The story flashes back twenty minutes earlier.
Ge Ying sat in the car, gazing at the scenery rushing past the window while chatting with her Sister Xin. It was not easy to encounter a familiar face in the unfamiliar city of Tianhai, so at that moment, Ge Ying felt extremely happy.
Soon, however, doubt crept in, as she realised the car was heading towards the suburbs.
“Sister Xin, are we not going to a beauty salon?” Ge Ying asked.
“We are going to a beauty salon, but ours is in the suburbs,” replied the woman driving. The one Ge Ying called Sister Xin was named Nangong Xin, the second young miss of the Nangong family.
“In the suburbs?” Ge Ying paused, though she harboured no suspicion.
The car soon stopped in front of an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
“Sister Xin, is the beauty salon here?” Ge Ying looked at Nangong Xin in confusion. Could it be that the salon Nangong Xin had in mind was like the Ancient Martial Arts Association’s underground city, hidden beneath an abandoned factory?
Ge Ying had never visited a beauty salon before. She only knew they were places for beauty treatments, so such doubts naturally arose in her mind.
“Of course not.” Nangong Xin smiled, opening the car door. “Ge Ying, I need to step out for a moment. Wait here for me.”
“Oh, alright.” Ge Ying nodded, then watched as Nangong Xin vanished into the night.
After Nangong Xin left, Ge Ying waited in the car. Though it was the suburbs and deep into the night with utter silence, Ge Ying felt no fear. For the sake of her family’s training, spending days and nights in remote mountains and wilds was perfectly normal for her.
“Ge Ying?” At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared in front of the car.
Ge Ying froze, staring at the figure with a flicker of puzzlement in her eyes. Who was this man? How did he know she was in the car? How did he recognise her? She had never seen him before.
“Ge Ying, will you get out yourself, or shall I help you?” the middle-aged man said coldly.
“Who are you?” Ge Ying laughed coldly. By now, how could she fail to realise his ill intentions? Yet she felt no fear, or rather, she had confidence in her own strength.
Without delay, Ge Ying stepped out of the car. If a fight broke out outside and she could not win, she could at least flee. Inside the car, there would be nowhere to run.
“You do not need to know who I am. Just come with me,” the middle-aged man said coldly.
“Come with you? Who do you think you are, demanding this young lady follow you?” Ge Ying eyed him and laughed coldly. A long sword appeared in her hand.
“If Miss Ge refuses to see reason, do not blame me for being impolite,” the middle-aged man said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“Heh, then this young lady would like to see just how impolite you can be.” Ge Ying laughed coldly. Impolite? As if she, Ge Ying, needed his politeness.
“This is your own choice, Miss Ge. I hope you do not regret it,” the middle-aged man said, staring at her with a deep chill in his pupils. He had assumed that upon his appearance, Ge Ying would obediently follow him. He had not expected her to be so defiant. In that case, he would show no mercy.
“I never regret my choices,” Ge Ying replied with a cold laugh, pointing her long sword at him. “Especially when dealing with those with ill intent. What this young lady offers them is only the sword in her hand.”
“Is that so? It seems Miss Ge has great confidence in herself.” The middle-aged man wiped his hand, and a long sword appeared in his grasp. He looked at Ge Ying with repeated cold laughs.
“Enough talk. If you want to fight, then fight. Let me see the extent of your strength,” Ge Ying said coldly. Her long sword trembled, unleashing a flurry of snowy light.
“You will find out soon enough.” A cold, cruel smile curved the middle-aged man’s lips. His figure flashed, appearing before Ge Ying in an instant.
Buzz!
His long sword shook, sending out waves of chilling sword light that swept towards Ge Ying with lightning speed, enveloping her.
Such fast swordplay.
That was Ge Ying’s first reaction.
The middle-aged man’s sword was incredibly quick, so fast that one could barely see how he struck. Only a blinding expanse of sword light was visible.
Yet facing his attacks, Ge Ying merely laughed coldly. “When it comes to swordsmanship, you may not be my match.”
Before her words finished.
Swish!
A cold glint flashed in Ge Ying’s eyes. Her fair wrist shook, and her long sword thrust out instantly.
Clang clang clang…
The two swords clashed fiercely, erupting in brilliant sparks. Sharp sword qi radiated outward, piercing deep pits into the ground.
Both wielded swords, striking fast against fast. Their cultivation was strong, their speed like lightning. Their figures were shrouded in sword light, leaving only flashes visible, like lightning in the dark night, ceaseless and dazzling.
“Haha, I did not expect Miss Ge’s skills to be so impressive. But if you think you can defeat me, your strength is still insufficient,” the middle-aged man said while attacking.
Inwardly, however, he was deeply shocked. He had been sent by Murong Kang to capture Ge Ying. Murong Kang had told him she possessed peak Acquired Realm Fourth Layer strength. At the time, he had not believed it. In his view, how could a mere woman reach peak Acquired Realm Fourth Layer?
But now, facing her, he realised Murong Kang had not lied. Moreover, he sensed that Ge Ying’s aura had reached its peak and was on the verge of breaking through to Acquired Realm Fifth Layer. How could this discovery not astonish him?
“Not necessarily. Your strength is merely average,” Ge Ying replied coldly, accelerating her sword attacks.
From a corner, Nangong Xin watched the clash between Ge Ying and the middle-aged man, shock flashing in her eyes. “How has Ge Ying’s strength become so formidable?”
At that moment, regret flickered through Nangong Xin’s heart. She had not known the extent of Ge Ying’s abilities. Though they had known each other for several years, her impression of Ge Ying’s strength remained from their last parting. She could never have imagined that in just a few months apart, Ge Ying’s power had advanced so dramatically.
If she had known Ge Ying had become this strong, she would never have agreed to Murong Kang’s request to lure her out today.
However…
Nangong Xin felt it was not too late to remedy the situation.
With that thought, a sharp glint appeared in her eyes.
“Miss Ge, this ends now.”
The middle-aged man had assumed that with his early Acquired Realm Fifth Layer strength, suppressing Ge Ying would be effortless. Yet her sword techniques were so sharp that after five minutes of combat, they remained evenly matched. This filled him with humiliated rage.
His strength far surpassed hers, yet he had gained no advantage in so long. How could he not be furious? With a loud shout, he gripped his sword hilt, gathered all his true qi, and slashed down from mid-air.
Swish!
A golden sword beam burst forth, transforming in the air into countless sharp blades that rained down upon Ge Ying like a storm.
Hiss hiss hiss…
Wherever the sword beams passed, cold light flashed. The hard ground instantly became riddled with holes.
“Sword Sweeps the Nine Heavens…”
Ge Ying laughed coldly. Her long sword turned into a chill gleam, thrusting out continuously. Waves of sword beams swept forth.
Boom boom boom…
The sword beams collided, producing earth-shaking explosions. With Ge Ying and the middle-aged man at the centre, everything within a five-metre radius seemed to become a vacuum, annihilated by their sword qi.
“Such powerful sword beams. How has Ge Ying become this strong?” From her corner, Nangong Xin watched in disbelief. Though Ge Ying’s strength was impressive, Nangong Xin had assumed she lacked combat experience. Little did she know her martial techniques were so formidable.
Naturally, Nangong Xin was unaware that after witnessing Li Feng’s prowess in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, both Ge Feng and Ge Ying had changed their training methods. Their combat experience had soared exponentially, and their strength was no longer what it once was.
The middle-aged man stared at Ge Ying, his expression turning utterly grim.
He had thought defeating her would be simple, allowing him to capture her easily. Yet even his long-famous martial technique had failed against her.
Her realm was lower than his, yet the power of her moves surpassed his own. It felt utterly unfair.
“Damn it. How is this Ge Ying so powerful? Is it simply because she is from the Ge family?”
The middle-aged man’s face twisted viciously, killing intent gleaming in his eyes.
The more outstanding Ge Ying proved, the harder it became to deal with her.
“I refuse to believe I cannot subdue you.” He laughed coldly. His aura surged violently. His long sword sliced through the air, unleashing a massive sword beam.
“Ge Ying, let us see if you can withstand this.”
His face contorted as he spoke.
Swish!
The enormous sword beam arced through the air, carving a terrifying gash into the hard ground.
Swish swish swish…
The sword beam moved like lightning, instantly sealing all space around Ge Ying. There was no escape.
Ge Ying laughed coldly, cold light flashing in her bright eyes. Protective gang qi enveloped her body. She stamped the ground and retreated at high speed.
Thud thud thud…
Boom!
A heaven-shaking explosion erupted where Ge Ying had stood moments before. The powerful shockwave forced a muffled groan from her, and a trace of blood trickled from her lips.
Ge Ying understood clearly that although this middle-aged man’s strength was weaker than the Acquired Realm Seventh or Eighth Layer ancient martial artist from the previous night, it still exceeded what she could fully counter. She had already performed beyond her limits to hold out. If he had not underestimated her at the start, she likely would not have lasted this long.
“Haha, Ge Ying, I knew you were no match for me. Now, come along quietly. Otherwise, only death awaits you,” the middle-aged man said with a cold laugh, slowly advancing towards her.
“The one who will die is you.” Just as his words fell, two figures appeared around him, gazing at him with icy eyes.
“Who are you?” The middle-aged man’s pupils contracted, his expression shifting. He had sensed nothing when these two arrived. The only explanation was that their strength far surpassed his.
“You do not need to know.” Before the words finished, the two lunged forward in an instant.
