Chapter 78: Chapter 77: One Slash Severed Soul

Jing Feng!

An Elder of San Fen Hall.

Before the old master’s death, Zhu Ju had met him a few times. Among the many Elders of San Fen Hall, he was one with greater potential.

Because he was young!

Compared to the Elders who were easily in their fifties or sixties, Jing Feng, who had just entered his forties, still had a great deal of potential to be tapped.

"Elder Jing."

Zhu Ju glanced around, his eyes showing confusion.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Ever since Sensing his Ancestral Acupoint and Illuminating the Profound Light, his Perception Power had grown immensely. He could not only clearly sense his surroundings but could also detect the malice and killing intent in others’ hearts.

Just like now, he could sense the faint, yet distinct, killing intent emanating from the other man.

’Strange.’

’Though they weren’t complete strangers, they might as well have been. There shouldn’t be any grudge between them.’

"Simply put."

Jing Feng chuckled, his hands clasped behind his back.

"I’d like to borrow something from Nephew Zhu."

"What is it?"

"A bronze token."

"A bronze token?" Zhu Ju shook his head gently.

"I don’t understand what you mean, Elder."

"No need to play dumb. You know exactly what I’m talking about," Jing Feng said.

"Ye Chongshan thought his actions were flawless, but there are no perfect crimes. There are no absolute secrets in this world."

"I’ve investigated. He didn’t leave the Immortal Sect Token with the Ye Family, nor was it buried with him. And you..."

"You were the last person to see Ye Chongshan, and you have enormous potential to become Innate and enter an Immortal Sect."

"Hand it over."

He extended a hand.

"That Immortal Sect Token!"

"Hmm..." Zhu Ju stroked his chin, a look of understanding dawning on his face. He asked,

"Elder, do you happen to know which Immortal Sect the token belongs to?"

He didn’t deny it. At this point, denial was pointless. It was better to try and gather more information.

"Let me see it, and I’ll know," Jing Feng grinned.

"Nephew Zhu, if I manage to enter an Immortal Sect, I certainly won’t treat you unfairly. Once I’ve established myself, it won’t be too late to recommend you as well."

"After all, you’re still young. You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. Don’t you agree?"

"I do," Zhu Ju nodded, then added,

"And what if I don’t hand it over?"

"You won’t?" Jing Feng’s expression darkened. His clothes began to stir despite the lack of wind, and a strange aura emanated from him.

"You’ll regret it."

The faint killing intent that had been lingering in the air suddenly intensified, pressing down on Zhu Ju as if it were a physical weight.

It felt like countless steel needles pressing against his skin.

Thirteen Body Refinement!

Golden Flesh and Jade Veins, Mercury Blood and Silver Marrow. His Physical Body just trembled slightly, and the pressure on him vanished into thin air.

"Good!"

Jing Feng’s eyes narrowed.

"To have cultivated the Thirteen Body Refinement to such a level... no wonder that old fox Ye Chongshan chose you."

"A pity..."

"You’re still too young!"

SWISH!

With a flash, he stopped wasting words and chose to attack directly.

Jing Feng leaped up, pouncing from above. A swift palm strike shot straight for Zhu Ju’s chest.

His palm strike looked ordinary, but it concealed three different types of Strength, each one stronger than the last. If it landed, even a powerful Physical Body would suffer shattered Tendon and Bone. Life and death would be at his whim.

As long as he left him alive, he was confident he could force the location of the Immortal Sect Token out of him.

As for how to interrogate someone...

Jing Feng considered himself quite experienced.

PENG!

The Palm Force collided with the Protective Gang Force. As the Strength shattered and scattered, Jing Feng’s expression changed drastically.

’How is this possible?’

"Is this the basis of your confidence?"

Zhu Ju stood his ground, his expression unchanged. He shook his head lightly and said,

"Truly disappointing."

"One-Foot Gang Force! The peak of the Inner Qi External Release Realm!" Jing Feng gritted his teeth, his eyes locked on Zhu Ju, filled with utter shock.

"How is that possible?"

An age of less than twenty... even if he had started practicing martial arts in his mother’s womb, he couldn’t have achieved such a level of Cultivation.

After all, even he, a respected Elder of San Fen Hall who frequently took Elixirs to aid his Cultivation, had only cultivated a Nine-Inch Gang Force.

He was still some distance away from the peak of the Inner Qi External Release Realm.

"Nothing is impossible," Zhu Ju said.

"You are simply ignorant."

He consumed Demon Beast Flesh daily, which was equivalent to taking a Spirit Pill every day. This level of luxury was likely on par with that of an Immortal Sect Disciple. It was only natural for his Cultivation to skyrocket.

Given a bit more time, advancing to the Qi Circulation realm would be no problem either.

"So what if you have a One-Foot Gang Force?" Jing Feng’s voice grew deep, and his ten fingers suddenly curled inward.

"A high Cultivation level doesn’t decide everything."

Besides, the gap in their Cultivation wasn’t that large.

Azure Dragon’s Claw!

A sharp Claw Force rushed toward him, causing Zhu Ju to narrow his eyes. He then formed his own hands into claws and met the attack.

Red Blood Divine Claw!

TZZZ...

PENG!

The two exchanged blows rapidly, Powerful Qi colliding. A moment later, they both suddenly retreated.

"Eh?" Jing Feng’s face showed surprise and suspicion.

"It can actually affect the flow of my Qi Blood? Your Claw Technique isn’t bad, but that’s all there is to it."

The Red Blood Divine Claw was a legacy Martial Skill of the Red Blood Sect. It could manipulate the Qi Blood in an opponent’s body, making it a top-tier ultimate technique in the Qi Blood Martial Arts World.

Unfortunately, in this world, Inner Qi could suppress Qi Blood, so the power of the Red Blood Divine Claw was greatly diminished and not very useful.

Not just the Red Blood Divine Claw; even the Blood God Skill wouldn’t be effective.

"Junior, take another one of my moves!"

ROAR!

A dragon’s roar erupted from Jing Feng’s palm. The air within a ten-foot radius trembled as an Invisible Force raged wildly.

A Mental Realm!

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed.

Jing Feng had actually mastered a Martial Arts Realm.

But this was normal. An Elder of San Fen Hall at the Inner Qi External Release Realm would certainly have the ability to fight opponents of a higher Realm.

Jing Feng didn’t have any Body Refinement of Hard Skill, nor did he possess a Divine Weapon. He had clearly mastered some kind of Martial Arts Realm.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t hold the position of an Elder.

"Good!"

His eyes opened slightly wider, and Zhu Ju suddenly raised his hand.

Mixed Element Without Extremity!

BOOM!

The Powerful Qi roared.

They were in the rear garden of a large residence. As their Powerful Qi collided, the entire garden was devastated as if a hurricane had passed through.

"A Mental Realm!"

Jing Feng’s expression changed once again, a trace of fear even appearing in his eyes.

Not yet twenty years old, not only had his Cultivation reached the peak of the Inner Qi External Release Realm, but he had also mastered a Martial Arts Realm.

’How terrifying is this kind of Talent?’

’Hm?’

As the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly noticed Zhu Ju’s brow furrow slightly, followed by him retracting his Palm Technique.

"Haha..."

Jing Feng threw his head back and laughed.

"Junior, you’re too green after all! You must have just mastered this Martial Arts Realm and probably can’t use it again so soon. Let’s see what other tricks you have today."

"Now, fall!"

His Claw Force swept across, surging forward with the Power of Heaven and Earth.

ZWIIING!

A saber’s gleam flashed.

Zhu Ju carried his Cross and Vertical Saber with him, but since he had almost never drawn it to face an enemy, people subconsciously overlooked it, assuming it was just an ornament.

Now, with a flash of its blade, Saber Qi erupted from the edge and slashed into the chaotic Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy churning before him.

Demon Saber!

As he swung the saber, an utterly tranquil Spiritual Sense rose from the depths of his mind. In that instant, he felt an unprecedented calm, and everything before his ’eyes’ became clearer than ever before.

The turbulent Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy and the chaotic, sharp Powerful Qi were all reflected in his perception.

SWISH!

The saber’s light flashed and vanished.

Though it seemed to slice through empty air, the chaotic, tide-like Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy before him was cleaved in two.

’As I expected!’

’The Demon Saber Technique contains a profound mystery. It’s definitely not within the scope of Qi Blood Martial Arts; it even surpasses the ultimate techniques of Inner Qi martial arts and enters the realm of spiritual confrontation.’

’But if I hadn’t Sensed my Ancestral Acupoint and Illuminated the Profound Light, and if my Spiritual Power wasn’t strong enough, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend this Saber Technique.’

Jing Feng’s expression changed yet again.

Azure Dragon Force!

His Claw Technique shifted. The Qi Force in the area suddenly intensified, and a draconic phantom appeared out of thin air, looking as if it would devour Zhu Ju whole.

Demon Saber—Shocking God!

A ’startling clap of thunder’ suddenly erupted from his calm and placid Divine Thought, traveling along the connection of their auras from their exchange and slashing into Jing Feng’s Sea of Consciousness.

Suddenly, his eyes filled with terror, and his body stiffened.

SWISH!

The long saber fell, and a line of blood appeared down the center of his forehead, completely extinguishing his life force.

*

*

*

Xiao Gongdu stood before Jing Feng’s corpse with a grim expression. A close look would even reveal a trace of fear in his eyes.

One Slash Severed Soul!

To leave no trace at all... this is a situation that only occurs when the difference in strength is immense.

"Jing Feng’s strength wasn’t bad, and he had mastered a Martial Arts Realm. Even for you and I, killing him would not have been easy."

Elder Luo stroked his beard, his tone heavy.

"A single, fatal slash. The Saber Intent is condensed and does not dissipate. I admit I could not do such a thing. The attacker is very likely a..."

"An Innate!"

An Innate Qi Refiner!

Xiao Gongdu’s cheek muscles twitched.

"If an Innate Qi Refiner attacked, it’s no surprise that Jing Feng was no match. But when did he provoke such an existence?"

"Sigh!"

With a soft sigh, he shook his head gently.

"Who knows how many masters are hiding in this small Leping County. We must report this matter to Elder Jiang first."

A matter involving an Innate was not something he could resolve.

Wan Shuai, Song Meng, and the others stood to the side, their eyes on Jing Feng’s corpse, their expressions varied.

Some of them disliked Jing Feng, but they also knew how powerful this Elder was. Now that even an Elder had been killed, it meant that they...

Were in danger!

The Leping County of today was already fraught with peril.

Zhu Ju, on the other hand, was secretly relieved.

’It’s a good thing I switched to my Saber Technique mid-fight. Otherwise, judging by the way Elder Luo and the others are investigating, they would have definitely found clues.’

’The wounds caused by the Mixed Element Iron Hand are not difficult to recognize.’

’The Demon Saber, on the other hand, has a restrained Saber Intent that directly attacks the mind. Even a Martial Arts master wouldn’t be able to see much.’

As for the difference in their strength, it wasn’t as great as one might imagine. It was just that Jing Feng’s spirit had been unstable at that moment, creating a perfect opening for the Demon Saber to exploit.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been no easy task for Zhu Ju to kill him.

After all, Jing Feng was a master at the Inner Qi External Release Realm who had also grasped a Martial Arts Realm. Deciding a victor would likely have taken more than fifty moves.

"Brother Zhu."

While he was lost in thought, Wan Shuai took a step closer and said in a low voice,

"Black Tiger Wu Chun ultimately escaped into the Zhou Mansion. Elder Xiao had his reservations, so he didn’t go in to investigate."

"The Zhou Mansion?" Zhu Ju asked.

"Is Wu Chun connected to the Zhou Mansion?"

’Doesn’t that mean the Black Tiger Gang is also closely related to the Zhou Mansion? If so, the story behind the bandit extermination campaign from many years ago might be different from what I thought.’

’That’s right!’

’Thinking about it carefully, the destruction of the Black Tiger Gang back then was very strange.’

’Across all of Leping County, every major family suffered losses, except for the Zhou Family. Not only were they unscathed, but their strength actually increased significantly.’

’So the Black Tiger Gang and the Zhou Family were in it together all along!’

"Yes."

Wan Shuai nodded.

"The Zhou Mansion has now become a den of demons. There are at least a dozen people inside cultivating Demon Skills."

"If that’s the case, why not make a move?" Zhu Ju asked, looking confused.

"You said it yourself: Demon Skills are easy to learn and provide quick results. The longer they cultivate, the stronger they’ll get. The Elders clearly understand this, so why are they ignoring it?"

They know there’s a problem with the Zhou Mansion, yet they do nothing, instead watching as their power grows. What’s the reasoning behind that?

"Well..."

Wan Shuai quickly glanced around before lowering his voice.

"The Zhou Family members cultivating Demon Skills are also being used. Someone is using them for Alchemy."

"Elder Jiang is waiting for the day the Elixir is complete."

"So..."

"The time is not yet right."