Chapter 21

Tall stature, imposing build.

An elderly man with caterpillar eyebrows furrowed deeply was staring at the Dahei Kezhan of Poyang Lake as if he wanted to tear it apart.

His intense gaze, like the sun, gleamed through his disheveled hair.

Steel-like muscles were revealed through the torn martial robes.

A veritable statue of a male god!

Though his ash-gray hair, covered with white streaks, clearly indicated he was well over fifty, his physique surpassed the vigor of a man in his twenties.

Perhaps tired of his massive and robust figure, people passing by the inn kept glancing at him and avoided any trouble.

Soon, a thunderous voice erupted from the elderly man's mouth.

"Yilong! You ungrateful disciple! Your master has come! Can't you come out properly?"

This man was none other than the Green Forest King, Tie Xiong Ba.

The absolute ruler who unified the Green Forest with just his two fists and the protagonist of the famous Zhen Wu Ni Tian Quan.

Tie Xiong Ba, who was even taller than Zhang Yilong, roared even louder.

"Can't you come out quickly? Do I have to destroy everything to make you come out?"

At that moment, Zhang Yilong burst out of the inn, lifting the curtain.

His face was as pale as if he had seen a ghost.

He was even barefoot.

"Ah, Master, how did you get here?"

Instantly, Tie Xiong Ba's figure blurred and disappeared with a puff.

"Aah! Let go, let go!"

It was a truly astonishing scene!

The massive Zhang Yilong was dangling.

Tie Xiong Ba, gripping Zhang Yilong's nape, bared his white teeth.

"Is there any place in the martial world where the Green Forest's influence does not reach? I have endured until now for the sake of Nangong's reputation. But now it's a matter of life and death!"

Suddenly, Tie Xiong Ba's eyes glowed like molten lava.

"So, you have become a righteous hero?"

"Ah!"

Zhang Yilong, frightened, closed his eyes.

Whenever his master's eyes turned like that, a beating was sure to follow.

"Ah, no, that's not it. Just listen to me for a moment..."

"Are you, a great righteous hero, going to submit to the Green Forest?"

Snap, snap.

As Tie Xiong Ba cracked his neck from side to side and slowly relaxed his body, Zhang Yilong shouted in desperation.

"Damn it! That's why I ran away! You don't even listen to me and just want to beat me up? Am I a dog? Why do I have to be beaten like a dog every day?"

Tie Xiong Ba, who was as ignorant as his disciple, examined the muscles of his ignorant disciple.

"So, is your Eternal Iron Armor useless?"

Eternal Iron Armor.

A legendary external martial art where brutal beatings are the basic training method.

This incredible external martial art, which pairs with Zhen Wu Ni Tian Quan, has never had a master in a hundred years due to the extreme difficulty of its training.

Therefore, Tie Xiong Ba had very high hopes for Zhang Yilong. This beast-like disciple's astonishing recovery ability was beyond human levels.

"So, are you going to destroy your immature acupoint? Since I gave it to you, you have no right to complain if I take it back."

Acupoint.

A weakness inherent to martial artists who have mastered external martial arts.

A martial artist whose acupoint is discovered by the enemy cannot use their full strength. They always had to be cautious about defending their acupoint, which limited their offensive and defensive movements.

Eternal Iron Armor also had an acupoint. However, if one could achieve great success, such an acupoint would disappear.

The legendary indestructible body.

Eternal Iron Armor is no less than the great external martial art of Shaolin.

At that moment, a woman's shrill scream was heard from somewhere.

"Ah! Nangong!"

On the roof of the inn.

A pale-faced woman, with her disheveled hair, was making a fuss.

Her gaze was fixed on a pair of middle-aged men who had just entered the inn.

Suddenly, Tie Xiong Ba, noticing the sword his opponent was wielding, gritted his teeth.

"Imperial Divine Sword!"

The middle-aged man, Changtian Sword Hero Nangong Shu, who had been sighing, lifted his hat and opened his eyes wide.

"Tie Xiong Ba?"

His eyes could kill!

Tie Xiong Ba's eyes were doing just that.

A week ago, the Black Heaven Alliance suddenly announced the dissolution of its troops.

Without even deploying a single ship, they suddenly announced the dissolution?

The Green Forest had deployed seven thousand troops to Dangtianpo. They had been camping for over two months, waiting for the water to rise.

Feeding and housing seven thousand troops for over two months required an enormous amount of silver. This expedition was a matter of life and death.

For the Green Forest, failing to take Anhui meant the end of everything.

And now, to scrap all the plans?

Was this some kind of joke? His anger was uncontrollable, and he was about to curse when the Black Heaven Alliance's envoy delivered even more shocking news.

The dissolution of the alliance.

At first, he thought he had misheard and questioned the Black Heaven Alliance's envoy several times.

However, the envoy clearly confirmed the dissolution of the alliance.

Didn't they come to form an alliance after bending the knee?

After persuading the stubborn Green Forest's Seventeen Heroes day and night to unite the Green Forest's will, now they wanted to back out?

Tie Xiong Ba wanted to turn the Black Heaven Alliance's envoy to dust with one punch but barely restrained himself.

He immediately dispatched his subordinates to investigate the situation in Jiangxi.

The situation was quickly understood.

The rumors of Changtian Sword Hero Nangong Shu's exploits had spread far and wide.

Although he couldn't believe all the strange rumors, it was clear that Changtian Sword Hero was at the center of all the events.

A dense aura of combat rose around Tie Xiong Ba.

"Hey, warehouse looter."

Changtian Sword Hero Nangong Shu laughed helplessly.

Although Tie Xiong Ba treated him like a common criminal, he strangely wasn't angry.

"It's all a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

Tie Xiong Ba clenched his fists tightly.

Soon, his entire body's muscles trembled violently, and the unique dark aura of Zhen Wu Ni Tian Quan gathered on his fists.

The realm of fist aura.

A realm that all martial artists aspire to. It was also a sign that his martial arts had reached the pinnacle of the transformation realm.

"Will the Green Forest be destroyed by another misunderstanding? Even a small creature, when cornered, will show its fangs! Do you intend to destroy the Green Forest? Is this the will of the Martial World Alliance?"

"..."

Explaining to a man with bloodshot eyes would be in vain.

Nangong Shu, sighing, slowly adjusted his sword grip.

What more was there to say between the righteous and the unrighteous?

Nangong was the emperor.

He would speak only through his sword.

No need for words.

Soon, the vast sword force enveloped the surroundings.

Nangong Shu's eyes gradually turned blue.

In front of the symbol of absolute realm, Tie Xiong Ba bit his lips until they bled.

Seven Martial Seats.

The seven heavens of the righteous martial world.

A name that had always suppressed the Green Forest.

Once, in the past, when he lived a humble life as a wandering swordsman, the righteous and prestigious families were always out of reach.

The intense sense of rivalry and the strong fighting spirit instantly dominated Tie Xiong Ba's mind.

Zhen Wu Ni Tian Quan

Third Form.

Nine Heaven-Defying Strikes.

Rumble!

Tie Xiong Ba, stepping on a powerful stance, leaped out, and the ground in front of the inn was completely overturned.

Nine deadly fist auras charged directly at Nangong Shu.

Nangong Shu, still with a calm face, raised his sword.

Cangqiong Wu'ai Sword

First Four Forms.

Heavenly Thunder Rock Aura Cannon.

Dozens of sword rings appeared in an instant, hovering in the air for a moment before shooting out like cannonballs to meet the fist auras.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave scattered in all directions.

Nangong Shu, still with a calm face, raised his protective aura.

Numerous fragments were blocked by his blue protective aura and fell to the ground.

Soon, Nangong Shu's sword began to vibrate intensely.

Imperial Sword Form

First Three Forms. Profound Imperial Way.

First Four Forms. Heaven-Cutting Boundless Form.

The pure realm that only a master of the absolute realm could display appeared in the hall.

The aura of high moral character in the Imperial Sword Form, and the incredible sword techniques at that level, were displayed in a continuous sequence.

The people in the market, who would not hesitate to watch a fight, could not withstand the pressure of the emperor and scattered in all directions.

Profound Imperial Way.

A sword technique that dominates a certain area with overwhelming sword power.

No matter how great a martial artist's skills were, they could not use their full strength within the range of the emperor's sword power, the Profound Imperial Way. Tie Xiong Ba was no exception.

Those who knew the Imperial Sword Form well feared this Profound Imperial Way more than the last three forms of the Imperial Sword Form, which represented the entire Nangong family for four hundred years.

Tie Xiong Ba's face was filled with confusion.

The energy of the Overlord Heart Technique, which had been swirling violently inside him, was gradually fading. His internal energy was being cut off in strands.

Just as he was so confused, a massive imperial sword force was charging at him.

Heaven-Cutting Boundless Form.

A sword technique that cuts through the sky, the emperor's sword, the supreme Imperial Boundless.

Tremble.

'...Is this all it is?'

Tie Xiong Ba was sweating cold.

Except for a few encounters in his youth, this was the first time he had faced a master of the absolute realm from the righteous martial world.

Tie Xiong Ba, biting his lips until they bled, crouched.

With his internal energy cut off, he could not face the sword technique. The only thing he could rely on was the invincible external martial art, Eternal Iron Armor.

Puff!

Expecting a powerful shockwave, Tie Xiong Ba cautiously opened his eyes when there was no reaction.

"Hmm?"

The imperial power that had been tormenting his internal energy had vanished. Moreover, the fierce sword force that had been charging at him was no longer felt.

Tie Xiong Ba, with a crumpled face, looked at Changtian Sword Hero Nangong Shu.

He had already sheathed his sword and was standing with his hands behind his back.

His indifferent face, with half-open eyes, looked at him.

'Is this...! Is this the Green Forest King...! As a martial artist, is my pride not even considered?'

The meaning of the high-ranking righteous man's retraction of his sword force was only one: 'mercy.'

He had been certain that the final strike would take his life, so he retracted his sword force.

Tie Xiong Ba trembled