The Cold Moon Blade rose.
A chilling murderous aura erupted like a storm, enveloping Yang Ge as if it were tangible.
The sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, oppressively heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
Even the scattered weapons on the nearby ships were drawn by this strong, pure killing intent, seemingly ready to take flight again...
As they say, it was late when spoken, but happened quickly.
From the moment Yang Ge raised the Cold Moon Blade to begin the skill cast, to the failure of the elder in the purple robe’s attempt to negotiate a threat, it was but a mere five or six breaths of time.
The elder in the purple robe was also extremely decisive. Seeing that Yang Ge was determined to follow through to the bitter end, he didn’t wait for Yang Ge to finish charging and bravely struck out.
He leapt up from the bow of the boat, conjuring in midair a gigantic tiger-like creature as big as the ship itself, its fierce black winds enveloping Yang Ge...
"Bang!"
The giant tiger missed, its claw striking the water, causing the surface to depress three fathoms and terrifying power whipped up several water plumes about forty to fifty feet high, their waves nearly capsizing the surrounding ships.
The tiger, missing its target, did not pause; it used the water as leverage to jump again, chasing after the soaring Yang Ge.
Midair, Yang Ge did not dodge again; instead, he made a desperate gamble, violently infusing all his True Qi into the Cold Moon Blade.
"Ah..."
He roared as he slashed down, and instantaneously, a forty-meter-long blade aura erupted, identical to the Cold Moon Blade but emitting fierce black and red energy, as if wielding the Jingu Bang like the great sage turning rivers and seas, he slashed at the white-browed tiger.
They were so close, the tiger couldn’t avoid it nor did it intend to; it howled madly and struck the forty-meter blade with a claw full of raging winds.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the forty-meter blade cleaved the thirty-meter tiger, creating a scene challenging the limits of imagination, reminiscent of ancient mythical figures slaying demons on a primitive land.
"Boom..."
A thunderous muffled explosion echoed, the blade aura and tiger vanishing in a dazzling halo of light, its residual energy forming several grey and black light waves in midair, whipping up a storm that violently spread in all directions.
After three ripples of grey-black light waves, another strong explosion erupted from the center of the dazzling light, and two figures were blown back, blood trailing in the air.
The people on the water watched closely...
The elder in purple, holding his severed arm as one would carry a blade, was thrown backward like a bird with broken wings.
While Yang Erlang, holding the Cold Moon Blade, looked intact, but the tattered chest of his shirt revealed a horrifying depression dangerously close to his heart.
Both were spitting blood with each breath as they flew backwards, unable to stabilize even after traveling seven or eight fathoms and falling straight into the river.
"Brother Five..."
"Yang Ge!"
The skilled fighters from both sides leapt up and caught their respective companions.
"Pfft."
Back on their boat, the elder in purple spat out a mouthful of blood, his complexion pallid as ash. He clenched his teeth tightly, struggling to say through gritted teeth, "Go, hurry... This old man cannot die here."
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Wei Heng, supporting him, keenly felt his life force rapidly fading.
Shocked, he turned to Shen Fa, who was still dazed, and yelled, "What are you waiting for, let’s go!"
Shen Fa, resigned, vigorously shook his head to clear those chaotic thoughts, and turned to hurriedly issue commands...
On the other side, Yang Ge, helped back onto the Lianhuan Fort by Yang Tiansheng and Li Jincheng, also spat out a large mouthful of blood upon landing.
He shrugged off their support, steadying himself with the Cold Moon Blade and shouted, "Attack, move forward!"
"What time do you think it is..."
Yang Tiansheng, overwhelmed and hurried, fumbled for a small gold vial from his chest and handed it to Yang Ge.
Yang Ge shook his head and pushed the vial back, "Go now, don’t hesitate... We must advance to break free!"
Yang Tiansheng and Li Jincheng, as if awakening from a dream, roared in unison, "Brothers, charge..."
"Kill!"
The men of Lianhuan Fort, their morale high, shouted as they pushed boats into the water, the boats filled with men charging towards the staggeringly aligned government ships.
Seeing this, the terrified government soldiers hurried the oarsmen, who were frantically rowing against the current, moving faster than the small rowboats of Lianhuan Fort.
Yang Ge, standing on the deck of the Lianhuan boat, watched the government ships recede into the distance, until the figures on the ships became indistinct, then he finally could not hold back anymore and fell backwards, eyes rolling back...
...
A grand operation by the six bureaus ended abruptly mid-way.
Of course, on the surface, the hunt and decree against Yang Erlang never ceased.
Far from ceasing, the vigor of the hunt and decree only intensified, leading the officials to capture some bandits and highwaymen as "suspected offenders like Yang Erlang" or "associates of Yang Erlang" and publicly interrogate them.
Simply put, it gave the impression to the people that "even if Yang Erlang had moved against the royal blood, he could not expect any good to come of it."
Because of this, there were several armed resistance incidents in Jiangzhe, with some unlucky minor green-robed officials sent by the Jiangzhe local governments to carry out the search for Yang Erlang being beaten to death on the streets by the angry populace.