Chapter 66: Li Hongyi versus Duan Tianlang

Gao Wu looked at the scumbag in Zhao Liying's grip and asked doubtfully, "Is that Tian Boguang, the one I have in mind?"

Zhao Liying nodded solemnly, "It should be. This fellow also uses twin sabers and is extremely fast. More importantly, he is also a notorious flower-picker!"

"Hah, then there's probably no mistake!" Gao Wu tossed the captive Zhou Li he had been dragging aside and stared at Tian Boguang with amazement. "Why is he so ugly?"

"Um..."

With his mute acupoint sealed, Tian Boguang widened his eyes as if wanting to argue something!

Besides, was it really appropriate for them to stand right in front of him and repeatedly talk about how ugly he was?

"Yingbao, release his acupoint. I have something to ask him."

"Ahem, do you know me, Your Excellency?" Tian Boguang blurted out the moment his mute acupoint was unlocked.

"Never heard of you!"

"..."

"However, I do have a little question out of pure curiosity! Do you know Linghu Chong?"

Tian Boguang was momentarily stunned, casting a suspicious glance at Gao Wu. "Young Hero Linghu? We've crossed paths once. How does Your Excellency know of this?"

"Hehe, did you two make a wager?"

A look of awkward embarrassment crossed Tian Boguang's face. They had indeed made a wager, and he had lost. Yet such matters ought to be strictly confidential; could Young Hero Linghu possibly go around shouting it from the rooftops?

"A wager was made!"

Gao Wu suddenly changed the subject. "Have you ever seen someone who constantly carries a giant sword? A sword one foot wide and five feet long!"

"If I tell you, will you let me go?"

"Haha, you certainly know how to joke. There's no way you're walking out of here, but I can ask them to go easy on you!"

Tian Boguang hung his head in defeat. He knew he was utterly doomed and that stepping out of this dungeon again was a sheer impossibility!

To suffer even a fraction less pain would still be a mercy. With that thought, Tian Boguang quickly said, "I know where he is and I can take you there, in exchange for a swift and painless death!"

Gao Wu's expression shifted with a start. He had only asked on a whim, yet he had actually unearthed a solid clue. "Good, take us there immediately!"

At this moment, Gao Wu had no heart left to bother with Zhou Li. He handed the prisoner over to the guards for detention and strode out of the dungeon, dragging Tian Boguang along.

Seeing them emerge, Li Hongyi looked surprised, while Hua Ruoxue's eyes lit up with a beaming smile.

Anxious to capture Duan Tianlang, Gao Wu paid no attention to Hua Ruoxue.

"Lord Li, Tian Boguang knows the hiding place of an important criminal! I need him to guide us to the murderer!"

Ignoring Gao Wu entirely, Li Hongyi looked toward Zhao Liying, awaiting her response.

"My Lord, Tian Boguang knows where Duan Tianlang is hiding! The culprit behind the Guixiang Pavilion homicide case—the fiend of the Demon clan!"

Only then did Li Hongyi nod slightly. "You belong to the Spring Breeze Hall. I have seen you before."

"Yes, Lord Li!"

Li Hongyi waved her hand, preparing to let Gao Wu take the prisoner away, when Hua Ruoxue suddenly interjected, "We shall go together!"

The hour was already late. Li Hongyi's original plan was to find a suitable lodging for the Empress Dowager for the night. Because the assignment had been accepted in haste, their preparations were far from thorough.

Li Hongyi's raised hand paused in mid-air. She looked at the Empress Dowager in bewilderment, utterly failing to fathom what was passing through Her Majesty's mind. Withdrawing her arm, she murmured quietly into Hua Ruoxue's ear, "Your Majesty, the day is growing late. If we head out now, it will likely be deep into the night by the time we return..."

"It matters not. Since this palace has come out to clear its mind, naturally I wish to see more!"

Helpless, Li Hongyi turned back to Gao Wu and said, "We shall accompany you to capture the criminal!"

"Ah, this..."

Gao Wu was completely thrown off. This whole turn of events completely violated standard protocol!

Furthermore, this was a case belonging to the Spring Breeze Hall. If he rashly allowed the Fierce Phoenix Hall to muscle in, and Brother Chun found out later, how on earth was he supposed to survive in the Spring Breeze Hall?

Reading Gao Wu's misgivings at a glance, Li Hongyi stated bluntly, "The circumstances are extraordinary. As for Brother Chun, I shall explain it to him myself. Let us hurry; we shall make haste and return swiftly!"

To save time, the group mounted horses and rode directly toward the destination. Duan Tianlang's hideout was located in the West City; just the round trip alone would take an hour on horseback. If one factored in the time needed to capture Duan Tianlang, it would undoubtedly be pitch black by the time they returned to the Seven Stars Tower!

Since Hua Ruoxue and Yuan Chun did not know how to ride, they were scooped up and held in the arms of Liu Yifei and Zhao Liying respectively.

It was only as they mounted their steeds that Gao Wu realized the person Liu Yifei and the others were guarding was none of than the reigning Empress Dowager herself—Hua Ruoxue, ranked first on the Beauty Roll.

Never had he imagined that Hua Ruoxue would be of such tender youth, prompting him to steal a few extra glances!

In truth, Hua Ruoxue had also been secretly sizing up Gao Wu all along, yet whenever his gaze shifted toward her, she would instantly lower her head to avoid meeting his eyes.

In the West City, inside the residence where Duan Tianlang was concealed, Duan Tianlang sat cross-legged upon a bed in meditation. Surging demonic Qi coiled around his body, though it never strayed too far from his flesh. Moreover, his chamber appeared to be guarded by some obscure array, completely masking any aura of demonic arts from the outside world.

Gao Wu and his party reined in their horses at a distance, dismounted, and crept forward on foot to encircle Duan Tianlang's dwelling.

In essence, Li Hongyi took the lead while Gao Wu and Zhao Liying provided auxiliary support. The moment the three of them closed in on the courtyard, Duan Tianlang shattered the roof and burst out.

Li Hongyi's long spear struck like a waking dragon, thrusting directly at Duan Tianlang's face, only to be parried by his massive sword acting as a shield.

With a deafening crash, sparks exploded outward like brilliant fireworks blooming in the night sky.

Seizing the momentum, Li Hongyi flicked her wrist, and the tip of her spear executed a bizarre twist. Like a venomous serpent uncoiling, it lunged toward Duan Tianlang's right arm, which wielded the blade.

Duan Tianlang's gaze was sharp as lightning. He threw his body backward in a swift retreat while sweeping his heavy sword horizontally to deflect the ferocious strike with pinpoint precision.

Simultaneously, billowing black mist erupted from Duan Tianlang's body!

"Poison!"

Li Hongyi merely emitted a cold snort, utterly dismissing the toxic fog. Stamping her feet violently against the earth, she propelled herself forward like a loosed arrow, pouncing upon Duan Tianlang once again.

Her spear whirled into a seamless barrier of dancing light, flashing with countless piercing points as if thousands of spearheads were stabbing toward Duan Tianlang all at once.

Duan Tianlang's expression grew grave. He realized that the martial masters of Great Zhou had arrived, and if he did not unsheathe his weapon now, things would surely turn ominous.

Their figures intertwined in close combat. Li Hongyi's spearplay was grand and unrestrained, every single movement imbued with the weight of a thousand jun, as though threatening to rip apart the surrounding air. Meanwhile, Duan Tianlang's heavy sword was endlessly versatile, serving alternately as blade and shield, building a defensive bulwark as solid as copper and iron walls.

Li Hongyi calculated inwardly that if this continued, a swift victory would be difficult to achieve; she had to devise a method to shatter Duan Tianlang's sword-shield defense.

Both combatants harbored their own thoughts, yet neither initiated a change in stance, seemingly waiting for the optimal moment to strike!

After trading another hundred blows, Duan Tianlang's sword still remained within its scabbard. In truth, under such circumstances, Li Hongyi could already be considered to have fallen slightly behind.

On the surface, it appeared that Li Hongyi was on the offensive while Duan Tianlang defended.

One had to remember, however, that what Duan Tianlang wielded was none other than the Soul-Nourishing Sword. Once unsheathed, his combat prowess would inevitably skyrocket, and by that time, Li Hongyi might well suffer a crushing defeat!

Nonetheless, Li Hongyi still had Zhao Liying waiting in reserve, and further away stood Liu Yifei and Zhou Zhi, both at the peak of the Xiantian realm. Consequently, she felt no urgency, choosing instead to gradually exhaust Duan Tianlang's stamina.

After crossing paths with Li Hongyi once more, Duan Tianlang planted his feet on the ground and began slowly drawing his blade.

When the Soul-Nourishing Sword emerges, a hundred ghosts walk by night!