NOVPUBSu Changkong made his way toward the inn.
"Please, have a seat," said a man dressed as a waiter enthusiastically.
"The specialty dishes of your establishment, bring one of each," Su Changkong ordered straightforwardly.
"Alright, please wait for a moment!" the waiter responded and went off to prepare.
Su Changkong quietly sat in a corner, listening to the conversations of other guests in the inn.
"Brother Liu, your martial arts progress is commendable. It might not be long before you can reach the Qi Blood Twelve Transformation, ascend to the Innate Realm with the help of Innate Qi, and then you might have the chance to join the Hanging Sword Sect!"
At a nearby table, two men dressed as martial artists were drinking. One of them, dressed in black, was flattering the other.
The other man, dressed in blue, just shook his head and laughed, "The Hanging Sword Sect has Saint Warriors ruling over it. They set very strict conditions for recruiting disciples... If we really could enter the Hanging Sword Sect, that would indeed promise limitless prospects. Drink up! Drink up!"
Their conversation made Su Changkong sigh slightly; in the Great Flame Empire, ordinary Innate Martial Artists couldn’t even catch a glimpse of a Saint Warrior.
And yet, here in this small town, there were martial artists determined to join a sect that had Saint Warriors in charge.
In the Ancient Holy Country, though Saint Warriors were not found just anywhere, there were indeed many more than there were in nine other nations combined.
Its vast lands, large population, and rich resources formed a considerable base that gave birth to figures like the Nine Great Ancient Sages!
"Please enjoy your meal," the waiter said.
Suddenly, the dishes Su Changkong ordered were brought to the table.
There was rice and meat—Su Changkong picked up a scoop of rice with bright and translucent grains, which belonged to the category of Spirit Grass that grew in places full of Spiritual Energy—in the Great Flame Empire, only sect disciples were privileged to enjoy such food!
Su Changkong discreetly enjoyed the delicious meal.
"Hmm?"
But suddenly, Su Changkong frowned and looked up at the sky, sensing intense fluctuations of Spiritual Energy from afar. These fluctuations... were from Saint Warriors clashing, and it seemed like one was chasing the other, rapidly approaching the airspace above this small town.
A thousand miles from the town, in the sky, two groups pursued one another. The pursuers consisted of three men, while the ones being chased were a man and a woman.
The burly man in brown laughed heartily, "Are the martial artists of the Sky River Sect all mice? You’re really good at running!"
The young man in blue being chased responded with anger, "Qiao Mingyan, you indiscriminate killer! How dare you strike us—you’re not afraid that the Sky River Sect will seek revenge?"
A fierce light flashed in Qiao Mingyan’s eyes, the man in brown. Born ordinary, he accidentally acquired a Divine Seed and, after a hundred years, finally used it to enter the Saint stage.
However, by relying on the Divine Seed to become a Saint Warrior, he was nearly at the bottom of the hierarchy among his peers. Major sects wouldn’t accept disciples like him who lacked potential; after all, cultivating such disciples who ascended through Divine Seeds often led nowhere and just wasted resources!
To continue his cultivation and get stronger, Qiao Mingyan strayed onto the wrong path, practicing Demonic Techniques and seizing by force. He gathered two other Saint Warriors who had experiences similar to his, and today, he had set his sights on two ’fat sheep’—martial artists from the ’Sky River Sect.’
Disciples from a major sect were usually very wealthy, so killing them would indeed yield great loot!
Was he worried about retaliation from the two’s sect? Dead men tell no tales. If it came to it, he would just leave this Dusty Sun Region!
"Wind rises!"
Among the three pursuers of Qiao Mingyan, a man with a scar on his face activated a Demonic Technique, generating a hurricane that enveloped them, instantly increasing their speed, and rapidly closing the distance between the two sides.
"Junior Sister, you escape first; I’ll hold them off!" The young man in blue noticed the approach of their opponents, clenched his teeth fiercely, and transmitted his voice to another young girl in green.
"Senior Brother Xu!" The girl in green exclaimed in alarm.
The young man in blue turned around to face the three pursuers directly. At the same time, his aura climbed continuously, rapidly gathering Spiritual Energy from the heavens and the earth.
"Be careful, this kid has refined a Divine Seed! His aura has reached the second layer of the Entering Saint realm!"
Qiao Mingyan immediately transmitted his insights to his two companions, recognizing that the young man in blue had refined a Divine Seed.
Blighting his own future, but faced with these three fierce foes, the young man in blue had no choice but to fight desperately, elevating his strength to its utmost limit!
In the hands of the young man in blue, the Divine Sword created a tremendous wave of Sword Qi, astonishingly majestic.
"Then let’s give you a taste of Old Man’s ’White Bone Demon Blade’!"
Qiao Mingyan wielded a White Bone Long Blade, resisting head-on, while his other two comrades also unleashed Demonic Techniques, flanking from the sides, encircling one against three!
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The collision of blades resonated for hundreds of miles, the continuous echoes of sword cries and blade howls ringing in the air.
If it were a one-on-one fight, the young man in blue, who came from a great sect and had forcibly elevated his strength to the second layer of the Entering Saint realm by refining a Divine Seed, would undoubtedly be above Qiao Mingyan, but Qiao had two additional helpers.
The man with the scar exploited his Demonic Technique, the windstorms of the heavens and earth roared wildly as they savagely assaulted the young man in blue, while another man in yellow, his Divine Seed trembling within, repeatedly hurled fist-sized, but mountainously heavy water spheres from the sky at the young man in blue.
The young man in blue faced three opponents alone, barely moments passing before he was left only with the capability to defend himself, his Longsword whirling like a hurricane, forming a screen of blades, the bones of his sword-bearing hand emitting moans of being overburdened.
As for the young girl in green, she was anxious. She had just entered the Saint realm not two years ago, her body’s Divine Seed and Divine Patterns were sparse, making it impossible for her to join the intense battle.
"Run now!"
The young man in blue shouted in anxiety.
"Senior Brother Xu... If we are to die, we die together!"
Ultimately, the young girl in green clenched her teeth and, instead of seizing the opportunity to escape, joined the fray.
"Hahaha! Truly heartfelt! I’ve always been kind-hearted, so I’ll let you die together!"
The robust man in brown laughed heartily, his White Bone Long Blade ignited with pitch-black flames, and even the void was filled with wailing souls, his attack becoming fiercer. Adding a newly entered Saint like the young girl in green changed no aspect of the conflict and merely prolonged the inevitable. 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
"That woman could be spared for the time being…" The other two also sneered relentlessly.
Just then, a sudden alarm surged in the robust man in brown, Qiao Mingyan’s, mind.
A streak of golden thread broke through the air, unstoppable, directly aiming for his forehead!
Qiao Mingyan reacted very quickly, using the flat side of his White Bone Long Blade to block the incoming golden thread.
This White Bone Elder was forged from the essence of countless human and beast bones, and with the support of the Demonic Technique from his Divine Seed, its power was comparable to ordinary Divine Artifacts!
"Hiss!"
However, with a flash of golden light, the seemingly inconspicuous golden thread silently pierced through the White Bone Long Blade, like tearing through a sheet of paper, continuing unabated from his forehead and exiting the back of his head!
"How… could this be?" Qiao Mingyan’s eyes bulged in disbelief. What kind of Divine Artifact or Demonic Technique was this golden thread that tore through his weapon and killed him in a single encounter?
