Chapter 413 - 196: Can It Be Broken?

Cheng Tianyang was a mess, his breathing ragged. He didn’t look like a master at all, but more like an ordinary man who had just finished a frantic sprint.

He spoke just one sentence before he had to gasp violently for several breaths.

But Jiang Ran’s eyes lit up.

"Did they all withdraw?"

Cheng Tianyang immediately looked at Jiang Ran, his eyes narrowing as he gave a deep nod.

"Mission accomplished!"

Jiang Ran burst into laughter and turned to the Young Manor Lord.

"Young Manor Lord, do you still have any doubts?"

The Young Manor Lord’s face was grim. He shook his head in resignation.

"What a Cheng Tianyang. And what a Jiang Ran!

"My Heterodox Manor will remember what happened today... Farewell!"

"Don’t you run!"

"Stop right there!"

"Where do you think you’re going!?"

Without Jiang Ran needing to say a word, the martial arts masters who had been terrified just moments ago spontaneously swarmed forward.

"What does Heterodox Manor take Sunset Plateau for? A place you can come and go as you please? It won’t be hard for you to leave today... so long as you leave your lives behind!"

The corner of the Young Manor Lord’s mouth twitched into a smirk.

"You worthless rabble dare to stand in my way?

"You’re truly courting death!"

"Kill!!!"

"Slay the demons, defend the righteous path, and make our names known! Today is the day!"

"Today is the day!!!"

At this point, more words were useless.

Now that the immediate crisis was averted, they had to do something to regain the face they had just lost so spectacularly.

They didn’t wait for a vanguard to emerge; if no one else would lead the charge, they would do it themselves.

One after another, they leaped up and charged toward the Young Manor Lord.

But before they could get close, a group of Heterodox Manor members flew up to intercept them.

A woman in Black was seen weaving through the crowd, her sleeves fluttering. Her palms never touched their clothes, yet wherever she passed, several people would suddenly start bleeding from all seven orifices. Only after they died on the spot did poisonous insects begin to crawl out from their nostrils and ear canals.

This was, of course, Lady Wu!

There was another man, laughing playfully, holding a rattle-drum in his hand and with a small doll tucked into his belt.

A shake of the rattle-drum would muddle his opponent’s mind; a flick of the doll would send a hidden blade to slit their throat.

There was also a lame man, leaning on a crutch. He looked frail enough to be blown over by a gust of wind, but his every step was completely unpredictable.

Suddenly he was in front, then behind, now to the left, now to the right.

His movements were erratic, like a ghost. He could vanish in an instant, only for his crutch to reappear, its tip striking a fatal pressure point on an opponent’s back.

Nearly every member of Heterodox Manor possessed some bizarre, uncanny skill.

Their abilities were outside the righteous path and defied common sense, yet they were all incredibly formidable.

Although many righteous martial artists had gathered on Sunset Plateau, once the fighting began, it became clear that—aside from overwhelming them with numbers—most were no match for these people in single combat.

Still, some masters managed to break through the blockade of ordinary Heterodox Manor disciples and burst toward the core, aiming to assassinate the Young Manor Lord.

The Four Evil Sects were about to make their move, but a group of dwarves suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.

Giggling, they charged right at the approaching masters.

The masters tried to cut down the dwarves with their blades, but they quickly discovered the dwarves were too small and agile. With a simple dodge, a dwarf would be behind them, and before they could even turn, it would have already climbed onto their back.

One man tried to reach back and grab the creature on his back, but his vision suddenly went dark as the dwarf clapped its hands over his eyes.

Immediately after, a sharp pain lanced through his wrists, and his severed hands tumbled to the ground.

As he opened his mouth to scream, he felt a small hand shove its way inside, grab his tongue, and viciously rip it out...

Each of these dwarves fought with vicious, unorthodox methods; when they worked together, they were almost impossible to defend against.

Fortunately, the crowd on Sunset Plateau was large, and there were true masters among them.

In the blink of an eye, Lady Wu found her path blocked by a young man dressed in plain white.

No one knew where this young man came from, but Lady Wu’s poisonous insects had no effect on him whatsoever.

No matter what technique she tried, the young man simply watched her with a smile.

’If we weren’t in the middle of a life-or-death battle, I’d almost think he had designs on me.’

In other parts of the battlefield, other masters also made their moves.

Xuanyuan One Slash, Yan Wushuang, Liu Zongming, Ruan Yuqing, Gu Shengyan, and others leaped into action, some targeting the Four Evil Sects, others the dwarves.

Against ordinary martial artists, these dwarves were a terrifyingly lethal force.

But against the likes of Xuanyuan One Slash, they were lambs to the slaughter.

Ruan Yuqing and Gu Shengyan, two young women, wielded the Gentle Water Sword and the Nianhua Sword, respectively.

Yet now, as their swords moved in unison, they failed to produce any synergistic power.

Their fight against the Four Evil Sects was perilous at every turn.

Each of the four members of the Evil Sect—Niu, Ghost, Snake, and Divine—possessed a unique and formidable skill set.

The Niu Sect member was a demon-suppressor of infinite strength.

Ghost Sect’s Hai Dan was as elusive as a phantom.

Snake Sect’s Qu Zhi could intercept qi and sever meridians.

And then there was Divine Sect’s Bo Yan. To this day, no one knew the true extent of his abilities, yet he was the leader of the Four Evil Sects.

Frankly, in a one-on-one fight, any single one of these four was superior to Ruan Yuqing.

The Gentle Water Sword of the Shuiyue Sword Sect was nothing to be trifled with, but there was still a vast gap in power when compared to them.

Fortunately, Yan Wushuang joined the fray at a critical moment, allowing them to barely hold their ground.

Among the three, Gu Shengyan had the weakest Inner Energy. Though her Swordsmanship was sharp, she was not suited for a prolonged fight. Bullied by her opponent’s superior Inner Strength, she was forced to retreat again and again.

Before she knew it, she was already heavily injured.