Chapter 116: A Single Sword's Frosty Chill Over Fourteen Prefectures

Chapter 116: One Sword Illumines the Fourteen Provinces

Yue Hongling, ranked second on the Hidden Dragon List!

Many in the hall held their breath.

Yue Hongling had held the second spot on the Hidden Dragon List for half a year already, and the best target for her to hone her skills against was surely none other than Chi Li!

And if Chi Li wanted to sweep aside the pride of the Central Plains' Hidden Dragons, defeating anyone ranked below tenth would not show his true ability. He either had to directly challenge a grandmaster from the Mortal List, or, if he insisted on the Hidden Dragon List, it had to be Yue Hongling or Cui Yuanyong.

No one expected that a routine banquet hosted by the young master of the Canal Gang would allow them to witness a clash between the first and second ranks of the Hidden Dragon List, especially when it involved a conflict between states and the honor of their respective peoples!

Even Chi Li himself had not anticipated meeting Yue Hongling here. After a flash of astonishment, a wild, ecstatic desire for battle surged in his eyes: "Excellent, truly excellent. To think I would face the Sunset Red Feather herself. Finding you was no trouble at all!"

Yue Hongling spoke calmly: "The final honing before ascending to the Mortal List?"

"Indeed." Chi Li smiled faintly. "To be honest... as I journeyed south, I heard of several masters along the way who were hailed as 'comparable to the Mortal List' or 'half-step into the Mortal List.' I challenged them all and killed quite a few, but none of it felt satisfying; most were just empty names. It seems the Chronicle of the Turbulent World possesses quite some wisdom. Whether a name is inscribed upon the Turbulent World List truly makes a difference. Those who claim to be comparable to the Mortal List really might not equal the top ranks of the Hidden Dragon List. I trust Miss Yue will not disappoint me."

A commotion stirred among the crowd.

Recently, many renowned figures close to the Mortal List had died mysterious deaths; it turned out he was the culprit!

Many experts "comparable to the Mortal List" were indeed largely puffed up by flattery—after all, people in the martial world tended to lift each other up—but it was not entirely a fabrication.

Daoist Xuan Chong asked, "Daoist Huang He also died by your hand?"

"Indeed," Chi Li laughed heartily. "That old Daoist bragged so fiercely, yet he was nothing more than this. What of it? It was a fair duel, not a sneak attack. Surely the Taiyi Sect is not a sore loser?"

A shadow fell over Xuan Chong’s eyes.

That Daoist master had been extremely close to their Taiyi Sect, yet he had suddenly met a violent end. Xuan Chong had come out this time partly to investigate the case, never expecting to solve it so accidentally... The problem was, he knew very well that Daoist Huang He’s strength was no mere boast. He truly approached the Mortal List, the kind of person who might actually squeeze into it if given a chance to trade blows with someone on it; he was no empty name!

In other words, this Chi Li already possessed the strength of the absolute tail end of the Mortal List. What he lacked was merely a formal challenge against a Mortal List grandmaster... and he was only twenty-two!

Was the legend of Xia Longyuan about to be replicated in this man?

Xuan Chong secretly broke into a cold sweat for Yue Hongling... She was actually younger and had slightly less tempering than Chi Li. Could she truly defeat him?

Yue Hongling did not speak further. She slowly drew her long sword, pointing it from afar at Chi Li: "The sword is named Evening Glow, three feet, four inches, and two fen in length. After you, sir."

Chi Li held his scimitar in a reverse grip and bowed slightly in response: "The Spirit Fox Scimitar, possessing the power to bewitch the mind and create illusions. Mind yourself, lady."

"Swoosh!" The long sword crossed the space of the hall, flying straight toward Chi Li.

With this single strike, everyone was moved. Tang Buqi, standing behind Zhao Changhe, felt sweat pour down his forehead, knowing full well the vast gap between himself and this sword!

If his own sword could barely be counted as a continuous, distant spring river, then Yue Hongling’s strike was like a setting sun reflecting across the edge of the sky. Wherever the river ran, the afterglow shone universally, dyeing the waters entirely in its brilliant light.

Tang Buqi knew he could not block this strike; he could not even discern her sword path clearly. It felt as though as long as one remained within this hall, there was nowhere to hide.

There was even an illusion that as long as one existed between heaven and earth, escape was impossible.

He knew it was not truly that exaggerated; it was simply a form of sword intent that drew him, a fellow swordsman, into its conceptual realm. But this meant his mind had been captured, and he had already lost—he lacked the ability to block even a single strike from Yue Hongling.

Within this intent of the setting sun that dyed the rivers and mountains, a dark red blade-shadow suddenly sliced in, like