Chapter 543 Return to Beijing! (5k)
At this moment, the light and shadows on the long street under the moonlight began to distort and change.
At this moment, Zhao Duan once again used the magic that came with the silver scroll "Taixu Illusion".
He has been using this palm-sized scroll as a "warehouse" for many years, but its real use is to drag the enemy into an illusion.
Amidst the rippling waves, the long street suddenly became quiet, and the rebels who were blocking both sides disappeared out of thin air. Zhao Duan bent his knees and kicked his legs, holding the sword in both hands, leaned forward, and charged towards Zhao Shixiong.
When they met on a narrow road, he actually chose to confront this border general head-on!
"Oh? An attack targeting the soul? Do you think that since I'm a warrior, I'm weak in this area? It's a good idea, but it's meaningless."
Zhao Shixiong stood still, leaning on his large Guandao with one hand. His eyes scanned the strange and deserted streets with interest, and he commented:
"Just like your phantom, you may deceive others, but you can't deceive me."
The next second, Zhao Duan, who was charging with a knife, crashed into Zhao Shixiong, and his body disappeared like sand in the wind.
This is actually an illusion!
The real Zhao Duan has already been hidden in this painting!
Since this is an illusion, it can naturally have more uses.
At that time, Frost Sword of Kuangfu Society held the scroll and assassinated Zhao Duan, but failed to tap the true power of the scroll.
However, after Zhao Duan was promoted to the worldly realm, he spent time to master this magical weapon and now he can use it with ease.
"Go ahead and do it. I'd like to see what tricks you have, young man. How dare you come to my territory and act wildly?" Zhao Shixiong said with a faint smile, leaning on his sword.
Suddenly, a sound like tearing cloth was heard in the darkness. Zhao Shixiong raised his eyebrows and saw a gray flying sword in the air in front of him, leaving an illusory afterimage and attacking fiercely!
More than just a bite!
Just like a prelude, almost at the same time, from all directions, flying swords flew through the air at high speed, emitting low whistling sounds.
The second black flying sword attacked from behind.
The third white flying sword came from the left.
The fourth yellow flying sword came from the right...
Gray, black, white, yellow, green, red, purple...
There were actually seven flying swords that emerged from different directions and surrounded and killed Zhao Shixiong.
If you look down from the sky, it looks like a lotus flower closing, each bite represents a petal, and Zhao Shixiong is the lotus seed in the center.
This was the seven flying swords that were seized from the archway of "Zixiao Temple" at the beginning of the year when Zhao Duan went to Binhai Road to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng and killed the purple-robed Taoist Lu Zhengchun.
Because Zhao Duan is not a sorcerer, he has never used it.
At the same time, it is almost impossible for anyone to know that Zhao Duan, a martial artist, can actually master the Taoist flying sword.
Therefore, this was a trick he kept hidden and never showed to outsiders.
"Flying sword?" Zhao Shixiong also showed a look of surprise, and the heavy sword in his hand finally moved. Without seeing how he swung his arm, the large Guandao with an exaggerated blade chopped diagonally.
"clang!"
Mars collapses!
The gray flying sword was knocked away, fell far away, and embedded in a wall.
Logically speaking, the big Guandao, which was impossible to resist in time, circled around Zhao Shixiong's waist like a windmill in this instant. It seemed very slow, but it was actually very fast.
“Ding ding ding…”
Seven flying swords were blocked and deflected almost in no particular order, shooting out and destroying the nearby houses.
"No, it's not the orthodox Taoist sword-controlling technique. It's much slower, more sluggish, and more clumsy. Besides, even Lu Zhengchun couldn't control the seven flying swords of Zixiao Temple at the same time, so how could you do it?"
Zhao Shixiong's eyes were calm as he casually pointed out the origin of the incident. He sneered and said towards the dark sky:
"Is that all you can do?"
On the roof of a small building in the distance, Zhao Duan stood, his whole body obscured and hidden by the illusion.
In the air behind him, Pei Niannu, wearing a bright red wedding dress, with a dark golden mask on her face, holding a weighing rod, and embroidered shoes hanging in the air, was floating, with illusory red lines extending from her body.
At the end of each red line, there is a flying sword.
Zhao Duan was able to barely control it by borrowing Pei Niannu, but as Zhao Shixiong said, this kind of control was extremely "crude" and far from the level of a true sorcerer.
However, Zhao Duan did not rely on this trick. The seven flying swords were just a test. The sword in his hand was trembling as he "charged" it again and again, and the surging energy filled the blade.
"Senior, please help me." Zhao Duan whispered softly, and Pei Niannu behind him slowly sank into his body.
The two merged into one. His hair suddenly spread out, his clothes turned blood-red, one eye was clear, and the other turned pure silver. His temperament also became cold and unfamiliar.
Zhao Duan did not intend to fight to the death with Zhao Shixiong, but he needed to find out the true strength of this general.
So, he went to so much trouble just to deliver the strongest blow.
Perhaps it was because of the other party's arrogance or extreme self-confidence that he actually gave him the opportunity to accumulate strength.
In order not to waste his strength, he did not use methods such as the Demon Sealing Spell and Heart Flame that would not cause too much damage to the opponent.
"I only have one chance... Pei Niannu and I will attack at the same time. Once it is launched, my Qi Sea will be almost completely drained, and I will be unable to fight again. Even if Zhao Shixiong is eliminated, those rebels outside can still hold me back."
Zhao Duan was extremely calm, and his right hand raised the bright and ancient sword.
The left hand holds up the rotating black tortoise seal in the palm of the hand.
A streak of scarlet flashed across the fiery red sacred armor inside the clothes—
The Qi in his body, under Pei Niannu's control, was being injected back into the armor, driving this Zoroastrian sacred object.
At the beginning, Pei Niannu once said that there would be differences when controlling the two gods of water and fire at the same time.
At this moment, the two forces of water and fire were extracted from the armor and seal respectively, and condensed into two small figures of water and fire.
The little water and fire figure jumped along Zhao Duan's arm and hugged the blade of the sword.
“Squeak…”
A wisp of scarlet flame wrapped around the blade, and then a stream of azure ice followed closely behind, greatly increasing the power of the blade.
The sound of waves echoed in Zhao Duan's ears, and he recalled the scene in the God of War picture where Old Xu split the sea water with a sword on the green mountain of the East China Sea.
A knife is a single-edged sword, and a sword is a double-edged sword.
There is no difference between the two.
Zhao Duan used his sword to suppress the blow and swung it out. He whispered:
"Open the sky!"
The entire scroll was trembling. Zhao Shixiong, who was standing in the middle of the long street, suddenly turned around and locked his gaze on Zhao Duan. For the first time, his face showed a serious expression. He held the Guandao horizontally in his hand, and the Hundred Refined Qi on his body swept like a hurricane. He laughed loudly and said:
“Just in time!”
A huge illusory sword energy appeared in the sky like a waterfall, and tens of millions of tons of sea water fell down.
"boom!!!"
A strong wind swept through, and a huge explosion destroyed the surrounding houses and buildings, making the entire illusion shaky.
Where Zhao Shixiong stood, due to the influence of the two forces of water and fire, a dazzling flash first erupted, and then a cloud of white steam spread out.
It rose like a small mushroom cloud.
Zhao Duan slashed with his sword, and the Qi Sea was drained almost instantly. Pei Niannu could not maintain his descent and disappeared, and he also returned to his original appearance.
"Can we kill him? At least seriously injure him?" Zhao Duan almost fell down, barely standing on the roof, nervously looking down at the steam cloud that was gradually dispersing in the distance.
There was silence, only the sound of the wind whimpering in my ears.
…
finally.
In the gradually thinning steam, a small but for some reason extremely tall black shadow stood there with a knife in his hand.
"As expected of a hero born young, with only two or three months of experience in this world, you were able to break my Hundred Refinements Qi. You should be proud of yourself."
Zhao Shixiong's powerful voice echoed along the long street.
Zhao Duan's face changed slightly, and his heart sank suddenly!
Zhao Shixiong was still standing on his two legs, leaning on a wide-bladed Guandao that was much taller than him with one hand.
The face with thick beard was grinning, revealing a row of sharp white teeth, and his eyes were staring at Zhao Duan on the roof and smiling.
The front of his loose robe was torn open, revealing his bronzed, muscular chest.
At this moment, a shallow line of blood remained on the chest that was as hard as stone. It was the wound caused by Zhao Duan's powerful blow.
What is even more eye-catching is the faint, crimson "murderous aura" that envelopes Zhao Shixiong's body.
Zhao Duan knew that the generals in the army had the habit of tempering their own qi and blood and blending with the qi, but there were only a few who could do it.
It is similar to the time when Emperor Taizu of Dayu cultivated his Qi into "Frost Qi" in the snowy plains.
According to court records, Zhao Shixiong had achieved this in his early years and named it "Scarlet Murderous Aura".
At this moment, the crimson murderous aura surrounding Zhao Shixiong wrapped around himself, rising like a wolf smoke, straight as a pillar, like smoke from a cooking stove!
The rising red column of gas shot straight into the sky, and the moonlight in the illusion was also dyed red.
"However, since this is all you are capable of, it's time to end it." Zhao Shixiong said, taking a step forward with his right foot shrouded in murderous intent.
The heavy Guandao in his hand was raised high again.
"not good!"
A strong sense of crisis that he was about to be locked down surged into his heart. Zhao Duan had no time to think and immediately broke away from the illusion!
As soon as he left, a red blade of energy streaked across the black night sky, and the eaves he was standing on was instantly cut open and fell.
The sky that made up the entire painting also cracked into a red crack, like a hideous scar that would take a long time to heal.
The scroll was torn.
On the long street in reality, Zhao Duan and Zhao Shixiong were still standing in their original positions, a hundred steps apart.
Zhao Duan suddenly opened his eyes, and without any hesitation, he immediately turned around and ran towards the street behind him.
"Stop him!"
The rebels suddenly separated, and a tall, fair-skinned woman with a curvy figure walked out, holding a long sword with a colorful silk cloth tied to the end.
Gongsun!
Zhao Duan's face changed slightly, the soles of his boots rubbed against the floor tiles, and he raised the knife in his hand horizontally, recognizing the person.
Gongsun said nothing, raised his sword and stabbed. At the same time, Zhao Shixiong behind him also "woke up" and took a step forward.
Large groups of rebels on both sides also surged in like a tide.
There is a wolf in front and a tiger behind.
Zhao Duan sighed, and a lilac flower painted with gold lacquer appeared on his cheek in a breath, and then quickly faded away. His body also turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared in full view of everyone!
"He ran away?!" Gongsun slashed through the air with his sword, causing the mountains to tremble. He was filled with shock and anger, gritting his teeth.
"It's a teleportation spell. This lackey of the imperial court is indeed difficult to kill!"
At this moment, Zhao Shixiong, his clothes torn in pieces and shrouded in crimson murderous aura, walked over with a calm expression:
"He can't get away."
As he spoke, he raised the long sword again. On the dark hilt, a pattern twisted like a talisman lit up. The broad blade was like a mirror, emitting a large area of red light that enveloped the surrounding area.
In the red light, the figure of Zhao Duan standing with a knife in his hand was gradually outlined.
The magic weapon in Zhao Shixiong's hand can take a picture of what happened in a place not long ago.
But few people know that this magical weapon called the [Soul-Breaking Sword] has another ability, which is that any soul that has been contaminated by the sword energy can be forcibly restrained within a certain range.
Cut off!
…
In Yongjia City, in a dark "safe house".
An old door frame stood quietly, and inside the room, the gold medal shadow guard scholar clutched a handkerchief, looking nervously at the [Two Life Gate], and occasionally turned his head to look at the fire in the distance outside the window.
Suddenly, a pale green light seeped out from the old double wooden doors, and a figure "walked" out of thin air from the door!
"Sir?!" The scholar's face lit up with joy as he hurriedly reported:
"Everything is going according to plan. I'm here to pick you up."
Zhao Duan stepped out of the [Two Life Gate], still feeling thrilled, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked at the old door frame with some palpitations.
Fortunately, he was cautious enough and left behind some means of saving his life, otherwise he would have been in real trouble tonight.
His eyes were extremely solemn. Zhao Shixiong's cultivation was far beyond his expectations. He even suspected that the other party had already stepped into the "half-step celestial being".
"Okay, leave immediately." Zhao Duan didn't dare to stay for long. He nodded to the scholar, raised his hand to close the two life doors, and just as he took a step, he suddenly fell to the ground with a "thump" and lay motionless on the ground.
The scholar was startled and quickly turned Zhao Duan's body over, calling out:
"Sir? Sir? What's wrong with you?"
But Zhao Duan was like a body without a soul, and had no reaction at all.
…
On the long street.
Zhao Duan was in a trance and was shocked to find that he had left the "safe house" and returned to that street again.
The surroundings were shrouded in crimson light, and the bright moon seemed to be stained with blood.
"What's going on? Am I... in a fugue state? Am I out of my body?"
Having had similar experiences, he immediately understood his current situation. Looking up, he saw a large number of rebels surrounding him, and Gongsun, holding a long sword and with murderous eyes.
It was Zhao Shixiong who was holding a long sword high above his head, as if he was going to chop it down and cut him in half at any moment.
"Are you surprised?" Zhao Shixiong smiled and looked down at him with disdain:
"When you killed the military supervisor Wang Qi, you knew to stay away from him. Why do you think you can escape unscathed from my sword?
I'm telling you, if this blade strikes, your soul will be shattered. Even if your body escapes, you'll just become a 'living dead' that won't last long. You're being too careless."
At this moment, the tone of this border general was full of confidence in victory.
Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, raised his head, and felt the [Soul-Breaking Sword] hanging in the air like a guillotine, without any doubt about the other party's words.
The gap in strength is too big.
At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the time when he encountered the "God of Law" in Jianning Prefecture.
At that time, the opponent gave him unprecedented pressure, but he never expected that he was no longer the same as before. He had been promoted to the middle level in the world and had Pei Niannu by his side. However, when facing a real strong man, he was still difficult to fight against.
"Yes, Your Majesty is right. It's difficult to become a truly powerful person if you're always being protected by others and hiding behind everyone. Even if there's not a huge gap in realm, how can a famous general who has been famous for many years and has always been at the border to defend against the enemy be compared to an ordinary person in the world?"
At this moment, Zhao Duan suddenly realized that he had made no mistakes in this operation.
It's just that the opponent is too strong, that's all.
"It seems that you are indeed more powerful than described in the court documents. I am no match for you now."
Zhao Duan looked at him calmly, without any fear on his face, and he was actually smiling:
"Thank you for teaching me this lesson. I will deal with you more seriously next time. But it's late. I should go now. You can't keep me."
Zhao Shixiong was stunned, and suddenly felt vaguely uneasy.
But he couldn't imagine how the other party could escape from his knife.
During this moment of daze, Zhao Duan closed his eyes and silently contemplated the world.
He wants to use the special power of the "War God's Way" to enter another world.
Silently, his soul disappeared once again, and this time, even with the [Soul-Breaking Sword] hanging high in the air, it was unable to reflect his presence.
"Husband..." A look of surprise appeared on Gongsun's round and bright face like the moon.
Zhao Shixiong frowned, slowly put away his knife, thought for a moment, then relaxed his frown and smiled:
"Did I underestimate this guy? Never mind, I'll catch him back later."
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly approached from outside the long street. A scout pushed through the crowd and shouted:
"General! There's a commotion in the government prison! A master has taken advantage of the chaos to rescue the imperial prisoners!"
Zhao Shixiong was stunned, his eyes flickering, as if he suddenly understood:
"A feint to the east and attack in the west... Did this person go through all this drama tonight just to save someone?"
He immediately turned around and went back to search. The night was still long, and it would not be easy for a group of mortals who had been punished and were weak to escape.
But at this moment, his ears moved slightly and he heard a cannon shot from the north.
Due to the short distance, the sound of the artillery was not very clear, but then, the extremely bright "flash bomb" fireworks in the night sky rose from the military camp in the northern suburbs and instantly caught everyone's attention.
"It's a call for help! The imperial army will cross the river tonight!" Gongsun lost his voice.
Compared to a group of prisoners, losing the front-line position would undoubtedly be an unacceptable loss.
Zhao Shixiong took a deep breath and gritted his teeth:
"Good boy, Zhao Duan..."
Soon, a group of people rushed towards the north gate of the city. As the commander, he had to go there to take charge.
…
In a teahouse in the city.
The Du family members stared blankly at the dazzling fireworks in the dark night. Du Ruhui said softly:
"Could it be that the imperial army is coming?"
Beside him were the sturdy Du wife who was holding several bags tightly, Du Xiaobao who was wearing thick clothes and looked nervous, and Du Shishi who had a bell hanging from his waist and an expressionless face.
Du Shishi returned home earlier and caught up with his father again, forcibly taking his family to the place given by Zhao Duan.
Whenever he encountered rebels on the road, he would use the hypnotic bell to avoid them, and he was lucky enough to escape danger.
"Let's go. The time has come. Everyone follow me. There is a secret passage leading out of the city. After we escape, there will be people outside to help us return to Linfeng through the small path."
Song Jinxi spoke up. He was also standing in the teahouse, surrounded by prisoners including the Yongjia prefect and several returning shadow guards.
…
In a shop in the city, Feng Xiaolian, dressed as a Qingshan Jianghu knight, looked at the fireworks in the dark night with a heavy expression.
Muttering bitterly with a headache:
"It's a difficult matter, it's a difficult matter. We've truly embarked on a dangerous ship. Your Highness is right, this King Zhao is indeed difficult to deal with. That's all... now that things have come to this, I must fulfill my promise. However, it seems that delivering the letter will be simpler than I expected."
…
"What's wrong, sir?"
In a quiet alley, Hongye saw the scholar carrying Zhao Duan, who seemed to be asleep, and her voice changed.
"I don't know, but he's still alive, with no injuries on his body. He seems to be unconscious." The scholar's face also looked very unhappy:
"Perhaps it's the price of using the talisman? Or perhaps his spirit is injured. There's no time to explain. The siege has already begun outside the city. While Zhao Shixiong is being led away, we must leave immediately and send the master back to Linfeng for treatment."
Hongye nodded, protected the scholar, and quickly disappeared into the night carrying Zhao Duan's body on her back.
…
Capital city, imperial palace.
Deep in the Martial Arts Hall, in the fourth-floor pavilion that has weathered the elements.
A thin layer of light suddenly appeared on the surface of the quiet stone wall, and then Zhao Duan, with a dull figure, stepped out of the mural!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
