Decisive

"What audacity!" Right at that moment, another furious roar echoed from nearby. Immediately after, Bian Liancheng, another Martial Saint stationed in the royal capital, tore through the air and plunged straight into the battlefield. His gaze swept over everyone, lingering heavily on Lü Jianfeng and Jiang Sheng. Even though they were fully armored and their faces completely concealed, Bian Liancheng recognized their identities at once. "Are you planning a rebellion?!" "As expected..." "I knew it—the royal family was hiding another Martial Saint!" The two Grandmasters spoke, yet showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, they turned their gazes toward Yaoguang. Next... would be the most critical juncture of this battle. Could Yaoguang... slay both of these royal Martial Saints?! Slay, not defeat. If he could, the rest of the operation would undoubtedly end in total victory. If he could not... As long as a Martial Saint lived, the Liao royal house would endure. None of the nine great aristocratic families could withstand the relentless assassinations and vengeance of a Martial Saint lurking in the shadows. "Here he comes," Yaoguang said calmly. Gripping his sword in one hand, he sank into a slight crouch. With a burst of force beneath his feet, he shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. "Then I'll deal with both of you together." "Insolence!" Bian Liancheng bellowed, his voice booming like thunder. His aura surged violently as he roared, threatening to materialize into something solid to crush Yaoguang beneath its weight. Against anyone else... even Grandmasters could never remain unaffected by an aura this daunting. It was like an ordinary person holding a firearm: fully aware they could inflict lethal harm on a tiger, yet when that tiger's roar shook the mountain forest as it lunged forward, fear would inevitably take hold, their spirit crushed by its sheer menace. Yet... demons possessing Martial Saint-level combat power who had perished at Yaoguang's hands already numbered more than one could count on one hand. What was more, even a Spirit Intent Martial Saint like Ji Pingtian could not gain the upper hand over him in terms of aura. How could an ordinary Martial Saint hope to seize the initiative with a mere roar? As Yaoguang lunged forward, the tip of his sword did not hesitate for an instant. Like a speck of cold gleam, it pierced straight through empty air, stabbing toward Bian Liancheng. The sword was swift as thunder. "Liancheng, be careful!" Liao Zhenguo barked a warning, springing forward once more to attack Yaoguang. "Waning Moon!" Facing Yaoguang's thunderous incoming sword ray, Bian Liancheng neither dodged nor retreated. A war saber swung like a cold moon, cleaving straight toward Yaoguang's sword tip. As the saber slashed out, Yaoguang had the momentary illusion that he truly saw a clear, cold moon shining in the night sky, captivating enough to make one lose oneself in it. This was... an illusion! The saber in Bian Liancheng's grasp was clearly a divine weapon as well, conjuring illusions with every swing. Moreover, its illusory effect was even more subtle and intricate than the Shenying Sword's, carrying a soul-rattling influence. It was barely inferior to a Martial Saint's spirit intent. In other words, armed with this saber, Bian Liancheng could fight against a Spirit Intent Martial Saint. Though he could not compare to a true Spirit Intent Martial Saint in the application and explosive release of force, if supplemented with secret techniques, holding his own in a brief frontal clash was well within his reach. "Zhenguo!" Bian Liancheng barked as he struck with his saber. Beside him, Liao Zhenguo instantly grasped his intention. Without the slightest delay, his surging form closed in on Yaoguang. Taking advantage of the moment Yaoguang's mind was disturbed by "Waning Moon," Liao Zhenguo clenched his gauntleted right hand into a fist and unleashed a shattering blow. The fist force crashed through the air, sending visible ripples rippling outward as sharp cracks like lighting firecrackers resonated in the void. Yet before the moonlight could fully captivate Yaoguang's mind, a resplendent sun bore down upon the world, its boundless brilliance illuminating his entire mental world and instantly tearing him free from the chill moonlight. Yaoguang's eyes were crystal clear. The power behind the thrust of the Shenying Sword surged violently. Under the Star Ignition secret technique, vitality and force far surpassing that of a newly ascended Martial Saint flooded every acupuncture point throughout his body like an opened sluice gate. Striding forward with another burst of power beneath his feet, his speed shattered the limits expected of ordinary Martial Saints. As one with his sword, he slammed right in front of Bian Liancheng. "Not good!" The moment Bian Liancheng noticed Yaoguang's mind was completely unaffected, he knew something was amiss. The saber flash he had unleashed snapped back in a lightning-fast parry, sweeping like a bolt of silk straight toward Yaoguang's incoming blade. His reaction was so swift it virtually exceeded the limits of what any Grandmaster could track. And yet... as astonishingly swift as that strike was, it completely bypassed the physical sword Yaoguang thrust forward, cutting only through an afterimage and striking empty air. It was an illusion cast by the Shenying Sword! Having struck nothing, Bian Liancheng felt his scalp tingle with terror as an unprecedented sense of crisis exploded from the depths of his soul. Before he could react, a tearing, violent force pierced straight through his wrist. His entire saber-wielding forearm was run through by the Shenying Sword. Immediately afterward, Yaoguang's blindingly fast body, moving in tandem with the blade that tore through Bian Liancheng's arm, slammed savagely into the Martial Saint's chest. At that exact moment, a tempestuous fist force swept past Yaoguang's flank, the erupted force detonating behind him. It was the sonic boom of Liao Zhenguo's coordinated strike hitting empty air. When two martial artists joined forces, it did not necessarily mean one plus one equaled two. Without seamless coordination, facing two opponents was no different from facing one. In truth, the teamwork between Bian Liancheng and Liao Zhenguo was nothing short of exquisite. With virtually no exchange of words, they could grasp each other's intent through the simplest of glances. However... it could not overcome the fact that Yaoguang was too strong! Using the Star Ignition secret technique to unleash speed beyond the limits of a Martial Saint, he forced a misalignment in their timing, ruthlessly ripping apart their seamless coordination. *Bang!* Lunging in close and using his body as a weapon, Yaoguang slammed violently into Bian Liancheng. It was as if Bian Liancheng had been struck by a wrecking ball; his entire body flew backward uncontrollably. The ferocious impact not only sent violent tremors through him and churned his internal organs, but also knocked him completely off balance, leaving him incapable of mounting any reaction. Yaoguang, on the other hand! The moment he hurled Bian Liancheng back, his footwork did not falter for a fraction of a second. The floor beneath him cracked instantly as he sprang forth once more, relentlessly chasing down the airborne Bian Liancheng. "Stop!" Amid Liao Zhenguo's terrified roar, the Shenying Sword in Yaoguang's hand flickered like lightning, thrusting through the darkness with unbelievable speed to pierce clean through Bian Liancheng's throat. A lethal strike! Still flying backward and struggling desperately to regain his balance, Bian Liancheng's eyes snapped wide. He stared fixedly at the Shenying Sword piercing his throat. Even if every Martial Saint was a being who had broken through human limits, a fatal wound that ran straight through the throat remained an instant kill. What was more... having just slain a Martial Saint, Yaoguang's body did not pause in the slightest. *Chhh!* The Shenying Sword was wrenched free from Bian Liancheng's throat in an instant. Carrying the momentum of his forward charge, Yaoguang suddenly whipped around a full hundred and eighty degrees. The gleam of the Shenying Sword cast an indecipherable flurry of phantom blades, slashing straight behind him. Behind him, Liao Zhenguo—evidently having activated some desperate life-risking secret technique in his fury—had already charged right up to his back. A ferocious fist force potent enough to shatter stele and stone was less than a meter from Yaoguang's spine. Clearly, the prior collision and the lightning-fast clash just now had made Liao Zhenguo realize that this youth before him was unprecedentedly strong. If he did not risk everything and ignite his secret technique, he would undoubtedly die today. *Swoosh!* The sword ray tore through the air. Sweeping forward with the momentum to mow down a thousand men, the Shenying Sword slashed directly before Liao Zhenguo. Yet as this Martial Saint who bore the nation's defense shifted his fist into an open palm, his gauntlet seemed to unleash an astonishing suction, drawing the Shenying Sword—originally sweeping to sever his throat—straight into his palm. It was as though Yaoguang had intentionally delivered the sword into Liao Zhenguo's grasp. Worse yet... with the blade's sweep forcibly redirected, Yaoguang's posture was dragged along with it, instantly leaving his defenses wide open. Seizing this opening, Liao Zhenguo growled as the five fingers of his other hand spread wide, clawing down ruthlessly toward Yaoguang's skull. Within that single palm strike, a subtlety belonging to the Heavenly Being realm—similar to Ji Pingtian's Dragon-Elephant World Suppression—surged forward. Space itself seemed to warp and confuse the senses. It appeared not as though Liao Zhenguo was reaching out to seize Yaoguang's head, but rather as though Yaoguang was willingly offering his head into that palm, submitting his life and death to the man's whims. Killer Move: Who Rules the Rise and Fall! With his broad hand combined with the cold metallic sheen glinting off the gauntlet, should he grasp his target, Yaoguang's skull would be crushed into powder without the slightest suspense. "Practiced well enough. Unfortunately..." It was useless! In the next breath, an invisible ripple radiated outward with Yaoguang at its center. Under this ripple, the grand mystery that seemed to dominate heaven, earth, and all living things was instantly dispelled. Almost simultaneously, Yaoguang formed a sword finger with his left hand and stabbed straight ahead. No! It was not a sword finger! Nourished by the Formless secret technique, the Chengying Sword had slid down from his arm at an unknown moment, invisible and formless as it struck out. Where the blade pointed... was none other than Liao Zhenguo's palm! "What is this?!" Liao Zhenguo acutely felt the bone-chilling sharpness at the center of his palm. Yet... it was too late! The instant his Heavenly Being fist art "Who Rules the Rise and Fall" was broken, the outcome was sealed. As the blade of the Chengying Sword drove into Liao Zhenguo's palm, its astonishing sharpness shredded the muscle fibers of his hand and wrist in a flash, plunged through the gap between his ulna and radius, and finally... pierced his glabella with thunderous momentum. "I..." Liao Zhenguo's pupils dilated wide. *Chhh!* Withdrawing the sword! Stepping back! Within this Liao family Martial Saint's last fading wisps of consciousness, he could clearly see Yaoguang withdrawing his blade and, without a moment's pause, turning his gaze straight toward the King of Yu, Liao Shanhe. Striding forward! Swift and decisive! Resolute and ruthless! Clean, crisp, and unhesitating! It was as though he had not just slaughtered Martial Saints capable of altering a nation's destiny, but stepped on mere stray dogs. Such overwhelming strength... Such unyielding will... Such astonishing drive and execution... Had they truly all coalesced within a nineteen-year-old youth? And the Liao family... In order to curry favor with the Rebirth Society, even lowering themselves to act as their dogs, had actually aligned against such an incomparably promising powerhouse who was destined to become a high-level cultivator in the future?! As his vision darkened into blackness, he seemed to see raging flames consuming every high-ranking member of the Liao family, dragging four hundred years of Liao family glory into the dark, toward its final curtain.