Urban Martial Saint

All three of the others shared Nalan Jingwei’s thoughts, shocked by Fu Qingping’s formidable strength and his unpredictable sword moves. However, at present, they had no time to dwell on such matters, as Fu Qingping’s sword techniques forced them to desperately evade, for a mere mistake would have them swept by the Qing Mang, which would be lethal.

Fortunately, Fu Qingping’s swordsmanship did not last long. After roughly five minutes of fighting, Fu Qingping suddenly sheathed his sword, and the overwhelming Qing Mang disappeared instantly.

Although Nalan Jingwei and the four others were unclear about what was happening, none hesitated as the Qing Mang dissipated; all four withdrew immediately, fearing to approach Fu Qingping even slightly, not daring to come within the attack range of his Qingping Sword.

On the side, Wolf Monk and Huangfu Ziyu were surprised; they clearly saw that if Fu Qingping continued fighting this way, even if the four would not die, they would be heavily injured. Because, before Fu Qingping, the quartet had no offensive power at all, only capable of dodging and defending. But why did Fu Qingping suddenly sheath his sword?

Nalan Jingwei took a long breath, glanced at Fu Qingping with a somber face, said nothing, then turned and led the three around him away. From this battle, he already understood the gap between them and Fu Qingping; although unclear as to why Fu Qingping’s power had grown so rapidly, they knew well that they were not Fu Qingping’s match. In that moment, if Fu Qingping unleashed Sword Slash the World, at least two of the four would die. Fu Qingping showed mercy by not killing them, so they dared not linger here.

Seeing the four leave, Huangfu Ziyu grew anxious and looked toward Fu Qingping, urging, ”Master, are you just letting them go like that?”

Fu Qingping did not speak, simply caressing the Qingping Sword in his hand slowly, his eyes hollow as he gazed into the distance, as if pondering something unknown. Even as Nalan Jingwei and the four retreated, he hadn’t come to, and no one knew exactly what was happening.

Fu Qingping did not make a move to stop the four, and naturally, Huangfu Ziyu and Wolf Monk couldn’t stop them either. The two stood by, bewildered as they watched Fu Qingping, unsure what was going on with him. After a long time, Fu Qingping finally came to.

”Alas!” Fu Qingping sighed, slowly slung the longsword over his shoulder, and said softly, ”Still lacking a little!”

If Ye Qing were here, he would surely understand what Fu Qingping meant by those words. The ”lacking a little” referred to being just short of breaking through to the Acme realm.

Indeed, during the last event at Huang Family Manor, Fu Qingping saw Ye Qing holding the Buddha’s Relic. Although seen through Ye Qing’s palm, the relic’s power was emanated, which Fu Qingping could feel. As he had previously stated, he heard Ye Qing explain the relic’s power, which was beneficial to him. Witnessing the Buddha’s Relic firsthand expanded his understanding of this realm further. Fu Qingping’s strength was sufficient; it was merely this Acme realm he couldn’t breach. Having witnessed the relic’s power, his realm advanced slightly; although he could not surpass Acme, his abilities rapidly surged within the last ten days, allowing him to confront four people and suppress them steadily.

Of course, Wolf Monk and Huangfu Ziyu were completely unaware of these matters. Fu Qingping didn’t kill the four because he never intended to kill them initially. His arrogant challenge to them was out of his need to breakthrough, to surpass the Acme realm. He was nearly there, almost a paper-thin separation from reaching beyond Acme. Yet penetrating this veil is not easily achieved. Throughout history, numerous outstanding individuals have been impeded by this barrier, unable to breakthrough to the Acme stage.

Fu Qingping was acutely aware of his situation; to transcend the realm, he felt battling in combat was the best method. His challenge to four opponents was to see if they could push him towards a breakthrough. Yet the result was disappointment; collectively, they were insufficient for him. Thus ultimately, he let them go without killing them.

”Master, what did you mean by ’lacking a little’?” Huangfu Ziyu asked curiously from the side.

Fu Qingping glanced at her, shook his head with a faint smile, and said, ”You don’t understand now, but when you’re at this level, you’ll comprehend gradually.”

Huangfu Ziyu slightly pouted and said, ”Master, I’m afraid there’s no hope for me in this lifetime.”

”Hahaha, where there’s a will, there’s a way. You’re still young; why such pessimism?” Fu Qingping laughed loudly, turning his gaze toward the cave, slightly furrowing his brows, spoken deeply, ”We arrived a step too late; Du Canglang has already left with Ye Qing.”

Upon hearing about Ye Qing, Huangfu Ziyu became anxious and quickly asked, ”Where could he take Ye Qing?”

Fu Qingping knitted his brow; he was equally unaware of where Du Canglang would take Ye Qing. Next steps involved similarly gathering traces of Du Canglang to locate him, which wasn’t easy given Du Canglang’s sly nature, making him difficult to find.

”Don’t worry too much.” Fu Qingping comforted Huangfu Ziyu, ”Judging by the situation, Ye Qing hasn’t been restricted during these days here; he’s free to move. I estimate Du Canglang won’t harm him soon, so we still have a chance!”

Huangfu Ziyu sighed, despite Fu Qingping’s reassurances, her heart remained anxious. Due to matters concerning Ye Qing, she had set aside the confrontation between the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and the Twelve Green Halls, devoting herself entirely to seeking Ye Qing. Now not having seen Ye Qing’s whereabouts and furthermore losing track of him, how could she not be worried?

Nonetheless, all of this was outside of Ye Qing’s sight as he was led over two mountains by Du Canglang. Even Du Canglang was unaware that Fu Qingping and three others had followed Nalan Jingwei. Furthermore, he could never imagine that Fu Qingping’s powers had grown so strong. But to avoid pursuit, he had no choice but to lead Ye Qing hurriedly along mountain paths, daring not to pause.

The cave where Du Canglang hid was located centrally within the mountain forest; he led Ye Qing in a different direction, requiring a full day’s run to exit this forest. The location reached was in another city, far from their previous position.

Du Canglang dared not linger here, soon obtaining a vehicle and leaving directly for the North. Ye Qing was unsure where Du Canglang intended to go, still weighing upon what Du Canglang previously mentioned. Du Canglang claimed to have discovered another treasure capable of breaking the Vajra Indestructible Body, but what treasure could that be? Besides the Xuanyuan Sword and Minghong Knife, what else might break the Buddhist Sect’s Vajra Indestructible Body?

After another lengthy journey spanning two days, they arrived at a city named Bailuo in the North. Du Canglang was unfamiliar with the area and took time to inquire locally, ultimately pinpointing the location and bringing Ye Qing to a small town in the northern part of the city called Guimen.

Ye Qing had never heard the name before, and curiosity about the town’s name grew within him; what sort of town would be named like this?

The Guimen Town was quite remote; it took half a day by vehicle before disembarking and traversing several mountains to reach it. Moreover, the town’s population was sparse; it resembled a village more than a town. Additionally, it seemed disconnected from modernity; residents lived in old, run-down homes, doors comprised removable wooden panels. The town had only three shops, selling candles and joss paper, imbuing the town with an eerie atmosphere.

With no shops, accommodation, or dining options available, Du Canglang and Ye Qing lodged in one of the shops, offering the proprietor a substantial sum.

The evening meal was resolved by the shop owner, who prepared some food while cooking for his family. After dinner, Ye Qing finally couldn’t resist asking Du Canglang, ”Why is this town so strange? Guimen Town? How could a town have such a bizarre name?”

Du Canglang looked at Ye Qing, speaking warmly, ”Repeat that name several times, and you’ll discover.”

”What name?” Ye Qing looked at Du Canglang puzzled and asked, ”Guimen Town?”

Du Canglang nodded; Ye Qing remained puzzled but still articulated the name Guimen Town multiple times. The more he recited, the stranger he felt, recalling the three joss paper shops in the town, suddenly inspired, exclaiming, ”Could it be... is Guimen Town really supposed to mean Ghost Gate Town?”

”Exactly!” Du Canglang nodded, walking to the window, gazing toward the mountain forest outside, spoke deeply, ”A hundred years ago, the place was originally called Ghost Gate Town. However, following certain events, the name gradually changed to Guimen Town!”

”Was it truly called Ghost Gate Town?” Ye Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring outside, ”Is that... that’s real? Is there truly such a thing as ghosts?”

”Whether ghosts exist, I don’t know, but this place was named Ghost Gate Town because of the mountain in front.” Du Canglang explained, pointing toward the distant mountain, spoke deeply, ”That mountain is called Mount Du Wang!”

Ye Qing followed Du Canglang’s finger to look outside, witnessing the mountain range stretching out, its extent unknown. The mountains lush and verdant, teeming with forests and greenery. Judging by appearances, the remoteness of these mountains exceeded that of the forest where Du Canglang previously hid. This place could be declared a primeval forest, where wandering into it might take three days and nights to possibly emerge from its midst.