Chapter 9: The Decision of the Spirits

The two have yet to engage in combat, yet they have already clashed verbally. Guo Kankan has displayed an unparalleled confidence, while Yan Chengfeng pointed out that he missed his opportunity five years ago, and that now is no longer the best time for a confrontation

Half a mile outside the town, there is a high platform, which stands twenty-four zhang tall

Yan Chengfeng let out a bitter smile, took nine deep breaths, dispelling the restlessness in his chest. His body remained still, and there was no visible exertion; he floated out of the window like a wisp of light smoke, gliding through the air for more than ten zhang before finally showing signs of descending.

His body floated to a height of about 1.5 to 1.6 meters, just like a kite, suspended in the air

Yan Chengfeng did not seem to pay much attention, while Guo Kan went all out from the very beginning, employing a combat style that left no room for retreat.

The archery skills of this centurion have reached an extraordinary level, and he is fully confident in his abilities, to the extent that he has no intention of shooting a second arrow

Yan Chengfeng's speed suddenly doubled, and the dozens of frightened Xue soldiers who rushed over upon hearing the sound could only see a white shadow swiftly disappearing into the small town. Even the Xue army commander, who prided himself on his archery skills and was the fastest to react, could not catch a glimpse of this shadow, let alone draw his bow and shoot an arrow.

The two unparalleled masters finally faced each other in a direct confrontation. With just one move, they both elevated their momentum to its peak, showcasing their martial arts to the most perfect extent. Anyone who had speculated on the outcome of their battle would never have anticipated that the very first move exchanged between them would be executed with all their might, devoid of any hint of testing the waters.

At this moment, Yan Chengfeng said lightly: "These trivial tricks are not worthy of praise from the Canglang Martial God. This duel has been delayed for five years, and during these five years, I have considered myself to have made significant progress. However, the Martial God Guo is aging, and I fear that he may not have made any advancements during these five years, but rather has regressed a bit."

This unparalleled lightness skill even made the Wolf Martial God Guo Kan unable to help but exclaim: "What a remarkable Qingyu Chengfeng Jue, truly the number one lightness skill in the world"

Yan Chengfeng harbored no mercy towards these Yuan soldiers; with a flick of his fingers, a stream of finger force shot out.

The Canglang Martial God, Guo Kan, suddenly stepped forward, causing the pavilion where he had been sitting to shatter into pieces. Every wooden beam and every piece of cowhide transformed into incredibly sharp divine blades, reaching a distance of one hundred steps in an instant, sealing off the heavens and the earth, and forcing Yan Chengfeng into the most intense realm of blade intent.

In just a moment, Yan Chengfeng arrived at the foot of the mountain. He saw the nameless small town at the foot of the mountain, and even the five hundred eighty-six timid cavalrymen of the Xue army patrolling outside this town were as clear to him as the patterns in the palm of his hand.

A timid sergeant of the Xue army saw Yan Chengfeng coming as if riding the clouds and mist, feeling calm and unafraid in his heart. He swiftly drew his great bow, took an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and in just a breath's time, the feathered arrow had already pierced the air, heading straight for Yan Chengfeng's brow

As Yan Chengfeng stepped into the town, he saw Guo Kan, who at that very moment also saw Yan Chengfeng. The two of them, not a second apart, not a fraction of a moment off, simultaneously caught sight of each other

The White Elephant King observed for a moment, and then suddenly his lips moved slightly as he transmitted a message to a man in a black robe, asking: "What does Master Fang think?"

The White Elephant King continued to speak with an impassive demeanor: "It is indeed a victory in one battle! From now on, Yan Chengfeng will no longer be able to cause any trouble for my Great Yuan Empire."

These timid soldiers circled around, knowing they could not enter this small town, yet they remained still and, in accordance with military orders, continued to firmly seal off the town

Guo Kan let out a long laugh and said: "Yan Chengfeng, you have indeed come. In today's battle, it is certain that you will die at my hands, with no other outcome possible"

The White Elephant King trembled slightly, but soon appeared unfazed. After the young man finished speaking, he no longer paid any attention to the White Elephant King and simply focused on watching the battle.

From this high platform, the entire town is visible at a glance. In the eyes of experts like them, even though it is half a mile away, it still appears as if it is right in front of them

The young man spoke leisurely, saying: "What does the national master think of the chances of victory for the martial god this time?"

A sudden flash of inspiration struck his mind, as if he had transformed into a young boy named Ning Yue, who was making a wish upon an ancient artifact known as the Divine Crystal. Yet in the next moment, he returned to the present world, as if that instant had merely been a dream

Yan Chengfeng's body seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, suddenly changing direction while charging forward with all its might, almost defying inertia, and gently floating upwards

As soon as they reached the high platform, they fell silent, and no one spoke again, not even the sound of breathing could be heard

Qie Xuejun is a personal guard of the Khan, known for his arrogance. When the commander made a move, several of the more than ten cavalrymen under his command reached for their quivers, and some even secretly regretted that they had acted too slowly and missed the opportunity to claim this merit

Yan Chengfeng is already an unparalleled grandmaster in the world. Although these Qiexue soldiers are brave and fierce, it would be a joke to say they could harm him. At this moment, his slight display of skill is already sufficient to leave these Qiexue soldiers with no way out between life and death

With a light reprimand, boundless sword energy erupted, coalescing into a flawless sword circle around him. The interplay of hardness and softness, the transformation of yin and yang, allowed Guo Kan to utilize the shattered pavilion, manifesting a blade intent akin to a thousand troops and horses. Outside his flawless sword circle, they were all shattered and dissipated.

Guo Kan let out a wild laugh and said: "Even though I have indeed made no progress in these five years, I can still slay you on the spot. Your few tricks of illusion may deceive others, but how can they possibly deceive me, who has traversed thousands of miles, slaughtered hundreds of cities, and honed my blade intent!"

Master Fang let out a low laugh, yet did not transmit any sound, instead speaking to himself: "Guo Wushen's swordsmanship can penetrate the realm of the celestial beings, while Yan Chengfeng's Ten Directions of Illusionary Obliteration possesses the ability to turn illusion into reality. In this battle, both have held nothing back, and within a hundred moves, a victor will surely be determined."

This man in black is the leader of the Southern Sect of the Demon Cult, possessing martial skills that are unfathomable. Even the King of White Elephants cannot gauge the level of his martial prowess. It was only upon reaching this high platform that he realized the young man had actually invited this person out of seclusion. He intended to test the discernment of this leader of the Southern Sect of the Demon Cult, in order to infer the relative levels of martial arts between the two.

At this moment, more than ten people were standing on the high platform, among whom the leader was a young man, no more than in his thirties. Even the White Elephant Dharma King stood respectfully behind him, indicating that this person's status was extraordinary

The young man shook his head and suddenly smiled, saying: "I am also a martial arts expert. Although I am not as skilled as the national master, I can still see that Guo Wushen has exerted all his strength in this battle. However, Yan Chengfeng can still respond calmly. Even if Yan Chengfeng cannot escape death in this battle, I fear that Guo Wushen will also not be able to leave this small town."

The swallow let out a hearty laugh, lightly touching the ground with its foot, and then soared into the air like a great bird. After a few ascents and descents, it was already several miles away. The finesse of its lightness skill far surpassed the methods employed by the White Elephant Dharma King when descending the mountain yesterday

Emperor Yuan only allowed them to guard this small town, forbidding anyone from disturbing Guo Kanquing, but did not say they could not take action. This centurion acted boldly, thinking that if he could shoot Yan Chengfeng dead with a single arrow, such a merit would be as great as the heavens, and he would likely be immediately granted an official title and appointed as a general, securing a territory.

A battle between two unparalleled masters is a scene that any martial artist would dream of. Perhaps just a single change in a move or technique could spark inspiration, allowing them to advance their martial arts to a new level. Therefore, no one is willing to miss any detail.

Yan Chengfeng slowly opened his eyes, and within them shone a brilliance like lightning. Every detail in the room was clearly visible, almost indistinguishable from daylight

The intangible and formless force of the finger moved like lightning, and the arrows shot by the centurion suddenly broke into more than ten pieces in mid-air, returning at a speed several times faster than when they were shot. Each fragment of the arrow, rebounded by Yan Chengfeng's finger force, became as hard as fine iron, piercing through the foreheads of the more than ten Yuan soldiers, instantly killing all of them.