Troubled Times Produce Monsters

A Fifth Rank Martial Artist, annihilated in one strike!

"Looks like I can't be too casual with my attacks in the future."

Chen Mu slowly lowered the broken sword in his hand, looking at the spot where the cloth-robed man had disappeared, the deep pit on the ground nearly ten feet in diameter, and murmured to himself.

The power of the Heart Sword was even greater than he had anticipated!

If he hadn't struck downwards with this blow, but had swung the sword horizontally instead, he feared that this entire street nearby would have been split in two from the middle, cut into upper and lower halves!

No wonder Fifth Rank Sorcerer was a qualitative change; from the Fifth Rank Daoist Arts realm onwards, they were all referred to as high-grade.

Beside him.

Chen Yao was still frozen in place.

She knew Sorcerers were strong; from Seventh Rank onwards, they could directly contend against Martial Artists of a higher rank. But that cloth-robed man was a genuine Fifth Rank Martial Artist!

One must know that after Old Meng's realm dropped, he was now only a Fifth Rank Martial Artist. At the Fifth Rank level, no matter which force you were in, you were a significant figure, not a minor character on the roadside!

But now.

A Fifth Rank Martial Artist was instantly blasted into dust right before her eyes, not even leaving behind any residue, and it was done so easily, without even room to struggle!

This was not something a Sixth Rank Sorcerer could achieve.

Moreover, the scene just now was clearly not a Sorcerer's Flying Sword technique. That vast sword light and surging sword intent were more like the strike of a Grandmaster who had entered the Dao through the sword!

Was Chen Mu a Third Rank Martial Artist?

Clearly impossible!

Then there was only one explanation left... Daoist Arts!

"Second Brother, you..."

Chen Yao gradually recovered from her shock, a hint of grievance appearing in her eyes as she looked at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu was not a Sixth Rank Sorcerer at all; he was clearly even higher, at the Fifth Rank Daoist Arts realm!

He actually didn't tell her the truth, concealed his realm, and even caused her to be scared half to death just now, worrying that Chen Mu would be taken advantage of by that cultist because he was too close.

If she had known Chen Mu was a Fifth Rank Sorcerer, with Daoist Arts protecting him, she wouldn't have been afraid at all!

Chen Mu turned to look at Chen Yao, seeing the hint of grievance in her eyes. He knew what she wanted to say. He tossed away the half-broken sword in his hand and said with a light smile, "One must always hide a little trump card, mustn't they?"

"..."

Chen Yao sighed, a hint of melancholy appearing, and said, "Fifth Rank Daoist Arts, Fourth Rank Non-Human. Now it will truly take me a long time to catch up to you, Second Brother."

If Chen Mu were a Sixth Rank Sorcerer, then she would only need to cultivate to Fifth Rank to at least have the ability to protect Chen Mu. But a Fifth Rank Sorcerer was a genuine Non-Human level; in terms of combat power, they were not inferior to Fourth Rank Martial Artists. The gap between them could be described as a world of difference.

"It's just Fourth Rank. Aren't you still going to become a Martial Saintess?"

Chen Mu chuckled.

Chen Yao's state of mind was truly firm enough. First, she was nearly killed, then she resolutely attempted suicide, and then she was saved by him. She had experienced several major ups and downs in a short period of time and could still recover so quickly.

"Daoist Arts, so strong..."

Chen Yao looked at the pit where the man in plain clothes had disappeared. Recalling the scene from before, her heart still couldn't calm down, and she couldn't help but murmur a few words.

But she quickly took a deep breath, and her eyes regained their clarity.

Although Sorcerers were enviable, they were just that, enviable. After all, among the hundreds of millions of people in Da Yuan, there were only so many Sorcerers, and those who could reach Fifth Rank were even fewer.

Daoist Arts were strong, and even a Fifth Rank Martial Artist would find it difficult to withstand a single blow. But that was all there was to it. As long as one continued down the Martial Dao, there were still Fourth Rank and even Third Rank, and one would eventually be able to surpass this stage.

Furthermore.

Surviving a great disaster would surely bring future blessings.

This time, she had faced a Fifth Rank Martial Artist with her Eighth Rank body. Although there were many Fifth Rank Martial Artists in Xuanguo Estate, experiencing their Martial Dao Will and the clash of wills between life and death was completely different.

At least with this experience, the difficulty of her future breakthrough to Sixth Rank would be greatly reduced.

Soon she would be Seventh Rank, then Sixth Rank wouldn't be too difficult, and after that would be Fifth Rank and Fourth Rank. Hmm, if I calculate it this way, it doesn't seem like I'm very far from Chen Mu.

"Second Brother, you're not allowed to scare me like that again next time."

"Okay, next time for sure."

Chen Mu answered casually, then turned around and walked forward, calling out to Chen Yao at the same time.

The commotion just now would definitely alarm many people, and they would probably arrive one after another soon. He wasn't interested in meeting those irrelevant people.

"Okay."

Chen Yao snapped back to attention, obediently responded, and followed Chen Mu as they disappeared down the street.

A moment later.

A figure appeared silently.

In this freezing winter with ice and snow, he was only wearing a thin layer of plain clothes. His eyes were dark and intimidating. He walked step by step along the street, and the snow on the roadside silently melted by more than half.

Yu Cheng!

A Grandmaster who usually resided in Yuan Wu Alley!

Arriving at the side of the street, he looked into the alley and saw the dark pit. A strange look flashed in his eyes, and then he walked directly to the edge of the pit.

"This is..."

Yu Cheng's pupils contracted, revealing a look of shock.

With just a glance, he could feel the residual presence of a towering sword intent. This sword intent was so strong, and there was even a faint feeling of being detached from the world, which was startling!

To be able to leave a sword intent lingering until now, enduring and not dissipating, one would have to be at least a Fourth Rank Martial Artist specializing in swords, or even possibly a Grandmaster who had entered the Dao through the sword!

Who was it?

It wasn't those two in Kyoto. He had felt the sword intent of those two before, and it was completely different from the one before him. This was a completely unfamiliar kind of sword intent.

Yu Cheng's expression was solemn. He stood in place and pondered for a long time, finally shaking his head.

Such an existence was not an unknown person. Looking at the other party's actions, they didn't try to conceal it, and it was clear they weren't deliberately hiding. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he heard the other party's name.

"Troubled times,"

Yu Cheng sighed softly.

Even just a fleeting glimpse of that sword intent made him feel terrified. If the opponent truly possessed the Third Rank realm, then he would likely be no match, and even most Grandmasters would find it difficult to withstand the opponent's sword.

The saying "Troubled Times Produce Monsters" probably describes this situation.

However, the Martial Saint realm of First Grade Martial Dao has been vacant for decades. It's about time someone was able to cross that step and achieve Martial Saint status, perhaps within this generation.

He just didn't know if the one who would ultimately become the ninth Martial Saint since the founding of Da Yuan would be one of the peerless prodigies from the Eight Sects of the World, or one of the freaks cultivated by the Great Yuan Dynasty.

If the new Martial Saint were to come from the Eight Sects again, then Da Yuan would truly be in peril.

Yu Cheng shook his head.

He looked again at the dark pit in the center of the alley, then lightly stomped his foot.

Crack! Crack!!

The ground instantly shattered, spreading to the entire edge of the pit. Finally, it crumbled and collapsed piece by piece, completely filling the pit. The lingering traces of sword intent were also erased by Yu Cheng.

After doing all this, Yu Cheng turned around. Taking a step forward, only an afterimage remained in place, gradually disappearing like a bubble, while his true form had vanished like a ghost.