Eternal Saber-Chapter 186 - 49: Foiled at the Last Moment

"What happened?"

Murong Haitang asked upon seeing the situation.

Changsun Ming shook his head slightly, saying nothing.

For some unknown reason, this emaciated old man gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

But no matter how he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember where he had seen this person before.

"Who are you!"

Yuwen Dong, having lost his weapon, was both startled and furious. With one hand he drew the sword from his waist, and with the other, he took out the Grand Commandant’s Order from his chest, shouting loudly: "I am Yuwen Dong, under orders from the Grand Commandant to apprehend the wanted criminal from the previous dynasty..."

"Hmph!"

Before Yuwen Dong could finish speaking, the emaciated old man interrupted with a light snort.

In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of him, reached out to catch the thrusting long sword from Yuwen Dong, and with force in his palm, snapped the sword in two.

Simultaneously, he snatched the Grand Commandant’s Order from Yuwen Dong’s hand, threw it to the ground casually, and struck Yuwen Dong’s chest with another palm.

Bang!

A loud, dull sound!

It was as if someone had beaten a large drum right in front of Yuwen Dong!

The heart-protecting mirror on Yuwen Dong’s chest instantly shattered, and he was sent flying by a tremendous force, crashing heavily to the ground several dozen yards away.

The emaciated old man didn’t even glance at him, walked over to another horse, picked up Lu Qianshan, and turned to leave.

Within just a few breaths, after a few leaps, the two had disappeared into the distance.

It was only then that those Fourth and Fifth Grade experts struggled to stand up from the ground.

They had barely clashed with the emaciated old man, yet everyone felt as if their entire body had fallen apart, devoid of strength.

However, looking at the two corpses on the ground, once again they felt a wave of relief.

They only suffered minor injuries, while the other two were already dead!

Yuwen Dong gritted his teeth, trying hard to calm the agitated inner qi within his Eight Meridians, slowly stood up, his face ashen, looking extremely grim.

Clang!

As he was about to speak, his silver armor made a clattering sound, falling off his body.

The fish-scale-like plates made from refined iron were all shattered, falling to the ground, piling up at his feet!

Yuwen Dong’s throat moved as he swallowed, unable to hide his fear.

What kind of cultivation does this person have?

Even a Second Grade Innate Martial Artist wouldn’t have such combat power.

A First Grade Grandmaster?

This person seemed unfamiliar to him, someone he had never seen before. Where did such a grandmaster come from?

Could it be one of the surviving grandmasters from the previous dynasty?

But the techniques used by this person seemed unrelated to the previous dynasty.

Wait, what technique did this person use?

Yuwen Dong carefully recalled and realized that the emaciated old man seemed to not have used any established techniques or methods, relying purely on brute strength. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

With a sullen expression, Yuwen Dong picked up the Grand Commandant’s Order from the ground, about to tuck it into his bosom, when his pupils suddenly contracted.

On the Grand Commandant’s Order that was forged from the finest steel of Qian Country, there were several new fingerprints!

Yuwen Dong took several deep breaths, trying his best to calm his mind.

This person was too terrifying, it seemed he would have to ask his father to personally intervene.

"Young master, what should we do?"

A personal guard stepped forward and asked.

Yuwen Dong pondered for a moment and said, "Let’s go, capture that little lass!"

Lu Qianshan had been snatched away, and since this person might be a grandmaster, pursuing him would be pointless.

This mission was a failure, a complete loss; they could only try to minimize the losses.

That Lu Qing was considered the granddaughter of Emperor Wu, a direct descendant by blood.

As long as they could capture her, they could redeem themselves.

Everyone mounted their horses, heading in the direction of Chen Tang and Lu Qing.

Mist Rain Village.

"Who was that person?"

Yuan Qingmo, watching the scene that had just unfolded, asked.

The Vermilion Bird Bureau was responsible for the intelligence of Qian Country.

They had records of the experts scattered across Qian Country, including those grandmasters who had shown themselves and those from the previous dynasty.

Zong Zhulan shook his head slightly and said, "This person’s moves were all common techniques. He looked unfamiliar; I’ve never seen him before."

Yuan Qingmo remained silent.

No matter what, it was fortunate that Lu Qianshan did not fall into the hands of the Yuwen family.

However, judging from Yuwen Dong’s direction, it seemed he was heading towards Haitang and Lu Qing.

It’s uncertain whether they can escape smoothly.

...

"Kou Zhenshan, you can’t escape!"

Ying Liquan’s body technique was extremely fast, persistently pursuing, getting closer and closer to Kou Zhenshan.

He suddenly raised his hand, throwing several flashes of cold light.

Kou Zhenshan seemed to sense it and quickly turned over to dodge.

This delay allowed Ying Liquan to catch up.

The two were both in the Third Grade realm.

However, Kou Zhenshan had only opened six meridians, with the crucial Ren and Du Meridians still blocked.

Ying Liquan, on the other hand, had already connected seven meridians.

Moreover, Kou Zhenshan was advanced in age, his strength waning, and he was unarmed.

Ying Liquan was in his prime, wielding a sharp long blade.

As soon as the fight commenced, Kou Zhenshan immediately found himself at a disadvantage.

Before long, the other White Tiger Guards surrounded them, and under the flurry of blades, Kou Zhenshan could only barely dodge, unable to counterattack, facing life-threatening danger.

"It’s a pity, just after hearing news about Prince Qin Xi, I might fall here."

Kou Zhenshan silently lamented.

At that moment, a figure leaped from the woods, a flash of cold light appeared.

An unsuspecting White Tiger Guard was cleaved in two by a sword, blood spilling all over the ground!

This man, wielding a long sword, moved gracefully, darting left and right among the crowd, injuring several White Tiger Guards in an instant.

"Hmm?"

Ying Liquan frowned deeply and shouted, "Where did this rogue come from!"

"Haha!"

The newcomer laughed loudly, "I too am the remnant you mentioned from the previous dynasty!"

Only then did Kou Zhenshan take a moment to glance at the newcomer.

"Brother Xu!"

Kou Zhenshan rejoiced, calling out.

"Xu, you say?"

Ying Liquan’s interest piqued, he questioned, "One of the Dragon Tiger Guards, Xu Ridge?"

"Indeed!"

The newcomer unabashedly confirmed.

Ying Liquan held his long blade across, speaking with a heavy voice, "Perfect timing, today I’ll wipe out you remnants of the previous dynasty!"

"Heh..."

Xu Ridge sneered slightly, ignored him, and joined forces with Kou Zhenshan, launching a fierce attack on Ying Liquan.

Afterwards, he grabbed Kou Zhenshan, quietly said, "Let’s go first!"

The two, having not met for years, still had a tacit understanding, fully exerted themselves, broke through the White Tiger Guards’ encirclement, and fled into the distance.

Kou Zhenshan whispered, "I saw Prince Qin Xi, we must find a way to rescue him!"

"Let’s shake off these pursuers first."

Xu Ridge said solemnly, "Just the two of us cannot save the prince. We have to think of a way to gather the former forces of the previous dynasty; only by combining strength can we have a chance to rescue the prince."

Kou Zhenshan sighed softly, saying, "Ah, it would be good if some Immortal Slayers were still alive."

Xu Ridge, hearing this, also showed regret.

Under Emperor Wu’s command, besides the Hu Ben Army, Dragon Soaring Iron Cavalry, and Dragon Tiger Guard, four of the most talented young men were secretly selected from the Dragon Tiger Guard and trained to become Immortal Slayers.

The purpose was to deal with the Profound Celestial Sect!

From a thousand Dragon Tiger Guards, only four were chosen after rigorous selection.

Unfortunately, in the Battle of Xiajiang, one was severely injured and drowned.

Another was buried in the Snow Ridge.

Another perished during the turmoil in the Capital City.

Only one remained, scattered by the advancing armies while Emperor Wu fled the Capital City, fate unknown.

At that time, many Dragon Tiger Guards also perished or were scattered during the breakout and pursuit; Xu Ridge was one of them.

Back then, the four Immortal Slayers were at the peak of the Second Grade, and according to Emperor Wu, they all had a chance to reach First Grade Grandmaster.

Sadly, in successive battles, three of the Immortal Slayers fell, and the last one has been missing for years.

If this Immortal Slayer were still alive, after all these years, he would likely have stepped into the Grandmaster realm.

With the assistance of a Grandmaster, there would be a great chance of rescuing Prince Qin Xi!

...

Hearing the increasing sound of hoofbeats behind, Chen Tang and Lu Qing exchanged glances, reading determination in each other’s eyes.

The two suddenly turned around, prepared to fight to the death!

Just then, there was a disturbance in the vegetation on either side.

Next moment, a few black iron balls rolled onto the road, with fuses attached, already lit, and about to reach the end.

Thunder Shock!

Chen Tang’s eyes lit up.

He grabbed Lu Qing’s wrist and turned to run.

Not long after, a series of earth-shattering explosions sounded from behind, accompanied by screams, horse neighs, and the pursuers were thrown into chaos.

Chen Tang and Lu Qing glanced back.

Only to see a thick cloud of smoke completely sealing off the road behind them.

A figure left the roadside grass, darting into the dense forest, out of sight.

Chen Tang looked at that slightly familiar silhouette, recalling the Vermilion Bird Department Captain who guarded Yuan Qingmu back in Wu’an County.

"Thank you."

Chen Tang quietly conveyed his gratitude and continued fleeing with Lu Qing.

A few Thunder Shocks might only temporarily obstruct the pursuers, but not eliminate them.

Sooner or later, they would resume the chase.