Chapter 4: I am his Younger Brother!
Editor: GGP
The demons revealed their true natures, and began to physically change appearances. Some of them began to grow yellow fur from their skin as their eyes became dark green. Some of them began to grow a thick hide of skin on their faces as horns sprouted from their heads… All of them were manifesting demonic characteristics. Furthermore, some held two sharp thorns in their hands, while others were grasping large battle axes or using flexible swords… These were the weapons that the demons were most proficient in. They had extraordinary strength but their speeds varied. Some were fast, while others were slow. But even the slowest ones were still leaving phantom images of themselves in mid-air. One could well imagine the speeds they were going at!
The demon that had dispersed into a cloud of mist was even more peculiar. It was hard to discern where exactly it was. The sudden disappearance of one of the demons caused tremors in the heart of the black-robed elder who was observing from the side. "Invisibility? How is that beatable? These demons are too horrifying."
Although the yellow-robed fatty, Chu Yong, had delivered the order, he maintained his original position by standing in place. "My seven subordinates are not that weak. The collective effort of the seven will be sufficient in ascertaining the strength of this mysterious expert."
When experts met in battle, there was only a fine line separating victory and defeat.
Understanding the limitations of the mysterious expert in front of him could help him gain the upper hand when they engaged in combat.
"Seven?" Qin Yun stood there, motionless.
"Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!"
His right hand unsheathed his sword for a split second before putting it back in.
Several ice-cold beams scintillated mid-air like swimming snakes. The five demons that had pounced quickly fell to the ground. The mysterious mist demon similarly collapsed into a corpse that quickly transformed into a panther. Behind Qin Yun, a woman's corpse also appeared and immediately transformed into a snow mink in mid-air… All seven demons fell to the ground one after another. Their weapons clanged to the ground as they escaped the demons' grasps. All the demons eventually morphed back into their true forms—wolves, panthers, etc… All seven of their corpses were significantly larger than that of regular beasts. Yet, they only laid there motionless.
The faces of the black-robed elder who stood afar without daring to move and the lady in pink went pale.
"They died, just like that? The seven demons died instantaneously?" The black-robed elder found it unbelievable, "His strike, I couldn't see it at all!"
"What a fast sword. Did you rely on your Dharma Eyes to see through the invisibility technique?"
The yellow-robed fatty, Chu Yong stood there as he spoke with a deep voice. "It's no wonder you have the guts to saunter in here alone. However, coming to my territory was your worst mistake." As he said this, he slammed his left hand onto the armrest of his throne. He had used a tremendous amount of strength in the strike, causing the armrest to crack with a loud sound and sink down.
All the side doors in the audience hall abruptly slammed shut. Simultaneously, the walls and ceiling became filled with numerous holes.
"Oh no." The black-robed elder's expression revealed a look of panic and despair.
"Master." The pink-robed woman felt despair as well.
However, the yellow-robed fatty sported the same ferocious grin as his head transformed into a hideous boar's head and he grew a thick layer of hair all over his body. His height swelled up until he was nearly ten feet tall. His clothes tore apart as he grew.
"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"
From the dome of the hall, countless spikes in the form of black beams of light shot through the holes in the walls. Each was the length of a human palm, but the black beams of light were densely packed together in a shroud that left no room for escape. Even the place where Chu Yong was standing was enveloped by the poisonous spikes.
Innumerable spikes shot through the hall, penetrating the black-robed elder and the pink-robed woman. Instantly, more than a dozen holes were bored through their bodies. They had died on the spot, eyes filled with despair.
Puah! Puah! Puah!
Even the long narrow table that was made of stone was easily penetrated by the poison spikes! The floor of the hall that was made of granite was also penetrated, leaving behind a series of cavities.
"When I built this underground palace, I filled it with mechanisms for the sole purpose of taking on true experts." The wild boar demon, Chu Yong, watched in anticipation.
However, Qin Yun slowly stepped forward.
His footsteps would occasionally speed up, causing a poisonous spike to graze past his back.
At times, his footsteps would slow down, allowing a poisonous spike to fly past his chest.
Sometimes, he would tilt slightly to the left and a poisonous spike would graze past his ear.
Sometimes, he would tilt slightly to the right and, once again, a poisonous spike would graze past his neck.
The poisonous spikes came from every direction, and yet Qin Yun moved like he had eyes on the back of his head. He easily avoided all the poisonous spikes.
"How is this possible?" The wild boar demon, Chu Yong, widened his eyes, "How did he dodge the poisonous spikes that shot from behind him without being able to see them? Could it be…"
...
Qin Yun strode through the main hall in a relaxed manner. He did as he pleased as he emanated his psyche, covering a region of fifty feet in diameter. Everything inside it, even a speck of dust which could not be seen by the naked eye, was within his perception. With the fifty-foot buffer, it made avoiding the poisonous spikes a lot easier.
He only needed to make minute movements to avoid the incoming poisonous spikes.
Even though there were times when it was difficult to dodge the spikes, Qin Yun would simply extend his right hand and, with a light flick, send the poisonous spikes that were flying at him to the side.
In a few seconds, all the poisonous spikes were expended. The grand hall resumed its silence, with holes nearly everywhere.
The wild boar demon, Chu Yong, removed his huge hands that resembled cattail-leaf fans from his eyes. All the hair on his body was quivering, as the poisonous spikes fell from his body onto the ground.
"I've heard that the hides of wild boars are fairly thick. For a wild boar demon like you to actually use your body to resist those poisonous spikes is quite an impressive feat." Qin Yun gave a rare compliment.
"Hmph, you easily deflected those poisonous spikes, which means you have reached the perfected Seamless realm. You can even release your psyche, can't you?" Chu Yong continued, "When you are capable of releasing your psyche, you are not that far from the realm of Heaven Man Unity. I never imagined that a great expert such as yourself would come to my territory."
Chu Yong stretched his hand out to grab a metal column beside his throne. With a rumble, he ripped out the thirteen-foot metal column and brandished it. However, it did not appear out of place. He looked almost like a regular person holding a staff. He twirled the column with one hand, stirring up a howling gust of wind. The stance and momentum were terrifying. "A high cultivation level doesn't necessarily mean strength! I've killed many human experts who were at a higher cultivation realm than me."
Just as his voice faded, Chu Yong rushed forward and fiercely swept the metal column in his hands, creating a loud ring. The metal column weighed at least a thousand pounds. A single sweep of it seemed like it could carry him to victory. A graze would result in serious injury and a direct strike would leave one dead.
"Sou!"
Qin Yun abruptly bent down and avoided the swinging column above his head. In a moment, he unsheathed his sword.
"Wah!"
The sword blade drew across the demon's stomach diagonally. At the instant of the slash, Qin Yun felt an immense amount of resistance. His sword managed to cleave off a few hairs with great difficulty and, when it finally reached the demon's thick hide, the momentum barely left a white mark before dissipating.
"Woosh." Chu Yong instantly retracted the metal column before suddenly stabbing downwards at his target.
Qing Yun quickly brandished his sword and immediately rushed forward to dodge before returning with a surprise attack.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Qing Yun raised his speed to his limits while Chu Yong wielded his metal column. Chu Yong's staff techniques were rather powerful, but he could not even lay a finger on Qin Yun. At the same time, Qin Yun was slicing, stabbing, and slashing Chu Yong's body continuously. However, even his strongest strike only managed to pierce two inches into the thick hide. He failed to penetrate the entire depth of the thick hide.
"What a thick hide of skin." Qin Yun retreated to the side and sighed with a click of his tongue. "The hide is too thick, just too thick."
"Haha, I've already said it. A higher cultivation realm does not mean higher strength. How will you fight me if your sword cannot penetrate my skin? I just need to hit you once and you're dead." Chu Yong laughed boisterously.
"Your hide is indeed thick. Perhaps it is worthy of meeting my 'Misty Rain Sword,'" said Qin Yun. "This is a sword technique I came up with on my own."
"On your own?" Chu Yong guffawed, "A sword technique needs to be properly tempered and honed with multiple revisions. So what if you came up with it on your own?"
"Is that so?" Qin Yun advanced forward.
"Come over and die!" Chu Yong swung the metal column forward, but Qin Yun easily dodged it. He also struck out with his sword, creating a hazy sword beam that flashed like the misty rain in spring. It was ethereal and hazy.
Chu Yong pushed his metal column up, tipping the column down to rapidly block.
Pu!
The hazy sword beam and the metal column collided, and the metal column slowly changed directions. The sword beam swung around the column and proceeded forward. With a sharp lacerating sound, the hazy sword beam tore through Chu Yong's abdomen! Chu Yong originally ignored it because he was confident of his physical defense. However, he immediately widened his eyes and frantically grasped at his abdomen.
With a loud tear, his body was split into two. The upper half of his body separated from his lower half as his dismembered body fell to the ground, covering it in fresh blood.
Only then did Qin Yun sheathe his sword, putting it back into his scabbard.
Chu Yong had very robust vital strength. He raised his head to look at Qin Yun, "How…how is this possible? You couldn't penetrate my hide before so how…how did you do it with one strike… It's not possible, the hide I was born with is incredibly thick. I was even taught a body-tempering cultivation by a water god, so how could a single strike of yours split my body apart? This 'Misty Rain Sword' technique...was self-taught?"
"Yes." Qin Yun nodded.
The lower half of Chu Yong's body had already reverted to its true form and the upper half was beginning to revert back as well. He continued to stare at Qin Yun. "You killed me today because of that Qin An? Who exactly are you?"
He could not take his defeat lying down.
He had been settled in Grand Dominance City for sixty-eight years, and yet here he was, killed by a mysterious expert without even knowing why.
Qin Yun looked at the wild boar demon and said, "That's right. I killed you because of Qin An! It's because I'm his younger brother!"
Chapter 5: Intrinsic Flying Sword
Editor: Gravity Tales
"His younger brother?" Chu Yong murmured quietly Then, his eyes widened. "You're that Qin Yun?"
He finally remembered.
Qin Liehu had two sons. One was Qin An, and the other was once a rather famous young swordsman. However, he left the city six years ago to travel the world. Also, the Qin Yun of six years ago may have been dazzling among the younger generation, but, in the eyes of the truly strong and capable, he was still considered a little lacking. Chu Yong was one of the most terrifying and formidable demons of Grand Dominance City, so how could he have thought highly of a kid?
"You may have killed me, but the water god won't let you off easily." Chu Yong felt his consciousness weakening. Still, unwilling to admit defeat, he growled, "The water god will never let you go. Never."
"Water god? Seventy percent of the demons in Grand Dominance County are the water god's subordinates, isn't that right?" Qin Yun sneered. "Do you think I'm scared of offending a water god by killing some demons?"
Chu Yong's upper body completely reverted back to its original form. The top half of a large wild boar stopped producing any sound, meaning it was dead.
The entire hall was filled with silence.
The leader of the demons, the eight minions including the cat demoness, as well as the pink-robed woman and the black-robed old man, were all dead.
Only Qin Yun stood alone in the middle of the hall, pondering.
"Just seeing the corpse of the demon leader cleanly severed with one sword strike would be enough to narrow it down to the few people in Grand Dominance County that are capable of such a feat. It would easily expose my identity. I'll have to do a little cleaning. I've only just returned after being away for six years. It is not the right time to clash with the water god." Qin Yun made careful plans before casually rummaging through the hall. As he searched, he discovered the box of Astral Patterned Steel.
"Astral Patterned Steel." Qin Yun looked inside the cracked box, finding the slabs of silvery-white metal. "With dozens of pounds of Astral Patterned Steel, the foundation of my Intrinsic Flying Sword will become even more enriched. It will also shorten the amount of time I need to completely refine it by a month or two."
He continued searching around the hall, as well as the demons' corpses, but nothing surprised him like the Astral Patterned Steel.
Following that, Qin Yun took out a red sachet and opened it, retrieving a small bottle. He pulled out its stopper and sprinkled a couple of liquid drops onto the demons' corpses. He sprinkled seven to eight drops onto Chu Yong's body while using only one or two drops on each of the other demons' corpses.
"Chi! Chi! Chi!"
After that, he lit them on fire.
If it were burned with regular fire, it would take days to fully destroy Chu Yong's corpse, and even then, the bones would remain. However, because of those drops of fluid, a ghostly blue flame was eating away at the wild boar demon's corpse incessantly. In less than a minute, there was practically nothing left of the corpse except gray ash. As for the other corpses that had only received a drop or two, they had already long turned to ash.
"My 'Nether Water' is running out. I better concoct more," Qin Yun muttered to himself as he walked over to the throne. He fumbled with the armrest a bit, restoring it to its original state.
"Rumble!" The doors which had shuttered down previously opened once again.
Qin Yun used his Dharma Eyes to look around and easily found where Chu Yong typically dwelled. After searching carefully, he soon found a treasure box filled with valuables like gemstones and pearls, as well as a stack of banknotes.
"Wow, there are sixty-three thousand taels?" Qin Yun flipped through the banknotes in surprise. "This old demon was a lackey of the water god, so most of what he received had to be offered to the water god. Furthermore, there are the expenses incurred during normal cultivation, yet he was still able to save up so many silver taels."
"Cultivation stresses the importance of Dharmic formulations, money, companionship, and finally, land. First and foremost is a Dharmic formulation. Without it, cultivation is impossible. Money ranks second." Qin Yun shook his head. "I am part of the sword immortal's lineage. I am able to keep expenses for most things low, but nurturing my Intrinsic Flying Sword demands extremely high rates of consumption. I've invested more than half of the wealth I've accumulated over six years of wandering into it. So how lucky it is that I find these banknotes and Astral Patterned Steel now. If I add it to my original savings, I can barely afford the amount needed to nurture my Intrinsic Flying Sword through the upcoming year."
Being a cultivator caused more than its share of headaches.
For example, if one were to make talismans, even if one were to use the cheapest of papers and cinnabar ink, the cost of practicing in the long-term was very distressing. If one wanted to create a set of talismans, the cost would only get higher.
Even refining pills and Dharma treasures required heavy investments just to practice. The mere thought of it was terrifying.
...
He searched the entire underground palace and left carrying two bundles. However, before he left, he projected his voice throughout the underground palace. He said with a bold and weathered voice, like that of an elder, "I've killed all the demons. You should all leave this place quickly if you want to live." With that said, he left.
The underground palace was a place where demons led a life of pleasure, but it was also a place where humans led a life of suffering and despair.
Although they had heard a loud commotion coming from the grand hall, the dancers, musicians, and servants hid in their respective living quarters in shock, afraid to come out. However, after hearing Qin Yun's proclamation, they waited a while before coming out gingerly. Once they saw that nobody was there to stop them, and that all the traps were disabled, they left in excitement and fled into the streets. They were immediately discovered by the night patrol and the underground palace was instantly exposed.
Grand Dominance City's government officials called for an investigation and learned that the owner of the underground palace was the demon leader, Chu Yong.
To Grand Dominance City, Chu Yong was one of the most terrifying and clandestine old demons. He had been wreaking havoc for decades, and the location of his den had always been a mystery.
This news immediately stirred the upper echelons of Grand Dominance City.
******
Later that night at Qin Manor, in one of the rooms in Qin Yun's courtyard, mild light escaped from the lampshade, illuminating the room.
"Dong!"
Qin Yun emptied one of the bundles, placing all of the bank notes and treasures into the clothes trunk by his bedside. He then put the other bundle on his bed and quickly opened it. Inside were the slabs of Astral Patterned Steel. "Astral Patterned Steel is considered contraband for ordinary citizens. It is a grave crime to keep it, one that is punishable by the execution of one's entire family. However, thanks to my status, it would be a trivial matter even if this bit of Astral Patterned Steel is discovered."
Qin Yun crossed his legs as he sat on top of the bed and calmed his mind.
He focused on the inside of his dantian.
His dantian was like the ocean, where Quintessential Essence surged like the waves. Within his dantian, there was a luminous, silvery metal sphere floating in the center.
All of a sudden, the luminous silver ball began to spin and gradually expand, forming a long strip of "metallic hair." The silver metal sphere was considered small, about the size of gravel. After it expanded, the metallic strand was long and thin, like a strand of hair on a person's head.
"Whew!"
The metal hair flew out of his dantian, flowed through his meridians, and quickly exited from his arm through the tip of his index finger. It instantly pierced his skin, leaving behind a small wound. However, with Qin Yun's strength, he recovered in an instant.
After the strand of bright, silvery hair shot out from his fingertip, it immediately and rapidly started to grow.
It transformed into a three-inch-long, bright silver sword that floated in front of Qin Yun.
"Intrinsic Flying Sword." Qin Yun continued sitting cross-legged as he observed the three-inch-long flying sword hovering in front of him. "It will still be another year before my Intrinsic Flying Sword is finished. When that time comes, it can freely exit my dantian without me being so cautious."
At present, his Intrinsic Flying Sword was not completely refined. The flying sword within his body was unable to distinguish between friend and foe. He himself would be severely injured if it pierced and damaged his internal organs. Therefore, he curled it into a 'sword ball' and kept it in his dantian during the nurturing process. If he were to store it in its 'sword' shape inside his dantian, the sword might accidentally damage his dantian while it was still immature. Then, it would be too late for regrets.
Once the Intrinsic Flying Sword was done refining, it would become a Dharma treasure that could shrink and grow at will. It would be remarkably formidable.
Even if Qin Yun were to find another flying sword that had been completely refined, it would not even come close to his Intrinsic Flying Sword. What was an 'Intrinsic Flying Sword'? This was a sword that had been nurtured day and night inside his dantian, to the point of fusing with his soul. Over a long period of time, the sword would gradually become a part of his life force, with a strength that would naturally be frighteningly powerful. If the Intrinsic Flying Sword were to be destroyed, the effects would range from Qin Yun being severely injured to having his cultivation path completely severed.
"Go." He lifted up a slab of the Astral Patterned Steel sitting beside him which weighed approximately ten pounds. He casually threw it and immediately, strands of Quintessential Essence shot out from his fingertip to envelop it, allowing it to float beneath the three-inch-long flying sword.
Buzz—
Following Qin Yun's circulatory methods, a luster dispersed above the surface of the three-inch-long flying sword. It continuously absorbed the essence of the Astral Patterned Steel below it. Dots of light shot out of the Astral Patterned Steel and flew into the three-inch-long flying sword. As for the slab of floating Astral Patterned Steel, it broke into fragments that began falling down.
After an hour, the three-inch-long flying sword vibrated once, letting out a sword hum.
"I'll end it here today." Qin Yun stretched out his hand and retrieved the Astral Patterned Steel that had shrunk to the size of a cobblestone. It now weighed about two pounds. "If I refine approximately eight pounds worth of Astral Patterned Steel a day, it will probably take ten days to exhaust this stock of Astral Patterned Steel. My Intrinsic Flying Sword will also have a more solid foundation."
"Raising an Intrinsic Flying Sword is really not easy. If I were an ordinary cultivator, or even if I was just someone else from the sword immortal's lineage, I would have to spend decades nurturing my Intrinsic Flying Sword. Fortunately, I managed to gain insight into the Misty Rain Sword Intent, which allows me to nurture flying swords ten times faster than the average cultivator. I just need several years of hard work to complete it. Unfortunately, the Misty Rain Sword intent doesn't save me one bit of the materials needed for nurturing a flying sword." Qin Yun sighed with mixed emotions.
It was like throwing mountains of gold and silver into a cauldron, all for a single flying sword.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
12 Power
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