Fang Jin couldn't be considered a good person.

Like most people in this world, he couldn't be defined by the simple terms "good" or "bad."

He had done good deeds, and he had also committed evil acts.

He once had grand ideals and ambitions, but in the end, he went with the flow, unknowingly striving for fame and fortune.

Humans are complex beings, each with their own position, goals, and way of survival.

But everyone... also has their own bottom line.

And today, He Yang Zhiyan... or rather, He Yang Xinci and his ilk, had touched Fang Jin's bottom line.

Admittedly, Fang Jin was a member of the officialdom, or to put it bluntly, a lackey of the government; but beyond that, he was also a martial artist, a disciple of Dao Huang (Saber Phoenix) Meng Qing... and a part of the Central Plains martial world.

Whether it was the internal strife and killings among jianghu people themselves, or the various conspiracies orchestrated by the imperial court to control the jianghu, Fang Jin could accept these; he could even choose sides in such struggles for his own benefit.

Because he was very clear... no one could achieve "eternal dominion, unifying the jianghu," and the jianghu could not truly disappear from this world.

The Wulin Alliance Master, peerless experts, and even the Son of Heaven... in the face of the word "jianghu," could only achieve temporary victory at best.

Their victory would ultimately dissipate with their lives, as time passed.

There would always be new eras and new conflicts coming...

Simply because of the well-known saying—where there are people, there is jianghu.

But this time, the situation was different.

In the past, those struggles, no matter how fierce, were "internal conflicts," but this time... the imperial court actually wanted to let the "Shintenkoku-ryū" (Divine Transmission Ultimate Sword Style), an Eastern Ocean school, unify the Central Plains martial world, which Fang Jin could not tolerate.

Even if it was just "temporary victory," the fact that the Central Plains martial world had been dominated by an Eastern Ocean sect of only a few people would become an established "fact."

Perhaps those who lived in the inner courtyards of the imperial palace and deep mansions would not feel anything special about this, but for a martial artist like Fang Jin, who came from a poor background and had once walked the jianghu, there was no room for compromise when it came to such humiliation.

Of course... considering that everyone's bottom line was different, some people might still be able to accept it, like Tu Ji, who truly deserved the name "shameless."

"Alliance Master, leave the surrounding security to my Kuanghu (Mad Tiger) Gang, you can rest assured and deal with those four ungrateful guys..."

On the main street, the three players were still deadlocked in the distance, but Tu Ji didn't seem to pay much attention to Juan Menghuan; in comparison, he was more worried about the three great swordsmen and Feng Meiyu, who were well-known experts.

"Tu Ji! You shameless villain!" On the other side, Qiu Baqi was so angry that his eyes turned red when he saw Tu Ji's face. He simply ignored He Yang Xinci and shouted angrily, chasing after Tu Ji, "Today, I will kill you first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Baqi unfolded his agility, and the sword in his hand swept out like wind.

"Ridiculous..." He Yang Xinci saw this, raised his hand, and blocked the other party's attacking trajectory with a sword, "I am here... is it your turn to decide who lives and who dies?"

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

At the same moment, Xie Xiuwen and Meng He also moved.

They... didn't even know why they were making a move...

Because in their hearts, they had already been defeated.

Both Confucian Swordsman and Zizhu Jushi (Purple Bamboo Hermit) were over sixty years old. With their age and experience, they would never have the mentality of young people, "Even if I know I'm far inferior to you, who can say for sure who will win or lose without a fight?"

He Yang Xinci's move to kill Ma Tayun and Tang Ling had also killed the fighting spirit of Xie and Meng.

But... they still made their moves after all.

Perhaps they were thinking: even if they couldn't win, they could at least... save Qiu Baqi's life with this one move.

Or maybe, they just wanted to sacrifice themselves to help Qiu Baqi kill that scum, Tu Ji.

It was also possible that their thoughts were similar to Fang Jin's... rather than letting them live in a jianghu dominated by Eastern Ocean people, it was better to fight to the death, and be done with it.

No one knew what they were thinking, just as I said... even they themselves didn't know.

Of course, those were no longer important.

Some things don't need to be thought about too clearly; in this lifetime, one only seeks to have a clear conscience.

For a swordsman, death is not scary; what is scary is that when he should make a move... he doesn't even have the courage to swing that sword.

Buzz buzz—

A second later, the strange humming of the dull sword rang again.

This also meant... He Yang Xinci had made another move.

"Shintenkoku-ryū · Ougi (Secret Technique) · Souen Gaeshi (Double Swallow Return)!"

This time, He Yang Xinci drew his sword at the same time as he announced the name of the move. Judging from his eyes and tone, this was his most serious move so far.

Xie Xiuwen's Xie Family Swordplay and Meng He's Zizhu Shisan Jian (Purple Bamboo Thirteen Swords) were both top-notch sword techniques in the current Central Plains martial world, and their combined internal energy of more than a hundred years was also an undeniable hard power.

Even though He Yang Xinci's martial arts were far superior to anyone present, he had to pay full attention to deal with the combined attack of these two top Central Plains martial forces.

However, he gathered all the internal energy in his body, and a whole douqi (fighting spirit) bloomed around him, his posture as stable as Mount Song.

However, the dull sword in his hand seemed incredibly light at this moment, as light as wheat.

Ping ping—

Two quick sounds, as fast as lightning.

Two fast shadows, transformed into sword light.

Power that was strong to the extreme, and sword moves that were wonderfully perfect, intertwined in the cold wind.

And the victor, there could only be one...

"Cough... uh..." When Meng He fell to the ground vomiting blood, his eyes did not look at He Yang Xinci, but at Xie Xiuwen, who had fallen one step ahead of him.

The two of them were old rivals.

As two of the best swordsmen of the same generation, they were naturally often compared by others; over the decades, the two had also fought three times, but all had been draws.

Unexpectedly, at this time, in this place... in this despairing situation, they actually determined who was superior.

The two attacked at the same time, attacking the same opponent. In the end, Xie Xiuwen had half of his neck chopped off, while Meng He dodged by a fraction and had his throat cut.

Although the difference was not significant in terms of the result, it was enough for them...

Before they died, their intersecting gazes buried thousands of words in silence.

No regrets in life, no resentment in death.

With this kind of understanding, two more peerless swordsmen fell in a pool of blood.

At the same time, Qiu Baqi's sword had also pierced Tu Ji's heart.

But...

"Hehehe..." Tu Ji's sinister laughter sounded like a death knell in Qiu Baqi's ear, "What a Celestial Sword... this sword technique is really unavoidable..."

"You... actually..." At this time, Qiu Baqi's mouth was constantly gushing blood.

It turned out that at the same time as he stabbed Tu Ji, he had also been hit in the heart by the opponent's move "Kuanghu Shixin" (Mad Tiger Devours Heart); and the internal injuries caused by this palm were undoubtedly devastating...

"What a pity... your swordsmanship is high, but your mind is not very good." Tu Ji mocked, "Don't you think about it? With my martial arts, how could I stand still and fight you head-on when I knew you were going to fight me to the death?" As he said that, he also lowered his head and looked at his "wound," where... not a drop of blood flowed, "Hehe... this 'Golden Silk Armor' is a priceless treasure that can block all kinds of sharp weapons in the world; I used two beautiful concubines and a whole cart of precious calligraphy and paintings to exchange for it, and now it seems... it was worth it."

Bang!

Just as Tu Ji was complacent, another change occurred.

Feng Meiyu, who had been looking for an opportunity to attack from the side, suddenly flashed out and killed Qiu Baqi, striking the latter's back with a palm.

In the very first moment, Tu Ji thought that Feng Meiyu, like himself, had decided to defect and rely on He Yang Xinci.

But what he didn't expect was...

A moment later, the tip of the sword in Qiu Baqi's hand... suddenly moved forward again, piercing through the Golden Silk Armor and stabbing into Tu Ji's heart.

"Ugh... ah!" Tu Ji screamed in shock, but it was too late for him to retreat now...

"Hero Qiu, I apologize." Feng Meiyu said as she withdrew her palm.

And Qiu Baqi, who fell down, had a relieved smile on his face, and coughed blood while laughing, "Hahaha... you're too kind... thank you for your as..."

Before he could say the last word "sistance," he had already died.

For a person whose heart meridians had been shattered, it was a miracle that he could hold on and support himself until Feng Meiyu's palm force passed through.

"No... I can't die... I..." Looking at Tu Ji on the ground, he was not as calm as Qiu Baqi. Until the moment before he died, he seemed extremely painful and nearly hysterically talking nonsense.

His appearance was like a puppet controlled by desire, watching the strings on his body being broken one by one, and making a final struggle.

But his ending was still death.

"Hmph... I have to praise you." A moment later, He Yang Xinci glanced at Tu Ji's corpse with the eyes he would use to look at garbage, and then turned his head to Feng Meiyu, "Even if it's a dog... being able to kill him in front of me is a skill." He seemed a little annoyed, "So... Sect Leader Feng, you should also have the corresponding understanding, right?"

"Heh..." Feng Meiyu showed a trace of loss, "To be honest... I thought I was the same kind of person as Tu Ji; I was as ambitious as he was, and I didn't care about so-called benevolence, righteousness, and morality. Everything I did was for myself. Logically, I should have led the White Plum Sect to rely on you without hesitation. But... I can't do that kind of thing."

As Feng Meiyu spoke, she turned around and faced He Yang Xinci without fear: "Seeing Tu Ji's appearance when he died, I finally understood the difference between me and him..." She paused, with a smile still on her face that was full of fat and horizontal lines due to morbid obesity, "He is a dog, I am a person."

As she spoke, she had already used 120% of her power, preparing for a desperate fight.

"He Yang Xinci, your martial arts are indeed very high, maybe you are really invincible in the world. But remember... not everyone will succumb to force and interests. We jianghu people also have an inviolable boundary, and we will swear to the death not to let you cross it!"

"Soga (I see)... Naruhodo (Is that so)..." He Yang Xinci said a sentence of his native language coldly upon hearing this, and then continued in Central Plains language, "If that's the case... then I'll step over that line on your corpses..."

Buzz buzz—

His dull sword moved again.

For He Yang Xinci, killing a Feng Meiyu did not require any moves, a simple slash would be enough.

But this time, he used all his strength in the slash.

Because he was angry...

Although he was cold and sarcastic on the surface, He Yang Xinci's heart was already furious.

For a person who considered himself invincible in the world and wanted to use force to make everyone submit to him... he could laugh it off if someone denied his strength, but denying his values was unforgivable.

He Yang Xinci had already made up his mind to use this angry sword to cut the fat woman in front of him into two pieces, making her death as ugly as possible.

Unexpectedly... just as his sword swept out.

A peerless figure appeared like a fleeting shadow!

Two sword lights brought out a cold and deep shout: "Moliu · Qixie (Demonic Flow · Weeping Blood)."