Sword Demon, Ling Tian's Power

"Young miss," the old woman's face instantly turned grave, her voice dropping to a hurried whisper, "you're being followed."

Qin Tianxian's expression shifted. When had this happened?

"Go!" the old woman said, and in an instant, she whisked Qin Tianxian away, vanishing from the spot.

Chen Lin felt a slight shock—he'd been discovered—but he'd also managed to gauge the old woman's cultivation level.

It seemed Qin Tianxian's identity was indeed no simple matter; otherwise, a single Dharma Aspect Realm old woman guarding her so devotedly was proof enough.

"Let the chaos begin, let the chaos begin..." Chen Lin murmured to himself, a glint of anticipation flickering in his eyes. "Only in this turmoil can my good disciple truly have a chance to fish in troubled waters."

The blazing sun scorched the entire Tianyan City, baking it hot, the air thick with waves of heat.

By the window of an inn facing the street, several figures stood out starkly.

They exuded a dense Blood Fiend Qi, as if they'd just crawled out of a pool of blood, every face crisscrossed with hideous scars, jagged and shocking.

Now, they lounged listlessly against the window, hollow gazes sweeping over the bustling street scene below without any focus.

"Ugh, when will this mission ever end? Dragging on like some nagging old crone!" a man with a scar carved deep as a knife cut on his face muttered under his breath, his tone dripping with weariness.

He spat after speaking, a glob of yellow phlegm splattering on the windowsill.

A burly man beside him, with a crescent-shaped scar on his forehead, chimed in, "Don't complain! If this mission succeeds, the reward is a real Heavenly General Pill—that thing can greatly boost our chances of breaking into the Dharma Aspect Realm!"

A flicker of greed and anticipation shone in his eyes.

Just then, their gazes were drawn to a flash of color at the street corner.

When those young disciples in Daoist robes, with a sun emblem shining on their backs, appeared in view, they exchanged glances, excitement nearly spilling from their eyes—those were their targets!

But the scar-faced leader quickly suppressed his thrill and said in a low voice, "That's them."

He swiftly scanned the surroundings, lowering his voice further, "But now's not the time to strike. We have to wait until the two sect masters clash, then we fish in troubled waters."

Yet, just as they kept their eyes locked on the targets below, a new figure appeared at the inn's entrance.

It was a man carrying a sword on his back, his aura icy. The moment he appeared, diners inside turned their heads, murmuring among themselves, a small stir spreading instantly.

The men who'd been watching the street couldn't help but look over as well.

But the scar-faced leader's gaze swept over the sword-carrying man, and a flash of surprise crossed his face. He blurted out, "Jian Wansheng? Didn't expect the Sword Demon to show up too!"

He turned to a similarly scarred companion beside him and asked in a low voice, "Say, has the Sword Demon been put on the bounty list?"

The scar-faced leader's thinking was straightforward: if there was a bounty, he wouldn't mind claiming another reward.

The companion shook his head, a hint of regret in his tone, "The Sword Demon's challenged plenty of famous Sword Cultivators and stirred up a storm, but no one's willing to spend money to put a bounty on him."

The scar-faced leader sighed softly, "What a shame... Jian Wansheng's a decent hand at Divine Treasury Eighth Layer, but compared to our Iron Blood Squad, he's still a bit lacking."

They hailed from the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group—a bounty organization that walked the line between darkness and slaughter.

As long as someone could pay the price, whether it was killing for treasure or escorting a secret artifact, they'd take the job, and... Eternal Grudge.

Within the Blood Wolf Group, only the most elite could join the Golden Squad.

And they—the Iron Blood Squad—were one of its most renowned teams!

This squad had five members:

The captain, "Blood Edge," at Divine Treasury Ninth Layer, a blood saber that had cleaved countless experts' heads;

The vice-captains, "Crippled Wolf" and "Ghost Claw," both at Divine Treasury Eighth Layer, one skilled in assassination, the other in poison arts;

The other two members, "Iron Bone" and "Shadow Snake," at Divine Treasury Seventh Layer, one with a physique as tough as a beast, the other with movement as ghostly as a specter.

A lineup like that was enough to chill anyone's blood anywhere.

After all... the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group was one of the five top Forces in this Great Yan Imperial Dynasty!

The missions they took had never failed!

Just then, Jian Wansheng seemed to sense the scrutiny, lifting his head to meet Blood Edge's gaze—the Iron Blood Squad's captain.

Blood Edge grinned, then looked away.

At that moment, Ling Tian had silently arrived outside Chen Lin's Scripture Repository.

He saw his master, always so mysterious and unfathomable, sprawled in a rocking chair, sleeping soundly, utterly unaware even of the Crown Prince's arrival.

Ling Tian's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he shook his head with a suppressed smile, thinking to himself, "Master really does... love to sleep."

Yet, just as he was about to call out softly, Chen Lin's keen Spiritual Sense, capable of perceiving everything, had already caught this faint disturbance.

His eyes snapped open, the drowsiness vanishing in a flash, replaced by a perfectly measured, warm smile.

"Oh, Crown Prince," Chen Lin rose, his face breaking into a familiar grin, as if he'd just been roused by an ordinary junior, "What brings you here to see me today?"

Ling Tian's lips curled slightly, a faint smile on his face. He knew full well his master was doing this to avoid being spied on by hidden eyes.

He didn't call it out, following Chen Lin's lead with a sincere tone, "Elder Lin, I noticed you've been stuck at Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, so I figured you were stabilizing your foundation. I happen to have a Core Gathering Pill here, which is quite helpful for solidifying one's realm, so I'm giving it to you."

As he spoke, a warm, glossy pill appeared in his palm, which he gently offered to Chen Lin.

But Chen Lin did not take it immediately. Ling Tian's fingers moved slightly, and an inconspicuous Storage Ring slipped beneath the pill, hidden without a trace.

Seeing this, Chen Lin's smile grew even warmer, his face full of flattered reverence: "Ah, many thanks for the Crown Prince's generous favor! This old man thought Your Highness was buried in affairs day and night, yet you still remember to look after this aged one—it truly overwhelms me!"

As he spoke his words of gratitude, he accepted both the pill and the ring together, tucking them into his bosom.

Yet behind his smile, his Spiritual Sense quietly transmitted a message to Ling Tian: "Disciple, spare me the formalities. How much of the power in your hands is truly reliable? The Eastern Palace is far from your only support."

Chen Lin wanted to uncover his disciple's real Trump Card.

Receiving the transmission, Ling Tian did not hesitate. With a flicker of his mind, he revealed his core strength: "Master, under my command, counting you and Uncle, there are ten Dharma Aspect Realm Experts."

Ling Tian's uncle had once been the commander of the Divine Guard Army, his strength unfathomably deep—undoubtedly the Sea Calming Divine Needle among them.

He paused, then added: "As for Divine Treasury Realm, there are nearly twenty, ready to be mobilized at any time. And in the court, the Ministers of War, Rites, and Revenue are all my men. My foundation in the imperial court is still fairly stable."

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