Singing with a Sword

The following is the main text of the novel "{?$article_title?}" ({?$jieqi_title?}) provided by {?$jieqi_sitename?}. Please enjoy! Seeing that no one dared to resist, Yi Ranxiao walked towards Xiang Wuju with a smile. Tonight, she had come to kill him! As for the vice leaders and elders, Yi Ranxiao didn't care about them. After all, too much killing was not a good thing.

However, to Yi Ranxiao's surprise, the vice leader and the elders immediately came to Xiang Wuju's side.

Hmm? Do these people still want to protect Xiang Wuju?

"Haha, this must be the great hero Yiran Xiaoyi of Shenfeng Hall. We have long admired him!" the vice leader said with a beaming smile.

Yi Ranxiao frowned. These guys are typical opportunists!

Seeing Yi Ranxiao frown, the crowd assumed it was because his flattery wasn't pleasing enough. An elder immediately changed his tune, saying, "Great Hero Yi, I've heard of your name since I was in my mother's womb, and I grew up listening to your heroic deeds. My admiration for you is like a never-ending river..."

Before he could finish speaking, another elder chimed in, "Yes, yes, my grandfather is also a fan of yours! Haha, our whole family worships the great hero Yi every day!"

As everyone chattered amongst themselves, Yi Ranxiao glanced at them disdainfully and said, "Get out of my way." The people immediately fell silent and stepped aside, making way for Yi Ranxiao.

Yi Ranxiao approached Xiang Wuji and said, "Xiang Wuji, I'm here to avenge Xiao Fan!" Xiang Wuji wasn't afraid of him and laughed, "Yi Ranxiao, you dare to kill me? Hmph, I'm not one of Chen Dasheng's gang. Our Divine Fist Gang isn't a criminal organization. You killed so many of my disciples today, and now you want to kill me too. The Empire will definitely not let you get away with this!"

Indeed, the Tang Dynasty was a nation, a powerful nation, and a land of civilization and etiquette. How could it be without laws? Although laws have little binding force in the world of cultivators, cultivators living in the Tang Dynasty are still people of the Tang Dynasty. If they excessively and indiscriminately kill innocent people, they will surely be punished.

But killing innocent people and taking the lives of the most heinous criminals presents a completely different picture. When Yi Ranxiao killed Chen Dasheng and his gang, the imperial authorities not only didn't question it, but were actually grateful to him, since he had helped the government complete the task they were supposed to do.

However, the Divine Fist Gang is different! It's a legitimate gang on the surface! If Yi Ranxiao wipes out this gang, the Empire certainly won't stand idly by!

Yi Ranxiao frowned, and just then, a young elder suddenly said, "Hehe, Hero Yi, don't worry. As long as someone comes forward to prove that the Divine Fist Gang is also secretly doing illegal things and is also a criminal organization, just like Chen Dasheng's gang, then the imperial authorities won't bother you, Hero Yi. Hehe, Hero Yi, I have all the shady records of the Divine Fist Gang over the past twenty years. Once these records are released, the Divine Fist Gang will immediately be labeled as a criminal organization!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Ranxiao smiled with satisfaction and looked at the young elder, praising, "You truly know how to please people." Xiang Wuji, however, glared at the man and said, "Wu Jingrun, how dare you betray your master?"

The man who offered the advice was Xiang Wuji's last disciple, named Wu Jingrun. Xiang Wuji had always treated him like his own son, but he betrayed him!

Wu Jingrun said indifferently, "Master, your power is already lost, why should I help you anymore?" Xiang Wuji roared to the sky, thinking that he had been glorious all his life, but today he had fallen into a miserable state of being betrayed and abandoned by everyone!

……

……

Xiang Wuju was bound hand and foot by his former subordinates, and Yi Ranxiao led them to Shenfeng Hall.

The commotion from the battle had already attracted the attention of most cultivators in Jianling City, including those from the Divine Wind Hall. Most of the hall's disciples had gathered in the front courtyard when the main gate opened wide, revealing Yi Ranxiao leading a group of people inside!

The disciples' eyes lit up. Wasn't the one who was tied up the leader of the Divine Fist Gang, Xiang Wuji?

"Senior Brother, where...where were you just now?" Ji Yuantao, the gatekeeper, was the first to ask in confusion. Yi Ranxiao smiled slightly and didn't speak. Instead, the vice leaders and elders of the Divine Fist Gang spoke for him, immediately recounting Yi Ranxiao's heroic deeds. Apart from being struck by heavenly lightning, which Yi Ranxiao had instructed them to keep secret, he didn't want others to know because the Divine Lightning Forbidden Scripture was a system-generated item.

"What? One person took on the Divine Fist Gang?" The disciples were shocked after hearing the story.

"What?! Xiang Wuju, a peak eighth-level Transcendent Realm cultivator, was actually defeated by Senior Brother?!" The disciples were stunned, exchanging bewildered glances. My god, Senior Brother is actually this powerful?!

Huangfu Cheng and Wei Wuzheng were even more shocked. As they were both at the eighth level of the Transcendent Realm, they knew exactly how powerful an eighth-level expert was, yet Yi Ranxiao had defeated Xiang Wuju all by himself! Moreover, before this, he had fought a long battle with hundreds of disciples of the Divine Fist Gang!

It's outrageous!

Yiran Xiao merely smiled slightly, remaining calm; calmness is the key...

Next, the members of the Divine Fist Gang all requested to join the Divine Wind Hall, but Xiao Yi refused them all. Although he was eager to expand the sect, these people were clearly not up to standard, and recruiting them would only corrupt the atmosphere.

The young man named Wu Jingrun really wanted to join Shenfeng Hall and came to ask him several times, but he was rejected by Yi Ranxiao each time, so he had to give up in the end.

The next day, the government indeed sent people to Shenfeng Hall, but Yiran Xiao still followed the plan and had Wu Jingrun and the others prove that Shenquan Gang was a gang. In this way, everything was settled.

Xiang Wuju was killed by Yi Ranxiao right at Xiao Fan's sickbed. Furthermore, the Divine Fist Gang was defeated, and Yi Ranxiao seized all the wealth and elixirs accumulated within the sect. All of this was enough to avenge Xiao Fan!

But Xiao Fan still hadn't woken up, and Xiao Huan continued to weep every day. Yi Ranxiao suddenly felt a pang of emotion. Revenge? In the end, what would she gain? It was a philosophical question, but Yi Ranxiao didn't dwell on it. Instead, she summoned Xu Chu and the others, giving them some instructions…

On the second day, news of the Primordial Celestial Venerable's manifestation spread like wildfire once again throughout the streets and alleys!

"What? Yi Ranxiao actually took on the Divine Fist Gang all by himself?"

"That's right! The Divine Fist Gang is now a ruin, destroyed by Yi Ranxiao's extraordinary magical power! If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself!"

"But isn't Xiang Wuji, the leader of the Divine Fist Gang, very powerful? He's not someone Chen Dasheng and his gang can compare to. How could Yi Ranxiao possibly defeat them?"

"Hey, have you forgotten? The Celestial Venerable once manifested his power in the Divine Wind Hall. This time, it must be the Celestial Venerable manifesting his power again! He then bestowed upon Yi Ranxiao even stronger magical power, and that's why he chose the Divine Fist Gang!"

"Has the Celestial Venerable manifested once again?"

"Yes, it must be the Heavenly Venerable manifesting his power! I didn't believe it when I heard others say it before, but after this incident, it's hard not to believe! Hmm, tonight I'll go to the Divine Wind Temple to offer incense and pray that my wife will give me several more healthy and chubby sons."

And so, a wave of enthusiasm for offering incense at Shenfeng Hall swept through Jianling City! Even those believers who used to frequent Xianfeng Hall almost all switched to Shenfeng Hall! The incense at Shenfeng Hall was burning brightly to an extreme degree!

Suddenly, the once bustling Xianfeng Hall suffered a severe decline in popularity, becoming deserted all day long. Zhang Qiang, the senior disciple of Xianfeng Hall, couldn't sit still and immediately sent Xu An to investigate the matter. A day later, Xu An returned to Xianfeng Hall in a fit of rage and told Zhang Qiang what he had found out.

"What? The Celestial Venerable has manifested?" Zhang Qiang exclaimed in shock and anger. "Hmph! What a bunch of ignorant people! Even if the Celestial Venerable truly exists, how could it be such a coincidence that he manifested in his Divine Wind Hall? If he were to manifest, he should do so in my Vanguard Hall first."

Xu An nodded and said, "Senior Brother is right, but who can blame him when Yi Ranxiao's strength has improved so rapidly during this period, and then he took down two notorious evil forces in the city one after another."

Zhang Qiang thought for a while. Indeed, when he learned that Yi Ranxiao had single-handedly challenged the Divine Fist Gang, he was extremely shocked! He knew Xiang Wuju's strength, and he also knew the power of the Divine Fist Gang! How could Yi Ranxiao, a cultivator at the sixth level of the Transcendent Realm, accomplish such an astonishing feat? Therefore, he must have rapidly increased his strength through some special channels!

But how did Yi Ranxiao improve her strength? Zhang Qiang thought about it for a long time and finally said, "I understand. The reason why Yi Ranxiao's strength has improved so rapidly must be because she took some forbidden drugs!"

Xu An's eyes lit up, and he slapped his forehead, saying, "Senior Brother is brilliant! How could I not have thought of that?" Zhang Qiang smiled smugly and said, "It can't be wrong! Xu An, go and spread the truth about this matter, make sure all the people in the city know! Hmph, then the news of the Heavenly Venerable's manifestation will be disproven! Hehe, let's see who will still go to your Divine Wind Hall to offer incense then!"

Xu An smiled slyly. He loved spreading rumors—no, this time he was spreading the truth.

In Jianling City, Xu An led a few people around carelessly. Taking advantage of the peak hours, he immediately started banging drums and gongs in the street and loudly proclaimed that Yi Ranxiao had taken forbidden drugs to enhance her strength.

They thought the people would be outraged and vow to denounce Yi Ranxiao of Shenfeng Hall for deceiving them, but unexpectedly, countless rotten eggs and cabbage leaves flew in from the side, leaving Xu An and his men in a sorry state.

"Well! How dare you slander the great hero Yi!"

"Hmph, your slander against the great hero Yi is disrespectful to the Heavenly Venerable!"

"Let's all teach these scumbags a lesson!"

Yi Ranxiao had successively eliminated two major evil forces in Jianling City, and he was also a cultivator valued by the Heavenly Venerable. Therefore, the people had long regarded him as a hero and an idol. How could they allow others to slander him?

Xu An and the others immediately fled in panic. Despite their cultivation, they dared not attack the common people, as they were counting on them to come to their Vanguard Hall to pay incense money.

Xu An slunk back to Xianfeng Hall and told Zhang Qiang about the failed plan. "Senior Brother, how could I have imagined that Shenfeng Hall held such a high position in the hearts of the people? It seems we need to find another way to tell the truth."

On the way back, Xu An brainstormed and came up with a brilliant plan! "Senior Brother, the main reason why Yi Ranxiao is loved by the people of Jianling City is because he eliminated the evil forces that were threatening Jianling City. So everyone regards him as a noble hero. If we want to defeat him, we must start from this point!" After saying that, he looked at Zhang Qiang triumphantly.

Zhang Qiang flicked him on the forehead, "If you have a brilliant plan, just say it quickly, don't keep your senior brother in suspense." Xu An scratched his head and continued...