Chapter 414: Can It Be Broken?

She was unable to put up a fight, placing Yan Wushuang and Ruan Yuqing under immense pressure.

To the four Evil Sects, their greatest enemy right now was, naturally, Yan Wushuang.

She was, after all, the Vice-Chief of the Hundred Treasures Association—a position no ordinary person could hold.

The woman seemed unassuming, but in truth, her Inner Energy was profound, and her attacks were vicious and relentless.

After several exchanges, Qu Zhi and Hai Dan had each taken a punch and a palm strike from her.

Though not seriously injured, they were clearly outmatched.

This, in turn, enraged the four Evil Sects.

Their attacks grew even more vicious and brutal.

The Young Manor Lord remained seated on his soft sedan chair, quietly watching Jiang Ran.

“Are you afraid to make a move?”

“What makes you say that?”

Jiang Ran’s gaze was lowered, but a sharp glint seemed to hide within his eyes.

“Because you’re afraid.”

The Young Manor Lord smiled. “Your greatest strength is the Nine Shocking God Sabers. And yet, I have already broken it.

“But you can’t really be blamed for that.

“If anyone is to blame, it should be Duan Dongliu from all those years ago.

“Relying on this saber art, that man barged into my Heterodox Manor and killed eighteen of our top masters in a row.

“Even my grandfather and father were injured by the Nine Shocking God Sabers…

“Heterodox Manor does not forget its lessons. How could we possibly allow the Nine Shocking God Sabers to tarnish our name again?

“So, the credit for breaking your saber art doesn’t belong to me alone.

“Rather, it is the result of twenty years of painstaking effort from everyone in Heterodox Manor. We exhausted all our energy and resources to achieve this.

“If you must blame someone, blame yourself for choosing to practice this saber art!

“For becoming the disciple of Duan Dongliu…”

Jiang Ran looked down at his own hands, then at the Shattered Gold Saber at his waist, and shook his head gently.

“It’s like how you, Young Manor Lord, cannot choose to walk an upright path and become a disciple of the Righteous Path of the Martial World.

“I couldn’t choose my own master, either.

“As for whether the man you mentioned is my master, that has yet to be confirmed. You’re speaking too soon.

“However… I’ll ask again: what makes you think I’m afraid?

“You were merely lucky enough to counter one of my saber techniques. If I want to kill you… why must I use a saber?”

“Because to this very moment, you still haven’t dared to make a move.”

The Young Manor Lord glanced at the battlefield around them.

Battle cries shook the heavens. People were dying with every passing moment.

Meanwhile, the fight over the Jiaowei was the most intense of all.

Although Jiang Ran was doing his best to restrain himself, he couldn’t help but glance over from time to time.

He saw Man Shengming flying around the Jiaowei, struggling to fend off attackers. With every clash, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“If you truly had the courage, things wouldn’t look like this right now. Admit it…

“Your master was indeed formidable back then, but the you of today… you’re nowhere near his level.

“At this point, even if your master were here himself, he would face certain death.”

The Young Manor Lord’s voice was light, but it was filled with an unshakeable certainty.

At that moment, Man Shengming seemed to have lost the strength to resist.

There were too many people from Heterodox Manor, and their martial arts were too advanced. Not wanting the Jiaowei to fall into enemy hands, he could only reach out and forcibly take it down.

He then glanced at Jiang Ran. Their eyes met, and a flicker of panic crossed Man Shengming’s face.

Then, Jiang Ran’s voice rang out loud and clear:

“Hero Man, take the Jiaowei and leave first!

“If Heterodox Manor pursues you relentlessly, abandon the Jiaowei and save yourself.”

Man Shengming was stunned. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, his determined eyes were brimming with tears.

“Alright.”

With a light tap of his feet, he soared through the air and landed by a cliff face. After one last look back at Jiang Ran, he broke into a frantic run.

The Young Manor Lord’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re… leading the trouble elsewhere. He’s going to die.

“Go after him! His life doesn’t matter, just bring back the Jiaowei!”

The latter sentence was, of course, directed at the men beside him.

Immediately, a large group of people took flight, chasing after Man Shengming.

As the two groups vanished into the distance, a faint smile touched the corners of Jiang Ran’s lips.

“I didn’t expect my little trick to be seen through by the Young Manor Lord.

“That’s right. Man Shengming is a man of honor and righteousness, full of heroic spirit. A man like that is naturally trustworthy.

“And even more worthy of being used… Hmm, is that what you wanted me to say, Young Manor Lord?”

The Young Manor Lord’s lips had been curled in a cold, severe smile.

But after Jiang Ran’s last sentence, that smile vanished.

Meanwhile, the battle involving Ruan Yuqing and the Evil Sects had reached a critical point.

Yan Wushuang was fighting three opponents at once, her mouth already full of blood.

Ruan Yuqing and Gu Shengyan had teamed up against Fumo of the Niu Sect, and both had sustained injuries.

Just as Jiang Ran looked up, Ruan Yuqing and Gu Shengyan exchanged another blow with Fumo of the Niu Sect, sending both of them stumbling backward.

But suddenly, Ruan Yuqing turned to look at Jiang Ran.

“Is it time? We can’t hold on much longer!”

“It’s time.”

The two words had barely left his lips when Jiang Ran appeared behind Ruan Yuqing and Gu Shengyan. In the next step, he moved past them both, charging toward Fumo of the Niu Sect.

Fumo of the Niu Sect felt no fear whatsoever.

Seeing Jiang Ran approach, he let out a wild laugh.

“We didn’t settle things that night, but today, I’m going to tear you apart limb from limb!!”

As he spoke, he threw a thunderous punch.

Jiang Ran stepped forward, one hand on his saber, and casually threw a punch of his own.

BANG!

When their fists met, Fumo expected it to be just like the other night.

A clash where they would both be forced back and have to regroup.

But he never expected this time to be different.

Jiang Ran remained on the spot, not moving an inch, but an excruciating pain shot straight to Fumo’s heart.