Xuanwu War Sovereign

Fang Tong felt a wave of death wash over him. His eyes flew wide, a rare trace of fear appearing on his face. He suppressed the horror in his heart, raised the Longsword in his hand, and thrust it like a bolt of lightning toward Qin Feng’s abdomen.

He was aiming to take Qin Feng down with him!

This was Fang Tong’s most dangerous trait. He knew he couldn’t block the terrifying power in Qin Feng’s fist, so he decided to force a trade. If Qin Feng insisted on killing him, he would also suffer a grievous wound, and might even be killed outright by the force behind the Longsword.

He was supremely confident that no one was fearless in the face of death. Qin Feng would be no exception! He was certain Qin Feng would dodge. This would give him the opportunity to create distance. Once he had that distance, it would be nigh impossible for Qin Feng to kill him.

Besides, Fang Tong knew the forest was teeming with Qin Family search parties. The commotion here would sooner or later draw their attention. As long as he could stall Qin Feng, Qin Feng’s death was assured!

These thoughts flashed through Fang Tong’s mind in an instant. A confident smile was already forming on his lips.

CLANG! The sound of metal on metal rang out. In a flash, his Longsword struck Qin Feng. However, it wasn’t what Fang Tong had imagined. Qin Feng’s body seemed to be covered in a layer of terrifying scales. The Longsword struck his shoulder, sending a shower of sparks flying, as if it had hit a slippery, sturdy Dragon Scale. The blade slid off, leaving only a white mark on his shoulder!

At the same time, a terrifying force struck Fang Tong’s abdomen at close range. With a vicious jolt of his hand, Qin Feng tore through Fang Tong’s stomach, punching clean through him.

"You..." All the color drained from Fang Tong’s face in an instant. He stared blankly at Qin Feng. "What is this Fist Technique... How is this possible?"

Qin Feng withdrew his hand and looked at the slowly fading Fang Tong, his voice light. "This is the Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao—the Black Tortoise Dragon Change. The Profound Turtle represents stillness, while the Spiritual Serpent represents motion. The Xuanwu splits into two: the Mystic Turtle Qi Force and the Spiritual Snake Qi Force, allowing one mind to serve two purposes. My entire body is covered by the Mystic Turtle Qi Force, formed by the Profound Turtle Sea-Suppressing Fist. Your Longsword couldn’t even scratch me. In contrast, the Spiritual Snake Qi Force from my Spiritual Snake Demon Subduing Fist Technique can shatter your defenses!"

The Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao was a True Martial Level Boxing Technique that perfectly integrated offense and defense. Its most ingenious aspect was the combination of motion and stillness, allowing one mind to serve two purposes. Defend with stillness, attack with motion. When he executed the Profound Turtle’s fist technique, he could form an impenetrable turtle shell. No matter how you attacked, the force would be deflected by the shell formed from the technique.

When he executed the Spiritual Snake Demon Subduing Fist Technique, he could transform into a Spiritual Serpent, becoming unpredictable, cunning, and agile.

And when he executed the Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao, commanding both the turtle and the serpent, he possessed the advantages of both: the defense of the Profound Turtle and the cunning of the Spiritual Serpent.

This was the core Mystical Meaning of the Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao! The union and command of Yin and Yang! The mastery over motion and stillness!

"So, having mastered the Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao, I am more than qualified to kill a Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist head-on. You were never my opponent from the very beginning. When you were lecturing me with all your drivel, you were nothing but a clown. I was just letting you show off your sanctimonious act since you were about to die anyway!" Qin Feng glanced at his bloody, wet hands, then wiped them on Fang Tong’s luxurious, smooth brocade robes and said with a smile.

"You..." Fang Tong stared daggers at Qin Feng, pointing at him as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He slowly collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open in death!

Fang Tong, a Mid-stage Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Fourth Realm, was dead!

WHOOSH! Qin Feng let out a long breath. His body felt weak and sore, as if he were completely drained. He leaned unceremoniously against the Ancient Bronze Tripod, his arm burning with a fiery pain, his muscles and bones aching. The Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao looked incredibly powerful, but executing it was extremely taxing on his stamina. If he hadn’t swallowed the Mystic Turtle Divine Pill, achieved the Flawless Saint Body, and undergone a complete rebirth that extended his stamina, he would have been in even worse shape.

A Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist truly was on another level. Qin Feng felt that dealing with him alone was more tiring than facing the elite squad of six Martial Artists from the Martial Arts Second Layer Heaven and the Third Heaven.

’It seems my current combat strength is only equivalent to a Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist. If two experts like Fang Tong came at me, I’d probably have no choice but to run!’ Qin Feng replayed the night’s battle in his mind, realizing he wasn’t as powerful as he’d imagined. By his original estimate, his combat strength should have been equivalent to a Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven Martial Artist.

But now it seemed he had overestimated himself. The ultimate reason was that although he had mastered countless Secret Techniques and had an incredibly high level of insight, his physical body prevented him from using most of them freely.

For example, with his insight, he could clearly see the many flaws in Fang Tong’s swordsmanship. He knew exactly what to do to break the Thunder Prison Thirteen Swords, yet he was unable to execute it.

When it came time to act, the limits of his physical condition restricted his Martial Skills, preventing him from using them fluidly.

This was because he had been cultivating for such a short time!

However, as time went on, he was confident he could make up for this shortcoming and rapidly increase his combat power. Countless fist and palm techniques were already running through his mind. As long as he was willing to spend the time, his combat strength would see another huge leap in a short period, completely solving this problem.

Mulling over the details of the recent battle, Qin Feng recovered a bit of his stamina. Time was tight. The area was swarming with Qin Family search parties, and there was no telling when this spot would draw their attention.

Qin Feng stood up, strode forward, and searched Fang Tong’s entire body. Fang Tong’s status was much higher than the others. A quick search yielded a dozen silver banknotes, each worth over a thousand—a true windfall.

What surprised Qin Feng even more was finding First-grade Middle-grade Quenching Essence Pills and a First Grade Top Grade Quenching Essence Pill on Fang Tong’s body. Compared to the dozen-plus silver banknotes, Qin Feng valued these two bottles of Elixirs far more. With these, plus the other Elixirs he had scrounged up here and there, he no longer had to worry about cultivation resources before reaching the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Heaven.

The last item was Fang Tong’s personal weapon, that sharp, silver-white Ancient Sword!

Although Qin Feng wasn’t proficient in swordsmanship, he had always loved swords. Compared to the cumbersome Ancient Bronze Tripod, he much preferred a sword-type weapon. He immediately picked up the Longsword and fastened it to his waist.

After finishing his looting, Qin Feng didn’t linger. He hastily cleaned up the scene and immediately vanished into the dense forest.

This time, he changed direction. He decided not to return to Shanghe Town for the time being, but instead headed deeper into the outskirts of the Manghuang Mountain Range.

The fight between Qin Feng and Fang Tong had not been quiet. This patch of forest had already drawn the attention of the search parties. Not long after he left, a team of eight or nine search party members arrived at the scene.

Their leader was a Martial Arts Three Heavens Martial Artist. He was a very cautious and astute middle-aged man. Dressed in short, practical clothes, his eyes darted about, and his steps were extremely light. He was on high alert, ready to duck behind a tree at the first sign of trouble.

"The smell of blood is getting stronger. Everyone, be careful. That person might be right behind those bushes!"

"Look, there’s a dead body here!" one of the Martial Artists in the search party suddenly shouted, pushing aside the bushes.

His companions heard his shout and hurried over. Their gazes fell upon the clearing in front of the bushes. An Ancient Bronze Tripod stood alone amidst the shrubbery. Not far from it, a figure lay on the ground, staring in their direction with wide, unseeing eyes.

The leading Martial Arts Three Heavens Martial Artist rushed over. One look, and he cried out in horror. "Oh no! It’s Fang Tong! Mr. Fang!"

"No way! Are you sure you’re not mistaken?" The other search party members’ faces changed drastically. They rushed over as fast as they could. Looking at the figure with its eyes wide in death, a flicker of terror passed through their own eyes.

Fang Tong had actually died here! A Mid-stage of Martial Arts Fourth Realm expert—a powerhouse their entire team combined would have trouble fighting—had died here without a sound!

’Wasn’t that guy supposed to be trash? How could he possibly have killed Fang Tong, a Martial Arts Fourth Layer expert?!’

This was a disaster! A Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist was a pivotal figure in the Qin Family, a core part of their strength. Losing one was a serious blow to their power.

Soon, a shrill whistle echoed through the woods. In an instant, countless figures emerged from the quiet forest.

"Fang Tong!" When Qin Muyun heard the news and rushed over, the sight of the tragic figure next to the Ancient Bronze Tripod made his legs nearly give out. He knew he was completely finished this time.

Fang Tong was a core figure in Qin Muyun’s faction. Without Fang Tong, the power base he had gathered would immediately fall apart. He had completely lost the qualifications to contend for the position of Patriarch.

Qin Muyun’s hands and feet went cold, his head swam, and his face turned deathly pale.