"That's right." Huang Xiaolong's admission was aloof.
Sun Qing shuddered hearing this. In front of the guards and Steward Liu Wen, Sun Qing suddenly fell to his knees, "This little one deserves death! It was due to a moment of confusion, and I did not realize it was Young Master Huang! I should die! I should die!" He was beginning to speak incoherently, unable to string a proper sentence.
As he carried on, Sun Qing slapped the left side of his own face fiercely.
Moments later, blood was trickling down from the corner of his mouth.
The Castellan Manor guards were stupefied watching what was happening with Castellan Sun Qing.
Young Master Huang?!
All the guards and Steward Liu Wen looked at Huang Xiaolong.
However, not one of them could recognize who Huang Xiaolong was. Even so, the reaction of their Castellan explained enough to tell them that they were in big trouble!
Liu Wen and the rest of the guards swiftly knelt down like Sun Qing, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Huang Xiaolong looked at Sun Qing kneeling on the floor and said, "You're not in the wrong, stand up."
Only then did Sun Qing stop punishing himself, thanking Huang Xiaolong profusely before getting up.
"All of you go back now, I'm just passing through this place and don't want to attract attention." Huang Xiaolong spoke.
"Yes, yes, Young Master Huang!" Sun Qing nodded his head vigorously, then saluted towards Huang Xiaolong, and hurried out. All the Castellan Manor guards swiftly followed behind him with unease on their faces.
The night was calm again.
Daybreak gradually brightened the sky, and Huang Xiaolong's group of four exited Southern Cliffs City, crossed over the Luo Tong Kingdom's border, and entered Baolong Kingdom.
Stepping onto Baolong Kingdom's soil, Huang Xiaolong, Zhao Shu, Yu Ming, and Fei Hou wasted no time and headed directly to Big Sword Sect's headquarters.
On the way, Fei Hou explained the 'connections' to Zhao Shu and Yu Ming between Huang Xiaolong and Big Sword Sect, the Martial Ning Family, and Clear Cloud Pavilion.
Violent Dragon County was located at the most northern point of Baolong Kingdom, and it was full of meandering hills and mountains. Atop this mountain range stood a huge palace-like building. This was the headquarters to one of the Baolong Kingdom's prominent sects: Big Sword Sect.
Main hall of Big Sword Sect's headquarters.
Yu Chen was listening to a disciple report about matters in Southern Cliffs City, and after that, he asked, "Wei Xiaodong was actually murdered, what's everyone's opinion on this?"
Wei Xiaodong was one of Big Sword Sect's core disciples, and this time, it was Yu Chen himself that sent him to Southern Cliffs City. He did not expect that Wei Xiaodong would meet his end there, together with all the other Big Sword Sect disciples that were also killed.
"According to the report, the person that saved Sun Lin was a young man around seventeen or eighteen, and there were four in his group altogether. Castellan Sun referred to him as "Young Master Huang" with great respect. Could that Young Master Huang be Huang Xiaolong?" On the main seat, Lin Zhiren's sullen voice asked.
Someone that could raise fear from Castellan Sun with the surname Huang, and coupled with the description of that person, it was not difficult to guess Huang Xiaolong's identity.
"It should be Huang Xiaolong. He took the Cosmic Star Academy's overall championship and is probably traveling to Duanren Empire to participate in the Imperial City battle. Most likely, he was passing through Southern Cliffs City on the way." One Big Sword Sect Elder agreed.
"Huang Xiaolong wants to head to Duanren Empire to participate in the Imperial City Battle, but he must travel across our Baolong Kingdom. In my opinion, he would pass by our Big Sword Sect territory within a month or two. Old Sect Leader, at that time we should lay a siege and kill Huang Xiaolong!" Another Big Sword Sect Elder suggested.
"That's right Old Sect Leader, this time we absolutely must kill Huang Xiaolong! Otherwise, if he were allowed to grow, this monstrous freak will break into the Xiantian realm within the next two years. Once he's broken through into the Xiantian realm, it would be difficult for our Big Sword Sect to annihilate him at that time!"
"And this time around, he won't have Marshal Haotian protecting him, only that Fei Hou is beside him. This is a golden opportunity!"
The Big Sword Sect Elders voiced their opinions.
Yu Chen's gaze sharpened. He raised his hand to silence the Elders, and when everyone quieted down, his cold voice sounded, "Pass down my order, all Big Sword Sect disciples move out, and stake out the possible routes Huang Xiaolong would take—cut him off!"
All Big Sword Sect disciples moved out; this time, Huang Xiaolong couldn't escape!
"Yes, Old Sect Leader!" The Big Sword Sect Elders replied.
However, several painful howling sounds were heard as Big Sword Sect disciples were seen flying into the main hall.
Everyone in the huge hall was startled and looked over quickly.
"Huang Xiaolong!" Yu Chen's eyes narrowed and he jumped up from his seat. Lin Zhiren and the Elders also stood up from their seats.
"Huang Xiaolong, I didn't expect you would have the guts to step into my Big Sword Sect's headquarters!" Yu Chen slowly walked out from the main hall, and step by step, he was fully releasing his battle qi as his gaze locked onto Huang Xiaolong.
The Elders spread out in the huge hall, encircling Huang Xiaolong's group of four in the middle.
Suddenly, the sound of a clear bell ringing cut through the tense atmosphere.
In that moment, all of the Big Sword Sect's disciples rushed to the main hall.
One hundred thousand Big Sword Sect disciples came whistling through the air.
In no time at all, all one hundred thousand disciples arrived, blocking all exits of the main hall to a point where not even water could leak out.
Lin Zhiren looked at Huang Xiaolong and sneered coldly, "Huang Xiaolong, I want to see how you will run this time?!"
"Run?" Huang Xiaolong showed indifference, "Who said I wanted to run?"
Yu Chen quickly glanced over the four people on Huang Xiaolong's side. At the end, his eyes fell onto Zhao Shu and Yu Ming's body. He was filled with doubt; could these two people be Huang Xiaolong's trump card?
Both Zhao Shu and Yu Ming had their aura hidden. Of course, Yu Chen could not tell their cultivation levels with his pitiable level of strength.
"Huang Xiaolong, do you think that just the four of you can go against the entirety of my Big Sword Sect disciples?" Lin Zhiren smirked conceitedly, and glanced over the four faces, "Do you think you have a Saint realm expert amongst you?"
Relying on one person's power to exterminate a prominent sect of a kingdom, only a Saint realm expert had the ability to do so.
But, just as Lin Zhiren's voice ended, Zhao Shu reached out and made a twisting action. Over the distance of hundreds of meters, countless shadows of gigantic hands were seen grasping at Lin Zhiren, lifting him up in midair.
An earth shattering aura exploded from Zhao Shu.
The weather within ten thousand li of the Big Sword Sect headquarters changed as clear blue skies darkened gloomily and thunderbolts struck simultaneously. An overwhelming pressure locked onto every corner of the Big Sword Sect headquarters.
Lin Zhiren, Yu Chen, and the Big Sword Sect Elders were flopping like fish out of water under the pressure. Their eyes protruded out of their sockets, and their mouths were agape as if they were on the verge of taking their last breath at any moment.
All the spiritual energy within that ten thousand li dissipated!
"Saint…Saint realm expert!" Lin Zhiren was scared out of his wits, shivering from head to toe. His throat moved with much difficulty to utter those words.
Saint realm expert!
Only a Saint realm expert could release such terrifying pressure. Only a Saint realm expert could ignore space distance to control a Xiantian expert like Lin Zhiren.
Only a Saint realm expert could manipulate the law of space to control certain spatial areas.
Zhao Shu's cold eyes glanced at Lin Zhiren and immense pressure swept across space. Lin Zhiren's neck was then snapped right in front of everyone's eyes. Following that, his body was released and he fell limply to the floor.
A Xiantian expert died!
Zhao Shu turned around, looking at Yu Chen and the others of the Big Sword Sect.
"Se, Senior, mercy, mercy ah!" Fear and panic warped Yu Chen's face as he pleaded.
Zhao Shu snorted, and suddenly Yu Chen spurted blood from his mouth as if he took a heavy blow, and just like that, he tumbled to the floor. It was then that the Big Sword Sect Elders realized there was a wound deeply ingrained in Yu Chen's chest, but no one knew when it happened.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Zhiren and Yu Chen, two of Big Sword Sect's strongest Xiantian experts had fallen.
An atmosphere fraught with death spread throughout the surrounding space.
All the Big Sword Sect Elders in that main hall became ashen with fear, desperation, and despondency.
A Saint realm expert!
That man was actually a Saint realm expert!
How could there be a Saint realm expert amongst them?!
Even if they flipped the entire Duanren Empire upside down, the number of Saint realm experts were very few, easily counted with ten fingers on one's two hands.
One of these terrifying existences actually appeared just to destroy the Big Sword Sect!
A Saint realm expert accompanied that little punk Huang Xiaolong!
Huang Xiaolong could actually request the assistance of a Saint realm expert? What was his real identity?!
Just when the Big Sword Sect Elders and disciples thought Zhao Shu came on Huang Xiaolong's request, they witnessed Zhao Shu turning around and asking Huang Xiaolong respectfully, "Young Lord, how do we deal with these Big Sword Sect Elders and disciples?"
Young Lord?!
The Elders and disciples of the Big Sword Sect stared at Huang Xiaolong in disbelief.
Huang Xiaolong's eyes swept passed the surrounding Big Sword Sect Elders and disciples, "Kill them all!"
Kill them all!!
Eliminate weeds from the root!
This time, Huang Xiaolong was leaving the Luo Tong Kingdom and traveling to Duanren Empire for an indeterminate period, so it was imperative that he not leave these hidden dangers behind that could potentially harm his family. He had sworn to his father that he would uproot the Big Sword Sect eight years ago.
The Elders and disciples of Big Sword Sect quivered as Huang Xiaolong's words drummed into their ears. Everyone panicked, fighting over each other in order to escape from the main hall.
However, just as these people were about to make their move, they suddenly felt the space around them freeze. All were fixed in place.
Zhao Shu looked placidly at these people that were frozen like statues. His hands waved out and the power of space pierced through the Elders and disciples' chests like invisible wind blades.
Bodies fell from midair, twitching on the ground. Puncture wounds could easily be seen in their chests.
As the power of space continued to spread out from inside the main hall, the Big Sword Sect disciples that were assembled outside fell to the ground en masse.
Before long, the tens of thousands of Big Sword Sect's disciples had fallen, and not one person was left standing.
Looking at the vast sea of the Big Sword Sect disciples' black human heads, both Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou were silently alarmed.
A Saint realm expert was this terrifying!
With just a simple wave of his hand, a prominent large sect of a kingdom was annihilated?!
A day later, the news about Big Sword Sect's annihilation and its hundred thousand disciples' deaths exploded like an atomic bomb in Baolong Kingdom. From the King and the many nobles, to the common folk and even the shameless street thugs, all knew about it and found it hard to believe.
The tens of thousands of Big Sword Sect disciples, including two Xiantian experts, Yu Chen and Lin Zhiren, were killed!
The enormity of the news was too shocking!
When the news started spreading, everyone thought that the person telling it to them was joking.
But ten days later, the news of the Martial Ning Family's annihilation dropped like a second bomb in the Baolong Kingdom. This raised earth-shattering quakes throughout the entire Kingdom. Another ten days after that, a new message spread out: the Clear Cloud Pavilion's headquarters' several thousand experts were decimated.
Big Sword Sect, Martial Ning Family, and Clear Cloud Pavilion!
Any one of these forces were considered a tyrannical existence in Baolong Kingdom!
But now, within one month's time, all three of these large forces were wiped off the face of the planet!
Baolong Kingdom fell into a gloomy atmosphere of shock, confusion, and infinite fear.
Fear of the unknown infected neighboring kingdoms. Discussions and whispers were nearly everywhere. Everyone was making their own deductions about who annihilated the Big Sword Sect, Martial Ning Family, and Clear Cloud Pavilion. Who would have the power to destroy those three large forces?
No one discovered who uprooted the three forces, but judging from the similar method used, most forces were of the opinion that all three were done in by the same culprit.
While Baolong Kingdom and its neighbors were still immersed in guesswork, Huang Xiaolong's group of four arrived at the border of Baolong Kingdom, crossing the border into Black Iron Kingdom.
For the shortest route to Duanren Empire from Luo Tong Kingdom, Huang Xiaolong needed to cut across Baolong Kingdom, Black Iron Kingdom, and around twenty other kingdoms before he could arrive at his destination.
Therefore, seven months until the Imperial City Battle may seem far away, but Huang Xiaolong and the rest were making the best time possible just in case they ran into any delays. According to Huang Xiaolong's estimation, at their speed, they would need at least six months or so before arriving at their destination.
After Baolong Kingdom, the rest of the journey went on smoothly.
Five months passed.
During the rushed travel, Huang Xiaolong still made time to practice Asura Tactics.
Within these five months, the battle qi in Huang Xiaolong's Qi Sea and meridians condensed, becoming more concentrated. Most of his battle qi flowing along his meridians and Qi Sea had already converted to liquid form.
When all the battle qi in his body was converted to a liquid state, it would signify Huang Xiaolong's ascension to the Xiantian Realm. Once he stepped into the Xiantian realm, a new door would open to an entirely different perspective.
As they continued on their journey, another ten days passed quickly.
On one quiet night, the moon was particularly bright.
The four of them decided to stop and rest for the night at a barren hill before continuing their journey onward.
The bonfire crackled, and strong flames cast light on the surrounding.
Occasionally, the howling of wolves could be heard through the night.
Huang Xiaolong, Zhao Shu, Yu Ming, and Fei Hou were sitting in a circle around the bonfire, an aromatic fragrance wafted over from the meat roasting on the fire.
Such a scene and atmosphere reminded Huang Xiaolong of years past when he whisked his parents and little siblings away from the Huang Clan Manor and took them to Luo Tong's Royal City. It was just like the nights they spent sleeping outside and eating roast meat from the bonfires.
That year, his little sister promised she would cultivate diligently, grow strong, and defeat Huang Wei.
At that time, they did not know Huang Wei and the rest of Huang Clan Manor had all been murdered by the Big Sword Sect. However, eight years later he successfully returned the favor, destroying Big Sword Sect completely.
"Sovereign, we should arrive at Duanren Empire in roughly two weeks." At this time, Yu Ming suddenly spoke.
Huang Xiaolong stopped thinking of the past, nodding at Yu Ming. That's right, in two weeks' time he would be stepping into Duanren Empire.
Duanren Empire!
This was Huang Xiaolong's next step!
It was imperative that he get first place in the Imperial City Battle!
The delicious smell coming from the roasted meat thickened, indicating it was ready. The four of them each cut a piece off and started to eat.
"I wonder how that little guy is doing?" Huang Xiaolong suddenly remembered the Spirit Devourer Violet Monkey.
At first, Huang Xiaolong planned to bring the little monkey with him to Duanren Empire, but it went into the Silvermoon Forest. Thus, Huang Xiaolong could only give up and decided to bring it along next time upon his return to Luo Tong Kingdom.
During the past two years, the little violet monkey not only advanced to Stage Ten just as he did, it also reached peak late-Tenth Order.
By the next time Huang Xiaolong encounters it, the little monkey would very likely have already broken through to the Xiantian realm as well.
Huang Xiaolong took out the jugs of Fiery Wine and Snow Moon Wine he had stored inside the Asura Ring, enjoying them with Zhao Shu, Yu Ming, and Fei Hou.
Although rushed traveling was a little dull, the wine and roast meat made it bearable.
Sated from the meal, Zhao Shu, Yu Ming, and Fei Hou kept watch whereas Huang Xiaolong initiated the God Binding Ring and entered the ancient battlefield.
Huang Xiaolong had a feeling his Xiantian realm breakthrough would happen within the next two days.
Running the Asura Tactics cultivation technique, the black and blue dragon emerged behind Huang Xiaolong, hovering above his head as they greedily devoured the netherworld spiritual energy gushing down from the void.
His breakthrough in the last year had greatly enhanced and solidified his martial spirit's corporeal bodies. Each of the dragon scales on their bodies were distinctive, reflecting light on their smooth surface as if they could turn into real life dragons at any moment.
The netherworld battle qi in Huang Xiaolong's Qi Sea and meridians were surging vigorously, and they had completely turned an inky blackish purple.
The deepest and darkest purple colored battle qi appeared was daunting and intimidating at first glance, and when Huang Xiaolong circulated his battle qi, it looked like the Cocytus River that flowed up from the underworld.
When Huang Xiaolong was absorbing the overflowing netherworld spiritual energy, the netherworld battle qi within his body started vibrating violently.
This is…? Huang Xiaolong was startled, was he breaking into the Xiantian realm right…now?
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