Upon hearing the words, Grand Gang Leader Xiong Ying swept his gaze around with his sword, just after Wang Anfeng had suddenly attacked, their side had already lost six skilled fighters in the blink of an eye, yet his expression remained unchanged. He raised his eyes to look at the longsword in Wang Anfeng''s hand, the dominant Thunder Vigor from their recent sword clash causing his palm to tremble slightly.

    Even so, the edge of that longsword was still sheathed, its blade not exposed.

    Xiong Ying withdrew his gaze, his hands still on the heavy blade, said indifferently,

    "Well done, drawing the sword to assist."

    Yu Jiu frowned, sneered, and said,

    "It seems... Brother Wang has set his mind on opposing us."

    "Although your martial arts are strong, we too have masters, and with this burden added, I really want to see what you can do?"

    Wang Anfeng turned his head to look at Yu Jiu and said lightly,

    "Brother Yu need not worry about this matter, Wang has his own decisions."

    Yu Jiu sneered again, then suddenly added,

    "If you''re planning to rely on Tan Yurou''s backup, you don''t need to."

    "Yan''er is my person, and whatever Yan''er sees, I naturally know as well. Those martial artists close to Tan Yurou have mostly been scattered by me, while Wu Hong has been severely injured and can hardly protect himself."

    His voice paused for a moment then turned to the side and said,

    "Furthermore… since Elder Zhao has arrived, doesn''t he plan to come out and meet us?"

    Wang Anfeng''s brows slightly furrowed, his wooden sword in its scabbard resting on the ground, the blade seemingly unsheathed an inch, and at the direction of the courtyard gate, Grand Gang Leader Xiong Ying''s expression changed for the first time, raising his eyes to look.

    Previously his attention was entirely captured by Wang Anfeng, but now calmly sensing, he finally noticed the subtle movement in the air above the side building''s roof, his expression then returned to its original calmness, his wrist flicked, and the heavy blade was drawn.

    The blade''s trembling buzz split the snowy wind.

    The well-repaired side building suddenly split open from the middle, a fierce vigor shredding everything inside to dust, and before this, several figures had already leaped from the rooftop, displaying their Qinggong, landing on the ground with rather ugly expressions on their faces.

    The leading figure was tall and sturdy, his hair and beard all white, yet his vigor was robust, his muscles thick, and he wore iron gauntlets on his fists. His face dignified, it was the Middle Third Rank master from Xi Dingzhou in the martial arts world, the unrivaled Divine Fist, Zhao Zhengyong.

    Behind him were only three people, yet each one emanated a stable aura, clearly skilled fighters among the Seventh Rank, just half a step away from the peak of Sixth Rank. Looking at their faces closely, all were well-known figures in Xi Dingzhou''s martial arts community.

    Zhao Zhengyong''s gaze swept over the crowd''s faces in the courtyard, sneered at Wang Anfeng, and said to Xiong Ying, "Good blade work," his gaze finally settling on Yu Jiu, he looked him up and down and sneered,

    "So you are the ghost who has usurped the Tiger King''s enterprise?"

    "Hey, a sneering petty man''s face." Sёarch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Upon hearing this, Yu Jiu was not annoyed and said lightly,

    "But predecessor, haven''t you also fallen into this ghost''s trap?"

    Zhao Zhengyong choked, his face grew rather ugly, although he did not ask Yu Jiu how he had guessed his presence here, his mind was incessantly analyzing the reasons.

    Yu Jiu again said lightly,

    "However, the word ''usurping'' mentioned by the predecessor is inaccurate."

    Zhao Zhengyong looked up at him and sneered,

    "Oh? Inaccurate?"

    Yu Jiu nodded and said lightly, "In seven days, I, Yu, will be marrying Miss Tan Yurou, the only kin of Tan Tianxiong, and take charge of the Tan estate legitimately. Who can say I am usurping?"

    "At that time, I will certainly invite the predecessor to come and have a drink."

    Zhao Zhengyong''s expression changed slightly, Yu Jiu''s words stirring waves in his heart. Having experienced much in Jianghu, he instantly sensed the young man''s covert attempt to ally. His gaze fell on another figure, the Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs'' leader, with more composed and stable demeanor and expression, and he instantly understood Yu Jiu''s intentions.

    Yu Jiu, wary of Xiong Ying, sought to create a tripartite balance of power.

    Thoughts flickered through his mind in an instant, Zhao Zhengyong''s facial expression subtly changed, then he suddenly laughed loudly,

    "Then I must thank my wise nephew…"

    Yu Jiu''s mouth quirked up, and he said,

    "Predecessor is too courteous."

    Xiong Ying indifferently glanced at the two men, withdrew his gaze, and returned his attention to Wang Anfeng and Tan Yurou.

    He had no interest in the covert linkage between Yu Jiu and Zhao Zhengyong. He came here today merely to avenge his father''s murder thirty years ago; beyond that, he cared little about other matters.

    As for Yu Jiu and Zhao Zhengyong.

    In his eyes, they were just insignificant, easily defeated.

    In the courtyard, the situation, originally marked by mutual wariness, now strangely unified again, cold gazes fell on the two before the winter plum.

    The sound of weapons buzzing gradually arose.

    ........................…

    Xi Dingzhou·Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs'' Station.

    Li Lao San wiped the blood from his face and strode forward.

    In the night, there were hardly any sounds of resistance, with any disturbances quieting down in a matter of a few breaths. Three hundred Giant Whale Gang martial artists, already quite skilled, had overtaken the Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs'' station with only a dozen men lost to death under the night attack.

    In the quiet footstep sounds, the traps that originally belonged to the Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs were dismantled.

    Clad in heavy armor and wielding strong bows, the martial artists ascended to higher ground one by one, forming makeshift arrow towers. In groups of ten, there were a total of seven towers; the strong bows and crossbows encompassed the entire headquarters of the Twenty-Seven Allied Gangs within their range of fire.

    This squad of Ironclad Guards had been painstakingly trained over the past two years by Gongsun Jing after selling his pots and pans for funding.

    They were trained exactly according to the elite standards of the Divine Martial Mansion of those years.

    Each martial artist was originally an elite member of the Giant Whale Gang, with their cultivation nearing the Ninth Rank. Teams of five in each group and fifty per unit, each team leader was an authentic Ninth Rank Martial Artist. The unit leaders were retired soldiers who had fought battles, subdued fierce horses, and beheaded enemies alongside Gongsun Jing, all rich in experience.

    Their cultivation, although not as high as that of Gongsun Jing, were mostly of the Eighth Rank, with Lao San Li, a veteran from the military who had fought against invaders and had a cultivation close to the Seventh Rank two years ago.

    A sharp whooshing sound arose.

    Dressed in armor, Gongsun Jing, whose appearance was nothing like that of a typical Jianghu gang leader, held a spear in his right hand and with his left hand, he was holding an old man by the hair, landing in front of Lao San Li. Seeing the grim-faced Gongsun Jing, Lao San Li slightly furrowed his brow and casually asked,

    "Have you got the information?"

    Gongsun Jing nodded and said gravely,

    "Yes, I got it."

    "Today, all of their leaders have left this place, not to attack the Tan Residence forces, but rather to capture Tan Yurou, Tan Tianxiong''s granddaughter, and force that old tiger out of his hiding to face death willingly."

    Lao San Li was slightly taken aback, seemingly having realized something, and said,

    "Could it be..."

    Gongsun Jing nodded, his expression slightly grim, and said,

    "The Young Master is currently with that Tan Yurou."

    "I need to take people to support them."

    .....................

    The wooden sword was planted in the ground with its scabbard on.

    Wang Anfeng''s right hand was on the hilt of this sword. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire

    Hidden within the sword scabbard, a blue halo emerged on the blade, and at the same time, a similar light flowed in the depths of Wang Anfeng''s pupils.

    Two years ago, on top of Pharmacist Valley.

    The moment the Grandmaster from the Four Symbols Pavilion appeared, the first words he had said were "Divine Weapon Resonance."

    Wang Anfeng took a deep breath, channeling his inner strength into the sword blade. This scabbard was no longer the same one from two years ago but had been replaced with a new one crafted from very special materials and engraved with formations from both the Buddhist and Daoist traditions.

    This scabbard had been specifically designed by Mr. Ying to suppress the aura of the Wooden Sword Divine Weapon.

    At this moment, the light from the formations inside it was gradually dissipating.

    The clear and rising sound of sword ringing became increasingly intense.

    Tan Yurou stood behind Wang Anfeng, quietly watching the young man''s back.

    In front of them, from within Xi Dingzhou City, stood three enormous Martial Artists, three of the Middle Third Rank, and usually in a county or city, there were up to several dozen Seventh Rank Martial Artists who were considered absolute experts. This force could annihilate a major sect in the state overnight.

    Yet, someone was resolutely standing in front of her, and the reason for standing in front was not even initially promised.

    When seeing injustice, they drew their swords to assist.

    Wang Anfeng held the sword in his right hand, his eyes closely watching for weaknesses in his opponents, stretching his left arm behind him as he said in a deep voice,

    "Hold on tightly to me."

    "I will take you out of here."

    Tan Yurou''s eyes flickered, her right hand reaching out, gently grasping Wang Anfeng''s palm, then as if having made up her mind, she tightened her grip slightly.

    This scene greatly provoked Yu Jiu standing not far away.

    The young man, watching the two standing together, his face full of malevolence, sneered,

    "Not bad at all."

    "It seems you two can still make a pair of star-crossed lovers... Everyone, let''s act together."

    Taking a step forward, Tan Yurou stood shoulder to shoulder with Wang Anfeng without loosening her grip on his hand, but even tightened it a bit more, tilted her head to look at Wang Anfeng, and whispered with a low laugh,

    "The gentleman just said, when seeing injustice, draw a sword to assist."

    "But this road is indeed very short, and what''s drawn isn''t a sword..."

    Wang Anfeng''s expression somewhat faltered, his mouth twitched, and through gritted teeth, he said,

    "Be quiet."

    Tan Yurou let out a chuckle, then turned to face the Martial Artists approaching them with sharp blades, showing no trace of fear as her expression slowly shifted from innocent to serene and composed, her eyes began to show a defying look.

    She spoke softly, her voice no longer soft and sweet,

    "Act now."

    PS: Here''s the second update...