Yin Sha Calamity, Great Kuai Zai Sword

Huang Family.

In the Clan Hall, there were only Huang Yunchong and his son, Huang Qianjun.

After Huang Qianjun had recounted everything that had happened today, he could not help feeling somewhat anxious.

Huang Yunchong was silent for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

His laughter carried heartfelt relief and joy, echoing through the hall for a long while.

Huang Qianjun immediately relaxed quite a bit, and only then did he dare ask, "Father, do you also think I didn't do anything wrong?"

Huang Yunchong stepped forward and slapped Huang Qianjun hard on the shoulder, laughing as he said:

"You did far more than nothing wrong—you handled it beautifully! That nerve of yours truly surprised even me!"

Huang Qianjun rubbed his aching shoulder and grinned through bared teeth. "Father, don't even mention it. After following Brother Su these past two days, I really have learned quite a few things. I feel like all those days before were completely lived in vain."

"That is what it means to follow the right person."

Huang Yunchong could not help sighing with emotion. "A figure like Su Yi is just like an awl in a pouch—sooner or later, he will pierce through and reveal his edge, soaring to the skies in one flight. And you, following at his side and doing things for him, can be called a 'Minister Who Follows the Dragon'!"

Huang Qianjun said awkwardly, "Father, I haven't thought that far. I just feel that staying by Brother Su's side often opens my eyes."

Huang Yunchong said with a chuckle, "Child, it is best that you have this mindset. If you only flatter and fawn, you will instead be looked down on and demean yourself as well. Only treating him with sincerity is the proper path!"

He could not help being pleased.

As the patriarch of the Huang Family, how could he not understand how deep Su Yi's connections were, and how extraordinary his methods?

In the medical path, he had left the famed physician Wu Guangbin gasping in admiration.

In Sword Forging, he had made Master Wang Tianyang honor him as "teacher."

He even understood the ways of catching ghosts and exterminating evil!

Add to that the great figures standing behind him, such as Fu Shan and Lingyao Princess...

A Su Yi like this was just like a hidden dragon!

That his son Huang Qianjun could work for him could already be called a heaven-sent fortune.

"You needn't worry about killing Wen Jieyuan. With Nie Beihu stepping in, and with Lord Fu there as well, Wen Changqing won't be able to trace it back to Su Yi at all."

Huang Yunchong said with a smile, "On the contrary, the matter of Wu Ruoqiu and the Yin Sha Sect is highly likely to implicate the Wen Family. That alone will be enough to give Wen Changqing and Wen Changjing headaches."

Huang Qianjun could not help asking, "Father, have you heard of this force, the Yin Sha Sect?"

A reminiscent look appeared on Huang Yunchong's face as he said, "Around a hundred years ago, the Yin Sha Sect was known as the foremost evil-path faction in the Great Zhou. It had many disciples and descendants under its command, spread throughout the Great Zhou."

"In those years, in order to cultivate their evil arts, this Yin Sha Sect harmed who knew how many innocent lives. It stirred heaven's wrath and men's resentment, provoking the fury of all under heaven."

"In the end, under the arrangements of the Great Zhou imperial family, the Great Zhou's number one sacred ground, the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect, dispatched a group of Land Immortals. With the joint cooperation of the princes and marquises throughout the Great Zhou, they spent three full years and finally crushed the Yin Sha Sect completely, leaving it scattered like smoke and clouds."

"This incident was called the 'Yin Sha Calamity.'"

"From then on, the Yin Sha Sect ceased to exist. Even though many scattered remnants escaped, they could no longer form any great climate."

"By now, there are probably very few people in the world who still know the name 'Yin Sha Sect.'"

Hearing this, Huang Qianjun finally understood. "So that means Wu Ruoqiu is either a remnant who survived the Yin Sha Calamity, or a disciple taken in by those remnants?"

"That should be the case."

Huang Yunchong nodded, then sneered. "Although the Yin Sha Sect disappeared for more than a hundred years, no one can know how much vitality this evil-path force has recovered by now."

"But one thing is certain: those surviving remnants of the Yin Sha Sect must only dare act in the dark, like rats hiding in underground tunnels. The moment they dare expose their identities, everyone will shout to beat them."

After a pause, Huang Yunchong continued, "If Wen Changqing truly knew Wu Ruoqiu many years ago, then that is equivalent to colluding with the remnants of the Yin Sha Sect. On this point alone, he will bring disaster upon their Wen Family!"

Huang Qianjun's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his fists together. "Father, if Lord Fu Shan learns of this, will he use it to deal with the Wen Family?"

Huang Yunchong was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "If it were in the past, the Wen Family would definitely suffer a blow, but now, the situation is different."

"Why is that?"

"Because the Wen Family is about to have a 'Grandmaster Disciple'!"

When Huang Yunchong said this, a trace of envy could not help showing in his tone.

Even he had not expected that not long after Wen Lingzhao entered the Heavenly Origin Academy, she would receive the favor of Zhu Guqing, this Martial Dao Grandmaster, who wanted to take her as a disciple!

With this identity alone, it was enough to make even City Lord Fu Shan somewhat wary.

Huang Qianjun's thoughts churned, unable to calm down.

Only now did he deeply realize that the weight of a "Grandmaster Disciple" was actually so heavy!

City Lord's Mansion.

After listening to Nie Beihu's report, Fu Shan, whose appearance was refined and elegant like a middle-aged scholar, could not help nodding.

"You handled this matter well. Wen Changqing and his son knew long ago of Wu Ruoqiu's existence, yet kept concealing it and not reporting it. They are simply bringing calamity upon their Wen Family!"

Fu Shan sneered.

Of course, he also understood this evil-path force, the "Yin Sha Sect."

"My lord, should we take this opportunity to deal with the Wen Family?"

Nie Beihu's eyes flickered as he asked in a low voice.

"That would be improper."

Fu Shan shook his head. "Wu Ruoqiu has already been dealt with by Young Master Su, which means the dead can give no testimony. On top of that, the Wen Family has now produced a Grandmaster Disciple. No matter what, we still have to show them some respect. We can't act recklessly."

At this point, he asked, "What does Young Master Su think?"

Nie Beihu was stunned, then said, "Young Master Su didn't say anything."

Fu Shan pondered. "Then this matter is not something we can overstep our bounds and decide for him. Next, just investigate the Ghost Corpse Worms in the city."

"Remember, once the investigation is finished, we must give Young Master Su an answer."

"Yes."

Nie Beihu accepted the order.

"Right, there's one more thing."

Fu Shan suddenly recalled something and took out a gilded invitation he had prepared long ago, handing it to Nie Beihu. "This is an invitation to the Dragon Gate Banquet. Find some time to deliver it to Young Master Su."

After taking the invitation, Nie Beihu could not help saying, "My lord, given Young Master Su's way of doing things, I'm afraid he simply wouldn't deign to take part in martial combat at the Dragon Gate Banquet."

Fu Shan shook his head and laughed. "Who said I wanted Young Master Su to fight? I'm inviting Young Master Su as an honored guest, to watch and comment on those young people's martial bouts with us."

Only then did Nie Beihu understand. He realized the city lord wanted to use this matter to draw a little closer to Su Yi!

Suddenly, a guard came forward to report. "My lord, Wen Family patriarch Wen Changjing and Wen Changqing have come together seeking an audience."

Fu Shan said casually, "Let them in."

"Commander Nie, why do you think they've come?"

Fu Shan asked with a smile.

Nie Beihu laughed as well and said without hesitation, "They're definitely here to draw a clear line between the Wen Family and the Yin Sha Sect. After all, once they're forced to carry that black pot, they could bring a great disaster down on themselves at any time."

Fu Shan nodded approvingly. "Besides that, they should also strongly request that our City Lord's Mansion mobilize forces to help the Wen Family apprehend Wu Ruoqiu. After all, Wen Changqing's son can't have died for nothing."

Sure enough, when Wen Changjing and Wen Changqing arrived and stated their purpose, it was exactly as Fu Shan had inferred.

Fu Shan had long since made his decision. He immediately stated that he would clear the Wen Family's name, and would also cooperate with the Wen Family's forces by sending people to pursue and capture Wu Ruoqiu.

That very night, the Imperial Guard forces of the City Lord's Mansion and the Wen Family's guards acted together, searching the entire city for any suspicious clues.

This matter also caused an uproar throughout the city, drawing many watchful eyes.

But none of this had anything to do with Su Yi.

The night wind blew gently, and the moonlight was like water.

In the courtyard, after Su Yi practiced the Pine Crane Body Forging Art several times, he picked up the Dust Edge Sword and began practicing sword techniques beneath the moonlight in the night.

Swish, swish, swish!

Su Yi's tall, slender figure was ethereal as an immortal. The sword moved with his body, and streaks of sword light scattered like flowing radiance, crisscrossing and flashing, Fast as a storm wind and a lightning leap, then suddenly like a floating gleam skimming past a shadow.

The watery night rippled in circles beneath the sword light, and the moonlight seemed to be constantly shredded by the long sword, scattering flickering shadows across the ground, appearing and vanishing, brightening and dimming.

Too fast!

As far as the eye could see, sword shadows overlapped in layers and sword light coiled like a sinuous dragon, until even Su Yi's figure became distant, faint, and illusory.

This was the "Great Freedom Sword Scripture."

Alone, he swallowed all vast, righteous qi; with one breath, he exhaled a lifetime of free and joyous wind!

The essence of this sword art lay in being as free and unfettered as the wind, unbound by anything—both omnipresent and able to slip through every crack, reaching everywhere.

The "Great Freedom Sword Scripture" had only six great sword moves.

They were divided into "Draw Star River," "Pick Sun and Moon," "Chop Mountains and Seas," "Cut Clods," "Divide Purity and Turbidity," and "Wander the Ten Directions."

Last night, Su Yi had relied on the single move "Draw Star River" to annihilate over a hundred Ghost Corpse Worms in one stroke.

This sword art was one of the supreme sword arts Su Yi had personally created in his previous life. According to its power and the profound Great Dao mysteries it contained, it was fully worthy of being ranked among the "top Emperor Realm" sword scriptures!

Unfortunately, limited by his cultivation, the current Su Yi could only practice the forms of this sword art; he could not bring out its spirit or its subtle Great Dao profundities.

Without its spirit, without the subtle Great Dao profundities, at most it could only be considered a martial sword technique.

In the cultivation world, the classification of martial secret manuals could be summed up in eight words:

Techniques were inferior to arts, arts were inferior to the Dao!

As for spell arts, the art came first and the technique after.

As for Dao arts, the Dao came first and the art after.

The Four Martial Realms were the realms of shedding mortality. The martial arts and cultivation methods they could control had not yet broken free from the scope of the mundane, and could all be classified under the word "technique."

When it came specifically to the power and grade of each martial art, they could further be divided into four kinds: Yellow Rank, Mysterious Rank, Earth Rank, and Heaven Rank.

Yellow Rank was the lowest, Heaven Rank the highest.

Each rank was divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

Generally speaking, the cultivation of the Blood Moving Realm could at most practice Yellow Rank martial arts.

By that same logic, the martial arts practiced in the Qi Gathering Realm, Furnace Nourishing Realm, and Flawless Realm corresponded respectively to Mysterious Rank, Earth Rank, and Heaven Rank.

For example, even if a Mysterious Rank martial art were handed to someone in the Blood Moving Realm, with their cultivation, it would be very difficult for them to bring out the martial art's full might.

In short, when practicing martial arts, the higher the rank was not necessarily the better; what mattered was whether it suited one's own cultivation.

Of course, since ancient times, there had always been some monstrous figures who could break this convention and were not bound by the level of a martial art's rank.

Just like the "Great Freedom Sword Scripture" Su Yi was practicing at this moment. Although it was merely within the category of "technique," if one truly discussed its rank, how could it be compared to anything ordinary?