Nightwatcher-Chapter 409: Xu Qi’an vs Cao Qingyang

# 409. Xu Qi'an vs Cao Qingyang

*Third Rank?*

*Has Cao Qingyang ascended to Third Rank?!*

A clamour erupted like a sudden explosion, and every face bore a brilliant mixture of shock and awe. It had been many years since a Third Rank martial artist had emerged in the jianghu of Great Feng.

Although the Wulin Alliance claimed that their founding Alliance Leader was still alive, no one had seen him — that old bastard, as old as the nation itself, had vanished from the world for centuries.

Now that Cao Qingyang had achieved rank three, the prestige of the Wulin Alliance would soar to unprecedented heights — all the more so given that the Zhenbei King of the Great Feng court had only recently fallen…

Could this signify the rise of the martial artists of the jianghu?

Would the power structure of the Great Feng shift because of this?

None were more thrilled than the factions of the Wulin Alliance. Having a Third Rank openly standing at the helm was an entirely different matter from having a hidden elder pulling the strings behind the scenes.

After all, even the Great Feng court had only ever had one Zhenbei King, who had also perished.

And now, our own Alliance Leader Cao has become Third Rank — do you know what that means? It means that, in the jianghu, the Wulin Alliance’s words will carry the weight of absolute authority, making it the second most powerful force in the Central Plains, only beneath the imperial court.

With the Zhenbei King dead, the court now only has the Jianzheng. Meanwhile, the Wulin Alliance has both the new and former Alliance Leaders — two Third Ranks. Calling them the second most powerful would hardly be an exaggeration.

“He’s third rank already?…”

Xiao Yuenu’s beautiful eyes shimmered with excitement, sincerely delighted for the Wulin Alliance and filled with admiration for Alliance Leader Cao Qingyang.

She was a generation younger than Cao Qingyang and could recall how, back when her mother served as the Tower Master, she had once remarked that this Wulin Alliance Leader was neither particularly gifted nor especially remarkable in temperament.

Had it not been for the absurdly biased favouritism shown by the previous Alliance Leader, Cao Qingyang would never have become the Wulin Alliance Leader.

But all these years later, Cao Qingyang had proven himself through sheer action. He had long since secured a place among the top three of the Martial Roll, claiming dominance over Jianzhou’s jianghu — and now, he had ascended to Third Rank, becoming one of the most formidable martial artists in existence.

“Our Alliance Leader has actually reached Third Rank?” Shenquan Gang Leader Fu Jingmen couldn’t hide his shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“With this, the Nine-Coloured Lotus is practically ours. And given the Alliance Leader’s admiration for Silver Gong Xu, he won’t take his life… In hindsight, our withdrawal was a huge mistake.”

Ink Pavilion Master Yang Cuixue said regretfully.

The two exchanged a glance, their hearts aching with regret.

Having voluntarily withdrawn, they would now have no share in the Nine-Coloured Lotus once it ripened.

Fu Jingmen gritted his teeth, hardening his resolve. “No, I’ll beg and plead, whatever it takes — I must have the Alliance Leader’s forgiveness.”

Yang Cuixue’s face twitched. Fu Jingmen was younger than Alliance Leader Cao, so throwing a tantrum might just pass. But Yang Cuixue himself was a generation older than Cao Qingyang, and though the jianghu valued strength, it also respected seniority. Ŗ𝐀ΝọBË𝘴

He couldn’t bring himself to beg. Yet the thought of the loss made his heart ache terribly.

While one side revelled in delight, on the other, within Yue Clan Manor, the Heaven and Earth Society disciples were pale-faced and ashen.

Moments ago, the confidence and fervour Xu Qi’an had inspired within them had evaporated like smoke.

“If heaven birthed not I, Yang Qianhuan, then the Great Feng will be a night that never ends!”

Yang Qianhuan cried out, directing the bed crossbows and cannons towards Cao Qingyang in a volley of fire.

This was his final defiance.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Without a second thought, he activated a teleportation formation and slipped away.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Cao Qingyang raised his hand, making a gentle swipe in the air before him. An invisible barrier, formed entirely of qi, appeared. Shells exploded, bolts snapped — yet within thirty feet of him, not a single ripple stirred.

This sight only deepened the watching crowd’s certainty that he had reached Third Rank — a Rank Four could not possibly demonstrate such effortless mastery.

Cao Qingyang stepped into the formation, striding forward until he stood before Nangong Qianrou. His voice was calm. “You are Wei Yuan’s adopted son. Those with powerful backers are always a different breed. I’ll give you a choice.

“Step aside, and I’ll let this go. Refuse, and we will fight to the death.”

That was Cao Qingyang’s way — if he had misgivings about someone’s background, he would state it plainly.

Nangong Qianrou gave him a long look, his face dark, silent for several seconds before finally stepping aside.

Since the other party was Third Rank, there was no need to throw his life away. Besides, protecting the lotus seed was just a task — not an imperative one. There was no need to die for it.

Cao Qingyang gave a slight nod and continued deeper into Yue Clan Manor.

The second barrier was the Sword Formation!

Its master: Chu Yuanzhen.

The Zhuangyuan scholar, dressed in azure robes, stood at the formation’s core, staring indifferently at the approaching Cao Qingyang, unfazed by his Third Rank status, showing neither reverence nor fear.

“I will deliver but a single sword stroke. After that, you may pass as you please.”

At those words, Cao Qingyang’s gaze fell upon the longsword on Chu Yuanzhen’s back. “That sword on your back?”

“You are unworthy of that sword.” Chu Yuanzhen replied flatly.

“I can see that.”

Cao Qingyang nodded. That was a sword of spirit — being unworthy referred not to strength but to a lack of alignment in purpose.

“In that case, you fall far short.” The Alliance Leader added evenly.

Chu Yuanzhen raised two fingers like a sword and pointed skyward. In an instant, sword qi filled heaven and earth.

Cao Qingyang felt as though he stood amidst a mountain of blades and a sea of swords — the ground beneath his feet, the sky above, the very air around him, all transformed into swords.

This was Sword Momentum!

Chu Yuanzhen took a single step forward, thrusting his sword fingers towards Cao Qingyang.

He held no sword in hand, nor did he conjure one from air — yet in Cao Qingyang’s eyes, there was a boundless sword light, illuminating heaven and earth, carrying an unstoppable sharpness as it shot towards him.

This single stroke stirred the world itself to murderous intent.

Cao Qingyang slowly clenched his fist, answering the sword light with a straight punch — answering the killing intent of heaven and earth with the sheer might of his own martial strength.

Chu Yuanzhen’s “sword” shattered inch by inch within his fist. The broken sword qi left countless scars on the ground, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, slanted…

On closer inspection, each scar carried the essence of a unique sword technique. To the unaffiliated martial artists, every single one of these scars was a treasure — if they could comprehend even one, their martial skill would soar.

“I’ve lost.”

Chu Yuanzhen’s right hand trembled slightly, seemingly cramping, as he forced himself to cup his hands in salute and stepped aside.

“Borrowing the formation to gather momentum, even a Rank Four martial artist would have died to that sword strike.” Cao Qingyang gave the highest of praise.

He dusted off his sleeve and continued deeper inside. Before long, he saw the little dark-skinned girl from the Southern Marches, Lina.

“So this trial is strength?” Cao Qingyang only needed a glance to recognise her as belonging to the Strength Gu tribe.

“I’ll only throw one punch as well.” Lina glared at him.

“Straightforward.” Cao Qingyang smiled.

Lina said no more, taking a deep breath to begin gathering her strength.

Her chest rose and fell gently at first, then more and more violently, until winds whipped up around her with every breath, each inhalation and exhalation causing exaggerated air currents.

Waves of invisible force surged into her body, amplified by the formation’s power.

After a dozen breaths, her face flushed red, and her exposed neck and arms were also dyed a blood-like crimson, as though she were a cooked prawn.

*Bang bang, bang bang…* Lina’s heart pounded like an unbroken series of drumbeats. Any ordinary martial artist’s heart would have long since burst under the pressure.

Her blood roared like a flood breaching a dam, rushing through her veins. Her body was like a slumbering beast, slowly waking from its deep sleep.

Strange patterns surfaced on her skin, like tattoos, carrying an eerie beauty.

Crack!

The ground suddenly split open. Lina shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string, clenching her fist as she moved. The air around her hand seemed to implode, producing a dull explosion.

Boom…

After so many years, Xu Qi’an once again heard the roar of a supersonic fighter jet.

Lina’s punch broke the sound barrier.

The sound lasted only a moment before it was overtaken by a louder, cannon-blast-like explosion.

Although many did not witness the moment directly, and some couldn’t follow it with the naked eye, they could all infer from the shifts in sound that the final explosion came from the collision of their blows.

The shockwave lifted the paving stones, toppling nearby houses, trees, and decorative rock formations, leaving a circular area more than ten metres across utterly bare.

Within the circle, nothing remained—no buildings, no trees, not even the stone slabs once paving the ground.

Lina sat on the ground, panting heavily, her right arm hanging limp at her side, bones shattered from her shoulder down to her fingertips.

Cao Qingyang shook his aching fist and sighed. “In terms of raw strength, the Strength Gu tribe is unmatched.”

In the third trial, he saw a burly monk standing with his hands pressed together, his face steeped in suffering.

“Looking at you, you don’t seem inclined to step aside either? Want a match?” The violet-robed Alliance Leader smiled pleasantly.

He glanced around and noticed the swirling mist that filled the area, the kind that easily disorients people.

“This seems to be an illusion formation. It doesn’t enhance your combat power,” Cao Qingyang remarked. “You’re not even Rank Four. Aren’t you afraid I’ll slap you to death?”

Hengyuan did not respond, taking a step back instead. The mist swirled and swallowed him whole.

A few seconds later, Cao Qingyang’s ears twitched, and he swung his palm towards his rear left.

With a muffled grunt, Hengyuan staggered into view before retreating into the mist again, only to reappear behind Cao Qingyang moments later. But the violet-robed Alliance Leader, anticipating the move, drove his shoulder backwards and sent the monk flying.

This time, Hengyuan did not get back up.

Cao Qingyang pressed on, emerging from the mist into a courtyard filled with sinister winds and ghostly wails. Shadows flickered in the air, drifting aimlessly while emitting sharp cries.

“You aren’t Third Rank.”

Amid the chorus of a thousand ghosts, Li Miaozhen hovered in mid-air, silently looking down at Cao Qingyang.

Her body appeared solid, but this was not her real flesh, only her Yin Spirit projection.

The Daoist sects excelled in soul-related arts, and even Warlocks, who were proficient in the same field, were a step below them.

Martial artists are famed for their physical prowess and destructive power. While they do not lack in spiritual defences, it is not their strong suit either.

This Myriad Ghost Formation was specifically designed to counter Rank Four martial artists.

“I am indeed Third Rank now, but my soul still falls short of Third Rank.” Cao Qingyang admitted frankly.

The ancestral blood he had been gifted allowed him to temporarily experience the might of Third Rank, but his soul remained at its previous level.

Li Miaozhen drew forth a translucent mirror and raised it skyward. Cao Qingyang’s reflection appeared within it.

She reached into the mirror and drew out the reflection, flicking it into a straw man.

Ghostly figures swarmed the straw man, pinning down its limbs and head.

Li Miaozhen reached into the void and pulled out a spectral awl, preparing to drive it into the straw man’s forehead.

Cao Qingyang’s qi surged, and the straw man exploded, taking the surrounding ghosts with it.

Li Miaozhen threw back her head and unleashed a sharp scream.

All around the formation, countless ghosts echoed her cry.

The formless, intangible sound waves bored into Cao Qingyang’s head like nails, tearing at his spirit and tormenting his mind.

At the same time, the clothes on his body rebelled—his belt tried to strangle him, his robes attempted to bind him, and his sleeves knotted themselves together, locking his hands.

Seizing the moment of confusion, Li Miaozhen dove from above like an arrow, aiming for Cao Qingyang’s brow.

Behind her, thousands of ghosts surged forward, pursuing her lead.

Cao Qingyang snapped out of his daze just in time, biting his tongue and spraying a mist of blood into the air.

Sizzle…

The ghosts that touched the blood mist shrieked and dissolved into nothingness.

Li Miaozhen writhed in pain in mid-air, letting out a shrill cry, her Yin Spirit dimming slightly.

“But my qi and blood are of Third Rank. My tongue blood is the purest Yang. Without attaining the Yang Spirit, you cannot withstand my blood,” said Cao Qingyang with a smile.

“Raising ghosts is no easy task. Will you put these spirits away yourself, or shall I send them off for you?” he sneered.

Li Miaozhen had done her utmost. Her Yin Spirit returned to her body, and she then took the sachet from her waist, untying the string to recall the spirits.

Breaking through five stages in succession, the meticulously laid out defences of the Yue Clan Manor crumbled like a child’s plaything before Cao Qingyang, swept aside as easily as dry twigs.

“Alliance Leader Cao is truly peerless, a hero among heroes.”

“Unbelievable. We thought this would be a hard-fought battle, but who knew it would be this easy.”

“Alliance Leader Cao, would there be a share for us? We would gladly serve the Wulin Alliance.”

The large crowd followed the path Cao Qingyang had cleared, advancing unchecked.

Smiles filled their faces — none had expected Cao Qingyang to be this formidable, turning a fierce struggle into child’s play.

The formations painstakingly arranged by high-rank arcanists, and the elite disciples of the Daoist and Buddhist sects themselves standing guard — none could hinder Cao Qingyang in the slightest.

He was unstoppable.

Had the Alliance Leader not stepped into Third Rank, this might have been a bitter fight. But now, taking the Nine-Coloured Lotus posed no challenge at all, like reaching out to pick it up.

“So the Alliance Leader had it all in hand from the start. No wonder he never cared about our stance, nor was he concerned by Yang Cuixue and Fu Jingmen’s withdrawal,” sighed the Master of the Qianji Sect.

“Then the purpose of gathering us…” murmured the astute Xiao Yuenu before falling silent.

The answer was obvious. Cao Qingyang had not summoned the major sects to deal with the Yue Clan Manor — their real enemies were the Earth Sect and the imperial forces.

Even the wandering martial artists drawn here were enemies to guard against.

If it were only the Yue Clan Manor, the Alliance Leader could crush them single-handedly.

The Heaven and Earth Society disciples gritted their teeth, huddling together, driven back again and again by the crowd.

There was no longer any need to defend their position. In everyone’s expectations, this was supposed to be a hard-fought battle, a prolonged contest of strength.

A sense of despair welled up in each disciple’s heart.

“Well now, look at that little beauty — so fresh and delicate. Hah, forget the lotus seed, I’d rather snatch myself a fine lass to take home.”

Amongst the disciples, someone caught sight of Qiu Chanyi and his eyes lit up.

Qiu Chanyi’s beauty, even in Wanhua Tower where beauties were abundant, was among the very best.

The ranks of wandering martial artists were never short of scoundrels and lechers. Several men immediately called their fellows and moved to encircle Qiu Chanyi and her companions.

Seeing this, the Earth Sect’s demonic Daoists gave sinister laughs. “Now that’s the spirit. Even if we can’t get the lotus seed, taking home a pretty girl makes the trip worthwhile.”

“If you lot don’t make a move, we’ll get there first.”

The Earth Sect Daoists egged on the martial riffraff to attack, to kill off these Heaven and Earth Society ‘traitors’ who refused to join the demonic path.

The Heaven and Earth Society disciples retreated step by step, backing deeper into the manor, towards the cold pond where the Nine-Coloured Lotus grew.

Once they reached the pond, where could they retreat to?

At that point, they would have no choice but to fight to the death.

The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society showed resolute expressions.

This side of the conflict had yet to ignite, for at that moment, all heard a cold laugh coming from the direction of the cold pond:

“Alliance Leader Cao, why not wait a moment? Let me rid the place of these vermin before we settle our duel.”

Those martial artists coveting Qiu Chanyi’s beauty fell silent immediately, suppressing their desires.

They still greatly feared Silver Gong Xu.

Qiu Chanyi felt a surge of relief, as though that voice carried a special magic, filling her with a sense of safety.

The two sides stared each other down while moving, soon arriving at the edge of the cold pond, where the Nine-Coloured Lotus swayed, its radiance dazzling.

By the pond sat an elderly Daoist in meditation.

On the path leading to the pond stood a young man in black martial attire, hair tied in a high ponytail, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, facing off against Cao Qingyang.

In terms of presence, he yielded not the slightest.

“This stage seems to lack any formations. I wonder how Silver Gong Xu plans to defend it,” said Cao Qingyang with a warm smile, full of assured confidence.

In that instant, countless eyes — from several hundred ‘spectators’ — all turned to Xu Qi’an.