Chapter 1 When the Shouting Began

As the shouts arose, over a dozen figures leaped out swiftly from both sides of the street, crisscrossing above He Yang Xinci's head. A closer look revealed that… each of them left behind an extremely fine silver thread in their wake.

These people were naturally members of the Kuanghu Gang (Mad Tiger Gang). Their movements were clearly well-rehearsed, extremely practiced.

In the blink of an eye, a dense "iron net" had been formed in the air.

"Close!" Seeing that the first step of the killing formation was complete, Tu Ji appeared on the street and issued the second command.

As he shouted "Close," dozens of Kuanghu Gang members emerged simultaneously from the surrounding streets and buildings, and began performing a motion similar to "reeling in kite strings."

"This is…"

By the time Feng Meiyu and the others realized what was happening, the "iron net" had already rapidly contracted. Dozens of iron threads, like dozens of sharp blades, slashed toward He Yang Xinci from all directions.

Tu Ji was very confident in this ambush.

The material of this iron net was the "King Kong Silk," forged from rare minerals by skilled craftsmen he had hired.

Using this King Kong Silk net to "encircle and slice" the target was the Kuanghu Gang's trump card. Tu Ji had not even been willing to use this "Kuanghu Shattered Iron Formation" when ambushing Duan Keyi.

However, after witnessing He Yang Xinci's martial arts, Tu Ji decisively decided to deploy the formation.

He couldn't wait any longer…

Currently, four experts were confronting He Yang Xinci, drawing his attention to a great extent. But soon, perhaps the four would become three, two… or even someone might defect out of fear of He Yang Xinci's power.

By then, even if Tu Ji wanted to strike, the opponent might not fall for it.

Moreover, there was another benefit to striking now: he was indirectly saving the four experts' lives. When He Yang Xinci was dealt with, even if he couldn't get the *Jian Wu Cao Ji* (Sword Dance Manuscript) all to himself, he could at least get a share.

It could be said that Tu Ji's calculations were meticulous. The only thing he worried about was… that before the iron net was "woven," He Yang Xinci would react in time and escape the "encirclement."

Fortunately, that didn't happen…

Soon, the "gap between the lines" of the iron net had shrunk to a size that no human could pass through unscathed.

"Hmph… you mere barbarian from a foreign land, daring to oppose our Central Plains martial world. I, Tu Ji, will send you to a death with your corpse torn to pieces!" Seeing that He Yang Xinci was about to be cut into pieces by the rapidly closing King Kong Silk net, Tu Ji confidently declared his impending victory.

This King Kong Silk was incomparably sharp and tougher than iron. When practicing this formation in the gang, they had experimented with a carriage with metal supports, and in the end, both the horse and the carriage were cut into pieces.

Therefore, Tu Ji firmly believed that in the face of the already contracted "Kuanghu Shattered Iron Formation," even He Yang Xinci would inevitably die.

Never would he have expected…

"An uninteresting fellow has arrived…" Faced with this almost irresistible attack, He Yang Xinci instead revealed a look of disdain and muttered this sentence.

As he spoke, he drew his sword once more!

In that flash of lightning, He Yang Xinci was seen wielding his sword in a series of rapid slashes.

The dull, unsharpened sword danced in his hand, emitting a chilling light.

The dazzling sword light shone like a blazing sun.

"Shindenten Kenryu (Divinely Transmitted Supreme Sword Style) · Quick Slash · Magnificent Lotus." He Yang Xinci seemed to have a habit of announcing the name of his technique when finishing his move.

This time, he did not kill anyone. He simply used his miraculous swordsmanship to cut the King Kong Silk net, which had already approached within a foot of him, into countless fragments.

Tu Ji was stunned. He had tested it – even with his skill, wielding a sharp sword, he could only cut one or two King Kong Silk threads at a time. If three King Kong Silk threads were intertwined, he couldn't cut them with a single strike. And if the King Kong Silk was arranged in a net, then with one slash, he could only cut the first thread he touched.

But He Yang Xinci had shattered the "King Kong Silk net" around him in an instant… Not to mention how many swords he had wielded in such a short time, even ignoring the speed and only considering the strength, it was an unimaginable realm.

On the other hand… if Tu Ji was "so shocked that he forgot to be afraid," then the remaining few people, especially the swordsmen, were "filled with fear and horror."

Because they didn't really know about the "King Kong Silk," their focus was mainly on He Yang Xinci's speed…

Before seeing the sword technique just now, they all thought their swords were fast.

But now, they no longer knew what "fast" was.

Their past definition of "fast" seemed to have become meaningless. The confidence they had built up over the years, and their understanding of the sword, were on the verge of collapse…

"Tu Ji, as a martial artist, you are uninteresting." He Yang Xinci's words pulled his opponents back from a state of semi-trance, "But I know… as a member of the martial world, a gang leader, you are sensible." He paused for half a second, "I don't mind what you said or did just now, as long as you…"

"This subordinate understands!" Tu Ji replied hastily before the other party could finish speaking, and had already referred to himself as "this subordinate."

No matter how deep his scheming or how high his intelligence, he was ultimately a petty man, so he was not Wang Qiong, nor Feng Bujue; he could only be Tu Ji.

"You!" Qiu Baqi glared at him with anger as soon as Tu Ji finished speaking, "You shameless thing… how dare you…"

"Kuanghu Gang members, listen to my command!" Tu Ji wouldn't bother arguing with an opponent he wasn't confident of defeating. While giving a loud order, he had already retreated to He Yang Xinci's side, "Protect Alliance Master He Yang with all your might! As for those who don't appreciate favors… don't let a single one go! When the Alliance Master unifies the martial world, our Kuanghu Gang will be meritorious officials who founded a sect!"

Just as he finished speaking, a man's voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Ah~ ah… how shameless."

Everyone was stunned and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a young general in black armor, carrying a long halberd on his shoulder, slowly walking from the entrance of the town… that is, from behind He Yang Xinci and the others.

"I was going to observe a little longer, but you're just too annoying… I can't stand it anymore." Juan Mengxuan spoke as he gradually approached Zhida Ai and Sasaki Mei, "I'll try… to see if I can take care of you all together."

…………

At the same time, on top of a building a hundred meters away from the main street.

Two figures were hidden there, watching the scene on the street from afar.

"Could this be…" Fang Jin's expression changed the moment Juan Mengxuan appeared. His gaze couldn't help but fall on the saber at his waist.

"Is the *Qingniao* (Azure Bird) reacting again?" Xu Huaishang's gaze was still fixed on the direction she needed to monitor, but her thoughts quickly caught up with Fang Jin, "But… it's not surprising, we 'outsiders' basically have a divine weapon in hand."

"No…" Fang Jin replied with a solemn expression, "This time the sensation is very special…" He also looked back at the battlefield and fixed his gaze on Juan Mengxuan, who was holding a long halberd, "If I'm not mistaken, what he's holding is probably… *Chonglou* (Lofty Tower)."

…………

Back on the street.

"Huh?" Zhida Ai responded to Juan Mengxuan's words with the eyes and tone of a rebellious girl, "Are you stupid? Take care of us all together? Take care of me?" As she spoke, her hand was already on the hilt of her samurai sword, and she went to meet Juan Mengxuan, "Someone like you… I can take down four of you by myself, you believe it or not?"

"Hold on…" At this moment, Sasaki Mei quickly stepped forward and stopped Zhida Ai, "Captain… calm down…" He paused, "Don't forget, the other party should also have two people… If I remember correctly, this 'Juan Mengxuan' little brother's teammates during S2 were all very difficult to deal with. *Feichai Shu* (Useless Uncle) goes without saying, both *Honghu* (Swan Goose) and *Zhaoying Wang* (Shadow King Zhao) are types with extremely strong long-range combat abilities… What if he is deliberately provoking us at this moment, trying to lure us in…"

After his reminder, Zhida Ai's footsteps really stopped. Although she was brave and reckless, she wasn't completely deaf to advice. As long as her teammates made sense, she could restrain her impulsiveness.

"Heh… as expected of professionals, the information you've gathered and your analysis of the situation are pretty good." Juan Mengxuan smiled when he heard this, "However, you're all wrong… I might as well tell you, my teammate this time is *Bi Lao Shi* (Professor Bi)."

From Juan Mengxuan's point of view, this was implying "I basically don't rely on this teammate either." As a member of the S2 "Useless Alliance" team, Juan Mengxuan naturally knew Bi Lao Shi's true strength. To put it simply… he was just here to make up the numbers.

But…

These two from the Warring States period didn't know.

In fact, almost all the players didn't know.

Due to Bi Lao Shi's perpetual substitute status, and his splendidly unremarkable performance during the extra-dimensional invasion, coupled with the large number of god-tier parodies of this "mysterious substitute from the seed team with almost no record of action" on the internet… an effect similar to the "Brother Chun effect" had already occurred on Bi Lao Shi.

For some reason, the vast majority of players had tacitly reached a consensus - if you asked who the strongest player in Thriller Paradise was? That would be *Tuntian Guixiao* (Devouring Ghost Howl); if you asked who the most difficult player to deal with in Thriller Paradise was? That would be *Feng Bujue* (Sealed Unconsciousness); and if you asked who the most unfathomable expert in Thriller Paradise was? That would be *Bi Lao Shi* (Professor Bi).

"Tch… he had to bring the most troublesome one…" After hearing those three words, Zhida Ai spat unhappily, and then… took two steps back.

"His tone doesn't sound like he's bluffing…" Sasaki Mei, on the other hand, wore a rather distressed look, and his sickly tone seemed to have become even more serious, "Now we have to act with caution."

"Hey hey… what's going on?" Juan Mengxuan thought to himself, "I finally made up my mind to fight outnumbered, and made a very imposing entrance… why does it seem like I'm relying on Bi Lao Shi's reputation to come out and scare people… get the situation straight! I'm really not that kind of person! Feng Bujue would do that kind of thing!"

Faced with the reactions of those two from the Warring States period, Juan Mengxuan didn't know what kind of expression he should make at this moment.

A subtle atmosphere suddenly arose among these few players…

…………

"Achoo!"

On another front, just as Juan Mengxuan made his splendid entrance, Feng Bujue had already "walked" Leng Yuqiu to a small forest outside the town.

Brother Jue, who was running away, didn't know why he suddenly sneezed.

"What's wrong with this kid…" Leng Yuqiu, who was chasing closely behind him, was starting to run out of internal energy, "Every time I'm about to catch up, he suddenly gets a little faster, but once the distance widens, he looks like he's about to run out of strength…"

Leng Yuqiu pondered, "Could it be… he's doing it on purpose?" He quickly overturned this idea, "Impossible… in the martial world, the only people whose lightness skill and internal strength combined can surpass mine… besides my master, is only 'Yue'; but this kid… based on his age, even if he started practicing lightness skill from the womb, he wouldn't be much better than me… Furthermore, to be able to control his speed to play with me, it's not enough for his lightness skill to be just a little better than mine, he must at least have the cultivation of my master…"

Leng Yuqiu's thoughts were naturally wrong.

It was only because He Yang Xinci hadn't been able to tell his four disciples about the "outsiders"… that is, the players, that Leng Yuqiu was still using his common sense to assess the man in front of him.

If Leng Yuqiu had been able to exchange a few more moves with Kuangzong Jianying (Mad Tracker Sword Shadow) earlier, allowing Swordsman Shao to reveal more of his strength, perhaps he would have also discovered something about the "outsiders," but… that was just a hypothetical.

"Hmm… this guy is so damned fast. If my stamina wasn't sufficient, the 'plan' might really have gone wrong." Seeing that he was about to reach the "target location," Feng Bujue gradually slowed down and dispersed his attention to the surroundings.

"Let me see… oh… there it is." A few seconds later, Brother Jue used his data perspective to find "that person" lurking in the forest, and then, he slowed his pace.

"Hold on!" He was also very straightforward, before stopping, he turned around to greet him, "I'm not running anymore!"

Seeing that the other party really wasn't running anymore, Leng Yuqiu also slowed down. Although he judged… that the other party should have exhausted his internal energy and really couldn't use his lightness skill anymore, he also kept a close eye on him. No matter what the kid was planning, he would put his sword to his neck first.

"Brother Leng… there's no need for this, right?" Of course, Feng Bujue didn't care. Even with the blade against his neck, his attitude was very relaxed.

Because he knew very well that since He Yang Xinci had ordered to bring him back "alive," Leng Yuqiu would never dare to bring back a "dead" one.

"I don't want to do this either…" Leng Yuqiu tried his best to control his internal breath, suppressing the urge to gasp for breath, and pretended to be calm, "But what I don't want even more is… to have you catch your breath and then run another ten miles with you."

"Don't worry, you won't." Just then, a hoarse male voice interrupted their conversation.