Chapter 130: Keep Moving Forward!

Chapter130: Walk Forward!

The moon hung upon the branches; the wind was cold, the rain frigid.

Weather like this ought to have been the very hour when the Jiaofangsi thrived with business.

Yet the most sought-after little courtyard in the Jiaofangsi today had suddenly announced it was closing its doors to guests.

The placard hanging before the gate at this moment bore neither the ambiguous allure of "Spring River, Flowers, Moon, Night" nor the high-spirited pride of "Top of the List Today."

Instead, written with strokes like iron and hooks of silver, radiating a palpable killing intent, were the words: "Pawn Crossing the River."

Inside the courtyard, where the neon lights had all dimmed, the Jiaofangsi's top courtesan, Du Shisan-niang, had shed her usual bewitching attire. She wore a single robe of white, a pipa cradled in her arms.

*Twang!*

Jade fingers swept the strings. The piercing, resonant notes of the pipa rang out like a sharp blade leaving its scabbard, like a fierce soldier shaking his armor.

The clanging melody was none other than "Ambush from Ten Sides"—a piece never before played since the Jiaofangsi opened its doors in Chengdu Prefecture!

Du Shisan-niang wore her long hair piled high. Her brows and eyes held not a trace of their former mature charm; in its place was a heroic, dashing spirit that rivaled any man's.

"Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, Xia, Shang, Zhou—peerless heroes meet their end. What is fated to come will come; what is not fated, seek not to force!"

Her willow brows shot upward, her neck craned as she sang aloud.

In Shisan-niang's chant lay the tragic grandeur of soldiers crossing the river, fighting a bloody battle with no retreat.

*Twang! Twang!*

The pipa sounded like the thunder of iron hooves.

"A sword hidden in the fish's belly, to strike King Liao down in a single stroke. Heaven aids me to leave my name behind; clutching the fresh fish, I walk straight for the heights!"

The woman closed her eyes in recitation, her face flushing red, as if she had swallowed a bowl of burning spirits.

A moment later, she suddenly cast aside the pipa and stepped out into the torrential rain.

The jade hairpin slipped from her head; her waterfall of long hair fluttered wildly in the wind.

Du Shisan-niang's phoenix eyes widened. Rain or tears, they streamed unrestrained down her face!

"Master Li, you just walk forward with all your might!"

"Li Jun, you have no road left to retreat!"

"Knife in hand, I'll carve this path myself!"

Li Jun crashed through the wind and rain. The ink-black blade in his hand slashed out a crescent of cold light, hacking ruthlessly toward Yu Kou's greedy face!

"Won't shed a tear till you see the coffin!"

As the fierce blade wind rushed him, the two slits embedded in waves of flesh revealed a cold smile.

Yu Kou stood immobile, merely extending his right hand, fingers joined, pointing forward.

Three carved printing-block talismans flew out in succession from the sleeves of his flying-fish robe, hovering behind his head.

"I invoke the Yellow Beam Heavenly Venerable of Blessed Life, by the statute of the Sleep-Inducing Immortal of Blessing: Left Dragon Coils, Right Tiger Patterns, activate the carved talismans, open the gates of the heart orifice!"

"Seize the body! Suppress the evil! Repel the calamity!"

The mechanical patterns coiling like dragons and snakes on the talismans suddenly blazed to life, swaying in the night like threads of crimson ghost fire.

Visible dark-red ripples spread ring by ring through the air, crashing incessantly against the approaching blade force.

Weariness, fear, slackness.

Countless negative emotions sprouted in the depths of Li Jun's heart. Even with the Raging Flood Dragon roaring ceaselessly in his heart-lake, he could not stop his boiling blood from gradually turning ice-cold.

*Hum.*

The Dharma Ruler in his bosom trembled, but Li Jun forcibly pressed it down.

Not yet. It is not yet time to use you!

"Mmph!"

Li Jun bit through his tongue. The heart-piercing pain jolted his muddled spirit into sudden clarity. The muscles in his right arm swelled and knotted, dragging the ink blade through the talismanic magnetic field.

Blade light rose again, yet it illuminated an even more brilliant smile on Yu Kou's face!

"A mere Martial Eight with such mental fortitude and physical constitution—truly a once-in-a-century premium Cauldron!"

*Clang!*

Just as the blade edge was about to cleave the "Mountain of Flesh," a section of a Wild Goose Quill Saber suddenly struck from the side, tapping with unerring precision against the spine of the ink blade!

A sudden twist!

Li Jun's face remained calm as a level lake; his eyes held not a shred of panic.

He followed the momentum, switching his grip on the blade, simultaneously pivoting and twisting his waist. The ink blade rotated around his waist, sweeping horizontally before him.

*Sizzle!!*

The two blades met in a cross, neither yielding.

Needle against wheat awn, blades grinding. Where they passed, the temperature spiked, instantly vaporizing the foolish raindrops that dared intrude into steam.

The instant the blades slid apart, Li Jun's whip-kick—coiled and ready—followed close behind, lashing against the opponent's hastily raised guard.

*Boom!*

The figure was violently knocked back, driving his foot deep into the soft, rotten mud before halting his retreat, swaying as he steadied himself.

"Embroidered Spring Saber? Yellow Turban Powerhouse?!"

Li Jun enunciated each word, narrowing his eyes at the naked body blocking the way before Yu Kou.

A bright yellow talisman was embedded in the figure's face. Below the neck was a body devoid of any gender characteristics, its lines flawlessly streamlined.

Threads fine as hair wound around the chest, weaving and outlining the characters "Yellow Turban."

This uninvited guest was precisely the puppet warrior Li Jun had seen in the illusion of the Muchi Buddha Kingdom!

A stench beyond description, carried on the damp air, assaulted his nostrils.

In an instant, the martial genes in Li Jun's bones boiled like water; a nameless rage coiled in his heart.

It was the smell of machinery corroding flesh!

"Alive ones are indeed a bit more flexible than 'dead' ones. But to see you martial husbands tearing at each other in this day and age... it's truly entertaining."

Yu Kou's massive head, perched on his shoulders, swayed left and right. He pointed at the three crimson "ghost fires" behind him, his smile utterly mocking.

"Using the 'dead' to strike the living. With three talismans added, it shouldn't count as bullying you, right? That thought of devouring your master you've suppressed for so long—don't tell me it's all thunder and no rain!"

His stubby finger flicked lightly toward the back of the Yellow Turban Powerhouse's head. "Don't kill him. This Daoist Lord needs a living vessel for possession."

The Yellow Turban Powerhouse, its mouth replaced by a talisman, naturally could not speak.

*Boom!*

The foot sunk in the mire suddenly stomped hard. Mud and water exploded instantly!

The Yellow Turban Powerhouse surged forward first. As its figure flashed, traces of martial footwork flowed within its movement. The long, sharp blade of the Embroidered Spring Saber went straight for Li Jun's chest!

The saber force was fierce, yet Li Jun saw within it a deep helplessness and humiliation.

A warrior may die, but not like this!

"I know you're living a life worse than death."

Li Jun's tone was bone-chillingly cold. He stomped his foot heavily, finally no longer concealing his Tide-Surging Step, perfected to the Great Perfection realm. He moved like an arrow loosed from a bow, reaching terminal velocity from the very first step.

Before the Embroidered Spring Saber, the black-robed warrior exuded a domineering, bandit-like ferocity. He raised his elbow like a great spear sweeping horizontally, directly knocking aside the long saber that descended with the force of a thunderclap.

*Hum!*

Crimson hypnotic ripples drilled into Li Jun's body through his eyes and ears, only to be shattered one by one by that Raging Flood Dragon rampaging within.

Rage surged to the heart—precisely the moment to draw the saber and see blood.

Hypnosis? I'll hypnotize your mother's head!

"Martial Arts Formed into Technique?! You little brain-case disciple, you really were hiding something."

The Yellow Turban Powerhouse seemed on the verge of death, yet Yu Kou clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

"Li Jun, your genes can actually reach this caliber. It's truly an unexpected delight for this Daoist. Good, truly wonderful!"

Amidst the manic laughter, a vicious rising elbow smashed into the Powerhouse's jaw. Terrifying force dragged his heavy body upward, his feet instantly leaving the ground, floating half an inch in the air.

*Clang!*

Li Jun retracted his fist stance, unleashing his saber momentum.

As his spine extended, the ink-black saber in his left hand, gripped in a reverse hold, flicked upward with savage violence!

The Poaching Saber, the Splitting Horse Form!

*Pu-chi!*

The long saber pierced through the body, cleaving the characters 'Yellow Turban' in two.

A hideous gash of blood crawled upward, splitting a hairline crack upon the runes covering the face.

"At a time like this, you still want to let someone die with dignity? You people of the Martial Dao Sequence are still as stupid as ever!"

Yu Kou's expression was contemptuous. His right hand formed a complex seal, wrist rotating as he pointed forward, "Hack him to pieces!"