Ling Tian Sword God

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Hidden Dragon in the Abyss_1

These two men alone couldn’t possibly have such audacity. The person who originally injured him was a mysterious figure, and these two definitely knew something.

”The person behind the scenes? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sima Yin said, his expression shifting indeterminately.

”Even if you don’t talk, I have ways to find out. I’ll give you three breaths. Speak, or die.”

”One... two... three!”

Ling Chen couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries and started counting immediately. As he reached three, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he prepared to strike with his sword.

”Wait, I’ll talk!”

Seeing Ling Chen’s unwavering resolve, Sima Yin’s expression changed. Just as Ling Chen was about to bring his sword down, Sima Yin hastily stopped him.

”After I tell you, you cannot kill me. And I can only tell you this in private.”

Sima Yin looked conflicted for a moment before finally making his decision.

”If you tell the truth, I definitely won’t kill you.” Ling Chen nodded. Sima Yin is just small fry. The one behind him is likely the real conspirator, the mastermind behind the recent upheaval in the Divine Intent Sect.

Seeing Ling Chen nod, Sima Yin leaned in closer and whispered, ”Listen carefully, the person who ordered me was—”

WHOOSH!

In that instant, a streak of light shot out, viciously striking Sima Yin in the center of his back.

THUD!

Sima Yin’s eyes bulged as he collapsed, dead. A hidden weapon was embedded in his back, and the wound was already decaying—clear evidence the weapon was coated with a potent poison.

”Who?”

Ling Chen’s gaze snapped to the direction from which the hidden weapon had flown. There stood a young man in black, around seventeen or eighteen years old. The weapon had clearly come from him.

This black-clad young man was rather handsome, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips, as if mocking Ling Chen.

”It’s you, Yun Tianhe.” Ling Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. This person was no stranger to him. He was one of the four great prodigies of the Divine Intent Sect: Ling Chen of the East, Mu Yu of the West, Tianhe of the South, and Ling Feng of the North.

Yun Tianhe, one of these four prodigies, had also reached the Nine Heavy Realm in his Martial Arts cultivation.

”Why did you kill him? Afraid he’d spill something important?” Ling Chen stared at the black-clad young man. By killing Sima Yin at this precise moment, his motives were laid bare.

Any later, and I would have gotten the answers I wanted.

”Such a traitor, colluding with outsiders and betraying the sect—everyone has the right to eliminate him. Are you saying only you, Ling Chen, can kill him, and I can’t?” Yun Tianhe said with a smile.

”Then I suppose I should thank you,” Ling Chen said, his expression indifferent as he sheathed his sword. It no longer mattered whether Sima Yin spoke or not; he had found a new target. Yun Tianhe. This man was, in all likelihood, part of the same group as Sima Yin.

”You’re welcome,” Yun Tianhe replied with a smirk. ”I truly didn’t expect you to survive being thrown into the Soul-Burying Cliff. You’re quite lucky to be alive. However, I have some news for you: you’ve been stripped of your status as a True Disciple. Out of consideration for your father, you’ll be allowed to remain in the Divine Intent Sect, but only as an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple.”

”The Sect Leader isn’t here. Who has the authority to strip me of my status?” Ling Chen frowned.

”Sect Leader Ling is dead. This was a joint decision by Master Shentu and the Elderly Meeting.” Yun Tianhe scoffed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He deliberately leaned closer to Ling Chen’s ear and whispered, ”Ling Chen, times have changed. You’re no longer the Young Sect Master, no longer the number one prodigy of the Martial World. Now, you’re nothing but a stray dog.”

”If you dare to act arrogantly in front of me again, I can crush you with a single finger.”

”Crush me with one finger? Such arrogance,” Ling Chen retorted with a cold laugh. ”Right now, I admit I’m no match for you. So, how about a wager? In three months, we fight on the sect’s martial arts platform—a battle to the death. Do you dare accept?”

UPROAR!

His words stunned the entire assembly. All the disciples stared at Ling Chen in disbelief; no one had expected him to say such a thing.

He’s courting death! Even ten Ling Chens combined wouldn’t be a match for Yun Tianhe right now. Proposing a duel he has absolutely no chance of winning—isn’t that just asking to die?

”Heh, so you’re crippled, but your mouth is still tough. Fine, I’ll grant your wish. Three months from now, a duel to the death on the martial arts platform.”

A grim smile touched Yun Tianhe’s lips, murderous intent flashing briefly in his eyes. What can he possibly achieve in three months? Does he really think he can turn things around? Dream on!

Glancing at Ling Chen as if he were already a dead man, Yun Tianhe sneered, motioned to a few of his attendant disciples, and then turned to leave.

”That Ling Chen is already crippled. Senior Brother Yun, if he displeases you, why not just use some means to kill him?” one of the disciples beside Yun Tianhe whispered.

”Killing him now would be as easy as flipping my hand,” Yun Tianhe said, his eyes cold. ”But wouldn’t that be letting him off too easily? Isn’t it better to let him live, to slowly torment and humiliate him?”

”Senior Brother Yun is wise! Ling Chen was accustomed to being one of the Sons of Heaven, but now he’s become trash anyone can trample. He must be in utter misery, feeling that life is worse than death,” the disciple said with a fawning smile.

”Hmph, the real show has only just begun. In any case, he only has three more months to live.”

The coldness in Yun Tianhe’s eyes intensified. Previously, Ling Chen had always overshadowed me in everything. Young Sect Master, one of the Sons of Heaven—no matter how hard I tried, Ling Chen always wore the halo of being number one, always ahead of me. Now, I’ve finally turned the tables, and I can crush him underfoot! I’ll kill Ling Chen on the martial arts platform, in front of all the disciples of the Divine Intent Sect.

Seeing Yun Tianhe depart, the onlooking disciples also began to disperse. Not a single one approached Ling Chen to greet him; they knew that doing so now would mean offending Yun Tianhe. When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. In their eyes, Ling Chen’s time was over.

Yun Tianhe is extremely cunning and has already revealed his murderous intent towards me. I must regain my strength as soon as possible, or I’ll eventually fall prey to him, Ling Chen thought.

He paid no mind to the disciples’ attitudes. Such is human nature; I don’t blame them. What I need to consider now is how to increase my strength and protect my life. With my current Martial Arts Cultivation, I’m definitely not Yun Tianhe’s match. That’s why I deliberately proposed a three-month deadline for the duel. This way, Yun Tianhe won’t dare use any schemes against me during these three months, making me relatively safe.

「...」

Near dusk, Ling Chen returned to his former residence within the Divine Intent Sect, Wuchen Courtyard.

Wuchen Courtyard was renowned as a place of exceptional spiritual energy and beauty. Within the Divine Intent Sect, only True Disciples were qualified to reside in their own independent courtyards.

「That night, the stars shone brilliantly.」

Ling Chen gazed up at the endless night sky, lost in the vast expanse of stars, without uttering a word.

In the past, as the son of the Martial Arts Supreme and a Heavenly Pride, he never imagined he would be reduced to such a precarious existence, where his survival was uncertain from one day to the next. He hadn’t expected fate to take such a turn. However, the Ling Chen of today was a Great Perseverance Person. Having experienced life and death, he had long since seen through the myriad turns of fate, understanding them as merely different facets of human experience.

Only the weak indulge in the past. To unveil the conspiracy behind all this, I need sufficient strength, Ling Chen thought.

He shook off his melancholy, then drew the long sword from his waist. Channeling True Qi to his knees, he began to walk forward, step by step.

In the next moment, the execution forms of the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique appeared in his mind. He envisioned himself as a fierce yet graceful giant dragon, executing each strike with his full power, yet without losing its fluid rhythm.

Ling Chen had long since mastered the eighteen basic sword forms. With every swing, his True Qi flowed along with the movements, seeping into his muscles and blood, accelerating its fusion with his physical body.

The Dragon Seeking Sword Technique consisted of fifteen forms and was a King-level sword technique, making it exceptionally rare. Even in the Divine Intent Sect of old, King-level martial arts were considered sect-guarding treasures and were exceedingly precious.

If he could cultivate the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique to its fifteenth form, its power would be truly extraordinary.

The first form of the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique was ”Hidden Dragon in the Abyss.” This was the opening stance; only after mastering it could one be considered to have achieved basic proficiency.

The second and third forms were ”White Dragon Passing the Gap” and ”Seeking Dragon without Shadows,” respectively. The power of these first three forms was only within the realm of Human-level martial arts and wasn’t considered particularly strong. However, the further one progressed in cultivation, the greater the difficulty, especially from the eighth form onward, which was a significant turning point. Each subsequent form demanded a vast amount of time and energy. If not for this, the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique might have been comparable to Saint-level martial arts.

However difficult, Ling Chen had no intention of abandoning this swordsmanship. Compared to the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique, the sword arts he had cultivated before were utterly crude.

Dragon Seeking Sword Technique, first form: Hidden Dragon in the Abyss, he focused.

Ling Chen stepped forward, his footwork transitioning smoothly from slow to fast before he suddenly lunged, his sword slashing out.

The Destiny True Dragon lies dormant in the abyss; still, it is unassuming, but in motion, it is astounding.

Ling Chen quickly grasped the knack of this first form and began practicing it repeatedly until the last shred of his True Qi was exhausted. Only then did he wipe away his sweat, sit cross-legged on the ground, and begin to circulate the Ling Tian Sword Scripture to recover his spent True Qi.

The Heavenly Earth Energy, as if drawn by some unseen force, rapidly converged from all directions and poured into Ling Chen’s body.

In just half an hour, Ling Chen’s True Qi was completely restored, and it was even a fraction more vigorous than before.

As expected of the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, its True Qi recovery speed is incredible!

Although his current cultivation was still shallow and he didn’t possess much True Qi, the ability to fully recover it in just half an hour was ten times faster than an ordinary person. At this rate, Ling Chen’s cultivation speed would also far surpass that of ordinary people.

This way, Ling Chen would have ample time to practice the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique. Paired with the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, he wouldn’t need to worry about True Qi depletion at all. Moreover, while practicing his swordsmanship, his cultivation level could also improve—truly killing two birds with one stone.

After a full day, Ling Chen finally succeeded in cultivating the first form of the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique, ”Hidden Dragon in the Abyss.”

I’ve finally mastered it! A flicker of excitement showed in Ling Chen’s eyes. This is a King-level sword technique; its power is far beyond that of ordinary martial arts.

Even though he had only mastered the first form, Ling Chen was already eager to test its might.

In the depths of the courtyard stood a row of wooden posts used for martial arts practice. Ling Chen headed there to test the power of his swordsmanship.

Hidden Dragon in the Abyss!

Without hesitation, Ling Chen stepped forward and swung his sword. A surge of True Qi rushed from his waist to his arm and erupted from his wrist.

The strike was exceedingly sharp, and a faint dragon’s roar seemed to echo with it.

THWACK!

The sword blade embedded itself in a wooden post, sending splinters flying and leaving a deep gash.

Sheathing his sword, Ling Chen examined the wooden post. The gash left by the sword was perfectly smooth, without the slightest unevenness.

It cut three fen deep, Ling Chen noted, arching an eyebrow. The power of this strike seems to have fallen short of my expectations.

CRACK! SNAP!

Suddenly, strange sounds emanated from the wooden post. Fine cracks began to radiate from around the gash, spreading across more than half the post until, with a final CRACK, it completely disintegrated.

So that’s how it is! Ling Chen finally understood. The true power of ”Hidden Dragon in the Abyss” lay not in the initial slash, but in its potent delayed force.

Although he had mastered the first form, Ling Chen didn’t become overly complacent. His current cultivation level was less than a tenth of his former strength, and he didn’t have much time to bask in this joy.

However, Ling Chen was now brimming with confidence. Even mastering only the first form of the Dragon Seeking Sword Technique made it far stronger than any ordinary swordsmanship.

Now that I possess the Ling Tian Sword Scripture, given my current cultivation progress, returning to my former cultivation realm is only a matter of time.