Chapter 161
Chapter 161: Something Happened?
Yet, just as these words were spoken, Hu Rui An’s calm and steady voice emerged from the carriage on the street: “Continue forward.”
His command was clearly directed toward Wu Shang and the others. Upon hearing this, Wu Shang and his companions swiftly agreed, casting brief glances at the old crone and her group before urging their horses onward.
Hooves clattered, wheels rolled, and the sound echoed down the empty street as the carriage moved straight toward the bronze-masked man who blocked their way.
Observing this from the rooftop, the old crone and Bai Li Xu simultaneously furrowed their brows.
Having confirmed they could not capture Murong Feng, they had shifted their target. Their new plan was to swiftly seize Murong Xiao Ya before Murong Feng could catch up from behind.
Although they wouldn’t achieve their full goal, taking Murong Xiao Ya would still partially complete their mission, enough to justify their actions upon returning.
But unexpectedly, these people before them seemed deeply connected to the Murong family. Even after clearly stating the consequences, the group had blatantly ignored their warnings, obviously determined to protect Murong Xiao Ya.
“So be it,” Bai Li Xu said coldly, his eyes flickering with a deadly glint. “Since you insist on stubbornness, no need for further talk. Attack!”
With a swift wave of his hand, the two who had blocked Hu Rui An’s carriage front and back moved simultaneously, their figures surging toward each other along the wide, empty street.
The gray-robed man in the bronze mask raised an iron flute to his lips, instantly becoming a flickering shadow, darting swiftly toward Wu Shang and his companions.
“Thousand Kill Flute Sound!”
A piercing melody surged forth. Invisible blades formed by the flute’s sound sliced through nearby rooftops, scattering tiles and shattering copper bells into dust. Wherever the blades passed, the street cracked like a spreading spiderweb, crumbling into dust.
Behind the carriage, a sturdy man in heavy copper armor advanced swiftly, dragging a massive purple-copper battle axe. Despite the armor’s heaviness and the axe’s immense weight, his speed matched the masked man’s.
Each powerful step smashed the pavement, leaving behind deep, jagged cracks.
“Axe Split City!”
Sparks erupted as the heavy axe scraped along the street, leaving molten, burning trails. Wind surged from the blade, sweeping up fragments of stone into two massive dragons of rubble, roaring toward Hu Rui An and his group.
At the same moment, the old crone refused to remain idle, swiftly launching her own strike. Murong Feng would soon arrive from behind, leaving them little time; a combined swift attack was essential to capturing Murong Xiao Ya quickly.
She lightly lifted her hand to her temple, and in an instant, her bent back straightened abruptly as Qi surged violently around her. Her long white hair rose skyward, then cascaded down like a galaxy breaking its banks, each silvery strand sharp as steel wire, piercing the air like bolts of lightning.
The violent wind raised by her hair alone tore the bricks from the street below. The carriage and horses below seemed destined to be shredded to ash by thousands upon thousands of hair-strands.
“White-haired Yama—Bai Li Xue.”
Inside the carriage, Hu Rui An’s brows tightened. He sensed the overwhelming danger pressing down from every direction like arrows about to pierce him.
He glanced urgently at Li Mu Sheng across from him, readying himself to act.
Yet, Li Mu Sheng simply shook his head. “No need. Your intervention would take too long.”
As he spoke, the flood of white hair approaching Wu Shang and his companions abruptly froze midair. Then, like strings cut loose, the rigid hair strands drooped limply, falling quietly back to earth.
Simultaneously, the flute-playing masked man, with his lethal melody, and the armored giant wielding the heavy battle axe also fell utterly silent. The sound-blades and rubble dragons vanished entirely.
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong, riding ahead, and Cao Gao Shan, seated at the front of the carriage, all wore stunned expressions.
Even Shen An Ran, familiar with Li Mu Sheng’s power, showed a flash of awe.
In a mere moment, the entire street became utterly silent.
Wu Shang and the others clearly saw that whether it was the masked man holding the iron flute, the armored man dragging the battle axe, or the old crone and Bai Li Xu atop the roof—each one had become frozen like statues, utterly still.
On their foreheads appeared identical wounds, small, bloody holes pierced entirely through.
For Wu Shang and the others, although they trusted Hu Rui An deeply, their hearts still trembled facing the powerful Martial Dao presence of the masked man and old crone.
Yet now, that oppressive power disappeared completely, as if swept away in an instant.
In the next breath, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong instinctively turned their gazes toward the carriage behind them.
At that moment, they both shared the same astonished thought:
[So this is the Eighth Your Highness’s true power?]
Silently and invisibly, a mere finger’s gesture instantly extinguished both half-step Heavenly Union and true Heavenly Union Experts alike.
They had not even noticed how he struck!
Cao Gao Shan, seated at the carriage front, trembled inwardly, realization dawning on his face.
This ambush closely mirrored the previous attack in the Imperial Capital on the rainy street.
Only now did he fully comprehend the truth. [From the start, it was always Your Highness. Because of him, Sun Chang Yu and I survived last time.]
Most importantly, the strike Li Mu Sheng had made through his hand on that rainy day had deeply etched itself into his mind.
Perhaps for Li Mu Sheng, it had merely been a simple strike. But for Cao Gao Shan, that single move had already marked Li Mu Sheng as half his master.
Now he finally understood clearly. [That casual teaching, that single blade, was undoubtedly Li Mu Sheng himself!]
“Don’t stop, continue onward.”
Hu Rui An’s voice calmly echoed again from inside the carriage.
Hu Rui An himself had noticed everything happening outside, yet despite his own considerable Martial Dao skill, he was just like Wu Shang and the others, completely unaware of how Li Mu Sheng had even acted.
At this moment, the reverence he felt toward the Eighth Prince sitting before him deepened even more, as if gazing up at a lofty mountain peak.
Hearing this, Wu Shang, Cao Gao Shan, and the others quickly returned to their senses, withdrew their gazes, and resumed their journey down the silent, deserted street.
Shen An Ran, whose face was as beautiful as a painting, rode gracefully upon her white steed. With a gentle hand, she brushed back the raven-dark hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes frequently darted toward the carriage, the admiration in her gaze steadily becoming more resolute.
Soon, the group passed unhindered through the long street and vanished at its distant end. Left behind were only the grey-robed man with the bronze mask and the armored warrior clutching a battle axe, standing motionless in the street’s center. Just like the old crone and Bai Li Xu, who remained woodenly fixed upon the rooftop, these two were now mere lifeless corpses.
Inside the carriage, Murong Xiao Ya curled timidly in the corner, occasionally sneaking glances at Li Mu Sheng. Although she had long known Li Mu Sheng was extraordinary through her own methods, today, like Wu Shang and the others, was her first time witnessing his true strength. His effortless and silent killing of Heavenly Union experts deeply shook her.
“Lady Murong, to speak plainly, you stare a bit too secretly.” Li Mu Sheng had naturally noticed her gaze and gently stroked his chin. “You ought to correct that habit. If you wish to look, do so openly. I am quite generous in that regard.”
Murong Xiao Ya was startled for a moment upon hearing this. Instantly, her face turned as red as a ripe apple, and she hurriedly lowered her head, clutching the hem of her dress nervously.
At her side, Hu Rui An glanced at her imperceptibly before closing his eyes to rest. As the saying goes, heroes cherish beauties, and beauties adore heroes. With an unparalleled martial genius like Li Mu Sheng, he deeply regretted not having a daughter of his own; otherwise, he might act just like Shen Lian Cheng.
The carriage fell silent. Only after a long pause did Murong Xiao Ya softly whisper, head still bowed, “Thank…thank you, Your Highness, for helping me.”
Previously, when Murong Feng and the others were attacked alongside them, Li Mu Sheng had simply left without concern. Yet, this time, clearly targeted by Bai Li Xu and his companions, Li Mu Sheng did not abandon her as before. Instead, he eliminated all their attackers. This difference in treatment naturally stirred deep gratitude within Murong Xiao Ya’s heart.
In response, Li Mu Sheng merely shrugged lightly without adding anything further. After all, slaying a few short-sighted weaklings blocking his path was truly as easy as the phrase implied—a mere wave of his hand.
At this moment, Hu Rui An’s expression shifted slightly. He once again glanced at Murong Xiao Ya and quietly transmitted a message to Li Mu Sheng using Qi, “Your Highness, something seems off with the Murong Family. Given our current objectives in Sheng Province, this might affect our plans.”
He voiced this concern because, judging by the present circumstances, the Murong Family appeared quite preoccupied. Whether they could indeed provide the assistance Commander had promised, he now felt uncertain.
Hearing Hu Rui An’s concern, Li Mu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at him. “Lord Hu, I’ll state this clearly—I will stay here for two days at most. Whether the issues are fully resolved or not, I won’t concern myself further.”
Hu Rui An sighed inwardly but quickly voiced his agreement. In his eyes, although this Eighth Prince’s martial arts were profoundly powerful, he had a lazy and carefree temperament and disliked meddling in affairs. Hu Rui An believed very few matters in the world could truly capture Li Mu Sheng’s attention, with perhaps only the task of eradicating Fallen God Peak posing any genuine challenge.
…
Shortly after Li Mu Sheng and his party had left, the previously scattered townsfolk cautiously returned, some peering nervously from street corners, others hiding behind windows, carefully inspecting the aftermath.
Seeing the armored man holding the purple-copper battle axe and the others still standing, the people dared only observe from afar, too fearful to approach.
At this moment, another group of armored guards, escorting an ornate carriage, marched imposingly from the other end of the street. Upon noticing them, the gathered crowd swiftly dispersed in panic.
Inside the carriage, Murong Feng sensed something strange. Frowning, he lifted the curtain and turned back to speak inside. “I have a bad feeling. Could Bai Li Xu and his group have refused to give up, attacking my little sister again?”
As he spoke, he raised his gaze toward the street ahead. Just then, the guards in front saw the scene clearly, their expressions changing instantly. They halted their advance and rushed back to report to Murong Feng.
Quickly, Murong Feng moved from the carriage, appearing like a fleeting shadow on the empty street ahead. Upon seeing the armored man holding the battle axe, his expression shifted dramatically, and his brows knitted even tighter.
He waved his hand, ordering his guards to remain where they were, before glancing cautiously back toward the carriage. Then, he summoned martial Qi to protect his entire body, moving forward with great vigilance.
Although the armored figures remained perfectly still, Murong Feng dared not relax his caution. Only upon nearing them did he confirm that they were indeed dead, each with a hole pierced through their foreheads, clearly lifeless.
Shock and suspicion quickly filled Murong Feng’s face as he glanced over the armored warrior’s body. He muttered quietly, astonished, “Blood Axe City Splitter, Tu Shan! Iron Flute Silencer, Lu Bai Ming!”
Then he raised his eyes toward the rooftop. Seeing that the old crone and Bai Li Xu had similarly been killed with a single strike piercing their foreheads, he felt his pupils contract sharply. “Even White-haired Yama and Bai Li Xu have been killed!”
Just then, Murong Feng suddenly turned, sensing movement beside him. An elderly figure draped in crimson robes had appeared unnoticed at his side.
“All four were killed instantly. Such sharp and ruthless skill!” murmured the elderly figure, his face hidden, his voice aged and tinged with surprise.
Murong Feng’s expression changed again. “From the situation here, Bai Li Xu and his people must have ambushed my sister’s group, only to be killed themselves.”
As he spoke, his gaze settled upon the old crone’s lifeless form, a profound astonishment evident in his eyes. He added quietly, “It seems I underestimated Lord Hu. His martial strength must surpass even White-haired Yama.”