# Chapter 205: Desperate Ambush
Chang Qiqi's martial cultivation had reached the Earth Extreme Middle Position, and as a second-rank genius, when going all out with his life on the line, he could even contend with experts at the Earth Extreme Great Perfection realm.
His blade technique was undeniably powerful, like a thunder god protecting his body, his momentum charging forward without hesitation.
Hua Qingshan sneered coldly, one hand behind his back while the other shot out rapidly, flicking his finger against the blade's spine, producing a piercing metallic ring.
"Slap!"
Ripples of energy appeared on the blade's back in concentric circles.
The blade vibrated violently, a powerful force transmitting outward as if trying to snap Chang Qiqi's five fingers.
Chang Qiqi shifted his footwork, moving sideways to the right, retreating over ten zhang before steadying himself. He stared at Hua Qingshan with some shock and said, "How could the Black Market's younger generation have such a strong expert? Could you be the Poison Spider Young Master, Hua Qingshan?"
"Haha! You do have some discernment after all!" Hua Qingshan laughed.
Chang Qiqi's expression turned extremely ugly, his face drooping as he said, "My luck is too terrible. How did I run into you?"
Zuo Sheng's face also turned deathly pale in an instant, never expecting that the man before him was actually the infamous Poison Spider Young Master.
Although the Poison Spider Young Master was only at the Earth Extreme Great Extreme Position, his combat power was already not much weaker than the experts on the Earth Ranking.
According to external assessments, once the Poison Spider Young Master reached Earth Extreme Great Perfection, he would definitely become a member of the Earth Ranking.
Although Chang Qiqi and Zuo Sheng were both experts from the Inner Palace Academy, with their martial cultivation, it would be difficult for them to block even three moves from the Poison Spider Young Master.
Chang Qiqi and Zuo Sheng exchanged a glance and immediately fled in opposite directions.
"Since you've already come to the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, do you think you can still escape?" Hua Qingshan said with a cold, mocking laugh, drawing a one-foot-three-inch curved blade and gripping it in his hand.
True Qi surged from his fingertips, pouring into the curved blade.
The curved blade emitted a light like a bright moon, flying out from Hua Qingshan's hand, arcing through the air, and slashing toward Zuo Sheng.
Zuo Sheng was an expert at the Earth Extreme Small Extreme Position. In an instant, he had already fled over twenty zhang away, about to escape the courtyard.
"Pfft!"
The curved blade flew past, severing Zuo Sheng's neck, a three-foot-high column of blood spurting from the wound.
With a bang, both the corpse and the head fell to the ground simultaneously.
The curved blade spun in the air once before flying back into Hua Qingshan's hand.
"Shua!"
The curved blade flew out again, slashing toward Chang Qiqi.
Seeing Zuo Sheng killed, Chang Qiqi let out a strange cry, abruptly turning around, his body shooting upward as he swung his blade.
"Boom!"
Chang Qiqi's war blade deflected the curved blade away, but at the same time, he was sent flying backward by the powerful impact. Landing on the ground, he immediately fled into the distance again.
"You managed to block one of my strikes. You do have some skill." Hua Qingshan gripped the war blade, activated his movement technique, and gave chase.
"That Poison Spider Young Master's cultivation is truly formidable. Even ten Iron Hunchbacks combined wouldn't be his match."
After Hua Qingshan left, Zhang Ruochen leisurely walked into the courtyard and soon spotted a pavilion covered in formation inscription patterns. Huang Yanchen was standing on the second floor of that pavilion.
Huang Yanchen had naturally witnessed the exchange between Zuo Sheng, Chang Qiqi, and Hua Qingshan. She desperately wanted to rush out and help them deal with Hua Qingshan.
But every time she tried to charge out, dense formations would appear around the pavilion, emitting lightning force that forced her back.
"How infuriating!"
Seeing Zuo Sheng killed by Hua Qingshan's blade, Huang Yanchen felt deeply distressed. After all, that Inner Palace student had died under Hua Qingshan's blade because he came to rescue her.
Of course, she also knew that even if she rushed out, she wouldn't be a match for Hua Qingshan in a single exchange.
"The Black Market truly has many experts. I underestimated them before."
From a young age, Huang Yanchen had been showered with favor. Among the many commandery princesses, she was both the most beautiful and the most talented. She had never imagined that one day she would become a prisoner.
She knew very well that the reason the Black Market's evil path martial artists hadn't touched her yet was because she was the commandery princess of Qianshui Commandery.
A trace of regret arose in Huang Yanchen's heart. Initially, Duanmu Xingling and Zhang Ruochen had warned her that the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect were no ordinary evil path forces, but she hadn't taken it seriously, believing that with her martial cultivation and some life-saving methods, even a Heavenly Extreme realm martial myth might not be able to hold her.
It was precisely because she was too arrogant that she had been ambushed by the evil people of the Poison Spider Merchant Guild and became a prisoner.
Just then, Hua Qingshan returned from afar, carrying his blood-dripping curved blade, somewhat annoyed.
Huang Yanchen stood tall on the upper floor, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes coldly fixed on Hua Qingshan as she asked, "Did you kill Chang Qiqi?"
"That fellow's cultivation isn't much, but his escape skills are impressive. He got away!"
Hua Qingshan looked up at the Yanchen Commandery Princess above, his eyes lighting up with a flash of admiration. He smiled, "Excellent! I've long heard that the Yanchen Commandery Princess possesses a nation-toppling beauty. Seeing you today truly lives up to the reputation."
Hua Qingshan took a step forward, directly stepping into the formation inscriptions and heading up the pavilion.
"Thump, thump..."
Footsteps echoed on the stairs.
Huang Yanchen's expression darkened slightly, her eyes fixed intently on the direction of the stairway.
Although her cultivation hadn't been sealed, how could she possibly be a match for Hua Qingshan with her strength?
What to do?
Just as Hua Qingshan stepped onto the upper floor.
Huang Yanchen activated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, turning into an afterimage. Using her finger as a sword, she took the initiative to attack Hua Qingshan.
Hua Qingshan stood still, showing no intention of counterattacking. He laughed disdainfully, "Commandery Princess, you're still too weak. If you cultivate for another two years, you might be able to fight me."
Hua Qingshan struck later but arrived first, sending a palm strike. The powerful palm wind, before even hitting Huang Yanchen, sent her flying backward.
"Bang!"
Crashing through the door, Huang Yanchen flew backward and fell to the floor.
Huang Yanchen felt as if all her meridians had been shattered, unable to muster any strength. A trace of blood hung at the corner of her mouth. She turned her head to look at Hua Qingshan.
How could he be so powerful?
Among the younger generation, Huang Yanchen had never been defeated so miserably.
Although Hua Qingshan was said to be one of the Black Market's seven young experts, he was actually nearly thirty years old, not truly young. For Huang Yanchen, just over twenty, to be defeated by him was not at all unjust.
Of course, the stronger one's martial cultivation, the slower one aged. Hua Qingshan still appeared to be around twenty years old.
Hua Qingshan walked in, looking at Huang Yanchen on the ground like a lamb awaiting slaughter. He smiled, "The Yanchen Commandery Princess's personality is indeed as cold and stubborn as the legends say. But I like women as cold and proud as you, Commandery Princess, because I firmly believe that no matter how cold a woman is, once she's in my hands, she'll become passionate as fire. As for your pride, after a few beatings, it won't be there anymore. Right? Haha!"
"You're asking for death!" Huang Yanchen gritted her teeth, trying to stand up, but as soon as she moved, a heart-wrenching pain came from within her body, as if trying to tear her apart.
"Wa!"
A mouthful of blood spilled from Huang Yanchen's body. Her beautiful face became even paler, like a sheet of white paper.
Hua Qingshan sat down on a chair at the top of the room, looking extremely calm and composed. He smiled, "Commandery Princess, I advise you not to struggle, lest you injure yourself further. You've just been hit by my Meridian-Severing Heart-Shattering Palm. If you forcefully circulate your True Qi, at best you'll lose all your cultivation, and at worst your meridians will snap, your heart will shatter, and your organs will rupture, leading to a miserable death."
"I've cultivated the Meridian-Severing Heart-Shattering Palm for a full five years. In the entire Martial Market Academy's Inner Palace Academy, I estimate only three people can withstand this palm strike of mine."
A look of determination flashed in Huang Yanchen's eyes. She was about to forcefully circulate her True Qi and fight Hua Qingshan to the death.
Suddenly, without any warning, another person appeared in the room.
It was a young man, dressed in white robes, with a metal mask covering his face.
"Shua!"
A broken sword was gripped in his hand. His speed was as fast as lightning as he swung the sword, slashing toward Hua Qingshan's neck.
The two were already close at hand, and the young man's speed was astonishingly fast. In almost an instant, the broken sword had already reached Hua Qingshan's neck.
When that mysterious young man appeared, Hua Qingshan was also slightly startled. With his cultivation, how could someone enter within ten steps of him without him noticing?
Although shocked, Hua Qingshan's reaction speed was extremely fast. As the war sword slashed toward him, his body immediately leaned backward, narrowly dodging the strike.
"Chi!"
The icy sword energy cut through the skin on Hua Qingshan's neck, leaving a shallow bloody mark.
Because the sword energy was too cold, a layer of white frost appeared on Hua Qingshan's body, almost completely freezing his upper half.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. He had been just a hair's breadth away from killing Hua Qingshan.
Since the sneak attack had failed, Zhang Ruochen didn't hesitate at all. He immediately retreated, grabbing Huang Yanchen with one hand and charging out of the pavilion.
For an expert like Hua Qingshan, if the first sword couldn't kill him, then Zhang Ruochen would never have a second chance.
At least with Zhang Ruochen's current martial cultivation, he could only flee immediately.
Hua Qingshan was also startled. That person's sword technique was too fast. He had almost died under that strike.
For the first time, he felt that death was so close to him, and his opponent was merely a young man.
"Crack, crack!"
Hua Qingshan shattered the ice on his body and snorted coldly, "Still trying to escape?"
Just as Zhang Ruochen, carrying Huang Yanchen, rushed out the door, Hua Qingshan chased after him from behind at an even faster speed.
"Shua!"
A flash of blade light.
Hua Qingshan drew the curved blade from its sheath. With the strength of his five fingers, the curved blade arced through the air, bypassing Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen, and slashed toward Zhang Ruochen from the front.
If Zhang Ruochen used his hand to block the curved blade, he would definitely be caught up by Hua Qingshan.
If Zhang Ruochen didn't block the curved blade, his neck would be severed.
With no other choice, Zhang Ruochen had to stop in his tracks, swinging his sword to strike. Using a rotating skillful force, he deflected the incoming curved blade.
"Bang!"
Although he used skillful force, the power on the curved blade was still extremely strong, numbing Zhang Ruochen's arm and causing him to take a slight step backward.
At this moment, he finally understood why Zuo Sheng had been killed by Hua Qingshan with a single blade strike. The power on that curved blade was indeed not something ordinary people could withstand.
Moreover, the curved blade didn't fly in a straight line; its attack direction was full of variables.
It was only because Zhang Ruochen had reached the Sword Heart Illumination realm that he could strike the curved blade and deflect it.
If it were any other Earth Extreme realm martial artist, they probably wouldn't even be able to see the curved blade's flight trajectory before dying under it.
"Zhang Ruochen, you're no match for Hua Qingshan. Put me down. I'll hold off Hua Qingshan so you have a chance to escape." Huang Yanchen's voice was still cold and proud, but it sounded somewhat weak. She widened her beautiful eyes and stared coldly at Zhang Ruochen.
"How did you recognize me?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Do you think I wouldn't recognize you just because you put on a mask? Idiot!" Huang Yanchen rolled her eyes at Zhang Ruochen, trying to break free from his grip, preparing to fight Hua Qingshan to the death to buy Zhang Ruochen time to escape.
Huang Yanchen was very clear that if Zhang Ruochen took her with him, neither of them would be able to escape.