Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

As the saintess of the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect, Ye Bingxin was no pushover. It took her only a moment to work out why Qin Wushang had come for her.

She was dressed in a luxurious black gown, and her face was as icy as frost.

A cold glint flashed through her beautiful eyes as she narrowed them slightly and said in a low voice, “Qin Wushang, are you not thinking straight? Do you really think I killed Zhao Bin?”

Qin Wushang glanced at her and sneered. “Why not?”

Ye Bingxin was so angry she laughed instead. Her laughter rang out like the clear chime of a bell, though it carried more mockery than joy. “Hahahahaha… what would I gain from killing Zhao Bin? Or rather, what reason would I have to frame Li Guanqi?”

“Hahahahaha… what benefit would I get from killing Zhao Bin? Or, let me put it another way, what is my purpose in framing Li Guanqi?”

Qin Wushang let out a cold laugh, his deep eyes fixed on her. “Then you should ask yourself that.”

Seeing that he still wouldn’t relent, Ye Bingxin shook with rage. She pointed at him and said coldly, “Qin Wushang! You really are nothing but a dog. Just because you became a candidate for the Eight Generals of the Seventh Territory, you’re this loyal to your master?”

Before she could finish, a streak of sword light flashed past, too fast for her to see it clearly or react to it. A chill passed through her wrist, and the hand pointing at Qin Wushang fell to the ground, severed cleanly. Blood sprayed.

Qin Wushang looked at Ye Bingxin calmly. “Loyal servant? Heh… aside from Lord Su, there’s probably no one in this world I’d ever acknowledge as my master. I came here today because you’ve committed a crime in my Qinhuang City.” Boom, boom, boom!

Several terrifying auras erupted from the ground, and pitch-black tears in space split open across the sky, faintly encircling Qin Wushang at their center.

Roar, roar!

Nine massive jiao dragons, each nearly two hundred zhang long, soared into the sky. Their bodies were pitch black, and their dark-gold vertical pupils gleamed with icy light as their killing intent surged toward the heavens. Nine old monsters of the Combined Body Realm stood atop the ink dragons, their overwhelming pressure bearing down on heaven and earth.

The nine elders glared at Qin Wushang with murderous intent.

“Qin Wushang, you go too far! This is the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect, not your Qinhuang City!”

One of the elders stood with his hands behind his back. He narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly. “Youngsters these days are truly arrogant. Damaging our mountain gate is already a grave offense, yet we let it slide out of respect for your standing as an imperial heir. Now you dare wound our Saintess as well? Hmph. It seems the Qin Emperor hasn’t disciplined you well enough.”

A terrifying pressure rolled across heaven and earth, shaking even the resilient space until it cracked. Wave after wave of force slammed into Qin Wushang.

Through it all, Qin Wushang remained completely calm. His hands hung loosely at his sides as his cold gaze swept over the crowd. Then he burst into unrestrained laughter.

Clang!

A terrifying sword intent erupted from the ground, shooting straight into the sky. The nine ink jiao dragons faltered, their massive vertical pupils narrowing to thin lines.

Boom!

A violent surge of pressure erupted, and though it was weaker than the elders’ pressure, it still carried an unsettling chill.

Qin Wushang was at the mid Combined Body Realm.

He gripped a three-chi green sword and looked at the elders without a trace of fear. He licked his lips, his eyes burning with excitement as he murmured, “So tell me… who’s going to die?”

At those words, the elders’ breathing stopped. They had only come to intimidate him. Actually striking at him? They didn’t dare. That would mean a full-scale war between Qinhuang City and the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.

A terrifying, crushing pressure descended upon heaven and earth. The nine colossal ink dragons plunged downward, hurtling toward the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rumble!

The earth violently trembled. The nine elders struggled to remain airborne, barely avoiding being thrown to the ground.

Riiip!

Space was torn open, forming a ten-zhang-wide crack. A man in an ornate dark-gold robe stepped out of the void. His deep voice, cold as ice, slowly echoed through the air. “Killing my son? Heh… the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect is quite arrogant these days.”

The man had sharp, resolute features and a somewhat lean face. His tiger-like eyes disdainfully surveyed the scene. He stepped lightly on the void, and a violent force crushed space itself. In an instant, the nine elders plummeted like broken kites.

Crash after crash rang out as each of them crashed onto the ground, unable to move. Even Ye Bingxin’s face paled slightly.

The new arrival was Qin Emperor Qin Xiao, a top-tier cultivator at the late Mahayana Realm.

At that moment, another aura shattered a mountain as its owner burst out of seclusion. A man in white robes stood tall, his pressure surging to match Qin Xiao’s as an equal. His face was handsome and his bearing was otherworldly, like an immortal untouched by the dust of the mortal world. This was Ye Xuan, sect master of the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect and Ye Bingxin’s father.

Qin Xiao stood beside Qin Wushang and looked at Ye Xuan with a mocking smile. “What? Want to have a little fun with me?”

Ye Xuan frowned. “There’s no need to fight, Brother Qin. If there’s nothing else, let’s end this here.”

He paused, his clear eyes flicking to Qin Wushang. “In the future, I hope you bring evidence before you accuse others.”

Qin Wushang kept his expression calm, but fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. Just as he was about to speak, the broad hand of the man beside him settled on his shoulder.

Qin Xiao looked at Ye Xuan and sneered. “My son doesn’t need you to teach him how to act.”

Ye Xuan shook his head and sighed. With a wave of his hand, a powerful force pushed the two of them back a thousand zhang. Then he turned away. “Alright, let’s leave it at that. There’s no need to contact each other again unless it’s important.”

Qin Xiao burst into laughter. “You, with that pathetic look on your face, still think you can break through to the Tribulation Realm?”

Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched slightly. Though he very much wanted to retort, he had to admit Qin Xiao’s talent far surpassed his own.

And so, Qin Xiao and Qin Wushang departed, both unharmed.

Ye Bingxin gritted her teeth and stared after their departing figures, her chest rising and falling sharply. Her severed hand had already healed, yet she still felt deeply wronged.

Ye Xuan glanced back and said softly, “Xin’er, come with me.”

“Yes, Father,” she answered in a low voice.

The crowd dispersed. The nine old men dragged themselves out of the deep pits, their trembling figures almost comical. As for the Qin Emperor, they feared him from the bottom of their hearts. Like Li Guanqi’s reputation, the Qin Emperor’s might had been built upon a mountain of severed heads.

On the way, Qin Xiao walked with his hands behind his back and smiled faintly. “Why did you suddenly go looking for trouble with Ye Bingxin?”

Qin Wushang shrugged and answered plainly. “It has something to do with Li Guanqi, but not much. What really bothers me is someone pulling such a stunt in my Qinhuang City, which makes me lose face.”

Qin Xiao burst into laughter again and patted his shoulder. “Then have you figured out why it happened?”

Qin Wushang shook his head.

Qin Xiao gave a faint smile. “Sometimes things aren’t as complicated as you think. Maybe it was just a passing whim on their part. Still, this needs to be properly looked into. They dare stir up trouble in my Qinhuang City?”