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Chapter 147: Chapter 147 Ling Xuan Apologizes
"Dead already?"
Luo Cheng looked at Lin Laoda’s corpse, slightly surprised.
To think that Lin Laoda, who had slaughtered more than a dozen Sixth Layer Transcendence Realm martial artists and was reputed to have never suffered a defeat in the Transcendence Realm, would fall so easily!
Luo Cheng had believed that killing this opponent would require a prolonged battle—he had even considered having to use his Essence Energy.
Yet to his amazement, victory came effortlessly!
Just two or three moves, and Lin Laoda was decapitated!
"It seems I’ve still underestimated my own strength."
Luo Cheng murmured to himself.
Lin Laoda’s ability to easily defeat Guo Qing and Ji Rou proved that his prowess was anything but ordinary!
Ordinary Sixth Layer Transcendence Realm martial artists who encountered Lin Laoda only faced certain doom!
But unfortunately for Lin Laoda, his opponent was Luo Cheng.
The moment Luo Cheng decided to strike, Lin Laoda’s fate was sealed.
This was the weight of absolute power!
At present, Luo Cheng possessed the strength of ninety-nine thousand jin, had mastered the Five-star Body Technique "Mysterious Shadow Step," and had reached the High-level Sword Heart in Sword Dao. His overall attributes placed him at the pinnacle within the ranks of Transcendence Realm martial artists!
Even without utilizing Essence Energy, killing Lin Laoda was merely a matter of two or three moves!
Had Luo Cheng employed Essence Energy, the result would have been an instant kill—absolutely no other outcome!
The chilling wind howled.
Those who witnessed the corpses of the Lin brothers stood with mouths wide agape, eyes fixed in disbelief.
Even Guo Qing and Ji Rou were stunned.
They knew Luo Cheng was formidable, but they hadn’t imagined he was this strong!
A sword flashed, and a head fell!
Just two strikes reduced the once-indomitable Lin Laoda to a headless corpse.
This was nothing short of utter domination!
What terrified them even more was the fact that Luo Cheng was merely at the Fifth Layer of the Transcendence Realm!
"Such a decisive sword technique—it’s likely his name will soon reverberate across the Great Yue Dynasty!"
The usually reserved Ji Rou sighed softly.
Guo Qing nodded slightly, "At such a young age, he’s attained a Sword Dao Realm of High-level Sword Heart. In him, I see the shadow of Senior Sister Yan Qingshuang."
Anyone overhearing Guo Qing’s words would surely be struck speechless in astonishment.
Yan Qingshuang was the undisputed genius of the Luoxia Sect’s Outer Sect, possessing the Nine-star Sword Martial Soul. Before the age of eighteen, her Sword Dao Realm had already reached Human Sword Integration, earning her recognition as the most promising young Sword Dao talent in the Luoxia Sect to master Sword Intent!
No one would dare compare an ordinary Outer Disciple to Yan Qingshuang.
Such comparisons were an affront to prodigious talent, as the two were worlds apart!
Yet when Guo Qing likened Luo Cheng to Yan Qingshuang, Ji Rou didn’t refute the notion; instead, she wholeheartedly agreed.
At that moment, Ling Xuan snapped back to her senses. After hesitating briefly, she dismounted, stepped forward, and offered Luo Cheng a slight bow, her voice soft:
"Mr. Luo, thank you for rescuing us..."
Sheathing the Meteor Sword, Luo Cheng spoke indifferently, "There’s no need for thanks—I acted on a whim, nothing more."
Ling Xuan’s face showed traces of embarrassment. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze:
"Mr. Luo, my earlier actions were born of ignorance and were deeply offensive. If possible, I would like to ask you to remain with the caravan..."
"Oh? Do I appear so easily persuaded—called upon at your command and dismissed just as swiftly?"
Luo Cheng chuckled coldly.
What a joke!
Previously, Ling Xuan had arrogantly ordered him to leave the caravan, and now, with just a few words, she hoped to bring him back? As if it were that simple.
Besides, staying with the caravan would hinder his cultivation.
Ling Xuan’s face burned red with shame. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a loss for words.
It was she who had pushed Luo Cheng out of the caravan earlier. Uttering those words now, she had fully prepared herself to face humiliation. Yet, deep down, she couldn’t help but feel aggrieved, her eyes welling up with redness.
As the Young Miss of the Ling Family, she had grown up in Wushi City wielding unquestionable authority. She had never once been openly refused.
But her pride was meaningless in the face of absolute strength disparities!
In the presence of a true talent from the sect, neither she nor the entire Ling Family amounted to anything.
The air hung heavy in silence.
Seeing Luo Cheng’s resolute attitude, Ling Xuan understood that further insistence would only lead to humiliation. She suppressed her indignation and took out a stack of Gold Notes, saying:
"Mr. Luo, I deeply regret my earlier actions. Regardless, you saved us. Please accept this. I will also ensure the mission record reflects your contribution."
The Gold Notes totaled 1,800,000 taels—the reward for completing the escort mission.
Without saying much, Luo Cheng accepted the Gold Notes directly.
It was his due, after all—the only difference lay in whether he chose to accept it or not.
Seeing Luo Cheng take the notes, Ling Xuan heaved a faint sigh of relief.
Although she lost the chance to forge ties with a genius from the sect, at least she avoided animosity.
After a brief rest, Ling Xuan promptly ordered the caravan to resume its journey.
After the recent upheaval, her sole desire was to reach Linguan City as quickly as possible.
Watching the caravan depart, Luo Cheng walked over to Lin brothers’ corpses.
The brothers had roamed the martial world for so long—they must have carried considerable wealth.
After thoroughly searching both bodies, Luo Cheng was surprised.
The combined Gold Notes on them amounted to less than 2,000,000 taels.
"How could they be so poor? Those two were top-tier Sixth Layer Transcendence Realm martial artists, yet their wealth is this meager..."
Frowning slightly, Luo Cheng emptied out all of their belongings.
Aside from the Gold Notes, there were several porcelain bottles and miscellaneous items.
"Oh? This is Bright Essence Pill!"
Opening one porcelain bottle, Luo Cheng’s eyes sparkled.
Inside were two vibrant green Spirit Pills.
The Bright Essence Pill was a Four-star Spiritual Medicine capable of harmonizing a martial artist’s spirit and flesh, enhancing physical resilience. If taken while attempting a breakthrough to the Third Stage of Tongxuan Realm, it could also increase the success rate, making it exceedingly valuable—each pill worth millions of taels.
"This was likely Lin Laoda’s preparation for his breakthrough to Third Stage Tongxuan. Well, I suppose it’s my gain now."
Luo Cheng’s lips curled into a smile.
Having used up most of his spiritual medicines and pills during recent cultivation, the discovery was timely.
Aside from the Bright Essence Pills, the remaining items were minor valuables. However, a fragmentary beast hide caught Luo Cheng’s attention.
"This seems to be a map..."
The beast hide was crafted from an unknown material, heavily damaged, with faint markings of a crescent-shaped peak and a starlit sky design, along with a mapped route and several marked red points.
Unable to discern the significance, Luo Cheng dismissed further thought and stowed it away into the Lingxiao Jade Token along with the Lin brothers’ severed heads.
Eliminating the Lin brothers was a Two-star top mission. Their heads would fetch two hundred and eighty Essence Energy Pills—equal to 2,800,000 taels—quite a substantial sum.
After properly storing everything, Luo Cheng began the process of Martial Soul devouring.
The Lin brothers’ Martial Soul grades weren’t low: one possessed a Four-star Martial Soul, the other a Five-star Martial Soul.
After refining their Martial Souls, Luo Cheng noticed no change in his strength—it remained at ninety-nine thousand jin.
"I must have reached the limit. Once I complete the mission to eliminate the Linguan City bandits, I’ll return to the sect and enter seclusion to attempt a breakthrough into Golden Body Realm!"
Luo Cheng knew his physical body had reached its maxed-out state—further improvement was unlikely.
This was akin to what his master, Chen Xuan, had said. The bottle was full; to pour more inside, the bottle itself must transform!
With the thought lingering in his mind, Luo Cheng mounted his horse and followed the tracks left by the caravan.
