A sword in hand, the moonlight cast a chill.
The entire person seemed to transform into an unsheathed supreme blade, unstoppable.
Gongsun Zheng held his sword, but did not strike directly. From bottom to top, he gazed at Chen Fan and said, "This sword is named Bai Wu, after the ancestral land of the Gongsun clan! This sword has not been unsheathed for five years. Today, I draw it for you. You can die without regret!"
"It will be you who dies!"
Chen Fan gazed at Gongsun Zheng, who held the long sword, his expression turning solemn. "You see me as your whetstone, and that in itself is a mistake!"
Gongsun Zheng shook his head. "You are indeed a worthy opponent. Out of respect for you, it is only fitting that you die by my sword."
Chen Fan said indifferently, "Have you considered that once you strike, there is no turning back! If you die, all your pursuits will be in vain!"
"On the path of seeking the Dao, what is there to fear in death?" Gongsun Zheng strummed his sword and sang.
"Once there was a fair maiden of the Gongsun clan, whose sword dance stirred all around. Spectators were like mountains, their colors dimmed, heaven and earth bowed low and rose again..."
As the song began, a sword flashed like lightning, piercing the heavens, cleaving the night.
Chen Fan gently shook his head, his eyes opening and closing with electric light.
A torrent of killing intent, as if arriving from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
An endless battlefield, countless heroic spirits fighting, shouting, roaring, transforming into heaven-piercing battle intent, eternal and unquenchable!
At this moment, Chen Fan's posture remained unchanged, yet he seemed to grow infinitely tall.
The unquenchable battle intent materialized, causing grass and trees to wither, water to ripple, and mountains and rivers to lose their color!
This was battle intent forged through countless trials of survival, breaking armies and slaughtering generals, conquering cities and toppling nations, tempered a thousand times.
It was the supreme dominance cultivated from countless iron-blooded soldiers arrayed before him, in countless battles fought in blood.
It was as if, at this very moment, a vast army stood silently behind him, poised to strike, awaiting his command to charge forward without hesitation!
This was the fundamental reason Chen Fan had become the supreme God of War, the soul of the nation's defense!
Fighting on the frontiers, pacifying the land, as long as he stood, the land would remain!
The killing intent surged, freezing the water beneath the bridge, leaving no ripples.
Chen Fan held little killing intent towards Gongsun Zheng.
But with Gongsun Zheng's sword in hand, there was no room for retreat!
In a flash, the sword light descended.
Chen Fan took a step forward and raised a fist.
Ten thousand troops moved in unison, the fist suppressed mountains and rivers, breaking armies and slaughtering generals, advancing without fear.
Beneath the sword light, the sword energy was sharp, capable of cutting through anything.
However, it could not cut through ten thousand souls of soldiers, nor the steadfastness of the mountains and rivers.
The sword energy shattered inch by inch.
The tip of the sword stabbed down, clashing with the fist. A metallic clang resounded, and it sprang back, leaving a trace of blood.
This sword had still injured Chen Fan.
But Gongsun Zheng's indifferent expression showed a flicker of emotion. He sprang up like lightning, his body turning into mist, his long sword flicked, transforming into a net of sword energy.
Chen Fan's face was placid, devoid of any human emotion. He took a step forward, his fist unchanged.
Advancing without fear, the fist suppressed mountains and rivers!
With a roar, the sword net was instantly shattered. Under this fist, a torrent of killing intent surged, like an iron tide sweeping across the land.
The moment Gongsun Zheng surged upwards, he stumbled, then launched himself into the air.
His body trembled violently, a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He then escaped the trajectory of the fist.
He swept out five or six meters, tapped his foot on the bridge railing, leaped up, and circled behind Chen Fan.
The sword light flashed down, the sword like thunder.
With a crack, the bridge railing where his foot had landed collapsed into the water, leaving nothing behind.
This sword aimed directly at Chen Fan's back, unpredictable, its intent sharp.
Chen Fan turned, his palm horizontal.
The sword sang, a clear and resonant phoenix cry.
With a swish, the long sword was deflected, yet as elusive as mist, coiling like a spiritual snake.
Gongsun Zheng, wielding the sword, became one with it, shifting position, his sword pointing at Chen Fan's ribs.
The power of the weapon was fully displayed at this moment.
Chen Fan's hand bore another bloody gash, blood splattering.
But he seemed oblivious and threw a punch.
The iron-blooded killing intent rolled and churned, transforming into a vortex.
With a rush, the lake water beneath the bridge suddenly splashed into the sky, waves crashing, pouring down like torrential rain.
On the shore.
Xu Yunhou's eyes were sharp, his face grim.
Gongsun Zheng had already drawn his sword, its light flashing and cutting through the air, difficult to discern.
But as long as the sword light remained, the outcome was undecided.
The Gongsun clan's swordsmanship was renowned in the martial world, yet it had not managed to defeat Chen Fan.
That hint of ominous premonition grew uncontrollably in his heart.
His hatred for Chen Fan was a hundred times stronger than that of Su Yuhua and Yuan Liangping.
If his own death could exchange for Chen Fan's death, Su Yuhua and the others would certainly not agree, but Xu Yunhou would not hesitate for a moment.
He had arrived shortly after Gongsun Zheng, and had been waiting.
If Chen Fan did not die, he would have no face to return to the Xu family, nor could he give an account to the families who had lost their loved ones.
He clenched the railing on the shore tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"Patriarch!" a middle-aged man beside him, also sensing the danger, said in a low voice.
"If Chen Fan doesn't die, we die!"
Xu Yunhou gritted his teeth and said hoarsely, "Even if he defeats Gongsun Zheng, he will surely be injured. This is our last chance!"
"Good!"
Xu Yunhou had brought the few remaining skilled martial artists of the Xu family, and there might still be a chance.
On the other side, Gu Yueqing's brows furrowed.
She began to feel anxious.
She knew how strong Gongsun Zheng's swordsmanship was, capable of breaking through anything.
But the battle continued, and Gongsun Zheng's swordsmanship had not ended the fight.
She could only hope that Gongsun Zheng was doing this deliberately, hoping to hone himself through the threat of Chen Fan, his whetstone!
Splash.
The lake water churned from the bridge, lapping at the shore. The waves crashed, breaking into rain.
"Third Uncle!"
A figure quietly approached Su Yuhua.
"Are you ready? As soon as the battle ends, strike immediately!"
Su Yuhua said.
"Everyone is in position!"
Yuan Liangping gazed at the ongoing battle in the distance and asked, "But Third Uncle, if Gongsun Zheng wins, do we still proceed?"
"Yes."
Su Yuhua said, "What is involved in their duel is very important. I must obtain it!"
Yuan Liangping suddenly understood, and couldn't help but be curious. "Third Uncle, what is it?"
He was truly curious about what could make Su Yuhua so determined, even risking offending Gongsun Zheng to obtain it.
Su Yuhua said, "You don't need to worry about what it is. With this, you and I will prosper. With the support of a trillion-dollar consortium, what can't be accomplished?"
Yuan Liangping's breathing quickened. "What is it used for?"
"I don't know either, but it's very important."
Su Yuhua said.
On the bridge, Chen Fan ignored the thunderous sword strike, his fist suppressing the eight directions.
With a rumbling roar, the air was compressed and exploded. The vortex-like killing intent churned and expanded endlessly.
Amidst the whistling wind, the moonlight suddenly dimmed.
It was as if endless dark clouds had descended, and the moonlight dissipated like flowing light. Something in heaven and earth was drained within this punch.
The sword light slashed down, and when it struck Chen Fan's body, it suddenly became sluggish. As it pierced in, the sword intent crumbled.
It was like piercing a flawed armor, being blocked and worn down, sliding to the side.
And under Chen Fan's punch, the killing intent solidified, roaring like a fierce dragon.
Under the terrifying aura and pressure, Gongsun Zheng, holding his sword, his expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief.
"Martial Arts Grandmaster?" The word escaped his lips, filled with shock.
He immediately abandoned his sword and retreated. Raising his left hand, he dared not hold back, unleashing layered bursts of explosive energy in front of him.
But his face still held no peace, only shock and unease.
Boom!
The dragon-like killing intent was incomparably sharp, swallowing heaven and earth, piercing in all directions.
The energy barriers shattered instantly.
Using the brief moment of obstruction, Gongsun Zheng retreated towards the bridge.
But Chen Fan was faster. His fist, condensed with endless killing intent, struck Gongsun Zheng's palm and continued to crush through, imprinting on his chest.
With a muffled thud, Gongsun Zheng's figure flew backward like a tattered sack, his body tracing an arc. He spat blood in mid-air and plummeted into West Lake!