Slaying Them

At Emperor Chu's request, the Six Doors had scoured the world for rare treasures. They had therefore classified the treasures of heaven and earth into grades to facilitate their work.

There were nine grades of treasures of heaven and earth in total.

From highest to lowest,

they ranged from Grade One to Grade Nine.

The defining trait of treasures of heaven and earth above Grade Three was that they could emit a spiritual aura and possess all sorts of unbelievable abilities!

Zhao Qing had no idea what the thing in the little devil's hand was,

but he could be certain,

it was absolutely a rare treasure whose value was difficult to measure!

This was also the first time he had encountered a Grade Three rare treasure!

In an instant,

greed surged from the depths of Zhao Qing's heart, igniting the ambition he had concealed for many years!

"Even an ordinary Grade Nine rare treasure can improve one's martial cultivation by three grades. I've never even seen one of those!"

"Just as well—I never wanted to stay in this damn Six Doors anyway!"

"The appearance of this treasure is exactly what I wanted!"

A vicious glint flashed deep in Zhao Qing's eyes.

At that very moment,

he had already formed the intention of swallowing this Grade Three rare treasure whole!

He would crush everyone to death, then throw the bodies into some remote mountain wilderness. Beasts would naturally erase every trace, and by then, finding any evidence would be difficult.

He could simply fake their deaths as an accident encountered while searching for the rare treasure. His detestable superior, who had a grudge against him, would probably be only too happy with that explanation and would not send more people to investigate!

He would use this chance to fake his own death, escape with the treasure, and accept Night Roaming Tower's invitation, taking on a new identity and living freely!

In the blink of an eye,

Zhao Qing had made his decision.

However, he was an old hand of many years, and he concealed it well. None of the surrounding people sensed the icy killing intent in the depths of his heart.

"Hahaha, little brother, you jest. We are officials of the imperial court, not bandits who kill for treasure. How could we possibly do something as heartless as slaughtering the donkey after it had turned the mill?"

"Offer this item up, little friend, and once you establish a great merit, an official promotion and noble rank will be yours for the taking!"

Zhao Qing laughed heartily, doing his best to pull his face into a kind smile.

The jade bottle was in the other party's hands, after all.

If the other party decided to perish together with them and crushed the jade bottle outright, that would be troublesome.

This was a Grade Three rare treasure!

Ever since Emperor Chu had ordered the collection of rare treasures from across the land, this was the first one he had encountered!

Zhao Qing did not believe

that he would ever have another chance to encounter such a fine opportunity.

Thus, he did his best to persuade him in a gentle tone, lest Yang Qingyun be driven into a corner and fight to the death.

Yet Yang Qingyun across from him remained unmoved.

"All right. To show my sincerity, how about I release your three subordinates first?"

With no other choice,

Zhao Qing could only signal the three subordinates behind him to release them.

Yet deep in his eyes,

the murderous intent grew ever denser.

The three constables removed the blades from the three men's necks and kicked them away.

Wang Zhu and the other two stumbled to the ground, then scrambled to their feet and ran toward Yang Qingyun.

"Little brother, this counts as sincerity, doesn't it?"

Zhao Qing spread his hands and gestured openly.

Yang Qingyun glanced at the jade bottle in his hand. His face seemed to reveal a trace of reluctance. Then he looked at Zhao Qing across from him and finally nodded helplessly.

"All right, then. Foreman Zhao, please come over and take it."

A trace of delight appeared on Zhao Qing's face.

To show his goodwill,

he did not even take up his weapon,

and approached Yang Qingyun.

"Little brother, you truly understand the greater good. I will certainly report this matter to my superior. In time—"

Zhao Qing spoke with a broad smile.

But when he entered within three feet of Yang Qingyun, before he had finished speaking, his face suddenly twisted into a feral grin. Cruel light shot from his sinister eyes. The five fingers of his left hand curled like hooks and shot out backward like a venomous snake, reaching for the wrist holding the jade bottle.

His right hand clenched into a fist, and a fierce, violent force hurtled toward Yang Qingyun's head with the speed of a whirlwind. The terrifying power tore through the air, producing a sharp whistle!

To prevent any accidents,

Zhao Qing had unleashed his full strength in this sneak attack!

With such a close distance and sudden burst, let alone a mere Entry Realm Warrior who had not even entered the ranks, even a Viscera Refining Realm martial artist of the same level would,

if unprepared, likely be unable to dodge and would be blasted to death on the spot!

However,

the next moment,

bang!

Zhao Qing's left hand grasped at empty air,

and his right fist struck the air as well!

Yang Qingyun's figure ahead of him dispersed like a mass of mist.

Advanced Movement Martial Skill—Bewildering Steps!

The figure that had remained in place was actually a lingering afterimage left behind by the advanced movement martial skill, Bewildering Steps!

Not good!!!

Zhao Qing's expression changed drastically in an instant. His entire body felt as though it had plunged into an ice cellar, as a bucket of bone-chilling cold water was poured over his head!

He wanted to retreat,

but his full-powered sneak attack had missed, and its momentum had yet to dissipate. How could he possibly withdraw in time?

Almost in the blink of an eye,

a flash of saber light swept across the space before him. With a sharp splurt, it pierced through his chest in an instant. A twist of force followed, and in the space of a breath, his heart was shredded!

At the same time, a palm slammed viciously into his head. With a bang, the brains inside his skull were crushed.

"Before making your move next time, sorry for the trouble, but hide your killing intent more thoroughly first..."

A calm voice sounded beside his ear.

Zhao Qing only had time to hear those final words before his vision sank into an endless abyss of darkness, and he lost all signs of life.

Yang Qingyun expressionlessly drew the long saber from his chest,

and Zhao Qing's corpse went limp and collapsed.

"Mid Body Tempering—a future grandmaster. If I hadn't seized the initiative with that sneak attack, it might not have been so easy to cut him down beneath my blade!"

"A grandmaster..."

Yang Qingyun let out a long sigh, his heart filled with endless emotion.

Even after Spiritual Qi Resurgence in his Previous Life, a grandmaster had remained an existence beyond his reach, something he could only look up to!

But now,

a future grandmaster had fallen at the hands of his present self.

It truly left Yang Qingyun sighing in amazement.

However,

who cared about all that?

No matter what heights he might have reached in the future, dead was dead.

From the moment the other party had tried to seize the gains from his journey, the conflict between them had already become impossible to reconcile.

Moreover, although the killing intent hidden deep in the other's eyes had been concealed quite well, to Yang Qingyun it was as conspicuous as lice on a bald head!

This man had wanted to kill him. He had brought death upon himself!

"You—you actually killed Foreman Zhao?!"

"How is that possible? The foreman was a Viscera Refining Realm master!"

The three constables Zhao Qing had brought with him saw Zhao Qing slain by Yang Qingyun's saber. Then, as Yang Qingyun came toward them with the weapon in hand, expressions of utter terror appeared on their faces. Their bodies trembled involuntarily as they retreated again and again.

"You dare kill someone from the Six Doors? Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, no one will be able to save you!"

One of them tripped over a stone and staggered to the ground. He lost his wits for a moment, then pointed at Yang Qingyun with a trembling hand and shouted threats in a harsh, blustering voice, as if he could bolster his courage and dispel the fear in his heart that way.

"Do you know who I am?"

Yang Qingyun's brows furrowed slightly.

"N-no, we don't..."

"Exactly."

Whoosh!

A flash of saber light,

and three heads appeared on the ground.