The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 256 - 177 The Night of Murder on Shangyuan Festival

Chapter 256: Chapter 177 The Night of Murder on Shangyuan Festival

Bang! Bang!

Ten miles of Vermilion Bird Avenue, bright with lights and fireworks.

Everywhere else was still packed with people, full of laughter and cheer, but the area outside Anren Square was filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Chang’an was a melting pot of dragons and snakes, and Xiong Baodong had risen from nothing to his current status, so how could he just be a rascal only capable of devious plots?

His body, covered in knife scars, evoked memories among the bystanders.

There was a time when he was the tyrant in the night, a name spread far and wide through blood wars in the long streets...

What’s key is that he was also very shrewd, always clearing away the limbs and debris before dawn, even bearing the pain to have his men wash away the blood with water...

Often, the locals would hear the clashing of weapons and screams, but by the next morning, the streets would be wet with nothing but water stains.

To others, the name Old Bear Blackie was an insult, but it was used for Xiong Baodong out of fear.

The most fearful thing about a bear is its intelligence.

Rumors said that it could even learn to walk like a person, leading the way for travelers, knocking on doors to trick people into opening their homes.

It’s not that there weren’t so-called heroes who tried to intervene.

But they only ended up enhancing Xiong Baodong’s notorious reputation.

If not for his vile fame, vying for the position of leader of the Divine Fist Association in Shan State would not have been impossible.

"Don’t compare anymore!"

Manager Wan, anxious, quickly stepped forward to pull Li Yan, urging in a hasty voice, "It’s better to keep the green hills than to burn all the wood; I still have some friends..."

Before he could finish, Li Yan stopped him and shook his head slightly, calmly saying, "Manager Wan, I will be leaving Chang’an tomorrow, and I won’t leave without cleaning up my mess."

Indeed, he had been provoking from the start.

If Xiong Baodong sent those heretical Magicians to duel, he really wasn’t sure, after all, he had just started practicing the North Emperor’s Scripture and hadn’t learned the powerful Magic Methods yet.

Moreover, the key point was no longer about dueling.

Even if he won tonight, it would leave endless trouble.

The Fire Bear Gang were all lowlifes, Manager Wan, the Li family, Uncle Hei Dan and his nephew might all be in danger in the future because of this.

When Xiong Baodong came to cause trouble, Li Yan had already harbored killing intent, determined to eliminate this problem!

As he spoke, Li Yan had walked into the center of the arena, slowly assumed the boxing stance, his expression solemn, his phoenix eyes and dragon gaze revealing a cold light; gone was his earlier arrogance.

"Hmph!"

Xiong Baodong also realized what was happening, sneered and said, "Kid, all that talk just to force me to make a move? You’re truly a greenhorn wolf pup eager to bite your way to fame."

"I’ve seen plenty of your type before, a so-called prodigy of a noble family. After a few of them died, the rest all quietened down."

Saying this, he took a token hanging around his neck and stuffed it inside his clothing, laughing, "Don’t assume that knowing a bit of spells makes you invincible."

The token, made from Thunderstruck Wood and adorned with gold wire patterns, was inscribed with dense talismans and incantations and even depicted six Divine Generals.

When Gu Chenzi saw it, his expression changed slightly, he said coldly, "The Six Ding Liujia Amulet is an item the court gifts to high-ranking military officers. Who gave it to you!"

In this world of thousands of oddities in Mystical Sect spells, even the most skilled Martial Artists could easily be ensnared by magic, and naturally the court had its precautions.

Civil officials had imperial plaques in their residence, military officers had Protective Amulets, and the Six Ding Liujia Amulet was one of them, something that only local commanders were qualified to wear.

These items, all produced by the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, were immediately recognizable by him.

But Xiong Baodong was nothing more than a gang leader from the pugilistic world, so where did he get such an item?

"Hahaha..."

Xiong Baodong laughed coldly, "This thing, the court didn’t say it was non-transferable. The Daoist may look down on me, but cannot underestimate the power of money and authority."

"Money and power are the strongest spells in the world!"

Overhearing their conversation, Li Yan had already guessed this was some kind of powerful amulet, and also very difficult to obtain.

It seemed after losing the Protective Jade Pendant he obtained at Shang Mountain last time, Xiong Baodong had paid a hefty price for something even better.

Such items, he had inquired about after the last incident.

Refining talismans into Magic Artifacts, Astral Bane forming an array, Divine Astral protection, it was like wearing a Divine Temple, requiring only daily offerings for divine protection against Evil Ghosts and spell invasions.

Ordinary Enchantment Spells, Yin Ghost Possession, and the like would be scattered once they came close, even Wang Daoxuan’s Seven Arrows Secret Spell would have to shatter the amulet first to be able to curse the enemy.

Each was prohibitively expensive.

Of course, such items had weaknesses - they repelled interfering spells, thus unsuitable for Magicians to wear.

Thinking this, Li Yan’s expression also became more solemn.

He wondered whether his Soul Hook Divine Skills would be effective against it...

"Hahaha, scared?"

Seeing Li Yan’s expression, Xiong Baodong laughed loudly, his look turned fierce, like a beast playing with its prey, and abruptly shouted, "Too late!"

With that, he strode forward.

His movement was like an awakened old bear – slow for the first two steps, swift for the next two, completely lacking any formality, just swaggering towards Li Yan.

Li Yan shifted his footing, his face serious, quickly circling to avoid him.

The Eight Extremes Fist, also called Open Door Eight Extremes, somewhat similar to the Chop-Hanging Style, is centered around the six techniques of lifting, cradling, pulling, raising, dragging, and winding, with the idea of opening the door first, then advancing the move.

Xiong Baodong’s Eight Extremes Fist, a style honed through countless blood battles and stepping into Force Transformation, combined with his astonishing physique, was nearly perfect.

If he advanced with Chop-Hanging, it would likely not only be hard to break his guard but also risk his counter-attack using the opponent’s force against them, potentially ending with a lethal strike to the head.

Of course, Xiong Baodong’s size also meant his movement technique was not as nimble, failing to catch Li Yan after several attempts, who swiftly dodged each time.

"Ssshhhh—!"

Onlookers who were anticipating a good show now hissed with disappointment.

They had expected to see something thrilling, but instead, Li Yan with all his fierce words was just circling around, which was truly dull.