Peak Dark Force

"Speak."

Xu Qing walked over, resting the Iron Sword in his hand on the neck of the last assassin. His gaze was calm, with a hint of indifference towards life. "Who are you? Where are you from? What's your identity? Why do you want to kill me?"

"Hahaha..."

"Xu Qing, we'll wait for you in hell..."

Puff!

The next moment.

After laughing heartily, the assassin's face turned dark, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood. At some unknown time, he had bitten through the poison sac under his tongue and committed suicide by poison.

"!!!"

Xu Qing looked at the corpse slumped on the ground and frowned. "Death warriors? There aren't many forces in Qingbei Town capable of cultivating death warriors."

"I didn't want to get involved further, but you insisted on coming after me. It's really made me unhappy! Very unhappy!"

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing took a deep breath, sheathed the Iron Sword, and left. His face was somewhat ashen as he arrived at the Spring Breeze Pavilion. Hu Gongquan and the others saw Xu Qing's unhappy expression, so they didn't dare to provoke him, only trying to appease him in various ways.

In fact.

As soon as Xu Qing took up his post at the Spring Breeze Pavilion, he had reclaimed all the kickbacks Hu Gongquan and the others had pocketed over the past year. In their hearts, Hu Gongquan and the others must have hated Xu Qing to death.

After all.

That was a full ten thousand taels of silver.

However.

Xu Qing was a formal disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, and moreover, a Bright Force martial artist. No matter how displeased Hu Gongquan and the others were, they wouldn't dare to show any disrespect.

"What happened? Why is this lord unhappy?"

Hu Gongquan called over Lu Xiao'er and the others to ask.

"I don't know about that!"

Lu Xiao'er shook her head.

"I don't know."

Sister Chunlan shook her head.

"..."

Wang Dali remained silent.

The scene shifted.

Kaiyuan Tower.

In a room on the top floor.

"Sir."

The young man lowered his head and reported, "The Yamen has found out that the person who killed our Corpse Ghouls that night was very likely Xu Qing."

"Xu Qing?"

A charming voice came out, "Who?"

"He was originally a beggar, but he has some talent and has now become a formal disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School. I've already dispatched three peak Bright Force death warriors to kill him." the young man said.

"Azure Hawk Martial Arts School."

This charming voice paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "You have quite a lot of nerve, daring to send people to kill a formal disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School."

"These are the adult's orders and commands, I naturally do as I'm told."

The young man lowered his head.

"Is that so?"

A charming, playful laugh came, "Come to my bed."

"..."

Cold sweat broke out on the young man's forehead. "I... I dare not offend you, sir..."

The next day.

Morning.

Xu Qing got up early. After resting for a night, his mood had improved considerably. After having breakfast at the Spring Breeze Pavilion, he went to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.

This time.

Xu Qing bought a full thirty jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat at the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.

Next.

Xu Qing had no plans to go out randomly.

His residence.

Inside the room.

"Although I don't know who the mastermind is, or who wants to kill me, I imagine that after failing yesterday, they won't give up."

Xu Qing mused, "I still need to focus on improving my strength."

"Eight Extremities Fist."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Xu Qing practiced the Eight Extremities Fist. His movements were not slow, his punches were powerful, and his aura was imposing. Each move flowed seamlessly into the next. The fist force was fierce and strong, and he handled it with ease.

[Experience +1]

[Experience +1]

[Experience +1]

Time flew by.

The experience for the Eight Extremities Fist also increased bit by bit.

Meanwhile.

Inside the Ye Family manor.

In the room of the Ye Family's eldest son, Ye Yi.

"What?"

At this moment.

In the morning.

Ye Yi received news that the three peak Bright Force death warriors he had sent out yesterday were all dead, and they had died at the hands of a sword master with extremely high sword skills.

"How can this be?"

Ye Yi's expression was extremely grim. "A sword master? How could the death warriors I sent out provoke an unknown sword master?"

In fact.

Just a few days ago.

A very powerful sword master had indeed appeared on Hongye Street. Single-handedly, he had managed to kill a Black-haired Zombie and three 강화된 versions of Corpse Ghouls.

"Young Master."

Old Steward Weng of the Ye manor lowered his head and stood before Ye Yi. "The Master has instructed you to lie low for the next few days and not cause any more trouble."

"The master of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School is not someone we can afford to provoke. Fortunately, Xu Qing didn't die last night. If he had, and Du Cangying had gone berserk, our Ye Family would have definitely lost a significant portion of our strength."

"Yes."

Ye Yi nodded.

"Also, the Third Young Master has already been accepted into the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School and become an official disciple. Therefore, we must not antagonize the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School even more."

Old Steward Weng added, "This was also instructed by the Master."

"Mm."

Ye Yi nodded again.

Afterward.

Old Steward Weng left.

At noon.

Ye Yi went to the top floor of Kaiyuan Tower. Kaiyuan Tower was a property of the Ye Family, and it was managed by Ye Yi. He met with that adult again.

"Sir."

Ye Yi lowered his head. "Last night, the three death warriors I sent out failed to kill Xu Qing. Instead, they were killed by a sword master."

"The sword master on Hongye Street?"

The adult's voice rose.

"It's possible," Ye Yi replied. "Also, my father told me not to provoke Xu Qing anymore because Xu Qing is already an official disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, and he doesn't want to offend them."

"I understand."

The adult pondered for a moment and then said, "Go and investigate exactly who that sword master is."

"Yes."

Ye Yi nodded.

In the blink of an eye.

It was evening.

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing stopped, exhaling a breath of stale air. A faint white mist, formed by evaporating sweat, hovered above his head, creating a visually striking effect.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 165/320.]

"Mmm."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction.

A few minutes later.

After Xu Qing had dinner, which consisted of one jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat, Yu Chen brought Yu Hu to Xu Qing's residence. Xu Qing taught Yu Hu Eight Extremities Fist for an hour.

Seven o'clock in the evening.

This was the first watch of the night.

Yu Chen took Yu Hu back.

Xu Qing returned to his room, picked up the Fine Iron Sword, and began practicing the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking. The sword light was deep, the sword moves were swift, and he practiced the sword forms.

Time flew by.

Around ten o'clock at night.

Xu Qing stopped practicing his sword. The Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking were exquisite and complex, requiring half an hour to complete one round. In three hours, he could only perform six rounds.

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV1: 7/30.]

"Mmm."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction, washed up, put on the evil ghost mask again, and lay down on the bed to rest and sleep.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning at six o'clock.

Xu Qing woke up.

He took off the evil ghost mask.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV6: 722/320 (Can be upgraded!)]

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction and took off the evil ghost mask. "Upgrade."

Buzz!

The Omni-Codex flashed with fluorescence.

At the same time.

The evil ghost mask in Xu Qing's hand also emitted a white light.

Swish!

The next moment.

Xu Qing saw the same scene again: a deep and dark environment, a mystical shaman, animal skins and flesh, all intently crafting a mask.

Finally.

The mask was completed.

Upgrade successful.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV7: 402/640 (This is a mask crafted by a shaman who worships spirits and gods, using animal skins and flesh. It possesses the functions of disguise and altering one's aura. Because the crafting process was painstaking and involved all the shaman's effort, and finally incorporated the shaman's heart's blood, it is extremely difficult to see through.)]

"Decent."

Xu Qing nodded.

Next.

Xu Qing would continue to practice Eight Extremities Fist during the day and the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking at night, cultivating two martial arts simultaneously, and wearing the evil ghost mask while sleeping.

The first day.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 215/320.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV1: 13/30.]

[Evil Ghost Mask LV7: 882/640.]

"Upgrade."

With a thought, Xu Qing upgraded the evil ghost mask again.

Hum!

Faintly.

Xu Qing once again saw the scene of the evil ghost mask being reforged. This time, after its completion, the evil ghost mask possessed a bizarre ability, actually devouring the shaman's soul in the end.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV8: 242/1280 (This is a mask crafted from animal skin and flesh by a shaman who worshipped spirits and gods. The mask devoured the shaman's soul, imbuing it with a strange sentience. It can not only disguise appearances and alter one's aura, but also summon the shaman's ghost.)]

"It really is different now."

Xu Qing looked at the evil ghost mask in his hand. It had changed. A special, eerie symbol had appeared on the mask's forehead.

The next day.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 265/320.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV1: 19/30.]

[Evil Ghost Mask LV7: 722/1280.]

The third day.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 315/320.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV1: 25/30.]

[Evil Ghost Mask LV7: 1202/1280.]

The fourth day.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 365/320.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV1: 31/30.]

[Evil Ghost Mask LV7: 1682/1280.]

The fifth day.

Morning.

Xu Qing woke up.

"Upgrade Eight Extremities Fist."

First.

Xu Qing's mind moved, and he upgraded the Eight Extremities Fist. The moment he initiated the upgrade, it was as if countless figures appeared before his eyes, constantly practicing the Eight Extremities Fist, all pouring into his mind.

Boom!

Xu Qing's consciousness trembled. He seemed to enter a mysterious space where he continuously practiced and deduced the Eight Extremities Fist, uncovering its secrets more and more profoundly.

Unknowingly.

Xu Qing entered a special state.

His mind was clear and tranquil.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV7: 45/640 (This is a profound martial art that combines combat style and body refinement methods. Its movements are fierce and unadorned, its power delivery swift, and its explosive force immense. It tempers tendons and bones, flesh and blood, allowing force to penetrate the marrow. With mastery of Dark Force, one can reach 'peak Dark Force'.).]

Hum!

A sudden enlightenment.

Xu Qing opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and felt his entire body surge with energy. Force penetrated his very bones as he began practicing the Eight Extremities Fist within the room.

Unknowingly.

Xu Qing had reached peak Dark Force.