Sword Sect Master

It was her! Ye Jing had never imagined that he would see Yao Qingyin again, right here in the Imperial Capital.

On the streets of the Imperial Capital, several Sword Sect disciples stood guard around Yao Qingyin with their swords, their faces grim.

A group of Demon Sect disciples advanced step by step, but still dared not attack. The two sides faced off in the streets of the Imperial Capital.

If either side lost in the sky above, the balance between them would likely be shattered at once.

High in the sky, Jian Xuzi's sword intent surged, his aura growing ever stronger. His green robes billowed, his long hair whipping wildly. What had been an even match was now gradually tipping in Jian Xuzi's favor.

Yue Ji and Black Robe looked increasingly grim. Jian Xuzi's Sword Qi grew stronger with each strike. If the battle dragged on like this, they would sooner or later be defeated.

"Jian Xuzi, does your Sword Sect truly intend to make an enemy of my Demon Sect?"

"If you hand over that remnant of the Yao Family, my Demon Sect will let this matter go. But if your Sword Sect remains stubborn and interferes with our great undertaking, don't blame my Demon Sect for bringing out every last force and wiping your Sword Sect off the face of Dali."

Ling Xuzi's Daoist robes fluttered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "You demonic creature, how dare you threaten me! Your Demon Sect slaughters the living, and every righteous soul beneath heaven has a duty to destroy you."

"Besides, the ancestors of Medicine Manor showed my Sword Sect great kindness. You nearly wiped out the entire Yao Family. I will not let you get away with it."

Ling Xuzi's sword intent swelled another threefold, his combat strength soaring. A several-zhang-long Sword Qi slashed toward Yue Ji and Black Robe with the force to cleave the heavens.

Where the Sword Qi passed, the void shattered and sonic booms thundered.

A trace of fear crossed Yue Ji's face. She hurriedly shouted into the empty sky, "Manager Li, if you still don't act, Black Robe and I will be bleeding out here."

"Our deaths would be a small matter. But if we ruin the Lord's plans, that would be a grave misfortune."

"Useless. You can't even handle such a simple matter. The Demon Sect grows more worthless by the day."

A chilling voice came from the void. A moment later, Li Lianying, dressed in a python robe, appeared high in the sky.

He looked toward the Sword Qi. Its power, which had seemed capable of overturning mountains and rivers, gradually ebbed away. By the time it came within three zhang of Yue Ji, all the sword force contained in the several-zhang-long attack had vanished.

Seeing Manager Li appear out of nowhere, Ling Xuzi's eyes filled with shock. A terrifying sense of danger welled up inside him.

As one of the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect, his combat strength ranked firmly among the top three on the entire Great Grandmaster Ranking. Yet just now, he hadn't sensed at all how this Manager Li had appeared.

If this man meant to attack him, Ling Xuzi would be killed before he could defend himself.

Even more shocking, the man hadn't struck. Just a glance had completely nullified the power of Ling Xuzi's full-strength Sword Qi.

In all his years roaming Dali, Ling Xuzi had seen such unfathomable methods only from his Senior Sect Master.

But what kind of person was his Senior Sect Master? Across all of Dali, even if the slumbering powers of the Great Li Imperial Family's forbidden grounds awoke, his Senior Sect Master's combat strength would still rank among the Top Ten. He was one of the most powerful figures in Dali.

Could this Manager Li before him truly be a peer of his Senior Sect Master?

Ling Xuzi watched Li Lianying warily, his face solemn. "Judging by your attire, you must be from the Great Li Imperial Palace."

"These two are members of the Demon Sect. Does the Great Li Imperial Family intend to collude with them?"

Li Lianying smiled faintly, his gaze roaming over Ling Xuzi. After a long moment, he said quietly, "As expected of a sword prodigy the Sword Sect hasn't seen in three hundred years."

"If you don't fall before your time, the future champion of Dali's Sword Dao will surely be yours."

"Since you are a rough jade of the Sword Dao, I would rather Dali not lose a future champion. Leave that remnant of Medicine Manor behind, and I'll spare you today. How does that sound?"

After hearing Li Lianying's words, Ling Xuzi's expression grew darker than ever. "I never thought the Great Li Imperial Family would sink so low as to collude with the Demon Sect."

"The ancestors of Medicine Manor showed my Sword Sect great kindness. I may not be your match, but if you want to take this young girl, you'll have to step over my corpse."

"Since that's the case, there's nothing else to be done."

A trace of pity crossed Li Lianying's face, his words full of regret. But in the next instant, his eyes sharpened.

He raised a finger. A ball of light bloomed at its pale, slender tip. Though small, it warped the space around it; the power it contained was clearly terrifying.

Li Lianying lightly tapped his finger, and the light shot toward Ling Xuzi like an arrow loosed from a bow. The void shattered like a mirror wherever it passed.

A trace of shock crossed Ling Xuzi's eyes. The light looked gentle, but he sensed within it the power to shatter heaven and earth.

He frantically marshaled all his true qi and struck with his sword. Yet the moment his Innate Sword Qi touched Li Lianying's light, it instantly broke apart.

After annihilating the Innate Sword Qi, the light continued hurtling toward Ling Xuzi.

But just as it neared his body, a mighty, heaven-spanning Sword Qi burst from within him, pulverizing Li Lianying's ball of light.

Then a white-haired phantom with an otherworldly air emerged from Ling Xuzi's body.

At the sight of the phantom, Li Lianying's previously calm expression turned grave. He stared at it for a long while before finally speaking.

"Brother, your methods are truly remarkable. It seems you've gone further than I have in that realm."

"But the Imperial Lord wants the remnant of Medicine Manor. I must have her."

"Would you truly trade the Sword Sect's three-hundred-year legacy for this woman?"

The Sword Sect Master's gaze flickered. After a long silence, he let out a sigh. "I know your Imperial Lord wants this woman because of the Secret Realm encountered by Yao Xingchen, ancestor of the Yao Family, a thousand years ago."

"I can give you this woman."

The Sword Sect Master paused, then looked at Li Lianying with a startled expression, a hint of warning in his voice.

"The ancestors of Medicine Manor once showed the Sword Sect great kindness. I cannot stop you from taking the Secret Realm."

"But no matter what, the Great Li Imperial Family must not take her life. Otherwise, even if it destroys my Dao Path, I will storm your Great Li Imperial Clan and wreak havoc."

"Your Great Li Imperial Family's fortune is waning, and your Imperial Lord's Lifespan is nearly spent. I would like to see how many of my swords your Great Li Imperial Clan can withstand."

Li Lianying's expression remained unreadable. After weighing the matter from every angle, he finally said with resignation, "Rest assured, our Imperial Lord only wants the Secret Realm. What use would he have for this woman's life?"

With that, and with the Sword Sect Master's consent, he drifted away with Yao Qingyin.