When humanity takes up arms, all humanity itself is utterly lost.
Ma Yan was simultaneously startled and overjoyed, having never anticipated that his desperate gamble would actually turn the tide of battle in his favor. A profound sense of vindication filled his heart, believing that his master and fellow disciples, watching from the heavens, would surely feel relief. Though he had not personally defeated Cheng Lixue, vanquishing Cheng Lixue’s disciple undeniably proved that his Lightning Trace swordsmanship was in no way inferior to Cheng Lixue’s own.
A sneer flickered in his eyes as he gazed at the astonished Yi Ranchén, thinking, ‘So, a disciple of Cheng Lixue is nothing more than this.’ Having seen his own sect annihilated by Cheng Lixue, he resolved that he could not simply let this disciple off.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ma Yan swiftly unleashed the myriad critical techniques of the Lightning Gate sword qi transformations as Yi Ranchén’s twin swords flew from her grasp. In but a single instant, he had pressed his longsword against Yi Ranchén’s throat. Then, under the astonished gaze of all present, Yi Ranchén’s entire attire swiftly shredded into fragments, scattering with the wind.
On the Polaris side, some were utterly dumbfounded, others clapped and cheered, some sighed in dismay, and still others watched with cold indifference.
“Splendid!”
“That swordsmanship is truly grand! No, wait! That swordsmanship is truly *bare*…”
All manner of vile obscenities, like a breached dam, poured into Yi Ranchén’s ears. She was utterly panicked, frantically trying to pull her clothes to cover her body, but her attire had already been torn to shreds by Ma Yan’s sword qi, leaving her clutching only a single scrap of cloth.
Unable to endure the mockery and taunts, she desperately tried to cover her ears, yet the voices were incessant. She yearned to silence them, but they simply would not listen to her pleas.
“Don’t… don’t look… please… don’t… no…”
Her pride utterly shattered, she was on the verge of tears. At Sword Stand Villa, she had known nothing but praise and commendation; never before had she endured such treatment.
Confronted by the jeering crowd of Polaris onlookers and Ma Yan’s smug, disdainful gaze, she could only stumble back repeatedly, desperately trying to shield her body with her hands, appearing utterly disheveled and humiliated.
On the Southern Dipper side, the two elders, Fenghu and Yunlong, suddenly paled. They had never imagined this Ma fellow could be so utterly shameless. If he harbored a grudge against Cheng Lixue, he ought to confront Cheng Lixue himself; how could he so cruelly humiliate a young girl?
Wan Ren instinctively reached for his sword hilt, only to find empty air. Seeing East Bamboo Immortal engaged in a sword duel with someone else, he then remembered that he had lent his sword to her.
Zhu Jifeng instinctively averted his gaze and closed his eyes, truly not wanting to witness such a sight. Yet, his palm force showed no slackening as he continued to pull the twin swords towards his side.
Fenghu and Yunlong had intended to intervene and rescue Yi Ranchén, but Ma Yan’s sword was pressed against her throat. Even a moment’s delay in their actions would mean Yi Ranchén’s instant, violent death on the spot.
Seeing no way to escape, Yi Ranchén thought, ‘It would be better to die on the spot than suffer such humiliation.’ She steeled herself and moved her neck towards the blade, but Ma Yan swiftly sealed the vital points all over her body, rendering her immobile. His movements were incredibly swift; even as his left hand sealed her vital points, it shamelessly roamed over Yi Ranchén’s body for a moment.
“You wish to die? It won’t be that easy! Your master and his seven disciples, worse than pigs and dogs, slaughtered my entire sect. I’ll start by gouging out your left eye, then sever your nose, and finally cut off your ear—”
With a thunderous ‘boom’, an overwhelming palm force, like a collapsing mountain and surging sea, surged towards him. Ma Yan had been waiting for this very moment, knowing it was Ren Du intervening to rescue her. He had intended to retreat with Yi Ranchén, but Ren Du’s attack was too fierce. Two currents of power alternately enveloped him, forcing him, out of desperation, to abandon Yi Ranchén as a shield. As he flashed back, he still remembered to thrust his longsword towards Yi Ranchén’s back.
‘Even if Ren Du had retracted his palm in time and Yi Ranchén wasn’t killed by his strike, she would surely die beneath his longsword. What a pity, such a beautiful woman, yet to be savored, would soon perish…’
Ma Yan’s expression drastically changed. Ren Du’s palm force, flexible and adaptable, arced around both sides of Yi Ranchén’s body, slamming onto his sword blade. The longsword was instantly shattered into pieces by that single strike.
Too slow to dodge, he was struck in the chest by dozens of metal fragments, toppling to the ground.
With a flash, Ren Du wrapped his greatcoat around Yi Ranchén, embracing her as he smoothly retreated.
The palm force that had shattered the longsword then turned towards mid-air. Yu Wusheng, seeing the situation turn dire, swiftly retracted his palm and retreated to avoid being harmed by the force. As he withdrew his hand, he didn’t forget to strike a palm towards Zhu Jifeng, reasoning that if Zhu Jifeng were to seize the swords at that moment, he would surely be injured by his palm strike.
However, Ren Du’s palm force arrived before Yu Wusheng’s. Before Zhu Jifeng could seize the swords, Ren Du had already used his palm force to forcibly disperse Yu Wusheng’s attack. Zhu Jifeng immediately withdrew his hand and retreated to avoid being accidentally injured by Ren Du, while the Heart and Word Twin Swords, deprived of any pull, immediately fell from mid-air.
With his left arm, Ren Du held Yi Ranchén, his right hand raised towards mid-air, and the Heart and Word Twin Swords fell perfectly into his grasp.
Under the sweep of the long wind, Yi Ranchén’s hair ribbon danced before Ren Du’s eyes, and the wisp of hair on his forehead swayed with it.
A beauty in his left arm, a precious sword in his right…
For a fleeting moment, Director Ji felt that Ren Du, too, appeared quite spirited and dashing; if only he would change that sarcastic, passive-aggressive attitude of his, everything would be perfect.
Although Ren Du’s entire sequence of movements appeared seamless and fluid, composed and unruffled, it actually carried immense risk.
To rescue Yi Ranchén, he had deliberately increased his palm force and struck towards Le Sishu, hoping this strike would cause Director Ji to falter slightly in his breath, thereby buying himself precious time.
Yet, the moment he embraced Yi Ranchén, he had already perceived that Director Ji’s aura showed no hesitation whatsoever. An immediate sense of foreboding settled in his heart, for he knew that if Director Ji chose to attack at that moment, he would have nowhere to hide.
But Director Ji remained indifferent, instead suddenly clutching his chest and appearing as if his breath was obstructed. Ren Du couldn’t discern what trick Director Ji was playing, yet it was certainly far better than being attacked by him at such a critical juncture.
Those present shared similar thoughts, all believing that if Director Ji were to ambush Ren Du at that opportune moment, he would surely inflict heavy damage upon him. Yet, everyone was puzzled as to why Director Ji merely stood by. It was only when Director Ji clutched his chest that everyone understood: Director Ji had reached his limit and could no longer make a move.
Although everyone was concerned for his safety, their respect for him immediately diminished somewhat, as they now believed Director Ji’s cultivation was inferior to Ren Du’s. ‘The people of Shanhai Pavilion are nothing more than this,’ they privately mused.
Several individuals rushed forth from the crowd to shield Director Ji, who, clutching his chest, feigned shortness of breath and gazed weakly at Ren Du.
The truth, however, was precisely the opposite of what everyone thought. His cultivation was in no way inferior to Ren Du’s; Ren Du’s final palm strike was merely a little stronger for him. He simply refused to launch a sneak attack, which was why he feigned reaching his physical limit.
He had guided Ma Yan with ‘The Great Sound is Formless’ merely to help Ma Yan win, but he never expected Ma Yan to humiliate his opponent so grievously after achieving victory.
While Ma Yan’s actions caused the Southern Dipper to lose considerable face, they also left an extremely poor impression on East Bamboo Immortal. This negative impression even extended to her own people—such as Guan Xuelan and Ye Shuanghong, who were currently restrained by East Bamboo Immortal.
When the two women witnessed this turn of events, their hearts trembled, and their meticulous, flowing swordsmanship instantly revealed flaws, allowing East Bamboo Immortal to seize the opportunity and restrain them.
The Flourishing Water Sword Sect traditionally only accepted female disciples, and thus cared deeply about such acts of humiliating women.
Director Ji could have intervened to rescue Ma Yan, but he did not wish to, especially after feigning a lack of cultivation. How could someone supposedly at their limit have the spare energy to rescue Ma Yan?
Yi Ranchén gazed blankly at Ren Du, feeling that this man seemed… to possess much more humanity than before. Previously, she respected Ren Du because he was her master’s friend, holding no personal affinity for him. Her actions were merely in obedience to her master’s instruction to follow this Manager Ren’s commands, and Manager Ren’s personality often rubbed her the wrong way, sometimes being sarcastic and passive-aggressive. But at this moment, she felt from the bottom of her heart that Ren Du was… truly a good person. Coming to East Bamboo with him was truly… a very good thing.
“Ma Yan, you rat! You are utterly shameless! If you have a grudge against Cheng Lixue, you should seek him out for revenge. Why would you humiliate his disciple? Is this what your sect taught you? Did your master never teach you the principles of proper conduct?”
Upon hearing these words, Ma Yan, who was lying on the ground, immediately tried to struggle to his feet. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, not because he feared Ren Du, but because he was recalling various past events of his sect.
‘Yan, in this life, the level of one’s martial arts is of no great concern. What truly matters is to be an upright person and to conduct oneself peacefully. Your nature has always been lax and undisciplined, making it easy for you to stray. Among your many fellow disciples, you are the one I worry about the most…’
Somehow, Ren Du’s words instantly brought back countless teachings his master had once imparted, leaving him standing there in stunned silence.
“As for the Lightning Gate, having never encountered it, I dare not make presumptuous judgments, but I believe the Lightning Gate cannot possibly be filled with scoundrels like you!”
“Nonsense! Do not insult my master and my brethren!”
Ma Yan cursed at Ren Du, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood. It seemed that although his chest had only been struck by the shattered sword fragments, his injuries were indeed severe, his voice even sounding somewhat faint.
Everyone present thought he would surely bleed profusely on the spot for insulting Ren Du so, but Ren Du paid him no mind, coldly stating,
“I hope you will reflect on your actions and not disgrace your sect!”
Director Ji watched Ren Du depart with Yi Ranchén, then saw East Bamboo Immortal lost in thought. The day’s competition had descended into such an awkward situation that continuing it would only bring further humiliation and make them a laughingstock to East Bamboo Immortal.
“East Bamboo Immortal, perhaps we should conclude today’s competition here. We shall return tomorrow to seek your guidance. Farewell.”
Director Ji bowed to East Bamboo Immortal, then led the Polaris contingent in a swift retreat.
As they left, everyone carried away Le Sishu and Ma Yan. One had a foul mouth, the other a tarnished reputation, and initially, no one wanted to bother with them. However, considering they had all come together, abandoning them there would undoubtedly tarnish Polaris’s image. Moreover, no matter how much they disliked the two, they had to consider Director Ji’s standing and take them along.
Meanwhile, the Southern Dipper contingent also retreated with Ren Du. Fenghu and Yunlong watched the Polaris group with cold disdain, while Wan Ren pondered leaving his sword with East Bamboo Immortal for the time being. Several Polaris swordsmen had yet to compete, and the sword might still be useful tomorrow.
However, East Bamboo Immortal did not accept the favor, instead respectfully handing the sword directly back to Wan Ren, who could only accept it and give up the idea.
It seemed East Bamboo Immortal had absolutely no desire to owe the Southern Dipper any favors!