The knife was floating!
The knife was moving on its own, without anyone touching it. This was something only a deity could do!
The hundred-odd Confucianists in the recreational boats looked in amazement at the gravity-defying butcher knife, which was floating in the air and heading toward them!
That knife… could actually fly?!
There wasn't anything unusual about flying knives. After all, the Mohists had also created flying knives.
But their flying knives were hidden weapons, which was completely different from this butcher knife, which was flying gloriously through the air...
The butcher knife in front of them had a blurry knife-shaped shadow around it, and it brought about such a powerful pressure that it made all the Confucianists feel like they couldn't breathe.
Among the Hundred Schools of Philosophy… which one used such a technique?!
All the Confucianists in the recreational boats shut their mouths and stared at the butcher knife flying by itself through the air, their foreheads beading with sweat.
Nie Changqing was still standing on the vertical boat paddle, his clothes flapping loudly in the gushing wind.
The Qi and blood that had been suppressed earlier by the pressure of the Righteousness Qi started to boil within him again.
He had used Spirit Qi to control the knife, producing this beautiful, eye-catching move.
This was the most powerful knife Nie Changqing had ever wielded ever since he became a Grandmaster.
But Nie Changqing remained calm. As if he were merely butchering suckling pigs like normal, he was unflinching.
"Compared to how Young Master used Spirit Pressure to press down on Han Lianxiao with one word… this move of mine is nothing to fuss over," Nie Changqing murmured.
A moment later, his eyes landed on the recreational boats and became clear and steady.
BOOM!
The mist swirled into a tornado.
The Righteousness Qi that had swirled up the mist on the lake's surface was a combined effort that had reached its highest level.
The expression on the hundred-odd Confucianists' faces immediately changed.
They never expected Lu Fan to get Nie Changqing to attack them.
They were all accomplished Confucianists. Though they weren't of high standing, their deaths would make for a sensitive topic.
Lu Fan really dared to kill them?
If he killed them, he would attract the attention of the great Confucian scholars in the palace, and he might even be questioned by the Imperial Adviser.
When that happened… how would Lu Fan get out of such a mess?!
But.
Regardless of what these Confucianists thought…
Nie Changqing's knife had already come down toward them.
The waves, which had appeared on the surface of the lake as a result of the billowing wind, suddenly died down. The lake was like a mirror—there were no ripples, and it was so quiet it made one shudder.
The butcher knife locked on one of the recreational boats as its target, and the leading scholar, who stood arrogantly at the front of the boat, instantly cowered.
He wasn't just a Confucianist. He was also a martial arts practitioner.
But he was only a Second Tier martial arts practitioner, and this move by Nie Changqing made him feel the same terror he would feel if he were going straight to hell.
The Qi on his face disappeared, and the wisp of Righteousness Qi in his chest dissipated.
He was standing on the deck of the recreational boat, but suddenly he turned around, pushed through the Confucianists behind him, and ran toward the back of the boat like a mad man.
WONGGG…
Everyone was waiting for the butcher knife to land.
But Nie Changqing's butcher knife disappointed them. The knife didn't cut into the recreational boat.
It hovered an inch above the deck instead.
The knife's strange floating ability struck even more terror into their hearts.
The lake was completely quiet and calm. The Confucianists in the other recreational boats were wide-eyed, but as they suddenly felt that the scene wasn't interesting anymore, they were all expressionless.
However...
Most of the Confucianists in the boat the knife was hovering over reacted like the leading scholar. As if they had gone mad, they all hurriedly turned around to escape. But after running not even a few feet, a bloody cut appeared on their bodies, and they were chopped at the waist. They were split in two, just like that.
BOOMMMM!
In an instant...
The calm lake surface was covered in white foam. It looked like there was a white snake stretched from Nie Changqing to the recreational boats.
The surface of the lake had been parted in two, about 650 feet deep.
This knife seemed like it could behead even dragons.
The Righteousness Qi of the Confucianists collapsed into a mess after the knife came down.
KACHA.
The recreational boat broke in half.
Although the butcher knife hadn't hit the boat itself, there was a crack in the recreational boat.
Some of the Confucianists who managed to run quickly enough didn't die, but blood seeped through their robes as they screamed in horror and fell onto the boat deck.
The boat broke apart.
The bluish-green lake water bubbled and gushed into the recreational boat.
The recreational boat started to sink, and the remaining Confucianists were completely at a loss for what to do, having lost all Righteousness Qi they had. Now they were merely a group of scholars who weren't even as skilled as Third Tier martial arts practitioners.
Many scholars removed their long robes, regardless of how cold the lake water was. They quickly jumped off their recreational boat and started swimming toward the other recreational boats or to the shore.
Some of the scholars who didn't know how to swim were paralyzed with fear, their faces deathly pale, as they remained standing on the boat.
Nie Changqing lifted his hand.
It was as if his open palm had suction power. The butcher knife, which was still hovering above the sinking recreational boat, wavered and floated back to him.
Eventually, it flew back into his hand.
He stood straight on the boat paddle, his clothes blowing in the wind, and yet he had parted the lake with this one knife.
Knife Control Technique had been seen by the world for the first time, and it had both shocked and amazed everyone.
All the Confucianists in the other recreational boats were shocked, and many were still trembling.
One knife could part the lake, break a boat, and kill people, all by itself!
Was this really a move by a martial arts practitioner?!
Even those legendary great Grandmaster martial arts practitioners or those from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy… probably couldn't reach this level, either!
The entire surface of Beiluo Lake was silent.
The fishing boat was still bobbing on the water.
Ning Zhao had her Cicada Wing Sword in hand and stood quietly on the boat. When she saw this incredible, impossible scene in front of her, her plump red lips parted slightly.
Even someone like her… was also in great shock.
But Lu Fan, who was sitting in his wheelchair beside her, didn't even look up. The wind blew through his hair as he picked up a white chess piece, a faint smile on his face.
One hand gently rubbed against the clean, dust-free chessboard.
The next moment...
There was a white chess piece between his index finger and middle finger, and he suddenly put it down on one side of the middle of the chessboard.
The chess piece tapped against the board.
"Nie, continue," Lu Fan said calmly.
A flash emanated from the Spirit Pressure chessboard. Black pieces placed on the board released five times the amount of Spirit Pressure, while white pieces would restore 50% of the Spirit Qi of the target person.
There was no such thing as half a wisp of Spirit Qi. Since Nie Changqing only had one wisp, 50% restoration was equivalent to restoring one full wisp.
Nie Changqing, who stood straight on the boat paddle, holding his butcher knife, opened his eyes again.
Excitement flashed across his face.
That irresistible Spirit Qi… had come back!
WONGGG…
The butcher knife in his hand was surrounded by Spirit Qi once more.
Nie Changqing was a little doubtful about the chop he had made earlier, so he executed the chop again from a different angle this time.
He aimed at a different recreational boat.
The Confucianists on this boat were frightened half to death.
Unlike the great Confucian scholars, they were still unable to remain calm in the face of death.
On the boat paddle, Nie Changqing continued to wield his knife, while on the little boat, Lu Fan continued to place chess pieces on the chessboard.
The two of them were coordinating their movements well.
The scene was actually somewhat poetic.
He put down twenty chess pieces in a row, and all of them were white.
Nie Changqing continuously executed his move twenty times, each knife chopping down on the recreational boat.
He started to gain a deeper understanding of this Knife Control Technique.
As for the group of Confucianists on Beiluo Lake, they couldn't maintain their initial stance anymore and started falling into the lake like dumplings.
All their faces were deathly pale due to the freezing water, but nobody dared to be angry or say anything.
Some of the Confucianists who were killed by the butcher knife also fell into Beiluo Lake, causing the water to become bloodied.
The mist on Beiluo Lake dissipated.
It was dispelled by the twenty knife moves that Nie Changqing executed.
Nie Changqing returned to the fishing boat with the paddle in tow.
On the boat, Lu Fan was taking his time placing each chess piece back into the box.
"Young Master, the remaining Confucianists… how do you want to deal with them? Kill them off with one chop?" Nie Changqing asked, holding onto his butcher knife.
Lu Fan massaged his long fingers, then supported his chin with one hand as he glanced at the Confucianists struggling in Beiluo Lake.
The corners of his lips twitched a little.
"Let them struggle. Since they wanted to step all over me in order to be known as men who went to war over pretty ladies… then they should pay the price for doing so.
"If they drown to death, forget it. For those who don't...
"Once they reach the shore, there'll be people from City Master's office who will deal with them," Lu Fan replied calmly.
"But now, let's go over and have a look at Drunk Dust Court."
...
Several hundred feet away from the fishing boat...
Chen Beixun's pupils dilated, and his body trembled slightly as he carried a wooden sword box on his back.
Remotely controlling a knife that could part a lake!
This abandoned Daoist disciple… was that powerful?!
That was a knife move that could make people tremble in despair.
Next to him, Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan had already collapsed on the floor of the boat, and were in a daze.
"How… how can this be?!" one of them stammered.
"Is he even human?! Is there really someone out there who can control a knife from afar like that and kill his enemies?"
Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan were exclaiming in low voices, like they had been possessed by a demon.
"Don't be anxious… there's still the Grandmaster I have from Sword Sect!" Chen Beixun encouraged them.
There was a glint in Chen Beixun's eyes as he clenched his fists.
The mist swirling on the surface of Beiluo Lake had been completely dissipated by Nie Changqing's knife.
Far out from the mist, a small boat bobbing in the lake could be seen.
Chen Beixun's eyes lit up as he looked at the figure proudly seated all by himself on that small boat.
That figure was also carrying a wooden sword box like himself, and in it were four swords.
That was someone from Zhongnan Sky Mountain's Sword Sect!
He had four swords, which meant this person was an assassin on par with a Sixth Resonance Grandmaster martial arts practitioner!
Suddenly, there was excitement in Chen Beixun's eyes.
He watched as the swordsman on the small boat stood up, his long robe flapping in the wind.
The swordsman from Sword Sect was going to make his move!
However…
Chen Beixun's excitement soon dissipated.
Because after that Sword Sect swordsman stood up, he quickly emanated Qi and blood without hesitation to make the small boat move very quickly along the water.
The boat left several wide-spreading ripples on the surface of the lake.
The swordsman was making a run for it at top speed, and didn't turn back.