Chapter 63: Knocked to the Ground!

"Jian Yichen, coming here alone to offer a humble apology has already earned you a measure of my respect." Gu Yiling looked at the man before him, his harsh judgment softening slightly as his gaze locked onto Jian Yichen.

"I want to duel you in private," Jian Yichen said slowly and steadily, a gentle breeze stirring his locks as he stood facing Gu Yiling. His eyes flickered slightly, and looking at the surrounding disciples of Longwu Mountain, he felt a quiet surge of confidence.

The breeze caressed Jian Yichen's willow-like strands of hair, lifting and dropping them at a languid pace.

"Very well! Jian Yichen, there's no one here to stop me from beating you down," Gu Yiling laughed aloud, his expression dripping with disdain and his eyes cold. "Don't bother begging me for mercy; I will show no quarter."

"Stop talking nonsense and follow me," Jian Yichen snapped. "Tell your Longwu Mountain disciples to let me pass."

"Step aside," Gu Yiling waved his hand, signaling them to make way.

"First Senior Brother, you can't!" Several disciples pleaded desperately, trying to dissuade him. Remembering how Gu Yiling had previously suffered internal injuries inflicted by Jian Yichen's master, the disciples were deeply concerned. Yet nothing could stop an older brother driven by a fierce desire to protect his sister's honor. Disregarding his own injuries, Gu Yiling had declared: "I will not allow anyone to trample upon my sister's heart. Whoever dares to do so shall die, no matter who you are, until my last breath."

Jian Yichen slowly turned around. A subtle, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of his lips, cutting through the still air of the breeze.

The disciples stepped back, clearing a path. Gu Ruolin stood on the stone steps of the Longwu Mountain gates, blocked by the disciples, and could only watch from afar. Her eyes shimmered with a delicate, rippling light, filled with an unnoticeable depth of affection.

Jian Yichen departed, followed closely by Gu Yiling, while Gu Ruolin wove her way through the throng of disciples.

Gazing intently at Jian Yichen, Gu Yiling demanded, "Where are you taking me?" They arrived at a secluded spot canopied by dense foliage that blocked out the sunlight.

After a brief moment...

"We have arrived, Gu Yiling. This is our dueling ground. Use whatever techniques you have," Jian Yichen said, turning to face him with a faint smile, his gaze growing deeper and more profound. "I can assure you, I did not fail your sister. Whatever affection once existed between us became like passing smoke three years ago. That spring dream from three years back is deeply carved into my soul, leaving me now with only sorrow and withered greens."

"A youthful love can only remain in youth. Back then, how deeply I loved her, but she—with someone else?" Jian Yichen lowered his voice, his emotions defying description. His gaze abruptly turned icy. "Gu Yiling, let's begin!"

Gu Yiling instantly raised his right hand, pointing a finger at Jian Yichen as he cursed, "Enough! Is my sister's mistake something you have any right to point out?" His eyes twitched slightly, brimming with suppressed fury. "Jian Yichen, you are utterly unworthy! Keep your delusions to yourself—they only invite ridicule. Look at you: making a living through thievery, drifting between debauchery and utter incompetence. By what right do you deserve the youth and devotion of countless maidens? By what right? Who do you think you are? By what right!" Gu Yiling's voice grew louder and higher, his eyes darkening.

Up in the trees, Yu Fan overlooked every movement below. He dared not interfere, nor did he understand matters of the heart; such emotional knots were ultimately for them to untangle themselves.

Jian Yichen froze, a flicker of sudden panic crossing his features. He stood motionless for several seconds, as if time itself had stopped.

Gu Yiling's figure sharpened, a look of resolute determination flashing in his eyes. He rapidly formed hand seals with both hands and let out a low shout: "Death Secret: Earth Wood!" Before the echo faded, the ground seemed to spring to life. Countless thick vines burst through the soil, twisting like venomous serpents as they surged toward Jian Yichen, instantly binding his limbs and rendering him completely immobile. Jian Yichen's expression shifted slightly, though he showed no excessive panic; his gaze merely deepened, as if waiting for something.

At that very moment of imminent peril, a dark shadow materialized in the sky. With astonishing speed, Yu Fan leaped down from the treetop like a panther of the night, plunging directly toward Gu Yiling's back. Channeling true qi into his palm, accompanied by the piercing sound of tearing air, he struck Gu Yiling squarely between the shoulder blades with a dull, heavy thud.

Gu Yiling's body shuddered, and like a kite with a broken string, he staggered violently forward, crashing straight into the vine-bound Jian Yichen. The two of them tumbled backward together through the air, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Amidst this sudden upheaval, both Jian Yichen and Gu Yiling crashed to the ground. Through the swirling dust, an astonishing brilliance erupted from a broken sword, transforming into a stream of light that shot straight into the clouds before shattering into a myriad of sword shadows that cleanly severed the surrounding vines.

Before regaining his footing entirely, Gu Yiling resolutely stepped forward, each stride as steady and powerful as if treading upon the pulse of the void itself. The incantation murmuring from his lips echoed like an ancient chant across the empty dueling ground, causing the very air to seem to freeze.

As he pressed his palm flat against the earth, a surge of primal energy from deep within the earth's veins began to churn, causing the ground to tremble as though a host of a thousand armies were about to burst forth.

Suddenly, a massive black boulder thrust upward from the ground, coated in layers of heavy dust and debris. Like an awakened primordial beast, it hurtled with destructive force directly toward the spot where Yu Fan and Jian Yichen stood.

The massive rock carved a long arc through the air with a deafening roar, blotting out the bright sky completely and plunging the world into an apocalyptic gloom.

[Crash! The colossal boulder descended with a thunderous impact. Dust billowed, obscuring the heavens and instantly swallowing Yu Fan and Jian Yichen. The earth fractured violently under the shockwave, forming a gaping and terrifying crater while shattered stone and dust swept across the surroundings like a violent tempest.

Jian Yichen and Yu Fan's figures flickered indistinctly through the billowing dust, accompanied only by the faint, clashing echoes of sword-chimes and true qi locked in a stubborn, chaotic struggle.

Gu Yiling stood not far away, his robes whipping wildly in the wind, his disheveled hair unable to conceal his ferocious grin.

He looked down into the dust-choked crater, a mixture of madness and intoxicating triumph gleaming in his eyes as if he could already taste victory.

With a cruel, curving smirk, he murmured softly, "This is your destiny, Jian Yichen. Today, you shall be buried here to comfort my sister's spirit."

[Yet Yu Fan moved like a phantom through the dust and rubble, the broken sword in his hand flashing with a chilling light. Suddenly, his movements paused, true qi surging wildly within his body as a dazzling brilliance gathered at the tip of his sword, as though capable of piercing all obstacles in this world.

With a piercing whistle, Yu Fan slashed downward. The fierce, peerless sword qi instantly pierced clean through the heaven-blocking boulder; stone chips flew like dark clouds torn apart by a gale, and the rock instantly disintegrated.

The massive boulder split in two, yet it did not completely collapse; instead, it transformed into a gigantic semi-circular dome that enveloped both Yu Fan and Jian Yichen. Beneath the dome, the light was dim, with only a few stray beams filtering through the stone fissures to dapple their bodies.

"What? How is this possible?" Gu Yiling gasped in disbelief.

The semi-circular dome vanished as well.

Yu Fan emerged from the edge of the crater, bringing Jian Yichen with him.