Slaying

The north wind howled, and flecks of snow drifted down.

Beneath the sky, Xu Tao's savage laughter echoed.

Although Meng Jing's saber speed had shocked him, the protective talisman kept him completely unharmed.

Forget two Martial Warriors who had yet to become Martial Masters—even if both of them had become Martial Masters, they still would not be able to hurt him with the protective talisman!

Xu Tao gripped his broadsword tightly and swept it toward them.

Even if they still had trump cards, it would be useless. They were doomed to die!

"Son, Father will avenge you at once!"

It was all because of Jiang Ping An that his son had died and the front line had fallen.

If he did not kill this brat, the rage in his heart would never subside.

Meng Jing fell into complete despair. Still, dying together with Jiang Ping An did not seem so lonely.

"Meng Jing!" Jiang Ping An suddenly shouted.

He brought out a Black Array Flag covered in runes.

He activated the Black Array Flag and launched an attack at Xu Tao.

Although Meng Jing did not know what the array flag was, hearing Jiang Ping An's shout, she guessed his intention. Disregarding her own life, she unleashed the Thunder Saber Technique again.

Though she felt she still could not break through the opponent's defense, it no longer mattered.

Whether she resisted or not, she would die. Better to die valiantly.

Lightning flashed as it struck toward Xu Tao.

Xu Tao looked at the two of them as though they were idiots.

How could his Protective Barrier be broken by two pieces of trash like them? This was a protective talisman personally bestowed upon him by the Prefectural Governor.

The instant the array flag flew before Xu Tao, waves of strange fluctuations surged from it.

In an instant, the Protective Barrier before Xu Tao vanished.

Xu Tao's eyes widened.

How was this possible!

Why had the Protective Barrier suddenly disappeared?!

The expression on his face was exactly the same as Jiang Ping An's had been when he was ambushed by the Great King Mountain leader.

Back then, Jiang Ping An had also been shocked that his Protective Barrier had stopped working.

This was the power of runes.

Protective talismans could generate defensive power because of special runes, and this array flag contained an array formation capable of breaking runes.

This was also one of the reasons Jiang Ping An had chosen to fight Xu Tao.

Because he had refined this array flag.

It was a Foundation Establishment Realm magical artifact, capable of gathering spiritual energy, defending, breaking formations, and more.

However, because the array flag's functions were rather miscellaneous and it was an auxiliary magical artifact, its grade was not particularly high.

But it was more than enough to deal with Xu Tao's Protective Barrier.

Xu Tao tried to retreat, only to find that his body would not obey him. Pain surged from his neck, and blood sprayed wildly.

Meng Jing held the Blue Flower Saber, panting heavily. Her small face was filled with shock and disbelief.

"I killed Xu Tao! I actually killed Xu Tao!"

He was a Martial Master, a whole major realm above her, yet she had actually cut his neck open!

Though Jiang Ping An had helped, she was the one who finished Xu Tao. She felt an immense sense of accomplishment.

Excitement, pride, and wild joy churned within Meng Jing. The delight of surviving a calamity made her burst into laughter.

"No~~"

Xu Tao let out a heart-rending roar.

He refused to accept this! He had actually been killed by two brats who were not even Martial Masters! He refused to accept it!

Xu Tao used the last shred of his strength to attack Meng Jing beside him. No matter what, he had to take one of them down with him!

The blade was peerless, its momentum grand and overwhelming.

Meng Jing's laughter came to an abrupt halt, and terror filled her face.

He could still move! It was over!

It was already too late to run.

Suddenly, an earth wall rose from the ground, instantly knocking Meng Jing flying.

Xu Tao's blade struck the earth wall.

With a bang, the earth wall exploded, sending dust billowing into the air.

His attack failed. Xu Tao's expression stiffened, and his body fell straight to the ground. His eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Ping An, never to close again.

Only at this moment did he regret it—regret not killing them sooner.

Meng Jing fell from the air, and Jiang Ping An caught her, then lectured her.

"As long as an enemy still has a breath left, do not let your guard down. If they have any talismans or special magical artifacts and make a last desperate struggle, it is extremely dangerous."

Meng Jing lowered her head, her face red. She had been carried away by pride just now. If not for Jiang Ping An's Earth Wall Art, she would certainly have died.

Jiang Ping An said, "I'm sorry for putting you in danger."

If he had not wanted to fight Xu Tao, he could actually have avoided it.

He had noticed Xu Tao long ago and could have taken a detour to avoid him.

But he had not. He did not like having a thorn lodged in his heart, impossible to pull out, constantly giving him a sense of impending danger. That was why this battle had taken place.

Though it had not lasted long, they had faced death several times. Especially when he had Meng Jing deal with Xu Tao, he had placed her in grave danger. One small mistake, and she would have died.

"It's all right." Meng Jing unexpectedly did not throw a Miss's tantrum.

From beginning to end, Jiang Ping An had calmly handled every danger, like an ancient pine that had stood for a thousand years.

That heavy, composed temperament stirred something indescribable within the young girl's heart.

"What trash. It took you this long just to deal with a worthless Martial Master, and you nearly got yourselves killed."

A voice filled with disdain suddenly rang out.

Meng Jing abruptly looked to the side. At some unknown point, a girl was standing atop the tip of a green pine tree!

The girl looked sixteen or seventeen. Dressed in green cotton clothes, her body was as light as a feather as she stood on the treetop.

"And you still want to participate in the Hundred Counties Tournament? Hurry home!" the girl sneered.

"None of your business!"

Seeing the girl, Meng Jing immediately got down from Jiang Ping An's arms and raised her saber warily.

The two girls seemed to know each other.

Seeing Meng Jing raise her saber in defense, the girl's face became even more disdainful.

"Didn't I take you out in one move before? Do you think your saber can do anything to me?"

Hearing this, Meng Jing gritted her teeth until they creaked.

Jiang Ping An asked, "Who is she?"

Meng Jing gritted her teeth. "She's an opponent I encountered during the Prefecture County Genius Selection Competition—Zhang Lingmin, a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator with a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root."

Meng Jing paused, then added, "She's extremely strong. With Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivation, she defeated several Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators."

Jiang Ping An's heart tightened. This girl did not appear much older than them, yet she was so terrifying.

Zhang Lingmin looked down at them and spoke coldly. "Did you stay in Minghai City yesterday?"

"No. We were traveling the entire time," Jiang Ping An replied.

Zhang Lingmin snorted coldly. "Stop pretending. According to the information I received, my useless brother saw a very beautiful girl yesterday riding a white steed. That matches you two perfectly."

"Besides, the only people capable of silently taking care of three Qi Refining Tenth Layer Cultivators in the city would be you."

Meng Jing and Jiang Ping An were both shaken. She was that fat man's younger sister!

Jiang Ping An drove the blood energy within his body into a mad circulation, preparing for battle.

Meng Jing tightened her grip on her saber.

"Don't worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. I've wanted to kill that scum of a brother for ages, but because of our bloodline, I had no way to act."

Zhang Lingmin did not take the two of them seriously at all, nor did she care that they had killed her brother.

"But yesterday, my brother spent ten thousand spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. I have to get that back."

"You..."

Just as Meng Jing was about to speak, Jiang Ping An pressed a hand to her shoulder. Using his Divine Sense to communicate with his Storage Bag, he took out a pill and decisively tossed it over.

Better to lose wealth than invite disaster.

He did not care about losing a pill. Safety came first.

Zhang Lingmin caught the Foundation Establishment Pill, and a faint change finally appeared on her face.

Foundation Establishment Pills were expensive, worth ten thousand spirit stones—more costly than many Foundation Establishment Realm pills. Exchanged for other resources, it could rapidly increase one's strength.

"I'll give you a kind reminder. With your strength, hurry home. You have no qualifications to pass the Princess's assessment and participate in the Hundred Counties Tournament."

With that, Zhang Lingmin flew away at tremendous speed.

Seeing how fast she departed, Jiang Ping An's heart shook violently.

So fast!

Even Little White was far inferior.

This woman was powerful.