Sword Sect Master

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

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

A group of Demon Sect disciples pressed closer step by step, yet dared not make a move. The two sides faced off on the capital's streets.

If either side fell in the battle high above, the fragile balance between them would shatter in an instant.

In the sky above, Jian Xuzi's sword intent blazed, his momentum surging ever higher. His blue robes billowed, his long hair whipped wildly. What had been a evenly matched contest was now gradually tipping in Jian Xuzi's favor as he seized the upper hand.

Yue Ji and Black Robe's faces grew uglier by the moment. Jian Xuzi's sword qi pressed harder with each strike. If this entanglement dragged on, they would surely lose.

"Jian Xuzi, does your Sword Sect truly mean 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 rest. But if your Sword Sect remains stubborn and obstructs our great undertaking, don't blame us for mobilizing our full force to wipe your Sword Sect from the Great Li."

Ling Xuzi's Daoist robe fluttered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "You demonic beast, how dare you threaten this humble Daoist! Your Demon Sect slaughters the living beings of heaven and earth, and every righteous soul under heaven has the right to destroy you."

"Moreover, the ancestors of Medicine Manor showed great kindness to my Sword Sect. You demonic beast nearly annihilated their entire clan. This humble Daoist will never allow it."

Ling Xuzi's sword intent surged another threefold, his combat power skyrocketing. A sword qi dozens of feet long, with the force to cleave the heavens, slashed toward Yue Ji and Black Robe.

Where the sword qi passed, the void shattered and sonic booms roared in unison.

Fear flickered across Yue Ji's face as she frantically shouted into the void: "Manager Li, if you don't act now, Black Robe and I will bleed out here."

"Our blood spilling is a small matter, but if it ruins your lordship's plans, that would be most unfortunate."

"Useless wretches. Can't even handle such a trivial task. Your Demon Sect grows more worthless by the day."

A cold, sinister voice echoed from the void, and then Li Lianying, clad in his python robe, appeared in the sky.

His gaze fell upon the sword qi. The momentum of that slash, which had seemed capable of overturning mountains and rivers, gradually waned. By the time it reached within three zhang of Yue Ji—

The sword intent contained in that dozens-of-feet-long sword qi dissipated entirely.

Seeing Manager Li materialize from thin air, Ling Xuzi's eyes filled with shock. A terrifying sense of crisis welled up from the depths of his heart.

As one of the Seven Sons of the Sword Sect, his combat power could easily rank among the top three on the entire Grandmaster Ranking. Yet just now, he hadn't sensed a trace of how this Manager Li had appeared.

If this man had chosen to strike at him, he would have had no defense—he would have been erased on the spot.

Even more horrifying was that this man hadn't even lifted a hand. A single glance had been enough to annihilate the full-force sword qi of his peak strike.

Such ghostly, unfathomable methods—after roaming the Great Li for years, he knew he had only ever seen them in his senior brother, the Sword Sect Master.

But what kind of figure was his senior brother? Even if every hidden foundation of the Great Li Imperial Family's forbidden grounds were awakened, his senior brother's combat power could still rank firmly in the top ten. He was one of the most elite figures in the Great Li today.

Could this Manager Li truly be a figure on the same level as his senior brother?

Ling Xuzi stared at Li Lianying with utmost vigilance, his face solemn: "Judging by your attire, you must be a man of the Great Li Imperial Palace."

"These two are members of the Demon Sect. Has the Great Li Imperial Family sunk so low as to collude with the Demon Sect?"

Li Lianying smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over Ling Xuzi. After a long pause, he spoke softly: "As expected of the greatest sword talent the Sword Sect has produced in three hundred years."

"As long as you don't fall midway, the future Sword Dao Champion of the Great Li will surely be yours for the taking."

"Mindful that you are a rough gem of the Sword Dao, this servant is reluctant to see the Great Li lose a Sword Dao Champion. Leave that remnant of Medicine Manor behind, and this servant will spare you today. What say you?"

Hearing Li Lianying's words, Ling Xuzi's face darkened to the extreme: "I never imagined the Great Li Imperial Family had sunk so low as to collude with the Demon Sect."

"The ancestors of Medicine Manor showed great kindness to my Sword Sect. Though this humble Daoist is no match for you, if you wish to take this young girl, you'll have to step over my corpse."

"Then there's no other way."

Li Lianying's face showed a trace of pity, his voice full of regret. But in an instant, sharp resolve filled his eyes.

He extended a finger. At the tip, as pale as an onion root, a ball of light gathered. Though small, it warped the surrounding space—clearly, the power contained within was terrifying.

Li Lianying tapped lightly. The ball of light shot forth like an arrow from a bowstring. Where it passed, the void shattered like a mirror, piece by piece.

Horror flashed in Ling Xuzi's eyes. The light seemed gentle, but he sensed within it a power that could rend heaven and earth.

He frantically mobilized all his true qi, slashing out with his sword. But the Innate Sword Qi, upon meeting Li Lianying's ball of light, instantly crumbled and dissolved.

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

But just as it neared his body, a vast, heaven-piercing sword qi erupted from within Ling Xuzi, shattering Li Lianying's ball of light completely.

Then, a phantom figure with flowing white hair and an immortal, transcendent bearing emerged from Ling Xuzi's body.

Seeing this phantom, Li Lianying, who had been calm and composed, instantly grew grave. His eyes locked onto the figure. After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly.

"Fellow Daoist, your methods are truly remarkable! It seems you have walked further on that realm than this servant has."

"But Fellow Daoist, that remnant of Medicine Manor is what my Imperial Lord desires. This servant must have her."

"Does Fellow Daoist truly intend to trade the Sword Sect's three-hundred-year foundation for this girl?"

The Sword Sect Master's gaze flickered. After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh: "This Seat knows your Imperial Lord wants this girl for the Secret Realm that Yao Xingchen, the Yao Family ancestor, encountered by chance a thousand years ago."

"This Seat can give her to you."

The Sword Sect Master paused, then looked at Li Lianying with a sharp, threatening glint in his eyes.

"The ancestors of Medicine Manor showed great kindness to my Sword Sect. What you do with that Secret Realm is none of this Seat's concern."

"But no matter what, the Great Li Imperial Family must not take her life. Otherwise, even if this Seat must destroy my own Dao path, I will storm your Great Li Imperial Clan and raise hell."

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

Li Lianying's expression shifted between light and shadow. After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, he finally replied with helpless resignation: "Fellow Daoist, rest assured. My Imperial Lord only wants that Secret Realm. What use would her life be?"

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