Chapter 73

Everyone has two sides; some take it in stride, while others are trapped in pain, unable to extricate themselves. The God of Capture was the latter. He was a contradictory person. On one hand, he detested evil and would not tolerate any wrongdoing in his territory. On the other hand, the worldly intrigues and machinations made it difficult for him to take a single step. To be able to investigate cases without any reservations, he, like all corrupt officials, had to bribe his superiors. But what no one knew was that the money he used was painstakingly saved from his salary!

His wife was a childhood sweetheart, not particularly beautiful but gentle and understanding. She always wore simple dresses and moved through the streets and alleys. He had seen her argue over a few coins in the market more than once. During holidays, whenever he brought new clothes home, she would always smile and advise, "Save it!"

He had a daughter, a little girl who was very cute and sensible. Everyone at the private school knew she was the daughter of the God of Capture, but they all excluded her from their small circle. Girls naturally chased after fancy clothes, and because she dressed the most simply and had the same toys, they looked down on her as if she were a lowly commoner. The little girl had once tried to change, but whenever she asked, her father could only respond with silence! Later, she stopped asking, and he felt even more guilty and sad!

He wanted to change the status quo but was stubbornly attached to his principles, so he was in pain, even more so than his subordinates! He had known that the Four Great Captains had private connections with officials at all levels, but he never expected this matter to become so serious! The reputation he had painstakingly built up over the years was destroyed in an instant, and regaining the Emperor's trust would be no easy task!

Last night, Ling Xiao came to him and laid out all the plans. As the head of the Six-Fan Gate, he had been completely unaware of this, realizing that he had been marginalized by the Emperor! At this low point in his life, he never imagined that Ling Xiao would offer a glimmer of hope.

The Emperor's eyes are sharp! As long as you make an effort, he will see your loyalty, just like Ling Lingfa now. Everything is ready, and the only obstacle left is the one right in front of us!

Emperor Wu Xiang was undoubtedly the strongest opponent the God of Capture had faced since taking office. They stood facing each other, one solemn and serious, the other... with a face that showed no expression.

The surrounding guards and black-clothed men stepped back to create a large open space. Ling Xiao fired the starting gun. The unimproved sound of his gun was highly distinctive. As the gunshot echoed, the God of Capture was the first to draw his sword!

The sword was unsheathed, and at the same time, countless sword auras burst forth!

The sword auras spread like the Heavenly Net of the Tang Sect, completely enveloping the nearby space. With a hissing sound, they sliced through the pillars and tables, and cracks quickly spread throughout the area.

As the sword auras approached, Emperor Wu Xiang showed no fear. He simply raised his arms, and the space around him seemed to freeze, with a layer of energy causing the space to infinitely distort. The chaotic sword auras entered this spatial region and slowly decelerated, but even so, they stubbornly continued to advance.

Emperor Wu Xiang frowned slightly and sighed inwardly, "Indeed, he is hindered by his old injuries. In his complete state, the Wu Xiang Divine Skill would form an intangible and formless domain. Once an enemy's attack entered this space, it would be under his control! But now, it only slows down, which is a far cry from what it should be!"

Seeing this, the God of Capture put his heart back in his stomach. Emperor Wu Xiang had been famous for a long time, and there was no doubt about his reputation. But since the sword auras were still advancing, there was still hope!

He gathered his strength and wielded his sword, creating a series of sword flowers. The sword light flashed and aimed at Emperor Wu Xiang. Entering the Wu Xiang Divine Skill domain, the strange swirling energy made the God of Capture's clothes flutter.

The long sword, affected by the energy, slowed slightly, but with the continuous flow of true qi from the God of Capture, it firmly pointed at Emperor Wu Xiang.

This might be the only area where the God of Capture could surpass Emperor Wu Xiang. His talent was average, but he had never thought of taking shortcuts. The path of deviation is the one most difficult to take. Once you take it, you have to chisel out a way back with a hundred times the effort! Every drop of true qi in the God of Capture's body was the result of his hard work, step by step. In terms of the amount of true qi, he far surpassed Emperor Wu Xiang!

Emperor Wu Xiang, feeling the God of Capture's endless and surging true qi within his domain, coldly snorted, "Your foundation is so solid, but unfortunately, the martial arts you practice are too low-level. You will never become a grandmaster in this life!"

The God of Capture was startled. In the midst of a life-and-death struggle, he still had the composure to speak!

Emperor Wu Xiang sneered and shouted, "Let you taste the bitterness of despair!" As he spoke, the strange and chaotic energy suddenly changed, transforming from swirling into a waterfall, but this waterfall defied gravity and shot upward!

In shock, the God of Capture found his body involuntarily rising. In a panic, he let out a muffled roar, using the surrounding sword auras to push himself out of the Wu Xiang domain. But the dense sword auras were not so lucky, like small fish following the current, they were sent flying to the roof.

*Pak pak pak pak!*

The sharp sword auras pierced through the roof and shot into the cloudy sky! Tiles shattered and flew, signaling the start of the battle on the roof!

Ling Xiao, returning to the roof, did not hesitate and rushed toward Ling Linggong. From the hole in the roof, he could see that the God of Capture was not at an advantage in the battle below, and in Ling Xiao's estimation, he might even be at a disadvantage. Therefore, the outcome of this battle was crucial. If he could take out Ling Linggong first, he could support the God of Capture below, and vice versa. Time could not be wasted.

Ling Linggong sneered, "A few compliments and you get carried away! Hmph! Let you see the power of the Bronze Statue Skill!"

*Bronze Cannon Chain!*

As the name suggested, the power was formidable. Ling Xiao saw a sea of fist shadows coming at him like a tidal wave. The countless fists slicing through the air made a loud whistling sound, like a storm and heavy rain.

Ling Xiao had a combat intuition that surpassed the ordinary. His eyes flashed, and he fired five shots. These five shots were not random. Even with Ling Xiao's keen eyesight, he could not see the true movements in the countless fist shadows, but these five shots could serve as his eyes, clearly distinguishing the attacks. Because Ling Linggong's body could not ignore the bullets, he would have to use his fists to knock them down! This meant that during the time it took for the five bullets to land, it would be a moment of absolute safety. Of course, if Ling Linggong could knock down the bullets and still have the strength to throw a few more punches, Ling Xiao would admit defeat, but he doubted Ling Linggong had that ability!

*Pak pak pak pak pak!*

As Ling Xiao had expected, Ling Linggong abandoned his attack and knocked down the five bullets one by one. In fact, he didn't need to do this. Only one of the five bullets was aimed at his abdomen, but Ling Linggong's cautious and suspicious nature made him unwilling to take any risks. So he followed the script Ling Xiao had prepared!

*Heavenly Horse Meteor Fist!*

As if responding to Ling Linggong's habit of shouting his moves, Ling Xiao also called out. But he only threw one punch. To expect him to throw hundreds of punches per second was a bit too much, but this one punch gathered all his strength.

*Boom!*

As Ling Linggong knocked down the bullets, Ling Xiao's heavy punch was already close. In a moment of extreme danger, he roared and thrust his chest forward, his head glowing with a golden light, and fiercely rammed it forward!

*Clang!*

Ling Xiao was pushed back, and when he looked, his knuckles were iron-gray. But this was just the beginning. Ling Lingfa, in perfect sync, threw a powerful punch! The momentum was impressive, but Ling Xiao wanted to curse when he saw it. What's the point of punching from so far away? Are you trying to hit a cow from a mountain?

Then, Ling Xiao was proven wrong! A fist shadow shot out from Ling Lingfa's wide sleeves, *Bang!* hitting Ling Linggong's abdomen with a loud roar!

*Ugh!*

Ling Linggong grunted and took three steps back, the first time he had been forced to retreat! A trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, and the fist shadow landed with a *crack*. Ling Xiao then realized that it wasn't a fist shadow at all, but a wooden glove!

The glove was dark black, made of wooden plates that extended to the elbow. It was similar to what Ling Xiao had seen during a raid.

Ling Linggong coughed lightly and looked at the glove on the ground, "You always surprise me!"

Ling Lingfa smiled sinisterly, "There's more to come!" As he spoke, a *sizzling* sound came from the glove.

Ling Linggong was startled and, before he could react, *Boom!* the glove exploded!

The explosion and shockwave sent Ling Linggong flying far away, followed by wooden fragments.

Ling Linggong clenched his teeth and curled his body, using his arms and legs to protect his front. The fragments cut through, and drops of blood splattered. His hands and feet, tempered by the Bronze Statue Skill, were covered in cuts!

The battle above made progress thanks to Ling Lingfa's creative and cunning weapons, and the battle below was also proceeding in an orderly manner.

The God of Capture changed his strategy. Sword auras, no matter how numerous or sharp, would naturally weaken and dissipate once they left the body. They were effective against ordinary experts, but against a supreme expert like Emperor Wu Xiang, who could form a true qi domain, they were weak. So he now abandoned his previous style of using sword auras and adopted a close-combat approach, similar to the battle above.

Two black figures crisscrossed in the spacious hall. The God of Capture, with his excellent lightness skills from years of chasing criminals, was naturally agile, but Emperor Wu Xiang's lightness skills were even more bizarre. Often, the God of Capture's sword would pierce his chest, only to find it was just an afterimage.

Emperor Wu Xiang's fleshy palms swung continuously, each causing a sonic boom and deflecting the God of Capture's sword to other targets.

The God of Capture, already affected by the Wu Xiang domain, could hold his own for a short time, but as time went on, he gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Their realms were similar, and their combat experience was also comparable, but the martial arts they practiced determined the outcome.

The God of Capture's sword technique was learned from the palace, and while not weak, it was far inferior to the supreme Wu Xiang Divine Skill.

At this moment, a loud noise came from upstairs, and the God of Capture, having exhausted his true qi, paused, allowing Emperor Wu Xiang to catch up. A palm, faintly humming, struck his lower back. Before it made contact, the God of Capture felt a needle-like pain. Realizing the danger, he quickly turned his sword to block his lower back.

*Bang!*

The palm struck his lower back through the sword, and the shockwave made even the Emperor, watching from a distance, wince. The God of Capture spat out a mouthful of blood and flew out like a broken doll.

"Hehehe! To have delayed this long with your skills is already commendable! If all the reinforcements you found had arrived, they might have been able to challenge me, but alas!" Emperor Wu Xiang's words implied that the battle was over. He left the exhausted God of Capture and walked toward the Emperor.

The Emperor's eyes were full of fear. The guards around him were already fighting the black-clothed assassins, and now, facing this ruthless villain, they could only wait for the slaughter!

Emperor Wu Xiang gathered his strength, his body trembling with excitement as he faced the Emperor, who was waiting to be executed.

"Die!" A palm struck down, filled with murderous intent!

*Boom!* The shockwave sent the Emperor flying, and the God of Capture, who had blocked the palm at the critical moment, had both arms broken and collapsed to the ground.

"Hmph! What's the point of delaying this much time!" He kicked the God of Capture aside and walked toward the Emperor again.

The crisis deepened, and the Emperor, terrified, slowly retreated. At this moment, a strange voice rekindled hope.

"Time always has meaning, even a fleeting moment can make you taste the despair of a thousand years!" Ling Lingfa, looking at the unconscious God of Capture and glancing at the roof, said solemnly.

Seeing Ling Lingfa, Emperor Wu Xiang's anger flared, and he roared, "You can't change anything! Ling Lingfa, I will make you die without a grave!"

The bloody battle resumed, and the outcome was still uncertain!

(Today, I discovered that someone had tipped me! I am truly moved! Thank you, Wuma Cijian, King, Han Yan, and czjyy, for your support!)

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