Ghost Scholar had never imagined things would turn out like this before he made his move.
He and Qingyangzi shared similar renown, but in terms of martial arts, this renegade of Taixu Dao had the upper hand.
After all, Qingyangzi hailed from an authentic, prestigious sect and had cultivated since childhood. Ghost Scholar, on the other hand, was an unorthodox rogue who had taken up cultivation midway—there was truly no comparison.
Moreover, Qingyangzi's slaughter of innocents in the name of drawing closer to the Heavenly Dao had genuinely caused his martial arts to advance by leaps and bounds.
Not long after defecting to the Black Fiend Cult, Ghost Scholar had locked horns with Qingyangzi, yet had consistently found himself on the losing side. Over time, he had come to acknowledge Qingyangzi's superiority.
Just moments ago, when Fang Shuwen suddenly launched his fierce assault on Li Nanchen, Ghost Scholar thought stepping in to parry the blow would suffice, never expecting Qingyangzi to strike as well.
A combined blow from the two of them was far beyond what an ordinary person could withstand.
He had assumed Fang Shuwen was doomed...
Yet what had just transpired?
Qingyangzi, whose martial prowess surpassed his own, had been slain by a single punch from Fang Shuwen.
And now, this monster was asking who he was... How on earth should he answer?
*If I say I was just passing by to borrow an outhouse... will he believe me?*
As for his true identity... he wouldn't dare disclose it even on pain of death.
The moment anyone heard the name "Ghost Scholar," they would clamor for his head!
Should he concoct an alias on the spot?
Though it might not deceive anyone for long, as long as he could dupe Fang Shuwen into releasing him... he would grease his soles and slip away immediately.
He would run as far as he could and never again meddle in the Black Fiend Cult's mess.
Ghost Scholar was, after all, an educated man; thoughts popped into his mind one after another, his wit remarkably nimble.
Yet while he racked his brains trying to devise a viable plan, right after posing that question, Fang Shuwen followed up with two words:
"Never mind."
*Never mind?*
*What does he mean, never mind?*
Ghost Scholar soon understood precisely what "never mind" meant.
A terrifying surge of force rushed in, causing his body to lurch helplessly toward Fang Shuwen. At the same time, Fang Shuwen crooked his right fingers into a mudra seal and thrust his palm straight forward.
Ghost Scholar's pupils shrank violently. His free hand frantically reached out to deflect the palm strike.
Yet the moment it made contact with Fang Shuwen's hand—
*Crack!*
In that split second, Ghost Scholar felt as though he had foolishly attempted to stop a collapsing mountain with his bare arm.
How could a mere arm ever halt the fall of a mighty mountain?
This was even more absurdly reckless than a mantis trying to stop a carriage!
Without the slightest resistance, the palm broke Ghost Scholar's arm, driving it back against his own chest.
*Boom!!!*
A plume of blood mist erupted from Ghost Scholar's back.
Whatever color remained on Ghost Scholar's already pale face vanished completely. The light in his eyes dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, his body went limp... and he died on the spot.
"Never mind" meant that who he was did not matter to Fang Shuwen in the least.
Inside the grand hall of Zhujige Pavilion, the silence was so absolute that a falling needle could be heard!
Qingyangzi... Ghost Scholar!
Dead!
In the span of a mere breath, with one punch and one palm strike, crushed as effortlessly as two ants, their deaths horrific beyond measure!
Even Xu Chongshan could no longer maintain his stiff, stony expression, rubbing his face vigorously in sheer disbelief.
With his own martial arts, had he not been poisoned, someone like Ghost Scholar would never have warranted a second glance. Qingyangzi was worth taking seriously, but Xu Chongshan was still confident that if they fought, he could take the man's life within a hundred moves.
The problem, however... was that this young man had used only a single move!
He had used one move merely because one was the bare minimum required to strike...
It by no means represented the upper limit of Fang Shuwen's martial prowess!
This truth was, in fact, far more terrifying.
Zuo Qingshuang wanted nothing more than to ask Lu Xiaoqing and Zhou Qingmei just who this Fang Shuwen really was.
Everything had happened far too fast.
From Fang Shuwen lunging to kill, to being intercepted, to slaying Qingyangzi and Ghost Scholar with a punch and a palm—the entire process had unfolded faster than it took to let out a long fart.
It was so swift that Zuo Qingshuang hadn't even had the chance to ask...
And at this very moment, having dispatched Qingyangzi and Ghost Scholar, Fang Shuwen made his move against Li Nanchen once more without the slightest hesitation.
Those from Zhujige Pavilion were not the only ones left stunned and bewildered.
Feng Mantian's eyeballs were nearly popping out of his skull to hit his feet!
Especially upon seeing Fang Shuwen strike again, he roared in fury:
"Halt!!!"
Li Nanchen's pupils constricted even further.
Yet having served as Zhujige Pavilion's Eldest Senior Brother for many years, his mastery of the Black Fiend Demon Skill was far beyond ordinary.
The reason he wanted to capture Fang Lingxin was that her birth date made her blood a supreme tonic for him, one that could help him push the Black Fiend Demon Skill to great completion in a single leap!
Whether Zhujige Pavilion was destroyed or not, Fang Lingxin had to become his prize.
A man like him naturally possessed extraordinary fortitude.
Thus, when Fang Shuwen attacked again, Li Nanchen's resolve did not crumble into despair, nor did he turn and flee.
Instead, with a resounding clatter, his longsword cleared its scabbard!
His sword was an exceptional blade.
Commissioned by Lou Yuxiao from the Eastern Domain's most renowned master swordsmith, Fenghuo Lanshan, it was named "Zhanxie."
*Slay all evil thoughts with a single stroke.*
Such was Lou Yuxiao's earnest expectation for Li Nanchen. At the same time, he had hoped Li Nanchen would wield this sword to slay fiends and heretics, upholding justice throughout the jianghu.
The sword arts Li Nanchen wielded were equally exceptional!
The Thousand-Character Swordplay and the Ten-Thousand-Word Sword Dao—every word a gem, every stroke an edge.
Zhujige Pavilion expressed martial arts through literature and transformed words into swordsmanship, an imposing path of myriad variations.
Moreover, Li Nanchen's natural talent and Comprehension far exceeded those of his peers, and with the Black Fiend Demon Skill coating the blade, the power of his sword arts rose to an even greater level.
Layers of black qi enveloped the sword, unleashing endless sharpness!
What appeared to be a single thrust held countless transformations.
Furthermore, he struck while mere inches away from Fang Shuwen.
In such a fleeting instant, no one could possibly discern the flaws in his swordplay.
As Zhujige Pavilion's Eldest Senior Brother and the Black Fiend Cult's Young Cult Master, Li Nanchen possessed that absolute confidence!
At this moment, even Xu Chongshan and Zuo Qingshuang—who were utterly disappointed in Li Nanchen and harbored deep, bone-deep hatred for him—had to admit that he had truly inherited the essence of Zhujige Pavilion's arts.
This sword strike could truly be described as brilliantly breathtaking!
They even involuntarily began to worry for Fang Shuwen.
Regrettably, Fang Shuwen had no such awareness...
Facing this strike, he merely swept out a palm with casual ease.
Mahakala Palm, Fourth Palm—Striking the Mountain to Shake the Fiend!
This palm arose soundlessly and fell as light as a feather, yet it contained the weight of thousands of jin packed into down, harboring infinite variations within a single palm.
A crisp ting rang out.
Fang Shuwen's palm struck the Zhanxie sword, and the blade shattered into pieces in an instant.
Shattering along with it... was Li Nanchen's confidence!
Fang Shuwen cared nothing for his mental state. His left hand shattered the Zhanxie sword, while his right hand lunged forward in a claw.
Five fingers clamped directly onto Li Nanchen's face, and without the slightest hesitation, a sickening crack echoed in everyone's ears!!
Half the head of Li Nanchen, Zhujige Pavilion's Eldest Senior Brother, was twisted and caved in under Fang Shuwen's grip, every trace of life extinguished.
Chapter 38