Nightwatcher-Chapter 404: Crawl

# 404. Crawl

"Buzz!"

The moment Xu Qi’an’s saber neared Qiu Qian’s neck, a translucent qi barrier rose up, blocking the strike three inches from his throat. The Black Gold Saber struck the barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface as it rapidly dissipated the force.

Seeing his attack fail, Xu Qi’an didn’t hesitate—he immediately retreated.

"Senior Brother Yang, fire!" Xu Qi’an shouted.

Whoosh…

A cannonball tore through the air with a piercing howl, striking Qiu Qian dead-on before detonating in a thunderous explosion. Fire illuminated the surroundings, and thick smoke billowed into the night sky.

From a distance, the Left Guardian merely observed, seemingly unsurprised that neither the saber nor the cannon had managed to harm his young master. He made no move to intervene, merely offering his usual reminder:

"Young Master, do not drag this out. This man’s primordial spirit is unlike that of an ordinary martial artist—he is difficult to deal with."

At that moment, Qiu Qian shook off the dizziness from the explosion. A chill ran down his spine—he had narrowly escaped death.

He lifted the purple jade pendant hanging from his belt and exhaled. "That was close. If not for this protective treasure, my head would have been rolling on the ground. Heh, you may have an unbreakable Vajra body, but I also have a defensive artifact."

*Damn pay-to-win players…* Xu Qi’an glanced at Yang Qianhuan’s relentless bombardment in the distance before refocusing on Qiu Qian.

Qiu Qian sneered. "Do you think you’re some kind of chosen genius? A prodigy on par with the Zhenbei King? A rising star who defied all odds?"

He smirked. "Let me tell you a secret—you’re nothing but a pathetic insect. All the power you think you wield is just a gift our family allowed you to have."

"Our family"?

Xu Qi’an swung his saber casually, dispersing two incoming sword strikes with a pair of crisp clangs.

Qiu Qian said no more and lunged forward, sword in hand.

The two young warriors clashed violently, their weapons colliding in rapid succession, each exchange ringing out like a relentless drumbeat.

Qiu Qian, a Rank Five Transforming Force martial artist, was physically stronger than Xu Qi’an and should have been dominating the fight. But to his frustration, Xu Qi’an’s saber techniques were bizarre—every time their blades met, he would feel a sudden, disorienting jolt in his spirit.

It kept breaking his momentum. Even when he executed a powerful strike, his blade would only glance off Xu Qi’an’s body, sending sparks flying from the latter’s indestructible golden skin.

*Damn it! He’s only Rank Six, yet he’s this difficult to deal with…?*

Qiu Qian disengaged, knocking Xu Qi’an back with a forceful slash but choosing not to pursue. He stared at his golden-skinned opponent and muttered,

"Since I first took up the sword, I have mastered only a single technique, called the nine-ring blade. This sabre art is a sequence of interlocking strikes, each building upon the last. Since mastering it, I have never met an equal among my peers."

He slid a finger down the spine of his sword and stared at Xu Qi’an challengingly. "You are no match for me in skill. Do you dare take my nine Strikes head-on?"

Then, without waiting for an answer, he sprinted forward.

At the peak of his charge, he leapt into the air, soaring over ten meters high like a hunting eagle. His Moonshadow sword absorbed the radiance of the moon, its blade gleaming. Ɽ𝒶ɴỘΒΕꞨ

*Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a saber technique?* Xu Qi’an lampooned, and raised his Black Gold Saber in a defensive stance.

"Clang!"

The descending sword met the horizontal saber. Sparks exploded as the impact sent a violent ripple through the air.

Qiu Qian pressed on—twisting his body mid-air, he transitioned seamlessly into a second strike.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

He became a spinning whirlwind, slashing continuously, each attack feeding into the next, growing in strength like an unending tide.

"He’s strong…"

Xu Qi’an feigned instability, staggering backward as though struggling to withstand the onslaught.

After a brief retreat, he suddenly sheathed his saber, his expression calming, his qi and aura collapsing inward.

The sword Moonshadow erupted with radiant light, basking in the moon’s glow.

Qiu Qian sneered. "I forgot to mention—Moonshadow has a spirit of its own. It absorbs moonlight, and at night, it is at its most fearsome."

He spun one last time and unleashed his final, most powerful strike.

This final blow was the pinnacle of fifth rank swordsmanship, bordering on the limits of Rank Four. A breathtaking, peerless sword light cleaved toward Xu Qi’an.

And then—

"Clang!"

The sound of a blade unsheathing rang out—faster than the eye could perceive.

A streak of dark, condensed light flashed through the night—subdued, restrained, yet moving faster than light itself.

One Blade from Heaven and Earth!

For the first time in months, Xu Qi’an finally unleashed his signature technique.

Qiu Qian saw the dark blade light—just for an instant.

Then, the radiant glow of Moonshadow shattered. The sword’s light scattered like bursting fireworks.

His grip faltered. His Moonshadow flew from his hands.

The dark blade light then slammed into his protective qi barrier, clashing with it for several tense seconds before finally exploding into a rain of fragmented energy. The ground around them was left riddled with shallow craters.

Qiu Qian stumbled backward, his expression frozen in disbelief. He looked down at the purple jade pendant on his belt.

A single, hairline crack ran through it.

"Impossible…" He muttered.

Qiu Qian knew that Xu Qi’an had an exceptionally powerful sabre technique. When he was still at the Refining Spirit stage, he had already used it to break through the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones defense of a sixth rank martial artist.

But after that one time, he had never used the technique again.

It had led others to believe that the move was only effective in the early stages of cultivation, that it had too many flaws, that it had been discarded due to its diminishing effectiveness at higher ranks.

"I have never met an equal among my peers…" Xu Qi’an repeated mockingly, flipping his saber in his hand. "Is that it?"

Qiu Qian’s face darkened.

At that moment, the Left Guardian threw back his cloak.

Beneath it was a massive, bird-wing-shaped crossbow. Aiming it at Xu Qi’an, he pulled the trigger.

"Snap!"

The bowstring thrummed deeply.

The arrow streaked forth, expanding into a blinding beam of light as it shot toward Xu Qi’an.

Xu Qi’an instinctively dodged—but the moment it missed, the arrow curved sharply and came right back at him.

Violating the laws of physics, it became even faster

"This arrow is called ‘No Regret.’ Among all the artifacts I brought, it is the most unique—and the most powerful." Qiu Qian smirked.

His frustration, his jealousy, his moment of weakness—all of it was suppressed.

Xu Qi’an dodged a second time—only for the arrow to accelerate again.

Each time it missed, it gained more power, more speed.

*That doesn’t make sense… Where is its energy source?*

Xu Qi’an frowned, trying to analyse it with the reasoning of his past life.

*I refuse to believe this thing can accelerate infinitely.*

Xu Qi’an grumbled internally. Still, he couldn’t afford to gamble with his life, so stepping forward, he met the arrow head-on and slashed it apart.

"Boom!"

The arrow detonated. Fragments and energy shards slammed into his golden body, sending sparks flying like steel pellets striking an iron wall.

When the dust settled, his golden radiance had dimmed. His vajra body was at its limit.

Then, he found that he couldn’t move.

A beam of silver mirror-light froze him in place. Having successfully outmanoeuvred Xu Qi’an, Qiu Qian didn’t hesitate or dawdle. He unhooked the leather pouch from his waist and shook it hard.

Cannon after cannon, ballista after ballista, materialised around him, all trained on Xu Qi’an.

"I must admit, your strength has exceeded my expectations. Despite being only sixth rank, you actually managed to break my protective artifact. That last strike—if not for the artifact shielding me, would have killed me with just bronze skin and iron bones. If you are allowed to grow any further, you will truly become a threat. Of course, you won’t have that chance. You don’t even realise that the blade hanging over your head is about to fall."

Qiu Qian's expression darkened as he stared at Xu Qi’an, no longer concealing the jealousy and hatred in his eyes.

"In status, you are beneath me. In subordinates, you are weaker. In strategy, I have played you like a puppet. How do you plan to fight me?

"You are nothing but a lowly wretch who stole what should have been mine. But I am merciful to the defeated. Today, I won’t kill you—I will sever your limbs, cripple your cultivation, and take you back as my prize."

The Left Guardian praised, "Young Master is indeed a dragon among men, but you must not be arrogant. Act quickly—dragging this out may invite unexpected complications."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Qiu Qian mirrored Yang Qianhuan’s tactics, deploying battlefield-grade heavy weaponry to annihilate a mere Rank Six martial artist.

Against the storm of enchanted weapons, Xu Qi’an merely said two words:

"You missed."

Suddenly, the dense barrage of cannonballs and arrows veered off course—some drifting left, some curving right, some inexplicably floating upward—completely missing their mark.

*Laws follow commandments* was still in play.

"You…!"

Qiu Qian’s pupils contracted sharply in disbelief.

His face first flushed red, then turned ashen with rage. He roared, "Impossible! You had no opportunity to use the Confucian spellbook! You never had the chance!"

He knew Xu Qi’an possessed Confucian magic and had taken every precaution to prevent him from using it. From the start of their battle, Xu Qi’an had shown no signs of employing Confucian techniques.

Xu Qi’an smirked. "Did you think I had Yang Qianhuan fire a cannon earlier just for fun?"

Yang Qianhuan suddenly appeared nearby, adding coolly, "Martial artists… so crude it's almost pitiful."

Then, just as suddenly, he vanished again, continuing his chase with the Right Guardian.

Qiu Qian’s body trembled as an overwhelming sense of failure surged through him.

Xu Qi’an actually had another way to achieve a quick victory—he could simply declare: "My qi is enhanced tenfold."

He was certain that would allow him to end Qiu Qian in a single strike.

The problem? He would die too.

The _laws follow commandments_ spell violated natural law and was always met with backlash. Xu Qi’an had learned this the hard way. During the Conflict of Heaven and Man, he had once uttered:

"My primordial spirit is enhanced tenfold."

The consequence of that was the moment the effect ended, his primordial spirit shattered into pieces.

Fortunately, Li Miaozhen had woken up in time to discover that her online friend had "boasted himself to death" but was still salvageable. She had scrambled to collect the fragments of his soul and used Heaven Sect techniques to piece him back together.

If she had woken up fifteen minutes later—Xu Qi’an would have died permanently.

The only explanation for his survival was incredible fortune.

How did one use Confucian magic effectively? Xu Qi’an had figured it out—always keep the boasts small and reasonable.

His first use had been: "The aftereffects of _One Blade from Heaven and Earth_ are delayed by thirty minutes." His second: "You missed."

Both were modest, elegant deceptions.

Xu Qi’an sheathed his saber and whispered, "I’m behind him."

As soon as the words left his lips, his figure disappeared from the mirror’s light.

An instant later—

He appeared directly behind Qiu Qian.

"Clang!"

_One Blade from Heaven and Earth_ was unleashed once more.

A flash of darkened steel came and went.

Crack!

Qiu Qian heard his jade pendant shatter, heard his protective barrier shatter.

Then, his body collapsed, blood gushing. He looked down, and asaw his knees had detached from his legs.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!" Qiu Qian howled in agony.

"Young Master!"

The Left Guardian roared, charging forward.

"Save me! Save me!"

Desperation filled Qiu Qian’s eyes. With the Left Guardian’s strength, killing a vajra body on the verge of breaking down would be effortless.

Yang Qianhuan was still occupied with the Right Guardian. Even if he reacted in time, all he could do was evacuate Xu Qi’an. In doing so, he would actually be saving Qiu Qian’s life.

The Left Guardian’s form blurred as he lunged forward. The distance was mere dozens of meters, a fraction of a second was all he needed.

And then, a dark shadow collided with him mid-charge.

Boom!

The shadow was like a crazed bull, ramming straight into him. The impact sent him flying like a fired cannonball.

The shadow landed unsteadily, shaking her head, slightly dazed. It was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, clad in the uniform of the Nightwatchers, with a golden gong embroidered on her chest.

She swayed for a moment before vanishing once more, and moments later—another explosion erupted in the distance, accompanied by the Left Guardian’s enraged roar.

Qiu Qian’s last glimmer of hope faded into darkness.

Xu Qi’an planted his saber in the ground and said lightly, "I’ll give you fifteen minutes. If you can crawl two hundred feet, I’ll let you live."

Then, smiling, he added, "A friendly reminder—if you hurry, you might get treated before you bleed out."

Qiu Qian let out an inhuman screech and dragged himself forward, leaving two long trails of blood behind.

Fear consumed him. He could smell death. It enveloped him, making him tremble.

Xu Qi’an walked beside him, grabbed him by the hair, and forced him to watch the ongoing battle.

Then he whispered, "In combat, you are weaker than me. In tactics, you are inferior. In strategy, you are outmatched.

"You tell me—what did you ever have to fight me?"

A death blow to the heart!

The last ember of defiance in Qiu Qian’s eyes extinguished, leaving only despair.

The Left Guardian bellowed, "You cannot kill him! Xu Qi’an, you cannot kill him! If he dies, the Master will exterminate your entire bloodline!"

Xu Qi’an smiled coldly.

"Then you’d better watch closely."

He raised his saber, and cut off Qiu Qian’s head.

Then, he opened his soul-gathering pouch and collected both the Heaven and Earth aspects of Qiu Qian’s soul.

It was over.

Seeing this, the left and right guardians froze. Their hair stood on end, feeling as if they had just plunged into icy water.