"Halt!"
With a great shout, all the Imperial Forest Guards dismounted, unsheathed their long halberds, and advanced in unison from three sides towards Chen Xuan and his party.
Chen Xuan paid them no mind, his expression as serene and unperturbed as ever. He clearly didn't hold this group of guards in any regard.
Just then, a great shout came from the sky.
"I'd like to see who dares make a move!"
Before the words had fully faded, a black shadow descended from the heavens, landing in front of Meng Yi with a tremendous boom.
Crash!
The street was thrown into chaos as people and horses scattered. The Imperial Forest Guards instantly fell into disarray, instinctively backing away, clearly terrified.
Everyone, including Chen Xuan, turned to look at the black shadow. Amidst the dust, a weapon could faintly be seen.
When the dust finally settled, Chen Xuan saw that a seven-foot-long spiked mace was standing upright in front of Meng Yi.
The mace was pitch-black, and its sharp, ferocious spikes crackled with flashes of lightning.
At first glance, it was a top-grade magical artifact.
Chen Xuan and Zhao Youqian exchanged a glance, speaking in unison.
"Is this the backup you called for?"
After speaking, they smiled at each other, having already found their answer, but who was the owner of this spiked mace?
Chen Xuan's mind raced. Who would choose this critical moment to lend him a hand?
Meng Yi eyed the spiked mace before him and subconsciously took a half-step back. He knew the other party's action was merely meant to intimidate him. Otherwise, if that mace had come down on his head just now, the consequences would have been dire.
However, as a great general of the Imperial Forest Guards, he would not show his inner fear before so many people. He said in a deep voice, "Who are you? How dare you ambush this general? If you have the guts, come out and face me in a duel!"
"A duel with you? You're not worthy!"
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice. A white-robed cultivator rode a crane down, landing before Chen Xuan and his party.
As soon as the white-robed cultivator landed, he cupped his hands toward Chen Xuan and Zhao Youqian. "Peng Jing greets the two Immortal Masters."
"So it's you, you brat."
Zhao Youqian said with a smile when he saw it was Peng Jing. "But, using such a big stick doesn't really suit your temperament."
"Senior Zhao is right. That mace is just a weapon I seized from an evil cultivator I killed a couple of days ago. When I saw that dark-faced fellow about to be disrespectful to the two of you just now, I acted in a hurry and just threw a weapon at him."
Peng Jing said with a chuckle. He had no intention of telling others he was just trying to show off in front of these two Immortal Masters.
The three of them chatted and laughed on their side.
To Meng Yi, however, this was blatant and naked disregard.
He was a great general of the Imperial Forest Guards, a figure of some importance in Jinyang City. If he couldn't even deal with a mere mortal today, his reputation would be completely ruined.
Such a thing was absolutely not allowed to happen. Today, he had to capture these four people, no matter what.
"Whelp, I am the Great General of the Jin Kingdom's Imperial Forest Guards. If you know what's good for you, withdraw at once. Otherwise, I'll take you along with them!"
Peng Jing ignored the big, dark-faced man before him and said respectfully to Chen Xuan, "Immortal Chen, leave this dark-faced brute to me. A minor cultivator at the Integration Realm isn't worth your trouble."
Chen Xuan nodded. "Then it's up to you, don't disappoint me."
"Just watch, Immortal Chen. Today, I will take this dark-faced brute's head."
Peng Jing said with great confidence as he turned around. "You, dark-faced fatty, state your name quickly. This young master never beheads nameless foes."
"Hiss~"
Meng Yi felt as if something had been stabbed in his heart. Rage burned within him, and his eyes widened like copper bells. If looks could kill, he would have torn this young man to shreds long ago.
"I am Meng Yi, the Great General of the Jin Kingdom's Imperial Forest Guards! I never change my name, even when sitting!"
Before the words had faded, a nine-foot-long halberd wreathed in raging flames suddenly appeared in his hand. As he stood there, he looked like a guardian deity.
Peng Jing smiled faintly. "A Great General of the Jin Kingdom is nothing to write home about. Remember this young master's name: Peng Jing of the Piao Miao Holy Land. Otherwise, you might die without understanding why."
As he spoke, a flash of azure light appeared in his hand, and a treasured sword, shimmering with a jade-like glow, materialized in mid-air.
The moment the sword appeared, his aura surged, instantly overwhelming Meng Yi's.
Among the onlookers, there were many who had seen the world. The moment they saw the jade sword, astonishment appeared on their faces.
"Is that… the Flying Crane Jade Sword? He's Peng Jing, the first of the Seven Piao Miao!"
"The one who's said to be unbeatable within his realm?"
"That's right, it's him! I didn't expect even he would come to Jinyang City. It seems the Ancestor's King Enshrinement ceremony has attracted quite a few figures."
When Meng Yi heard the name Peng Jing, a hint of wariness appeared on his face.
Not only was the other party's background illustrious, but his reputation far surpassed his own.
However, the matter of today could no longer be resolved by his simply backing down.
"Since Young Master Peng is so confident, then Meng shall have the honor of learning your high-level techniques!"
Before the words had faded, Meng Yi leaped into the air. Three blazing suns erupted from his back, and the scorching flames instantly enveloped Changping Prefecture.
Seeing this, the various family heads quickly activated their family's defensive formations, fearing they would be implicated by Meng Yi.
Chen Xuan, on the other hand, said with a smile, "So that's why he's so dark. Turns out he was roasted until charred."
"Indeed!"
Hearing their conversation, Peng Jing's foot slipped, and he nearly fell. The priorities of these two Immortal Masters were always so different from everyone else's.
I'm about to go fight him, and they can't even give me some encouragement?
Even if they don't give encouragement, a magical artifact for protection would have been nice.
Peng Jing pushed all these thoughts aside. With a light tap of his toe, he leaped onto the back of the crane and rose into the air. Holding his sword in one hand, he said nonchalantly, "Make your move. Otherwise, when I attack, you won't get the chance."
This time, Meng Yi was surprisingly not angry. He was calm. He knew that the only way to defeat this young man was with a full-power, all-or-nothing attack. It was either him or death!
"Great Luo Slash!"
With a great shout, the three blazing suns on Meng Yi's back merged into one. His halberd slashed fiercely toward Peng Jing.
The blazing suns fell!
In an instant, the entire ground was dyed red by the suns. The scorching aura alone was enough to roast a person alive.
The cultivators in the sky over Changping Prefecture all dodged for cover, fearing being grazed by this single attack.
"A little interesting, but only a little."
A sneer appeared on Peng Jing's face. He thrust his jade sword toward Meng Yi. First, a single point of sword light flashed, then a brilliant light erupted, blinding everyone.
Clang!
A sword's cry echoed through the air. The previous blazing sun instantly split apart. Along with the sun, the halberd in Meng Yi's hand also shattered.
Crack!
Meng Yi stared at the broken halberd in his hand and muttered, "I've been defeated! What kind of sword art was that one strike?"
"I don't know."
Peng Jing said with an expression of admiration. "I once had the good fortune to witness an Immortal Master draw his sword. With a single, seemingly ordinary strike, he slew a demonic general at the Half-Fish-Dragon realm. I learned a mere sliver of it, and that was the strike you just saw."
"The sword art of an immortal… I am not wronged in my defeat."
After speaking, Meng Yi slowly fell over, then dropped like a broken kite onto the wide street of Changping Prefecture.
Silence!
The entire Changping Prefecture was deathly quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The gazes of everyone looking at Peng Jing were now filled with deep reverence, mixed with a hint of envy.
This kid was truly lucky, getting to witness an immortal master draw his sword with his own eyes.
Lan Lian also looked astonished. "This kid's luck is just too good. He actually saw an immortal master draw his sword."
Chen Xuan said nonchalantly, "What's there to be envious about? It's as if you've never seen one yourself."
Zhao Youqian fanned himself and said, "Exactly. You've even seen two."
Upon hearing these words, Lan Lian was stunned for a moment, then her face was filled with shock. Her mouth opened wide enough to stuff a duck egg in it…
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
{I need to be real with you for a moment. I'm reaching out because I'm in a genuinely tough spot financially right now, and I need your help to keep the stories flowing. Writing these chapters for you is my passion, but circumstances have put me in a position where I desperately need monetary support to continue dedicating time to what we both love—this fic.
Here's what I'm offering if you join my highest tier:
🚀 Instant Gratification: The moment you sign up, you get 30 chapters immediately—no waiting, no delays. Just a massive backlog of content to binge.
📅 Consistent Monthly Rewards: After that, you'll receive 60 fresh chapters every single month—double the story, double the excitement, all for your favorite fic.
But it doesn't stop there. Your support means everything, and I want to repay your generosity with mass releases, bonus chapters, and exclusive content that won't be available anywhere else. The more support I get, the more I can pour back into creating the stories you love.
If you've ever enjoyed this fic, if you've ever stayed up late reading "just one more chapter," if this story has been there for you during hard times—please consider joining. You're not just funding chapters; you're keeping this story alive and helping a creator in dire need.
Join today, get those 30 chapters instantly, and let's keep this journey going together.
Thank you for even considering it. You mean the world to me.}