Su Lianxin couldn't help but shake her head.
You're overthinking it.
Judging from Chen Xiao's demonstrated talent alone, he might not even be second, let alone third.
Chen Xiao is indeed talented, but... aren't all his junior brothers and sisters exceptionally gifted?
Sword Pavilion only accepts prodigies!
Meanwhile, in a corner of the secret realm.
A figure, carrying the stench of blood, sped past through the rugged, barren hills.
His black robe was tattered, with strips of cloth at the hem, and he staggered as he moved, indicating that he carried a heavy responsibility.
If Lin Xuan were here, he would recognize that the figure fleeing in such a disheveled state was none other than Youying, the Ninth Sword Master he had recently taken in.
At this moment, the Youying was desperately trying to escape.
He was covered in blood, some of it his, and some of it from others.
His breath was extremely weak; he had only managed to escape for so long by sheer willpower.
But... as time went by, his breath was almost gone.
As he fled for his life, Youying kept looking behind him, the despair on his face growing ever stronger.
He never imagined that he would have to escape even after entering this Void Realm, whereas he had tried to escape in the outside world...
He thought he was already unlucky enough.
Those guys from the Thousand Flames Demon Sect acted like madmen to the outside world, relentlessly pursuing him.
Fortunately, he met the Pavilion Master, who helped him repel the enemy, took him into the Pavilion, and went to the Youying Void Realm with him. Although they were separated by the rules of the secret realm as soon as they entered the Void Realm, Youying was still a little relieved, thinking that his life of escaping could come to an end.
But reality taught him that in this world, there is no such thing as the worst luck; there is always something worse.
When others land in the Void Realm, they always encounter various fortuitous opportunity and secret treasures.
Only him!
Upon landing, he bumped into people from the Thousand Flames Demon Sect again!
They gazed at each other, only to be met with disappointment.
New and old grudges combined.
Stop talking, let's run away!
Youying had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue fleeing for her life, shedding a handful of bitter tears.
Moreover, the person he encountered from the Thousand Flames Demon Sect was none other than the Thousand Flames Demon Sect's Grand Elder—an old monster at the Emperor Realm!
With his level of cultivation, he had almost no chance to fight back against his opponent and could only try to escape.
If it weren't for his talent for escaping, he would have been dead long ago.
But Youying wasn't made of Spirit Stone either. As time passed, the Spiritual Power in his body was quickly exhausted, and the old dog biting his butt would occasionally give him a stab.
The extremely weakened Youying could no longer run.
Thump!
The Youying crashed into a boulder, completely losing the strength to continue its escape.
He gritted his teeth and leaned against the nearby boulder to keep from falling, then hurriedly raised his head to look at the sky.
The stream of light from the dome shot straight toward the Youying, stopping in front of him and revealing its true form.
The three streaks of light were the three powerful figures who were chasing him.
The leader was an elderly man with gray hair, expressionless, but the aura of the Emperor Realm emanating from him almost suffocated Youying.
He swallowed hard, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
Today, I'm afraid things aren't going well for me...
Such an existence can only be matched by the Pavilion Master.
Several figures stepped forward, looking at Youying's disheveled appearance, and let out mocking laughter.
"Hehe, run away, why did you stop running?"
"Now you can tell me, where exactly did my sect's four protectors go?"
"With your abilities, you couldn't kill them... but the soul tablets they left behind in the sect were destroyed."
"You have two choices: either answer my questions, or I will search your soul after you die. Either way, I will know the truth."
The elder sneered, his gaze towards Youying devoid of any warmth, clearly directed at a dying man.
Whether Youying agrees or not, he will never let the other party go.
Thinking of the deep-seated grudges between Youying and his Thousand Flames Demon Sect, the Grand Elder's expression grew increasingly grim.
As the Grand Elder of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect, he has been at the Emperor Realm for many years, possesses formidable strength, and holds an extremely high position within the Thousand Flames Demon Sect, second only to the sect leader.
Just a few months ago, Youying fought with the disciples of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect over a Wood Spirit Heart, killing several of her own disciples and thus incurring their enmity.
This is not the most important thing...
Most importantly, the stronger a person's cultivation level, the more difficult it is for them to leave behind offspring.
As the Grand Elder, a cultivator at the Emperor Realm, he had only one son, who was also his only grandson. He was killed by Youying when she was fighting over the Wood Spirit Heart!
The Grand Elder was nearly driven mad with anger.
He wanted Youying dead! To atone for the deaths of his grandson and all the disciples of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect!
For months, the people of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect have been hunting down Youying.
The Grand Elder was naturally the one who was most vehemently opposed to the death of Youying.
For this reason, he even dispatched his four protectors.
The strongest protector has the cultivation level of the King Realm Eighth Level.
They thought that Youying was doomed this time, but not long ago, the Grand Elder discovered that the four guardians he had sent out had disappeared without a trace.
Even the spirit tablets had been extinguished.
He was already close to entering the Void Realm, so he couldn't turn back to chase after Youying. He could only enter the Void Realm first, but unexpectedly, not long after he entered the Void Realm, Youying fell right in front of him!
What else is there to say?
kill!
He must be killed!
The Grand Elder's murderous intent was fully revealed.
Youying's throat was dry, and he forced himself to swallow.
He was already seriously injured, and now he felt the pressure from the other party was about to materialize, like a heavy Stone pressing down on his chest.
Youying knew that the Grand Elder of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect was ruthless and capable of doing things like soul searching, something others couldn't do.
This method of death is extremely painful. Given the other party's personality, after searching their soul, they will probably turn them into a corpse puppet.
But now, his Spiritual Power is exhausted. Not to mention the Grand Elder of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect who is at the Emperor Realm, he can't even defeat the few King Realm beings beside him.
Now, we're truly at our wits' end...
Youying couldn't help but smile bitterly, clenching her fists in resentment.
Just then, his clenched fists at his sides inadvertently touched the jade pendant at his waist.
The warm, smooth jade pendant touched his hand briefly before separating, but it suddenly reminded Youying of something.
By the way, I'm no longer Rogue Cultivator!
He is the Ninth Sword Master of the Sword Pavilion!
Given the circumstances that day, the Pavilion Master must be at least a Emperor Realm expert!
Although the hope was slim, and he had never even heard of the Sword Pavilion, he had no other way to survive, so bringing up the Sword Pavilion became his only lifeline.
Youying flashed in Youying's eyes, and she gritted her teeth and spoke resolutely.
"I have now joined the Sword Pavilion and am now the Ninth Sword Master Sword Pavilion. If you dare to kill me, I, the Sword Pavilion Master, will surely slay you!"
He held a faint hope in his heart, trying to buy himself a chance to survive, but to his surprise, the members of the Thousand Flames Demon Sect burst out laughing when they heard this.
"Does the Sword Pavilion have such a force in the Profound Domain?"
Why don't you mention that you've joined the Supreme Profound Palace, and that there's Venerable presiding over its members?
"Haha, don't make me laugh."
"Enough with the nonsense, Youying, you are doomed to die today!"