesitate. His determination was clear from the price Ning Daoqi paid to acquire the Cihang Sword Classic.
"To ask the way in the morning, and die at night—this is how Bi Xuan feels now."
"He's really come, and his speed is quite impressive."
In front of the North City Gate of Shanhai County, Duan Lang watched as the young man ahead of him, holding a Moonwolf Spear, with long legs and bronzed skin, looked to be in his thirties. Duan Lang shook his head inwardly.
He knew exactly who this person was. He had already investigated the three Grandmasters thoroughly. The man in front of him was Bi Xuan, whose spear had once been the weapon that made him famous across the Great Grasslands. After becoming a Grandmaster, he rarely used it, but now, facing Duan Lang, he had picked it up once more.
After defeating Ning Daoqi, Duan Lang had anticipated that Bi Xuan would come, and he knew why he had come.
"Though I want to say that you shouldn't have come for me, I also know that it won't shake your resolve."
Of the three Grandmasters, aside from Ning Daoqi, whose belief could be shaken by dark secrets, Duan Lang hadn't seen anything that could weaken the resolve of Bi Xuan or Fu Cailin. Ning Daoqi's fate had been sealed because he had involved himself with the Cihang Jingzhai's Heaven's Chosen Emperor, and Duan Lang could not intervene with that.
"Though I admire your courage, it's unfortunate that you've come to the wrong person, and frankly, your current strength isn't enough to break through the void."
Through the Great Tang Double Dragons, the concept of breaking through the void, and the Overturning Rain and Cloud, Duan Lang had learned that breaking through the void requires external help. That help could come from the God of War diagram in the Jing Palace or from a worthy adversary like Yan Fei, Sun En, Chuan Ying, the Demon Master Pang Ban, or Lang Fanyun. However, Xiang Yutian was an exception.
In the Double Dragon world, although there were three Grandmasters, their luck was unfortunate—they didn't encounter someone like Chuan Ying. Duan Lang's strength was greater, but their paths were different.
Ultimately, the three Grandmasters, including Song Que, were still lacking. If any of them had achieved the level of Pang Ban or Lang Fanyun, a battle between them could have led to the final step of breaking through the void, but they didn't.
Duan Lang spoke of their inferiority to Pang Ban and Lang Fanyun because the two had a strange connection between them. Even though they had never met, they always had a sense of each other's presence, and when they fought, they broke through the void under the full moon.
One must mention Lang Fanyun, who was the only one to break through the void without any intense training or secret manuals. Instead, he did it by merely observing Dongting Lake, unlike others who used the War God diagram hidden in the Eagle Blade.
In comparison, Pang Ban used the Dao Heart Cultivation method, and Xiang Yutian followed suit, while Chuan Ying was even more formidable with the origin War God diagram. As for Yan Fei, he relied on the Immortal Sect, but even his achievements didn't surpass Lang Fanyun's.
"Bi Xuan."
Before Bi Xuan could speak, a cold voice suddenly rang out from one side, and a tall, mighty young man with a long sword on his back walked toward them. This was Ba Fenghan.
"Bi Xuan, if you're going to die, it can only be at my hands. This Zhanxuan Sword will cut you down today." Ba Fenghan, now about ten meters from Bi Xuan, drew his sword. His position formed an equilateral triangle with Bi Xuan and Duan Lang.
"Is he looking for death?"
Seeing Ba Fenghan step forward to challenge Bi Xuan, Duan Lang was at a loss for words. He knew what Ba Fenghan meant by stepping up—he was worried that Bi Xuan would kill him before he could take his revenge. However, though the thought was noble, it was highly irrational.
Even though Ba Fenghan had improved considerably after leaving Luoyang, his strength was still significantly weaker than Bi Xuan's. It could be said that Ba Fenghan now was much weaker than in the original story, mainly because he hadn't used the He Shi Bi to expand his meridians, nor did he have the Double Dragons to teach him the Changing Sun method.
Ba Fenghan's talent was good, but compared to the Double Dragons, there was a clear gap. Without the He Shi Bi, and without the Changing Sun method's reshaping, Ba Fenghan would have had little chance to become a Grandmaster. Even if he did, his age would have been a significant disadvantage.
Without heavenly encounters, becoming a Grandmaster wasn't easy. Ning Daoqi, Bi Xuan, and Fu Cailin all became Grandmasters around fifty or sixty years old. Even Song Que became a Grandmaster around forty.
The Double Dragons, who became Grandmasters in their twenties, were practically one-of-a-kind. At that age, even Chuan Ying, Supreme Master Ling Donglai, and Lang Fanyun couldn't have achieved such a feat.
"You think you can do this?" Ba Fenghan's boast caused Bi Xuan to flash a mocking smile. Just because Ba Fenghan had killed Bi Xuan's eldest disciple early on, he thought he was strong? A Grandmaster's disciple wasn't necessarily powerful.
Fujun Ao, Fu Cailin's eldest disciple, couldn't even defeat a minor figure like Yu Wenhua.
"If you want to settle personal grievances, go ahead."
Seeing the tension rise between Bi Xuan and Ba Fenghan, Duan Lang immediately retreated ten meters, temporarily leaving the battlefield to the two of them. Since Ba Fenghan wanted to make a move, Duan Lang wouldn't stop him. To put it bluntly, if Duan Lang interfered, Ba Fenghan wouldn't appreciate it.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Come at me."
Bi Xuan's eyes glowed with killing intent as he faced Ba Fenghan, who had killed his eldest disciple and numerous knights he had trained. If it hadn't been for Ba Fenghan escaping to the Central Plains, Bi Xuan would have already eliminated him.
"Hmph."
Ba Fenghan didn't respond to Bi Xuan's harsh words but snorted, his gaze locked on Bi Xuan. His aura was gathering. Bi Xuan was a Martial Saint and the strongest man on the Great Grasslands. Ba Fenghan naturally didn't underestimate him and knew he only had one shot.
Ba Fenghan had survived this long not because he was reckless, but because he understood the gap between his strength and Bi Xuan's. If it had been any other time, he might not have stepped forward, but this time, he had no choice.
The scene of Duan Lang killing Ning Daoqi was still fresh in his mind. Though Bi Xuan's strength was impressive, he was at most on par with Ning Daoqi. That strength couldn't possibly match Duan Lang's. If Duan Lang killed Bi Xuan, Ba Fenghan might never get a chance for revenge.
"Not bad."
Seeing Ba Fenghan's aura gather, Bi Xuan nodded in rare approval. He then placed the Moonwolf Spear at his side and slowly walked toward Ba Fenghan.
As a Martial Saint, Bi Xuan wouldn't need a weapon to deal with a younger opponent like Ba Fenghan. However, as he approached, the surrounding air began to twist, signaling that he wasn't taking Ba Fenghan lightly.
"Is this the Yan Yang Extraordinary Skill? It's quite a martial art, but Bi Xuan's luck seems much better than Ning Daoqi and Fu Cailin's. The Desert Temple—how intriguing."
Bi Xuan's path to becoming a Grandmaster was different from Ning Daoqi and Fu Cailin's. He had once gotten lost in the desert and stumbled upon the Desert Temple, where he learned the Yan Yang Extraordinary Skill, which made him the strongest in the Great Grasslands.
However, after leaving the temple, when he tried to return, he found that the Desert Temple had vanished, becoming one of the great mysteries of the world.
When Bi Xuan became a Grandmaster, the Desert Temple attracted many experts, and with his experience, many others sought the temple to learn the divine martial art.
"Ah."
As Bi Xuan closed in, Ba Fenghan's expression became increasingly serious. When Bi Xuan was about two meters away, Ba Fenghan could no longer hold back. He swung his Zhanxuan Sword with unstoppable force, aiming to strike Bi Xuan.
Boom!
Facing the full force of Ba Fenghan's strike, Bi Xuan remained unfazed. His left fist met the sword's tip with no wind-up. The seemingly ordinary punch erupted with intense, scorching energy, shaking Ba Fenghan's body. The sword's tip showed signs of melting under the heat.
Ba Fenghan, his body trembling, saw Bi Xuan's right fist coming toward him and immediately yelled. He shattered his sword into several pieces, which flew toward Bi Xuan. Forced to divert his punch, Bi Xuan hit the broken sword pieces, causing them to scatter.
Despite this, the force of Bi Xuan's punch sent Ba Fenghan flying backward for several meters, crashing hard into the ground. His Zhanxuan Sword was reduced to just a sword hilt.
"It's our turn now."
Instead of delivering a fatal blow to Ba Fenghan, Bi Xuan quickly returned to his position and pulled out the Moonwolf Spear. He aimed it at Duan Lang.
"Trying to ride on your earlier momentum? Let's see if you're really worthy of it." Duan Lang smirked as the spear came toward him, sensing the heat in the air. He drew his Fire Lin Sword.
"Let me test if the Yan Yang Extraordinary Skill lives up to its reputation."
The Yan Yang Extraordinary Skill and the Fire Lin Sword were quite similar, both using fire attributes in combat. With matching attributes, it would come down to who had stronger power.
Boom, boom, boom!
Each clash of their weapons created explosive shockwaves, scorching the ground in front of the North City Gate, leaving it pitted and burned by the flames.
"This is some violent martial arts. Though the attributes match Xu Ziling's style, the temperament doesn't quite fit."
Xu Ziling's combat style was similar to Ning Daoqi's—light and graceful—but the Yan Yang Extraordinary Skill was direct and forceful. It suited Kou Zhong, but the attributes didn't quite align.
"By the way, I've never heard of Bi Xuan's disciples learning this technique. Could he have not taught them? Well, we've seen enough. It's time to finish this."
With these thoughts in mind, Duan Lang shifted his stance. What had looked like an evenly matched fight now revealed a clear difference in strength.
"Meeting me, your luck is bad."
Duan Lang didn't kill Bi Xuan immediately. First, he wanted to see how Ba Fenghan fared. After checking Ba Fenghan's injuries, Duan Lang dragged both him and Bi Xuan away.
The people witnessing this in Shanhai County were left stunned. Compared to the shock of Ning Daoqi's defeat, Bi Xuan's defeat was even more astonishing, especially since they were so close to the Great Grasslands.
"This is a big problem. Xieli and Tuli won't just let this slide."
Soon, people realized what would happen after Bi Xuan's defeat. Unlike Ning Daoqi, Bi Xuan's failure would lead to consequences. Neither the Buddhist nor Daoist sects showed any sign of intervening. After all, Bi Xuan was considered a traitor to the Daoist sect, and to the Buddhist sect, he was a man on the verge of death, no longer useful.
"This gives them a reason to mobilize."
Xieli and Tuli quickly responded. Once Bi Xuan had been defeated, the two of them formed an alliance, gathering their forces to march toward Shanhai County. Duan Lang had anticipated this.
After all, a single Grandmaster's defeat wouldn't cause the DTZ to surrender. If things were that simple, a martial arts tournament would decide the fate of nations.
"As expected, bad people need to be dealt with by bad people. If it had been someone kinder, many would have already criticized for bringing the Turks into this."
Many had this thought, but none dared to speak it in front of Duan Lang. Early on, someone had suggested sending Bi Xuan back, but after Duan Lang eliminated him, no one dared to speak further.
Duan Lang, in his shadow clone form, had no concerns about reputation. As for sending Bi Xuan back, that was out of the question. Even if he didn't care, it wouldn't change the situation.
The Turks had long been eyeing the Central Plains. Even if they didn't invade now, they would eventually. Duan Lang had no reason to hesitate.
"Perhaps I should look for the people from the Western Turks and have them slow down the DTZ."
(End of Chapter)
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