The morning mist clung to Dongyang Mountain like a death shroud. At the peak, where the ancient Dongyang Sword Sect had stood for three hundred years, war cries split the air.
"Kill them all! Leave none alive!"
The voices echoed across the stone courtyards. Over a hundred attackers surged forward like a black tide. Their weapons gleamed in the pale sunlight as they pressed toward the sect's most sacred place—the ancestral hall.
Inside the hall's shadow, thirty defenders made their last stand. They were strong men, each one a master of the sword. But they were outnumbered. Outmatched. One by one, they fell.
Blood soaked the ancient stones. The sound of clashing metal rang out like funeral bells.
Soon, only three figures remained standing before the hall's entrance. Three against a hundred.
A woman in white robes clutched her sword with trembling hands. Blood ran down her arm in thin red streams. Beside her, two men—an elder with gray hair and a younger disciple—raised their blades despite their wounds.
The attackers pressed closer. Victory was within their grasp.
But suddenly, the world changed.
A flash of silver cut through the air. Cold light swept across the courtyard like winter frost made deadly.
The attacking force froze as one figure appeared among them, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Before anyone could blink, fourteen attackers cried out in pain. They staggered backward, clutching fresh wounds. The newcomer stood in their midst, sword still dripping.
He was tall and lean, dressed in simple blue robes. His long black hair moved in the mountain wind. His eyes were calm as still water, but the sword in his hands promised death.
"Green Ruins!" someone shouted.
"It's Dongyang Qingxu!"
The name rippled through the crowd like a stone dropped in water. Fear replaced confidence on many faces.
"The Sword Saint! He's here! But didn't the Wang Court pressure the Martial Arts Association? They banned him from the southern mountains!"
"Back! Everyone back!"
Like startled birds, the hundred attackers scattered. They retreated fifty paces, then a hundred, putting distance between themselves and the blue-robed figure. Their eyes never left him.
The woman in white looked up at her savior. Her face was pale with blood loss, but her eyes held deep sadness.
"Qingxu," she whispered. "You shouldn't have come."
He walked to her side with quick steps. His hand was gentle as he helped her sit against the stone wall.
"I'm a disciple of Dongyang Sword Sect," he said simply. "When the sect faces danger, I must help."
The woman shook her head. Fresh blood spotted her white robes like scattered flower petals.
"You're not part of our world. Why throw yourself into this bloody mess? Your father is the vice mayor of Puyang City. Your mother runs the Yu Hai Province Commercial Bank. You have a bright future ahead of you."
Her voice grew weaker as she spoke. "If you stayed away from martial arts, even the National Martial Arts Association couldn't touch you. Even as my sworn brother in this sect, no one would dare harm you."
Qingxu looked down at her. His face was stone, but his eyes held warmth.
"I have my reasons for being here."
The woman's grip tightened on her sword. Her beautiful face crumpled with pain—not from her wounds, but from something deeper.
"Junior brother..."
"This is my choice, Senior Sister."
His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of mountains.
From the crowd of attackers, a middle-aged man stepped forward. His presence was like a storm cloud—dark and threatening. The others made way for him.
"Qingxu!" the man called out. His voice boomed across the courtyard. "You're just a martial arts lover, not a true disciple of Dongyang Sword Sect. Do you really want to get involved in this mess?"
The man's eyes were hard as iron. "You should know that when martial artists kill government officials, it's a serious crime. Jiang Ningzhi used her sword skills to kill four young masters—sons of Senior Official Ye, Director Huang, and Boss Qi of Beijiang Province. She also killed twenty-three police officers who came to arrest her."
His words fell like hammer blows. "This matter has reached the central government. The higher-ups are furious. Someone from the senior management of the Martial Arts Association personally ordered the destruction of Dongyang Sword Sect. They want to make an example of you all."
The man pointed his finger at Qingxu like a weapon. "Today, no one can save Dongyang Sword Sect. If you're stubborn and try to use your sword skills to protect this place, we'll have no choice. To maintain order between the martial world and the government, we'll kill you all—even if we have to gang up on you."
Behind Qingxu, the woman in white struggled to her feet. Her voice rang out clear and strong despite her wounds.
"I killed them because they deserved to die! They abused and tortured a female disciple of our sect until she died! Such scum couldn't be allowed to live!"
The middle-aged man's face darkened. He looked at the woman called Jiang Ningzhi with cold eyes.
"You shouldn't have killed them. The Martial Arts Association would have worked with the government. We would have given Dongyang Sword Sect justice for this matter."
His voice grew stern. "This could have been solved peacefully. But because of you, the entire Dongyang Sword Sect is doomed. If you don't want your sect to disappear completely, you'd better come with me to face punishment. Otherwise, not a single disciple will leave Dongyang Mountain alive."
Jiang Ningzhi's face was like carved jade, beautiful and unbreaking.
"They deserved their fate! If I had to do it again, I would never regret it!"
The middle-aged man's eyes flashed with anger. "Because of your rash actions, the government fears our martial world even more. Things are getting harder for all martial artists. Even—"
"Enough!"
A new voice cut through his words like a blade. The crowd of martial artists began to separate, making way for newcomers.
One hundred and eight soldiers in full tactical gear marched into the courtyard. Their boots hit the stone in perfect rhythm. Their weapons were raised and ready. Every gun barrel pointed toward Qingxu and his companions.
In the center of this military formation, two men walked side by side. One wore the uniform of a high government official. The other had the rank of colonel on his shoulders.
"Senior Official Ye," someone whispered.
"Division Chief Huang," said another.
The martial artists looked nervous. Many took another step back.
The middle-aged man who had been speaking—Luo Fusheng—stepped forward. His face was full of worry.
"Senior Official Ye and Division Chief Huang," he said with a bow. "This is a martial world matter. We handle our own affairs. This was the agreement made between our people and the country long ago. Please ask your soldiers to withdraw."
Senior Official Ye Qingsong stared at Luo Fusheng with sharp eyes. His voice was cold as winter wind.
"Withdraw? Luo Fusheng, you say martial world matters should be handled by martial artists. But I gave you that chance. You don't have the ability to handle this. Why haven't you captured these remaining evils of Dongyang Sword Sect? Since that's the case, we'll do it ourselves."
He didn't give Luo Fusheng a chance to reply. Instead, he turned to Colonel Huang Chenglong.
"I've heard that martial arts masters who reach the peak can dodge bullets. They say they can fight against modern weapons. But I don't believe it!" His eyes found Qingxu among the defenders. "There stands the so-called Sword Saint. Six months ago, he defeated ten martial arts masters in a row. All of them were peak-level fighters."
Ye Qingsong's smile was like a blade. "Today I want to see if he can use his flesh and blood to fight against fully armed elite special forces. Division Commander Huang, please open my eyes to this confrontation!"
"As Senior Official Ye wishes," Huang Chenglong replied.
"Senior Official Ye, Division Chief Huang..." Luo Fusheng tried to speak again.
But Huang Chenglong raised his hand. His voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Take aim!"
The sound of a hundred weapons being readied filled the air like deadly music.
Qingxu didn't hesitate. He grabbed Jiang Ningzhi with one arm and pulled the elder Jiang Yun with the other. His feet barely touched the ground as he flew backward toward the ancestral hall.
"Get inside!" he shouted to the remaining disciple.
But Elder Jiang Yun broke free from his grip. The old man's eyes burned with rage as he looked at the government officials surrounded by soldiers.
"Qingxu, take the young sect leader and run! I'll hold them off!"
Before anyone could stop him, Jiang Yun shot forward like an arrow. His speed was inhuman, faster than any normal person could move. He flew straight toward Ye Qingsong and Huang Chenglong.
"Die, you corrupt dogs!" he roared.
Ye Qingsong's face went white with fear. "Shoot! Kill them all!"
The courtyard exploded with gunfire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
But Jiang Yun's body twisted and turned in ways that seemed impossible. He weaved between the bullets like a dancer, though several grazed him and left trails of blood. In seconds, he had broken through the line of a hundred soldiers.
Death was in his eyes as he reached for Ye Qingsong's throat.
"Die!"
"Hmph!"
Huang Chenglong stepped forward. His body erupted with internal energy as he threw a powerful punch to meet Jiang Yun's attack.
Their strikes collided with the sound of thunder. Air rushed outward from the impact.
Jiang Yun, already wounded from the bullets, was blown backward. Huang Chenglong staggered three steps and crushed the marble stones under his feet.
"Martial arts? I know them too!" Huang Chenglong shouted. "I may not be a master, but I've reached the high level of martial arts! You can't kill me!"
While Jiang Yun was still in the air, the guns fired again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This time, the old man had no chance to dodge. Dozens of bullets found their mark. His body jerked and twisted as the metal tore through him. He fell to the blood-soaked stones, his eyes still filled with defiance even in death.
"Forward! Leave no one alive!" Huang Chenglong's eyes gleamed with concealed greed. 'I heard there's a Heavenly Book stone wall in Dongyang Sword Sect. It has ancient characters that no one can understand, recording supreme martial techniques. Today, with this chance to use the army, I must claim those secrets for myself!'