Chapter 403: Cannot Escape Death

Jiang Ran flicked his sleeve, batting away the hidden weapons while also glancing at the people who threw them.

He memorized their faces, intending to settle the score with them later.

As for the man in black, he truly hadn’t expected this group to be so united.

Unlike Jiang Ran, he wasn’t prepared. By the time he turned, the hidden weapons were already upon him. In that split second between life and death, he had no time for anything else and could only swing his arm in a circle.

This circular motion generated a strange, uncanny force, causing all the incoming hidden weapons to be drawn into the motion of his arm.

One circle wasn’t enough, so he made a second, and then a third. By the time he finished, all the hidden weapons had been swept up by his arm, forming what looked like a flowing sleeve made of weapons. It danced with his arm, creating a surprisingly beautiful spectacle.

And at that moment, with a casual wave of his hand…

…the hidden weapons surged forth like a great river, whistling through the air straight toward Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran’s lips twitched. ‘Is this “Ten Thousand Weapons Return to the Origin” or something?’ he thought sarcastically.

But he didn’t move from his spot to block them.

He simply pressed one palm downward, unleashing the formless power of the Heaven-Covering Divine Palm.

An invisible wall of energy seemed to form before him, and as soon as the hidden weapons arrived, they were repelled by this force.

The man in black was stunned.

He had planned on redirecting the attack to force Jiang Ran back and clear a path for himself.

He never imagined Jiang Ran would do the exact same thing and send the weapons right back at him.

The two men, one above and one below, had been unable to fight directly, each constrained by their positions.

Now, however, they clashed by way of the hidden weapons.

The crowd saw the man in black standing on the Jiaowei Zither with one palm facing up, while Jiang Ran sat on the cliff wall with one palm facing down.

Between their opposing palms, hidden weapons like locust stones, Willow Leaf Sabers, shuttle darts, and iron caltrops formed a churning river, surging endlessly between them.

In the blink of an eye, the black-clothed man’s expression grew heavy, the faint traces of bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes.

Even though his face was covered, they could see white steam rising from his head.

Clearly, his Inner Energy was being pushed to its absolute limit.

But even so, the zither string beneath his feet was being pressed down bit by bit, gradually starting to curve.

Everyone knew that the Jiaowei must not be played.

This was because it wasn’t just a zither, but also one of the proudest creations of the master craftsman of old, Wind and Fire Mountain.

It was a deadly weapon!

If used improperly, the first to die when its music sounded wouldn’t be the enemy, but the player.

Now, with the string bending downward, the slightest misstep would mean instant death for the man in black.

Jiang Ran, on the other hand, sitting on the cliff’s edge, would remain completely unharmed.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down the black-clothed man’s neck. In this life-or-death moment, he faced not only Jiang Ran’s palm force but also the imminent danger of the Jiaowei sounding at any second.

The man in black could barely breathe under the pressure.

Just then, the sound of wind and thunder suddenly erupted from behind Jiang Ran.

Without even turning his head, Jiang Ran knew who was coming.

He gave a carefree smile, unconcerned. He simply slapped the ground with his free palm and pushed himself into the air.

A rough palm swept past where Jiang Ran had been, its force whistling through the air like a crack of lightning.

“Gu Renlong!”

Xuanyuan One Slash recognized the attacker at a glance and roared in anger:

“You dare launch a sneak attack?!”

Just as he was about to charge forward with his saber, he saw the man in black flick his sleeve. Freed from Jiang Ran’s pressure, control over the hidden weapons returned to him.

With another flick, the hidden weapons rained down, scattering toward the crowd.

He, himself, first used a stabilizing technique to plant his feet, ensuring he didn’t sink another fraction of an inch, yet not immediately leaping off the zither string either.

Then he slowly retracted his power, allowing the string to return to normal.

Only then did he leap up. The zither string trembled but made no sound.

Seeing this, the man in black finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked up again, Jiang Ran’s Shattered Gold Saber was already unsheathed.

A flash of its blade filled the sky with a golden radiance.

At the same time, Gu Renlong charged forward from the side, but not to join forces with the man in black against Jiang Ran.

He was planning to use the chaos to snatch the Jiaowei!

The man in black waved his arms and shifted his body.

The slash from Jiang Ran, originally aimed at him, was inexplicably redirected straight toward Gu Renlong.

Fortunately, Gu Renlong was no ordinary figure.

With a flash of the Thunderlight Step, he dodged the saber’s gleam, only to hear the man in black shout angrily:

“If you don’t join forces with me, we’ll both die!”

But Jiang Ran just laughed heartily.

“The great Flower and Rain Alliance has so little dignity? Two Gang Leaders from the Thirteen Gangs, ganging up on a junior from the martial world?”

“The Flower and Rain Alliance?”

“So it’s him!”

“The technique he used just now to catch the hidden weapons and redirect Jiang Ran’s slash… could it be the Seven Absolutes of Falling Blossoms?”

“That’s right! I was once fortunate enough to witness the Flower and Rain Alliance’s Leader, Jiang Han, use this very move against an opponent. It was identical to what we just saw.”

“No wonder he disguised his voice…”

“But when did he get here? And why did it seem like Jiang Ran was already prepared for him?”

“What makes you say he was prepared?”

“A moment ago, everyone’s attention was on Gu Renlong, but he was nowhere to be seen…”

“After that white smoke, if he hadn’t intercepted Jiang Han, that man would have already made off with the Jiaowei Zither!”

“Everyone says the Flower and Rain Alliance is domineering, but I never thought they’d resort to such underhanded tactics.”

“Jiang Ran is fighting two Gang Leaders by himself. I’m afraid he’s going to… huh?”

Just as someone was thinking that Jiang Ran was doomed, facing two great masters alone, a loud BOOM echoed.

A figure was seen plummeting from mid-air and slamming violently onto the ground.

It not only smashed the tables and chairs but also left a crater in the earth.

Everyone could see that the person was none other than Gu Renlong.

He had just exchanged a palm strike with Jiang Ran. Now, lying in the crater with a mouth full of blood, he stared at Jiang Ran with utter disbelief.

Jiang Ran stood on the cliff wall, looking down at Jiang Han with a smile.

“So we share the same surname. You were wrong just now. Even if you two join forces, you still won’t escape death today…”