Daqian Martial Saint

”Profound Light Penetrating Objects! Armor Unlost! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! No...!”

Amidst his shock and disbelief, Gu Wu’s body was utterly consumed by the light of the blade.

He had always believed he had hidden his true strength well enough, that he possessed the capital to look down on the masses. He was certain that one day, even those so-called Absolute Masters would be trampled under his feet!

Dazzling talent in the Martial Dao, entry into the Profound Light Realm at a young age, the inheritance of a Divine Skill, held in high esteem by the Celestial Net Sect, a candidate for the position of Elder...

With so many accolades to his name, he had always held himself in high regard. Across all of Canglong Province, few in his generation were even worthy of his notice.

But today, all his pride had been utterly shattered. He had witnessed a true prodigy of the Martial Dao! No, a peerless one!

Not yet twenty-one, and already he had achieved Ascension to the Profound Light High Realm, joining the ranks of Absolute Masters!

If he remembered correctly... even Gu Qingcheng, number one on the Rising Star Chart, had likely not yet reached the Profound Light High Realm.

’A prodigy like this... why has no one ever heard of him? He hid his strength... so very well!’

WHUMP!

As a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind, Gu Wu’s body exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist that vanished amidst the flying debris and dust.

After the single slash, the mountain forest gradually grew quiet again. But the surrounding shattered trees, rocks, and grass were a testament to the incomparable power of that one strike.

Chen Ping’an stood tall as a pine, slowly sheathing his blade.

Unlike the attack he’d launched in the underground palace, which was powered by his cultivation at the Third Stage of Inner Qi Perfection, he had held nothing back just now. It was the first time he had unleashed all of his True Qi so wantonly since breaking through to the Profound Light High Realm.

In his final, desperate counterattack, Soul-Breaking Spear Gu Wu had unleashed power far exceeding that of an ordinary cultivator at the Profound Light Middle Realm. However, in the face of absolute strength, all of his struggles were futile.

There was a reason those in the Profound Light High Realm were called Absolute Masters. The power it granted was a world apart from the realms below it.

The slash was clean and decisive, with no wasted motion.

With a single slash, Soul-Breaking Spear Gu Wu was dead!

”Nice spear.”

Chen Ping’an looked at the Cold Iron Long Spear lying on the ground. In a single motion, he had it in his hand.

Since Soul-Breaking Spear Gu Wu had used this Cold Iron Long Spear as his primary weapon, it was, of course, a Genuine Treasure Artifact.

Aside from the Cold Iron Long Spear, nothing remained of Gu Wu. The force of Chen Ping’an’s attack had not only consumed the man himself, but also obliterated everything he carried. Like Gu Wu, all his possessions had been reduced to dust.

”What a pity...” Chen Ping’an shook his head.

He didn’t dwell on it, though. ’Anything that could be so utterly destroyed by the light of my blade probably wasn’t that valuable to begin with.’

What he truly coveted was the Divine Skill Gu Wu had been cultivating: the Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear.

Gu Wu had only been at the Initial Realm of Profound Light—and newly ascended at that—yet with the Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear, he had managed to briefly unleash power surpassing even an average cultivator at the Profound Light Middle Realm!

’Truly not to be underestimated!’

In contrast to the well-rounded Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, which balanced both offense and defense, the Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear was undoubtedly far more lethal.

’If I could cultivate the Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear and push it to the Perfection Realm, then...’

’With this spear technique’s terrifying Power of Slaughter, I could probably defeat a Jade Balance Grandmaster even while I’m still in the realm of Absolute Masters!’

But that was just wishful thinking.

The Seven Extremes Soul-Breaking Spear Technique was an Inheritance Divine Skill of the Celestial Net Sect. The original manual recording its core concepts would never have been carried on Gu Wu’s person.

After dealing with Gu Wu, Chen Ping’an turned his attention to Sheng Yanshan. The man was already long dead.

Chen Ping’an coated his hands in True Qi and searched the body. Aside from some silver taels and Healing Elixirs, he found nothing of value.

In truth, Sheng Yanshan had possessed two very valuable items. The first was his Treasure Armor. Unfortunately, after taking a direct hit from Yin Tribulation Sword—a cultivator at the Profound Light Middle Realm—and then being pierced through by Gu Wu, it was now in tatters and had lost most of its value.

The other was his Exotic Weapon, the Blood Drop.

The Blood Drop had been specially forged and modified, making it a true Genuine Treasure Artifact of considerable value.

However, the Blood Drop was far too distinctive, and he had given chase under the watchful eyes of Zhao Zhiteng and the others. Furthermore, he needed to claim credit for killing Gu Wu, and he would require the Qiankun Bureau’s assistance later on. For those reasons, he couldn’t possibly take the Genuine Treasure Artifact.

Sheng Yanshan had actually been quite wealthy for someone at the Initial Realm of Profound Light. Normally, cultivators at his level would only possess a single Treasure Artifact, usually an inferior one. Owning a Genuine Treasure Artifact was already quite impressive.

To say nothing of someone like Sheng Yanshan, who possessed two Treasure Artifacts: one genuine and one inferior.

’No wonder people still want to join a faction even after reaching the Profound Light Realm,’ he thought. ’With a faction’s backing, one’s resources are far more abundant than any ordinary Loose Cultivator’s!’

Of course, not every expert who joined a faction was guaranteed to be better off than a Loose Cultivator.

Joining a faction was like relying on a platform, allowing for steady accumulation with guaranteed returns. Perform well, and you could earn even more rewards.

Being a Loose Cultivator, on the other hand, was like starting your own business. You had to fight for everything yourself. You might starve one day and strike it rich the next, with a single score sustaining you for half a year.

In the end, the success one achieved in either path depended on personal ability and opportunity.

Furthermore, the quality and scale of the platform also determined the limits of one’s gains and accumulation.

”Two Treasure Artifacts... he was quite wealthy,” Chen Ping’an mused, looking at Sheng Yanshan’s corpse. In the end, he decided not to take anything.

Sheng Yanshan was a Two-Seal Qiankun Guard. With him dead here, the Qiankun Bureau was certain to conduct a thorough investigation.

’In any case, there’s no great profit to be made here. It’s better not to take these leftover scraps. I don’t want to gain a pittance only to attract a mountain of trouble.’

’I must not be penny-wise and pound-foolish.’

Sheng Yanshan’s death had little to do with him. As long as he took nothing, he would remain in the clear, no matter how carefully the Qiankun Bureau investigated.

Chen Ping’an slung the Cold Iron Long Spear onto his back. Facing southeast, a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

”Next up, Yin Tribulation Sword.”

That slash back in the underground palace hadn’t been without reason. He had known it wouldn’t pose a serious threat to Yin Tribulation Sword; it was like a mere scratch.

The true purpose of that attack was to use the blinding light of the blade as cover to leave something on Yin Tribulation Sword.

Tracking Powder!

It was a useful little item he had acquired from the Mountain Elder along with the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill.

The Tracking Powder came in two parts: gold and silver. The silver powder was colorless and odorless, making it almost impossible to detect when sprinkled on a target.

Within a certain time frame and range, one could use the gold powder to detect the unique scent of the silver powder, thereby locking onto the target’s location.

The ingredients for the Tracking Powder were rare and the crafting process was incredibly complex. As a result, it was seldom seen on the market, and most people had never even heard of it.

’Profound Light Middle Realm! I hope the loot I get from you will be satisfying!’

Chen Ping’an’s gaze sharpened, and his figure flashed away, heading southeast.

This time, his speed was more than double what it had been on his way here.