Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 646 - 644: Winds and Clouds Surging: Killing Intent!

Chapter 646: Chapter 644: Winds and Clouds Surging: Killing Intent!

"Ugh..."

The suddenly approaching figure compelled the beautiful female swordsman to involuntarily take two steps back, her gaze fixed ahead.

There stood a youth dressed in a green uniform.

As her eyes fell upon the youth’s face, a peculiar glint flashed in the beautiful female swordsman’s eyes. What a beautiful youth! she thought.

The youth was slender, his long hair tied behind his head, a crimson sword hung at his waist. His lips were like painted crimson, his eyes like stars. His features were exceptionally refined and handsome, without a single flaw. Though dressed as a man, he was undoubtedly worthy of the word ’beautiful’.

Several Martial Artists nearby had their gazes wholly fixed on the youth, each one with a fervent look in their eyes.

"Insolent!"

Suddenly, a furious roar like thunder exploded above the street.

Several robust, white-robed guards appeared silently behind the youth, glaring daggers at the beautiful female swordsman and her companions. Their swords hummed as they were unsheathed, a chilling aura spreading.

The Martial Artists present showed expressions of shock. These guards, with their bulging temples and vigorous Yuan Qi coursing through them, possessed at least an eighth-level cultivation in the Meridian Wheel Realm!

When they clearly saw the white robes the guards wore, their shock immediately turned to terror, and they dared not look at the youth again.

The sword-bearing youth frowned slightly and ordered, "I have questions for them. Withdraw."

"Yes!"

The guards respectfully retreated five paces, remaining on guard where they stood, their stances as sharp as swords.

Exhaling, the sword-bearing youth looked somewhat exasperated. He turned back to the beautiful female swordsman and asked, "Please tell me, which student from the Flowing Cloud Region won the title of Martial Champion?"

The beautiful female swordsman regained her composure, looked deeply at the youth, and said, "I only heard about it. It seems to be Luo Feng from Purple Sun School."

"Luo Feng... Luo Feng..."

Hearing this, the sword-bearing youth’s eyes lit up slightly. His hand rested on the crimson sword at his waist, and an enigmatic smile touched his lips as he whispered, "So it is him..."

Letting out a soft sigh, the youth turned and instructed, "Give her ten second-grade Yuan Stones. We’re returning to the mansion."

"Yes."

The leading guard took out a brocade pouch, handed it to the beautiful female swordsman, and then a dozen or so riders mounted their horses and galloped away, disappearing in a cloud of dust. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Only after a moment did the few Martial Artists let out a sigh of relief, wiping cold sweat from their foreheads and panting heavily.

"Tsk, tsk, Flower Rain Sword, you’re really lucky. Just for answering a question, you earned ten second-grade Yuan Stones. I work hard for a whole year to earn that much..." a middle-aged Martial Artist said, his eyes filled with envy as he looked at the brocade pouch in Flower Rain Sword’s hand.

Flower Rain Sword put the pouch away, a smile on her face. "And who told you all to stare like a pack of wolves?"

The faces of the Martial Artists flushed red. A young Martial Artist grumbled, "Well, who could blame us when that youth looked so..."

The young Martial Artist scratched his head, unable to come up with a fitting description for a long while.

The others laughed awkwardly. Then, someone asked, "Those people were wearing the attire of the Yue Family. Who is that young man? His status seems quite extraordinary."

Flower Rain Sword gazed towards the end of the street. "If I’m not mistaken, he should be the Young Master of the Yue Family, Yue Haitang, also known as ’Young Master Haitang’..."

"Yue Haitang! He’s a student of Changxin Academy. Shouldn’t he be at Sky Mountain now?" someone asked with a frown.

Flower Rain Sword shook her head. "I’m not sure about that, but his uniform is indeed from Changxin Academy, so there should be no mistake. His return to the Imperial City this time is likely related to Yi Tian, the Princely Heir of Qingyun Mansion. I heard that Yi Tian and Luo Feng agreed to a duel to the death, and the key figure in this is probably Yue Haitang..."

"I’ve heard about that too. Yi Tian is a top expert on the New Dragon List, while Luo Feng is just an up-and-coming talent. Their strengths are not on the same level at all. I don’t know if this news is true..."

"It’s probably true. My cousin’s friend is a guard at Qingyun Mansion, and this matter is already being widely discussed there."

Everyone discussed in low voices, finding it all rather unbelievable.

「Inside an exquisite courtyard of Qingyun Mansion.」

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Chilling palm shadows constantly shifted in the air. Cold wind howled through the small courtyard, and snowflakes drifted about. It was currently April, a warm spring month when all things were reviving, yet this snow seemed utterly bizarre.

Amidst the biting wind and snow stood a youth with sword-like eyebrows, dressed in a brocade robe. Green light flickered around him, the air crackled as frost visibly condensed, and the cold was piercing.

PATTER! PATTER! PATTER!

The sound of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out, and a middle-aged Martial Artist in a purple robe rushed into the courtyard.

"Young Master! The results of the Twelve Golden Palaces assessment are out!"

The youth with sword-like eyebrows was none other than Yi Tian, the Princely Heir of Qingyun Mansion.

Hearing this, he waved his hand casually. All the wind and snow in the courtyard instantly ceased, the biting cold swept away.

"Did Luo Feng rank second, or third?" Yi Tian asked, as if nonchalantly.

The purple-robed Martial Artist’s expression was somewhat odd as he replied, "If the information is correct, Luo Feng is this year’s Martial Champion!"

"Martial Champion!"

Yi Tian’s eyes narrowed, his gaze as sharp and cold as a sword.

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

After a moment, Yi Tian suddenly clapped his hands and laughed heartily, the sound waves making the entire courtyard hum. "He actually defeated Ye Siyi? Interesting. This makes things truly interesting!"

The purple-robed Martial Artist couldn’t understand why Yi Tian was laughing. Frowning slightly, he said, "Young Master, this Luo Feng, having ascended to the position of Martial Champion, is a dangerous individual and must not be allowed to live. Why not have the family’s experts eliminate him..."

SWISH!

Yi Tian’s gaze pierced the purple-robed Martial Artist, and the surrounding air instantly became incredibly cold. "Do you think I will lose to Luo Feng in three months?"

Cold sweat beaded on the purple-robed Martial Artist’s forehead. With a THUD, he knelt. "Young Master, that’s not what I meant! I was just considering every eventuality..."

"There are no ’eventualities’!"

Yi Tian waved his hand, his gaze filled with arrogance. He snorted, "My goal is to become one of the Ten Great New Dragons. Luo Feng is merely a stepping stone for me. Have you completed the tasks I assigned you?"

The purple-robed Martial Artist wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stood up.

"I have already dispatched men to all the major territories to widely distribute challenge notices. In less than a month, everyone in the Canglang Dynasty will know about your life-and-death duel with Luo Feng."

"Excellent! Send more men to the neighboring dynasties as well. In three months, I will defeat Luo Feng in front of everyone! As the Martial Champion, he is indeed qualified to fight me."

Yi Tian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the waning moon on the horizon, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit and brimming with confidence.

「In another courtyard of Qingyun Mansion.」

Candlelight flickered in the courtyard. Inside the main hall, three figures stood.

The one furthest inside was a man in his forties, tall and imposing. He stood there casually, yet emanated the coiled power of a dragon and the poised might of a tiger, commanding respect without any display of anger. This was the Azure Cloud Marquis, one of the six great King Marquises of the Canglang Dynasty.

"Head Steward Yuan, is the information accurate?" The Azure Cloud Marquis looked towards the purple-robed elder on his left.

The elder had white hair, yet his skin was ruddy and lustrous like a baby’s. A sharp light glinted in his small eyes. Hearing the question, he nodded. "There can be no mistake. This year’s Martial Champion is indeed Luo Feng, the one with whom the Young Master has scheduled a life-and-death battle."

"To think that a mere student from the Flowing Cloud Region could become the Martial Champion. This Luo Feng is certainly not simple."

Behind the elder, the White-faced Saber Guest raised an eyebrow. This man wore a long saber at his waist. His gaze was placid, but Saber Qi roiled in his eyes, as if he could take a life at any moment.

The Azure Cloud Marquis remained silent, his eyes downcast, frowning in deep thought.

Seeing this, the purple-robed elder waited silently by his side without speaking.

After a moment, a cold glint flashed in the Azure Cloud Marquis’s eyes. He suddenly said, "Head Steward Yuan, make arrangements. Send someone to Sky Mountain."

"Marquis, do you intend to deal with Luo Feng?" The elder studied the Azure Cloud Marquis’s expression, thought for a moment, and then said, "The Young Master is an expert on the New Dragon List, and his cultivation of the Floating Snow Qixuan Strength has reached the Green Snow Realm. Although Luo Feng has become the Martial Champion and his talent is astonishing, in just three months, he should be no match for the Young Master."

The White-faced Saber Guest nodded. "Indeed. Luo Feng is a genius, but so is the Princely Heir."

The Azure Cloud Marquis waved his hand, interrupting them. His gaze turned grave. "I don’t want ’should be’; I want absolute certainty! The Sword Heart Heaven Jade is critically important; we must obtain it. There can be no slip-ups in this matter! Furthermore, I had someone investigate this Luo Feng. Half a year ago, he only had a second-level Meridian Wheel Realm cultivation. I don’t know what fortuitous encounter he had, but his cultivation suddenly began to advance by leaps and bounds. In just half a year, he’s already a Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist. This person is not simple!"

"What!"

Hearing this, the expressions of both the purple-robed elder and the White-faced Saber Guest changed slightly.

From a second-level Meridian Wheel Realm to a third-level Spiritual Rotation Realm in half a year—this was nothing short of a miracle!

Taking a deep breath, the purple-robed elder nodded. "Marquis, I know what to do now."

The Azure Cloud Marquis said, "Don’t kill him. Just cripple him so he can no longer threaten Tian’er. That will suffice and prevent gossip."

"Yes..."

The purple-robed elder acknowledged the order and, along with the White-faced Saber Guest, turned and left the main hall.

Gazing out at the dense darkness of the night, the Azure Cloud Marquis narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yue Chongshan, once the Sword Heart Heaven Jade is in my hands, let’s see what you’ll use to fight me then!"

"Head Steward Yuan, leave this matter to me," the White-faced Saber Guest said to the purple-robed elder as they walked into the courtyard.

The purple-robed elder shook his head. "I will handle this matter personally."

"Head Steward Yuan, you’re going to take action yourself?" The White-faced Saber Guest looked surprised.

The purple-robed Martial Artist was named Yuan Xinglie. He began his cultivation at age five, entered the Golden Palace to cultivate at seventeen, stepped into the Spiritual Rotation Realm the following year, and by twenty-eight, he was a fifth-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist and a steward of Qingyun Mansion.

In terms of innate talent, Yuan Xinglie could only be described as mediocre; his aptitude was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary person. However, he possessed a steady temperament and a considerable affinity for Martial Arts cultivation. Advancing step by step in his practice, he was now one of the three main stewards of Qingyun Mansion, a sixth-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist, and his true strength was unfathomable.

Taking a deep breath, the White-faced Saber Guest looked at Yuan Xinglie and said, "Head Steward Yuan, for you to personally take action... isn’t this making a mountain out of a molehill? A mere third-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist—I could easily take care of him."

Yuan Xinglie glanced towards the main hall, shook his head, and said, "The Marquis stated that this matter must be foolproof."

A flicker crossed the White-faced Saber Guest’s eyes. He smiled faintly. "Since that’s the case, I won’t contend for it. With Head Steward Yuan personally taking action, it will certainly be foolproof."

"The Young Master is proud and conceited. Don’t let him know about this," Yuan Xinglie added, as if remembering something.

"I understand."

The White-faced Saber Guest nodded. Glancing sideways, he saw that Yuan Xinglie’s figure was already gone. His expression shifted. He patted the saber at his waist and gave a dry smile. "This merit... how could I let you claim it all for yourself?"

SWOOSH!

As his words fell, the White-faced Saber Guest’s feet flashed like flowing light. His figure soared into the sky and, in an instant, vanished into the vast darkness of the night.

WOOOOOOO...

The night wind suddenly intensified, letting out mournful, shrill whistles that added a touch of desolation to the early spring night, sending a chill deep into one’s heart.