You want to arrest me?

You want to kill me?

They don't even consider their own capabilities.

Lin Bufan sneered and said arrogantly, "If you all come at me together, what do I have to fear?"

"Let's go together."

"Charge!"

"Kill him."

With each other emboldened, hundreds of Imperial Guards and Eastern Depot agents surged with morale and charged toward Lin Bufan.

The swords clashed violently, creating a chaotic scene.

Lin Bufan and Yue Lingshan were trapped in the middle, seemingly in great danger, but in reality, they were not safe at all.

"Xiao Linzi, what should we do? We're surrounded." Yue Lingshan was very anxious.

"Go up to the roof first, away from them."

Lin Bufan grabbed Yue Lingshan and tossed her high into the air, landing her on a rooftop several meters away.

Without Yue Lingshan as a "burden," Lin Bufan could kill people much more easily and freely.

Swish, swish, swish!

Whoosh whoosh!

A series of seemingly random phrases followed by seemingly random details: chopping melons and vegetables, sometimes using the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, sometimes the Nine Swords of Dugu, sometimes the Frost True Qi, sometimes the Huashan School Sword Technique…

If Lin Bufan were to kill a hundred people, he would have a hundred different moves at his disposal.

Manager Zheng was dumbfounded, his lips twitching a few times: "This...this is the strength of the Innate Realm? Which Innate Realm cultivator is as powerful as him? Rumors are deadly, they've ruined our family."

Whoosh!

Lin Bufan teleported to Zheng Zhangban's front like a ghost, with corpses scattered all around him, not a single one alive.

All the Imperial Guards and agents of the Eastern Depot were killed, some with severed hands and feet; the scene was extremely bloody and cruel.

"You're the only one left. Die too, go and join them."

Lin Bufan swiftly drew his sword.

Master Zheng's pupils dilated, and he hurriedly summoned a large and a small meteor hammer.

He forcefully blocked the sword strike.

Yet his hands went numb, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

I feel like I've already exhausted 80% of my internal energy, and I definitely can't withstand the second sword strike.

"He has some ability; no wonder he is Wei Zhongxian's confidant."

Lin Bufan became serious, his killing intent intensified, and his eyes were fixed on Manager Zheng.

Zheng, the head constable, was terrified and his face turned ashen. He knew he couldn't possibly defeat this man, so he hurriedly begged for mercy: "Don't kill me! I've brought people here to offer you amnesty and give you the opportunity to be promoted and serve the court. Isn't that a good thing? Why...why are you so agitated?"

"How could I not be agitated? You want to confiscate my Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, kill my wife, and force me to be castrated and join the Eastern Depot. Who can tolerate this? Can you tolerate it?"

"I can really endure. That's how I got here. I offered up my martial arts techniques as a token of loyalty, killed a good brother as a pledge of allegiance, and only then did I have a chance to enter the Eastern Depot. You..."

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. There's no point in saying more. You may go on your way."

Lin Bufan swung his sword and cleanly severed the head of Manager Zheng.

At this point, none of the imperial troops who arrived survived.

Yue Lingshan was terrified and it took her a long time to calm down before she dared to jump off the roof.

“Little Lin, if you kill them all, both the martial arts world and the imperial court will hunt you down. You probably won’t have anywhere to hide in the Ming Dynasty.”

"Therefore, I tell you to stay away from me."

"No, I promised to be with you, and I will be with you and face everything together."

"Lingshan, calm down."

Lin Bufan explained to Yue Lingshan, "Besides Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying, I've killed everyone who's come looking for trouble. Considering Linghu Chong's relationship with the Huashan Sect, he won't say anything reckless, nor will he let Ren Yingying say anything reckless."

In other words, the impression that people in the martial arts world and the imperial court have of me is still based on what happened more than two months ago, when I killed Yue Buqun. They will think that I betrayed my master and ancestors, and that I am irreconcilably opposed to the Huashan Sect.

They didn't see you with me, and they don't know you came to see me recently, so they'll only target me when they're looking for trouble.

So you should return to Mount Hua as soon as possible, then the imperial court and the martial arts world will not make things difficult for you and your master's wife. If you stay by my side, you'll only cause me trouble."

Yue Lingshan lowered her head in frustration.

That's true; she caused trouble for Xiaolinzi from the start.

First, her senior brother came to cause trouble, then she was taken hostage by Zuo Lengchan, and then a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard wanted to kill her.

But would she be safe if she went back to the Huashan Sect? What if…

Lin Bufan guessed what Yue Lingshan was worried about and revealed a secret to her: "Behind the Cliff of Contemplation, there is a hidden cave. Inside are the methods to counter the martial arts moves of the Five Mountains Sword Sect and many other sects, and even the life-long secrets of the ten elders of the Sun Moon Divine Sect. After you go back, go and explore it properly. With your and your master's wife's aptitude, I believe you will soon be able to break through to the Innate Realm."

Is there a cave behind the Cliff of Contemplation?

Yue Lingshan was very surprised, "I've been in Mount Hua for so many years, how come I didn't know about this?"

Lin Bufan said, "Besides that cave, there's another old man named Feng Qingyang. He was originally a senior of the Sword Sect, your grandmaster's uncle. Unfortunately, he's lazy, has a bad temper, and is without desires. You can't rely on him for anything. You don't need to pay attention to him. Just focus on learning the martial arts in the cave."

"And what about you?"

"I'm going to venture into the Song Dynasty to seek out some profound martial arts opportunities. Only then can I return invincible."

...

Half a day later, after much persuasion, Lin Bufan finally convinced Yue Lingshan to return to Mount Hua, and the two parted ways for the time being.

One returned to the Huashan Sect, while the other prepared to venture into the martial arts world of the Song Dynasty.

Before heading to the Song Dynasty, Lin Bufan summoned the system panel to check his information.

"Ding, loading host information..."

Host: Lin Bufan

Age: 19

Realm: Late Stage of the Innate Realm

Accumulation of internal strength: forty-five years

Martial arts skills: one-third of the Dugu Nine Swords, Cold Ice True Qi (minor mastery), Secret Sound Transmission, Purple Cloud Divine Skill (minor mastery), Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, Five Mountains Sword Technique, and methods to counter various martial arts from the Cliff of Contemplation.

Inventory: Kasaya (Evil-repelling Sword Manual), one healing pill, and an ordinary sword.

"My internal strength has increased over the past ten years."

"His cultivation level has also risen to the late stage of the Innate Realm."

"Frosty True Qi, Dugu Nine Swords, Purple Cloud Divine Skill... either incomplete or only partially mastered, alas, it's a bit of a pity."

However, Lin Bufan was not disappointed. There was plenty of time ahead. It didn't matter how many techniques or moves there were; as long as his internal energy increased, that would be enough.

From now on, with one strength equal to ten skills, I can still kill people as easily as chopping melons and cutting vegetables.