Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Blade of Astonishing Brilliance

"Sir, I know you're excited too. Should we—should we try to recruit him into the Six Gates?" Chief Jin seemed oblivious to the angry glare from Chief Zhang, and continued, "Good heavens, look! Xiao Yuanrang has come out, Liang Dashan has appeared, and now Liang Dahai has jumped in as well. I've always said the Xiao and Liang families have been putting on a show for us, but you never believed me. Now you see, don't you? They're one and the same, birds of a feather, thick as thieves, sharing the same trousers."

"I'm not blind!" Zhang Tong gritted his teeth.

"Sir, this is a golden opportunity—an opportunity! We should strike now, join forces with Jiang Ming, and suppress them all. From now on, Mount Kaoshan will truly belong to the court, not to the Xiao and Liang clans. The Six Gates will gain face, and we won't be mocked as cowards anymore." Chief Jin drew his sword. "Sir, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Let's act now and subdue them all. The reason is simple: the Xiao and Liang families are plotting rebellion!"

The other constables looked to him.

"Silence!" Zhang Tong's eyes flashed with a savage light. "One is a bandit, the other a traitor—both enemies of the court, both our enemies. Let them wear each other out, then we'll take them down together."

"Sir, if Jiang Ming loses, will you dare to apprehend the Xiao and Liang families?" Chief Jin paused, his round face finally showing anger, his voice rising. "Don't forget, the three great strongholds have always been around, committing every crime imaginable. And what's been the result? We've watched helplessly as they ran rampant, making us the laughingstock of the land. Now, with such a rare opportunity, sir, you're turning a blind eye? Zhang Tong, could it be, as the rumors say, you've been bought by the Xiao family?"

"Impudent!" Zhang Tong erupted, raising his palm, a storm of destruction brewing—only to see that several men behind Chief Jin had drawn their weapons and stood ready to face him.

"Good, very good!" His face twitched.

"Indeed, very good!" Chief Jin's expression was icy, gone was the slight air of innocence he once had.

Just then, Jiang Ming's voice thundered across the field.

"Heh! Like dogs, afraid to bark, pretending not to see anything from their kennel—well said, well said." Chief Jin sneered, "Zhang Tong, Chief Zhang, before long, the whole world will know that the men of Six Gates are nothing but dogs."

Zhang Tong's face reddened.

The rest of the constables showed shame and fury.

Clearly, they were split into two camps.

One led by Zhang Tong, the other by Chief Jin, known as Honeysuckle Jin.

The battlefield!

Grievances laid bare, the past explained.

Let some people know the inside story—that was enough.

At least, not everyone would pin the blame squarely on him.

"Let victory decide, let death settle the score." As Jiang Ming's words faded, he struck.

He moved across the field, faster than the eye could follow, leaving afterimages as he charged at Xiao Yuanhai.

The Lesser Ze Sword, the Shangyang Sword!

The Six Veins Divine Sword unleashed, sword energy howling, its immense force pushing Xiao Yuanhai back step by step.

His expression changed again.

"You've fought so many battles in a row, how do you still have such terrifying inner strength?" Xiao Yuanhai questioned.

Not just him—even the others were stunned.

Even a grand master would grow weary!

"Guess." Jiang Ming replied, showing no mercy. The other three surrounded him, blades and swords flashing, closing him in.

He showed no fear; golden light flickered around him, dodging and blocking every attack.

"Kill!"

He was ablaze with passion, employing every skill.

Six Veins Divine Sword, Dragon-Subduing Kick, Dragon-Town Fist, Dragon-Claw Hand, Void-Town Palm—he wielded them effortlessly, holding his own against the assault of four grand masters.

Sword energy raged, palm winds surged.

Within a hundred meters, everything was destroyed.

Gashes tore through the city walls, and even many spectators were caught in the crossfire, torn apart on the spot; only Bai Yunfei and the others stood a little closer.

But they too were astounded by Jiang Ming's strength.

Four grand masters!

They leaped into the air, battling mid-flight, then crashed to the ground, leaving deep craters. In the morning light, the five figures were lost in the chaos.

The sky thundered, the earth trembled.

On the city wall.

Chief Jin had already stepped out, gazing at the battlefield in shock. "Jiang Ming is truly this formidable? He's facing four seasoned grand masters together—who can withstand that? Even a peerless grand master must take him seriously. Moreover, he slew over a hundred strong opponents earlier, withstood arrow storms and siege crossbows."

"He's beyond human!"

"His combat power must be approaching the grand master realm!"

She turned and glanced at Zhang Tong, her eyes full of inscrutable meaning.

Zhang Tong gripped his blade tightly.

Those hidden in the shadows were even more shaken.

On the battlefield.

Jiang Ming, to guard against any mishap, had already formed protective energy around his body, shielding himself thoroughly.

The golden bell barrier shone ceaselessly.

Meanwhile, his fists and legs were wreathed with layers of force, making his attacks terrifying to the extreme.

His foot slammed down like a great axe, nearly splitting Liang Dashan in two; the force cleaved a hundred-meter fissure in the earth.

"Boss!" Xiao Yuanhai suddenly shouted.

Xiao Yuanrang instantly understood, the two closed in, sword energy erupting like a waterfall.

The Liang brothers intensified their assault.

"Our Xiao family possesses the unmatched Sword Dao technique—Dual Swords United, peerless and unrivaled, the Death Strike that not even gods or demons can evade!" Xiao Yuanhai roared, "To witness this sword, you may die without regret!"

Suddenly, the two swords intertwined, endless sword energy converging into a single point of sword light at Xiao Yuanhai's blade tip.

His sword seemed unable to bear the force, groaning as if about to shatter.

Xiao Yuanhai shot forward, his speed doubling, reaching its peak, the sword light pointing directly at Jiang Ming's brow.

Sword energy tore through the air, shattering the golden bell barrier instantly; even through the protective energy, Jiang Ming felt his brow sliced open.

This sword was powerful—exceptionally so.

If it struck, survival was unlikely.

Jiang Ming judged so at once.

At the same moment, the Liang brothers sealed off all his escape routes.

"Want to kill me? You're not qualified! Since you've used your ultimate move, this battle should end now." Jiang Ming let out a long howl.

During the battle, he had already discerned their patterns.

He even managed to inject strands of his own energy into their bodies—though swiftly expelled, he mapped their internal techniques, memorizing the basics. Later, it wouldn't be hard to deduce the details.

The core secrets of the Xiao and Liang families were nearly all in his grasp.

He also gauged his own overall strength.

Even if not at grand master level, he was not far off.

Clang—

The long blade on his back flashed out in an instant.

Like lightning splitting the void, it cleaved through the chaos, striking the sword tip in a single blur—at once, blade energy and sword energy exploded, forming a terrifying torrent.

With a slight pause, the black blade continued downward; the long sword shattered, the figure was flung back, blood scattering across the sky.