Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Disciples of the Netherworld Pavilion

The carriage was quite spacious, not at all crowded even with five people inside.

Traveling by carriage was slower than using a Step Technique, but it had its advantages. Since they didn’t have to travel on foot, they could use the time for Cultivation.

After boarding the carriage, Fang Han found a corner, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to focus. He began circulating the Xunfeng Technique to cultivate his Inner Qi.

When Wang Meng saw Fang Han immediately enter a state of Cultivation after getting on the carriage, a flicker of light passed through her cool eyes.

Seeing Fang Han making every second count for his Cultivation, she found it less difficult to accept how quickly he had risen.

The carriage wheels rumbled along the official road, heading toward their destination.

Because it was an official road, the journey was relatively smooth and didn’t greatly affect his Inner Qi Cultivation. Fang Han remained immersed, feeling the Inner Qi slowly growing stronger within his meridians.

Two days later, the convoy arrived at a city of a similar scale to Liangshui City—Baisan City.

The city walls were built of gray-blue bricks and stone. Above the gate, the two words "Baisan City" were carved.

Several people were already waiting at the city gate, led by a portly, middle-aged man in a brocade robe.

Upon seeing the flag of the Qingxuan Sect on the carriage, he immediately broke into a wide smile and hurried forward to greet them.

"Xu Rong, Patriarch of the Baisan City Xu Family, respectfully welcomes the honored emissaries of the Qingxuan Sect!"

The middle-aged man bowed deeply with an extremely humble attitude. The few family Elders behind him followed suit.

"There is no need for such ceremony, Patriarch Xu. We have come on orders to collect this year’s tribute, and must trouble you to handle the arrangements."

The five from Fang Han’s group stepped out of the carriage. It was Liu Ye who had spoken, and she offered a cupped-fist salute.

"Of course, of course!"

Xu Rong said repeatedly.

"Honored emissaries, you must be weary from your journey. A banquet has been prepared at my mansion to welcome you. The tribute items are also ready. They are currently being inventoried and loaded, and the handover can be completed tomorrow."

After the pleasantries, the members of the Xu Family led Fang Han’s group of five into the city and toward the Xu Mansion to get them settled.

"There’s still some time before the banquet. Why don’t we take a stroll around Baisan City?"

After they arrived at the guest courtyard the Xu Family had arranged, Liu Ye proposed.

Sun Ming, Bai Feng, and Wang Meng were all interested, and Fang Han was no exception.

They had been in the carriage for nearly two days, and their bodies had grown a bit stiff. A walk around the city to stretch their legs sounded good.

So, the five of them left the Xu Mansion together and strolled through the streets of Baisan City.

However, they soon split up, as their interests drew them in different directions.

Fang Han found a clean-looking restaurant, ordered a few local specialty dishes, and enjoyed them at a leisurely pace, giving his stomach a well-deserved treat after days on the road.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Fang Han had just stepped out of the restaurant and was about to find the others when he saw a servant from the Xu Family rushing toward him, a panicked look on his face.

"Young... Young Master Fang, it’s terrible! Young Master Sun and Young Master Bai... they’ve gotten into a fight with someone at the market in the west of the city!"

Fang Han frowned. Sun Ming and Bai Feng were on this mission with him; if they were injured, it would certainly affect their task.

Besides, hearing that his fellow sect members were in a conflict, he couldn’t just ignore it out of either duty or principle. He said in a low voice,

"Lead the way!"

With that, he followed the servant, hurrying toward the market in the west of the city.

They passed through several bustling streets, and as they neared the west of the city, the sounds of commotion and cries of alarm grew clearer.

Rounding a corner, the scene at the western market instantly came into view.

The once-spacious street was now a complete mess. Stalls were overturned, goods were scattered everywhere, and a crowd of onlookers had retreated a great distance, leaving a large, open area.

In the center of this area, four figures dressed in black fitted attire, their cuffs and collars embroidered with a strange, dark flame pattern, were locked in a fierce battle with Liu Ye, Wang Meng, Sun Ming, and Bai Feng.

Fang Han recognized their unique uniforms from the Sect’s records—it was the Disciple’s Robe of the Netherworld Pavilion, a sect on hostile terms with the Qingxuan Sect!

Not far away, a youth, also dressed in black, stood with his arms crossed. He had a somewhat sinister air about him and a playful smile on his lips, watching the battle with amused interest.

On the battlefield, Liu Ye and the other three were in a dire situation.

Sun Ming wielded his Heavy Sword with great, weighty force, but his opponent’s Body Technique was incredibly bizarre, moving around him like a phantom.

A pair of faintly glowing Short Blades targeted his vitals, and had already left several bloody gashes on Sun Ming’s arm and side, staining his robes red.

Bai Feng’s Swordsmanship was swift, but his opponent’s Palm Technique carried a chillingly cold energy. Every time it met his blade, Bai Feng’s arm would go slightly numb and his qi flow would be disrupted. He was at a clear disadvantage, his shoulder already wounded.

Liu Ye’s pair of Short Spikes were agile, but they were entangled by her opponent’s strange black whip. The whip’s shadow struck like a viper’s tongue, lashing at her openings and leaving her hard-pressed to defend herself, in constant peril.

Wang Meng’s Swordsmanship was agile and light, and her level of comprehension was not low, but she clearly lacked real combat experience.

Facing her opponent’s ruthless and cunning attacks, she could only struggle to hold on. Her Step Technique had become disordered, and a faint, almost imperceptible pallor had appeared on her cool face.

These four Netherworld Pavilion disciples were all quite strong, at least at the Middle Stage of Ninth Grade. They were ruthless, their teamwork was seamless, and they were clearly not to be trifled with.

Meanwhile, Liu Ye and the other three had all joined the Qingxuan Sect through connections. Among the ordinary disciples of the Qingxuan Sect, their strength ranked in the lower tiers.

They were completely suppressed; their defeat was only a matter of time.

’People from the Netherworld Pavilion...’

Fang Han frowned. He hadn’t expected to run into people from the Netherworld Pavilion here.

The grudge between the Qingxuan Sect and the Netherworld Pavilion ran deep. Adding to that the recent rumor that a Netherworld Pavilion True Disciple had supposedly died at the hands of a Qingxuan Sect True Inheritor, it was no wonder a conflict had erupted upon their meeting.

A cold glint appeared in his eyes.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, first locking onto the female Netherworld Pavilion disciple who was forcing Wang Meng to retreat repeatedly.

Although he didn’t have a good impression of Wang Meng, Senior Brother Wang Miao had just recently stood up for him. No matter what, he couldn’t just stand by and watch Wang Meng get hurt.

SWOOSH!

In the span of a thought, Fang Han executed the Startled Swan Step.

His figure became like a wisp of pale cyan smoke, silently yet with incredible speed, he shot into the fray, heading straight for the female Netherworld Pavilion disciple who was viciously attacking Wang Meng with a pair of Water-Splitting Needles.

The female Netherworld Pavilion disciple was in the middle of an all-out assault and was on the verge of success when she suddenly felt a vicious gust of wind from behind. A sharp sword shadow was already striking at her back.

Her face fell in alarm. Forgetting her attack on Wang Meng, she hastily twisted her body and thrust her weapon back to parry.

However, Fang Han’s strike had been building momentum for some time. It was both fast and fierce!

CLANG!

The Cyan Blade Sword slammed into the Water-Splitting Needle, sending sparks flying.

The female Netherworld Pavilion disciple felt an immense force travel up her weapon. The webbing of her thumb tore open, and she nearly lost her grip on the Water-Splitting Needle.

The sheer force sent her qi and blood into turmoil, and she stumbled backward, flying through the air.

She crashed heavily to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood, having already sustained internal injuries.

With the pressure gone, Wang Meng let out a long sigh of relief and looked at the person who had saved her.

When she saw that her rescuer was actually Fang Han, a complex look flashed in her cool eyes.

SWOOSH!

Without a word, Fang Han flashed toward the Netherworld Pavilion disciple fighting Liu Ye.

He planned to use the same tactic to ambush this disciple and rescue Liu Ye.

"Watch out!"

Just then, Wang Meng’s cool voice rang out, tinged with urgency.

BOOM—!

The black-clothed youth who had been watching from the sidelines suddenly saw the playful smile on his face turn ice-cold. His figure flickered and vanished from his spot like a ghost.

The next instant, he appeared behind Fang Han!

A right fist, clad in a dark red metal gauntlet and carrying a scorching, sinister aura, silently pressed toward the vital point on Fang Han’s back.

The punch was extremely fast and came from a cunning angle. If it landed, he would be severely injured, if not killed!

SWOOSH!

In truth, even without Wang Meng’s warning, Fang Han had been keeping an eye on the arm-crossed, black-clothed youth out of the corner of his eye.

He had already sensed the sharp killing intent behind him before Wang Meng even cried out.

Instantly pushing the Startled Swan Step to its limit, he tapped his toe on the ground in a seemingly casual motion, and his body drifted like a willow catkin in the wind, gliding erratically over a zhang to the side.

He dodged the fatal punch by a hair’s breadth.

The wind from the fist grazed the corner of his robes, and the searing heatwave made his skin tingle.

"Not a bad reaction."

As his strike missed, a hint of surprise flashed in the black-clothed youth’s eyes, quickly replaced by even stronger battle intent.

He wasted no more words. His figure moved again, chasing after Fang Han like a shadow. He threw out both fists, and a flurry of fist-shadows, like burning will-o’-the-wisps, enveloped the major acupoints all over Fang Han’s body.

’His Body Technique is actually on par with mine!’

A trace of surprise appeared in Fang Han’s eyes.

He had always been quite confident in his Body Technique. If the rankings on the Martial Arts Stele were determined by actual combat, he was certain he could climb several spots higher with his skills.

But this black-clothed youth was about his age, yet his mastery of Body Technique was no worse than his own.

This was definitely a formidable opponent!

The Cyan Blade Sword let out a clear ring. He fully unleashed his Wind-Splitting Swordsmanship, which was at the Minor Achievement Level, and a flash of sword light shot out like lightning to meet the flurry of fist-shadows.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG...

In an instant, the sound of sword meeting fist erupted in a dense barrage, like popping beans.

Fang Han’s Swordsmanship was swift and sharp, carrying a tearing "Wind Momentum." He repeatedly stabbed from unbelievable angles, specifically targeting the openings in the black-clothed youth’s Fist Technique.

The black-clothed youth’s Fist Technique was equally strange and ruthless. The scorching Inner Qi imbued in his gauntlets carried a sinister, corrosive power that traveled through the blade, making Fang Han’s arm slightly numb.

The two fought speed with speed, their figures flashing and weaving across the field. Sword Qi crisscrossed and fists howled, kicking up clouds of dust.

Everywhere they passed, shallow craters were stamped into the ground, and scattered goods were shredded by the Qi Force.

The surrounding crowd stared, dumbfounded, retreating again and again, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Liu Ye, Sun Ming, and Bai Feng took this opportunity to quickly gather around Wang Meng. They warily watched the three remaining Netherworld Pavilion disciples, who had temporarily stopped fighting, while anxiously observing the fierce battle between Fang Han and the black-clothed youth.

"What rotten luck, running into guys from the Netherworld Pavilion here!"

Sun Ming said, grimacing as he clutched his wound.

"Can Junior Brother Fang Han hold him off?"

Liu Ye’s face was etched with worry.

Wang Meng said nothing, but obvious worry was also written all over her face.