Slaying

The north wind howled, and snowflakes drifted down.

Beneath the sky, Xu Tao's savage laughter rang out.

Meng Jing's saber speed had shocked him, but with the Protective Amulet, he was completely unharmed.

Forget two Martial Warriors who had yet to become Martial Masters. Even if they both reached that level, they still could not hurt him while he had the Protective Amulet!

Xu Tao gripped his saber and swept it toward them.

Even if they had more trump cards, it would be useless. They were as good as dead!

"Son, your father will avenge you now!"

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

Nothing short of killing the boy could quell the fury in his heart.

Meng Jing fell into utter despair. Still, dying beside Jiang Ping An meant she would not be alone.

"Meng Jing!" Jiang Ping An suddenly shouted.

He brought out a Black Array Flag, its surface covered in runes.

He activated the Black Array Flag and sent it against Xu Tao.

Meng Jing did not know what the banner was, but when she heard Jiang Ping An's shout, she guessed his intent. Disregarding her own life, she unleashed the Thunder Saber Technique again.

She still felt she could not break through his defenses, but that no longer mattered.

She would die whether she fought back or not. She might as well die bravely.

Lightning flashed as her blade struck toward Xu Tao.

Xu Tao looked at them as though they were idiots.

How could these two pieces of trash break his protective barrier? The prefect had personally bestowed this Protective Amulet on him.

Just as the banner flew before Xu Tao, strange ripples spread from it.

In an instant, the protective barrier before him vanished.

Xu Tao's eyes widened.

How was that possible!

Why had his protective barrier suddenly disappeared!

His expression was just like Jiang Ping An's when the leader of Great King Mountain had ambushed him.

Jiang Ping An, too, had been stunned that his protective barrier no longer worked.

That was the power of runes.

The Protective Amulet produced its defensive power through special runes, while this banner bore a formation that could break those runes.

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

He had already refined the banner.

It was a magical treasure of the Foundation Establishment Realm, capable of gathering spiritual energy, providing protection, and breaking formations.

However, its functions were varied, and it was a support treasure, so its grade was not particularly high.

But it was more than enough to deal with the protective barrier around Xu Tao.

Xu Tao tried to retreat, but his body would not obey. Pain shot through his neck, and blood sprayed wildly.

Meng Jing held the Blue Flower Saber, gasping for breath, her small face filled with shock and disbelief.

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

He was a Martial Master, an entire major realm above her, yet she had cut his throat!

Jiang Ping An had helped, but she had been the one to finish Xu Tao. The sense of accomplishment was immense.

Excitement, pride, and wild joy surged through Meng Jing. Delighted to have escaped death, she burst out laughing.

"No~~"

Xu Tao let out a heart-rending roar.

He could not accept it! He had been killed by two brats who were not even Martial Masters! He could not accept it!

Using his last shred of strength, Xu Tao struck at Meng Jing beside him. No matter what, he would take one of them with him!

His blade was peerless, its momentum overwhelming.

Meng Jing's laughter stopped abruptly, terror flooding her face.

He could still move! She was finished!

It was too late to run.

Suddenly, a wall of earth surged from the ground, flinging Meng Jing away.

Xu Tao's saber struck the earth wall.

With a bang, the wall burst apart, sending dust billowing.

His attack failed. Xu Tao's expression froze, and he fell stiffly to the ground. His eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Ping An, never to close again.

Only then did he regret it—regret not killing Jiang Ping An sooner.

Meng Jing fell from the air, and Jiang Ping An caught her. He warned her:

"As long as an enemy has a breath left, don't let your guard down. If they have a talisman or a special magical treasure, a desperate last stand can be extremely dangerous."

Meng Jing lowered her head, blushing. She had gotten carried away. If he had not cast the Earth Wall Art, she would certainly have died.

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

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

He had spotted Xu Tao long ago and could have taken a detour.

But he had not. He hated having a thorn lodged in his heart, one he could not pull out and that kept filling him with dread. That was why this fight had happened.

It had not lasted long, but they had faced death several times. Sending Meng Jing against Xu Tao in particular had placed her in grave danger. One misstep, and she would have died.

"It's all right." Unusually, Meng Jing did not throw a young lady's tantrum.

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

There was something about his steady, composed nature that stirred a feeling in the young girl's heart she could not put into words.

"What trash. You took this long to deal with a useless Martial Master and nearly got yourselves killed."

A voice full of disdain suddenly rang out.

Meng Jing jerked her gaze to the side. At some point, a young woman had appeared atop the tip of a pine tree!

She looked sixteen or seventeen. Dressed in a blue-green padded coat, she was as light as a feather as she stood on the treetop.

"And you still want to enter the Hundred Counties Tournament? Hurry home!" the young woman sneered.

"That's none of your business!"

At the sight of her, Meng Jing immediately stepped away from Jiang Ping An and raised her saber warily.

The two young women seemed to know each other.

Seeing Meng Jing raise her saber, the newcomer looked even more disdainful.

"I beat you in one move last time. Do you think that saber of yours will work on me?"

At those words, Meng Jing gnashed her teeth in fury.

Jiang Ping An asked, "Who is she?"

Through gritted teeth, Meng Jing said, "She's Zhang Lingmin, an opponent I met at the Prefecture County Genius Selection Competition. She's a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator with a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root."

Meng Jing paused, then added, "She's incredibly strong. Despite being at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, she defeated several cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

Jiang Ping An's heart tightened. This young woman looked barely older than they were, yet she was so formidable.

Zhang Lingmin looked down at them and asked coldly, "Were you staying in Minghai City yesterday?"

"No. We've been traveling the whole time," Jiang Ping An replied.

Zhang Lingmin snorted. "Don't pretend. According to what I heard, my useless brother saw a very beautiful young woman yesterday, riding a white horse. That matches you perfectly."

"And to quietly take out three Qi Refining Tenth Layer cultivators in the city, you're the only ones who could have done it."

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

Jiang Ping An set the Blood Qi in his body surging, ready to fight.

Meng Jing tightened her grip on her saber.

"Don't worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I've wanted that scumbag brother of mine dead for a long time, but blood ties kept me from doing it myself."

Zhang Lingmin did not take either of them seriously, nor did she care that they had killed her brother.

"But yesterday, my brother spent ten thousand Spirit Stones on a Foundation Establishment Pill. I must have that back."

"You—"

Meng Jing was about to speak when Jiang Ping An placed a hand on her shoulder. With his Divine Sense, he reached into his Storage Bag, took out a pill, and tossed it over without hesitation.

Better to lose some wealth than invite disaster.

He did not care about losing a pill. Their safety mattered most.

Zhang Lingmin caught the Foundation Establishment Pill, and a flicker of emotion finally crossed her face.

Foundation Establishment Pills were expensive, worth ten thousand Spirit Stones—more than many pills for the Foundation Establishment Realm. That sum could buy other resources that would rapidly increase her strength.

"A friendly warning: with strength like yours, hurry home. You have no chance of passing the Princess's assessment and entering the Hundred Counties Tournament."

With that, Zhang Lingmin flew away at astonishing speed.

At the sight of how fast she moved, Jiang Ping An's heart jolted.

So fast!

Even Little White was nowhere near that quick.

That woman is incredibly strong.