"Ah!"

Zuo Yi heard a woman’s cry of alarm.

The voice belonged to one of his two beautiful consorts.

Grabbing his prized sword, Zuo Yi’s figure flashed forward.

And then, he witnessed a shocking scene.

A ten- to twenty-foot-long gouge stretched from across the way, ending right at his feet.

Sword Qi!

And the one who had unleashed this Sword Qi was someone he would never have expected—Lin Hao!

But upon closer inspection, the gouge didn’t seem to be the work of Sword Qi.

It was too wide.

True Sword Qi was as fine as a silk thread.

’Could he be secretly studying and imitating Sword Qi?!’

The moment this thought occurred to him, a look of horror appeared in Zuo Yi’s eyes.

In the next instant, he suddenly saw Lin Hao trace a line with his finger. A flash of brilliant light, and another gouge, not much thicker than a silk thread, appeared on the ground.

The fissure spread with incredible speed, about to strike one of his consorts.

CLANG!

Zuo Yi had drawn his sword.

BOOM!

The two streams of invisible Sword Qi collided, setting off a massive explosion.

"Master."

The two consorts retreated to Zuo Yi’s side. One of them had a blood-stained shoulder; she was already injured.

"Who are you?" Zuo Yi stared at Lin Hao, his voice grave.

To have injured his consort in such a short time—Lin Hao was definitely no nameless nobody.

"Heaven-Stepping Sect, Lin Hao."

BOOM!

As soon as he said this, the faces of the onlookers changed drastically.

A man’s reputation precedes him. Lin Hao’s name now resounded throughout the Southern Border Prefecture; it was a name everyone knew.

"So, you are Lin Hao! Very good!" A furious battle lust raged in Zuo Yi’s eyes.

"Mingjian Manor’s prestige cannot be tarnished. Today, you are a dead man!"

As Zuo Yi spoke, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

In Red Beauty City, Lin Hao had used his palm as a blade to shatter the Jing Hong Sword in Zuo Ming’s hand. Naturally, Lin Hao knew what Zuo Yi was referring to.

"Mingjian Manor has Ten Great Swords. Which one are you holding?" Lin Hao asked, the corners of his lips turning up slightly.

The fact that the Jing Hong Sword, one of Mingjian Manor’s Ten Great Swords, had been shattered by Lin Hao’s palm was a deep humiliation for Zuo Yi.

Now, hearing Lin Hao’s words, a layer of frost seemed to cover Zuo Yi’s expressionless face.

"Zuo Ming’s skills were lacking, and he brought shame upon Mingjian Manor! To deal with you, I don’t need one of the Great Swords. This is enough! This sword is named Evil-Slaying. It was just recently forged. Today, I will use you as its first blood sacrifice!"

"Evil-Slaying. A fine name."

"To be my enemy is to be evil, and all evil must be slain!"

CLANG!

The moment Zuo Yi’s voice fell, the Evil-Slaying Sword left its sheath.

With a soft hum, the Evil-Slaying Sword transformed into a streak of light, slashing toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao’s figure flickered as he explosively retreated.

The moment Zuo Yi attacked, Lin Hao’s eyes twitched. His Swordsmanship was far superior to Zuo Ming’s.

One slash, and it seemed to annihilate everything.

This was a sword of annihilation.

Lin Hao retreated rapidly, but the sword followed him like a shadow, moving with ultimate speed.

PFFT!

The blade bit into flesh!

Faced with that one slash, Lin Hao had actually been unable to dodge.

One had to know that Lin Hao’s body was as tough as astral armor; even a Spiritual Artifact couldn’t harm him. Yet now, Zuo Yi’s blade had broken his skin. The sword’s terrifying power was evident.

"A fine sword!" Despite being injured, Lin Hao’s expression didn’t change as he shouted his approval.

He himself was an Artifact Refining Master, so he naturally understood the art of forging precious swords.

The Evil-Slaying Sword in Zuo Yi’s hand had wounded someone on its very first strike. The materials used for its Refining must be incredibly rare.

Though it was not one of the Great Swords, its quality surpassed them.

However, seeing that Lin Hao had only sustained an arm injury, Zuo Yi was not satisfied.

With that slash, he had intended to take one of Lin Hao’s arms.

"Ten years to sharpen a sword to slay Evil Demons, one slash’s light chills forty provinces!"

The next moment, Zuo Yi chanted softly and flicked his wrist.

The tip of the Evil-Slaying Sword trembled, then suddenly erupted with an incomparably brilliant radiance that blotted out the sky and descended upon Lin Hao.

The area above Cyan Forest Town was completely illuminated.

Sword Qi filled the air!

Countless people looked up, making no effort to hide the horror in their eyes.

"That’s the first form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill, the technique Manor Lord Zuo Wuque of Mingjian Manor used to make his name in his youth! I think it’s called ’Sword Forms a Myriad!’"

"This old man was fortunate enough to have seen the Left Sword God in action when I was young. His execution of this technique back then was only about this impressive."

"The Celestial Yang Continent has six great vassal states, with six provinces each, making thirty-six provinces in total. ’One slash’s light chills forty provinces’—isn’t the Left Sword God being a bit too arrogant?"

"You don’t know the whole story. This Evil-slaying Sword Skill is just an incomplete set of Sword Formulas that Zuo Wuque found in some ancient ruins. Legend has it that with the true first form of the skill, ’Sword Forms a Myriad,’ one slash could obliterate ten thousand provinces!"

"What? It’s that powerful? Old sir, could you tell us the location of those ruins?"

"The true Evil-slaying Sword Skill only exists in legends. Don’t get your hopes up. Ai, it’s a pity about that young man, Lin Hao. In the past several decades, the number of Martial Artists who could evade this ’Sword Forms a Myriad’ technique can be counted on one hand, and all of them were peerless experts."

At these words, the crowd fell silent, their gazes fixed on Lin Hao.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao let out a low shout, activating his imperial arts. The roars of dragons and tigers resounded.

His body also began to glow.

However, the space before Lin Hao was completely obscured by a brilliant radiance, which transformed into countless copies of the Evil-Slaying Sword that rained down from all directions.

Lin Hao clenched his fists, his feet tracing a taiji symbol as he punched out to meet the swords of light.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Lin Hao’s fists moved with unfathomable speed.

His fists were unstoppable; with every punch, a sword of light vanished.

In just a moment, Lin Hao had advanced several meters, fists a blur.

He was taking on the Evil-Slaying Sword bare-handed.

The onlookers wore looks of horror, especially the old man who knew so much. He was utterly shocked.

He had been fortunate enough to see Zuo Wuque duel another Martial Artist in his youth. Back then, Zuo Wuque was about Zuo Yi’s age, and his cultivation wasn’t high, but he had repeatedly created miracles with this Evil-slaying Sword Skill.

He had also seen Zuo Wuque’s opponents break his sword techniques, but he had never seen anyone do it the way Lin Hao was.

One must understand that in ’Sword Forms a Myriad,’ every sword was a killing blow, imbued with the user’s infinite Sword Intent.

He had never seen anyone dare to meet Mingjian Manor’s Sword Intent with their bare hands.

A look of surprise also appeared in Zuo Yi’s eyes.

Lin Hao’s strength surpassed his imagination.

BOOM!

Lin Hao threw a punch, and the very air seemed to tremble before all the swords of light dissipated.

’Sword Forms a Myriad’ had been broken.

"A hundred years to nurture Sword Intent, one slash to sever the floating clouds!"

Zuo Yi spoke again, and the Evil-Slaying Sword shot toward the heavens.

Sword Qi rocketed skyward, appearing as if it could truly slice apart the clouds on the horizon.

Sword Qi. An invisible Sword Qi enveloped the space above Lin Hao’s head.

The next instant, the Evil-Slaying Sword tore through the air, plunging straight for the top of Lin Hao’s head.

This strike came from high above, its downward momentum as fast as a thunderclap.

The blade of the Evil-Slaying Sword was incomparably brilliant, like the descent of a True God.

But the people below, though far away, couldn’t help but shiver. The terrifying Sword Qi was bone-chillingly cold, making them feel as if their very marrow was freezing.

The Evil-Slaying Sword’s edge was fully revealed, terrifyingly unstoppable.

This slash was the glorious pinnacle of the Extreme Realm!

"The second form of the Evil-slaying Sword Skill, ’Celestial Flying from Beyond the Heavens’!" the old man called out, his voice trembling.

Zuo Yi’s eyes were ice-cold. In his view, Lin Hao was already a dead man.

But just then, Lin Hao’s lips curled into a smile, and he slowly uttered two words: "Sword, come!"

The Evil-Slaying Sword, which was plummeting like a bolt of lightning, abruptly paused in mid-air, then resumed its descent, its speed not only undiminished but actually increasing.

Below the Evil-Slaying Sword, Lin Hao slowly reached out his hand.

In the next moment, a scene that shocked everyone unfolded.

The hilt of the Evil-Slaying Sword was caught firmly in Lin Hao’s hand.

Then, with a gesture from Lin Hao, the scabbard that had been thrust into the ground flew over.

CLANG!

The Evil-Slaying Sword returned to its sheath!

"Old sir, what happened?"

Someone asked the old man who had been speaking.

The old man’s lips trembled as he shakily uttered three words: "Sword Control Skill!"

"Sword Control Skill?! Old man, are you sure you saw that right? No Martial Artist under the heavens can control swords like that, not even a Sword God."

Meanwhile, Zuo Yi stared at Lin Hao holding the Evil-Slaying Sword, his face a mask of disbelief. "Impossible! Even my father has only just touched the threshold of the Sword Control Skill. It’s absolutely impossible for you!"

Lin Hao just smiled.

He himself didn’t know what to call it. It was a method he had obtained from Lord Lingdi, and he had only just begun to grasp the basics.

At the Heaven-Stepping Sect, when Yue Fanshan had come bearing the Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, the Annihilation Demon Saber, Lord Lingdi had uttered "Sword, come," and a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact, a sword, had flown like a celestial from the depths of the sect.

That scene had shaken Lin Hao to his core.

Afterward, he often studied that move, hoping to unlock the secret of that celestial-like sword flight.

After a long time groping in the dark, Lin Hao had only managed to understand a tiny fraction of it.

Later, when Lin Hao dueled Zuo Ming, even though Zuo Ming had only managed a single strike, Lin Hao gained a deeper understanding of the sword.

Later still, after obtaining Chu Tiandu’s memories, he developed a more profound understanding of the path of martial arts.

Furthermore, Chu Tiandu’s memories contained one or two powerful sets of Swordsmanship techniques.

After more contemplation, he finally began to get a handle on Lord Lingdi’s celestial sword flight technique.

This time, Zuo Yi’s attack, a demonstration of the Sword Dao, had allowed Lin Hao to verify the faint inkling of understanding he had been cultivating.

The Evil-Slaying Sword was newly forged and far easier to control than a Tier Four Spiritual Artifact. Moreover, the distance was so short that even though Lin Hao had only scratched the surface of the technique, it was enough.

"This is a nice sword. Thanks. So polite of you on our first meeting. I’m almost embarrassed."

The Evil-Slaying Sword looked light, but it was extremely heavy in his hand and had a satisfying feel.

Lin Hao gripped it, gave it a few practice swings, and spoke to Zuo Yi with a smile.

"PFFT!"

Zuo Ming had only had his sword broken, but he had his sword stolen by his opponent. This was an even greater humiliation.

Zuo Yi violently spat out a mouthful of blood, then, overcome with rage, fainted.

The surrounding crowd stared at Lin Hao, dumbfounded.

Mingjian Manor was the most mysterious of the four major sects in the Southern Border Prefecture. Its Manor Lord, Zuo Wuque, hadn’t been heard from in some twenty years, yet no one dared to pry into Mingjian Manor’s affairs.

After Cang Yan, he was the most outstanding Martial Artist in the Southern Border Prefecture.

Moreover, rumors said that Zuo Wuque had already reached the Spirit Transformation Realm Peak and was attempting to break through to the Sealed Martial Realm.

Zuo Yi was Zuo Wuque’s son. For Lin Hao to dare steal his sword... wasn’t that just utterly lawless?

"Young Master..." Even Meng Qing couldn’t help but call out to Lin Hao.

Meng Qing had also heard of the Left Sword God, Zuo Wuque.

If a Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artist were to act, she feared no one on this continent could stop him.

Even a Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist wielding a Spiritual Artifact would be no match.

But Lin Hao just smiled faintly and led Meng Qing into the Shen Dan Inn.

Behind them, no one dared to stop them.

"Waiter, any rooms available?"

"Yes, yes, yes." That one sentence from Second Master Hao earlier had made quite a few people check out, so now there were plenty of rooms.

"Give me two of your best rooms." Lin Hao said, handing over a silver banknote.

"Sir, this is too much money..."

"Consider the rest as compensation for your damages. Is it enough?"

"Enough, enough, more than enough! Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The inn’s Shopkeeper personally led Lin Hao and Meng Qing to their rooms.

Lin Hao had just finished settling in when Meng Qing knocked and entered.

Once again, she looked at the Evil-Slaying Sword, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Lin Hao smiled and asked, "Sister Meng Qing, do you know why I dared to take this Evil-Slaying Sword for myself?"