Chapter 1 of Episode 23 of "The Continent of Wind and Moon": The Dark Knight

Two blocks later, the wide royal avenue came into view.

Several squads of fully armed soldiers patrolled the brightly lit avenue, and the defenses of Sanssouci Palace were clearly stronger than when he left. Ye Tianlong knew that this was because of his appearance in Esnia and his successful escape from pursuers after injuring Fei Xianzhe, which led Yunaia to strengthen the defenses of the entire Esnia.

However, what surprised Ye Tianlong was that although Yunaia had set up a high-level defensive posture, they hadn't actually launched a large-scale city-wide search, which was not Yunaia's usual style.

"Could it be that Yunaia has really led his army away from Esnia?"

Ye Tianlong's heart stirred slightly as he recalled some information from the temple. If Yunaia's main force had quietly left Esnia, then under the current circumstances, they couldn't afford to be careless about his sudden appearance and would definitely try every means to eliminate him as soon as possible.

Unless the leader of Yunaia was not in Esnia, his subordinates would not dare to act rashly, and no one could truly overshadow his prestige. Therefore, they would use their invisible power to force him not to show his face again.

Thinking of this, Ye Tianlong felt a surge of joy. If things were really as he imagined, then the plan to join forces with the temple to seize Esnia would be more than 80% successful.

"After returning, I should have Yuzhu thoroughly investigate the situation in Yunaia."

After making this decision in his heart, Ye Tianlong changed his direction of travel and sneaked into Wuyou Palace from another relatively weak point in its defenses.

Using the flowers, trees, pavilions, and buildings as cover, Ye Tianlong carefully avoided the patrolling squads of inner court guards and successfully entered the palace complex where Ruji and the others were.

Lightly stepping over a clump of waist-high bushes, he suddenly heard the orderly footsteps of inner court guards not far to his left. Ye Tianlong quickly crouched down, pressing himself against the bushes behind him. He inhaled deeply, his chest tightening, making him appear smaller and less imposing. Unless one looked closely, it would be impossible to spot him hiding there.

"How boring! They've made us work three shifts a day, reinforcing the defenses here. Does anyone want to mess with Miss Ruji's troupe?"

A patrol of fifteen guards strode past Ye Tianlong, less than five steps away. One of the guards at the back muttered as he approached.

"Yeah, Miss Ruji's troupe doesn't have anything particularly valuable. Besides, there's an entire city guard battalion of six thousand men deployed outside Wuyou Palace. What kind of person would dare to come here?"

Hearing his companion's mutterings, another guard in the middle chimed in, expressing his discontent.

"It's all that new head guard, Gongyang Fang. He wants to impress his superiors, but it's us little guys who are really suffering..."

Once one person started complaining, others in the group would echo the same sentiment. Hearing his companions constantly grumbling, the leading guard couldn't hold back any longer.

"Shut up, all of you!" the leader shouted, and the guards obediently stopped talking.

At that moment, this group of guards was standing right in front of Ye Tianlong. If even one of them had turned around to look closely, they would have surely spotted him. However, these guards were filled with resentment, and the bushes where Ye Tianlong was hiding were neither dense nor wide—according to common sense, such a place couldn't possibly hide a person—so not a single guard turned to look.

"What do you know!" the leader snapped, his anger rising, and his words were anything but polite.

"Lord Gongyang Fang is one of the top swordsmen in Xiangyang Prefecture. He was originally in charge of managing the local garrison in Xiangyang City under Prince Yunaya, and has extremely rich experience in security and defense. Upon taking office as the head guard of Wuyou Palace, he immediately saw some problems with the palace's defenses."

"Boss, it seems Lord Gongyang Fang and you have a good relationship." Seeing the situation turning sour, the guard who had complained first turned to his leader and said, "You guys really know a hero..."

The flattery was perfectly timed, and the leader couldn't help but smile broadly, then scoffed, "Nonsense! What good relationship? Lord Gongyang Fang and I are just like-minded friends, don't misunderstand."

"Yes, yes." The guards quickly nodded in agreement. The guard who had spoken first then said, "So, boss, do you have any inside information..."

"What inside information!" Another guard tapped the first guard on the head. "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense." Then, turning to his leader, he smiled and said, "Boss, based on your judgment, what is Lord Gongyang Fang's intention in taking such strict defensive measures?"

"Hmm..." The leader nodded with satisfaction. "I say you guys are really stupid, you can't even see this. Today I'll teach you a lesson, listen carefully."

The guards quickly leaned their heads towards the leader.

"You've all heard, haven't you?" The leader looked at his subordinates and lowered his voice, "This afternoon, the city guards mobilized a large number of men, but not only did they not capture a single person, they also lost many good men."

"Yes, I know, I know." A guard standing near Ye Tianlong quickly took over the leader's topic to show that he was well-informed.

"It's said that it was because of the sudden appearance of Lord Ye Tianlong, the Eastern Governor, that he single-handedly defeated all those guys in the city guard camp."

Upon hearing this, not only were the guards surprised and shocked, but even Ye Tianlong, who was hiding behind, was startled. It seemed that the speed at which the news spread was truly astonishing. Moreover, Ye Tianlong was even more surprised that this news had artificially elevated his image considerably. It seemed that in everyone's eyes, he was not only an invincible commander but also a master of superhuman martial arts.

"I think it must be Lord Ye Tianlong, the Eastern Governor." The leader nodded, speaking with great certainty. "Besides him, there really is no one else who can make the entire military force of Esnia move for him."

At this point, the leader smiled mysteriously, lowered his voice even further, and said softly, "Let me tell you why Lord Gongyang Fang wanted us to pay special attention to Miss Ruji's dance troupe. It's because Lord Gongyang Fang believes that Miss Ruji's dance troupe is the most suspicious in all of Esnia right now!"

"What?" All the guards' eyes widened. Hidden behind, Ye Tianlong was utterly shocked. This Gongyang Fang was truly a terrifying figure; he had actually thought of coming this way.

"Who goes there?" Shocked, Ye Tianlong moved slightly, causing a faint rustling in the bushes. This immediately attracted the attention of the guards, who turned around, fully alert.

Sighing inwardly, Ye Tianlong knew he could no longer hide. Rather than be discovered by the guards, he might as well walk out boldly, at least putting psychological pressure on his opponent.

In a flash, Ye Tianlong was about to stand up when suddenly, a black shadow rushed out from not far to his left rear, flashing past the guards and swiftly disappearing to the side.

"Haha, Lord Gongyang Fang was right!" The guard leader blew a whistle and led his men in a swift pursuit.

Amidst shouts, the guards sped past Ye Tianlong, not even glancing at the bushes beneath their feet. One guard's toe brushed against Ye Tianlong's clothes without noticing anything amiss. Their attention was completely focused on the fleeing figure ahead, and remembering how so many skilled city guards had failed that afternoon, they naturally considered this enemy their greatest threat.

Hearing the whistle, guards in the distance also swarmed towards the figure. It seemed they wouldn't rest until they had captured this enemy. As

the sounds faded into the distance, Ye Tianlong breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to stand up, a strange sense of alarm suddenly surged within him. Without thinking, Ye Tianlong crouched forward, skimming the ground like a serpent, his movements swift and unpredictable. In an instant, he appeared eight feet to his side.

"Well done, indeed quite skilled!"

A deep, youthful voice sounded behind Ye Tianlong, devoid of any emotion, yet Ye Tianlong could sense a chilling sharpness within it.

Suppressing his shock, Ye Tianlong slowly turned around to face the source of the voice. His movements were outwardly calm but inwardly tense; seemingly nonchalant, he was actually using all his strength. After all, this uninvited guest had approached him silently, and even after being noticed, had managed to follow his movements—such skill was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

The man standing in the shadows ahead didn't move, but stared intently at Ye Tianlong with his eyes, which occasionally flashed with an eerie blue light, as if trying to see right through him.

Ye Tianlong focused his gaze, and his lightning-fast eyes quickly took in the young man before him. He was a young man completely shrouded in black, appearing to be no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He had sharp eyebrows, fierce eyes, a straight nose, a square mouth, and slightly thin lips with a slight upturn at the corners, exuding an arrogant and domineering air.

What Ye Tianlong found most unforgettable was the young man's physique: long, powerful limbs with smooth, flowing lines, giving the impression of a black panther, brimming with boundless potential and explosive power.

This was a formidable opponent, a terrifying individual!

Having made this assumption in his heart, Ye Tianlong maintained a friendly smile and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Anfeng," the young man replied crisply. "I also know you are Ye Tianlong."

Seeing the terrifying glint in Anfeng's eyes when he mentioned his name, Ye Tianlong became even more certain that the man in black before him was an enemy. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out who Anfeng was. Someone with such superb skills would usually be famous throughout the continent long ago.

"You don't need to think about my identity and background, because you'll never guess,"

Anfeng bluntly stated, seeing right through Ye Tianlong's thoughts, leaving Ye Tianlong secretly shocked. And what he said next surprised Ye Tianlong even more.

“If I hadn’t released that black shadow just now, you would have been discovered long ago. So, don’t worry, I won’t deal with you here.”

“The black shadow you released?” Ye Tianlong couldn’t help but ask, then a thought struck him. He remembered a mysterious martial art called “Shadow Outside the Body,” a high-level martial art of the Dark Clan. Could this young man called Dark Wind be a master of the same clan as Yu Zhu?

“I think you might have heard of this martial art…” Dark Wind paused, noticing Ye Tianlong’s slight change in expression, and nodded inwardly.

“Someone is approaching this way. Come with me.” With that, Dark Wind transformed into a gentle breeze and flew forward.

Ye Tianlong only hesitated for a moment before flying after Dark Wind. He knew the current situation clearly. Since Dark Wind was helping him conceal his tracks, he had no choice but to do as Dark Wind said. Otherwise, if Dark Wind let out a shout, he and Yu Zhu would all be unable to escape the pursuit of Yuna’s forces.

Moreover, Ye Tianlong was also very eager to find out who Anfeng was in the Dark Clan, and what his relationship was with Yuzhu. What exactly had happened to Yuzhu in the Dark Clan? Since Yuzhu returned to Ye Tianlong's side, no one dared to ask her directly about her situation in the Dark Clan, or why she had been controlled by Hua Rou, for fear that such questions would upset her.

Later, this became a taboo subject, and no one dared to mention it. But Ye Tianlong really wanted to know the specifics of what had happened. Now that he had Anfeng as a connected figure, even without any other reason, Ye Tianlong would relentlessly pursue Anfeng.

After two wars, many houses in Esnia City had been abandoned. Now, Ye Tianlong and Anfeng were in an abandoned mansion near the waterfront. In the dilapidated courtyard, wild grass could even be seen stubbornly growing from the cracks in the paving stones.

"Ye Tianlong, I'm taking you away!"

After stopping, Anfeng stared at Ye Tianlong and suddenly uttered words that startled everyone. Although Ye Tianlong's face remained unchanged, his eyes sharpened instantly.

"Take me away? I still want to ask you some questions!"

"What do you want to ask?" Anfeng's face was expressionless, but his dark blue eyes shone even brighter and more mysteriously in the hazy moonlight.

"You're from the Dark Clan, aren't you?" Ye Tianlong asked, secretly on guard.

"Yes." Anfeng's answer was simple and concise.

"Then what exactly happened to Yuzhu on your side?" A sharp aura surged from Ye Tianlong, causing the previously expressionless Anfeng to show a hint of tension for the first time.

"In other words, what did you do to Yuzhu?" Anfeng's tone became sharp, and killing intent flashed in his eyes. "She should have been the best warrior in my Dark Knights, but now she's become our enemy."

"You all?" Ye Tianlong's heart sank, and anger surged within him. "Didn't you hear what Yuzhu herself said about the reasons?"

Anfeng's eyes darkened slightly, then he said firmly, "No matter what, you are the culprit. Without you, everything would have been simpler."

"Then why did you reach out to save me just now?" Ye Tianlong couldn't help but ask.

Without hesitation, Anfeng replied, "Because Yuzhu is right there. If your appearance attracts a large number of guards and city garrison soldiers, then Yuzhu will have a hard time escaping, and..." Anfeng's voice lowered slightly, "I don't want Yuzhu to think I'm the kind of person who relies on despicable means. I want to defeat you, kill you, and rescue Yuzhu from your control by fair and square means!"

"Nonsense!" Ye Tianlong sneered, "You really are..."

"Are you coming with me obediently, or should I take your corpse with me?" Anfeng interrupted Ye Tianlong before he could finish, speaking curtly.

"Hmph, do you think you have that kind of strength?" Ye Tianlong retorted without hesitation.

"I don't have time to waste with you here." Anfeng's expression turned unusually cold and stern, his deep blue eyes turning a profound black, a darkness capable of swallowing everything.

"You think you can scare me with your third-rate skills?"

Ye Tianlong's anger flared even more. He clearly realized that this guy in front of him must be one of Yuzhu's former suitors. Moreover, he vaguely guessed that Yuzhu must have been ostracized by Anfeng and his ilk within the Dark Clan.

Anfeng stopped talking to Ye Tianlong and responded with a single action. With a flick of his hand, a flash of light appeared, and a black light leaped from his hand—a slender longsword. The soft blade that had been coiled around his body became ramrod straight under the infusion of dark energy.

Ye Tianlong was taken aback. He hadn't even seen how Anfeng's sword was drawn; almost in the blink of an eye, the black tip of the sword appeared before him, less than a foot from his chest, its chilling aura emanating from it.

Taking two steps back, Ye Tianlong drew his sword with lightning speed, his face showing extreme vigilance. His opponent was at least half a step ahead of his previous enemies in terms of sword speed.

Anfeng launched a direct attack without hesitation, letting out a chilling shout before unleashing a flurry of sword strikes. Black lightning flashed rapidly before Ye Tianlong, his sword flashing out one after another with unparalleled speed, relentlessly attacking head-on. The ferocity of his offensive was unmatched.

A powerful, bone-chilling sword aura erupted like a raging torrent, seemingly shaking the entire courtyard. The faint sounds of wind and thunder within each strike indicated a terrifying, hidden, and powerful force beneath the seemingly gentle surface.

Faced with Anfeng's rapid attacks, Ye Tianlong remained calm and composed, parrying and deflecting the blows. After all, he had already developed considerable skill in dealing with fast attacks while practicing martial arts with the dragon girl.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Amidst a series of metallic clangs, Ye Tianlong blocked and deflected, displaying a meticulously crafted defensive swordsmanship to its fullest extent. He blocked eight sword strikes in succession, retreating five feet without revealing the slightest opening. He not only effectively halted Anfeng's sword's advance but also caused Anfeng's attack momentum to falter.

Noticing a slight pause in Anfeng's attack, Ye Tianlong immediately seized the opportunity to counterattack, returning three sword strikes and nearly regaining the initiative.

A flash of blue light appeared in Anfeng's eyes, and he suddenly shouted in a deep voice. The rapier in his hand trembled repeatedly in the air, drawing irregular black curves with its unique flexibility. It was as if countless enemies had suddenly appeared around Ye Tianlong, attacking him from all directions.

Faced with such power, Ye Tianlong also unleashed his full strength, dodging and maneuvering under Anfeng's dense attacks, fully utilizing all the profound and subtle techniques he had comprehended in swordsmanship.

For a moment, the two tumbled and rolled in the spacious courtyard, chasing each other east and west amidst the flying sword shadows—a great battle of swordsmanship.

Ye Tianlong was no stranger to the exquisite swordsmanship of the Dark Clan, but the swordsmanship that Anfeng used presented a completely different style from Yuzhu's. Anfeng's swordsmanship was ruthless and vicious. While the chilling sword energy he unleashed lacked the overwhelming power of Yuzhu's strikes, it was far more cunning and insidious, carrying a strange, corrosive force that gradually eroded the opponent's sword's true energy.

This realization made Ye Tianlong increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed. Could it be that Anfeng possessed other extraordinary techniques besides those of the Dark Clan?

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Chapter 1 of Episode 23 of "The Continent of Wind and Moon": The Dark Knight

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