CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 53: CATCHING UP

"Uncle Fu!"

"Roar"

"Roar"

"Roar"

With a triple strike of the Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers, Song Ziqi’s hands and head manifested eerie blue tiger-shaped formations, akin to three divine tigers. The layers of Triple True Qi vibrated and superimposed upon one another, the sound of the tiger’s roar that shook mountains and rivers reached high into the sky.

Although it was broad daylight, the soldiers present and the constables from the Six Gates only felt a momentary darkness before their eyes, as if night had fallen.

Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan both spat out a mouthful of blood and were sent flying, as if they were torn cotton.

Song Ziqi herself also let out a painful retch and spat out a mouthful of blood, her emerald veil stained crimson. Clearly, executing the triple strike of the Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers also posed a significant toll on her.

Without time to catch her breath, Song Ziqi hurried to help Uncle Fu, leaped onto a nearby rooftop, and disappeared in just a few swift moves.

Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan, shaken by the roar of the tiger, seethed with turbulent energy, unable to follow. The four black-clothed men who had surrounded Uncle Fu lay silently moaning on the ground. Had Song Ziqi not been so desperate to escape, the four would likely have lost their lives.

Somewhat further away, some of the weaker constables from the Six Gates had already fallen silent, lying motionless on the ground, shaken to death by the roar of the tiger.

After a brief recuperation, Luo Yan managed to calm his surging energy and, observing the scene, couldn’t help but wryly remark, "We’ve somehow managed to win."

Renowned for its wide-reaching lethality, Song Ziqi’s Triple Tiger Roar held at bay both the battling constables from the Six Gates and the soldiers from the Zhen Shan Army, both groups now writhing in pain on the ground, clutching their ears.

The hidden strength of the four hundred Zhen Shan Army soldiers had been lost, and the regular City Guard soldiers, stricken by the enormous roar, were left disoriented, many dead on the spot.

Despite her flight, this battle was won by the Six Gates, but Luo Yan felt no joy. Three hundred elite constables of the Six Gates were also gravely injured by the Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers, rendering them incapable of participating in the affairs of Yang City hereafter. Without these subordinates, the potential contributions of Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan in the upcoming great battle were severely limited, gaining little merit. After all, they did not possess the exceptional strength of their masters.

"Who would have expected that Song Ziqi could unleash the Triple Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers at once? I truly underestimated her," Luo Yan lamented with a bitter smile.

The Zhen Shan Zhang Family’s Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers, due to the combined True Qi and sound waves, could be unleashed without vocalization, making it convenient to execute while somewhat diminishing the power of the sound wave. A single layer of Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers fell far short of the potency of the Buddhist Heavenly Dragon Zen Song or the Demon Sect’s Soul-shattering Heavenly Demon Sound.

The reason why Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers was considered an Absolute Skill lay in the fact that if one’s physique was strong enough and the body could instantaneously output a significant amount of True Qi, in theory, one could infinitely stack the Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers.

"Never in a million years would I have imagined that a woman like Song Ziqi could cultivate such an immense physical strength."

Women are naturally at a disadvantage in body refinement due to their innate physical constitution. Typically, Body Refining Martial Arts could lead to the distortion of one’s figure; the same robust build on a man would be considered imposing, but on a woman, it was rather unsightly.

With Song Ziqi’s delicate frame, it was hard for Luo Yan to believe she could execute the Innate Realm’s Triple Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers, a technique only the Divine Origin could master.

```

"Just now, I noticed the battle marks on Song Ziqi’s arm that she revealed. It seems she has cultivated the Southern Border Battle Body," Bu Lengchuan said as he finished regulating his breathing and wiped the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth.

"The Southern Border Battle Body? It seems that Lord Zhen Shan’s involvement with the Southern Border is much deeper than we imagined," Luo Yan said, shocked.

The Southern Border Battle Body was a technique that typically only those with the Miao Clan bloodline of the Southern Border could cultivate. The fact that Song Ziqi could cultivate the Southern Border Battle Body indicated that she carried Miao Clan blood in her veins, which explained why Zhang Huchen had always concealed the existence of this daughter.

At that moment, Li Xin came over to plead, "Please save Daoist Qingyu, both of you."

Luo Yan and Bu Lengchuan looked at each other silently.

Both had sustained serious injuries. Unlike Li Xin, Qingyu had always remained neutral, not aligning himself with the Six Gates. Given the current circumstances, Bu Lengchuan was against the idea of rescuing Qingyu.

"I’ll go. I’m fast, and even if I can’t defeat that suddenly appeared Innate Expert, saving Daoist Qingyu shouldn’t be a problem," Luo Yan offered.

After all, Qingyu was helping the Six Gates when the incident occurred. Although Luo Yan felt that the Innate Expert’s target was Qingyu, at least on the surface, it appeared he was being pursued for aiding the Six Gates.

Besides, Qingyu’s decision to help was a gesture, and Luo Yan hoped to use this opportunity to bring him into the Six Gates. A talented martial artist of fifteen or sixteen could, with some training, become another young Innate Expert.

Of course, this was all predicated on Qingyu being able to hold out against Xiao Gao’s pursuit until Luo Yan arrived.

In fact, Qingyu was already struggling to hold on. His speed was great, but he couldn’t withstand an Innate Expert who could project Inner Qi from a distance. An Innate Expert’s Inner Strength, after attracting Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi into the body and purifying their Power, was no longer called Inner Strength but True Qi. Innate Experts far exceeded Postnatal practitioners both in the quantity and quality of True Qi.

Xiao Gao was only slightly slower than Qingyu, not truly a Death Soldier assassin but only disguised as such, yet he wasn’t far off. With Sword Qi as a long-range means of attack, Xiao Gao was almost equivalent to chasing Qingyu with a sword in hand.

It was only because Qingyu’s movement technique was unpredictable, and long-range Sword Qi inevitably had some errors, that he managed to narrowly hold on, running for his life.

However, this was not a long-term solution. Upon reaching the Innate Realm, forming a connection with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, the recovery rate of True Qi far surpassed that of the Postnatal.

Soon, due to a momentary dip in Inner Strength, Qingyu stumbled, and his left shoulder was pierced by an incoming Sword Qi, splattering blood. Affected by the injury, several more Sword Qi strikes grazed his legs, arms, and back.

Blood loss from the wounds made it impossible for Qingyu to continue, and his legs gave out; he tumbled from the rooftop and thudded to the ground.

"Run, mongrel, stop running now."

Xiao Gao landed in front of Qingyu, removed the mask from his face, revealing a face that could be considered handsome to Qingyu’s eyes. However, at that moment, the face was full of malevolence, and the fierce smile made Xiao Gao appear hideous.

"You lowly bastard, you don’t know the shame you’ve brought upon me in front of Master Xuan Guang, and you’ve also offended the young lady. If Master Xuan Guang didn’t want you alive, I would skin you alive a thousand times over," Xiao Gao said venomously.

"But don’t you feel relieved. Master Xuan Guang only stated he wanted you alive; as for the rest, he didn’t specify. I’ll make sure to ’treat’ you well, make you wish for death, but not be able to die," Xiao Gao declared viciously.

He didn’t reveal everything, though; in front of Master Xuan Guang, it wasn’t just about losing face. If he couldn’t catch Qingyu, his life was on the line. Moreover, leaving the battlefield to chase after Qingyu was more substantial than just the word "offending" could cover. It was foreseeable that Song Ziqi would not let him off easily.

Thinking of the consequences of chasing after Qingyu, Xiao Gao’s expression became even more ferocious, and the killing intent surged uncontrollably in his heart.

```