Invincible Under Heaven

Noble

"Yes, Your Highness."

The guard addressed as Shen Hong responded calmly, unhurriedly turned, and walked directly toward Li Xian.

But Li Xian...

did not pay attention to his intentions at all.

Instead, he bypassed him and turned his gaze to the burly middle-aged man standing beside Shen Hong.

"That night two months ago, was it you who acted?"

The middle-aged man did not so much as raise his eyelids, clearly too lazy to answer.

Rather, it was Shen Hong, striding up to Li Xian with large steps, whose expression turned cold.

"This is not a place for someone of your status."

After speaking, he struck directly, his hand clawing toward Li Xian's shoulder blade.

Li Xian merely tilted his head slightly, and as Shen Hong's arm was about to reach him, his right hand darted out like lightning—the later action preceding the earlier, coiling like a python.

In an instant, Li Xian's hand traveled along Shen Hong's arm and seized his shoulder blade ahead of him.

Then—

Tendons and bones resonated!

Fierce power erupted!

With ease, Li Xian wrenched Shen Hong's shoulder joint out of place.

"Crack!"

"Ah!"

The sudden, intense pain forced a shrill scream from Shen Hong's lips.

Before he could react any further, Li Xian tossed him aside with a flick of his wrist, like Shakyamuni tossing an elephant.

The guard, weighing more than eighty kilograms, was flung three to four meters and crashed heavily onto the ground, rolling twice from the momentum.

This unexpected turn shocked both the middle-aged man, the young commandery princess, and the two individuals beside her, as well as the other members of their escort.

Especially the middle-aged man, who had moments ago regarded Li Xian with complete indifference.

His pupils shrank dramatically.

"Perfect Tendons and bones!? No... his force has even reached the internal viscera refinement? Impossible!"

The commandery princess's guards instantly shielded her and her companions in the center.

Yet, the commandery princess brushed aside the guard before her, stepped forward, and her delicate brows knit.

"What's going on?"

She glanced disdainfully at Shen Hong, whose pain had left his face ashen, and snorted coldly.

"Useless!"

"Your Highness, be careful... this Li Xian... something isn't right..."

The middle-aged man's expression grew grave; his gaze never left Li Xian's body.

Judging by the force he had used moments ago, and his current breathing rate...

He clearly had achieved internal viscera refinement!

But this made no sense!

Two months ago...

He was just a frail scholar, unable to even truss a chicken!

"What do you mean by 'not right'? He's just a lowborn bumpkin! You're a master of perfected internal viscera refinement, and you still can't handle him?"

The young woman's expression was icy, especially when she noticed people around them starting to observe the commotion, her irritation spiked as she gave a direct order: "Deal with him! Quickly."

Yan Lian nodded slightly and stepped forward.

As Yan Lian sized up Li Xian, Li Xian evaluated him in turn and was now certain.

"It's you."

He said calmly, "I don't care about your reasons for acting back then. I'm only here to teach you that, from that moment, 'Li Xian' was already dead. A life must be paid for with a life—that's only just. Now, you may struggle with everything you have! You can even use every trick you know and try to kill me! Otherwise, you will die today!"

Li Xian's dead?

Aren't you standing here alive?

And somehow, you've achieved internal viscera refinement.

Yan Lian's mind was spinning, but based on Li Xian's words, today, only one of them would walk away.

But...

Two months ago, Li Xian had been someone he could easily crush to death.

Even if he'd somehow trained a heretical art to reach internal viscera refinement, how formidable could he have become in just two months?

The only thing making Yan Lian hesitate was Li Xian's background...

The young lady of the Liu family at the Marquis Residence still needed this live-in son-in-law as a cover for the "Immortal Seedling"

Yan Shuijou.

If he happened to kill Li Xian, would that...

Perhaps sensing Yan Lian's hesitation—or perhaps simply being lawless by nature—the little commandecy princess spoke: "Such bravado! 'Use any trick you can and try to kill me'!? Li Xian, do you really think your reputation as one of the Four Luminaries of Lijiang makes you somebody?"

She seemed amused by his tone.

"In the presence of nobles from our Duke of Yue's Residence, a lowborn mud-foot like you could never set foot across our threshold in your entire life! How could a mere commoner comprehend the majesty of the celestial palace? If it weren't for Sister Liu, you would've died like a dog in the gutter, and I wouldn't have spared you a glance—such filth would only taint my eyes."

She arched her brows, flicked her hand.

"Beat him to death! If he's dead, he's dead! What could he possibly be worth!?"

Hearing the commandery princess's orders, Yan Lian felt reassured.

Without another word, he drew his long saber.

Facing someone with internal viscera refinement...

Even if Li Xian had been powerless two months ago, Yan Lian gave the duel his utmost focus.

As the saber was drawn, his force flared.

Even though it was a case of the strong bullying the weak, he still attacked first, seizing the initiative.

The saber light was chilling, swift as a streak of white silk.

Although both were at perfected viscera refinement, Yan Lian's technique in this single stroke clearly surpassed that of Liu Fu.

But now was not then.

When facing Liu Fu, Li Xian's own viscera refinement had not yet reached perfection; he relied on core force to stage his reversal.

Now...

He had not only completed internal viscera refinement, but was already embarking on marrow cleansing, and, thanks to Blood Jade Art, had achieved small success in just six days.

Some seekers of fame and fortune would already claim to have completed marrow cleansing at this point.

Thus, facing Yan Lian's saber—swift as white silk—Li Xian surged with ki and blood, channeling it into a frenzy that filled his limbs and bones.

As he followed up with his own saber technique, his blade met Yan Lian's with blinding speed.

At the moment the two blades connected, sparks flew.

At that same moment, Li Xian infused his saber with shock force.

The vibration traveled through the blade and into Yan Lian's hand—the impact so fierce he almost lost his grip.

"This kind of strength!?"

But in that instant of shock, Li Xian's saber swept across horizontally, cleaving toward Yan Lian's neck like a bright crescent.

With numb arms, nearly losing his blade, Yan Lian arched back like bending a steel plate, narrowly evading the attack, and kicked off explosively to widen the distance.

"You are definitely not Li Xian! Who are you!?"

As Yan Lian retreated, he shouted desperately for help: "Brother Liu, help me!"

The martial artist surnamed Liu—Liu Feng—was, aside from Yan Lian, the only other expert at the viscera refinement realm among the five guards.

Upon hearing the call, instead of immediately stepping in, Liu Feng glanced aside at a young man standing nearby.

This was the son of Jiangzhou's Commandant of Arms, Cao Rui.

Liu Feng was under orders from the commandant to protect Young Master Cao while he and Yan Ruxue were exploring Mount Canglang and participating in the Sword Assembly.

Sensing Liu Feng's gaze, Young Master Cao folded his fan and said, "Go help."

"Yes,"

Liu Feng replied, leaping into the fray.

Another young man waved at the guard beside him, "You go, too."

That guard, having only achieved perfection in bone and tendon strength, could only grit his teeth and enter the fray upon his master's order.

In the blink of an eye, the siege became three against one.

But...

Even with the addition of two attackers, Li Xian was utterly unaffected.

His saber had already completely enveloped Yan Lian.

Liu Feng's sudden intervention only bought Yan Lian a slim chance at survival.

As Li Xian's saber fell with shock force, Yan Lian could no longer hold onto his weapon.

His tiger's mouth burst, blood sprayed—the battle saber was sent flying out of his hand.

"Not good!"

Having lost his saber, Yan Lian was terrified. Not caring that Liu Feng remained by his side, he turned and fled.

At that moment, Liu Feng's saber whooshed through the air, forcing Li Xian to shift his attention.

Li Xian transferred his full force to Liu Feng.

Irritated by Liu Feng's repeated meddling, Li Xian twisted his saber and, taking advantage of Liu Feng's opening, swept his blade across his throat.

A spray of blood.

The master of viscera refinement halted, motionless.

"Your Highness, run!"

Escaping the battle at the cost of his comrade, Yan Lian, terrified, rushed to the Your Highness Yan Ruxue's side, grabbed her, and fled straight toward Mount Canglang.