Ling Tian Sword God

”Many thanks, revered elder, for your rescue.”

Ling Chen decided not to pursue the Undying Old Demon any further. This demon was able to neutralize Mei Fangzhi’s ultimate move, and there’s no guarantee he doesn’t have other trump cards. To fully eradicate this demon, now is likely not the most opportune time, he reasoned.

”I have heard everything from Miaoyin,” Mei Fangzhi said, waving his hand before continuing, ”You were all investigating on behalf of my Hanmei Villa when you encountered this Undying Old Demon. It was only right that I intervened. On the contrary, I should be thanking all of you. If you hadn’t uncovered the truth, my entire Hanmei Villa would have remained in a state of panic, thoroughly unsettled by this affair.”

”Yes, what my senior martial sister and I did before was wrong; we even tried to make you scapegoats. Young Hero Ling Chen, please forgive us,” Xuan Yu said, looking at Ling Chen with a remorseful expression and clasping her hands.

”It’s alright; I know you were compelled by circumstances.” With the matter smoothly resolved, Ling Chen didn’t press further. ”I just hope Miss Xuan Yu and Miss Miaoyin will honor your promise and return our belongings.”

”Of course.” Xuan Yu nodded. ”We will return Shen Qianlang’s possessions to their rightful owner. As an apology, I hope you can stay at Hanmei Villa for a few more days, allowing us to extend our hospitality.”

”We have urgent matters to attend to, so I’m afraid we must decline Miss Xuan Yu’s kind offer.” Ling Chen shook his head. They had originally come in search of Shen Qianlang; getting entangled in Hanmei Villa’s affairs was already an accident. We need to retrieve Shen Qianlang’s Storage Ring quickly and decipher the secrets of the Sword Immortal Poetry, he thought. With the Tang Sect still pursuing us, we don’t have much time to linger.

”That won’t do.” Xuan Yu frowned. ”If you don’t stay, it means you still harbor resentment towards us. In that case, I won’t return the ring.”

”This...” Ling Chen felt a bit helpless. From her expression, she didn’t seem to be joking. Indeed, if he were to leave now, it might look as though he still held a grudge. It seems we won’t be able to leave just yet, he mused.

”The scenery at Hanmei Villa is quite pleasant. Young Hero Ling Chen, surely your affairs aren’t so urgent that they can’t wait a day or two? Let Xuan Yu and Miaoyin properly apologize to you.” At this point, Mei Fangzhi also spoke, looking at Ling Chen and saying calmly.

”Since Master Mei has spoken, I can only respectfully comply.” Ling Chen gave a wry smile and had no choice but to agree.

They had traveled all the way from Linjiang City, crossing Mount Taiyue, encountering numerous twists and turns. Having barely rested, they might as well recuperate here for a few days.

Mei Fangzhi nodded at Ling Chen, then turned to Xuan Yu. He remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking, ”Xuan Yu, go and bury Junior Ling Zhen’s body.”

Xuan Yu was taken aback for a moment before quickly responding with a bow, ”Yes, Master.”

She didn’t leave immediately but asked, ”Master, if others ask about Junior Ling Zhen, how should I respond?”

She knew it was highly probable that Ling Zhen was Mei Fangzhi’s son. With Ling Zhen dead here, if others asked, she wouldn’t know how to respond.

”Just say that Ling Zhen was investigating the case with you and was killed by the Undying Old Demon. Say that all the villa disciples were killed by the Undying Old Demon.” Mei Fangzhi sighed, then looked at Ling Chen and his companion. ”My young friends,” he continued, ”please do not speak of tonight’s events to anyone. Though Ling Zhen committed heinous crimes, he was, in the end, a pitiful soul. I don’t want him to be scorned and reviled by all even after his death.”

”Master Mei, rest assured. My companion and I will definitely keep this secret.” Ling Chen nodded with a grave expression. Mei Fangzhi must be utterly devastated right now, he surmised. After all, one biological son was killed by another, and then he himself had to kill his own son. Now, both sons were dead. Anyone else would have likely broken down by now.

But Mei Fangzhi was clearly no ordinary man. Still, the bond between father and son is universal; it was impossible for him not to be grieving at this moment.

Ling Chen was not one to gossip or tarnish reputations. What happened today will remain buried, he resolved. No fifth person will ever know.

「The night passed.」

With Ling Zhen murdered and the Undying Old Demon having fled in defeat, the gruesome case that had kept the entire Hanmei Villa on edge finally came to a close.

Ling Chen and his group temporarily stayed at Hanmei Villa, accepting the hospitality of Xuan Yu, Miaoyin, and the others.

Hanmei Villa was indeed a place of natural beauty and auspicious spiritual energy, making it excellent for Cultivation.

After staying in the villa for several days, Ling Chen felt the Spirit Sea in his Dantian become considerably fuller, showing signs of an imminent breakthrough in his Realm.

This wasn’t to say Hanmei Villa’s environment alone produced such immediate results for Cultivation. Rather, Ling Chen had been in the Nine Provinces Land for some time. His continuous Cultivation and the experience accumulated day by day had simply brought him to the cusp of a qualitative transformation.

In a guest room, Ling Chen sat cross-legged on the wooden bed.

He had been sitting like this for three days, circulating True Qi through his meridians, cleansing impurities from his body, and absorbing the Medicinal Power within them.

A faint mist drifted from the top of Ling Chen’s head.

At Ling Chen’s current Realm, the Heavenly Origin Pills had a minimal effect on him. He was now using the Spirit Nurturing Pills he had acquired from Poison Lady and Yue Dufeng.

The Spirit Nurturing Pill was a grade higher in quality than the Heavenly Origin Pill; it was a Fourth Grade Elixir. Such Elixirs were almost unheard of in the Five Kingdoms, yet here, they were essential for the Cultivation of Top Sky Apex Strong practitioners.

This kind of Spirit Nurturing Pill greatly aided in enhancing the True Qi within the Dantian’s Spirit Sea.

HUFF...

Slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air, Ling Chen opened his eyes.

By now, the True Qi Spirit Sea within him had expanded twofold, and its True Qi reserves were incredibly abundant, more than ten times that of other cultivators at the same Realm.

Ling Chen’s Cultivation had now reached the Sky Apex Realm Second Layer.

Compared to the First Layer of the Sky Apex Realm, the amount of True Qi Ling Chen could mobilize had undoubtedly doubled. This meant he could now utilize the Chitian Sword Technique without being so constrained.

After all, Saint-level Swordsmanship was extraordinarily powerful. At the First Layer of the Sky Apex Realm, it was difficult for Ling Chen to unleash its full might. This wasn’t due to a lack of skill, but because his Realm was not profound enough, and his True Qi reserves were insufficient.

His True Qi reserves had limited the scope of his abilities.

In battle, focusing solely on the power of Sword techniques while ignoring True Qi consumption would undoubtedly be a perilous approach.

Therefore, this breakthrough was highly significant for Ling Chen; his strength would elevate to a new tier in every aspect.

Ling Chen rose from the bed, a gleam in his eyes. It’s time to check on Shen Qianlang and Luo Xian’er, he thought. They should have obtained clues to the Sword Immortal Poetry by now.