A Disciple's Life Was Never Inferior to Another's

This was not Blood Demon Hand's thought alone, but the thought of the vast majority present.

They wanted to seize it, yet they feared Chu Jiang's strength.

Originally, their strengths had not differed by much, and there had still been hope of competing for it.

Now, Chu Jiang's appearance had undoubtedly shattered that hope.

Especially that final move which blasted Blood Saber to death—it was like a god descending.

It left people utterly unable to resist.

Yet a few still clung to fantasies.

A move like that was surely impossible for an ordinary person to use a second time.

Chu Jiang's true essence was very likely already exhausted. This was their opportunity.

Ma Han sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. At a glance from him, the remaining Demon Hunters immediately surrounded Chu Jiang protectively. Each drew a long saber, their gazes unfriendly.

Now that the demons had been eliminated, these martial world people before them had always been arrogant and overbearing. Another conflict could very well break out.

"Do not misunderstand, everyone. Brother Chu fought the demons alone and risked his life to save us. The Blood Saber Legacy should rightfully belong to him. Whoever dares covet it will become an enemy of my Yellow Robe Gang!" Elder Yun clutched his chest, inwardly despondent. The demon had severely wounded his vital points—how could he speak of competing for it?

He would not gamble his own life on that one-in-ten-thousand chance.

Blood Demon Hand knew the situation was clear. His mood gradually settled, and he said, "Congratulations, Brother Chu, on obtaining the Blood Saber Legacy and greatly increasing your strength. Since this matter has been settled, could you activate the mechanism and let us leave?"

The Blood Saber Legacy now appeared to have no connection with him. So long as he remained alive, opportunities would come in the future. He could not throw his life away lightly.

Chu Jiang spoke indifferently, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "Let me remind you of one thing. What happened here must not be spread outside for three days!"

"Otherwise, die!"

Chilling killing intent spread through the air, as though even the atmosphere had frozen, making the remaining people shudder with dread.

"What about after three days?"

Someone in the crowd raised the question.

Such a huge event had happened here. Keeping the news sealed forever seemed impossible; sooner or later, someone would find out.

"After three days, I will not interfere. But if I discover that anyone leaked this within those three days, they will be making enemies of me, Chu Jiang, and the Great Chu Government!"

Chu Jiang's words carried an unmistakable threat, and no one dared take them lightly.

"Since Lord Chu has made such a request, we will certainly comply. Let alone three days—even ten days or a hundred days, we would have no objections."

No one knew why Chu Jiang had issued a three-day gag order. By all logic, after sweeping through the demons alone, he ought to have proclaimed it far and wide.

That way, he could claim credit and earn a promotion upon returning.

But since Chu Jiang had spoken, they had no choice but to comply.

They could disrespect the Great Chu Government, but if they disrespected this Fierce God before them, their fate would surely be miserable.

This man's strength was terrifying. In the future, he would certainly step into the Vajra Realm; perhaps even the Martial Grandmaster Realm was not beyond him.

No one would offend such a great figure merely for the fleeting pleasure of their tongue.

Chu Jiang nodded slightly.

Standing in the center of the altar, he pressed down hard with his palm. With a rumbling boom, steel mechanisms turned and clattered, and the doors at the entrance to the underground palace opened once more.

"Go!"

Since the Blood Saber Legacy already had an owner and the doors were open, there was no need for them to remain here.

More than a hundred people had come, but fewer than twenty survived to leave.

Had Chu Jiang not acted in the end, they would only have met with total annihilation.

Chu Jiang turned his attention back to the altar and directly opened the red treasure box. The red box was also the largest, more than a size bigger than the other two.

After opening it, he found sheets of white letter paper inside, bearing Blood Saber's final letter written before his death.

"My name is Blood Saber. My true name is Wang Qi. I began practicing martial arts at seven and trained with the saber at thirteen. When mountain bandits came to my village town to burn, kill, and plunder, I went up the mountain alone, one man with one saber, and killed the bandits!"

"I thought I would receive a reward from the government, but instead they arrested me for disturbing public order and threw me into prison, sentencing me to execution after autumn. I questioned the county magistrate, only to receive a beating."

"On the day of my execution, the common folk pleaded on my behalf, but several of them were beaten to death with clubs."

"I swore then that I would kill every one of those dog officials who treated human lives like grass and brought calamity upon the land. By what right did they condemn people without distinguishing black from white or right from wrong!"

"Were they humans, while we were nothing but beasts?"

"Perhaps Heaven heard my call. I did not die. A mysterious man saved me; he taught me martial arts and passed on his Daoist arts to me."

"Though he never said he was taking me as a disciple, I had long regarded him as my master!"

"At eighteen, I stepped into the Innate Realm and formally left the mountain. I had not forgotten my oath. Within a year, I killed several corrupt officials and became wanted once more."

"Those who came to kill me arrived one after another—government men, bounty hunters, assassins—but through trials of blood, I only grew stronger with every battle."

"At twenty, I first entered the Human Ranking, taking thirteenth place!"

"In the years that followed, wherever my saber pointed, I swept through all before me. Many wanted to kill me, yet all died beneath my blade, and my ranking rose ever higher!"

"Gu Hongchen, first on the Human Ranking, sent me a challenge. At the summit of Boundary Mountain between Annan Commandery and Dahe Commandery, this battle shook all four directions!"

"At Boundary Mountain, I saw the mysterious man whom I had not seen since stepping into the Innate Realm. Only then did I understand why no expert above the Innate Realm had ever come to encircle and suppress me."

"He had always silently supported me from behind, yet had never shown himself."

"At that moment, I resolved to seize first place on the Human Ranking in one battle, to prove that the mysterious man had not judged wrongly. I was confident that among Innate martial artists, no one could be my match."

"When Blood Saber emerged, even Vajra fell beneath the blade!"

"Gu Hongchen truly was the strongest person I had ever encountered, but he was still a little inferior to me. Just as I defeated him with a single Blood Saber strike, a strange silver needle suddenly flew in from outside the arena, soundless and traceless. My physical body had not been cultivated deeply enough, and my true qi was broken. Gu Hongchen seized that chance and used a sword art to heavily wound me!"

"I lost. Even though outside forces interfered, I still lost!"

"The mysterious man upon the high platform was enraged. He seized the one who had attacked in secret on the spot. That person was actually a Vajra Realm expert skilled in concealment, with Vajra Realm Late Stage strength."

"Yet the mysterious man slapped him into a puddle of flesh."

"But soon, people came to stop the mysterious man. There were seven of them in all, and the leader's aura stood above Vajra, terrifying beyond measure!"

"At that moment, I understood. The true purpose of this struggle over the Human Ranking had been the mysterious man."

"The mysterious man was besieged by seven great experts. Staying there would only distract him, so I left Boundary Mountain. Yet the pursuers chased relentlessly."

"There was even a Vajra Realm expert among them. My true qi had been broken, and I had no power to resist at all."

"I used a Forbidden Technique and began burning my qi and blood, fleeing desperately. In the end, I escaped their pursuit, but I too had reached the point where my oil was spent and my lamp had run dry."

"I came to an underground hidden palace I had discovered in my early years, intending to recover my strength. I struggled desperately for seven days, but in the end, I was powerless to turn the tide."

"That silver needle had not only broken my true qi, but also carried a potent poison. The vitality in my five viscera and six bowels was completely extinguished. In the end, I could only give up."

"If someone reads this final letter, then I will take it that you have accepted my legacy. I have only one small request: there is no need to avenge me."

"Help me learn the whereabouts of the mysterious man. I do not know his true name; I only know his Daoist title—True Person Xuantong."

"If you encounter him in the future, tell him—his disciple's life was never inferior to another's!"

"If the old man has already died, then please erect a monument for him in my stead!"

"I thank you here!"

Chu Jiang seemed to see that peerless and arrogant Blood Saber, singing his final song at the brink of death.

Even words seemed unable to describe the magnificence and turbulence of his life.

Chu Jiang let out a sigh. Blood Saber's life had been one of blood and flesh. Though regrets remained, he had not lived in vain. Blood Saber King Qi was a true man.

There were countless people in the world who had suffered the same fate as Wang Qi, but not one in ten thousand received Wang Qi's opportunity.

And that battle from back then had actually contained so many hidden schemes.

Had he not been ambushed in secret, Blood Saber should have been the true first-ranked figure on the Human Ranking, not second.

Chu Jiang continued reading and looked at the final page of the letter.

"I wrote this letter so that those who come after may know the truth of that year. I can foresee that in the years after my death, history will be altered."

"I left behind three treasure boxes. The white box contains two Marrow Cleansing Pills. In the Acquired Realm, Marrow Cleansing Pills can improve one's innate constitution."

"The purple box contains one Three-Cycle True Essence Pill and one Purple Sun Pill. The Three-Cycle True Essence Pill can help an Innate martial artist rise one level, while the Purple Sun Pill can broaden the meridians and increase the capacity of true qi within the body."

"The red box contains three items: this final letter, the Blood Saber Manual, and the first volume of the Wind-Thunder Vajra Body. The Blood Saber Manual was taught to me by the mysterious man, and I further perfected it with my own understanding of the saber path. When cultivated to great mastery, it can kill Vajra while still in the Innate Realm. The Wind-Thunder Vajra Body is a body-tempering cultivation art. The mysterious man instructed that it must not be passed on. To allow you to fulfill my final wish, I have left you the first volume. The first volume alone is enough to cultivate to Vajra Peak. That should be sufficient for you, and I have not gone against the old man's wishes."

With that, the entire letter came to an end.