Urban Martial Saint

After repelling the man, the Great Lord didn’t hesitate at all and headed straight for the cargo truck ahead. Now, nothing else mattered—the most crucial thing was securing the Golden Silk Armor. For the Great Lord, it was a life-saving treasure. If someone else seized it, he would be doomed. So, he didn’t even bother to find out who that man was.

However, the ambushers weren’t limited to just that man. As the Great Lord barely advanced a few steps, several massive boulders rolled down from the mountain top, aimed directly at him.

Since his own vehicle had already been taken away by the cargo truck, the Great Lord wasn’t concerned about the lives of the people inside, nor did he care about the massive boulders. He easily dodged them and was about to continue his pursuit when suddenly, a black shadow jumped out from behind a boulder, flashing three cold lights with both hands, coming straight for the Great Lord’s eyes and heart.

The Great Lord couldn’t care less about those three cold flashes, as he was known for his speed. Upon seeing them approaching, he casually deflected them all. However, although he managed to deflect the three flashes, his movements slowed slightly, and the black shadow caught up with him, delivering three consecutive kicks aimed at three vital points on the Great Lord’s body.

The Great Lord frowned; this black shadow was no weaker than the previous man—it was another peak master. Dealing with two peak masters at once was not easy. Meanwhile, the cargo truck had already disappeared in the distance. Continuing to waste time here would mean the Golden Silk Armor and the hostages inside the truck might be snatched away.

Thus, the Great Lord dared not hesitate. He countered the black shadow’s three kicks with both hands while letting out a roar, as a cloud of black energy surrounded him.

”It’s that move again!” Hidden in the distance, the Executioner Scholar was the first to frown because he recognized the move. The Great Lord had used it when fighting them earlier. This was said to be the Great Lord’s finishing move, called the Wrath of Dracula—a forbidden move. This skill could dramatically enhance the Great Lord’s strength for a short time, but it came with a significant drawback: after this period, his strength would temporarily weaken. In fact, the greater the power boost, the more severe the subsequent weakening. Like last time, outside the Demon Hideout Cave, the Great Lord had heightened his strength to an extreme level, forcing back more than a dozen peak masters, including Nalan Jingwei and the Executioner Scholar. In the following period, the Great Lord’s strength was nearly exhausted, to the point where he had to be carried—showing how severe the side effects of this move were.

Nalan Jingwei’s face shifted slightly; having fought alongside the Great Lord several times and fought against Fu Qingping’s three swords afterward, he knew the Great Lord’s strength very well. Seeing this move, he realized the Great Lord intended to go all out.

”Now’s our chance.” Nalan Jingwei quietly nudged the Executioner Scholar, pointing in the direction the cargo truck had gone, signaling for him to pursue it.

The Executioner Scholar glanced at the Great Lord enveloped in black energy, feeling somewhat unwilling. He knew that after using this move, the Great Lord’s strength would weaken temporarily. In such a situation, if he and Nalan Jingwei struck together, they could certainly seize the chance to kill the Great Lord. However, not only did Nalan Jingwei not plan to ambush the Great Lord, but he also wanted to take him along to chase the cargo truck. Wasn’t this a wasted opportunity?

”Why not kill him now?” the Executioner Scholar asked in a low voice.

”Why kill him?” Nalan Jingwei replied quietly, ”What’s more important, killing him or the Golden Silk Armor? With him, those two people can be held back. If we kill him, it becomes us against those two. Even if we can defeat them, it would still be a waste of time.”

The Executioner Scholar understood Nalan Jingwei’s reasoning completely. What drove him to want the Great Lord dead was mainly revenge for injuring their group of four previously. As Fu Qingping had mentioned to Ye Qing, the Executioner Scholar was notoriously vengeful and never forgot a slight. Given the chance, he’d think of revenge first before the Golden Silk Armor, reflecting his nature.

But although he desperately wanted to kill the Great Lord, under his cooperation with Nalan Jingwei, he had to put the overall situation first. As Nalan Jingwei said, the Golden Silk Armor was the most important. While the two were holding the Great Lord there, grabbing the Golden Silk Armor was the priority. Otherwise, regardless of whether the Great Lord or the other two won, snatching the Golden Silk Armor would be no easy feat.

With reluctance in his heart, the Executioner Scholar followed Nalan Jingwei, emerging from behind the mountain to pursue the cargo truck. Taking the mountain path was indeed a shortcut. Plus, both went at full speed, quickly catching up to the truck after bypassing two peaks.

”Now!” Nalan Jingwei called out to the Executioner Scholar, lunging forward. As he was about to land on the roof of the truck, he drew a soft sword from his person and struck at the truck mid-air.

Though the Executioner Scholar had fought Nalan Jingwei multiple times, he’d never seen him use a weapon, assuming he never did. Little did anyone know, Nalan Jingwei carried a soft sword with him. Undoubtedly, a soft sword carried by him had to be a famed instrument, certainly not an ordinary one.

Nalan Jingwei’s strength was formidable. As his sword came down, its aura extended two meters ahead, about to slash the side of the truck. At that moment, a long blade suddenly emerged from the truck, just in time to block Nalan Jingwei’s sword aura, stopping his strike. Simultaneously, a crack appeared on the roof as a large man burst out, slashing at Nalan Jingwei with his blade.

Nalan Jingwei seemed to anticipate someone inside the truck and was prepared. He countered with several quick sword thrusts, engaging the man on the truck roof. This man’s skill was quite strong; trading blows with Nalan Jingwei without losing ground indicated he was also a peak master.

However strong this man might be, Nalan Jingwei wasn’t alone. As the man clashed with Nalan Jingwei, the Executioner Scholar dove directly through the crack in the truck’s roof, seemingly intent on grabbing whatever was inside.

Seeing another peak master appear, the man was visibly anxious, letting out a roar as he fiercely swung at Nalan Jingwei. The strike was powerful, clearly meant to force Nalan Jingwei back and then stop the Executioner Scholar. But Nalan Jingwei was no weakling and had discerned his intent, refusing to let him succeed. Therefore, Nalan Jingwei resisted the strike, and their blades clashed, both refusing to yield an inch.

The man roared in fury, unable to push Nalan Jingwei away, let alone stop the Executioner Scholar behind. While Nalan Jingwei was strong, so was the man. Battling toe-to-toe, quickly defeating him wasn’t possible, so Nalan Jingwei focused on restraining him to give the Executioner Scholar the chance to snatch the Golden Silk Armor and hostages from the truck.

Inside, the Executioner Scholar heard the sounds of fighting from within, followed by two cries of pain. Apparently, some people had been hiding inside, but the Executioner Scholar dealt with them promptly, proving they weren’t strong contenders.

Hearing screams from the truck enraged the man atop the truck. Combatting Nalan Jingwei with all fury, he shouted, ”Executioner Scholar, do you know who I am to dare kill my people?”

Nalan Jingwei narrowed his eyes. Though the man was incredibly skilled and also a peak master, Nalan Jingwei didn’t recognize him. Being among the Five Unmatches of the World, he was a veteran, just a generation younger than the Executioner Scholar. He knew most people of the past era, yet this man was utterly unfamiliar. How could there be an unacknowledged peak master?

Inside, the Executioner Scholar, visibly surprised, asked gravely, ”Who are you?”

”Hahaha...” The man sneered, ”Seems we’ve been hidden away too long, for these juniors can’t even recognize us. But Executioner Scholar, surely you haven’t forgotten where you learned your martial arts!”

Startled by these words, the Executioner Scholar jumped out of the truck, glaring intently at the man, shock lining his face as if seeing something unbelievable. After a moment’s recovery, he inhaled deeply and said in a firm voice, ”Never would I have thought that the Sword Saint Sect would enter Jianghu. It seems even the Tomb of Ghost Valley Master has become a significant lure, drawing out even the Sword Saint Successors!”

”Sword Saint Sect?” Nalan Jingwei’s expression changed. He had heard of those three words, but that was long ago.