Chapter 150: Chapter 142: Powerful Sword Qi

Although the City Lord’s Mansion was in the heart of Penzes City, the surrounding neighborhood was home to the rich and powerful, so it grew quite still at night. After the sun went down, the streets were so deserted you couldn’t even see a single cat. Uncle Fu stood waiting by the gate. A luxurious carriage, arranged by the great noble hosting Ling Xiao for this evening’s banquet, was already waiting before the mansion. After stepping out, Uncle Fu casually scanned the quiet street. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he then invited Ling Xiao to board the carriage.

A middle-aged man dressed as a coachman, in his forties and rather well-attired, looked just like the kind of professional driver a wealthy family would employ. He wore a simple, honest smile as he bowed to Ling Xiao and asked, "Might I ask if you are the Viscount?"

Ling Xiao nodded. The coachman gave another good-natured smile. "Then please, Viscount, get in. By the way, is it just you?"

"And me," Uncle Fu said coolly from the side.

"Oh, how forgetful of me. Housekeeper Fu, please, after you!" The coachman slapped his forehead, then invited Ling Xiao and Uncle Fu to board. Uncle Fu, however, took the seat next to the coachman.

The coachman chuckled. "Why aren’t you riding inside?"

Uncle Fu shot the coachman a cold glance and said, "You seem to talk a bit much."

The coachman gave a sheepish laugh, scratching his head. "I don’t usually get to meet such an approachable nobleman. My apologies, I was rude. Please, whatever you do, don’t tell my employer."

"Enough. Just drive the carriage," Uncle Fu said indifferently. A flash of contempt flickered in the coachman’s eyes before vanishing.

Uncle Fu sat there composedly, but he was already on high alert. Drawing on his many years of life-and-death experience on the battlefield, his intuition told him something was wrong.

This coachman, in particular... judging by the fluctuations of Inner Strength he could sense, the man was a nobody, likely not even a Sword Master. The road was lined with tall trees, some so thick it would take two people to encircle them. Their canopies were packed tightly together, completely obscuring the already dimming sky.

The Crystal Core Street Lamps lining the road were no brighter than those in any ordinary town, casting a dim, gloomy light that barely illuminated the path. ’This is the perfect environment for an ambush...’ Just as Uncle Fu had this thought, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

WHOOSH!

The sound was the sharp flap of robes moving at extreme speed, and in the blink of an eye, the attack was upon Uncle Fu.

It was a scarlet sword! The blade was a fiery red, emitting a demonic, bewitching light in the dim surroundings as it stabbed directly at Uncle Fu!

Uncle Fu kicked the coachman beside him off the carriage. At the same time, a jet-black heavy sword appeared in his hand. Still seated, he let out a ferocious roar and moved to intercept the fiery red sword!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!

Amid a series of sharp, ear-piercing clashes of metal, Uncle Fu exchanged over a dozen blows with the wielder of the fiery red sword in a single instant! And he was already at a slight disadvantage.

"Young Master, go! Now!"

With a furious roar, Uncle Fu’s body shot up from the carriage to meet the black-clad, masked figure wielding the red sword. Simultaneously, the ink-black heavy sword in his hand howled, unleashing a torrent of Sword Qi. The strands of energy, each the length of a finger and dark red in color, swept toward his opponent like leaves caught in a wild gale.

The black-clad assailant with the red sword let out a strange cackle and shot upward. At the same time, his scarlet sword erupted with a beam of Sword Qi several meters long! It churned violently into the Sword Qi Uncle Fu had released, completely dissipating it. Then, the near-solid beam of Sword Qi slashed viciously down at Uncle Fu!

Uncle Fu let out a thunderous roar, meeting the attack head-on in mid-air without a trace of fear. His black heavy sword also erupted with red Sword Qi that seemed to burn the very air, and a shockwave distorted the path of his enemy’s attack!

At that moment, four more figures pounced down from the massive trees on both sides. Each of them wielded a sword that glinted with a cold light, and chilling Sword Qi hissed from the tips of their blades as they stabbed viciously at the carriage below!

All this happened in a flash. Uncle Fu’s eyes were wide with fury; it was too late to turn back and help. In that moment of distraction, he was driven back several dozen meters down the street by his opponent’s frenzied assault. Blood surged in his chest, and a trickle of it escaped the corner of his mouth. However, the bloodlust and killing intent from the battlefield, sealed away for so many years, were finally and completely reawakened in Uncle Fu. His eyes turned crimson. With a roar, the Sword Qi from his ink-black sword flared once more, faintly reaching the Peak Realm of a First Rank Demon Sword Master.

The sight even startled his opponent, who thought, ’This old man is one of those types who fights with no regard for his own life. My only mission is to keep him busy, there’s no need to fight him to the death.’ With that, his movements became elusive and erratic. He was a tier stronger than Uncle Fu, but his momentum was now a fraction weaker, so for a moment, the two were evenly matched. But for Uncle Fu, escaping his opponent’s entanglement would be next to impossible.

As the four assassins who had pounced head-first toward the carriage drew near, they all somersaulted in mid-air. Their Sword Qi slashed at the carriage’s frame, instantly shredding the luxurious vehicle to pieces. Two more beams of Sword Qi struck the fine horses. Geysers of blood erupted high into the air, creating a bloody rain and filling the air with a metallic stench. With a heavy thud, the two horses collapsed!

Only then did the four assassins’ feet touch the ground, forming a tight circle around the remains of the carriage!

But at the very instant their Sword Qi struck, a beam of snow-white Sword Qi burst from the carriage, tore through its lavish roof, and shot into the sky!

Ling Xiao, holding a Hundred-refined Steel Sword and scattering motes of white light, instantly engaged the four assassins who leaped up from the ground. After exchanging several blows in mid-air, he landed gracefully on the ground. He stood fearlessly within their encirclement, his posture as immovable as a mountain. With a slight furrow of his brow, he asked in a low voice, "Who are you people?"

The four assassins were utterly horrified!

’Weren’t we told that Ling Xiao was just a Great Sword Master, no stronger than the fifth rank?!’

Among the four of them were two Fourth-tier Mad Sword Masters, one Fifth Rank Mad Swordsman, and a Sixth Rank Mad Swordsman!

Although their objective wasn’t to kill Ling Xiao, he had just single-handedly fought off all four of them for several exchanges before landing with ease!

This was like a vicious slap across the faces of these four, who had always been incredibly arrogant. Each felt his face burning with humiliation. ’Was this kid really just a Celestial Vein Master six months ago?’

"Our master invites you to be his guest!"

one of the masked, black-clad men, who sounded middle-aged, said. He then signaled to the other three. ’No matter what, we have to subdue this kid first. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to hold our heads high in the sect again!’

Ling Xiao let out a cold laugh. "I’m afraid your master isn’t worthy!"

"Attack!"

The four men no longer underestimated him. They advanced on Ling Xiao, step by step.

The circle grew smaller... and smaller!

Just when the four were less than five meters away, Ling Xiao moved! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

His speed was like a flash of lightning, so fast it was dazzling. The snow-white Sword Qi coating his steel sword was of an intoxicating purity, yet it now carried a savage killing intent as it swept viciously toward the four men!

"You’re courting death, kid!"

The four saw that not only was the boy daring to fight back, but he was doing so with impressive and arrogant flair!

They had no time to question why his Sword Qi was white. Beams of light over a meter long hissed from their own swords. Though short, the beams were so dense they were nearly solid! They all aimed their attacks at Ling Xiao’s non-vital areas.

’After all... the Sect Leader said he just needs to be alive!’

The four men took up positions in four directions, and four torrents of a Mad Sword Master’s Sword Qi swept toward Ling Xiao, a mere Great Sword Master. Even the coachman, who had been kicked to the ground and had rolled to the side, thought, ’The poor Viscount is a dead man for sure!’

Ling Xiao let out a long cry as abundant Spiritual Power radiated from his body, forming a faint, eggshell-like white halo around him. With a twist and a sidestep, he dodged one beam of Sword Qi. Another beam slashed viciously against the white halo. The halo shattered, but at the same time, that beam of Sword Qi was completely annihilated!

Ling Xiao moved to meet the two remaining beams of Sword Qi, his steel sword whistling as it cut through the air.

When the two Mad Sword Masters’ Sword Qi collided with the white Sword Qi, they were instantly severed. The remaining force of the severed attacks shot into the hard Stone road. THUD! THUD! Two fist-sized holes, each over a foot deep, were blasted into the ground, sending shattered rock flying!

The momentum of Ling Xiao’s sword never faltered as he continued his sweep toward the two men. His snow-white Sword Qi, completely unaffected by the attacks of the two Mad Sword Masters, remained as crystalline and pure as ever. But now, in the eyes of his targets, it was more terrifying than the Death God’s scythe.

He gave them no chance to speak. The pure, beautiful, crystalline white Sword Qi sliced across their throats, leaving behind two thin red lines. Expressions of utter disbelief filled their eyes.

Ling Xiao’s body spun, landing behind the two men he had just struck. At the same time, the two assassins pursuing him were forced to pull back their attacks. They shouted at their comrades, "What’s wrong with you two?!"

Beneath their black masks, the two men’s lips twitched slightly. A moment later, twin jets of blood erupted from their throats, instantly soaking their masks and robes crimson. Only then did they collapse to the ground with a heavy thud.

The two remaining Great Sword Masters felt an icy chill shoot up from the base of their spines to the nape of their necks. Their entire backs were instantly drenched in cold sweat!

"You... you... What sword technique is this?" the Sixth Rank Mad Swordsman demanded, her voice shrill. It was a woman! "Aren’t you a Great Sword Master? How can you possess such devastating Sword Qi?"

"Hmph!" A cold sneer played on Ling Xiao’s lips. ’My Sword Qi is generated from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. How could frogs in a well like you possibly understand!’ He then said indifferently, "If you’re going to fight, then fight. Enough with the pointless talk!"

Just then, the expert with the cultivation of a Demon Sword Master, who had been tangling with Uncle Fu, cried out in alarm and tried to rush over. But debts are repaid quickly. A moment ago, he had been desperate to keep Uncle Fu occupied; now, there was no way Uncle Fu would let him leave so easily.

He sneered, "Trying to leave? Not a chance!"

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Phew. It’s six o’clock, right? I’ll try to keep a more regular schedule. I said I’d write a Chapter last night, but I was just too tired and wiped out to get it done. I’m really sorry about that!

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