Chapter 1 An Outburst

At odds with a word, Zhao Qiandu's heart surged with rage. Three months of accumulated anger finally exploded.

Step,

Bow,

Draw the blade.

The 'weeping' of the air currents sounded like the wails of ghosts.

Snow-white blade light stirred up a bone-chilling cold, like mercury cascading across the floor, aimed in a direct slash.

As he had done to all those he had slain before, he would cleave the man before him in two!

This blade strike was different from the probing one before; the dense killing intent upon it was almost tangible, reflecting the will of its master.

If you won't talk, I'll beat you until you do!

"Old dog..."

Reflected in the cold blade light, An Qisheng's face was extremely cold, and killing intent rose in his heart.

He had long known that the martial artists of this world held human life in utter disregard, but to brazenly attack an old man who was very likely seriously injured based on a mere suspicion showed just how arrogant and fierce he was on ordinary days.

From this, it could be inferred that the so-called Twelve Linked Strongholds behind him were definitely not good people.

Boom!

The instant the blade light erupted, An Qisheng stomped down hard!

With a single stomp, his strength erupted wildly.

Like an old elephant drinking water by the river, a long stampede and roar shook the yard, as if thunder had resounded!

Boom!

The bluestone floor in front of the house shattered, and the flying gravel scattered like hidden weapons.

"Hmm?"

The moment the floor shattered, Zhao Qiandu staggered, feeling a strange force spreading from the trembling earth toward him.

Caught off guard, his blade light faltered slightly.

Just then, a loud noise echoed through the air.

Twang!

An Qisheng slightly raised an arm, the large tendons all over his body tightened, like a powerful bow drawn to its limit, and his body exploded out like an arrow.

His fist was like an arrowhead, like a bullet, like a cannonball, probing into a fleeting gap.

Tear~

Brushing past the edge of the blade, An Qisheng's entire sleeve was torn to shreds and flew away.

But his fist tore through the airflow and gale, heavily striking towards Zhao Qiandu's brow!

The gale howled, and the air currents screamed.

Zhao Qiandu's eyelids twitched wildly, not doubting that this fist could splatter his brains.

His blade only needed to slash horizontally, and it would definitely be able to cut this old ghost in two first, but he was also very likely to be punched in the brow.

To die together with an old geezer with one foot in the grave?

The thought flashed through his mind.

As his inner force surged, Zhao Qiandu retreated rapidly, avoiding the direct punch.

At the same time, his withdrawn blade thrust forward, like a sword, aiming straight for An Qisheng's throat.

But one gains momentum with the first strike, weakens with the second, and exhausts with the third.

This second thrust was far less swift and fierce than the first.

"Heh!"

An Qisheng's eyes were clear, and his heart was like a bright mirror.

Facing the thrusting blade, he merely turned his body, and the snow-white blade light grazed his face.

His aged profile was reflected on the cold surface of the blade.

And the fist he threw had not changed its angle in the slightest, still straightforward, still as straight as a spear!

Buzz!

In a trance, Zhao Qiandu seemed to see the most terrifying scene in the world, and endless horror instantly filled his mind.

His blade light instantly became scattered.

And his body paused, with no chance to dodge.

"I..."

He wanted to say something, but the probing fist had already struck his brow.

Bang!

Under the immense impact, Zhao Qiandu's feet left the ground, rising more than ten feet high, red and white splattering.

His cold features were instantly beaten into something resembling kneaded dumpling dough.

"Thump"

In the flying snow, Zhao Qiandu's corpse landed heavily, and scalding blood stained the ground red.

At this point, his body was still twitching.

An Qisheng slowly retracted his fist, his expression calm.

Since the Dao One Diagram had been activated, his mental strength had soared again, and his fist now had a mind and spirit.

In other words, it was the spirit of the fist that Wang Zhixuan had once mentioned.

A casual punch already contained his entire spirit.

"This madman..."

An Qisheng showed no joy on his face after punching Zhao Qiandu to death.

Zhao Qiandu had said that he came from the Twelve Linked Strongholds.

As far as he knew, the Twelve Linked Strongholds was a large, powerful force in the bitter, cold far north of Da Feng, bordering the Golden Wolf Country, with many experts.

To provoke such a force for no reason, even if that force was thousands of miles away, was not a happy thing.

But Zhao Qiandu acted arrogantly and fiercely, and even if he had let him go, he might not have been able to turn an enemy into a friend.

If he let him go this time, he would probably come back as an enemy next time.

On the contrary, it was better to kill him now, at least to feel more at peace.

It was just a pity that his strength was insufficient, otherwise, he would have traveled thousands of miles now to uproot the Twelve Linked Strongholds.

The thought flashed through his mind. Since he had already killed him, he had no regrets.

It was nothing more than meeting soldiers with generals and water with earth.

Bending down, he first picked up Zhao Qiandu's long saber. With a slight shake, the cold light on the blade spread like ripples.

With a light flick, the buzzing sound was loud and lasted for a long time.

"A good saber. This saber is probably more valuable than all the sabers in the weapons shop combined."

An Qisheng's eyes lit up slightly. He was most proficient in Bajiquan, and in the Bajimen, the spear and the saber were both absolute trump cards. His saber skills were not much worse than his spear skills.

As soon as he held it, he knew that this saber was truly a good blade that could be considered a weapon of war.

Unfortunately, he couldn't take this saber.

"Master, you, you killed someone again..."

In the house, Zhang Hao Hao pressed down his little sister's head and peeked out.

Having seen the seven or eight extremely miserable corpses last time, he wasn't so afraid this time.

"Go back into the house!"

As An Qisheng spoke, his hands didn't stop, and he almost stripped Zhao Qiandu clean.

As expected of a disciple of a large sect, Zhao Qiandu's wealth was far beyond that of ordinary people. He didn't have any fifty tael notes, but he had six hundred-tael notes.

Several pieces of broken silver, a bag of gold leaves, a piece of high-quality jade pendant, a mutton-fat white jade thumb ring, three bottles of unknown pills, and finally, a secret manual.

"Twelve Linked Saber Manual..."

An Qisheng glanced at it and stuffed everything into his arms.

After thinking for a while, he raised his foot again and stomped on Zhao Qiandu's head, spitting out his strength again.

Ensuring that even a celestial being couldn't save him.

"Master..."

Turning his head, the two little ones carrying large and small packages had already run into the yard.

"Why did you come out?"

An Qisheng frowned.

"Master, let's run away! Nanliang City is too dangerous. It hasn't been long, but so many people have come to kill us."

Jiang Tingting looked pitiful.

The death of so many people last time had scared her.

"Yes, yes."

Zhang Hao Hao nodded repeatedly, looking at An Qisheng's bulging Taoist robe with great concern:

"This person is so rich, isn't he also a bandit? If he's not a bandit, we'll be arrested..."

"Alright, take the things back. Who said we were going to run away?"

An Qisheng said faintly:

"Have you forgotten? I am seriously injured. The constables of the Six Doors can testify. This person couldn't have been killed by me..."

Don't look at how quickly Zhao Qiandu died, but this person had already stepped into the realm of inner refinement. His inner strength might not be as profound as that of the previous Wang Quan Daoist, but with a saber in hand, his combat power would exceed it.

Could a sick man like him have killed him?

"Ah?"

The two little ones were dumbfounded, looking at their master as if they were looking at a monster.

Could it be like this?

"Cough cough."

An Qisheng coughed lightly, and his body suddenly became hunched over.

The two little ones widened their eyes, watching as the rosy color on their master's face disappeared and became sallow and gray, and his bright eyes became dull and turbid.

His already tight skin suddenly became loose again.

In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a dying old man.

If a great boxer above Xuan Xing Transformation Strength saw it, they would know that this was a method of storing vitality in Neijiaquan. Once activated, the heartbeat, pulse, and even the peristalsis of the internal organs would plummet.

Although this method was not perfect, it was definitely not something that ordinary people could see through.

At least, it was absolutely impossible for anyone in Nanliang County to see through his disguise.

Even if Tie Shan used his inner force to investigate again, he could only see that his injuries had improved, but he couldn't possibly have the strength to kill someone with inner refinement.

This plan had been determined the moment he had the intention to kill.

"Go, go report the crime..."

An Qisheng pointed weakly at Zhang Hao Hao.

"Oh... oh..."

Zhang Hao Hao was a little confused. It wasn't until An Qisheng said it again that he reacted and ran out in a daze.

"Tingting."

An Qisheng thought for a while and took out all the things in his arms:

"Go, wrap these things up and find a safe place to bury them..."

"Master, you look so scary."

Jiang Tingting hugged An Qisheng's leg, tears falling:

"You're like you were before... Wuwu..."

"Don't cry, Tingting."

An Qisheng gently smiled as he touched his disciple's head with a large hand whose skin had loosened due to the convergence of all his qi and blood:

"Master is pretending. It's not like I've really become like this. Don't be afraid."

"Hmm... Hmm..."

Jiang Tingting cried for a while before picking up a bag of gold and silver and running to the backyard.

"It's a pity about this saber..."

An Qisheng said regretfully, but his expression didn't change. He pressed the blade with one arm, and with a burst of strength, he suddenly broke this weapon-grade saber.

Heaven helped him.

Not long after Zhang Hao Hao ran to report the crime, snowflakes began to fall again, dotting the city with white and landing in the courtyards of every household.

By the time the yamen runners and constables of Nanliang City arrived, Zhao Qiandu's stiff corpse had already been covered with a thin layer of snow.

The constable who walked in, led by Zhang Hao Hao, took one look at the ruined courtyard and the hunched-over An Qisheng, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Daoist priest, why is it you again?"

"Cough cough"

An Qisheng coughed lightly and was about to speak when a tall figure pushed through the crowd and walked in.

Tie Shan glanced at the corpse, his gaze lingered on the broken saber for a moment, and he looked straight at An Qisheng:

"Daoist priest, how did this person die?"