Chapter 6: Flame-Blaze Steed, Prison Suppressing Envoy

The old man sank his body slightly and raised his hand to catch the punch, but he stumbled, his body tottering backward unsteadily.

Tenacious momentum—this youth’s fist was actually as heavy as a thousand catties!

Gu Shiyi stayed glued to his body, taking the chance to step right in front of his crotch, leaning forward and swinging his blade to slash at Xu Wen behind the old man!

“Senior Brother Xu, watch out!”

A soft cry came, and countless grains of sand and dust suddenly flew up from the ground in front of Gu Shiyi, turning into a shield to block his path.

Gu Shiyi slashed it open with his blade, only to find nothing in front of him. He frowned and looked around, his face darkening.

The old man and Xu Wen were actually behind him.

In just a brief moment, his direction had been completely reversed.

Gu Shiyi tilted his head and glared at Lu Jianjia not far away. The young girl’s forehead was covered in sweat, and several small stones were laid out before her.

Gu Shiyi’s expression turned cold as he spat out two words: “Fangshi?”

Apart from martial artists, there were also Fangshi in this world. The cultivation of Fangshi differed from martial artists, focusing primarily on setting up arrays, refining pills, raising ghosts, and drawing talismans, making their methods treacherous and unpredictable.

The young girl’s pretty face turned pale, and she hurriedly hid beside the old man.

The old man no longer held any of his previous contempt. Staring at Gu Shiyi, he said in shock:

“Strength like a thousand jun, true qi flowing at its source… Kid, are you a Rank Six martial artist?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd was shocked. Even Lu Jianjia widened her beautiful eyes.

“R-Rank Six? How is that possible! Grandpa Yang, you must be mistaken.”

“Rank Six? No way, an elder of the second-rate sect Wensheng Sect is only a Rank Six martial artist. How old is this kid?”

“More than that! The ten strongest youth martial artists selected by the Daxia Dynasty last year when gathering various factions—those geniuses holding the title of ‘Ten Quasi-Martial Saints’—were only Rank Six as well. If this kid is also Rank Six, doesn’t that mean he is on par with those geniuses?”

“Those people were nurtured by great sects with countless pills, endless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, plus guidance from numerous famous masters! I think eight or nine times out of ten, this old man is talking nonsense.”

…

“Martial artists have ten ranks: Rank Four generates true qi, Rank Five moves qi along channels, and Rank Six reaches the source of qi flow.”

A middle-aged man carrying a giant sword on his back suddenly stepped out from the crowd and pointed down at the ground.

Following his finger, everyone looked down, only to see a footprint six inches deep left clearly on the ground.

That footprint was much smaller than Iron Foot Lu’s, clearly left by the youth.

Iron Foot Lu wore iron shoes, while the youth wore tattered cloth shoes.

A footprint that even iron shoes failed to leave was left behind by this youth!

“Qi flowing at its source, strength like a thousand jun… He is not only Rank Six, but very likely already at its peak,” the middle-aged man continued loudly.

Everyone exchanged glances, gasping in cold air one after another.

When Gu Shiyi looked back, they unconsciously stepped backward.

A Rank Four martial artist could subdue a bull with bare hands; a Rank Five could overpower a tiger empty-handed; a single Rank Six person could slaughter an entire pack of wolves with their bare fists easily!

In other words, this emaciated youth standing here alone was equivalent to a dozen vicious wild wolves!

“Splash…”

A strange sound came, and when everyone looked toward it, their expressions turned odd.

It turned out that Xu Wen, being glared at intensely by Gu Shiyi, had actually lost control of his bladder in public, wetting the ground.

Lu Jianjia’s pretty face flushed red, and she couldn’t help but curl her lips. Senior Brother Xu Wen was simply too cowardly.

The old man’s face grew solemn. He pulled out his horsewhip and was just about to speak when his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up into the distance.

At the same time, Gu Shiyi twitched his ears and looked up at the sky.

“Neighhh~~~”

A horse’s neigh suddenly drifted from afar, followed by a flash of fiery light appearing on the horizon.

Gu Shiyi darted over, hoisted Nie Nie onto his back, and prepared to flee.

“Oh? Interesting.”

A puzzled voice strangely resounded right above everyone’s heads.

It was clearly just a single person’s whisper, yet it was exceptionally booming, like a clap of thunder that made everyone’s eardrums ache.

Then, a streak of golden light shot through the air, crashing down in front of Gu Shiyi with a loud “boom” and blocking his way.

The ground burst open, and a powerful gust of wind blew against everyone’s clothes.

Once the dust cleared, it turned out to be a massive golden banner!

Painted on the banner was a five-clawed black dragon; as the wild wind blew, the black dragon seemed alive.

“Golden banner, black dragon… Prison Suppressing Envoy!” a martial artist in the crowd exclaimed in shock.

Lu Jianjia’s face lit up with joy, and she raised her head to look into the distance. The fiery light from the horizon had already reached overhead; amidst the flames, several fine steeds galloped wildly, with a figure mounted on every single fiery horse.

They came treading upon roaring flames, looking like gods of fire running across the sky, radiating overwhelming pressure.

“Flame-Blaze Steed! It really is the Hell-Suppressing Army! Good heavens, why are they here!”

Someone in the crowd cried out in panic, while several powerful martial artists hastily concealed their auras and scattered to retreat.

Gu Shiyi set Nie Nie down, tore off the bundle on his back, and shoved it into her arms.

“Run!”

Nie Nie’s eyes instantly turned red. “Brother Gu, I…”

“Go, quickly!” Gu Shiyi shouted loudly.

Tears fell from Nie Nie’s eyes. Biting her lower lip, she slipped into the crowd and ran swiftly into the distance.

“Catch her! She’s the monster’s accomplice, don’t let her escape!”

Xu Wen yelled. Before his words even finished, the old man’s face changed drastically. He abruptly drew a dagger from behind his whip and struck with all his might toward the space in front of Xu Wen.

With a “boom”, an iron sword smashed against the dagger and shattered into several pieces!

Killing intent blew like a wild wind, its stinging blades scraping the old man’s face painfully.

Gu Shiyi was like a bloodthirsty Asura, overflowing with terrifying murderous aura.

“You named Xu, if you shout one more word, not even the Emperor of Heaven can save you!”

The old man shouted, his arms trembling. How was this kid a tiger? He was simply a monster!

Gu Shiyi grabbed the old man’s wrist with his left hand. The old man’s face darkened; circulating true qi through his body, he rammed his elbow straight at Gu Shiyi’s chest.

“Boom!”

A wave of air exploded between the two, sending them both blasting backward. Yet, mid-air, the youth kicked out several times against the shattered fragments of the iron sword.

Turning sideways, the old man struck out a palm, swatting several fragments aside.

“Ahhhhh—”

Xu Wen clutched his bloody thigh and wailed; one fragment had still managed to shoot through, piercing clean through his thigh.

The old man glanced at his palm, where a streak of blood slowly seeped out. Brilliant light flashed in his cloudy eyes, and cold sweat faintly broke out on his forehead.

External projection of true qi? How is that possible!

“Grandpa Yang, watch out!”

Lu Jianjia suddenly screamed. The old man looked up, only to find the youth’s fist already right in front of his face!

Even though the old man had roamed the jianghu for many years, he couldn’t help but be thoroughly astounded.

Where did this crazy kid come from?

He didn’t say a word, his moves falling like a tempest, giving no opening to breathe at all—he was practically like a terrifying veteran who had walked the jianghu for decades.

The old man sank his qi into his dantian and crossed his arms, preparing to take the youth’s blow.

Yet the youth stomped heavily on the ground, suddenly shifting direction and grabbing hold of Lu Jianjia’s fair, slender neck.

Lu Jianjia’s face turned deathly pale, unable to utter a single word.

The old man’s expression darkened, a wave of qi erupting from his body. “Kid, you had better release the young lady! Otherwise, I’ll ensure you die without a grave!”

“Neighhh~~~”

A tremendous horse neigh echoed deafeningly, drowning out the old man’s voice. Nine fine steeds, over two zhang tall and burning with flames all over, stood in the sky.

At the head were two fierce horses, one black and one white, carrying two men on their backs.

One was dressed in white robes, holding a long fan, with handsome features and an arrogant demeanor.

The other wore a golden robe, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a beard and hair as stiff as halberds; he sat cross-legged on horseback with a broad smile on his face.

The noisy scene instantly quieted down, with not a single person making a sound.

Even those martial artists who usually looked down on everyone else became terrifyingly silent.

Many people’s gazes secretly fell upon that golden-robed man.

Perhaps common folk wouldn’t recognize him, but every martial artist in the jianghu knew who he was.

He was the second son of General Yun Zhao, the commander of the entire Hell-Suppressing Army, and the malevolent star who had once slaughtered every martial artist and drifter in Liusu City—Prison Suppressing General Yun Zhenbian.

Gu Shiyi hid behind Lu Jianjia, gripping her neck, and stayed silent as well.

For ever since that flash of fiery light appeared, the golden-robed man’s gaze had been fixed on this young girl!

“Jianjia? What are you doing here, and why have you let yourself get captured?”

He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and his laugh was exceptionally hearty and warm, much like an older brother next door, making people unconsciously feel a sense of security.

Lu Jianjia opened her mouth, unable to speak. Yun Zhenbian waved his large hand and said to Gu Shiyi, “Loosen your grip a bit, or you’ll choke her to death in a moment.”

He spoke very casually, as if discussing things with his own brother.

Gu Shiyi frowned and hesitated briefly before actually easing his grip.

Lu Jianjia coughed violently and tried to break free, but Gu Shiyi held her wrist tightly in a firm grip.

The area fell deathly quiet. Seeing the black dragon golden banner on the ground, many martial artists turned pale, quietly stepping back to leave.

“No one is allowed to leave!”

The white-robed man suddenly spoke up. His voice resounded like thunder, shaking the four directions, causing those martial artists who wanted to retreat to halt their footsteps with unsightly expressions.

If the Hell-Suppressing Army did not allow them to leave, who would dare to move?

The white-robed man who spoke surveyed his surroundings, and upon spotting Song Xuan’s corpse on the carriage, he furrowed his brows.

“Which one is Xu Wen?”