My Wife Is The Leader Of A Demonic Cult

Chapter 230: Chapter 230 Turmoil in the Inn (Seeking Monthly Ticket and Subscription)

The innkeeper saw a pair of cold lights rushing towards him and chuckled lightly, “Only the dead would produce such a chilling wind.”

An Jing said, “I think you seem very much like a dead man.”

The innkeeper felt a sudden chill in his heart and subconsciously retreated backwards.

He knew he had encountered a tough opponent, the young man in white before him looked unassuming, but his strength was undoubtedly terrifying.

An Jing asked indifferently, “Who are you?”

The man before him had no low cultivation, being of the First Grade Human Flower Realm; having such a person hiding in an inn as the innkeeper, there was certainly something strange going on.

“Swoosh! Swoosh!”

The innkeeper’s eyes suddenly widened, and he hurtled away into the distance.

“Where do you think you’re going!?”

Just then, a sharp shout rang out.

Yu Qiurong, with the Water Stopping Sword in hand, pursued quickly, the sword in her hand was extremely sharp as it aimed directly for the innkeeper’s back.

Whoosh!

The tip of the sword was so fast it was imperceptible, and just as it was about to stab him in the back, the tip veered sharply, avoiding the vital area.

“Thump!”

The innkeeper’s body stumbled and rolled down the roof.

“Crash! Crash!”

“Innkeeper!”

At the same time, four figures emerged around the inn.

These four were the workers and cooks of the Yue Lai Inn, obviously people of Jianghu.

Six masters from the Demon Sect’s Earth Sect also charged out, and a fierce battle erupted between the two sides in the dark night, accompanied by the clashing sounds of metal.

The battle came quickly and ended just as rapidly; the few were no match for the masters of the Demon Sect.

Lanterns were lit, illuminating the gloomy inn; An Jing went up to the second floor.

Yu Qiurong reported, “Son-in-law, the innkeeper was called Wu Shangyuan, and he’s dead. We found a waist badge and some letters on him, and it seems he was a master from the Ma family of the Northern Border.”

With that, Yu Qiurong took out a stack of letters and a waist badge.

Hearing this, An Jing said in a low voice, “The Ma family of the Northern Border?”

Yu Qiurong sorted through her thoughts carefully before speaking, “The Ma family is a prominent northern family in Yan Kingdom, quite influential, and wields near-absolute power in the northern part of Yan Kingdom. The Ma family has intricate connections with Fang Shaohan, the Minister of Revenue at the court; moreover, they support one of the five major factions of the Great Yan Martial World, the Golden Corner Alliance, and the president of the Yujing Trade Association also has extensive ties with the Ma family (as mentioned in Chapter 129). Additionally, Ma Changde, the head of the Ma family, is friends with Dai Danshu.”

“Furthermore, a month ago during the conflict between Yan Kingdom and Houjin, the Ma family also supplied Wang Shiyi with a considerable amount of food.”

An Jing chuckled, “It seems this Ma family really is quite powerful, with such an intricate network of relationships.”

Yu Qiurong nodded, “In recent years, it’s been rumored that the Ma family has been selling iron mines to Houjin. Although this has caused some disturbances, the Ma family has managed to suppress them.”

The Ma family’s influence extends across Jianghu, the court, and the business world; the magnitude of their power is evident. They’re like an invisible giant hand covering the Northern Wilderness Dao; even if the Yan Kingdom Court wanted to take action against the Ma family, careful consideration would be necessary, as this already involves a situation where pulling one hair might affect the whole body.

If not handled properly, it could even cause harm to oneself.

At that moment, a middle-aged man came forward with a salute, “An Tributor, I’ve found that the other rooms are empty, and there are no other guests in the inn.”

This man was Qian Cishan, a Guardian of the Earth Sect, with cultivation at the Earth Flower Realm; he was one of the top third or fourth masters in the Earth Sect and the highest-ranking one among them.

“How interesting.”

An Jing narrowed his eyes when he heard this.

The sudden fullness of the inns in Yunlin City, coupled with the fact that Yue Lai Inn just happened to have two rooms left, but without other guests staying, already explained everything.

Clearly, someone was setting a trap, inviting one into the pot.

However, An Jing had anticipated this scene long ago, from the moment he left Dongluo Pass; countless eyes had been watching him, especially now at the border, where it was the best time to make a move.

An Jing picked up the letters and said, “I’ll take a look at these letters; you all go down and see if there are any survivors.”

“Yes.”

Yu Qiurong and Qian Cishan responded and then withdrew.

An Jing opened the three letters to take a look, and one of them was a letter from the head of the Ma Family, Ma Changde, initiated personally by Wu Shangyuan.

In the vast Jianghu, what could be seen was Jianghu, and what couldn’t be seen was also Jianghu.

The Jianghu beneath the Grandmasters was perhaps the Dragon and Tiger List that ordinary experts looked up to high above them, fighting over superficial fame and fortune, which in the end were the joys and sorrows of small figures.

But in the Jianghu above the Grandmasters, they regarded themselves as transcendent hermits, yet they couldn’t escape the chains of fame and fortune either, their desires for fame and fortune were just on a much larger scale.

Wu Shangyuan, the Three Flowers Hand, was also a very famous expert in the Great Yan Martial World, especially notorious in the Northern Yan Jianghu.

A pair of iron hands covered in blood, nobody knew how many people in Jianghu had fallen to him, but he had now died silently in the Yue Lai Inn.

An Jing glanced at the letter, which surprisingly detailed the Ma Family’s transactions and dealings with Houjin.

The Ma Family did indeed have transactions with Houjin, and they trafficked large amounts of iron ore to them, with this secret trade continuing for several years even as the Yan Country was at war with Houjin.

One had to say that the Ma Family was incredibly audacious, reaching a lawless extent.

“Such a letter, and it has not been destroyed.”

An Jing slightly raised his eyebrows, feeling somewhat surprised.

Normally, such a letter would be top-secret. Wu Shangyuan’s decision not to destroy it after seeing it was quite thought-provoking.

An Jing put the letter away and picked up the other two to read.

One of the two letters was written by Wu Shangyuan’s wife, filled with embarrassing and provocative words that made one’s thoughts wander on reading them, but just as it was getting interesting, the letter abruptly ended.

“That’s too short.”

An Jing muttered to himself and picked up the last letter, which bore no signature, but just three powerful and vigorous characters, Heavenly Punishment Peak.

“Heavenly Punishment Peak?”

An Jing began to search his memory for anything related to this Heavenly Punishment Peak.

……

Downstairs at the Yue Lai Inn.

By this time, the night had deepened and the cold moonlight swept over the ground, making the inn seem quite serene.

Yu Qiurong asked, “What did they say?”

Qian Cishan shook his head, “They’re all Ma Family spies positioned in Yunlin, unaware of today’s operation. The only one in the know should have been Wu Shangyuan.”

Hearing this, Yu Qiurong felt a sinking sensation in her heart.

The informed Wu Shangyuan had already been thoroughly impaled by her sword, dead beyond any doubt.

Yu Qiurong took a deep breath and said to herself, “Clearly, things are not simple.”

Qian Cishan asked, “Should we inform An Tributor and leave Yunlin City overnight?”

There were definitely masterminds behind this operation, and no one knew if there were other experts behind them.

Just as Yu Qiurong was about to speak, her brows suddenly furrowed, “Someone is coming, you all fall back.”

The other five high-rank Earth Sect experts all concealed themselves.

In the moonlight, one could see a line of people walking slowly into the Yue Lai Inn.

These people were tall and sturdy, all with long sabers at their waists, and the leader was a sinister-looking man who seemed to be in his forties or fifties, wearing a blue robe. He held nothing in his hands, yet he had a very dangerous aura, making even Yu Qiurong’s heart pound erratically with a sense of danger.

Thirteen or fourteen people entered in sequence, quickly filling up the first floor. The one leading was none other than Sang Tianyou.

There was a short stillness in the inn, no one spoke, not a sound was heard, everyone was motionless, like a static picture.

“Innkeeper, please serve us some good dishes.”

Sang Tianyou sat down carelessly and ordered loudly.

Yu Qiurong replied composedly, “You must be joking, sir. I’m certainly not the landlady here,”

Sang Tianyou scrutinized Yu Qiurong carefully, then laughed and said, “This landlady here looks very familiar. I feel as if I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Yu Qiurong smiled sweetly and said, “We all wander the Jianghu, where don’t we meet? Maybe we have encountered each other, or maybe it was just a fleeting meeting.”

A glint flashed in Sang Tianyou’s eyes, but he said nothing more.

“`

The man behind Sang Tianyou shouted loudly, “Then what about the tavern keeper?”

He yelled a few times, but there was no response whatsoever.

In this world, dead men cannot speak; if they can, they are most likely feigning death.

The man cursed under his breath, “If the keeper is not around, then we’ll just help ourselves to some drinks.”

As he spoke, he reached out with his palm, and the jar of wine that was three paces away on the counter appeared in his hand in the blink of an eye.

To snatch objects through the air!

In the Jianghu, only a skilled expert can snatch objects through the air like that. It requires not only immense inner strength but also an extremely delicate control over it.

“An expert!”

Qian Cishan narrowed his eyes; although he couldn’t sense the man’s cultivation, he was at the very least a First Grade Realm expert. One must know that it is not easy for a First Grade expert to appear in a city like Yunlin City, and it seemed like he was just a follower.

“This wine is not bad.”

The man uncorked the wine and took a big gulp before saying, “But it has too strong a scent of blood. Could this be a black shop?”

As the man’s voice fell, both Yu Qiurong and Qian Cishan frowned deeply.

Sang Tianyou’s pupils dilated sharply as he looked toward the door.

The next moment, footsteps sounded, and an old Taoist with a full head of white hair walked in alone, “Brandishing a sword and riding a horse through the demon rain, white bones pile like mountains as birds scatter in surprise. Life’s troubles come like waves, and people flow like water, only lamenting how few return from Jianghu.”

All the pupils in the room constricted suddenly.

When wandering in Jianghu, one must be wary of ‘the old, the weak, the women, the children, the monks, the Taoists, and the disabled.’

For these people, without any special skills, it’s impossible to survive in the perilous Jianghu and mix in with this world full of deception and betrayal.

The old Taoist had a calm and serene demeanor, encompassing everything around him, walking neither too fast nor too slow, but he made Sang Tianyou unable to look directly at him.

His mind raced, trying to figure out who this old Taoist was, when did the Demon Sect include such Mystical Sect experts?

Could it be…

The old Taoist glanced at Yu Qiurong and Qian Cishan and then fixed his gaze on Sang Tianyou, a sharp gleam appearing in his eyes, “A man from Houjin?”

Sang Tianyou composed himself and responded indifferently, “And who might you be, sir?”

The old Taoist smiled faintly, “Today is quite the coincidence, the last time I encountered the minions of Zongzheng Huachun was decades ago. Those were two red-robed Dharma Masters from the Great Snow Mountain, whom I ended up chopping up and feeding to the dogs. You needn’t worry, over the years my Qi cultivation has improved greatly, and this time, I definitely will not chop you up.”

The way the old Taoist spoke was light and breezy, but his words sent chills down the spine.

A Dharma Master holds a position second only to the Dharma King on the Great Snow Mountain. The wooden Gold Dharma King himself was once a Dharma Master who advanced rapidly in cultivation before ascending to the rank of Dharma King.

In Jianghu, a Dharma Master can be considered a master capable of standing on their own, but this old Taoist casually claimed to have chopped up two of them and fed them to dogs.

Sang Tianyou’s expression darkened, “You certainly have quite the gall.”

“Quite the gall?”

The old Taoist turned his head to look at Sang Tianyou, “It’s been many years since anyone dared speak to me in such a manner.”

Upstairs, An Jing listened to the commotion below and thought to himself: Both men have high cultivation, especially the old Taoist who just came in.

When the old Taoist was still dozens of steps away from the tavern, An Jing barely sensed his presence. Although this man was not quite at Qiu Fengsheng’s level, he should be close and likely had the cultivation of a Second Qi peak Grandmaster.

As for the group from Houjin, their strength was also extraordinary. Apart from the leader, there were three at the First Grade, and the rest were at the Second and Third Grade cultivation levels; such power could definitely make waves in Jianghu.

The tall and burly leader, whose Qi Force was restrained, seemed a notch below the old Taoist, likely at the level of a Second Qi Grandmaster.

Under the cool moonlight, the modest Yue Lai Inn gathered three Grandmaster-level experts—a momentous convergence sure to set off ripples of crisis from all directions.

Sang Tianyou sneered, “It seems there are still people from the Mystical Sect in the world so brazen and arrogant. You must be a disciple from the Zhenyi Sect, and given your strength, if I am not mistaken, you should be Yi Daoyun, the Hall Leader of the Heavenly Venerate Hall, right?”

Yi Daoyun!

This name was well-known in the Great Yan Martial World, as resonant as thunder.

He was one of the three great prodigies of the Zhenyi Sect’s Qing generation. Among them, Ye Ding had a firm nature and broad mind, known for his vision and eventually chosen as the Sect Leader of Zhenyi Sect; Luo Chongyang was the youngest, but his talent was the highest, deemed to have the greatest potential among them, and his prestige was just as great as Ye Ding’s.

Out of the three prodigies, Yi Daoyun was the most moderate and inconspicuous one.

But that was only in comparison to Ye Ding and Luo Chongyang.

“`

When placed among the top experts in the world of Jianghu, Yu Ying was a Grandmaster who could turn his hand for the clouds and cover his hand for the rain. Though he rarely left the Heavenly Venerate Hall in the recent years, no one in Jianghu dared to underestimate this expert.

Yu Ying’s expression became reserved, then he slowly rose to his feet and took a step forward.

Just one step.

In the next moment, the air was instantly filled with a suffocating atmosphere of deadly silence, as if someone was fiercely restraining one’s neck, making it oppressively difficult to breathe. Even the light from the oil lamps in the room began to shrink and eventually only maintained a few inches around the wick.

This kind of Grandmaster’s pressure was simply not something that ordinary experts could withstand.

“It seems today this place will have a few more lonely and wild ghosts.”

Yu Ying waved his sleeve robe.

Whoosh whoosh…

With the waving of the sleeve robe, what seemed unexceptional carried a wind that was wrapped with an extremely sharp force qi.

The wooden tables and chairs that the wind touched instantly turned into fine dust, creating a dense flurry of debris rushing forward.

A chill in his heart, Sang Tianyou’s true qi also surged forward as he struck out with his palm.

“Bang!”

As the true qi collided, the force qi assaulting from Yu Ying instantly turned into ash, scattering in all directions and dissolving into nothingness.

And as the Qi Force spread around, the experts beside Sang Tianyou suffered the consequences. With a ‘bang,’ two Second Grade Realm experts were directly crushed into blood mist by the Qi Force.

“Interesting.”

A faint smile appeared on Yu Ying’s lips.

Sang Tianyou, however, was not in such a good mood, and his face was so sullen it seemed to drip with water.

Meanwhile, the experts from Houjin all had very ugly expressions, even showing a hint of panic. The old Taoist’s strength was so terrifying that the remnants of his Qi Force killed two Second Grade Cultivation experts.

Yu Qiurong and Qian Cishan both swallowed hard, exchanged a glance, and involuntarily took two steps back.

A confrontation between Grandmaster experts was not something they could intervene in.

In the small inn, all forms of life emerged, some fearful, some anxious, some gloomy as water, some unmoving as mountains, all different in their own ways.

“I want to see just how powerful the Hall Leader of the Heavenly Venerate Hall is.”

Sang Tianyou snorted coldly and reached out his hand and struck forward.

In an instant, his true qi surged forward, carrying a piercing sound like the howling of a fierce ghost, unsettling and chilling to the bone.

“Evil Spirit Yin Wind Palm?”

Yu Ying looked indifferent, “Where did you learn such a vicious palm technique?”

As he spoke, he extended two fingers like a light of a star emerging, pointing a brilliantly bright beam forward.

Heavenly Star Finger!

Thump!

This beam of starlight was too fast to detect and directly pierced through the howling palm wind of the Evil Spirit Yin Wind Palm. The remaining force struck towards the wall behind.

Sang Tianyou’s body twisted, and in the next moment, he had already reached in front of Yu Ying, throwing a punch towards Yu Ying’s chest.

As a Grandmaster at the peak of Second Qi, Yu Ying’s reaction was also extremely quick, his palm reaching out to envelop the incoming punch, and then he deflected the fist force to the side.

“Boom!”

The fist force was completely deflected, and the powerful blow heavily struck, causing an entire wall to collapse instantly, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

This also caused the second floor to become a suspended structure, teetering on collapse.

The two separated in a flash, with Sang Tianyou quickly retreating backwards, yet his expression was extremely solemn.

“Are you a disciple of Taiyin Kui?”

Yu Ying looked at the dark qi on his palm and slightly raised an eyebrow.

As he circulated his true qi inside his body, the dark qi on his palm gradually dissipated.

Sang Tianyou did not speak, but his eyes were fixed tightly on the old Taoist Yu Ying.

The moon shone bleakly, outside the inn was utter silence, as if the entire Yunlin City had fallen into a deep slumber, only this small Yue Lai Inn was busy with figures and brimming with murderous intent.

And this small inn resembled a reef standing steadfast on the shore, vulnerable to the deluge of rainfall that could, in an instant, submerge it within the tumultuous Jianghu waves.

The silence was frightening, with only the sound of breath and heartbeat lingering.

The stillness before the imminence of a mountain rain seemed like the quiet before the pounce of a terrifying beast.

Footsteps suddenly echoed down the staircase, resounding like a giant stone thrown into the serene surface of a lake.

All gazes swiftly turned in that direction.

A young man dressed in white emerged, his features handsome—though not extraordinarily so—but his eyes, unforgettable.

An Jing descended the steps at a leisurely pace, his expression unchanged throughout.

With the strategic depth of a city and the perilous complexity of mountains and rivers within his heart, he could witness the collapse of Mount Tai without a change in countenance, a true sign of composure in the face of significant events.

From the dialogue between the two parties, he had already discerned their identities: one side was a skilled practitioner from Houjin, either from the Great Snow Mountain or the Soul Seeker Mansion; the other was Yu Ying from the Zhenyi Sect. As for whether the Zhenyi Sect had any other experts present, he was unsure.

Sang Tianyou glanced at An Jing and asked, “This gentleman carries an extraordinary air. May I know who you are?”

With a gentle smile, An Jing replied, “Drifting like duckweed, a wanderer I be, why should a passerby’s name matter to thee?”

Sang Tianyou snorted coldly, choosing not to speak further.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Just then, the First Grade Expert standing behind Sang Tianyou lunged forward, his movements as quick as lightning and his momentum like thunder, reaching for An Jing’s heavenly spirit cover with his claw.

A practitioner of the First Grade Realm was considered a master anywhere in the world of Jianghu, one who could barely survive even if faced with a Grandmaster almost at the Demi Immortal level.

The Houjin expert, watching the unmoving young man dressed in white, wore a sinister smile. But in the next moment, his hand reached for the heavenly spirit cover, and his expression suddenly shifted.

He had grasped only an afterimage; the young man was not there.

Such incredible speed!

The First Grade Expert immediately thought to retreat, only to find it was too late; unbeknownst to him, a chopstick had already pierced his throat.

“Gurgle–!”

“Thump!”

With horror etched on his face and devoid of any strength to struggle, the man collapsed powerless to the ground.

Shock—!

A First Grade Expert was slain on the spot in the blink of an eye.

The collective experts from Houjin felt an icy chill run from their feet to the crown of their heads. The white-dressed young man had just killed a First Grade Expert in an instant.

Not only them, but Yu Ying and Sang Tianyou were also struck with a hint of astonishment.

Upon An Jing’s arrival, they hadn’t sensed that the young man before them was, in fact, a ‘highly skilled individual.’

Sang Tianyou’s lips curled into a cold sneer, “It seems you are indeed the person I’ve been looking for.”

An Jing glanced at Sang Tianyou and inquired, “Was it you who attempted to assassinate Duanmu Xinghua at Dongluo Pass?”

As for whether the man before him was a disciple of Taiyin Kui, he was not curious.

During the Great Qin Dynasty, there were many Grandmasters, and even one or two Great Grandmasters dominating the era. The Qin Dynasty was one of the few where the Human Emperor’s power reached its zenith.

Following the transition to the Great Zhou Dynasty, despite its territory not being as vast as the Qin’s, several states, including Zhao Country, separated during this time. The Great Zhou Dynasty’s control over Jianghu began to wane; Mystical Sect, Buddhist Sect, and Demon Sect stood as the three pillars within the Zhou Dynasty, especially after the ninth Human Emperor died trying to forge the Evil Suppressing Sword, which caused the dynasty’s prestige to plummet. Fortunately, the appearance of a Saint from the Confucian school stabilized the world. Otherwise, the global balance of power would’ve disintegrated long ago.

Since then, the decline of Great Grandmasters in the Great Zhou Dynasty became apparent; furthermore, the emergence of such figures dwindled over time. Over the dynasty’s nearly thousand-year history, the number of prominent Grandmasters had dwindled significantly in comparison to the Great Qin Dynasty, with only two or three notable individuals emerging.

By the time of Great Yan, Great Grandmasters were even rarer, with only one known to appear—who protected Yan Country and secured its lands and peoples. With over three hundred years since the establishment of Yan Country, that expert had long since passed away.

Despite the gradual decrease in Great Grandmasters, the control of the temple halls over Jianghu only tightened.

Yan Country had not only the imposing Zhenyi Sect in Jianghu, but also the Xuanyi Guard, a swift blade held above the heads of those in Jianghu, aimed at utterly subduing any who crossed rivers and lakes.

In Zhao Country, needless to say, the Black Ice Platform single-handedly crafted an impregnable dominion, so tight that even the Zhao Royal Family was kept firmly under constraint, never getting a chance to vie for power.

Houjin, following Yan Country’s example, had the Great Snow Mountain from within and the Soul Seeker Mansion from without, jointly exerting control over Houjin’s Jianghu.

Certainly, Soul Seeker Mansion’s heritage could not compare to that of Xuanyi Guard. After all, one could only imagine how many heart method martial arts were hidden in the mysterious towers behind Eight Feet Platform in Yujing City, where Jianghu masters died year after year, generation after generation.

However, Soul Seeker Mansion had no lack of skilled practitioners; firstly, it absorbed numerous sword bone masters with their sins piled high, and secondly, through Qiu Fengsheng, it mass-produced elixirs that consumed potential to boost strength.

Although the creation of these elixirs by the Black Ice Platform came with many drawbacks, such as huge potential costs and even the risk of being enslaved and driven by others, there were still many experts who were eager to obtain these medicines.

Qiu Fengsheng was the second-generation master of Soul Seeker Mansion, while Taiyin Kui, the one Yu Ying mentioned, was the first-generation master of Soul Seeker Mansion, not only a close confidant of Zongzheng Huachun but also the guide for this Holy Master.

After Qiu Fengsheng took over, this man completely disappeared from the martial world.

Some said he died and his Dao ceased to exist, others said he went into hiding to cultivate in secret—the speculations about his whereabouts were numerous and varied.

“An Jing was originally a doctor in Yu State City, but later faked his death to escape and joined the Demon Sect. Now, by relying on his status as the favored outsider of the Sect Hierarch, he has become a tributor of the Demon Sect,”

Sang Tianyou said somberly, “It seems the situation is not as simple as the intelligence suggests. If he’s truly a favored outsider of the Sect Hierarch, it’s impossible for him to kill a First Grade Expert with a single move, much less replace Yi Daoyun on a mission to Yan Country.”

Clearly, this comment was not meant for An Jing’s ears but for the old Daoist, Yu Ying, by his side.

It was evident that he wanted to join forces with Yu Ying to eliminate An Jing and the other Demon Sect experts.

However, An Jing simply turned to Yu Ying and said, “The Zhenyi Sect prides itself as the National Religion. With Houjin bandits right before us, when else would Hall Leader Yu apprehend these criminals if not now?”

Yu Ying immediately looked from his nose to his mouth, and asked his heart, “Poor Daoist has descended the mountain to travel the world and just happened to pass by here, not concerning himself with anything else.”

Seeing this, An Jing sneered inwardly. This Yu Ying really was an old fox, hoping to sit back and watch the tigers fight; if An Jing and the others were killed by the Houjin experts, it would suit him just fine.

Everyone present had their own calculations and thoughts.

Sang Tianyou’s heart sank, but his hands were slowly clenching tighter. Venturing deep into Great Yan was fraught with danger, and intercepting the Demon Sect at the border of Yan Country was a heaven-sent opportunity. Even with the covetous Yu Ying beside him, he had no choice but to make a move.

“Charge!”

Following Sang Tianyou’s commanding shout, the Houjin experts charged forward.

Two First Grade Experts dashed towards Yu Qiurong, while the rest confronted Qian Cishan and the other Earth Sect experts.

Qian Cishan practiced the Earth Demon Technique, and was a famously powerful expert within the Earth Sect, with combat experience and skills that stood out even among his sect, surpassing even Luo Zixiang.

Several Houjin experts unsheathed their blades, and a series of clanging sounds rang out abruptly. The bright gleam of their swords flashed up, illuminating the entire inn.

This onslaught might have been effective against ordinary experts, but Qian Cishan was a First Grade Realm expert. He didn’t retreat but advanced instead, charging into the flurry of blades like a tiger amongst sheep.

“Seeking death!”

The several Second Grade Houjin Experts’ eyes turned icy as they swung their long blades towards Qian Cishan’s vitals.

Qian Cishan’s inner strength coursed through him, and a blood-red smoke instantly gushed from his palm.

“Ssssh!”

The red smoke spread, and in an instant, three Houjin experts were shriveled up, their blood and flesh completely dried out, collapsing as dried-up corpses and skeletons, presenting a horrifying spectacle.

Such a dreadful scene would have scattered the souls and chilled the spines of ordinary people.

After Qian Cishan killed three Second Grade Experts, his intent to kill surged even higher. His body leaped once more, closing in on another Houjin expert, reaching for the latter’s heart from behind.

“Thump!”

The Houjin expert was struck with inexplicable horror, and at that moment, his heart was already being clawed out.

This scene unfolded in the blink of an eye, the speed was so fast that the Houjin expert could see his own heart clearly, but he was not yet dead.

Qian Cishan sneered, then promptly crushed the heart in his hand.

“Tap, tap, tap, tap…”

This moment terrified the remaining Houjin experts so greatly that they turned deathly pale and repeatedly retreated.

Yu Ying’s pupils contracted sharply, and he thought to himself: True to the reputation of a Demon Sect member.

Qian Cishan licked the blood off his fingers. Every First Grade Expert that survived in the vast martial world had more than one trick up their sleeve.

“How bold!”

Seeing this, Sang Tianyou could no longer sit idly by and flicked his finger.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!”

Three flying needles shot out from his fingertips, aimed at Qian Cishan’s forehead, heart, and navel.

The needles were imbued with tremendous True Qi, and being hit by even one would cause an instant explosion. Even someone of Qian Cishan’s First Grade Cultivation would be blasted to dust.

“Swoosh!”

In a moment too swift to follow, a single chopstick intercepted the three flying needles.

“`

The three flying needles, brimming with overwhelming True Qi, were actually embedded in the chopsticks and then fell to the ground in unison.

“Grandmaster!?”

Sang Tianyou looked towards the person who had shot out the chopsticks, his brows heavy with a frown.

At this moment, Qian Cishan also had cold sweat breaking out on his forehead; he was well aware that if An Tributor had not intervened just now, his fate would have been exceedingly miserable.

Sang Tianyou turned towards Yu Ying, who had been silent all along, and said, “The Demon Sect’s disciples are cruel and ruthless. Duanmu Xinghua had once killed three great True Humans of the Zhenyi Sect. Have you so quickly forgotten?”

The pale moonlight shone through the window lattice, and the old Daoist stood in the shadow. His voice betrayed no emotion, “How did Taiyin Kui teach such a foolish disciple? The crooked demon path has never been about behavioral norms, but always about winning or losing.”

Sang Tianyou harrumphed coldly and did not speak further, but his palm struck forth towards the front.

His hand technique, without any hesitation, spun forward from his waist. With a swing of his arm, a vast and robust Hand Force thundered out. The palm wind churned up the soil, as terrifying in its might as a dragon splitting the earth.

“Retreat.”

An Jing uttered lowly, as the Nameless Heart Scripture began to circulate, his finger light pointing outwards.

Seven Stars in a Row!

The instant these seven energies surged forward, they directly unraveled Sang Tianyou’s hand technique, lifting the entire roof with the force that burst forth.

“Huh!?”

Yu Ying was shocked by this scene. The Seven Stars in a Row was the Zhenyi Sect’s Seven Stars Sword Technique, and the young man before him could not only use it but also substitute fingers for the sword.

This meant he was not only profoundly familiar with Seven Stars in a Row but also exceedingly skilled in the Sword Dao.

At such a young age, who on earth was he!?

After clashing with An Jing in one exchange, Sang Tianyou was also profoundly shaken. The cultivation of the young man before him was so high it was no less than his own.

How could this be possible!?

He had cultivated for fifty-five years and even consumed a large amount of Blood-Loathing Pills and Primordial Spirit Pills. Now, unable to advance even an inch further, he had reached the Second Qi Grandmaster level.

You should know that Xiao Qianqiu had reached the peak of Second Qi at thirty years old, which made this even less conceding than Xiao Qianqiu.

An Jing did not deploy his own martial arts as Yu Ying, who eyed him with desire, was still present.

The thoughts of the few flashed by in an instant. Then Sang Tianyou charged forward again, his palm wind howling as it came, sometimes fierce, sometimes overbearing, as if filled with the chilling wails of ghosts.

An Jing dodged and weaved, avoiding each hand technique one after the other.

Grandmasters are also divided by strength, and among the Second Qi Grandmasters, Sang Tianyou and Duanmu Xinghua, although both were entering Second Qi for the first time, were among the least powerful.

Duanmu Xinghua, new to Second Qi, had last been ambushed by Sang Tianyou. Sang Tianyou, having advanced by consuming elixirs instead of breaking through his own bottlenecks, could only be considered a standard Second Qi Grandmaster.

After a few moments, An Jing had already figured out Sang Tianyou’s martial arts routine.

“Young man, can you only run away?”

Sang Tianyou said coldly.

As he spoke, his hand technique slapped down once more.

Boom!

With the furious gust of yin wind, it seemed a giant ghostly face was tearing its way towards An Jing within the gale.

Evil Spirit Yin Wind Palm! Soul Capturing and Spirit Shattering!

An Jing twisted his palm and from behind him, a cold chill blew forth as well. He too struck forward with a palm.

“Bang!”

As the two palms collided, it was like two small mountains crashing into each other, the violent force of the impact making the earth quiver.

Sang Tianyou staggered back repeatedly, then he felt a chill in his heart, “How can you also use the Evil Spirit Yin Wind Palm?”

“Naturally, I learned it from you…”

An Jing sneered, stepped forward aggressively, and rushed towards the front.

The palm wind was chilling to the bone, accompanied by the sounds of ghostly crying and wolf howling, instantly plunging Sang Tianyou into the Underworld.

Sang Tianyou stepped back again and again, a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead; he suddenly realized that the young man before him was executing the Evil Spirit Yin Wind Palm with great agility, almost not inferior to his own. Moreover, his True Qi was vigorous and dominating, even surpassing Sang’s own.

“No, I must not lose my composure.”

“`

Sang Tianyou clenched his teeth and braced himself, and when he saw An Jing attack with another palm strike, he immediately moved to meet it.

The palm strike shimmered with a dark light, mixed with specks of purple.

Bone Erosion Heart Palm!

An Jing narrowed his eyes. His palm strike was irreversible, so he gathered True Qi in his Dantian again and fiercely pushed forward.

“Hmm? Is this the Bone Erosion Heart Palm?”

Yu Ying was shocked. Sang Tianyou truly must be Taiyin Kui’s disciple, otherwise, he couldn’t possibly have learned such a hand technique.

“Bang!”

Palms collided, and An Jing stood immovable like a towering mountain.

But Sang Tianyou was forced to step back repeatedly, blood even seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet there was a trace of joy on his face.

Seeing Sang Tianyou in such a state, An Jing couldn’t help but say, “You realize the joys of the human world only when death is upon you?”

“Death is upon me?”

Sang Tianyou laughed heartily. “You’ve been struck by my Bone Erosion Heart Palm and are still self-satisfied—it’s laughable.”

Once tainted by the Bone Erosion Heart Palm, one must suppress it with True Qi. The more the True Qi is mobilized, the more the poison penetrates the body.

Even a Grandmaster struck by his Bone Erosion Heart Palm would see their strength greatly diminished.

An Jing looked at his palm. After clashing with Sang Tianyou, a dark glow surfaced on his palm, with purple streaks in the middle.

“This…”

Qian Cishan and Yu Qiurong’s expressions changed.

Duanmu Xinghua was still recuperating at Dongluo Pass because of the poison from the Bone Erosion Heart Palm. If An Jing was poisoned, they were doomed to fail that day.

Seeing this, both became increasingly anxious, but a Grandmaster’s battle was not something they could intervene in.

An Jing’s eyebrows lifted as he circulated the “Nameless Heart Scripture.” In a moment, True Qi gathered in his palms, calming the agitated True Qi as if ice and snow met flame, melting instantly.

“Stop struggling!”

Sang Tianyou, seeing An Jing frowning, leapt toward him.

“Whoosh!”

An Jing extended his finger, surrounded by a flowing starlight, which he swiftly pointed at Sang Tianyou.

Heavenly Star Finger!

“Thump!”

The starlight directly hit Sang Tianyou’s chest. Despite his Golden Bone, a thumb-sized blood hole appeared, and blood gushed out.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Sang Tianyou stumbled back upon landing. “You…”

The next moment, the dark light in An Jing’s hand gradually disappeared, returning to its original color.

An Jing spoke indifferently, “It seems that your palm is not poisonous enough.”

“Who exactly are you!?”

Sang Tianyou took a step back, his expression growing extremely grave. His trump card, the Bone Erosion Heart Palm, was casually resolved by the young man before him.

The Bone Erosion Heart Palm had trapped Duanmu Xinghua, yet the youth in front of him managed to neutralize it almost instantly?

Yi Daoyun, standing in the shadows, was also deeply furrowed in thought, puzzled.

He was well aware of the Bone Erosion Heart Palm’s notoriety but had never heard of it being neutralized so quickly unless one had healing holy medicine. Yet, from start to finish, he hadn’t seen the young man swallow anything.

An Jing stepped forward and raised his palm emotionlessly, “Perhaps it’s Heaven’s will for you to die.”

As his palm rose, a cold wind swirled around, with mournful voices echoing as if one was in the Underworld.

…

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