Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Source? No, It's Just Kyōka Suigetsu!

After the meal.

Lin Qing and Er Ni sat in the courtyard, shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the stars in the sky.

"Xiao Qing."

Er Ni spoke softly.

"How long will you be staying this time?"

Lin Qing turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

"What, you don't want to be apart from me?"

"Mm... I don't!"

Er Ni nodded shyly.

"Then we won't be apart. I plan to take you to Suotuo City."

Er Ni was stunned.

"Take... take me with you?"

"Yes."

Lin Qing nodded.

"I've established myself there and am planning to open a small shop that needs someone to help manage it. Are you willing to come and help me?"

Er Ni's eyes lit up.

But soon, they dimmed again.

"I... I'm just an ordinary person... I haven't been to school, and I don't know how to read... I'm afraid I'll be a burden to you."

"How could that be?"

Lin Qing took her hand.

"Sister Er Ni, you are smart, attentive, and hardworking. Those things are more important than being able to read."

"Besides..."

He paused.

"I need you."

"!!!"

This sentence made Er Ni's heart skip a beat.

She looked up to meet Lin Qing's eyes; those blue pupils were clear and sincere under the starlight.

"Do you... really need me?"

"I really do."

Lin Qing nodded heavily.

"You are the only one I can fully trust."

Tears welled up in Er Ni's eyes again, but this time, they were tears of joy.

"I... I'm willing!"

She nodded vigorously.

"I will work hard to learn, I definitely won't let you down!"

"Oh right, Xiao Qing, this is for you!"

Remembering something, Er Ni took out an object wrapped in cloth from her bosom.

It had a familiar aura.

Lin Qing opened it to take a look, and it was actually a piece of Gold of Life!

Er Ni said, "Er Gouzi found this in the mountains. I remembered what you told me before, so I hid it away. No one else knows about it."

"That's amazing, Sister Er Ni!"

Lin Qing excitedly kissed Er Ni on the forehead.

Another piece of Gold of Life!

I never expected that kid Er Gouzi would actually find it.

"Oh!"

Er Ni was caught off guard by his kiss and was momentarily flustered with shyness.

However, seeing Lin Qing so happy, she was very happy too.

Late at night.

After Er Ni had fallen asleep.

Lin Qing left Aunt Li's house all by himself.

He walked through the night, his gaze gradually turning icy.

His target for this excursion was the lair of that band of mountain bandits.

According to the dying words of the parallel Lin Qing, this group of bandits would attack Emperor Soul Village in two years, murdering Er Ni and slaughtering the villagers.

Although the timeline had already changed.

The hidden danger still remained.

Therefore, Lin Qing had to eliminate them ahead of time.

It was not just for revenge, but also for prevention.

He could not allow the tragedy of the parallel world to repeat itself in this one.

Black Wind Cave.

The bandits were in the middle of a feast.

Drinking from large bowls and eating chunks of meat.

They had robbed a caravan today and gained a bountiful harvest, so they were exceptionally excited.

They had even gone out of their way to set up a banquet.

"Boss! A toast to you!"

A lackey held up a wine bowl, swaying as he walked toward One-Eyed Dragon.

One-Eyed Dragon, the bandit leader.

"Good! Bottoms up!"

One-Eyed Dragon raised his wine bowl and drained it in one gulp.

Then, wiping his mouth, he shouted boisterously, "The haul today was good, brothers, enjoy yourselves! Tomorrow, we'll go out and pull off an even bigger job!"

"Yeah!"

The lackeys cheered in unison.

But just then, One-Eyed Dragon suddenly felt his vision blur.

The faces of his lackeys seemed to... change, becoming hideous and evil, their eyes filled with greed and murderous intent.

"Boss..."

A lackey leaned in closer, his voice sinister.

"You've had too much to drink, haven't you? Why don't you let me sit in that seat for a while?"

"Don't worry, I'll take good 'care' of the brothers."

"Of course, I'll take good 'care' of you, too."

One-Eyed Dragon's pupils shrank.

"You... what did you say?!"

"I said..."

The lackey grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"It's time for you to retire. After all, dead men... don't need seats."

"You!"

One-Eyed Dragon stood up abruptly, his wine bowl crashing to the ground with a clang.

"You... want to rebel?!"

He looked around.

Only to find that all his lackeys were staring at him with those same evil eyes.

Some were whispering to each other.

"Wait until he's drunk, then strike... is the poison ready?"

"Don't worry, I guarantee he'll be dead as a doornail..."

"Kill the boss, and we'll split the loot and the women..."

"..."

One-Eyed Dragon's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant.

"Damn it! You pack of ungrateful wolves!"

He roared.

Martial Soul Possession!

Gray fur sprouted from beneath his skin.

His hands transformed into sharp claws.

Beneath his feet, three spirit rings—white, yellow, and purple—rose up!

"I'll kill you all!"

"BOOM--!"

He swung a claw!

The nearest lackey didn't even have time to react before his throat was torn open!

Blood sprayed everywhere!

"Bo... Boss?!"

The other lackeys were all stunned.

"What... what are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?"

One-Eyed Dragon sneered.

"Killing you traitors! Die!"

He charged into the crowd! His sharp claws danced, and blood splattered.

Screams rose one after another, and severed limbs flew through the air!

"The boss has gone mad!"

"Run!"

"Help!"

The cave was in total chaos, but One-Eyed Dragon was already blinded by bloodlust.

He killed everyone he saw!

Leaving no one alive!

Ten minutes later.

The screams gradually died down.

The cave was littered with corpses.

One-Eyed Dragon, covered in blood, stood in a pool of gore, panting heavily.

Some of it was his own, and some belonged to his lackeys.

He stared blankly at the bodies covering the ground, his eyes filled with terror and confusion.

"What... what have I done..."

"You did what needed to be done."

A calm voice drifted in from the cave entrance.

One-Eyed Dragon whipped his head around.

He saw a masked man in black slowly walking inside.

He was clapping his hands.

"Not bad, not bad. Killing each other saved me the trouble."

"Who are you?!"

One-Eyed Dragon took a wary half-step back.

"Me?"

Lin Qing, the man in black, grinned.

"Just a kind-hearted passerby."

As he spoke, the Heavenly Eye Martial Soul on Lin Qing's forehead slowly opened.

Silver light swirled.

Two deep purple spirit rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.

"A Spirit Master!"

One-Eyed Dragon's pupils constricted sharply.

And a Spirit Master with two thousand-year spirit rings at that!

His voice trembled slightly: "Who, who exactly are you?!"

"I told you, a kind-hearted passerby, though now I'm also the one who's going to kill you."

Lin Qing said leisurely.

"I just cast a small illusion on you earlier. I didn't expect you to be so suspicious that you'd kill all your own men."

He shrugged, "Don't blame me for this."

"An... an Illusion?!"

One-Eyed Dragon suddenly realized the truth.

"Everything from before... it was all fake?"

"Of course."

"Or did you really think your lackeys, a bunch of ordinary people, would dare to rebel?"

"You!"

Upon learning the truth, the single eye of One-Eyed Dragon instantly turned bloodshot!

"I'll kill you--!"

He roared and lunged at Lin Qing, his sharp claws aimed directly at Lin Qing's forehead.

In response, Lin Qing merely raised a finger.

His second soul ring shone brilliantly!

Second Soul Skill: Metal Manipulation!

"Hum--!"

In an instant, every weapon in the cave—swords, blades, axes, and spears—all levitated, their tips pointing straight at One-Eyed Dragon.

"Go."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Under Lin Qing's control, dozens of weapons flew toward One-Eyed Dragon from every direction!

"Damn it!"

One-Eyed Dragon roared.

He unleashed his Earth Wolf Martial Soul to its limit, swinging his claws in an attempt to parry.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out incessantly.

But there were too many weapons, and they came from such tricky angles that they were impossible to defend against.

"Puchi!"

A longsword pierced through his shoulder.

"Ah--!"

One-Eyed Dragon screamed.

But it wasn't over yet. Lin Qing's first soul ring also lit up.

First Soul Skill: Illusion!

"Hum!"

A powerful mental force surged through his Heavenly Eye, enveloping One-Eyed Dragon.

In an instant.

In the eyes of One-Eyed Dragon.

Those incoming weapons suddenly changed.

They transformed into... thousands upon thousands!

Dense and packed! Blocking out the sky!

They poured down like a torrential rain!

Every single one radiated a cold, murderous intent!

"This... how is this possible?!"

One-Eyed Dragon's pupils constricted sharply.

Facing this display, reminiscent of ten thousand swords returning to their origin, a sense of despair welled up from the depths of his heart.

So many weapons... how could he block them?

He couldn't stop them...

He was dead for sure...

He chose to give up resistance, closed his eyes, and waited for death to arrive.

But--

The heart-piercing barrage he imagined never came.

There was only...

"Puchi!"

A flying broadsword slashed off his head in a single stroke.

The head rolled onto the ground, eyes still wide open and filled with bewilderment.

He died without ever understanding.

Why those weapons had suddenly vanished.

Why... he had given up all resistance.

"..."

Lin Qing retracted his Martial Soul and Spirit Rings.

Looking down at the corpse of the One-Eyed Dragon, he sighed softly.

"An illusion as ephemeral as Kyōka Suigetsu; a mental-type Martial Soul is truly a slaughter against a Spirit Master with low mental power."

He shook his head.

Turning around, he walked toward the depths of the cave.