Ling Tian Sword God

The Void Emperor’s royal decree truly lives up to its status as an ancient artifact. The martial arts within it are indeed unparalleled in this world.

Shentu Yan felt extremely pleased. If it hadn’t been for the martial arts he cultivated from this Void Emperor’s royal decree, he would never have become so powerful, let alone possess the horrifying ability to absorb others’ power.

”Die, Black Market Master!”

As his Black Eagle drew closer to the Black Market Master, Shentu Yan abruptly leaped from his mount, landing on the Black Market Master’s Exotic Beast.

”Damn it! If you want to kill me, I’ll make you pay the price!”

The Black Market Master was, after all, a formidable figure deeply rooted in the Martial World. His strength placed him in the top echelon. Now cornered, a trace of ruthless determination surged from within him.

Shentu Yan hardly took the Black Market Master seriously. If the latter could have done anything to him, he wouldn’t have been driven to this state.

His palm suddenly shot out. Between his fingers, a corrosive blackness emerged, grasping for the Black Market Master’s throat.

”Despair Flying Dagger!”

The Black Market Master roared, abruptly firing a Heavenly Remnant Flying Dagger from his sleeve.

The Heavenly Remnant Flying Dagger was imbued with the Black Market Master’s desperate strength. Drawing on his despair, the Black Market Master converted it into power, making this Flying Dagger twice as potent as usual.

Damn it!

It was too late for Shentu Yan to retract his hand. He directly summoned a small shield from his ring to protect himself, while his right hand still relentlessly shot towards the Black Market Master’s throat.

CRACK!

The small shield was pierced by the Flying Dagger, which then struck Shentu Yan’s body. But at the same time, Shentu Yan’s hand pierced through the Black Market Master’s throat.

SPURT!

Shentu Yan spat out a mouthful of black blood. His injuries were severe. The Despair Flying Dagger was venomous. It had gone straight through his lungs, nearly killing him.

This guy actually had such a trick up his sleeve.

Shentu Yan’s face turned somewhat unsightly. The wound caused by the Flying Dagger was not light, and it seemed that for a while, he wouldn’t be able to use his True Qi.

Looks like my plans need to be delayed.

Shentu Yan estimated that he would need some time to heal. Besides, absorbing the Black Market Master’s True Qi would also take some time. It seemed his next steps would have to be postponed.

What’s destined to be mine will always be mine. There is no need to rush.

Shentu Yan cracked a smile. He then activated his True Qi, absorbed all the power from the Black Market Master, and finally, flung the latter’s corpse away.

After doing all this, Shentu Yan finally left the desolate mountain.

「Soon afterwards, Ling Chen and Liu Feiyue passed over the desolate mountain.」

Hmm? There’s a strong smell of blood.

Ling Chen, who had been cultivating atop the Qingfeng Jue with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

”A smell of blood? This is a wild area. It’s normal for blood to be spilled due to fights between beasts,” Liu Feiyue said.

”This isn’t animal blood. This smell... it’s from a warrior, and an extremely strong one at that.”

Ling Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He reined in the Qingfeng Jue tightly and landed on the barren mountain.

The blood Qi of warriors mingled with their True Qi. Although the smell of their blood was very similar to that of beasts, the scent of their True Qi could still be detected by a select few individuals. Evidently, Ling Chen was one of them.

He searched the barren mountain for a while and quickly found the source of the bloody scent.

It was the corpse of a middle-aged man in black.

”This man... is this the Black Market Master?” Ling Chen hadn’t noticed anything amiss yet when Liu Feiyue, beside him, suddenly cried out in alarm.

”The Black Market Master? Are you sure?” Ling Chen looked at Liu Feiyue with disbelief.

”I’m certain.” Liu Feiyue carefully observed the corpse on the ground, then nodded. ”I once had the good fortune to see the Black Market Master when I visited the Black Market Headquarters with my master. I couldn’t be mistaken.”

Indeed, this man was a Top Sky Apex Strong before his death. Ling Chen could detect the aura of the corpse, an aura exclusive to a Top Sky Apex Strong.

Yet all his strength seems to have vanished without a trace.

Ling Chen frowned. The Black Market Master was such a high-ranking figure. How could he have been murdered here?

A brief observation revealed that the Black Market Master’s death was no accident. Someone had shattered his throat with a claw. This meant it was indeed a homicide.

Who dared to kill a figure like the Black Market Master? And who possessed the ability to do so?

In the Martial World, the number of people capable of such an act could be counted on one hand.

”This is terrifying! The Black Market Master was killed in this desolate mountain. I wonder if the people of the Black Market know about this. And if they do, how would they react?” Liu Feiyue also exclaimed in surprise.

”They probably don’t know yet.” Ling Chen shook his head, then pointed to the still-fresh bloodstain on the corpse. ”The blood on his leg isn’t dry yet, indicating he died recently. This Black Market Master was murdered not long ago.”

”Let’s find a place and bury the corpse,” Liu Feiyue said, her expression grave. ”If we take the body and return it to the Black Market, we’ll probably be suspected. They might think we were the murderers. It would be best to deal with this hot potato as soon as possible.”

”No. I’m taking the body with me. I won’t return it to the Black Market, nor will I bury it. I need to take it back to Green Cloud Mountain for a closer examination to discover who the killer is.”

Ling Chen squinted. He had an intuition that things were not as simple as they seemed. The death of a Martial World leader was no small matter; it could cause a massive upheaval in the entire Martial World.

He wanted to carefully examine the corpse and try to find any clues.

But little did Ling Chen know that this was part of a massive conspiracy—a plot to dominate the Martial World.

Let’s go back to Green Cloud Mountain first and make a plan from there.

Ling Chen took the corpse, and then he and Liu Feiyue left the desolate mountain.

...

The results of the Nine Dragons Lake swordsmanship contest, announced only a few days prior, had already set the entire Martial World abuzz.

The Four Outstanding Talents were replaced, the four old masters stepped down, and the World Master List was re-ranked. Each of these thrilling events could cause enormous waves in the Jianghu. However, there was another, even bigger bombshell.

The young Dustless had taken Huyan Xiong’s place as the world’s number one master. Moreover, he had also been bestowed the title of Unbeatable Sword Sect.

This title was highly controversial.

A single stone stirs a thousand ripples—a mere title had managed to stir up Feng Yun throughout the entire Martial World.

In the Aqua Country, amidst a group of Swords’ Peak, an elderly man with white hair slowly exhaled a wisp of white mist. The mist, sharp as a sword or blade, flashed through the void like a white silk ribbon.

CRACK!

A mountaintop was cleanly sheared off, its severed surface as smooth as a mirror.

”It seems that after staying out of sight for so long, people in the Jianghu have stopped taking us seriously. They awarded the title of Unbeatable Sword Sect to a mere junior, just like that.”

The elderly man’s eyes were placid. With his every gesture, the surrounding grass and trees rustled, as if countless sharp swords were materializing upright.

Any swordsman who came to this place would surely be terrified.