Chapter 292 - 288: Fighting the Innate Realm National Master

Chapter 292: Chapter 288: Fighting the Innate Realm National Master

"The Innate Realm... you must be National Master Meng Shuming!"

Ye Xing’s eyes narrowed as he watched the middle-aged man approach.

"I am. For Lord White Cloud to possess such cultivation at your young age is truly remarkable. If you stepped into the Innate Realm in a few years, you might even have a chance to contend for the Central Plains’ Dragon and Phoenix List. Unfortunately, His Majesty has ordered me to apprehend you, so you have my apologies!" National Master Meng Shuming said proudly. "Will you surrender, Lord White Cloud, or must I take matters into my own hands?"

"Haha! I may not be much, but I’d love to have a proper fight with the National Master. My only fear is that you don’t have what it takes to capture me." Ye Xing’s lips curved into a smirk.

"Arrogant!" National Master Meng Shuming snapped. The Treasure Sword at his waist flew from its sheath as he slashed at Ye Xing.

’Good timing! I’ve been stuck at the Peak of the Ninth Realm for ages. Maybe this fight will give me the insight I need!’

Ye Xing’s gaze sharpened. He swiftly drew his Cyan Blade Treasure Sword, unleashed the Gale Sword Skill, and met the attack head-on. In an instant, Powerful Qi surged around them, and the air filled with one Sword Roar after another.

PING PING PANG PANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The two swords clashed, the sound of striking metal echoing all around. They fought fiercely, moving like fleeting light and passing shadows, leaving a trail of afterimages in their wake. Flashes of sword light flickered continuously, and in the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged a dozen moves.

"Lord White Cloud, you truly are full of surprises. I thought having cultivation at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer already made you a local prodigy, but I never imagined you had the strength of someone in the top thirty of the Wind and Cloud List. Our Southern Tang Country has truly produced an unparalleled genius. With such potential, you could even compete with the young prodigies at the lower end of the Dragon and Phoenix List. After this battle, I’m afraid your name, Lord White Cloud, will be known throughout the land!" National Master Meng Shuming looked astonished. He then shook his head and said, "A pity it will be posthumous fame! You should not have killed the Crown Prince. His Majesty has only one son, and he will surely hate you to the very bone!"

"Heh. I do as I please. He was just a Crown Prince. If he needed killing, he needed killing. Consider it a lesson for the Royal Family," Ye Xing said nonchalantly.

"Hmph, such arrogance from one so young! Allow me to capture you myself!" With a cold snort, National Master Meng Shuming’s Sword Techniques suddenly turned incomparably sharp, and his assault grew ferocious.

Ye Xing felt the pressure mount instantly. He immediately focused, circulating his Innate Skill with all his might and unleashing the Gale Sword Skill to parry National Master Meng Shuming’s ferocious assault.

The battle was between a top master ranked in the top thirty of the Wind and Cloud List and an Innate Realm expert of terrifying power; their clash was nothing short of ferocious.

Sword Roars echoed continuously. As the Powerful Qi raged, sand and stones were sent flying, and the granite flagstones on the ground splintered and cracked.

The faces of the surrounding Imperial Army soldiers filled with alarm as they backed away again and again. If they got too close, they would be caught in the crossfire and killed instantly.

"So powerful! The strength of an Innate Realm expert is terrifying!"

"Of course it is! Just think about how few Innate Realm experts our Southern Tang Country even has! Still, Lord White Cloud is incredibly strong to be able to last this long against the National Master!"

"Lord White Cloud is so strong and so young, he could probably make it onto the Martial Arts’ Dragon and Phoenix List."

"I’m not so sure. He’s probably not quite there yet."

"No way! He’s this strong and still not good enough?"

"What do you think? The Dragon and Phoenix List ranks the two hundred most promising young prodigies on the entire Martial Arts Continent, from the Hundred Border Countries to the Central Plains Martial Arts world. More than half of them are monstrous geniuses who broke through to the Innate Realm before they were even thirty."

"Okay, I stand corrected. I guess I’m just ignorant."

"The Martial Arts Continent is vast. But even if Lord White Cloud can’t make the Dragon and Phoenix List, he’s definitely the greatest genius our Southern Tang Country has ever seen!"

Nearby, the crowd of onlookers—Martial Artists and pedestrians alike—chattered excitedly, their faces alight with exhilaration as they watched the fierce, Innate-Realm-level duel. As time went on, more and more Martial Artists swarmed in from all directions, converging on the Imperial Palace gates to witness the great battle. After all, the shocking news of Lord White Cloud chasing the Crown Prince all over the city had spread like wildfire, reaching nearly every corner of the Golden Scale Imperial City. Many who heard it had rushed to the Imperial Palace at once.

"Haha, I’m exhausted from running all this way! But this fight is incredible. It was definitely worth the trip."

"How can Lord White Cloud be so powerful at his age? He’s a master on the level of the Wind and Cloud List!"

"It’s not just that he’s on the Wind and Cloud List. With that kind of strength, he has to be in the top thirty, at least. He might not be in the Innate Realm, but he’s not far off."

"Lord White Cloud versus the Innate National Master, who do you think will win?"

"Isn’t it obvious? Lord White Cloud is strong, but he’s not in the Innate Realm. There’s no way he can—"

"Who says he isn’t? I’m telling you, Lord White Cloud *is* an Innate Realm expert."

"No way. You’re full of it."

"Why would I lie to you? I just came from the Lieu Mansion. I saw it with my own eyes: Lord White Cloud killed Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan in a single strike."

"Haha, you almost had me there! I can tell you’re full of it just from hearing that. Broken Water Blade Dong Yuan is a top master, ranked thirty-third on the Wind and Cloud List! Even an Innate Realm expert would have a hard time killing him, let alone killing him in one shot! Hahaha, you’re killing me!"

"Hey, everyone, look! The Imperial Army is coming out!"

"Gods, that’s a lot of Imperial Army soldiers! There must be thirty, maybe fifty thousand of them!"

"Crossbowmen, spearmen, Sword and Shield Soldiers... Damn, the Royal Family is really playing for keeps. They’re dead set on killing Lord White Cloud."

"Look at that front line of heavy infantry! They’re all walking lumps of iron!"

Squad after squad of the Imperial Army poured out from the gates of the Imperial Palace, led by Ma Hongxiao, the Minister of the Ministry of War. A chilling killing intent rolled off them in waves. The force was vast and mighty, stretching as far as the eye could see.

A quick estimate put their numbers at fifty or sixty thousand. Even if they just stood there and let you cut them down, your arm would go numb from the effort. What’s more, the Imperial Army was composed of distinct units: Crossbowmen, Sword and Shield Soldiers, and spearmen. They also carried heavy Iron Shields, iron nets, steel cables, and other restraining Weapons—a formation clearly designed to deal with an Innate Realm master. If an Innate Realm expert were to be surrounded by such an army, with another expert like National Master Meng Shuming attacking from the sidelines, death would be a certainty.

At the gates of the Imperial Palace, in the center of the clearing, the two figures had already exchanged nearly a hundred blows.

But Ye Xing was not an Innate Realm master, after all. Under the ferocious assault of National Master Meng Shuming, he had already sustained three sword wounds and was drenched in his own blood. Fortunately, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure Thunder Heart Spring Wood was continuously mending his injuries. He looked frightening, but the wounds were not as severe as they appeared.

"To last over a hundred moves against me is truly remarkable. In a one-on-one fight, I could likely defeat you, but I doubt I could kill you. However, Lord White Cloud, your time is up. Minister Ma has arrived with the Imperial Army. His Majesty thinks quite highly of you, it seems. That’s a battle formation designed specifically to deal with Innate Realm masters." National Master Meng Shuming sneered. "This ends now!"

"Yes, it is time to end this. I was hoping for another eighty rounds! But it seems that won’t be possible now." Ye Xing, though covered in blood, still had the glint of battle in his eyes. He glanced at the dense tide of the Imperial Army swarming in the distance and sighed softly.

"Nameless Broken Sword—First Form!"

Ye Xing’s gaze turned frigid as he stared at National Master Meng Shuming. The aura around him began to skyrocket, and the True Qi in his body surged into the Cyan Blade Treasure Sword in his hand.