Chapter Sixty-Three: Fierce Battle (Please Add to Favorites)

The bright moon hung high in the sky, its light spilling across the land and lending a touch of illumination to the pitch-black city. Yet, at this moment, in a corner of the eastern district, flames soared heavenward, banishing much of the darkness—the site of the Mu Family Manor.

Within the manor, chaos reigned. People fled in all directions, desperate to escape the turmoil, but outside, a vast crowd had sealed off the entire estate, permitting no one to leave. Among those outside were constables from the magistrate’s office, garrison soldiers of Yuyang City, and disciples from various martial families and sects. They encircled the manor, and no matter how fiercely the Mu Family members tried to break through, they could not escape.

Inside the manor, several figures clashed intensely, weaving through each other as blades and swords flashed, occasionally sending bursts of force crashing into the surroundings, leaving indelible marks. This battle was beyond the reach of ordinary people; anyone with less than peak Qi Channeling skill would be gravely injured in an instant. Sometimes, a Mu clansman would be struck by stray energy, their body pierced through and killed outright.

When Yang Ze arrived at a gallop, he was stunned by the scene—so many people blocked the way that a quick glance suggested thousands had gathered. Dismounting and surveying the crowd, Yang Ze leapt forward, his movement skills at their finest, quickly reaching the outer perimeter of the Mu Manor.

His sudden appearance stirred the crowd, many eyes fixed upon him. Some were about to seize this stranger, but a few recognized Yang Ze and cried out.

“That’s the second son of the Yang family, Yang Ze!”

“Yang Ze, chief steward of the Tongyang Alliance! The heads of the Feng and Fan families—Feng Lixuan and Fan Yongnian—rumor has it that he killed them!”

Voices rose in succession, recounting Yang Ze’s deeds. The crowd was awed, and no one dared approach him.

Yang Ze glanced back, scanning the people behind. He spotted several familiar faces, including a few elders of the Yang family. He lingered especially on Yang Hongyi, causing the latter to feel uneasy, a strange emotion stirring within him.

Yang Ze only looked briefly before turning his attention to the manor itself. Even from outside, he could hear the sounds of battle and see the flames leaping skyward.

There was not a single peak Qi Channeling martial artist outside; the strongest were merely high-level Qi Channelers. Yang Ze surmised that those at the pinnacle had already entered the manor, for this was the greatest battle Yuyang City had seen in decades, and none would miss such an opportunity.

Yang Ze vaulted over the tall wall, entering the manor. As soon as he landed, several people surged toward him, but he moved swiftly, dodging with practiced skill.

Within the Mu Manor, Ouyang Xin stood with a grave expression, facing two black-clad figures—one fighting bare-handed, the other wielding a great blade. The three fought fiercely, moving from place to place, their bursts of true energy demolishing nearby buildings, until they found themselves atop the highest pavilion.

Facing two innate martial artists, Ouyang Xin was undaunted, holding his own against them.

Elsewhere, Xu Wenwu, Yuan Heng, Yang Yuanzhen, and Bai Fei battled a gaunt, elderly man. The old man’s strength was astonishing, able to repel any peak Qi Channeling expert, and, in fact, his power surpassed Yang Yuanzhen and his companions.

“Mu Dou, so all these years you’ve been hiding your strength!” Xu Wenwu exclaimed, only now realizing that Mu Dou had concealed his abilities. He’d known Mu Dou for years and had always believed him to be an ordinary peak Qi Channeler. As the foremost martial artist of Yuyang’s rivers and lakes, Xu Wenwu thought capturing Mu Dou would be easy, but the reality was far different.

Alone, he was no match for Mu Dou. Even with four of them working together, they could barely suppress him, unable to defeat him.

“Be careful! Mu Dou is half a step into the Innate Realm. His true energy is far stronger than ours, and his martial arts are strange—don’t fall for his tricks!” Yang Yuanzhen called out, launching an energy strike but was knocked back by Mu Dou’s palm, forced to retreat several steps, his face grim.

He hadn’t expected Mu Dou to be a half-step Innate expert, and his true energy held an odd quality. Despite not being much stronger than himself, Yang Yuanzhen’s attacks seemed to have little effect.

As Yang Yuanzhen was interrupted, Bai Fei and Yuan Heng attacked together, preventing Mu Dou from pressing his advantage.

The five clashed fiercely, sand and stones flying. Around them, a dozen peak Qi Channelers held the perimeter, wary of approaching but blocking all escape routes.

Yang Ze arrived and watched from the sidelines, not intervening, though everyone noticed him.

The crowd was surprised to see Yang Ze, especially Yang Yuanzhen, who shouted, “Yang Ze, what are you doing here? Get back at once—this place is no place for you!”

His shout distracted him for a moment, and Mu Dou seized the opportunity, clawing at Yang Yuanzhen’s chest. Yang Yuanzhen dodged, but Mu Dou was too quick. Although he narrowly avoided the blow, his clothes were torn and a red mark appeared on his chest.

Xu Wenwu roared, “Yang Yuanzhen, if you don’t want to die, focus! Or get out—don’t get in the way!”

Yang Yuanzhen’s lapse had nearly allowed Mu Dou to break free. He took a deep breath, recognizing the danger, and concentrated on Mu Dou, resuming their joint assault.

Yang Ze had heard Yang Yuanzhen’s warning, but showed no reaction. This battle was the fiercest he’d witnessed since arriving in this world—the most skilled fighters he’d ever seen. It was like the duels from the martial novels of his previous life.

By comparison, the battles he'd previously experienced seemed childish and crude.

He shifted his gaze to the rooftop of another pavilion, where three Innate martial artists fought to a stalemate. It wouldn’t be long before victory was decided.

One of the black-clad men swung his blade, unleashing a fierce wave of energy that cleaved a corner of the pavilion.

Ouyang Xin sidestepped with deft footwork, easily evading the attack, but the other black-clad man charged, grappling with him anew.

Suddenly, Ouyang Xin’s eyes flashed, and he struck with a lightning-fast punch. The black-clad man could only block with both hands, absorbing the blow but forced back several steps.

As he retreated, the blade-wielding black-clad man shifted his stance, true energy swirling about him, a powerful aura emanating from his body.

Yang Ze recognized the technique—it was the same Wind-Slashing Blade that defeated Yang Yuanzhen and the others that night!

The power of that blade was immense; Yang Ze remembered it vividly and knew even he couldn’t withstand such a strike.

“Wind-Slashing Blade!” the black-clad man shouted, slashing down as terrifying blade energy erupted, making the entire pavilion tremble. Tiles flew as the energy surged toward Ouyang Xin.

Ouyang Xin did not evade. He thrust his right palm forward, unleashing a powerful force that collided with the blade energy.

With a thunderous crash, half the pavilion roof collapsed. Ouyang Xin’s palm shattered all the tiles and dispersed the Wind-Slashing Blade’s energy.

The black-clad man, unable to dodge, was struck directly by the palm, sent flying from the pavilion to the ground below.

All happened in a blink. As the blade-wielder was knocked away, the other black-clad man attacked, flipping in midair and kicking toward Ouyang Xin.

Ouyang Xin’s gaze was frosty; he punched out, meeting the kick head-on.

The pavilion shuddered, teetering.

The black-clad man was driven back, landing on a beam, which promptly snapped beneath him.

The pavilion collapsed entirely, both men losing their balance and falling. Ouyang Xin, reacting swiftly, pushed off with his toes and leapt away.

With a crash, the pavilion smashed to the ground, shaking the earth and sending dust flying.

Ouyang Xin burst from the dust, reaching for the blade-wielding black-clad man lying on the ground.

The man’s eyes filled with panic; he stabbed his blade at Ouyang Xin.

Ouyang Xin pinched the blade between two fingers, snapped it with a twist, and struck the broken blade against the black-clad man’s body.