Chapter 282 - 278: Great Battle by Shuanglong Bridge

Chapter 282: Chapter 278: Great Battle by Shuanglong Bridge

"Aunt Qing, are you there? What happened? Aunt Qing! Aunt Qing!"

She called out several times, but there was still no sound from outside the carriage. It was dead silent—a terrifying, eerie quiet.

"Why do I smell blood? *Sob sob*... Aunt Qing, please say something! Don’t scare me!"

As the thick stench of blood drifted into the carriage, Lieu Nuoning began to panic. It was obvious something had happened outside.

Lieu Nuoning was frantic with worry and quickly stood up to lift the carriage curtain.

"Watch out!"

Ye Xing’s expression suddenly changed. He shot to his feet, scooping up the little boy in brocade with one arm and wrapping the other around Lieu Nuoning’s soft waist. Kicking off the carriage floorboard, he leaped into the air, carrying the two siblings straight through the carriage roof.

At almost the exact same instant, a terrifying flash of a blade slashed down.

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous crash, the savage blade-light split the entire carriage in two, horse and all. It exploded in a shower of splintered wood.

Ye Xing retreated more than a dozen steps with Lieu Nuoning and her brother, then looked up.

Before them, surging with killing intent, stood a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe. He held a long, slender Treasure Saber, its surface gleaming with a cold light and its tip dripping with blood. Drop by drop, the crimson liquid slid from the blade, staining the fallen leaves on the ground.

At the blue-robed man’s feet, amidst the wooden fragments of the carriage, lay the body of a middle-aged woman. It was Aunt Qing. A bloody gash ran from between her eyebrows straight up into her hairline. Her eyes were wide with terror, clearly killed by a single slash.

"Aunt Qing!!!"

Seeing Aunt Qing’s body, Lieu Nuoning and the little boy in brocade cried out in grief, tears streaming from their eyes.

"Don’t go over there! That man is very strong!"

Ye Xing quickly pulled Lieu Nuoning and her brother back. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the man in the dark blue robe and said coldly, "A dignified expert from the Wind and Cloud List like yourself... could you have also been sent by the Lieu Family’s first madam to kill these two?"

The man in the dark blue robe possessed extremely high Martial Arts. Just from his aura, Ye Xing could tell he was definitely an expert on the level of the Wind and Cloud List. Otherwise, an ordinary Martial Arts Ninth Layer cultivator would have never gotten close to the carriage. Only a Martial Artist on the same level as Ye Xing could have approached without being detected until the last moment.

"Hahaha! Compared to these two little bastards, I’m more interested in you, Lord White Cloud." The man in the dark blue robe raised his Long Saber, its sharp, blood-dripping tip pointing at Ye Xing.

"Heh, so you were after me all along. Now this is interesting." A cold smirk touched the corner of Ye Xing’s mouth. "I wonder which expert from the Wind and Cloud List you might be. If your rank is too low, I’m not interested."

"For one so young, you have quite an arrogant tone, Lord White Cloud." The man in the dark blue robe looked at Ye Xing and said proudly, "I wonder if my name, Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan, is to your satisfaction. In truth, I have no grievance with White Cloud City. As long as you hand over that treasure, Lord White Cloud, and then let me kill these two—"

Before the man in the dark blue robe could finish his sentence, the sharp ring of a sword suddenly echoed.

"Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan, thirty-third on the Wind and Cloud List. Heh, I was just looking for a worthy opponent to practice on! And you delivered yourself to my doorstep."

The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword in Ye Xing’s hand shot out of its sheath. He executed Wind Shadow Step, transforming into a cyan blur as he charged directly at the man in the dark blue robe.

’Such incredible speed! The strength of this Lord White Cloud is—’ Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan’s expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly swung his Long Saber to meet the attack.

"CLANG!" "PING! PANG!"

Saber and sword clashed, sending sparks flying in an instant as the two engaged in a fierce battle.

Powerful winds swept through the forest, sending fallen leaves into a frenzy.

Both combatants were experts at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, their bodies surging with True Qi. They exchanged nearly a hundred blows in the blink of an eye. Flashes of blade and sword flickered continuously, and one great tree after another collapsed, caught in the shockwaves of their battle.

Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan’s expression was incredibly grim. He fought as he retreated, and the two soon arrived at the Shuanglong River.

The Shuanglong River was several dozen feet wide, its waters rushing turbulently against the rocks on its banks, kicking up sprays of white foam with a ROARING sound. A stone bridge arched over the river, built of hard granite and carved with two majestic stone dragons soaring through clouds. This was Shuanglong Bridge.

At that moment, two figures clashed fiercely on Shuanglong Bridge, moving like fleeting shadows. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over a hundred moves.

Fighting an opponent of the same level not only increased his combat experience but also helped him hone his Sword Skill. Ye Xing fought with exhilarating abandon, his courage growing with every clash.

Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan, on the other hand, was cursing his misfortune. After two hundred moves, his True Qi was severely depleted, his arm had suffered a sword wound, and he could only defend passively.

’Damn it, how can this Lord White Cloud be so powerful? And he seems to have an endless supply of True Qi. I can’t keep fighting, or I might not be able to get away.’ Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan’s eyes darted. He blocked Ye Xing’s Sharp Sword with a slash, kicked off the ground, and leaped directly into the Shuanglong River below.

"SPLASH!"

With a soft sound, the water’s surface erupted in a splash. Ripples spread out in circles, and the few specks of blood that surfaced were quickly washed away by the current.

"He’s fast, even when he’s running away!"

Ye Xing gazed down from Shuanglong Bridge at the rushing river below but ultimately decided not to give chase.

After all, Lieu Nuoning and her brother were still in the woods, and Ye Xing needed to protect them. If he chased too far, something unexpected might happen back here.

’I wanted to use this opportunity to see if a big fight could trigger a breakthrough to the Innate Realm. A pity he ran away after only two hundred rounds. Next time we meet, I will definitely kill him.’ A cold glint flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes. ’On the bright side, this battle has greatly improved my Gale Sword Skill. I’m getting closer and closer to the Perfection Realm.’

’Now that he’s escaped, my identity is exposed. It will be difficult to make a low-key trip to Golden Scale Imperial City. Oh well, I’ll just deal with problems as they come. If anyone dares to cross me, I don’t mind causing a scene in the Imperial City.’ Ye Xing’s eyes flickered. ’For now, the priority is to get Nuoning and the little one safely to the Lieu Mansion.’

Ye Xing immediately sheathed his sword and walked toward the woods by Shuanglong Bridge.

Back in the woods, Lieu Nuoning and her brother were beside Aunt Qing’s body, crying inconsolably as tears streamed down their faces.

Ye Xing sighed helplessly. There was nothing he could do about this situation. The enemy was powerful and had launched a surprise attack. He had already done everything he could just by protecting the two siblings.

If Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan had attacked head-on, Ye Xing might have been able to protect Aunt Qing. But it was a surprise attack, impossible to defend against completely. With Aunt Qing driving the carriage outside and Ye Xing protecting the siblings inside, he couldn’t be in two places at once.

The middle-aged woman, Aunt Qing, had been with Lieu Nuoning and her brother as they grew up, and they shared a deep bond. Her death was undoubtedly a huge blow to both Lieu Nuoning and Lieu Yahan.

Ye Xing could only offer them a few words of comfort before helping them bury Aunt Qing’s body there in the woods.