Urban Martial Saint

Learning that Old Wang Ba and his party did not stay in Shenchuan City, Ye Qing felt slightly at ease. Although there aren’t many top-level masters there, with Old Wang Ba accompanying them, Ye Qing wasn’t worried they would be in any danger. Even though Old Wang Ba was shameless, his divination skills were extremely strong. For the Wanyan family to catch him would undoubtedly be difficult.

He gave Old Wang Ba some warnings and told him to beware of the Wanyan family’s people, and in passing, informed him to take the Yelu family members and hide near the Capital first. Ye Qing would hurry to join them as soon as possible.

Although Ye Qing didn’t know how to deal with the Long-toothed Rat Swarm, he knew how to deal with the Minghong Knife’s scabbard, that method being the Xuan Yuan Sword. After all, in the ranked list of famed instruments under heaven, the Xuan Yuan Sword was the true number one instrument. The Minghong Knife, even though made of the same materials, could only rank second. Therefore, to deal with the Minghong Knife’s scabbard, the best method was finding the Xuan Yuan Sword.

In seeking the Xuan Yuan Sword, Ye Qing indeed had some clues, namely the Yelu family. The Yelu family had leads on the Xuan Yuan Sword. In fact, Ye Qing had long wanted to find the Xuan Yuan Sword, but because of unresolved issues with the Yelu family, he hadn’t been able to act. But since Yelu Ying suddenly recognized him as a brother, their relationship was thoroughly resolved, no longer as awkward as before, he could now pursue the Xuan Yuan Sword.

Especially in current times, with the Wanyan family in control of the Minghong Knife alongside Unity of Heaven and Man masters, they couldn’t compete at all. In such a situation, Ye Qing was all the more determined to find the Xuan Yuan Sword.

After notifying Old Wang Ba, Ye Qing contacted Lin Tianyou, instructing him to lead the Lin family out of Shenchuan City. This too was unavoidable, since Lin Tianyou, a disciple of Divine Doctor An Shiping, now counted as a peak master, considered part of the martial arts world. At this moment, the Wanyan family didn’t have any scruples, given Lin Tianyou’s relationship with Ye Qing, they would undoubtedly come after him. Staying in Shenchuan City would be extremely dangerous; leaving quickly was better.

After closely informing these individuals, Ye Qing and his team boarded the car. The Sword Saint Sect had branches all over the country, including Tianzhao City. Prior arrangements were made with the Sword Saint Sect, and they headed straight by car to Wan Yan Manor.

Sitting in the vehicle, Ye Qing made several more calls, contacting Huangfu Ziyu, his parents, and friends to ensure their safety. Lastly, he attempted to call Wen’er to inquire about their situation. However, the call couldn’t be connected, which puzzled Ye Qing, making him wonder what had befallen them.

Since the last major conflict in Shenchuan City, Wen’er and her mother disappeared together. They hadn’t been captured by the Wanyan family, but there was no way for Ye Qing to contact them. Critically, they still possessed two Heavenly Cluster Clouds. These were extremely crucial, and losing them could lead to unforeseeable future calamities. Additionally, with the Koga-ryu on the move, if they knew of the Heavenly Cluster Clouds in Wen’er and her mother’s possession, they’d surely try to seize them, rendering Wen’er and her mother unsafe.

The inability to reach them left Ye Qing increasingly worried, unsure of their present situation. Could it be they were already in danger?

As dusk approached, Ye Qing and his team arrived at Wan Yan Manor. Having visited several times, Ye Qing was familiar with the grounds. Currently, Wan Yan Manor was much more fortified than during his previous visits. However, such guards were negligible to Ye Qing’s current company. Without even considering, the over one hundred peak masters at Ye Qing’s side could easily take apart the entire Wan Yan Manor, not to mention the Unity of Heaven and Man masters amongst them.

Upon reaching outside the Manor, those from the World Alliance, the Sword Saint Sect, and the Seven Steering Committees of Hong Alliance and Twelve Green Halls, all wore expressions of excitement. They had been previously hunted by the Wanyan family, and now seizing the opportunity to retaliate was something they surely wouldn’t miss.

Understanding the sentiments of everyone present, Ye Qing abstained from speaking, directly gesturing for them to launch the attack.

Wan Yan Manor was laden with traps, but Ye Qing had tested them previously and knew their conditions. They might pose a threat to top-level masters, but they held no effect on peak masters. Adding to that the presence of Unity of Heaven and Man masters, it was hardly a contest.

The first to rush into the Wanyan family’s territory was a peak master from the Sword Saint Sect, bravely charging through the front gate. Though four guards stood at the entryway attempting to block him, the master said nothing, stoically progressing, scattering them with sheer bodily force.

All four guards were flung against the door, shattering it and exposing the interior of the Manor.

Within the Manor, a unit of guards was passing when they heard unexpected noises outside. Startled, they turned to see many people standing at the doors. Clearly shocked, they couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Meanwhile, the intruders stormed in like a pack of wolves.

The guards, lacking in strength, were no match against the peak masters, unable to put up any resistance. Yet, these peak masters held their status with regard, and although they struck the guards, they refrained from fatal blows.

Sweeping through the Manor encountered no obstacles as they obliterated everything in their path. Within the Manor resided three peak masters; however, as they emerged, they were quickly defeated, unable to discern their assailants. It was understandable given the assaulters were peak masters themselves, alongside Unity of Heaven and Man’s masters overseeing, rendering it an unwinnable conflict.

It took less than half an hour for them to sweep through all of Wan Yan Manor. Of the three peak masters, two were killed, one was gravely injured and captured. The rest were far weaker; the peak masters, dignified, injured them but spared their lives.

Despite the overwhelming dominating performance, the event left little to raise spirits. The lack of formidable opposition in Wan Yan Manor diminished the sense of vengeful satisfaction, despite the sweep.

Ye Qing understood the collective sentiment, yet said nothing. It wasn’t for lack of desire to confront the Wanyan family; rather, they lacked the power to seek retribution now. At best, they could retrieve some interest momentarily.

Entrusting Helian Tiehua with cleaning up the battlefield, Ye Qing took a small group to the building behind the Wanyan family, wherein ancestral corpses were entombed. Previously, from this building, Ye Qing obtained the key made of Dragon Blood Wood and unveiled the Gold Silk Armor within. While it used to be a heavily guarded focus, currently it had few defenses, indicating the contents were no longer valuable.

Indeed, upon entering the building, Ye Qing found it empty. The coffins once housed there were already removed, leaving nothing. Clearly, the Wanyan family lacked strong defenses over the Manor due to absence of valuables. Even if Ye Qing and company razed the entire Manor, it wouldn’t impact the Wanyan family much; the area had become irrelevant.

After exploring the small building and finding nothing of significance, Ye Qing led his team out. Others scoured the Manor entirely; barring a few captives locked in the dungeon, there was nothing of note. Those held captive were inconsequential, imprisoned merely for offending the Wanyan family.

With Wan Yan Manor devoid of results, Ye Qing and group didn’t linger. They seized the gravely injured peak master, expelled all Wanyan family members from Wan Yan Manor, then set it ablaze. Even without discovering anything crucial, burning the site ensured that any hidden treasures perished in the flames and became unusable for the Wanyan family.

At dawn the next day, departing Wan Yan Manor, they headed straight to the Capital. Ye Qing had prearranged to meet Old Wang Ba in the Capital, intent on retrieving the Xuan Yuan Sword for leverage in future confrontations with the Wanyan family.

Simultaneously, Wanyan family members were emerging from the Sword Saint Sect. Wanyan Hongfeng and his team spent over two hours attempting to open the Immovable Bodhisattva Seal within the Sword Saint Sect’s passage, ultimately giving up and retracing their route back into the Sect.

With the Sword Saint Sect people fled, the Wanyan members ceased pursuit, opting to search the Sword Saint Sect thoroughly instead.

Their campaign at the Sword Saint Sect was unequivocally a failure. Wanyan Hongfeng initially planned to unearth the secrets of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates and recruit the Sword Saint Sect to their service.

Instead, no secrets were unraveled, the Sword Saint Sect members fled, and they suffered personnel losses, a far cry from their goals. With objectives unachieved, they ensured to extract any valuables from the Sword Saint Sect before departing.