Void opened an invisible gate, revealing two silhouettes.
"Is this the power of Void Divine Power? Truly enigmatic and unpredictable, awe-inspiringly mighty. Sadly... my life’s journey has come to a hopeless end..."
Lu Huolong’s face was etched with deep regret and sorrow.
As a cultivator, he could already sense that his time of death was near.
And the person he saw before his death was none other than the inscrutable Young Master Shen Xiu.
"Do you seem to have something to say?"
Zhong Shenxiu asked indifferently.
"I wish to ask Senior to do something for me. Cough cough..." Lu Huolong coughed up blood as he drew a dagger-like small sword from his chest.
The sword seemed to be made of black iron, pitch black and unremarkable. It was no more than a foot long, its twin blades still sealed, without a scabbard.
Moreover, the sword was covered with a great deal of rust, mottled, as if it were an ancient artifact.
"Please deliver this sword to Yixin Temple in Luo State for me. I know it’s a difficult request. I only hope that if Senior is free and happens to be in Luo State one day, you could do this favor for me."
Luo State is located on the border of the Second Yan Han Empire; upon entering Central Earth from the Fufeng Protectorate, Luo State is the first stop.
In those days, after the collapse of the Yan Han First Empire, numerous foreign tribes invaded. Heisting County was merely one of the more inconspicuous among them. Luo State, too, was an area of calamity. Over that land, almost fifteen or sixteen different small countries rose up, which were later conquered one by one by the Second Yan Han Empire, changing the land’s allegiance and establishing a system.
Lu Huolong kneeled on one knee and presented the rusted sword with both hands.
Zhong Shenxiu did not reach out to take it but instead asked, "Why should I help you?"
"Helping would be a favor, not helping would be reasonable," Lu Huolong forced a smile, "I’m merely taking a gamble."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily, "For your regretlessness alone, I’ll agree."
Taking the iron sword, he felt something was off.
But upon close inspection, he could not discern anything; perhaps it harbored some secrets.
Zhong Shenxiu didn’t really have any desire to pry to the bottom of it, he just quietly watched as Lu Huolong’s breath grew faint.
This extraordinary swordman, in the end, fell into such a state due to offending the powerful.
"I have another secret I wish to tell Senior, as compensation for earlier."
Suddenly, Lu Huolong, his face now turning black, spoke, "This trip... to the Poison Dragon Cave, was meant to be completely safe. The Poison Dragon Venerable was not inside the cave; otherwise, with his Divine Power Sword Control ability, I wouldn’t have dared get anywhere near him..."
Gang Sha Realm cultivators can only send their swords flying a hundred steps; in the mortal realm, they are considered swordmen and Sword Immortals, but to true cultivators, they are still too naïve.
Only in the Divine Power Realm, with Divine Power Sword Control, does one truly possess the means of a Sword Immortal!
Lu Huolong’s complexion turned ashen, "In the Poison Dragon Cave, it was not just the Poison Dragon Venerable alone... There was also another, the Dragon and Tiger True Man Zhang Taiyi... Had I not discovered this secret, how could I have been so undone by a few venomous snakes? Who has my lifetime of toil been for? My long sword has yet to be cleaned, yet is already covered in frost..."
He struggled, exhaling his last long breath, departing from this world.
Zhong Shenxiu watched this scene and suddenly extended his hand, summoning the Headless Earl to dig a grave for Lu Huolong.
This man had a bit of a hero’s air; Zhong Shenxiu decided to treat him somewhat better, sparing him from his body being exposed in the wilderness after death, and of course, he wouldn’t enslave his Divine Soul.
"However, Dragon and Tiger True Man Zhang Taiyi? The man’s whereabouts are unpredictable; it turns out he’s involved with the Poison Dragon Venerable..."
Zhong Shenxiu stroked his chin, feeling that there was much to be gained from this.
Whether he sold information about Zhang Taiyi to the imperial court, the White Bone Scholar, or even made a double sale, he could reap a substantial profit.
"The key is... How could Lu Huolong, a mere Gang Sha Cultivator, see Zhang Taiyi yet not die and manage to escape? This must surely be a trap..."
Zhong Shenxiu sensed that either Zhang Taiyi was not in a right state, or the Poison Dragon Cave was simply a trap!
Otherwise, Lu Huolong’s escape was a bit too coincidental.
However, he didn’t care about that. All he needed was to find the right opportunity to report it, and the Protector Mansion would naturally pave the way for him.
The secrets of forming a pill mentioned by the White Bone Scholar might also be probed during the occasion.
Zhong Shenxiu looked at the newly erected grave and suddenly felt a wave of gloom, wanting to kill a couple of people to clear his mind.
With one step, he moved, and the heavens and earth abruptly changed, as a void opened an invisible gate that transported him to another place.
The Spiritual Crane Daoist was listening to his subordinate’s report—the sudden appearance of Young Master Shen Xiu, taking away Lu Huolong—his face enshrouded in a layer of dark clouds, "Why has this Loose Cultivator gotten involved with a Superpower Expert again? This makes things troublesome..."
Originally, all the Spiritual Crane intended was to conveniently slaughter Lu Huolong to please a certain nobleman.
Upon realizing the cost was too great, he was ready to give up immediately, as Lu Huolong was bound to die anyway.
At this moment, he saw a person step out from the void in front of him, Zhong Ling Shenxiu, unrivaled in handsomeness, truly Young Master Shen Xiu.
The Spiritual Crane Daoist felt a sinking feeling in his heart, yet a smile appeared on his face, "May I know..."
Zhong Shenxiu snorted coldly and made a casual grabbing motion.
Zhang Hexi and Zhao Hu’s skins became instantly pale, losing all their color.
The next moment, pale hands reached out from their abdomens.
"Young Master Shenxiu, we have no grudge against you, do you really want to make the imperial wanted list?"
The Spiritual Crane Daoist’s forehead was covered in cold sweat as he shouted loudly, "If these two have offended you, then they get what they deserve. My Cloud Mirror Sect is not unreasonable..."
Zhong Shenxiu didn’t bother to waste words with him and waved his hand broadly.
Surging darkness filled the void, like a tidal wave, crashing down.
He had long found the Spiritual Crane Daoist disagreeable, and now that he had collided with Shenxiu, was there anything left to say?
Su Daoshi couldn’t kill the Spiritual Crane, but Young Master Shen Xiu was not burdened by such reservations!
Even if it meant being wanted by the empire, but those on the imperial wanted list with Divine Powers, like the White Bone Scholar and others, were they not living well?
The Spiritual Crane Daoist let out a long screech, and an image of a white crane emerged behind him.
As the crane spread its wings, its body grew immensely large and let out a high-pitched cry, myriad feathers shooting out like arrows, as if a barrage was released!
This was the White Crane Feather Arrow, a Yang Gang Skill!
Normally, even an elite squad would be easily slaughtered by it.
But at this moment, all the white feather arrows that entered the darkness were silently dissolved, as if a terrifying monster lurked within the endless dark tide.
The Spiritual Crane Daoist had never thought of contending with a Divine Power Practitioner.
His casting of the spell was merely to buy time.
While the myriad feather arrows attacked the darkness, a flash of light surrounded him, and a giant paper crane appeared beneath him, ready to escape into the sky.
But the next moment, he felt a chill at the back of his neck.
Two ice-cold hands coldly grabbed his neck, and suddenly, the weight on his back increased dramatically.
It was as if there was already a corpse behind him, waiting.
"This... is not our Yan Han Daoist’s spell!"
A thought surfaced in his mind then his consciousness was submerged into the darkness...