Slaughter

The snow on True Martial Mountain is getting heavier.

Although Daoist Longshan was already a Celestial Person Realm expert, he wouldn't idly change the celestial phenomena.

As the year draws to a close, the disciples of True Martial are gradually returning to the mountain. Both outer inner disciple are eager to show their skills in the year-end competition. With Daoist Longshan reaching the Celestial Person Realm, True Martial Sect has also begun to expand in an orderly manner.

The rewards for the competition are becoming increasingly generous, and many martial arts secrets are making the disciples very envious.

But what they didn't know was...

The vast majority of those were created by Ning Qi.

Over the years, Ning Qi has read through the entire library of martial arts, and even his casual creations are all remarkable martial arts techniques. With his current level of expertise, creating martial arts techniques at the Body Tempering Realm and Yuan Realm is as easy as eating and drinking for him.

His current focus is mainly on mastering Celestial Person- level secret techniques.

One by one, the True Disciple returned to the mountain.

They had all made visible progress, but none of them brought Ning Qi the information he wanted about the Martial Saint. They all felt guilty and could only collect more miscellaneous books to enrich the library of the Scripture Pavilion.

Ning Qi wasn't surprised by this; he simply smiled and reassured his senior brothers that it was alright and they would pay more attention in the future.

After all, it was just an attempt. The senior brothers and sisters were all at the Inner Essence Realm Gang Essence Realm cultivation levels. To even touch upon things in the Martial Saint realm, even if it was just some rumors, depended on luck.

But Jiang Baishan seems to have had good luck.

He was the last one to return to the mountain.

This time, Jiang Baishan returned to the mountain in a completely different state than before; instead, he always had a slight smile on his lips.

Everyone teased him about how he almost had his arm chopped off last time he returned to the mountain, and asked if he had encountered that woman again this time to get revenge. Jiang Baishan just shook his head slightly awkwardly. He didn't mind the teasing, but he was unwilling to talk about any more details.

Everyone marveled.

Then my attention was drawn to another piece of news brought by Jiang Baishan:

"Junior brother, although I didn't find any information about Martial Saint this time, I did learn some things about beings of the same level as Martial Saint."

Ning Qi became interested and quickly realized what was going on:

"You mean, Mutant Beast?"

Jiang Baishan laughed:

"That's right, we all know that it is said that Mutant Beast are descendants of Heavenly Beast. Mutant Beast comparable to the Celestial Person Realm experts are called Beast Kings, while Mutant Beast comparable to Martial Saint experts are called Beast Emperors. I've heard that a Beast Emperor exists deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Xinjiang!"

"But for some unknown reason, these beast kings appeared briefly and then gradually disappeared, rarely venturing into the outside world."

"One theory is that the Beast Kings have unearthed their Celestial Heavenly Beast bloodline to an extremely deep degree, and since Heavenly Beast are rumored to be intolerable to Heaven and Earth, these Beast Kings are very likely to have suffered the same fate as the Heavenly Beast."

Ning Qi's eyes lit up, his interest growing even stronger.

Where did you hear this news?

Jiang Baishan scratched his head and said:

"I overheard it by chance, and I don't know if it's true or not, so don't believe it all, junior brother."

Ning Qi nodded slightly.

His intuition told him that the Beast King and the Martial Saint level beings had something in common, and that the two were definitely not unrelated.

Perhaps... if one day the White Ape's bloodline is explored deep enough, allowing him to advance to Beast King, there might be hope of learning the truth. Ning Qi secretly kept this thought in his heart; it might not be a bad path, although it might take a long time.

Jiang Baishan continued:

"I'll look again next year to see if there's any more detailed information."

Ning Qi nodded with a smile.

He always felt that the information Jiang Baishan had obtained might be related to that unknown woman, but he didn't press the matter. Everyone has their own secrets, and even close brothers need to maintain certain boundaries. He was already quite satisfied to have learned such a piece of information.

As the year draws to a close, everyone gathers together and shares what they saw and heard at the foot of the mountain.

Ning Qi had been staying on True Martial Mountain for many years and listened with great interest. In the past nine years, apart from experiencing some of the customs and culture of the Great Flame Dynasty on the way to True Martial Mountain by Daoist Longshan, the farthest place he had ever been was True Martial City at the foot of the mountain.

However, Ning Qi didn't find it boring.

Only by enduring loneliness can one attain the Great Way.

But Ning Qi estimated.

I'll most likely have to go down the mountain next year.

The root cause lies in the Blood Rain Tower.

A few days ago.

Someone sent a message by carrier pigeon to inform Daoist Longshan that the Blood Rain Tower had suddenly shrunk, seemingly having sensed that someone was secretly investigating them.

"Little Nine, this Blood Rain Tower is not simple. There may be a Celestial Person Realm expert behind it. The people who slaughtered Snow Plum Manor back then may only be a small part of their forces." Daoist Longshan discussed with Ning Qi.

Ning Qi finally made up his mind.

After the year ends, I will personally take action to track down the Blood Rain Tower.

As long as Blood Rain Tower reveals even the slightest flaw, Ning Qi, with his mastery of various secret techniques, will surely be able to catch up. However, this will take some time. Originally, Ning Qi intended to have someone else complete this process, and then he would personally take action to kill the enemy.

But now it seems best to resolve this as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Ning Qi didn't dwell on the issue too much.

With his current strength, all he needs to do is find him. Back then, even the "Lord Feng" was wary of Daoist Longshan when he was only at the Yuan Pill Realm. It's impossible that he would have already reached the Celestial Person Realm in just nine years. Even peerless geniuses don't move so fast.

Furthermore, even if he were to reach the Celestial Person Realm, Ning Qi could easily suppress him.

The True Martial Sect's year-end competition proceeded as planned, and the sect was filled with a thriving atmosphere.

The True Martial Sect's foundation is now increasingly profound. Given enough time to mature, it will surely unleash a powerful force that will attract everyone's attention.

Heavy snow was falling.

The Divine Sword Sect is also holding its year-end competition. Last time, the Old Man Divine Sword participated in the battle at the Deathfire Abyss branch, but he was lucky and only suffered minor injuries. He has already recovered.

now.

The Old Man Divine Sword watched the disciples sparring, but his mind was elsewhere. He recalled the reports his disciples had submitted in the past two days and felt that something was amiss.

"Master, are you still thinking about the news that Junior Brother Zhang brought back?" asked Dong He, the eldest disciple beside him. "Wasn't the blood pool destroyed? You don't need to worry."

The Old Man Divine Sword nodded:

"I always felt that the blood pool was not so simple; it wasn't just about wealthy merchants seeking to prolong their lives. Perhaps it involved something much broader."

Dong He paused and said:

"In that case, our Divine Sword Sect should not investigate further. If it involves many people, all our disciples may be drawn into the turmoil. It would be better to pretend it never happened."

The Old Man Divine Sword frowned and roared:

"Dong He! How have I taught you all? When you encounter injustice, you must stand up for justice. If you turn a blind eye to Outer Dao and heretics, you are an accomplice. If we don't get to the bottom of the Blood Pool matter, I'm afraid countless more innocent people will die unjustly."

There was disappointment in his eyes regarding Dong He.

Everyone looked on nervously, wondering why the Old Man Divine Sword sword was so angry, and why their master and senior brother had suddenly started arguing.

The Old Man Divine Sword suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice:

"After the year ends, I will personally investigate this matter. I want to see who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"

Dong He lowered his head, his voice carrying a peculiar tone:

"Master, why do you always suffer for the sake of saving face?"

The Old Man Divine Sword stood there dumbfounded, looking at Dong He in disbelief. He simply couldn't believe that such words had come from his eldest disciple.

"You!"

Dong He slowly raised his head, a hint of bloodlust appearing in his eyes. Without any warning, he made his move, unleashing a burst of Gang Qi towards the Old Man Divine Sword who was right in front of him.

He didn't know when he had broken through to the White Mist Realm, not even the Old Man Divine Sword knew.

"What do you mean, you old bastard? Die!"

He roared angrily, his face contorted in a terrifying grimace. The others stared in shock at the scene before them, bewildered by what had happened.

The Old Man Divine Sword trembled. His Yuan Pill core trembled, Gang Qi surged, but in an instant he noticed something was wrong.

"Traitor! You poisoned me?"

He was furious, yet his eyes held a deep sorrow.

Dong He had followed him back in Divine Sword Mountain, but he couldn't believe that Dong He would betray him today.

"Why?"

Dong He drew his longsword, unleashing a series of fierce Sword Qi strikes that seemed to unleash all the evil thoughts within him.

"Why? It's all your fault, you old codger, for being so stubborn and vain. You wanted nothing, you gave nothing. Back then, you lost to Divine Sword Mountain and still thought you were a man of your word. You were the biggest fool of all! Do you know how much cultivation time I wasted because of you?!"

"Why? You still have the nerve to ask me why? I also want the Condensing Qi Pill! I also want to break through to the Gang Essence Realm!"

Heaven knows how envious he was when he saw Luo Wentian reach the Gang Essence Realm with the help of a Condensing Gang Pill.

It's a pity.

He wasn't so lucky.

The Old Man Divine Sword was utterly disappointed. He felt that all his years of teaching had been wasted, and his eyes gradually hardened.

"You wretched creature, do you think you can attack me just because you poisoned me? How naive!"

His body was surging with internal Gang Qi, suppressing the deadly poison.

Dong He's smile grew increasingly distorted, his eyes bloodshot, revealing a certain pleasure.

"I can't do it alone, but..."

"And what about us!"

A series of low laughs rang out. Outside the Divine Sword Sect's Mountain Gate, figures in black swooped in like eagles, carrying overwhelming killing intent. Even some disciples within the Divine Sword Sect had bloodshot eyes.

The Old Man Divine Sword felt his heart sink deeper and deeper.

He knew.

Today is probably going to be a disaster.

The origins of the black-clad figures who suddenly appeared were unknown, but the auras of the leaders were all at the Yuan Pill Realm, which would have been difficult to deal with even in my prime, let alone now that I had been poisoned by Dong He.

"Disciples of the Divine Sword Sect, prepare to fight!!" he shouted fiercely, letting out a long howl to the sky.

A major battle is imminent.

Snowflakes fell heavily, stained with blood.

Shouts of battle and screams of agony filled the Divine Sword Sect.

Zhuang Chen was stunned by this sudden turn of events. He couldn't believe that his usually kind and lovable senior brother had suddenly become like a vengeful ghost. He gritted his teeth and swung his sword. With his cultivation having reached the Inner Essence Realm, coupled with the innate sword body secret technique taught by Ning Qi, he was able to unleash considerable strength.

The leader of the men in black stared at him:

"Grab that fat guy! Alive!"

The man in black had a greedy look in his eyes. He had already learned from Dong He that Zhuang Chen possessed Innate Sword Bone.

The Old Man Divine Sword stirred his Gang Qi and shielded Zhuang Chen behind him. When he looked back, his eyes were filled with sorrow.

One by one, the familiar disciples lay in pools of blood.

The Divine Sword Sect is destined for destruction today.

Tears streamed down his face, and he felt guilty, but when he glanced at Zhuang Chen, a hint of affection flashed in his eyes.

"Chen'er, I will protect you on your final journey!"

The Old Man Divine Sword roared to the sky. His inner Yuan Pill cracked open with a snap, and an incomparably powerful Gang Qi burst forth, sharp as a divine sword. His hair and beard stood on end, making him look like a god or Gods and Devils.

This was the last dance recorded in the incomplete Inheritance the Sword Saint that was obtained back then.

Sword Core Disintegration Technique.