Chapter 445: Been Waiting for You for a Long Time

Wangchuan was still cultivating inside his room.

A disciple from the Dark Hall hurried toward the courtyard, only to be stopped by Chen Ergou.

“Do you know what place this is? And you still dare barge in?”

Chen Ergou barked in a low voice.

The Dark Hall disciple naturally recognized the Hall Master’s trusted aide. He hurriedly cupped his fists and said urgently, “Brother Gou, I serve under Brother Li Qing of the Dark Hall. The Dark Hall has sent a warning—someone has forced his way into the hall! He’s already at the gate!”

Chen Ergou’s expression changed at once, and he immediately turned to rush into the courtyard.

Before he could speak, Wangchuan had already pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.

“I heard.”

Wangchuan’s expression was grave and stern.

Li Qing had, in fact, already told him about the signal of the night bird’s cry.

So he too had stopped circulating his energy at the very first moment, snatched up the Autumn Water Sword and a pouch of Refined Iron Caltrops, then grabbed three Thunderfire Drills before stepping out of the room.

With his enhanced five senses, he could clearly detect faint sounds of something slicing through the air outside the hall, rapidly drawing near.

The other side had come quickly.

Wangchuan gazed into the darkness...

Only to see a figure bursting into the hall like a night owl, vaulting over two courtyards in succession before finally being spotted by the patrol.

“Who goes there?!”

“Enemy attack!!”

“Hurry and notify the Hall Master!”

The patrols of the Sanhe Commandery Hall quickly raised the alarm.

At once, many Caobang disciples rushed out of the wing rooms.

The intruder was dressed all in black with his face covered. His movement technique was as fast as lightning, and his target was clearly Wangchuan’s courtyard. Running along the rooftops, he swept in and came face to face with Wangchuan, Chen Ergou, the Dark Hall disciple, and a group of guards.

Wangchuan’s eyes sharpened immediately. He recognized that the masked man’s eyes looked very similar to those of Zhuang Xuyan, whom he had met once before.

A Beggar Sect Inner Elder had stormed the hall!

Zhuang Xuyan struck almost at the same moment as Wangchuan.

Three throwing knives flew out separately at Wangchuan, Chen Ergou, and the Dark Hall disciple!

Wangchuan had already concealed four Refined Iron Caltrops in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them flying.

The hidden weapons crossed past one another in midair.

Chen Ergou drew his sword at high speed and knocked down the three throwing knives, but the powerful internal force attached to them still shook him so badly that his face turned pale, his blood and qi surged unsteadily, and his weapon nearly slipped from his grasp.

Surrounded by the four Refined Iron Caltrops, Zhuang Xuyan drew his saber and spun through a slashing arc!

Clang! Clang!

Two of the Refined Iron Caltrops were knocked flying.

The other two were avoided with a spinning dodge...

Wangchuan drew the Autumn Water Sword and met him head-on.

A fifth-rank martial artist?

He was Fifth Rank now too!

《Water-Moon Sword Art》.

Zhuang Xuyan’s saber was astonishingly fierce. With a casual sweep, he tore apart the rippling water-light, forcing Wangchuan into a direct clash.

The instant their weapons met, Wangchuan felt the pressure.

A seasoned fifth-rank martial artist...

He really had some substance!

The saber art his opponent was using was most likely a sixth-rank saber technique, and his realm in it was not low.

A spiral internal force lay hidden within the saber edge. The saber momentum was ferocious, and his changes came fast. In only two or three moves, he completely crushed the structure of 《Water-Moon Sword Art》, seized the initiative, and forced the fight into a one-sided suppression.

Seeing that the situation had turned bad, Wangchuan shouted,

“Elder Zhuang, I’ve been waiting for you.”

A group of guards immediately emerged from all around, each one holding a Heart-Piercing Crossbow aimed at Zhuang Xuyan in the courtyard.

Zhuang Xuyan had already been shocked that Wangchuan had broken through to the Fifth Rank and could actually endure several exchanges against him without losing. Now that Wangchuan had called out his identity and a group of guards armed with deadly Heart-Piercing Crossbows had appeared, his offensive momentum faltered slightly.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A volley of bolts exploded outward.

Zhuang Xuyan roared furiously:

“Get lost!”

His entire body flooded with internal force, and a powerful surge of internal energy burst outward in a visible wave that swept in all directions...

A violent sense of foreboding shot through Wangchuan’s heart. He immediately halted, as a tremendous blast of internal force rushed toward him and forcibly knocked away a great number of the bolts.

A thunderclap of realization flashed through Wangchuan’s mind:

An Ultimate Art!

That old bastard Zhuang Xuyan had actually mastered an Ultimate Art as well!

“What are you waiting for?!”

Using the Ultimate Art 《Qi Force Projection》, Zhuang Xuyan forcibly blocked that first wave of concentrated attack. With a furious shout, he accelerated and lunged straight at Wangchuan.

Wangchuan immediately switched sword arts.

Since 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 was being suppressed by the opponent, then he would use 《Raging Tide Sword Art》.

At the same realm of Perfect Mastery, a fifth-rank sword art was naturally far stronger than a fourth-rank one.

And besides...

the instant he realized that Zhuang Xuyan actually knew an Ultimate Art, an intense sense of danger flooded his heart.

He knew that if he kept holding back, there was a very real chance he would be taken down.

The other man’s Ultimate Art clearly combined offense and defense and was tremendously powerful.

If he allowed that move to be unleashed at close range and ended up injured, it would be over!

At the same time,

he also detected the sounds of figures cutting through the air as they rushed rapidly into the hall.

Clearly, the men originally meant to wait behind and provide support had now changed their plan and forced their way in as well...

Gritting his teeth,

Wangchuan advanced with sword in hand to kill Zhuang Xuyan.

Clang! Clang!!

After two exchanges, the two sides were evenly matched.

《Raging Tide Sword Art》 at Perfect Mastery, enhanced by 《Xuanwu Art》, had already raised Wangchuan’s attack to the height of 500 points. And as the sword art continued to gather momentum, consuming internal energy along the way, its attack power kept rising.

600 attack!

670 attack!

740 attack!

At this moment, Wangchuan’s sword art actually and solidly withstood the edge of Zhuang Xuyan’s saber art.

Only now did Zhuang Xuyan finally realize that 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 was not Wangchuan’s strongest method at all. Wangchuan’s 《Raging Tide Sword Art》 was actually far more vicious.

Combined with his inner cultivation method, it unleashed waves of increasingly savage pressure.

Every time he struck, the raging tide surged! Each sword released a more brutal sword force, like monstrous waves crashing one after another!

Three strikes!

Four strikes!

That powerful force actually shattered the spiral internal force hidden within Zhuang Xuyan’s saber art, gradually crushing away his advantage and even beginning to reverse the situation.

Shock and fury showed in Zhuang Xuyan’s eyes.

“What a Hall Master of Sanhe Commandery!”

“What deep cunning!”

“What monstrous talent!”

“Today!”

“I absolutely cannot let you live!”

The killing intent in Zhuang Xuyan’s eyes grew even firmer. Silently, he began gathering force and circulating his internal energy, preparing to reactivate the Ultimate Art 《Qi Force Projection》.

However...

Wangchuan pressed closer and closer under the crushing advance of 《Raging Tide Sword Art》.

By the time the eighth strike of 《Raging Tide Sword Art》 exploded forth, its attack power had already surged past four digits.

Zhuang Xuyan’s footing wavered slightly, but his gaze remained fixed and his saber art did not break.

Wangchuan knew the man was preparing for another burst of his Ultimate Art.

That move was etched into his bones.

But he had also roughly grasped the nature of the opponent’s method.

At that moment, he abruptly retreated...

Then, just as the opponent kept yielding backward, Wangchuan suddenly widened the distance.

Zhuang Xuyan was startled.

The buildup for his Ultimate Art had already been completed.

But Wangchuan had withdrawn?!

He was just about to close in and pursue when he saw that the Heart-Piercing Crossbows in the hands of the surrounding Caobang disciples had already been reloaded and raised once again.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Dozens of Armor-Piercing Crossbow Bolts shot in from every direction, forming a tightly sealed ambush ring.

Zhuang Xuyan did not dare be careless.

BOOM!!

His internal force swelled, and qi force burst outward!

That powerful wave of internal force once again swept in all directions, knocking away most of the Armor-Piercing Crossbow Bolts with impeccable timing. Then he twisted and lunged at the nearest Caobang disciples.

With those meddlesome wretches in the way, it was difficult to kill Wangchuan.

He shot forward, and two Caobang disciples were instantly cut down beneath his saber.