This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

"Fire Sword Immortal,"

To Lan Beitang's surprise, his body suddenly stopped, which finally allowed Xiao Xingchen to breathe a sigh of relief. He no longer had to pull him along; pulling him had taken a lot of effort.

He leaped over the crowd and saw a flaming sword raging, about to cleave the blood-lettered flag in two. But the wild man named Chaolumen seemed to have been waiting for this moment all along.

His eyes lit up, and he reached behind his back, pulling out the spiked club and throwing it directly at the flying sword.

"Sword Immortal, I've been waiting for you! Prepare to die!"

With a loud roar from Chaolumen, a powerful gust of wind spread outwards from his feet, and anyone caught in the shockwave was thrown backwards.

The spiked club collided violently with the flying sword on the blood-red flag just as the flying sword struck down.

A deafening roar rang in their ears, and the flaming flying sword was knocked away, spinning several times in the air before landing steadily in someone's hand.

As for the spiked club, although its trajectory was altered by the flying sword, the force attached to it remained undiminished, and it fell directly towards the crowd.

If the force of the spiked club were to fall on a crowd, there would definitely be casualties, since the spiked club carries the power to even knock away flying swords.

"Not good!" Someone's expression changed simultaneously, and along with the Fire Sword Immortal who appeared on the city gate, they flew towards the spiked club.

But Chaolumen seemed to have been waiting for this moment. He didn't care about casualties at all; his target was the Sword Immortal.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Fire Sword Immortal intercepted the spiked club, he stomped his foot hard on the ground, shattering it instantly. His massive body then shot off like the wind, heading straight for the Fire Sword Immortal.

"His true objective was to kill the Sword Immortal, a diversionary tactic."

Xiao Xingchen spoke solemnly. He finally understood. All the previous displays of arrogance were merely a ploy to lure out the Sword Immortal. The Great Qian Dynasty had once been pacified by Xiao Xingchen's sword, signifying the immense prestige and status of the Sword Immortal within the Great Qian. Nothing could be more direct than killing a Great Qian Sword Immortal in public.

If a sword immortal were to be killed by wild beasts right on his own doorstep, the negative repercussions would be far greater than the shockwaves from killing a few officials.

The Fire Sword Immortal who appeared naturally became their target.

It wasn't just Xiao Xingchen who saw through Mang Huang's intentions; unusual movements occurred in many other places as well.

Huangfu Lingfeng was the first to strike, his longsword instantly drawing him into the fray. Because he and the Princess were positioned close to the crowd, he was the first to stand between Huo Jianxian and Chao Lumen, his sword pointed at Chao Lumen, ready to shield Huo Jianxian from the attack.

Another prince, dressed in a python robe, leaped from the city wall and, using the force of his fall, lunged directly at Chaolu Gate.

Within the crowd, a figure flashed, his hands gleaming with golden light—upon closer inspection, they were a pair of golden gauntlets. This man darted and weaved through the crowd, leaping over them as he charged straight at Lu Men.

That wasn't all. Xiao Xingchen noticed that several people were also moving around Chen Miao, but they weren't heading towards Chaolu Gate; instead, they were heading towards the powerful Daqian warriors attacking Chaolu Gate.

The death of a sword immortal in the Great Qian Dynasty was not a bad thing for them. Therefore, those who wanted to stop the Chaolu Sect and those who supported the Chaolu Sect in killing the sword immortal both mobilized at the same time.

If the Fire Sword Immortal had given up trying to stop the spiked club, his crisis could have been resolved instantly.

But who are sword immortals? Sword immortals represent righteousness; they would never allow the common people to be harmed for their own safety. This is why sword immortals are so revered.

If he were to let the spiked club smash into the crowd, he wouldn't be a sword immortal—that's the name of a sword immortal. Therefore, that option was practically nonexistent. The Fire Sword Immortal transformed into a streak of flame, soaring through the sky and appearing directly in the path the spiked club was bound to take.

Holding his flaming sword horizontally in front of him, he chose to meet the powerful blow of the spiked club head-on. Although he knew that strength wasn't his forte, he had to take this attack, or it would cause even greater casualties.

A strong gust of wind swept towards the officials, but it retreated as it approached, as if something had cleaved it in two. Though their robes fluttered in the wind, the officials remained as steady as mountains.

The Fire Sword Immortal's actions drew praise from all the officials; a sword immortal of the Great Qian Dynasty should act this way.

As for the two people standing at the very front of the officials, they both opened their eyes at the same time.

Left Prime Minister Ye Yunting, father of Ye Yunfeng, glanced at the barbarian on horseback and revealed a hint of sarcasm.

Right Chancellor Mu Tianhe shrugged slightly, seemingly tired from standing for too long.

Although Huangfu Lingfeng and the people wearing golden gauntlets in the crowd had been intercepted by those with ulterior motives, they did not show the slightest sign of anxiety.

"This is the aura of a great person, unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses. Brother Lan, you still have a lot to learn. The Great Qian will not let a Fire Sword Immortal die in vain."

Xiao Xingchen said to Lan Beitang with a sigh, while continuing to tug at the book basket on his back to prevent him from rushing out.

As for why he didn't want Lan Beitang involved, that was his own little scheme. The Scholar Swordsman was no ordinary person; in his previous life, he was a figure on par with Huangfu Lingxue.

Although still somewhat inexperienced, Xiao Xingchen was already prepared to trick this scholar into joining his side. As for what kind of trap to dig, he'd deal with that later.

However, the premise is that the scholar must not be allowed to show off at this time, otherwise all parties will come to win him over, and there will be no place for him.

No matter the era, talent is always the most important. From the moment Lan Beitang rushed to the Ten-Mile Pavilion to protect him, he had the idea of ​​bringing this future sword immortal under his wing. People with both excellent character and strength are rare, so all along, he had been guarding against the Scholar Sword showing his face.

Once this kind of person shows their face, they'll definitely be snatched away. That's why he's been clinging to the book basket; if he doesn't catch this person, they'll really get away.

I don't have the resources to keep a figure like the Scholar Swordsman right now.

"Which prince is this?"

Daji's voice, tinged with curiosity, suddenly rang in Xiao Xingchen's mind, prompting him to look in the direction of the sound. He saw that the prince who had jumped from the city gate had crashed heavily into Chao Lumen.

Why use the word "smash"? Because this prince's weight was truly outrageous. Following Xiao Jianren's memories, he finally remembered that this was the Fourth Prince, weighing over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg). He was the most speechless prince of all.

For this prince, food was the foundation of his survival; as for the throne and all that, it was all nonsense.

In short, she's a foodie.

The gluttonous prince was initially far away, so no one could see him clearly, but as he landed, everyone could see him clearly and even hear his angry curses.

"Damn it, which son of a bitch is trying to frame me? How dare he kick my ass! If I don't die this time, I'll skin you alive when I get back!"

The two highest-ranking officials, the Left Chancellor and the Right Chancellor, couldn't help but laugh, shaking their heads and even covering their faces.

The tense atmosphere suddenly turned cheerful.

A huge fat man weighing over 300 pounds fell from the sky. Chao Lumen had already gathered his energy, ready to smash the fat man to pieces, but then a voice came from above...

He was taken aback. A prince?

Although he was arrogant, he wasn't stupid. If he were to beat a prince to a pulp right here and now, not only him, but the entire caravan in the wilderness would probably be wiped out on the spot.

But why would a prince suddenly appear and throw himself at me?

The riders on horseback twitched, secretly sighing that the Great Qian Dynasty was indeed unpredictable. Princes were all of noble birth, each one high and mighty; how could someone here have kicked a prince over like this?

"If they beat us to a pulp, we'd be so wronged!" he immediately exclaimed, now quite anxious.

"Chao Lumen, get out of the way! Get out of the way! That's a prince! Don't accidentally kill him!"

Chaolumen was well aware of the consequences. He had already begun to withdraw his power, but as he forcibly stopped his own power, his body convulsed.

The fat man's figure was getting closer and closer.

With a deafening roar, like a meteorite falling, Chao Lumen felt himself being struck by a massive rock and slammed into the ground.

"Damn, this fat guy is heavy!"

Chaolumen only had time to let out a roar before he was engulfed by the dust.

This scene left everyone dumbfounded. Huangfu Lingfeng, the golden gauntlet, and even the people Chen Miao had sent to stop them were all stunned and stood frozen in place.

The eldest princess turned her head away immediately, as if she didn't know them at all, while the two prime ministers turned their heads and whistled towards the sky.

After all, the fat man was a prince, and the officials knew the rule of not looking at what was improper, so they immediately turned around and all began to look up at the sky, lost in their own thoughts.

Everyone was captivated by the fat prince smashing the barbarians, but no one noticed that the Fire Sword Immortal had suffered a terrible fate.

He clashed head-on with the spiked club and was smashed against the city wall. The club spun in the air before flying back into the dust.

Then another roar echoed from the smoke and dust.

"Damn it! Which bastard tried to murder me? Kicking my ass is one thing, but using a hidden weapon is another. I'll fight you to the death!"

Upon hearing this, the Fire Sword Immortal, who had been struck by the spiked club and coughed up blood, spat out another mouthful of blood.