Heavenly Sword Sect

"No mistake, he was in these mountains too. We saw him a little over an hour ago," Jie Ming said.

"If he appeared around here, then he might have been the one who killed our people," Chen Luo said.

It seemed that this killer and Jiang Chen were one and the same.

"If that's the case, then he should still be nearby," Chen Luo said.

"Excellent. Since we're targeting the same person, would you be willing to cooperate with us and find him together?" Jie Ming asked.

Of course, this was essentially an order.

"Certainly, that won't be a problem. We already have a grudge against him, so we couldn't ask for more than to act alongside you," Chen Luo said.

There was no other choice. The Bloodfire Mercenary Group was weaker than the Yinluo Sect and could only cooperate. Besides, working together offered them some benefits.

"See that you do. From now on, you'll follow our commands in every operation. If we capture him, we won't forget your share of the benefits," Jie Ming said coldly.

These mercenaries usually risked their lives for spirit stones. They did anything for money, and robbing people was as routine as eating. Everything they did was for spirit stones and resources.

Promising them a few benefits would make them work harder.

If they failed to recover the Demonic Soul Blade, none of them would come to a good end.

Thus, the two groups joined forces, divided their tasks, and began searching the Great Desolate Mountain Range for Jiang Chen.

This spelled misery for some second- and third-tier demonic beasts. Once discovered by such a powerful Human Race team, they were practically doomed to be slaughtered.

The Yinluo Sect members did not greedily keep the valuable parts of the demonic beasts' corpses for themselves. They divided them thirty-seventy, with the Yinluo Sect taking seventy and the Bloodfire Mercenary Group thirty.

That made Chen Luo and the others feel considerably better.

Jiang Chen arrived beside a stream and was just about to drink some water when the sounds of battle suddenly came from not far away.

"Hm? More people?" Jiang Chen wondered.

Jiang Chen wondered if they might be people from the Bloodfire Mercenary Group.

Members of the Bloodfire Mercenary Group often entered the Great Desolate Mountain Range. Many cultivators would take a detour whenever they encountered them.

Jiang Chen, however, was different. If he could kill them, he would do it outright. The two sides already had a grudge—once they met, wasn't it simply a matter of life and death?

Jiang Chen even wanted to destroy the Bloodfire Mercenary Group. Letting it continue to exist would only leave behind a scourge.

Jiang Chen quietly approached, only to find over thirty masked men in black surrounding and attacking two young people.

All these men were Martial Master Realm experts, and the strongest among them was at the Martial Master Realm, Tenth Level.

As for the two young people, one was male and the other female. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, while the man was also handsome—a fine young noble.

Both were at the Martial Master Realm, Seventh Level, and their strength was extraordinary.

The two young people looked about Jiang Chen's age, yet they were already at the Martial Master Realm, Seventh Level. Could they be genius disciples of some major power?

Strands of Demonic Energy radiated from the men in black. They were all demonic cultivators.

Facing the siege of so many people, the two young people were already struggling to hold on.

What good was their formidable strength?

They were still outnumbered.

"Pfft..." A man in black struck the woman with a palm, sending her flying.

"Junior Sister He..." The other man's expression changed.

The man lost focus for an instant and was struck by a sword. A sword wound opened on his arm, spilling blood.

"Ah..." The man cried out in pain and immediately retreated.

"In a battle to the death, you still dare to lose focus? You're asking to die," one of the men in black said coldly.

These two young people were indeed formidable. Although they were only at the Martial Master Realm, Seventh Level, their battle prowess was comparable to that of ordinary Martial Master Realm, Ninth Level experts, or even Martial Master Realm, Tenth Level experts.

As expected of geniuses from the major power Heavenly Sword Sect—they were truly difficult to deal with.

By now, the members of the Yin Corpse Sect had surrounded He Yushi and Li Ji.

"You Yin Corpse Sect people won't come to a good end. Everyone has the right to punish the evil deeds you've committed," He Yushi cursed.

He Yushi and Li Ji were both disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The Heavenly Sword Sect was one of the Four Great Sects of the Great Zhou Dynasty, on the same level as the Chaohai Sect.

The Yin Corpse Sect, meanwhile, was a demonic organization known for its brutality.

A thousand years ago, the Yin Corpse Sect had been besieged by the various powers and ultimately destroyed.

However, many remnants had survived. They established branches throughout the land and quietly developed.

The Heavenly Sword Sect received word that the Yin Corpse Sect had been active in Beihai Prefecture, where the remnants' headquarters might very well be located.

Thus, it issued missions for its disciples to investigate.

Several teams had gone to Beihai Prefecture. He Yushi's team had originally consisted of five people, but the other three had already been killed by the Yin Corpse Sect. Only the two of them remained.

He Yushi and the others had discovered the Yin Corpse Sect's movements and followed them all the way there. The Yin Corpse Sect noticed them, and the two sides began fighting. The Yin Corpse Sect had the advantage in numbers, so the Heavenly Sword Sect's group was no match for them. They retreated while fighting, but three people died. Now He Yushi and Li Ji had also been wounded and surrounded.

Unless something unexpected happened, the two of them would die horribly as well.

"You Heavenly Sword Sect disciples are quite bold, daring to provoke our Yin Corpse Sect. A thousand years ago, your Heavenly Sword Sect was nothing but ants in our eyes," the leading man in black sneered.

"Hmph! Your Yin Corpse Sect has abandoned all conscience and committed countless atrocities. Everyone has the right to punish you!" Though He Yushi was wounded and trapped, she still held immense hostility toward the Yin Corpse Sect.

The Yin Corpse Sect enjoyed slaughtering members of the Human Race and refining powerful Corpse Puppets with their blood to strengthen their battle prowess.

The Yin Corpse Sect could also be called a sect of corpse tamers.

They liked collecting the corpses of powerful experts—or killing powerful experts outright—to refine them into formidable Corpse Puppets.

A thousand years ago, the Yin Corpse Sect had reached its peak. It had stirred up a bloody storm throughout the Southern Domain, leaving everyone in danger. No one knew when the Yin Corpse Sect might kill them and refine them into Corpse Puppets.

Thus, the various powers of the Southern Domain had joined forces to deal with the Yin Corpse Sect. That battle lasted for more than a decade before the sect was finally destroyed.

However, although it was said to have been destroyed, many remnants still went into hiding.

Even after all these years, Yin Corpse Sect remnants occasionally appeared in various places.

Whenever such activity was discovered, the various powers would move directly to eradicate the remnants.

However, the Yin Corpse Sect remnants were very good at hiding, making it extremely difficult to find their strongholds.

"Hahaha, you won't live to see what becomes of our future. Everyone, attack and kill them!" the leader ordered, sending the other men in black into action.

At that moment, several sharp arrows suddenly shot over.

The attack came too suddenly, and several men in black were struck.

The attacker was Jiang Chen. He had even coated the arrowheads with anesthetic. Anyone struck would be paralyzed throughout their body and rendered powerless for a short time.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone. Who was it?

They soon saw a masked man appear. The masked man was still firing arrows.

However, now that they were prepared, they could dodge the arrows.

He Yushi and Li Ji saw that someone was helping them and were overjoyed. Taking advantage of the Yin Corpse Sect members' shock, they immediately broke out of the encirclement.

"Don't let them escape!" The Yin Corpse Sect members were alarmed.

Jiang Chen had overheard from the shadows that He Yushi and the others were disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

That was one of the Four Great Sects, yet these people were members of the Yin Corpse Sect.

Jiang Chen had naturally heard the rumors about the Yin Corpse Sect. It was said to be a sect that committed every conceivable evil.

He had never expected Yin Corpse Sect remnants to appear near Qingyue Town. This was no good news.

With that thought, Jiang Chen decided to save the two Heavenly Sword Sect disciples.

"We'll kill these Yin Corpse Sect people together. Don't leave yet!" Jiang Chen shouted.

"What?" He Yushi and Li Ji were both stunned.

Jiang Chen actually intended to kill the Yin Corpse Sect members?

There were over thirty people on the Yin Corpse Sect's side, while their side had only three people, including Jiang Chen.

However, Jiang Chen soon gave them their answer.

"Hegemonic Blade Art!" The Silver Moon Blade in Jiang Chen's hand swept out in an instant.

Countless blades of light slashed toward the Yin Corpse Sect members before him.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Three Martial Master Realm experts from the Yin Corpse Sect were killed instantly.

"What formidable strength! What an incredible blade technique!" He Yushi and Li Ji were both deeply shocked.

Jiang Chen's aura was clearly only at the Martial Master Realm, First Level. How could he unleash such an astonishing blade technique?

Its destructive power was far too strong. A Martial Master Realm expert had been killed with a single slash, showing just how formidable this blade technique was.

Elder Huo had taught Jiang Chen the Hegemonic Blade Art. Now that Jiang Chen had entered the Martial Master Realm, First Level, he could naturally cultivate the five blade techniques belonging to the Martial Master Realm.

That meant Jiang Chen had mastered ten blade techniques. He could wield them with great ease against his enemies, naturally giving him such powerful destructive force.

"Then we'll attack together as well." He Yushi and Li Ji exchanged a glance and decided to join forces with Jiang Chen to kill the Yin Corpse Sect experts.

Seeing Jiang Chen's immense strength, the leader of the men in black flew into a rage. He raised his sword and charged at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen used Traceless Steps and easily dodged his attack.

"Damn it! You've killed so many of our people. You're courting death! Come out, Faceless Corpse!" The leader of the men in black instantly summoned a Corpse Puppet.

This Corpse Puppet was called the Faceless Corpse. Its original appearance was impossible to make out, and its face had no features at all, hence the name Faceless Corpse.

The Faceless Corpse was actually a fourth-tier Refined Corpse. A foul stench rolled off its body, making anyone who smelled it want to vomit.

Of course, to the Yin Corpse Sect members, who often studied corpses, this was nothing. What foul smells had they not encountered?

Seeing that their leader had summoned a Refined Corpse, the others also summoned their own Refined Corpses.

In an instant, over a dozen Corpse Puppets appeared on the Yin Corpse Sect's side, and none of them were weak.

These Corpse Puppets were all low-grade. Some even still had rotting flesh clinging to their surfaces.

They looked utterly disgusting.

The Corpse Puppets charged toward He Yushi and Li Ji, forcing the two into a highly passive position. Corpse Puppets felt no pain, and their defenses were far greater than those of cultivators at the same level.

Even if a wound was slashed into a Corpse Puppet, it would feel no pain and could continue attacking.

That was why the Yin Corpse Sect had dominated the Southern Domain a thousand years ago.

Its Corpse Puppet army was simply too powerful.

The two were forced to retreat again and again.

"Don't fight the Corpse Puppets. Attack the people instead. Once the people are dead, the Corpse Puppets won't be much of a threat!" Jiang Chen shouted.

Hearing Jiang Chen's words, the two suddenly understood and found them reasonable. They bypassed the Corpse Puppets and attacked the Yin Corpse Sect members directly.

The Yin Corpse Sect members were entangled by He Yushi and Li Ji and could not concentrate on controlling the Corpse Puppets, causing the puppets' movements to be obstructed.

As for Jiang Chen, he had already formed a plan as he faced the fourth-tier Corpse Puppet before him.

"Draw Sword Slash!" The Silver Moon Blade in Jiang Chen's hand began gathering power.

"Go!" The leader of the men in black controlled the fourth-tier Corpse Puppet and sent it charging at Jiang Chen.

He believed that no matter how strong Jiang Chen was, he could not possibly be a match for a fourth-tier Corpse Puppet.

The Corpse Puppet charged toward Jiang Chen at incredible speed.

The long blade in Jiang Chen's hand slashed out, unleashing a shocking blade ray.

Moreover, Jiang Chen had used the Sky Annihilation Strike, multiplying its power tenfold.

The blade ray struck the fourth-tier Corpse Puppet and sliced off its entire shoulder in one blow.

The Draw Sword Slash already possessed five times his original strength. With the tenfold increase from the Sky Annihilation Strike, its power reached fifty times his original strength.

Such power was enough to break through the fourth-tier Corpse Puppet's defenses.

The Corpse Puppet's movements halted. An entire shoulder had been severed, leaving it with only one arm.

The sight left the leader of the men in black pale with shock.

The Faceless Corpse had cost him immense effort to refine. It was his trump card, with astonishing battle prowess.

He had never expected Jiang Chen to sever one of his Corpse Puppet's arms in a single exchange.

Repairing it and restoring its battle prowess would require a great deal of resources.

"Ah! You dared destroy our Corpse Puppet! Die, die!" the leader of the men in black roared furiously.

He then used a secret technique to make the fourth-tier Faceless Corpse even more frenzied.

The Faceless Corpse instantly rushed in front of Jiang Chen and clawed at him with its remaining hand.

The hand had sharp fingernails, black and withered. It actually intended to tear out Jiang Chen's heart.

Jiang Chen's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised the Silver Moon Blade to block.

"Clang!" The Silver Moon Blade collided with the corpse hand, sending sparks flying.

Jiang Chen was also knocked backward by the immense force.

"What immense strength!" Jiang Chen was horrified.

As expected of a fourth-tier Refined Corpse, its strength was truly extraordinary.

Jiang Chen and the Faceless Corpse then began battling. After exchanging more than a dozen blows, Jiang Chen was ultimately outmatched and struck in the chest by the Faceless Corpse.

"Pfft..." Jiang Chen could not help spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Jiang Chen had wanted to deal with the leader of the men in black, but the Faceless Corpse was simply too powerful.

It blocked him and forced him to fight it instead.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen wore the Snake Scale Armor, which blocked the Faceless Corpse's sharp claws.

Otherwise, that attack just now would definitely have pierced his chest.

Even with only one arm, the Faceless Corpse was not something Jiang Chen could easily handle.

"He didn't die?" The leader of the men in black was also shocked by Lin Bei's strength.

He had actually exchanged so many blows with the Faceless Corpse and, after taking a hit, had only spat out a mouthful of blood. He seemed to be unharmed otherwise.

One had to know that the Faceless Corpse's battle prowess was considerably greater than that of the leader of the men in black.

After all, it was a fourth-tier Refined Corpse and naturally possessed the strength of the Martial Grandmaster Realm.

Even a fourth-tier, First Level Refined Corpse possessed extremely formidable strength.