Volume One: Young Lord of the Demon God — Chapter 35: The Zhen Family Seeks Revenge
Page 1 of 3
Only after Qi Yu and Liu Rouxue had left did the disciples below the stage slowly recover from their shock.
“Qi Yu’s sword seems to be a spirit artifact as well.”
“And its grade is no lower than Senior Brother Zhen’s!”
“But he took Senior Brother Zhen’s sword too!”
“Senior Brother Qi Yu is so handsome…”
“…”
On the stage, Zhen Xingfan had been stripped clean of everything!
Below, Chen Qingming and the Grand Elder wore ashen expressions, their faces filled with disbelief.
What a swift sword!
They had wanted to intervene, but there had been no opportunity. The outcome of the battle had been decided in the briefest flash of steel.
“Alas!” Chen Qingming sighed heavily. “What is done is done. There is no way to turn the tide now.”
A rare trace of worry appeared on the Grand Elder’s face. “Zhen Xingfan comes from a prominent family in the Royal City. They certainly will not let this matter go easily.”
Chen Qingming rose, flicking his sleeve. “With me here, they will not dare to seek revenge recklessly. Send Qi Yu and Liu Rouxue to the Royal City as quickly as possible. In any case, the Sect Tournament is about to begin.”
Zhang Wentian said, “Let me escort them to the Royal City.”
Chen Qingming pondered for a moment before nodding. “Before the Zhen family receives word, Wentian, the future of our Heavenly Dipper Sword Sect rests in your hands.”
Zhang Wentian nodded firmly.
…
The news of Qi Yu’s instant defeat of Zhen Xingfan soon spread throughout the Sword Sect. The Zhen family’s spies within the sect also sent the news back to the Royal City at once.
In a secret chamber, a man lying on a stone table received the news and cried out in anguish. “My spirit artifact! My cultivation technique… That good-for-nothing! Good-for-nothing!”
A black-clad man kneeling beside the stone table asked, “Clan Elder, what should we do now?”
After thinking for a moment, the man said, “Chen Qingming will certainly send that good-for-nothing out of the sect as quickly as possible. Dispatch men to intercept and kill him immediately. No matter the cost, he must die. We absolutely cannot allow him to enter the Royal City alive!”
“As long as he remains alive, I shall not know a moment’s peace!”
The black-clad man nodded. “Yes, Clan Elder!”
The man added, “Wait. This time, send out a Shadow Silver Token assassin!”
Shadow was a vast organization of assassins in the Great Yan Dynasty. Its assassins were ranked by Purple-Gold Tokens, Gold Tokens, Silver Tokens, and Bronze Tokens.
A Silver Token assassin would be more than sufficient to kill Qi Yu.
Every assassin in Shadow began at the lowest rank, the Bronze Token. Their advancement was unrelated to strength. Only after completing one hundred assassination missions could an assassin rise to the Silver Token rank. A thousand missions were required to advance from Silver to Gold, while a Purple-Gold Token assassin had to complete ten thousand missions at the Gold level.
Throughout the entire Shadow organization, there were only two Purple-Gold Token assassins.
After pondering for a while, the man continued, “Send someone to the Azure Cloud Sect as well. Their sect master still owes me a favor.”
The black-clad man asked in confusion, “Why go to the Azure Cloud Sect?”
The man let out two cold laughs. “Once that good-for-nothing Qi Yu is dead, we must eliminate any future trouble and marry the Holy Maiden off as soon as possible. The Azure Cloud Sect is one of the five great sects of the Great Yan Dynasty. With their strength, even if the Holy Maiden refuses, Chen Qingming will agree!”
“Heh heh heh…”
…
In Qi Yu’s small courtyard, he emptied everything from his storage bracelet onto the table.
Qi Yu gave the Moon-Seeking Sword to Liu Rouxue, along with several Spirit-Gathering Pills and some spirit stones.
The remaining items were Zhen Xingfan’s black-and-gold silk robe and the two demonic beast cores he had obtained in the Demon Cavern. Since Qi Yu had no use for them, he intended to sell them all.
Liu Rouxue said with lingering fear, “Brother Qi Yu, thank goodness Zhen Xingfan was arrogant and looked down on you. Otherwise, I would have been terrified that something might happen to you!”
Qi Yu smiled faintly. “I understand young nobles like him too well. Before every battle, they love to issue threats. They are flowers grown in a hothouse. Although their cultivation realms are high, they have little practical experience. In that regard, I am far more seasoned than he is.”
Liu Rouxue asked in surprise, “Brother Qi Yu, just now, I noticed that the spiritual energy in your sword was far denser than mine. Why is that?”
Qi Yu smiled and raised one hand. Milky-white spiritual force danced across his fingertips.
“Xue’er, look. This is not spiritual energy. It is spiritual force!”
Liu Rouxue was so astonished that she could not speak. “Brother Qi Yu, have you opened all nine of your meridian gates?”
Qi Yu nodded.
Liu Rouxue stared at him in disbelief. “That cannot be right. The Grand Elder said that one could only open the meridian gates after reaching the Profound Martial Realm. In the Profound Entry Realm, those meridians and gates are extremely fragile. Only after entering the Profound Martial Realm, when one’s constitution undergoes a transformation, do they become strong enough. I have opened only three so far.”
Qi Yu smiled. “It is actually possible to open them while still in the Profound Entry Realm. The risk is simply greater. In return, however, it provides tremendous benefits for future cultivation. It is much like killing an opponent above your own realm.”
“What I must do now is reach the limit of every realm I enter. Only after attaining the pinnacle of one realm will I advance to the next.”
“After all, sometimes moving too quickly is not necessarily a good thing.”
Liu Rouxue nodded, seeming to understand and yet not fully understand.
At that moment, a formidable pressure descended from the heavens. The two of them looked up simultaneously and saw an old man striding through the air, his face taut with fury!
“Qi Yu, you killed my grandson. I will make you pay with your blood!”
The old man’s face was filled with rage. Without another word, he struck toward Qi Yu with a palm!
Terrifying palm force sent waves of air surging outward, and the entire ground trembled.
Qi Yu moved Liu Rouxue behind him. With a hook of two fingers, he summoned the Cold Cicada Sword into his hand, and spiritual force poured into it in an instant.
A Single Sword Like a Startled Swan!
Blood-red radiance coiled around the tip of the Cold Cicada Sword as several yards of sword energy slashed toward the old man’s palm force.
The old man gave a contemptuous snort. “An ant! How presumptuous!”
Qi Yu was completely unable to withstand that palm. His fierce sword energy was nearly shredded to nothing by the palm force in an instant.
Qi Yu was driven backward. He felt as if the blow had shattered his chest, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
“Brother Qi Yu!” Liu Rouxue cried out anxiously and immediately tried to step forward, but Qi Yu caught her by the wrist.
Qi Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and activated his Sword Intent of Battle. In the space of a breath, an unyielding will to fight burst from his body and stirred around him.
The will to fight was born from the heart, boundless and inexhaustible!
The old man was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Qi Yu to retain the will to fight after taking one of his palms.
Holding the Cold Cicada Sword, Qi Yu stared fixedly at the old man. The will to fight coiled around him like raging waves, his aura surging forth and sweeping across the entire courtyard, causing the old man’s heart to tremble.
Page 2 of 3
“This child must not be allowed to live!”
Spiritual force gathered in the old man’s hand. He was actually a powerhouse of the Profound Venerable Realm!
“Hmph!”
Qi Yu snorted coldly. So what if his opponent was a Profound Venerable?
What he needed now was a stronger opponent to temper himself against. Only in this way could he awaken the inexhaustible Sword Intent of Battle within him.
The old man glared furiously at Qi Yu. “Brat, you are seeking your own death!”
As soon as his words fell, he struck once more with his palm!
Qi Yu was completely unafraid. He met the palm head-on, the Cold Cicada Sword ringing sharply in his hand.
The True Intent of the Soul-Devouring Sword Art—the fourth sword!
With the support of his boundless will to fight, the power of this sword more than doubled!
Slash! Slash!
The sky instantly dimmed, and it seemed that nothing remained between heaven and earth but a single streak of sword light!
Boom!
A tremendous explosion thundered through the air, and a figure was blasted away.
The old man was forced back several steps as well. He stared incredulously at the young man who had crashed into the ruins.
“How can such a young man possess such an unyielding will to fight? How can he be utterly unafraid of death?”
Qi Yu felt as though every bone in his body were about to shatter. Pain swept rapidly through him, but his heart held only one conviction:
Fight!
Qi Yu slowly rose to his feet and spat out another mouthful of blood, yet a faint smile hung at the corner of his lips.
During that clash, he had realized that the will to fight was the only ultimate power in this world.
After all, fear of a powerful opponent was instinctive. To dare to fight despite that fear was already to transcend the boundaries of the mortal world!
When the old man saw Qi Yu rise once more, his expression froze for an instant. The contempt on his face had long since vanished. He was bewildered. His cultivation was far deeper than Qi Yu’s—why was this young man not afraid?
Just then, several more figures came striding through the air. At their head was none other than Sect Master Chen Qingming!
Zhang Wentian immediately went to Qi Yu’s side to examine his injuries.
Chen Qingming shouted coldly, “Patriarch Zhen, you have attacked a disciple within my Sword Sect. Could it be that the Zhen family does not regard my Heavenly Dipper Sword Sect at all?”
It turned out that the old man was the Zhen family patriarch and Zhen Xingfan’s own grandfather. He had happened to pass through Canglan City when he received news of his grandson’s death. In a fit of rage, he had pursued Qi Yu to the Sword Sect to take revenge.
Hearing Chen Qingming’s words, Patriarch Zhen snorted coldly. “Chen Qingming, my Zhen family is a prominent clan of the Royal City. Let alone a minor sword sect such as yours—even the five great sects of the Great Yan Dynasty must show my Zhen family some respect!”
“My grandson came to your Sword Sect, which should have been your sect’s honor. Now that he has died here, you must give me a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, do not blame me for razing the Heavenly Dipper Sword Sect to the ground!”
Chen Qingming’s brows drew together. “You dare!”
Page 3 of 3