Urban Martial Saint

It was after eleven at night when Cui Yu and the others, who had gone out to search for the Netherworld Scholar, had finally returned, having at last found him. Despite the Netherworld Scholar’s reluctance, the group forcibly brought him back.

When the Netherworld Scholar returned, Ye Qing, Cui Yulong, and Old Wang Ba were casually chatting in the living room. The Scholar, already in a foul mood, halted in surprise upon seeing Ye Qing, then roared in rage and charged straight at him.

”What are you doing!” Cui Yu hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was too late. As for the others, they were too far away to lend any assistance.

Cui Yulong was sitting beside Ye Qing but had no intention of intervening. Ye Qing, however, remained calm. As the Netherworld Scholar neared, Ye Qing leaped up, grabbing the Seven-Star Ancient Sword from the table and drawing it from its scabbard in a fluid motion. A crisp dragon’s roar sounded as the Ancient Sword glinted with cold light, sweeping towards the Netherworld Scholar.

The Netherworld Scholar, having underestimated Ye Qing’s strength and believing he had a firm grasp over him, was caught off guard. Realizing the peril, he dared not charge any further and kicked off the adjacent wall to spring backward, attempting to dodge the strike of the Ancient Sword.

Even with his agile response, it was too late. The distance between him and Ye Qing was too short, and the reach of the Ancient Sword was wide. The cold light ensnared the Netherworld Scholar, who let out a muffled grunt as blood spattered on the floor, his shoulder and back sliced open.

This was the result of the Netherworld Scholar’s prompt evasion. Had he been even a hair slower, an entire arm might have been severed. Clutching his wounded shoulder, he looked at Ye Qing in shock and fear, the anger on his face mingling with panic, unable to comprehend how Ye Qing’s power had surged so unexpectedly!

Not only him but everyone else in the room was equally astonished. This was especially true for Demon Queen He Qinghua, Cui Yu, and the others who knew Ye Qing’s capabilities well. With Ye Qing’s strength, matching a master like the Netherworld Scholar in combat seemed utterly impossible. How then, had the Scholar suffered a setback?

Cui Yu’s perception was sharper. Noticing the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in Ye Qing’s hand, he immediately understood part of the situation. As one of the Ten Famous Swords, capable of withstanding the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, the Ancient Sword’s prowess was undeniable. It made sense that Ye Qing’s strength would increase with the sword in his grasp. However, he was still profoundly astonished by the sudden burst of cold light.

The Seven-Star Ancient Sword had not shown such might when it was with Shen Anming, and Ye Qing was incapable of an Internal Energy Release, so how could he possibly unleash the full power of the Ancient Sword?

Ghost King Li Ruoyuan furrowed his brows, having noticed the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in Ye Qing’s hands. He felt a mixture of shock and envy. He had long wanted to obtain the Ancient Sword from Cui Yulong after it was taken, but he was well aware that he had no relationship with Cui Yulong that could compel the latter to give him the sword. He had thought Cui Yulong would give it to Cui Yu, but never expected that Cui Yulong would end up bestowing it upon Ye Qing!

After a moment of shock, the Netherworld Scholar sensed something was amiss and, clenching his teeth, turned to Cui Yulong. In a deep voice, he said, ”Old Cui the Second, you gave the Seven-Star Ancient Sword to him?”

Cui Yulong, calmly sipping tea, replied leisurely, ”What, is there a problem with that?”

”You... You’re doing this to oppose me on purpose, aren’t you!” The Netherworld Scholar gritted his teeth in anger. ”You know full well I have a feud with him and yet you gave him the Seven-Star Ancient Sword. What exactly are you implying?”

”Is the Seven-Star Ancient Sword yours?” Cui Yulong calmly retorted.

Biting his teeth, the Netherworld Scholar said, ”No, it’s not!”

”Well, there you have it!” Cui Yulong shrugged. ”If the Seven-Star Ancient Sword isn’t yours, why should you care whom I give it to? Your feud with him is your own business. Me giving him the sword is a matter between him and me. I’ve not meddled in your affairs, so what right do you have to meddle in mine?”

”You...” Furious, the Netherworld Scholar said, ”Cui Yulong, we may have had our differences, but at the end of the day, we’re both from the Killing Gate. Helping an outsider against me, that’s a violation of our sect rules!”

”Xia Jiuyou, listen well!” Cui Yulong stood up, looking at the Netherworld Scholar with cold eyes. ”If I were truly helping him against you, you wouldn’t even be standing here talking. Don’t bring up sect rules with me. If we were to talk about rules, when the Shen Family was about to make their move, you had no intention of coming back to help. That is a true violation of our rules. If anyone is to be held accountable, you’d be the first!”

Mouth agape, the Netherworld Scholar found himself speechless and unable to counter. Burning with anger, he glanced at Ye Qing, then turned his gaze back to Cui Yulong and spat out, ”Old Cui the Second, you’re ruthless. Humph, even with the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, what can he do? I will surely kill him!”

Unconcerned, Cui Yulong turned back to his seat while Ye Qing, eyes cold, said to the Netherworld Scholar, ”You should thank Cui the Second. If he hadn’t interjected to have me temporarily stay my hand, I would have surely killed you.”

”You kill me!?” The Netherworld Scholar suddenly burst into loud laughter. ”On what grounds would you kill me? Just because of that Seven-Star Ancient Sword? Hahaha, this truly is the most ridiculous joke I’ve heard in my lifetime!”

With an indifferent expression, Ye Qing responded, ”Keep laughing. I want to see how long you can keep it up. Once your Killing Gate’s conflict with the Shen Family is over, I’ll be the first to kill you and avenge my brother!”

The Netherworld Scholar sneered, ”Boy, if you live to see the end of the Killing Gate’s business with the Shen Family outside, it would mean I, the Netherworld Scholar, am without skill!”

”Alright, you two stop arguing!” Cui Yu interrupted them, speaking in a stern tone, ”The Shen Family will be upon us shortly. Brother Ye, I’m afraid the tea house won’t be able to accommodate you for the time being!”

Cui Yu had issued an eviction order, which was actually for Ye Qing’s own good. The conflict between Sha Men and the Shen Family was bound to escalate, and he did not want to involve Ye Qing in it.

Ye Qing had also agreed to Huangfu Ziyu not to intervene in the conflict between Sha Men and the Shen Family. He cupped his hands in salute to both Cui Yu and Cui Yulong as a farewell, then left the teahouse with Old Wang Ba.

The Netherworld Scholar watched Ye Qing walk away with cold eyes and an even icier expression, grinding his teeth as he said, ”I’d like to see how long you can survive!”

After saying that, he turned to glare at Cui Yulong and said, ”It was you, Old Cui the Second, who just said, that what happens between him and me has nothing to do with you. Fine, I’ll remember these words. If I decide to kill him one day, you’d better not get in the way!”

Cui Yulong smiled faintly and said, ”Do you think you can kill him?”

Cui Yulong would not have dared to say such a thing before, but after witnessing the power of the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in Ye Qing’s hands, he was certain that the Netherworld Scholar was simply not capable of killing Ye Qing.

Provoked by Cui Yulong’s retort, the Netherworld Scholar became furious, bellowing, ”What is he! I could kill him with a single finger. To not kill him, what a joke!”

Cui Yulong smiled noncommittally, while Cui Yu said in a stern voice, ”Netherworld Scholar, the people from the Shen Family will soon enter Shenchuan City. Our feud with the Shen Family is about to be settled. During this time, don’t cause any more trouble; we must prioritize the more important matters!”

”Rest assured!” the Netherworld Scholar replied coldly. ”I know what I’m doing. Hmph, it doesn’t matter how many people from the Shen Family come; they’re all going to die in Shenchuan City!”

The people of Sha Men all shared the same sentiment; they were determined to eliminate the members of the Shen Family, who, after all, had shown no mercy to them in the past. How could they possibly show any courtesy to the Shen Family now?

It was not long before the Right Protector Blood-Sealed Throat returned to join the others in discussing how to deal with the Shen Family.

”Actually, you shouldn’t have let that Ye Qing go!” the Right Protector had barely started speaking when Ghost King Li Ruoyuan suddenly addressed Cui Yu, ”The Seven-Star Ancient Sword was seized from the Shen Family by our people of Sha Men. Now that he has taken the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, shouldn’t he do something for Sha Men?”

All eyes shifted to Li Ruoyuan as Demon Queen He Qinghua was the first to react, saying, ”Old Ghost Li, you’ve finally said something sensible!”

The Netherworld Scholar also furrowed his brows, giving Cui Yulong a cold look as he said, ”That’s right. With the Seven-Star Ancient Sword in our hands, we would have a greater advantage against the Shen Family. Old Cui the Second, you gave the Ancient Sword to someone else, and of course, that’s none of my business. But in dealing with such an important matter against the Shen Family, having the Ancient Sword would certainly be more beneficial to us. Now that you’ve given it to someone else, shouldn’t he help us against the Shen Family?”

”What you’ve said is correct!” Black Asura agreed with a nod, actually also desiring to take the Seven-Star Ancient Sword for himself. Now that it was in Ye Qing’s hands, he was very displeased.

Cui Yu frowned, knowing these people were merely looking for an issue to raise. But the crux of the problem was that the Right Protector was listening in, making matters somewhat troublesome.

”What’s the problem with the Seven-Star Ancient Sword?” the Right Protector, not yet informed of the situation, asked in surprise.

Without delay, the Netherworld Scholar relayed what had just happened to the Right Protector, embellishing the story. After hearing this, the Right Protector’s eyebrows knitted together as he gave Cui Yulong a cold stare.

Cui Yulong, however, maintained his composure, leisurely sipping his tea and paying no attention to what the others were saying.

”Ghost-faced Judge, what exactly is going on?” the Right Protector demanded in a stern voice.

Before Cui Yu could speak, Cui Yulong said coldly, ”This was my decision, why ask him?”

”So you want to explain the situation?” Right Protector continued, eyeing Cui Yulong, ”Well then, explain yourself!”

”As I said earlier, the Seven-Star Ancient Sword is my possession, and it’s my business whom I give it to. It’s not your place to interfere!” Cui Yulong swept his cold gaze over the crowd and continued, ”If you disagree with my decision, feel free to challenge me. If you dare not fight me, then keep your mouths shut!”

In the past, when Cui Yulong was with Sha Men, he was often bullied by the members of the Killing Gate Seven Hidden, so he had no courtesy for these individuals. Ghost King, Demon Queen, and the others immediately hung their heads, not daring to meet Cui Yulong’s gaze because they were well aware of his strength.