The peaks rose and fell, the mountain wind was bleak and cold, the old mountain temple leaked everywhere, blowing the fire heap swaying back and forth, the shadow twisted and stretched, like a pair of evil spirits with bared teeth and dancing claws.

  Lu Zhongqi was eating a freshly baked white mantou, staring at the jumping flames in a daze. After changing their route, several people had been camping out in the wind and dew, bypassing villages and avoiding most of the intercepting masters, and were finally about to arrive in the capital.

  However, he didn't feel at ease. The closer they got to the capital, the more anxious he became, as if the calm of the past half month was brewing a storm that would erupt in the next day or two.

  He had a faint premonition, even the unpredictable poison was mobilized, and the treacherous people in the court would not give up easily. There must be an even stronger master coming, which made him very worried.

  Lu Guan sat in front of the bonfire, his hands not leaving the scroll, eating a steamed bun and reading military books with an air of calmness, completely without any signs of being in a precarious situation where the enemy could attack at any moment. This composure couldn't help but earn the silent admiration of Hu Dao Ren, who thought to himself that Commander Lu was indeed a great general, like a deer that is startled by the sound on its left yet does not blink an eye!

  As he thought of this, Hu Dao Ren slightly tilted his head and looked at Meng Qi, who had a long sword across his knees and half-closed eyes. He also looked at Ruan Yu Shu, whose expression was calm and serene as she gently stroked the strings of her zither. In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration - these two young ones were even more composed than himself; indeed, the older one got in Jianghu, the more timid one became.

  After tonight, it will be fine. Once we reach the outskirts of the capital, we can raise our flag and those scoundrels won't dare to attack us in broad daylight. After all, General Lu was personally summoned by the Emperor to enter the capital. The area around the capital is densely populated and full of rumors, if news leaks out, it will be a disaster for the entire family... Hu Dao comforted himself with these words, took down the long sword on his back, pulled it out with a clang, and gently stroked it.

  This Tiger Roar Sword has been with me for almost thirty years, drinking the blood of countless evil men. I hope it can help me get through this difficult time. My own death is not important, but if Lord Lu falls into disaster, that would be a calamity for all people under heaven.

  Suddenly, his right hand, which had been feeling its way along the sword's body, came to a stop, and his eyes shone brightly as he looked towards the broken temple gate.

  There stood a man, tall and large in stature, with a broad sword in his hand. It was unknown when he had appeared there, quietly watching the crowd inside the temple.

  "General Jian..." Hu Dao-ren suddenly stood up, his tiger-roaring sword slanted, his voice was low and solemn, his face was serious.

  Upon hearing this name, Lu Zhongqi was startled and jumped up. It turned out to be Jian Jiangjun, a renowned swordsman who roamed the nine states, only slightly inferior to the strongest among humans, such as Xie Jun and Gui Wang.

  He has profound internal strength, his swordsmanship is vast and powerful, strong and fierce, like a general charging into battle. Hence he got the nickname "Sword General". His real combat power far surpasses Du Wu Chang's, he once single-handedly challenged nine top-notch experts and beheaded them all, whether it's fame or achievements, both are far beyond the most formidable Tiger Dao Ren on our side.

  Lu Zhongqi looked at the other three with a frightened and fearful expression, only to see Lu Guan put down the military book in his hand, slowly got up, seemingly intending to join forces with Hu Dao people to resist strong enemies together. His expression did not show any panic, while Ruan Yushu was still stroking the piano, the sound of the piano was weak, and the artistic conception was high and vast, but what's the use?

  The sword guest Xiaoming sat upright with a calm face, as if the sword general in front of him was just an ordinary person, not a master swordsman.

  Is he scared silly? Lu Zhongqi couldn't help but think, after all, the Sword General was tall and majestic, with an aura that was overwhelming, even when standing still, like a mountain peak, making his heart beat like a drum, and his legs go weak.

  I've long heard that masters beyond the normal level are skilled in mental struggles and spiritual confrontations. I thought it was nonsense, but today facing General Sword, I understand that the rumors are true! Even if he doesn't make a move, just standing at the gate makes me weaken my will to fight, become flustered and lose control, unable to exert even six-tenths of my usual strength.

  The General Sword took a step by step, and each step seemed to make the broken temple shake slightly. After seven steps, Tiger Dao's hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly, and the man in front of him seemed to be getting taller and more majestic, like a giant from mythological legends!

  "Tiger Road person, this matter has nothing to do with you. If you leave, I won't stop you." General Sword's voice was thick and heavy.

  "Hu Dao Ren took a deep breath: "Lu Shuai bears the hope of the world, and is related to the disaster of the Western Barbarians. As the saying goes, it's better to be a peaceful dog than a chaotic person. I'm not talented, but I'm willing to exchange my life for the peace and prosperity of the people! You are doing evil deeds, and you will eventually have your retribution!"

  He secretly made a gesture, indicating that Lu Guan should take advantage of his own delay in holding back the Sword General to escape.

  Lu Guan's expression didn't change: "I, Lu, have never thought that my own life was more valuable than others. Although I am strict with those under me, I have always led by example and put myself in harm's way first. This is the only reason why the Iron Mountain Army has been able to fight a hundred battles without retreating."

  When he spoke, his momentum was overwhelming, as if he were commanding tens of thousands of troops, causing even the sword general to change color slightly.

  Lu Zhongqi was affected by this, and immediately dispelled the fear in his heart, saying: "As long as people are not dead, the formation will not retreat, Mount Tie is here, and the barbarians will be exterminated!"

  The General of Sword suddenly drew out his long sword, its body wide and broad, like a door board.

  "I have received great kindness from you, and I must come to kill you. Please allow me to pay my respects." General Sword solemnly bowed, and in his words, it seemed that killing Lu Guanhu and others was as easy as killing chickens and dogs, without any effort, causing Lu Zhongqi's heart to tremble again.

  His expression was calm and serene, with a hint of pity, as he unsheathed his broadsword, ready to launch an attack.

  At this moment, Meng Qi, who had been calmly stroking his sword, suddenly stood up. With a "clang", his long sword was unsheathed, emitting a cold glow in all directions.

  He looked at General Sword and said expressionlessly:

  "If you can make me retreat and defend with one move, I'll admit defeat."

  What arrogance is this? Not only General Jian, but also Meng Qi's side, Hu Dao Ren and Lu Zhong Qi all have similar feelings!

  Even if your swordsmanship is exceptional, Sword General has been famous for many years, with outstanding achievements and a reputation as a master of the world. How could he not even let you defend against a single attack? Even if Mo Hou Guo Shi were here, they wouldn't dare say such a big boast!

  Young people don't know how high the sky is and how thick the earth is!

  Just as General Jian's heart was slightly floating and anxious, Meng Qi drew his sword, took a step forward, as if stepping on his heart, the long sword fell diagonally, like a child's scribble.

  "Huh? The same "huh" was uttered by Tiger Dao Ren and Lu Zhong Qi, who were both shocked and bewildered. They couldn't believe that the arrogant Xiao Meng would make such a clumsy move with his sword, as if he had never practiced swordsmanship before! Meanwhile, Ruan Yu Shu seemed to be deep in thought, as if he had grasped something."

  The sword in General Jian's eyes was indescribable, with many flaws, yet constantly changing, making it impossible to grasp!

  The momentum he had built up earlier was perfectly broken by Meng Qi, and the air machine fell into a disadvantage. There were no other options but to sweep the sword horizontally, as if using an iron rod, keeping Meng Qi outside the defensive circle, first to ensure his own safety.

  Meng Qi's long sword fell like a falling leaf, suddenly hanging upside down, pointing at the tip of Kuo's broadsword.

  The General of the Sword felt his long sword weighing like a thousand catties hanging down, his wrist heavy, and suddenly sank.

  Taking advantage of this force, Meng Qi's long sword bounced back up and stabbed towards the General's throat at an angle.

  The general had no choice but to retreat one step back.

  As he took a step forward, Meng Qi also stepped out, following closely behind him.

  General Jian let out a loud roar, and with an unknown secret method, the broadsword rose from below to above, as if it was going to split Meng Qi in two.

  His swordsmanship is unlike ordinary people's, it's extremely fierce and powerful!

  Meng Qi suddenly sprang up, his sword tip quivering, changing from a straight line to a slanting upward direction.

  At a distance of two people, there was still a little gap between the tip of the sword and the throat, making it difficult to stab, but after slanting up, it came into close contact with the chin.

  With a whoosh, the sharp Ice Thorn Sword pierced into his brain without any hindrance from under his jaw, causing his head to jerk up and his sword to lose its aim.

  Meng Qi fell to one side, his long sword hanging down, fresh blood gathering at the tip of the blade and slowly dripping down.

  With a thud, General Jian's robust body fell face up, stirring up a cloud of dust.

  "You lost." Meng Qi threw out a cold sentence and walked back to sit down by the fire pit again.

  Jian Jun's eyes were wide with fear and shock, but he had no breath left to answer Meng Qi.

  He actually didn't even let Xiaomeng return to defend with a single move! And was killed on the spot in just four moves!

  Lu Guan, Hu Dao Ren and Lu Zhong Qi looked at each other with calm expressions, as if Meng Qi had just casually roasted a bun earlier. Then they looked at the Sword General who was dead but still had his eyes open, and involuntarily felt a fear of his swordsmanship.

  Looking back at the battle just now, they found that Meng Qi's every move was not exquisite, but on the contrary, it was full of flaws and ordinary. However, his grasp of timing, angle, and lightness was so precise that it seemed as if he had a magic sword in his hand!

  What a swordsmanship! What a swordsman!

  Hu Dao Ren originally thought he had a good understanding of Xiao Meng's strength, but now it seems that his swordsmanship is even more terrifying than he imagined, and is probably close to the level of Gui Wang Ru Yi Seng.

  How old is he? Is he really a natural-born swordsman?

  There's Xiaoming here, it seems this time entering the capital will be without incident! Lu Zhongqi let out a sigh of relief, gratefully nodded at Meng Qi, and ran to Sword General's side, bowing down to search the corpse.

  The General of the Sword came to kill people. His style was bold and open, so he only had a package of dry food and a bag of silver on him, as well as a letter.

  Lu Zhongqi picked up General Jian's broadsword and placed it beside Meng Qi, this was his spoils of war.

  Meng Qi remained expressionless and noncommittal, but in his heart he was secretly delighted.

  "Not good!" Lu Zhongqi casually opened the letter and took a glance before exclaiming in shock.

  "What's wrong?"

  Lu Zhong's expression turned ugly: "The ones who wrote letters to General Jian were the four villains of the Zheng family, they also want to come and assassinate Commander Lu!"

  "Zheng family's fourth brother?" Hu Dao Ren's face changed greatly, and Lu Guan also slightly furrowed his brow.

  Lu Zhongqi knew that the only one he could rely on at present was Xiao Meng, so he quickly introduced him: "The four evils of the Zheng family came alone to see, and they were slightly inferior to General Jian, but they had a secret method of joining hands, and they often advanced and retreated together. They were once listed in the ranks of Gui Wang Xiyue Zhenren and others, but later they joined forces to assassinate Evil Jun, but were easily defeated and became his servants. This is why they are no longer considered top-notch masters of this level."

  "Even so, the four of them joining forces would have strength that is extremely close to the pinnacle of humanity, and absolutely cannot be compared to a mere Sword General!"

  The secret method of joining hands is indeed effective against others, but when facing the "Undead Seal" that fears no group attack, there's only a dead end... Meng Qi smiled secretly.

  "What's most frightening is that the Zheng family's four evil men are currently serving as Evil King's attendants. If they make a move, it means Evil King will also intervene in this matter!" Lu Zhongqi was flustered again, "Little Meng brothers, Ruan young lady, how about we set off immediately tonight?"

  "It's late." Someone sneered outside the door.