“Setting other things aside, the Blood Saber Hall suffered heavy casualties because of this.
“As the Second Hall Master just said, the Qiuci Posthouse was littered with traces of Celestial Thunder Pearl explosions. That much is true.
“Xuanyuan One Slash was so furious he nearly marched on the Thunderbolt Hall himself.
“In the end, I was the one who talked him down. I told him that the people of the Thunderbolt Hall are righteous and dedicated to justice. How could they resort to such underhanded tactics?
“But who would have thought that after we killed all of them and unmasked their leader… it turned out to be none other than the generous and heroic Chi Lin, the Third Hall Master, a man who would draw his sword to right any injustice!
“This… this is simply bizarre!”
With a snort, Yan Wushuang couldn’t stand Jiang Ran’s deadpan expression any longer and actually laughed out loud in front of everyone.
Jiang Ran couldn’t help but glance at her. ‘What’s this woman laughing about?’
After he finished speaking, the people present were roughly divided into three groups.
One group was completely bewildered, counting on their fingers as they tried to sort out the cause and effect of it all.
Another group understood the gist of it, but there were still some details they couldn’t figure out.
Of course, the truly clever ones had already completely figured out the Thunderbolt Hall’s plan.
Judging by the two critical moments the Thunderbolt Hall appeared, both were during Jiang Ran’s life-or-death battles.
Once could be a coincidence, but twice was impossible.
Therefore, the Death Building was perhaps really hired by the Thunderbolt Hall, precisely to get someone else to do their dirty work.
But they hadn’t expected Greed Poison to die at Jiang Ran’s hands, and the Thunderbolt Hall wasn’t confident they could take Jiang Ran down themselves.
Then, hearing that Jiang Ran had killed Chen Zixuan, they thought the Blood Saber Hall could be of use.
This led to the incident at the Qiuci Posthouse, where they ended up getting killed on the spot… They really had no one to blame but themselves.
Dong Huai Sect’s face was now as black as the bottom of a pot, and he roared in fury,
“How outrageous! Things have come to this, you’ve killed my third brother, and now you’re making these wild accusations…”
“To be honest, I never make wild accusations.
“The witnesses to this event, besides myself, included the Great Master of the Ink Pavilion; Scholar Jingtan of the Elegant Heart Cottage; Miss Ruan Yuqing, the Gentle Water Sword of the Shuiyue Sword Sect; Miss Ning Jiuyuan of Qifeng Manor; Miss Gu Shengyan, the Nianhua Sword of the Rain Listening Tower… and the nameless scholar Dao Wuming, among other esteemed members of the martial world.
“And, of course, the Hall Master of the Blood Saber Hall, Xuanyuan One Slash!
“Frankly, Second Hall Master, for you to come here today demanding accountability is truly commendable courage.
“Your Thunderbolt Hall tried to kill so many of us, offending this many sects and powers in one fell swoop.
“It’s one thing for us not to come looking for trouble with you, but you actually dare to deliver yourself to our doorstep?
“Dong Huai Sect… do you have a death wish?”
Jiang Ran’s eyes narrowed slightly, his killing intent palpable.
Dong Huai Sect understood then that the situation was lost. He let out a furious roar.
“No matter what you say, you will not escape death today!!”
As he spoke, his figure blurred. With sleeves that seemed to hold the wind and thunder, he took a single step, moving like a bolt of lightning, and appeared before Jiang Ran, striking out with his palm.
At the same time, another figure suddenly appeared before the rock wall.
He reached out to grab the Jiaowei!
This person’s Body Technique was incredibly fast, no slower than Dong Huai Sect’s.
He was using the Thunderbolt Hall’s unique Lightweight Technique, the [Lightning Step]. Most people either wouldn’t expect them to act so recklessly—resorting to violence when they couldn’t win an argument—or they would be on guard but unable to keep up at the critical moment.
Just as the man was about to snatch the Jiaowei into his grasp,
a flash of saber light descended from the sky.
The light was magnificent and heavy, as if a single slash could cleave the very heavens, its weight almost impossible to describe in words!
Seeing this, how could the man dare to keep trying to take the Jiaowei?
He looked up, crossed his arms to block, and his robes billowed out with a WHOSH, faint arcs of electricity seeming to dance around his body.
The saber qi and Gang Qi collided in an instant, creating an earth-shattering BOOM.
An old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in blood-red robes and wielding the Qianjun Saber, could be seen pressing down from above, forcing the man in black all the way to the base of the cliff.
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous crash, the man in black landed on his feet, blood instantly trickling from the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t dead, but he gritted his teeth and stared at the man above him.
“Xuanyuan… One Slash!!”
“Gu Renlong, you really know how to play games!!”
Xuanyuan One Slash roared with laughter. “How’s the taste of my Qianjun Saber? Damn it all! Chi Lin nearly got me killed at the Qiuci Posthouse, and you still dare to show up here today? Do you really think my Blood Saber Hall is a pushover?”
As he spoke, he spun the Qianjun Saber in his hand, and its brilliant light swept out horizontally.
Gu Renlong’s body was instantly sent flying by the saber’s light.
But his martial skill was profound. While still in mid-air, he activated his Thunderbolt Skill to adjust his posture.
But when he turned his head, he saw Blood Saber Hall disciples, who had appeared from nowhere, surrounding and slaughtering the disciples of his Thunderbolt Hall, overwhelming them with sheer numbers.
“Where did these people come from?”
Gu Renlong was stunned.
Then he suddenly heard a voice from the other side:
“So you are Hall Master Gu… The great Hall Master of the Thunderbolt Hall, hiding amongst his own subordinates.
“A pity. Your ‘good’ second brother was just spouting nonsense with no filter, and you didn’t even try to stop him?”
Gu Renlong froze. The voice was clearly Jiang Ran’s.
But just a moment ago, he and Dong Huai Sect had split up—one to hold back Jiang Ran, the other to snatch the Jiaowei.
How could Jiang Ran still be speaking so leisurely?
At that thought, he whipped his head around.
He saw Jiang Ran still standing on the giant rock, calm and unhurried, but now he was holding a person in his hand… The person’s eyes were shut tight, and it was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive. It was Dong Huai Sect!
“Second Brother!?”
Gu Renlong cried out in alarm, “What happened to my second brother?”
“He’s dead.”
Jiang Ran smiled. “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”
As his voice fell, with a flick of his hand, he brutally threw Dong Huai Sect’s body over.