Chapter 1669: Chapter 1669: The New Sword God, Du Bianhong
The abandoned factory, filled with endless darkness, was finally permeated by a heavy stench of blood.
Deathly still, eerie and cold!
Ye Xuan swept a calm gaze over the scene, his eyes finally falling on Chang Guchuan’s corpse, and he couldn’t help letting out a wistful sigh.
This man had been the Sword God’s closest friend in life.
Yet when the tides turned, not only did he not help Chiba Sakurako, he even hit her when she was down, assisting Du Bianhong and trying to use Chiba Kenichi to lure out the vanished Chiba Sakurako.
He couldn’t even manage the bare minimum of just standing aside and doing nothing!
The Sword God, revered as the god of Martial Arts in the Northern Federation, had sheltered its Martial Arts for decades. How great a contribution had he made to this land? How glorious had his life’s achievements been?
He endured a lifetime of loneliness, bore the entire burden of the Northern Federation’s Martial Arts, selfless and towering like a monument, yet in the end he still could not defeat the coldness in human hearts.
When a man is gone, the tea grows cold; all things are but drifting clouds.
People’s hearts are no longer what they used to be. So‑called justice and kindness have, without anyone noticing, actually become a luxury in this world.
Pathetic, lamentable!
"Heaven’s way turns in cycles; good and evil all meet their due."
Letting out a faint sigh, Ye Xuan withdrew his thoughts, turned around, and walked toward the exit of the factory.
Two came, one left.
...
Inside the splendid hall of the Sword God Association!
A middle‑aged man in samurai garb, katana in hand, stared sharply and calculatingly at the stone stake before him, motionless for a long time.
The entire hall was silent and still.
Even though several Samurai stood behind the middle‑aged man, they tacitly kept quiet, silently watching the middle‑aged man’s back.
Suddenly, the middle‑aged man drew his blade.
Swish!
The sound was shrill and crisp!
Everyone only saw the middle‑aged man slash once.
Yet in the next second...
Crash!
The stone stake towering in front of the middle‑aged man suddenly collapsed with a boom, breaking into pieces, turning into a pile of neatly cut fragments, easily more than a dozen!
It looked like a single stroke, but in reality, it was over a dozen cuts!
And the power behind each cut was downright terrifying!
"Hiss—"
Someone in the air let out a sharp gasp.
Soon, the Samurai standing behind the middle‑aged man began exclaiming nonstop: "Chairman, you’re truly incredible. With strength like this, I’m afraid even compared to the Sword God’s peak in his lifetime, you’d be a cut above!"
"Exactly, exactly, Chairman is truly the child of destiny. The Northern Federation’s true Sword God, there’s only one—and that’s Du Bianhong!"
"The new Sword God, Du Bianhong!"
"..."
Hearing these voices, a trace of smugness flashed through Du Bianhong’s eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
He slowly sheathed his katana and said sternly on purpose, "Have you never heard the saying that disaster comes from the mouth? The new chairman of the Sword God Association has to be chosen by a vote of all members of the Association before it can be finalized.
Right now, the traitor Chiba Sakurako is still at large. I am only acting chairman for the time being. As for who the real chairman will be, that can only be known after this matter is settled!"
Figures like the "gentleman sword" Yue Buqun are never in short supply in any country or any industry.
The few Samurai knew perfectly well what was going on, but after hearing Du Bianhong say this, they still all put on an expression of admitting their mistake.
Du Bianhong nodded in satisfaction, sat on the main seat of the hall, took a sip of green tea, and then casually asked, "Has Chiba Kenichi returned?"
"No." A Samurai said in a deep voice, "He’s a coward who doesn’t dare come back to the Northern Federation at all. But someone came in his place."
"Oh?" Du Bianhong raised a brow.
"Ye Xuan from Yan Country!"
"Ye Xuan?"
Du Bianhong’s brows instantly furrowed, a flicker of dread flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, that’s him!"
The Samurai sneered and said, "That punk seems to love meddling in other people’s business; he actually wants to come save Chiba Sakurako. But he should already be dead by now!"
"Dead?"
Du Bianhong was stunned. How could that legendary man who had cut down the Sword God in a single stroke be dead?
"Mr. Du, there’s something you don’t know."
The Samurai saw Du Bianhong’s doubt and quickly explained, "That Ye Xuan from Yan Country is indeed very strong, but Mr. Chang Guchuan is a clever master of poison. Plus, with Chang Guchuan’s relationship with the Sword God in life, Ye Xuan definitely wouldn’t be on guard against him.
Chang Guchuan just sent word that he already led the poisoned Ye Xuan into the trap we set long ago.
It’s been over ten minutes now. I’d say the result is already out."
"Hmm..."
Du Bianhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "That Ye Xuan from Yan Country killed the Sword God without the slightest mercy. He’s the mortal enemy of our Sword God Association. If Chang Guchuan manages to kill him, he’ll be a great meritorious man of the Association!"
"I’ll call Mr. Chang Guchuan right now!" In front of everyone, the Samurai took out his phone, ready to dial.
But just then—
"Bad news, bad news!"
From outside the hall came a sudden panicked shout.
Before the people inside could recover, a young Samurai rushed in, flustered and panting. "Bad news, Chairman, Mr. Chang Guchuan, he... he’s dead!"
"What?"
Du Bianhong and the others all cried out in shock.
The Samurai went on, "Not just Mr. Chang Guchuan—everyone, everyone who followed him tonight to take part in the operation, they’re all dead!"
At once.
The whole hall fell silent.
A deathly silence.
Especially the Samurai who had already taken out his phone, ready to call Chang Guchuan for good news—he looked like he’d been struck by lightning, standing there dumbfounded, eyes wide, as if unable to believe the truth.
Just a short while ago, Chang Guchuan had sent word saying it was in the bag.
How... how had they all ended up dead in just a moment?
This sudden reversal left everyone completely unprepared!
In the dead silence—
Du Bianhong came back to his senses, looked at the Samurai who had brought the news, and tentatively asked, "What about Ye Xuan? Is Ye Xuan dead?"
"Ye Xuan... Ye Xuan isn’t dead!"
The messenger Samurai said grimly, "Not only is he alive, after killing everyone at the scene, he even left a few words written in blood!"
"What words?"
Du Bianhong raised his brows, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
As for the news that Ye Xuan wasn’t dead, strictly speaking he wasn’t surprised at all—after all, the man’s strength surpassed the Sword God’s. He had only felt that earlier disappointment because that Samurai about to make the call had sworn up and down the kill was certain.
Now that he heard Ye Xuan had even left a bloody message at the scene, Du Bianhong’s mood grew even worse.
He knew it couldn’t be anything pleasant!
The messenger Samurai said, "They’re a few characters from Yan Country. I don’t really understand them, but I took a picture."
As he spoke, the Samurai quickly pulled out his phone, opened the photo he’d taken at the scene, and held it out to Du Bianhong.
Du Bianhong knew a bit about the culture of Yan Country.
At a glance, he recognized those few blood‑red characters.
"The unjust—die!"
Du Bianhong read the words out in a low voice.
The entire hall fell utterly silent; a suffocating, murderous rage quietly spread and shrouded the room.
