Before he realized it, Chen Tang swiftly moved to seize the wrist of the Celestial Concealment, attempting to snatch away his long sword with the Dragon Capturing Technique.

Normally, with the skills of this Celestial Concealment, there would definitely be many changes to prevent Chen Tang from capturing his weapon.

Chen Tang’s technique had to change again.

In the blink of an eye, the two were engaging in multiple moves at the wrist.

But this Celestial Concealment was clearly half a beat slow in reacting, realizing too late he needed to alter his response when Chen Tang grasped his wrist!

Chen Tang exerted his strength suddenly, tearing tendons and shattering bones, snatching the blade unarmed!

This move was even smoother than he anticipated.

Despite the intrinsic power of an Innate Martial Artist, with the eruption of the Innate True Qi, it should have been easy to break free even if one’s wrist is seized.

Yet, Chen Tang performed the Dragon Capturing Technique, easily retrieving Celestial Concealment’s long sword in the blink of an eye!

In fact, the Innate True Qi that Celestial Concealment painstakingly cultivated inside his body had already been completely absorbed by Chen Tang’s Dantian.

At this moment, his Dantian was empty, with no Innate True Qi left for counteraction.

Bam!

Seeing his sword taken, the person reacted swiftly, using his legs to kick heavily at Chen Tang’s chest, pushing with all his might!

Crack!

The man’s wrist fractured.

A hint of agony appeared on his face.

Fortunately, leveraging this moment’s force, by sacrificing his wrist, he managed to break away from Chen Tang, furiously swimming towards the river surface.

Having been kicked in the chest, Chen Tang’s body sank, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Yet, a glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes.

This injury was nothing!

The chance to defeat Celestial Concealment was right in front of him!

Chen Tang kicked his legs vigorously, holding the long sword in his mouth, his arms propelling him towards Celestial Concealment.

This time, the tables had turned!

The hunter turned into the hunted.

After both entered the river, they sank, almost reaching the riverbed.

While Celestial Concealment was pursuing Chen Tang, his body circulated Innate True Qi continuously, not feeling anything amiss.

At this moment, with the depletion of Innate True Qi, a faint pain emerged from his Dantian, leaving him with only the breath in his chest, as the river surface seemed unattainable.

Feeling the currents surging beneath his feet, he realized Chen Tang had no intention of letting him go, coming after to kill.

With this thought, he became even more anxious, ignoring the severe wrist pain, desperately swimming towards the river’s surface!

Without Innate True Qi, his swimming speed in the water couldn’t match Chen Tang’s.

The distance between them was rapidly closing!

At this moment, the breath in his chest was nearly exhausted.

In the dim riverbed, only the light from the surface gave him a ray of hope.

That gleam of light became increasingly evident.

It seemed the river surface was just within reach!

Suddenly, his ankle was grabbed by a large hand!

Subsequently, his body was pulled fiercely downward.

"Ah!"

Instinctively, he opened his mouth yet couldn’t utter a sound, only swallowing mouthfuls of salty, stale river water, his arms struggling fiercely, legs wildly kicking downward!

Splosh!

The next moment, excruciating pain surged from his kicking right leg.

The surrounding river water instantaneously turned blood red.

"Gurgle gurgle!"

His eyes widened, expression full of pain, mouth opening again, swallowing another mouthful of river water, bubbles springing from his mouth and nose.

One of his legs was sliced off at the knee by Chen Tang!

Chen Tang had studied sword skills, the Butcher’s Skill.

Underwater, he didn’t need much effort to easily dismantle this person’s leg.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Celestial Concealment, swinging both palms, almost exploded with all his might, unleashing numerous hidden weapons and trump cards in a reckless burst.

But in the surrounding blood-red river, there was no trace of Chen Tang.

His fists and feet, various techniques, had already lost their form.

At this moment, he was suffering not only physical pain but also the suffocation from the depletion of Qi, the torment of river water flooding his mouth and nose.

His entire chest seemed ready to explode!

After a frantic struggle, he swallowed several more mouthfuls of river water, his consciousness becoming somewhat dizzy.

Keeping the last sliver of consciousness, he continued swimming towards the river surface.

The patch of light overhead was his final hope!

Splosh!

Just then, his body stopped, chest suffering a burst of pain!

He struggled to look down.

His familiar sword blade, which had accompanied him for years, pierced through his chest from behind!

That strike completely severed his lifeline!

At this moment, a flurry of complex thoughts flashed through his mind.

Unwillingness, disbelief, regret...

The Hermit’s code clearly required one to flee immediately if the first strike failed. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He didn’t follow this instruction.

After all, it was merely a Opening Acupoints Realm Fourth Grade rank, what threat could it pose?

If he had been more cautious, more careful...

If he hadn’t continued his pursuit after Chen Tang entered the river but looked for another opportunity...

If...

The world of the Hermit held no ifs.

Only life and death.

He wished to turn back, to glimpse Chen Tang one more time.

Chen Tang gave him no such chance, standing behind him, kicking him in the back, pulling out the sword!

Blood gushed forth, Celestial Concealment’s body, filled with endless regret, sunk slowly to the riverbed.

Chen Tang merely cast a cold glance at the corpse, then swam upstream through the current towards the river’s surface.

-----------------

At the riverbank ferry.

Beside the Drunken Immortal Tower’s He Shiyao’s group, many Jianghu travelers lingered, hadn’t dispersed yet.

On several passing fishing boats across the river, many fishermen held fish spears, scanning the surface vigilantly.

Chen Tang couldn’t stay submerged indefinitely.

Before long, bubbles emerged from the center of Xiajiang, attracting numerous gazes.

"Over there!"

Someone shouted.

Soon after, a faint blood hue appeared on the river surface!

Next, several large bubbles bubbled up.

Beneath the river surface, the current seemed to swell, causing ripples atop the river.

After a while, the river’s surface calmed, yet that water section turned crimson.

Seeing this, a smile graced He Shiyao’s face, his Jade Bone Fan slowly unfolding, he murmured, "The deed is done."

"The Young Shopkeeper means..."

A personal attendant tentatively inquired.

He Shiyao surveyed the surroundings, word by word declared, "From now on, One Sword Frost Cold Chen Tang is erased from the Wind and Cloud Ranking."

As the words fell, the surrounding crowd whispered in surprise, showing varied expressions.

Some shook their heads in lament, some reveled in schadenfreude, others privately expressed regret.

"Alas, such a bold and spirited young man; if only he was here, Nanxia’s Jianghu would be far more vibrant."

In the tea house, Old Li sighed heavily, and said to the clerk nearby, "Go fetch a pot of wine. Let’s toast to him."

"Yes."

A clerk ran to the adjacent tavern, returning with a pot of wine.

They filled their cups, raised them towards the river in tribute, then poured the wine into the soil before them.