Chapter 388: Someone Arrives on a Kite
Liang Wangsun was the first guest at this feast. Given his status, strength, and position in the martial world, the imperial court, and the cultivation realm, he was absolutely qualified to be the honored guest. So Chen Changsheng wanted to kill him—even knowing he was far outmatched, he still had to kill him. Only then could he shock the entire city of Xunyang, and with his status in the National Church, perhaps prevent people from continuing to attack Su Li. This was Chen Changsheng's plan: only by killing could he save, only by being unreasonable could he make reason prevail.
The long street outside the inn was utterly silent. The bright spring light fell upon the dust that had just settled and the pavement.
With the sound of something breaking, Chen Changsheng crashed through the window, carrying shattered gravel and wood chips, and in an instant arrived on the street.
Liang Wangsun's grand carriage was two stories high. Before the inn, as he broke through the window and advanced, he found himself inside the carriage.
His feet had not yet landed on the carriage when his short sword had already left its sheath, thrusting straight at Liang Wangsun's brow.
This sword strike was utterly silent, with no imposing aura, and no vast fluctuations of true essence could be sensed. It seemed merely to add an unremarkable brightness to the spring light, yet it shocked many. Even Liang Wangsun's expression turned solemn.
The sword intent of Chen Changsheng's strike was pure to the extreme, powerful to the extreme, as if it had already transcended the existence of sword momentum. In the streets and alleys, those who saw this sword—whether they were cultivation experts who had come to kill Su Li, priests of the Xunyang City cathedral, Liang Wangsun's death warriors, or ordinary servants and maids who knew nothing of cultivation or swordsmanship—all felt their eyes sting.
That sting came from Chen Changsheng's sword intent, incredibly sharp and carrying an innate oppressive force. His short sword was now the new generation of the Dragon's Roar Sword, and this strike was like a dragon emerging from the vast sea, its light shining in all directions. The seemingly unremarkable brightness was actually like a sun, forcing everyone to squint.
The crowd was stunned, realizing that Chen Changsheng's swordsmanship had reached such a level. Only Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang, who had fought Chen Changsheng before, were mentally prepared and showed no reaction.
Although Chen Changsheng was now quite famous, regarded by many as one of the most talented youths of the younger generation of cultivators, ranked just below Qiushan Jun and Xu Yourong, not many had actually witnessed his cultivation level with their own eyes. Especially in Xunyang City in the north, cultivators here only knew he was extraordinary but never expected that at such a young age, he had already reached the peak of the Penetrating Obscurity realm, and more terrifyingly, his mastery of the sword path was so profound. In that very short time, many people, including Xunyang City's bishop Hua Jiefu, couldn't help but entertain a thought that would normally be impossible—could Chen Changsheng's sword actually threaten Liang Wangsun?
Sitting in the carriage facing the sword's edge, Liang Wangsun perceived Chen Changsheng's sword intent more clearly than anyone in the streets and alleys. Yet, puzzlingly, he made no move at all.
He quietly watched Chen Changsheng's sword, his gaze calm and indifferent, exuding a noble and inviolable aura. The vajra scepter in his right hand suddenly blazed with brilliant light, instantly swallowing the brightness of Chen Changsheng's sword. Was this the nearly perfect star domain? Just as Chen Changsheng was thinking this, he suddenly felt something was wrong, because...
His sword pierced into that light with surprising ease.
Man and sword became one. As the short sword stabbed into the light, he too entered that light.
His feet finally landed on Liang Wangsun's grand carriage, touching solid ground. But his sword failed to pierce Liang Wangsun's brow, stopping just before it.
Liang Wangsun's left hand, which had been hanging at his side, had somehow risen and blocked Chen Changsheng's short sword.
He used only two fingers to catch the sword.
Those two fingers, which looked somewhat slender, even feminine, were actually like two mountain peaks.
Even if Chen Changsheng's sword were a true dragon, it would be caught between these two peaks, unable to advance.
Before breaking through the window and striking, Chen Changsheng had spent most of his calculations for this battle on finding the weakness or flaw in Liang Wangsun's star domain. He never imagined that Liang Wangsun wouldn't even deploy his star domain, using only two fingers to stop his sword. Was this the confidence and majesty of a master on the Carefree List?
Looking into Liang Wangsun's imposing eyes, Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a chill in his body. This man's cultivation was too unfathomable, far too powerful for him. But the coldness in his body didn't come from this gap in strength—he still had hidden moves, and his true sword hadn't yet been unleashed—but from some vague feeling.
Liang Wangsun hadn't deployed his star domain. It wasn't about confidence, nor about contempt, and it probably wasn't to humiliate him, because that wouldn't suit his status and bearing, nor would it be a mistake a true expert would make. So what exactly did he intend? Sure enough, in the next moment, just as Chen Changsheng was about to unleash his true sword, Liang Wangsun moved.
With a slight stir of his divine sense, star dust danced on the black lotus carriage, and a breath of energy separated two worlds.
Liang Wangsun deployed his star domain. At this moment, Chen Changsheng was before him, so he also entered the star domain, or rather, was trapped within it. For a Star Gathering realm expert, the star domain's most important function was to protect oneself from any attack. What was Liang Wangsun's intention? Chen Changsheng knew this move must have deep meaning, though he couldn't immediately grasp it. But his sword heart remained unperturbed, his sword intent steady as before. He took a step forward with his right foot, and the true essence in his body instantly burned fiercely.
Liang Wangsun's eyes grew brighter, more serious, and more focused. Clearly, he sensed the surge in Chen Changsheng's true essence and detected the potential danger. Liang Wangsun knew that in a moment, Chen Changsheng's true sword would arrive. At this moment, he didn't know that sword was at least several thousand strikes; he only knew that in the same moment, Su Li would die.
Both needed only a moment, but Chen Changsheng might not be able to harm Liang Wangsun, while Liang Wangsun was certain Su Li would die.
So soon after, Chen Changsheng understood he wouldn't have the chance to wait for that moment to end.
Because at the start of that moment, a snowflake drifted onto Liang Wangsun's carriage.
Countless snowflakes fell on the streets and alleys around the inn.
In deep spring, Xunyang City suddenly experienced a snowfall.
Chen Changsheng looked into Liang Wangsun's eyes and saw many emotions there, but no killing intent. Then he understood: Liang Wangsun had never intended to kill him from the start. Yes, even someone like Liang Wangsun, unless absolutely necessary, didn't want to kill the boy from the National Academy, deeply trusted and even doted on by His Holiness the Pope and Bishop Melisande.
He had taken the risk to deploy his star domain, trapping Chen Changsheng on the carriage, just to prevent him from acting.
This battle wasn't between the two of them.
The one truly moving to kill Su Li was someone else.
Who was that person? Who was the last guest to arrive at this feast?
The spring light was already drowned by wind and snow.
In the snowy sky, a figure suddenly descended.
It was a strange man, his face covered with a white paper mask. Two holes were cut in the paper, revealing his eyes, while simple lines sketched a nose and mouth elsewhere.
The strange man's eyes were devoid of emotion, spirit, or love, cold yet exuding a sense of utter madness.
Around the strange man's waist was a string, its other end in the sky, tied to an enormous paper kite.
That paper kite continuously scattered paper pieces to the ground.
Where was the wind and snow?
The snowflakes dancing in Xunyang City were all paper pieces.
The strange man's cultivation level was terrifyingly strong. Still dozens of feet from the ground, his domineering and mad aura had already reached the streets and alleys. Cultivators of weaker realms closed their eyes to resist, while ordinary people directly fainted.
The black tiles and old eaves atop the inn were instantly crushed into rubble. Amid a dull roar, the inn's roof completely collapsed, walls shattered, revealing the scene inside.
Amid smoke and flying snow, people could vaguely see broken beams and furniture scattered across the floor.
In the ruins stood a chair.
A middle-aged man sat in the chair, holding an old yellow paper umbrella.
The streets and alleys fell into sudden dead silence.
This was the first time many had seen Su Li's true face.
The man descending from the sky thrust a spear at Su Li's body.
The iron spear shot out, the paper snow scattered, and wind and thunder roared!
People around the inn cried out in shock.
"Xiao Zhang!"
"Armor-Painting Xiao Zhang!"
Someone had arrived in Xunyang City on a kite to kill.
He had scattered paper snowflakes in advance to send off the one he intended to kill.
Because he believed that since he had come, that person would surely die.
Even if that person was Su Li.
Such a mad act—who else but the second-ranked madman on the Carefree List could pull it off?
Such an arrogant entrance—who else but Armor-Painting Xiao Zhang?
As the iron spear struck, Xunyang City shook!
This was Xiao Zhang's arrogant spear. Even if Su Li were uninjured and at his peak, he would have to deal with it seriously. Now, with his severe wounds unhealed, how could he possibly withstand this...