Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The bearded man cursed under his breath, thinking that the little idiot was indeed a fool who didn't think before he acted. Even if he wanted to escape, he shouldn't have gone to the sky. Did he really think that the Sword Tower's anti-flight formation was just for show? He died a truly pathetic death. However, he didn't have time to think about it now, because he was in dire straits himself.

I am going to die today.

Surrender is absolutely out of the question.

They were surrounded on all sides and couldn't escape.

Then die like a warrior, at least retain some dignity in the end.

Thinking of this, the bearded man grabbed the back of his neck with his hand, his five fingers digging into his spine and suddenly pulling it out. In the blink of an eye, the spine transformed into a centipede-shaped blade: "Is there anyone who dares to fight me!?"

The dozens of officials surrounding the thief showed disdain upon hearing this, completely disdaining a one-on-one duel with the thief. This was neither a martial arts arena nor a battlefield where two armies fought. It was only natural for officials to catch thieves, so why should they have to duel the thief one-on-one? There had never been such a rule since ancient times.

Dozens of officials were just waiting for Ye Tingxiu's order to rush forward and capture and kill the bearded man on the spot, without any doubt.

Ye Tingxiu raised his hand and slowly said, "Iron Ruler, Flying Sword, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, the four of you set up a barrier. The rest of you stand by and watch. No one is allowed to make a move without my order."

Sheng Tuo quickly advised, "Lord Ye, we are on official duty and cannot act recklessly."

Ye Tingxiu glanced at him indifferently: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"I wouldn't dare." Sheng Tuo was startled and quickly clasped his hands and lowered his head, not daring to say anything more.

Ye Tingxiu, with two knives strapped to his waist, slowly stepped forward: "The spine is the knife, the flesh is the sheath. Interesting. Does this knife have a name?"

The bearded man jumped off the carriage and replied solemnly, "Hidden Edge, this sword is named Hidden Edge."

Ye Tingxiu and the bearded man were a hundred paces apart. Ye Tingxiu paced back and forth, pointing at the bearded man in the distance and said, "You are also a swordsman, a fellow swordsman. I will give you a fair chance to fight. As long as you can withstand one of my blows and survive, I will spare your life."

The bearded man's eyes lit up slightly: "You mean it?"

Ye Tingxiu replied calmly, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond."

"Alright, let's go." The bearded man's spirits lifted, and his lifeless and despairing heart was revitalized.

Ye Tingxiu strode forward, his expression calm, his hands crossed and hidden in his sleeves. He walked unhurriedly, seemingly extremely arrogant, without adopting any starting stance or fighting posture. He walked like an ordinary person on the street, his body full of flaws.

Iron Ruler, Flying Sword, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu each formed hand seals, holding barrier staffs to create a four-way barrier that isolated the inside from the outside. The strength of this barrier was enough to completely control the aftershocks of the battle within its boundaries. Once formed, the barrier would be extremely strong and unbreakable.

"Why don't you draw your sword?" the bearded man asked intently. "Do you look down on me?"

Ye Tingxiu continued walking, saying calmly, "Yes, I do look down on you, because once I draw my sword, you won't have a chance to make a move."

Enraged, the bearded man swung his hidden blade forward, transforming it into a white skeletal centipede that instantly attacked Ye Tingxiu. Ye Tingxiu shifted his feet slightly, narrowly dodging the attack. It seemed dangerous, but in reality, everything was so precise; a slight deviation in his footing would have resulted in injury.

However, at that very moment, the blade, covered with barbs resembling centipede legs, suddenly grew longer and thicker, piercing through both sides of the street and crashing into the barrier. If it were pierced or cut, it would be skewered like a candied hawthorn or cut into several pieces.

However, Ye Tingxiu simply crouched down and easily dodged the fatal blow. His figure flashed repeatedly, leaving an afterimage in the same spot. When he reappeared, he was already standing in front of the bearded man, his feet on the blade, looking down at the bearded man.

Ye Tingxiu tucked his hands into his sleeves, his eyes indifferent: "Your knife is good, but you are not."

The bearded man's eyes blazed with anger as he looked up and roared, "Don't underestimate me!"

With his roar, the tip of the knife bent and turned ninety degrees in an instant, rushing back in the opposite direction, heading straight for Ye Tingxiu's back.

Without turning around, Ye Tingxiu used his keen senses to dodge the fatal blow by shifting to the left.

Seeing this, the bearded man knew he was no match. His enemy hadn't even drawn his sword yet, but his powerful physique was enough to dodge all his attacks. He hadn't used any supernatural powers or spells, and the sheer physical strength he used to overwhelm the enemy was already making him feel exhausted. The real fight would probably only take one round to decide the outcome. Since that was the case, there was no need to hold back. He would unleash his ultimate move and decide the battle in one strike.

His thoughts raced, and the Hidden Blade in his palm quickly transformed into a white bone centipede that swirled around him. Its sharp bone blades were interlocking, and it continued to expand and grow, shredding the surrounding ground and walls into fragments. However, it was still unable to break through the barrier's restrictions.

The scene was like a high-speed garlic grinder, with countless bone blades flying and twisting back and forth inside the barrier, causing chaos.

"Turning Storm!" the bearded man roared, frantically pouring his magic power into the Hidden Edge Blade in his hand. The Hidden Edge Blade was now fully exposed, and the joints attached to the spine of the blade emitted a ghostly green light, shredding all the matter within the barrier into ashes.

Countless bone blades struck the transparent barrier, constantly emitting deafening roars and metallic scraping sounds, with sparks flying everywhere.

If the powerful barrier hadn't kept the battle under control, a single move, 'Turning Storm,' could have continued to expand, causing tens of thousands of times the destructive power, easily engulfing the entire Sword Tower City, provided that Big Beard remained undisturbed and unaffected.

Ye Tingxiu spun, leaped, and dodged within the 'Whirling Storm,' relying on his keen combat awareness, combat intuition, and extremely powerful physical body to always dodge all attacks from incredible angles. He didn't even need to think; dodging had almost become instinct.

"Heaven-Slaying Blade Drawing Technique!" Ye Tingxiu moved in front of the bearded man. The bearded man looked shocked and hadn't even reacted when Ye Tingxiu instantly drew the Endless Blade and slashed diagonally from his waist to his shoulder, almost splitting the bearded man open. His intestines and blood slowly slid to the ground.

In addition, he also shattered the bearded man's life palace with a single strike.

Because the Endless Blade can lock the enemy's life palace, as long as you accurately strike the life palace, you can deal explosive damage with one strike, truly inflicting a fatal wound, and it is an incurable wound. The life palace is shattered, and even a cultivator in the Devouring Fiend Realm cannot withstand it.

The bearded man's knees buckled, and he knelt down on the spot. The Hidden Edge Blade in his hand, having lost its magical power supply, quickly returned to its initial form, slowly sliding from the bearded man's palm to the ground. He died on the spot. It was just one strike. Although they were both cultivators in the Devouring Fiend Realm, their combat power was worlds apart.

Ye Tingxiu sheathed his sword, released his magic power from his palm to engulf the enemy's hidden blade, and walked out of the barrier without turning his head: "This man was a loyal and fearless warrior, so let's not desecrate his body. Let's give him some dignity and a proper burial."