I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1461 - Chapter 1461 Chapter 717 Dark Clouds Over the City_2

Chapter 1461: Chapter 717: Dark Clouds Over the City_2 Chapter 1461: Chapter 717: Dark Clouds Over the City_2 The elders looked at one another and could hardly believe that Duan Longtai had entrusted such an important matter to the Dutian Heavenly King Patrol.

Elder Mo Lan lost his composure and said, “Please reconsider, sect master!”

“Hm?”

Duan Longtai raised his eyebrows in dissatisfaction, “Elder Mo, didn’t you previously say that quelling the chaos was of utmost importance? Why are you having second thoughts now?”

“Quelling the chaos is indeed crucial, but methods also matter.”

Mo Lan argued vehemently, “If it were the former patrol that consisted solely of disciples from the Holy Land and our sect, I would not have objected. But after Cao Jinyu’s death, the Three Realms Holy Land hurriedly rebuilt the king’s patrol, recruiting troops with a single order from Xiehe. The current Dutian Heavenly King Patrol consists entirely of demonic cultivators and bandits, crude and brutal. These people know nothing about quelling chaos; entering the Evil King Domain, they will only turn quelling into slaughter and looting. Please reconsider, sect master!”

“What’s so bad about that?”

Duan Longtai replied placidly, “All the families and commoners in each city feel that the methods of governance by the Evil King Palace are excessively cruel and harsh, and when they gather in small groups, they dare to start riots. Let them see how the Dutian Heavenly King Patrol deals with riots. I believe after the chaos is quelled, they will surely refrain from harboring disloyal thoughts!”

Mo Lan had more to say, but was stared down by Duan Longcheng, “Enough, this matter needs no further discussion. Just do as I say. Elders, you should tally the troops and prepare to set out to Longzhou!”

…

This was probably the best depiction of the Longxi Alliance at that moment, as the most flourishing city in Longzhou West.

The Lingjiang Seven Cities saw a massive flow of people entering and exiting daily, providing perfect conditions for bounty hunters to blend in.

Even in the Holy Land of Xiehe, not every clansman was a formidable fighter, and although bounty hunters sought wealth, they weren’t foolish.

If you want to get rich, don’t be afraid to lose face; naturally, you must target those who are undoubtedly vulnerable.

For example, a small team in unity of spirit and intent looking for an opportunity to surround and kill a young master from the main branch of the Tang Clan–could such a mission possibly fail?

In just over ten days, hundreds from both the direct and collateral lines of the Tang Clan were assassinated, forty percent of whom were killed and decapitated.

The Longxi Alliance, which had focused primarily on establishing the Nanji base and escorting the women and children to safety, had been utterly caught off guard by these unexpected bounty hunters.

Flies don’t sting, but they’re annoying, and the so-called bounty hunters were mostly bandits or wandering warriors.

There were few of real substance, but everyone had despicable methods, and such a group was of no concern to elite household warriors or experienced martial artists, but for inexperienced young masters and mistresses, they were frighteningly accurate.

With no other choice, the Longxi Alliance had to seal off all the city gates, allowing only alliance members in and no one out.

However, this approach was merely a temporary solution, for as far as martial artists were concerned, the ways to enter a city were never limited to just the gates.

The city masters had no option but to gather the member families again and form numerous patrol teams, hoping to prevent further assassinations.

The Tang Clan headquarters even had law office disciples travel to each main branch, imposing a martial mobilization ban; Tang Clan disciples were forbidden from leaving.

…

Jiejiang City, Sect Head Mansion

“So Nuan Nuan, it’s not that your second brother won’t let you out, but the headquarters has ordered, all Tang Clan disciples must not leave!”

Tang Xing, who was home on a rare vacation, earnestly persuaded the noticeably thinner Tang Nuannuan, “Plus, you know how people outside view our Tang Clan now, if you go to Kunwu County now, you might get attacked halfway!”

“The headquarters’ order applies to Tang Clan disciples, I’m a disciple of the Five Absolute Sword Sect, they can’t control me!”

Tang Nuannuan, holding the sword scabbard in her left hand and the sword hilt in her right, said earnestly, “Plus, I’ve already shed my mortal body. If those bounty hunters dare show up in front of me, I’ll show them what’s what!”

“Oh my dear sister!”

Tang Xing screamed, “Don’t be foolish, even if you find Xu Chengyuan, what can you do? If he truly wanted to return, he could have come back when he achieved the extraordinary title at the martial arts tournament, but it’s been nearly half a year now, and clearly, he has no intention of returning!”

“Nonsense!”

Tang Nuannuan’s eyebrows furrowed, and she couldn’t stop her hand from trembling as she gripped her sword, “Brother Chengyuan is just too busy. He’s setting up a branch of the Five Absolute Sword Sect in Longzhou. I… I need to help him!”

“Help my ass!”

Tang Xing scoffed, “If he really needed you, no matter how busy he was, couldn’t he spare the time to write a letter? Now that he’s successful, he cares too much about his reputation to dare associate with the Tang Clan. I regret spending time practicing with him back then, he’s such an ungrateful wretch. I was wrong about him, bah!”

“Don’t you dare slander Brother Chengyuan like that!”

Clang! As the sword was drawn from its sheath, Tang Nuannuan pointed it at Tang Xing’s chest, her eyes brimming with tears, “If the clan hadn’t committed those atrocities, we wouldn’t have such a bad reputation. Even if.. even if Brother Chengyuan truly disdains to associate with the Tang Clan, what’s wrong with that!?”

Ignoring the sword pressed against his chest, Tang Xing frowned and said, “Thousands of wrongs, millions of mistakes, the decisions made by our family are for the benefit of the clan members, how can you slander the family like this!?”

“Slander? Ha, I truly wish I weren’t born into the Tang Clan!”

With her bare hand open, the sword clattered to the ground. Tang Nuannuan turned around, tears scattering, and ran back inside with her mouth covered.

“Little sister, Nuan Nuan!… What the hell is this!”

Calling repeatedly without a response, Tang Xing, furious, kicked the sword’s hilt, launching it like a beam of light into the courtyard wall.

After venting, Tang Xing sighed, bent down to pick up the scabbard, then went to the courtyard wall to pull out the sword, its blade glinting brilliantly in the sunlight.

“Pretty good-looking.”

Squinting, Tang Xing muttered to himself, then performed a flourish with the sword before sheathing it and walking to Tang Nuannuan’s door, gently knocking.

“Nuan Nuan, Nuan Nuan.”

“…”

Receiving no response, Tang Xing touched his nose, then carefully placed the sheathed sword on the doorstep.

“Nuan Nuan, I’ve left the sword at your door, don’t be mad, come out and eat something soon.”

“…”

Still receiving no response, Tang Xing shook his head and walked away.

…

Kunwu County

The last martial arts conference in Longzhou was a confluence of family and sect resources, claimed to be the highest level competition for the younger generation in Longzhou.

At this intense meeting, there was one presence that even Fierce Realm could not obscure, the sharpness of Chengyuan from the Five Absolute Sword Sect.

As a disciple of the sect, Xu Chengyuan did not follow the usual sect procedures through the preliminary stages but started from scratch along with the family disciples.

Because of a prodigy in the ’84 competition, no one from the external sect of Bifang Mountain had advanced, so those from Bifang Mountain who had remained in the external sect in ’87 had to compete again.

After the defeat in ’84, these Martial Saint Mountain disciples, determined to eradicate their disgrace, made valiant efforts.

The ’87 martial arts conference turned into a hellish challenge, where many external disciples cast out by their seniors who had endured three painful years should have claimed their places but had to wait another three years.

Thus, the ’90 competition again became a nightmare, resulting in very few family disciples advancing to the second stage.

However, a few exceptionally brilliant new talents emerged, with prodigies from the Liu Family, Mu Family, Nong Family, and He Family all hailing from the Fierce Realm.

With their overwhelming capabilities, they easily claimed victory, but it wasn’t them who won the most tokens.

It was Xu Chengyuan, a Swordsman from the Five Absolute Sword Sect of Yuanzhou, who, with seventy-six tokens, took first place.

He showcased what was known as the unparalleled swordsmanship of Yuanzhou.

In the following two rounds, he dazzled with his superior sword skills, although being young, he still lost in total points to a young talent from Wuji Mansion.

In the final challenge, he crossed boundaries to defeat several challengers, earning everyone’s respect.

Tang Luo’s blueprint, gradually realized by Xu Chengyuan’s efforts, led this ambitious young Swordsman to stay directly in Kunwu County.

Because it is the most prosperous and inclusive city in Longzhou, the first Swords dojo of the Five Absolute Sword Sect was to be established here!

With extraordinary recognition from Martial Saint Mountain and plentiful resources, Xu Chengyuan bought a plot of land in Kunwu County and built a dojo.