Chapter 274 272: Melee
Zhuoyan Collection.
Jiang Hengzhou let out a long laugh, his figure suddenly erupting into motion as he shot straight for He Zhangqiu.
He moved as fast as a ghost, a phantom, reaching He Zhangqiu's face in an instant.
"Eldest Young Master, be careful."
The Qiushui Sword, Shen Wenzhou, was already prepared. The instant Jiang Hengzhou's shoulder twitched, the longsword at his waist was already unsheathed.
CLANG!
The ring of the sword was clear and sharp, like the surface of autumn waters suddenly breaking.
A streak of cold sword light cut through the night, intercepting the pair of iron palms.
Wherever the sword light passed, the very air seemed to congeal into fine frost flowers.
CLANG!
The deafening shriek of metal on metal was ear-splitting.
Jiang Hengzhou's iron palms didn't dodge or evade, striking directly onto the body of the blade.
Shen Wenzhou felt a tremendous, sinister, and domineering force travel up his sword. His wrist trembled violently, and the longsword was actually bent slightly from the blow.
His expression unchanging, he flicked his wrist. The blade rippled like water to dissipate the force. At the same time, the tip of the sword trembled, and three points of cold starlight shot toward Jiang Hengzhou's vital points—his glabella, throat, and heart—fast and vicious.
"Good swordsmanship."
Jiang Hengzhou's figure floated backward, barely avoiding the blade's edge.
At the same time, his hands swiped at his waist, and two jet-black iron balls that had been rolling between his fingers fell into his palms.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The iron balls left his hands, one to the left and one to the right. With an ear-piercing whistle, they carved two bizarre arcs through the air—one shot toward Shen Wenzhou's right shoulder, which held the sword, while the other curved around to his back.
The angles were cunning and vicious, sealing off his escape.
A glint flashed in Shen Wenzhou's eyes. His longsword spun, creating a cold Sword Curtain.
DING! DING!
Two crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously as the iron balls were deflected by the Sword Curtain.
But Jiang Hengzhou had already closed the distance again. His palms flew, the Palm Wind soft and dense, yet concealing a rigid power capable of shattering mountains and cracking stone.
Combined with the two elusive iron balls that alternated between long-range attacks and close-quarters strikes, he was actually evenly matched with Shen Wenzhou, and for a moment, it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.
"Void Transformation?!"
He Zhangqiu, under the desperate protection of several guards, staggered out of the battle circle, narrowly avoiding the aftershock of the fatal blow.
He stared death at Jiang Hengzhou, who was fighting Shen Wenzhou, his face drained of all color, his eyes filled with terror and venomous hatred.
He had originally thought that hiring one Void Transformation Grandmaster, two Divine Hall Grandmasters, and adding his own family's hidden Void Transformation Grandmaster would create a foolproof deathtrap.
There are nine levels in the Spirit Realm, and each is a world unto itself.
A Void Transformation master fighting one from the Divine Hall was an almost absolute, overwhelming victory.
It was precisely because of this that he had been so confident about this trip.
The Tuo Long Bang had three Divine Hall Grandmasters. The Chen and Zhou Families had at most two or three. How could they possibly resist?
The appearance of a Void Transformation Grandmaster from the Chen Family was already outside his expectations.
And now Jiang Hengzhou, this gang leader who hung around the waterways and docks, was also in the Void Transformation Realm.
This completely exceeded his calculations and threw all his plans into disarray.
"Jiang Hengzhou!"
He Zhangqiu roared, his voice sharp with terror and fury. "You dare attack me? Aren't you afraid my father's thunderous rage will uproot your Tuo Long Bang entirely?"
Jiang Hengzhou's Palm Wind howled, forcing Shen Wenzhou to pull back his sword light defensively. He spoke with sinister glee, "Young Master He must be joking. As long as Eldest Young Master He goes to see the King of the Underworld tonight, who will know who did it? The Tuo Long Bang never saw Young Master He tonight."
"You...!"
He Zhangqiu trembled with rage but was speechless.
"Eldest Young Master! Go, now! You can't stay here!"
Shen Wenzhou shouted sharply, and his sword light suddenly flared.
His expression was grave. He could see how dangerous the situation was tonight.
Not only was Jiang Hengzhou a Void Transformation master, but over there stood Chen Li—a man of unfathomable power who had just killed Yao Guangzhi.
Li Yuniang had somehow arrived at his side and urged, "Young Master, hurry and go."
No matter how unwilling He Zhangqiu was, he knew his life was on the line. He delayed no longer and, surrounded by his guards, turned and rushed out of Zhuoyan Collection.
Almost at the same time, from another Treasure Ship, a towering, iron-like figure leaped down. It was the other Vice Gang Leader of the Tuo Long Bang, Shi Zhenshan.
He carried a heavy Copper Hammer in his hand. Without a word, he and Li Sanli attacked from the left and right, flanking "Big Pipe" Jin Changshan, who was already locked in a fierce battle with Li Sanli.
Jin Changshan had been fighting Li Sanli to a standstill, but as soon as Shi Zhenshan joined, the tide of battle instantly turned.
Shi Zhenshan's moves were wide and sweeping, powerful and heavy, his Copper Hammer whistling through the air with a SSSSSS.
Li Sanli's Saber Technique became even more treacherous and ruthless.
Fighting one against two, Jin Changshan felt the pressure multiply. The movements of his heavy Smoking Pipe grew sluggish. He roared repeatedly but was beleaguered on all sides, in constant peril.
"Stop them!"
"Don't let the He Family brat get away!"
"Kill them!"
On the docks, members of the Tuo Long Bang poured out from the two Treasure Ships, wielding sabers, spears, and clubs, shouting as they chased after the fleeing He Zhangqiu.
For a time, the scene descended into utter chaos.
「On the other side.」
Chen Li and the "Shadow Elder" Mo Wuji had already exchanged several hundred moves.
Mo Wuji's style of Martial Arts was extremely strange. His Body Technique was as elusive as a ghost's, and his palms struck without a sound, yet they carried a sinister, cold Palm Force.
However, Chen Li dealt with it with exceptional ease.
'This boy... what Realm has he reached?'
The more Mo Wuji fought, the more alarmed he became.
He had used nearly all his strength, but he still couldn't fathom the depths of Chen Li's power.
He had a faint feeling that his opponent... wasn't even trying his best?
Chen Li was indeed not using his full strength.
Although Mo Wuji was also a Void Transformation Grandmaster, he had not yet even comprehended True Intent.
Naturally, he was no match for Chen Li.
Chen Li wasn't in a hurry. He took the opportunity to further familiarize himself with and hone his own combat abilities.
At the other end of the docks, the battle was nearing its end.
CLANG!
A piercing shriek of metal exploded through the air.
The Bronze Smoking Pipe in Big Pipe Jin Changshan's hand was forcefully bent by Li Sanli's heavy long saber.
At the same time, Shi Zhenshan's heavy Copper Hammer plunged viciously toward Jin Changshan's unprotected back.
Jin Changshan was attacked from both front and back.
CRACK!
The Copper Hammer instantly smashed into his arm.
A heart-piercing pain shot through him, and Jin Changshan's movements faltered.
"Die!"
How could Li Sanli let such a perfect opportunity slip by?
He dragged and then slashed his long saber, the blade's light flashing across Jin Changshan's neck like a bolt of silk.
A head soared into the air, its face frozen in an expression of shock, fury, and indignation.
The headless body swayed and then crashed heavily to the ground.
Shen Wenzhou, who was in the middle of a fierce battle with Jiang Hengzhou, caught this scene from the corner of his eye and his Heart Spirit trembled violently.
Of the four Grandmasters the He Family had hired this time, two were already gone in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Hengzhou felt a wave of relief. He chuckled lightly, and his attacks grew even more ferocious.
He had only just entered the Void Transformation Realm, so his cultivation level was not as high as Shen Wenzhou's, but his skills had been forged through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
His moves were ruthless and sharp, and he constantly employed life-for-a-life tactics, actually managing to throw Shen Wenzhou into a bit of a panic.
After killing Jin Changshan, Li Sanli and Shi Zhenshan flickered into motion and joined the battle.
Shi Zhenshan's Copper Hammer thrust straight for the small of Shen Wenzhou's back, while Li Sanli's long saber became a web of gleaming light, sealing his retreat.
The pressure on Shen Wenzhou instantly multiplied. He could only struggle to hold on, completely on the defensive.
But a Void Transformation Grandmaster was no small matter. Even with two Divine Hall Grandmasters joining the fray, they still couldn't create a completely one-sided situation.
Although Shen Wenzhou was in constant danger, he always managed to defuse the crisis at the last possible moment. For a short while, they were unable to take him down.
The three of them fought for a long time without success. Seeing that the battle between Chen Li and Mo Wuji on the other side seemed tepid, they grew anxious.
'I'll risk it all!'
A trace of madness flashed in Jiang Hengzhou's eyes.
His figure suddenly froze. Above his head, a slightly blurry but identical Divine Sense Illusion of himself took a step forward.
In the illusion's hand, a twelve-foot spear, condensed from Divine Sense, materialized.
The spear's shaft was dark, but its tip glinted with a terrifying cold light.
A Divine Sense Sense Combat Technique.
Shen Wenzhou's expression changed drastically. He never expected Jiang Hengzhou to be so desperate as to directly use his Divine Sense to fight in the middle of a chaotic melee.
In a flash, Shen Wenzhou wanted to retreat and temporarily avoid the attack.
But how could Li Sanli and Shi Zhenshan let him do as he pleased?
The two were like mad tigers, their saber and hammer attacking in concert. They used a mutually destructive fighting style to lock him down completely.
"Get lost!"
Shen Wenzhou was both shocked and enraged. His sword light flared as he tried to force a breakthrough.
In that momentary delay, Jiang Hengzhou's Divine Sense Illusion had already arrived, spear in hand.
The long spear stabbed straight toward Shen Wenzhou's sea of consciousness between his brows.
If this spear were to land, Shen Wenzhou's Divine Sense would surely suffer a devastating blow.
There was no escape.
A fierce glint flashed in Shen Wenzhou's eyes. A blinding radiance suddenly erupted from between his brows, and a silvery Sword Gang, so condensed it was like a solid object, shot out to meet the Divine Sense Awareness Spear.
However, how could this hastily deployed Divine Sense technique compare to Jiang Hengzhou's all-out attack, which had condensed a full Divine Sense Illusion?
HISSS!
The silver Sword Gang and the black long spear collided in midair. The Sword Gang held for only an instant before it was shattered to pieces by the spear, like fragile glass.
PFFT—
As if struck by a heavy hammer, Shen Wenzhou violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning ashen.
His Divine Sense was damaged, causing his vision to go black and his aura to suddenly weaken.
"Kill him!"
Li Sanli and Shi Zhenshan were both battle-hardened veterans. How could they miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
"Die!"
Shi Zhenshan's Copper Hammer viciously smashed into his left ribs.
At the same time, Li Sanli's long saber flashed by like a phantom, slicing a wound so deep into his right chest that the bone was visible.
Blood sprayed wildly!
Shen Wenzhou let out a blood-curdling scream and staggered backward.
He knew that there was no hope of survival today.
"Let's die together!"
A crazed expression appeared on Shen Wenzhou's face.
The light between his brows flared, and his Divine Sense Illusion shot out to kill.
Its target was Shi Zhenshan, who was closest to him and about to press the attack.
The deathblow of a Void Transformation Grandmaster—how terrifying!
The Divine Sense Illusion held a phantom longsword, carrying a resolute Sword Intent that sought to annihilate everything, and it reached Shi Zhenshan in an instant.
Shi Zhenshan was only a Divine Hall Grandmaster. Although he had condensed his Divine Sense, it was far from being able to contend with the Divine Sense of a Void Transformation Grandmaster head-on.
"No—!"
He only had time to let out half a terrified roar.
PFFT!
Shen Wenzhou's Divine Sense Sense Sword cleaved into Shi Zhenshan's glabella without any resistance.
Shi Zhenshan convulsed, and the light in his eyes instantly dimmed and vanished.
His body stiffened for a moment, then slumped forward, hitting the ground with a THUD, and was silent.
Almost at the same instant Shi Zhenshan fell, Jiang Hengzhou's Divine Sense Illusion arrived with its spear, piercing through Shen Wenzhou's Divine Sense Illusion.
Shen Wenzhou's Divine Sense instantly shattered and dissipated into the air.
As his Divine Sense was annihilated, his physical body shuddered violently, and the last trace of life was completely extinguished.
Jiang Hengzhou's Divine Sense Illusion swiftly returned to his body, and his face was also pale.
"Zhenshan..."
"Brother Shan!"
Jiang Hengzhou and Li Sanli looked at Shi Zhenshan's body on the ground, their voices trembling, their eyes filled with grief, indignation, and pain.
Years ago, the three of them had struggled to survive together in Tuo Dragon Gully. They had endured countless hardships to build their foundation, but now, one of them was separated from them by death.