At his words, the warriors present all turned their gazes toward Xu Shan.
Su Yun glanced at him as well.
One warrior frowned.
"Who else could this person be but Xu Shan?"
He knew Xu Shan well and naturally recognized his face and mannerisms.
The man before them was definitely Xu Shan!
Yet the bald warrior only sneered. "They say the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord is a master of disguise, capable of wearing a thousand faces."
"Now that I've seen it for myself, his skill is indeed impressive."
"Unfortunately, I've cultivated a special technique that lets me remember the aura of every person I meet."
"Of everyone here, only your aura feels unfamiliar to me—different from the Xu Shan I met before."
"Tell me, who else could he be?"
At these words, every warrior present changed expression, their faces darkening.
Some had already tightened their grips on their weapons and were staring at Xu Shan with hostility.
Surrounded by the warriors closing in from every direction, Xu Shan remained completely calm.
The corners of his mouth lifted, and an eerie smile appeared on his face.
"I never expected you to see through my Thousand Transformations Disguise Technique."
"You truly deserve to die."
"Extinction Sword Qi—kill!"
Xu Shan struck in an instant!
He drew an uncanny longsword and swung it.
Powerful sword qi swept across the area in a flash.
The bald warrior tried desperately to dodge, but blade after blade of sword qi pierced through his body.
"You..."
The bald warrior stared in horror, his aura fading. He could hardly believe it.
He couldn't believe he had died just like that.
Thud!
A moment later, the bald warrior's corpse hit the ground and fell into a pool of blood.
The shocking turn of events had unfolded in the blink of an eye.
"That's the Yellow Grade mid-tier Extinction Sword Technique!"
Seeing this, a warrior shouted. He hurriedly gripped his weapon, staring at Xu Shan with a grave expression.
Even if one cultivated a sword technique of this caliber only to the proficient level, its power was still terrifying.
That was why the bald warrior had been unable to resist and had been killed in a single strike.
"So it really is the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord!"
Several young warriors with higher cultivation bases released their auras, their eyes fixed on Xu Shan.
Since the Xu Shan before them was the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord in disguise, then the real Xu Shan's fate was obvious.
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord now dispelled his disguise, revealing his true appearance.
He had an eerie face, a blood-red sword mark between his brows, a slender build, and a cold expression.
"A bunch of worthless mongrels, and you dare stand in my way?"
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord swept his gaze across the crowd and sneered.
Whoosh!
Just then, Su Yun drew his blade!
A streak of blood-red light swept in all directions, slashing toward the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord.
"Hmm?"
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord frowned, sensing danger.
The next moment, he hastily raised his sword to block.
Rumble!
His expression changed in an instant as the blade light sent him flying several yards backward!
The ground beneath his feet had even caved in by more than a foot!
"This blade technique... How is that possible?!"
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's expression shook. He swallowed a mouthful of blood and stared at Su Yun in disbelief.
He had seen Su Yun sitting in the wooden chair earlier.
But with a mere Body Refining Eighth Stage cultivation base, Su Yun was beneath his notice. He hadn't paid him the slightest attention.
As long as he could kill these Profound Mastery warriors, he could take Miss Lin away.
"You're asking for death!"
Coming back to his senses, the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's face twisted, his expression turning furious and alarmed.
Could someone with merely a Body Refining Eighth Stage cultivation base really turn the world upside down?
The other warriors nearby were all dumbfounded.
A casual slash had sent the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord flying!
Was this really a Body Refining Eighth Stage warrior?
"Secure the perimeter. I'll kill him!"
Just then, Su Yun gripped his Black Blade and strode forward.
After a few quick steps, he stood before the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord.
He leaned down and looked at him.
His voice reached the warriors all around them.
"Understood!"
The warriors nodded. None of them tried to show off; they all began to retreat.
"Kid, you think you can kill me with your Body Refining Eighth Stage cultivation base?"
"Die!!"
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord had been driven into the ground by more than a foot. As Su Yun looked down at him, rage surged through him, and he let out a furious roar.
His blood and qi erupted, and true qi flowed through his body. His aura was astonishing, his might terrifying.
The ground beneath his feet shattered!
"Extinction Sword Qi—slash!!"
He tightened his grip on the uncanny longsword and unleashed a dazzling sword light, three yards long.
Su Yun swung his blade as well.
Ten blood-red streams of blade qi surged and roared like Flood Dragons dancing wildly.
With the added power of three-tenths Blade Momentum, his blade technique grew far more powerful.
At the same time, the terrifying Blade Momentum radiating from him pressed down relentlessly on the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord, filling him with pain and shock.
"This is... Blade Momentum?!"
"How could this be? How could a mere Body Refining Realm warrior comprehend Blade Momentum?"
Empowered by three-tenths Blade Momentum, Su Yun's blood-red blade light tore through the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's three-yard sword qi in an instant, then slammed into his body.
"Pfft!"
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord was sent flying into the air. Blood streamed from all seven orifices, and a mouthful of it sprayed from his lips.
At last, he hit the ground, trembling all over, his spirit drained and his face contorted in agony.
The pressure of three-tenths Blade Momentum was simply too terrifying.
Under its influence, he could bring out no more than half his strength.
He was no match for Su Yun.
Yet as soon as he got back to his feet, Su Yun used the Spirit Roc Dustless Step and appeared before him.
The next moment,
the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's pupils contracted!
A cold sensation suddenly touched his throat.
A pitch-black longsword was already resting against his neck.
The razor-sharp edge cut through his skin.
Drop after drop of blood seeped from the wound.
It ran along the blade and dripped onto the ground.
"D-don't kill me."
Su Yun's cold eyes were reflected in the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's pupils.
His throat bobbed. He immediately dropped his uncanny longsword, his hands trembling as he begged hoarsely.
But the only response he received was a cold voice.
"Die."
The next moment, Su Yun flicked his wrist. The Black Blade swept across, trailing a blinding arc of blood.
A head shot into the air!
At last,
the head hit the ground, blooming into a pool of blood.
The Flower-Plucking Sword Lord was dead!
Just then, a voice rang in Su Yun's mind.
"Extreme Shadow Fiend Blade killed the third-level Profound Mastery Flower-Plucking Sword Lord. It was exhilarated and seemed to gain insight, falling into deep contemplation."
"Extreme Shadow Fiend Blade finished comprehending. Blade Momentum has successfully increased to four-tenths!"
Almost at once, some new insights into the blade arts appeared in Su Yun's mind.
After absorbing them, his mastery of the blade arts increased once again.
Then he walked over to the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's corpse and began searching it.
The other man had no Spatial Ring on him.
Perhaps he had never owned one, or perhaps he hadn't brought it along to be safe.
Before long, Su Yun had taken everything out.
There were two manuals, one for a sword technique and one for a movement technique.
Besides those, there were some silver notes.
Seeing Su Yun search for treasures, the other warriors finally snapped back to their senses.
One of them looked stunned.
"He's mastered Blade Momentum! And he's reached a high level!"
"When did a monster like this appear among the Mystic Blade Sect's Outer Sect disciples?"
"I even suspect that not even the Crimson Blade Guest, the Outer Sect's top disciple, could match him!"
The warriors began whispering among themselves, unable to hide their shock.
Before long, City Lord Lin hurried over with his daughter after hearing the news.
He immediately went to Su Yun and thanked him.
"Thank you, young hero Su, for killing this vile criminal!"
Miss Lin, standing beside him, saw the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord's grisly corpse. Fighting back her nausea, she hurriedly bowed as well.
"Thank you, young hero Su, for killing the villain, preserving my virtue, and protecting the Lin Mansion."
Su Yun accepted their thanks.
Then he turned to City Lord Lin and spoke slowly.
"City Lord Lin, now that the mission is complete..."
"Could you give me the Mystic-Breaking Pill from the mission reward?"
The mission clearly stated that capturing or killing the Flower-Plucking Sword Lord would earn one ten thousand Contribution Points and a Mystic-Breaking Pill.
He would have to return to the Mystic Blade Sect and submit the mission to receive the ten thousand Contribution Points.
But the Mystic-Breaking Pill was provided by City Lord Lin himself.
It was an additional reward.
"Of course, of course!"
City Lord Lin nodded quickly, smiling.
"Please come with me, young hero Su."
Su Yun nodded, then followed City Lord Lin forward.
Miss Lin also hurried over and explained the effects of the Mystic-Breaking Pill to Su Yun, as well as what he needed to be careful of after taking it.
As for the other warriors present?
No one paid them any attention anymore.
They looked at one another, then could only head home.
Before you continue