A Single Slash, Cut in Half at the Waist

Lin Changkong's heart sank as he looked at the injured Zhou Yue lying on the ground, his gaze turning icy.

The one who had thrown Zhou Yue to the ground was a woman with lovely features and skin like congealed cream. She wore a long white garment whose hem reached only to her thighs, exposing two pale, smooth legs beneath.

Her skin seemed white enough to glow, breathtakingly beautiful.

The neckline of her clothes was also very low, and the twin peaks of her chest were enormous and prominent, their snow-white curves seeming to shine as well.

Standing there, she exuded an indescribable allure that hooked the soul.

Two men of similar age stood beside her, both with a full silver moon tattooed on their chests.

"Junior Brother, run! They're from the Mystic Moon Sect."

Zhou Yue raised her head to look at Lin Changkong. Though her breathing was weak, she still urged him to leave quickly.

Lin Changkong immediately recalled what Hong Ye and Zhou Yue had told him on the way here: the Heavenly Fire Sect's greatest rival in this region was the Mystic Moon Sect.

Yet he had not expected to encounter them while carrying out a mission, much less be ambushed by them.

"Hehe, leave? Where do you think you're going? Scum like you, steeped in evil deeds, deserve to die here. How could I possibly let him leave?"

The seductive woman let out a cold laugh, her tone mocking and playful.

Zhou Yue gritted her teeth and snapped, "Xuan Ling, if you want to kill us, then kill us. Why slander us with such shameless lies? Our Heavenly Fire Sect has never oppressed ordinary people. How are we steeped in evil deeds?"

The woman called Xuan Ling laughed again, her body trembling along with her laughter.

The white curves before her chest heaved like stormy waves, making the two men beside her swallow hard, their Adam's apples bobbing.

Xuan Ling said, "What a silver tongue you have. So many people here were killed by you, yet you still have the nerve to claim you aren't steeped in evil deeds?

On the road up the mountain, quite a few children were slaughtered too. As I see it, that must have been your handiwork as well.

You didn't even spare infants only a few months old. Are you still human?"

Xuan Ling laughed as she spoke. There was not the slightest hint of justice in her tone; she was plainly making things up to frame them.

The corpses along the mountain road had clearly been killed by the Flood Dragon Gang, yet in Xuan Ling's mouth, they had become Lin Changkong's doing.

If one was determined to condemn someone, what excuse could not be found?

Zhou Yue raged, "Bullshit! Those people were killed by the Flood Dragon Gang! We came to wipe out the Flood Dragon Gang. When have we ever killed ordinary people? When have we ever killed women and children?"

Xuan Ling only laughed louder. "Oh? Now you're flying into a rage out of shame? How strange. If you didn't kill those people, why are you so furious just because I said a few words?

I think I hit the nail on the head, so you're feeling guilty and lashing out in shame.

Even if we take ten thousand steps back and assume those people weren't killed by you, but by the Flood Dragon Gang, then why didn't the Flood Dragon Gang kill people elsewhere? Why did they specifically kill people in territory protected by your Heavenly Fire Sect?

It must be because your Heavenly Fire Sect pushed people too far. When officials drive the people to rebellion, the people have no choice but to rebel. In that case, the root of all evil still lies with your Heavenly Fire Sect.

If I kill you, wouldn't that be carrying out justice for Heaven and acting as a righteous hero?

Hehehehehe..."

Xuan Ling continued laughing so hard that she swayed like a flower branch in the wind, piling one accusation after another onto the Heavenly Fire Sect.

Zhou Yue's face flushed crimson with fury, while Lin Changkong said nothing. His expression was cold as ice as his gaze swept repeatedly over Xuan Ling and the two people beside her.

Then he reached out and drew the Crimson Flame Saber from his back.

"One Qi Gathering Eighth Level, two Qi Gathering Seventh Levels. Not that strong. Then... slaughter them!"

Lin Changkong had not attacked while Xuan Ling was deliberately fabricating charges because he had been judging their cultivation realms through their auras.

He now had a rough understanding. Xuan Ling, the leader, should be at the Qi Gathering Eighth Level, while the other two were at the Qi Gathering Seventh Level.

As long as he killed the two Qi Gathering Seventh Level cultivators first, he might still have a chance in a one-on-one fight against Xuan Ling.

The only difficulty was that he had consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. Though he had swiftly killed Shi Heihu and Zhang Heibao earlier, swift battles required enormous expenditure as a prerequisite.

Still, he felt that with his remaining spiritual energy, killing two Qi Gathering Seventh Level cultivators would be entirely possible.

"Hahaha, what did you say? You want to slaughter us?"

When Xuan Ling and the other two heard Lin Changkong's words, all three burst out laughing.

The man on the left even mocked him as though he had heard a joke, then strode toward Lin Changkong.

"You're merely a Heavenly Fire Sect disciple who has just entered the Outer Sect, yet you dare spout such wild boasts? You truly don't know the height of Heaven or the depth of Earth.

Fine, then let me teach you..."

As he spoke, he twisted his neck and circulated his spiritual energy.

Bang!

But Lin Changkong did not bother listening to him. The Crimson Flame Saber flashed from its sheath, and with a stomp of his foot, his body shot forward like an arrow. His saber blazed like fire as he slashed at the man.

A scorching aura swept out as Blood Fiend Saber Qi burst forth, like a crimson sun crashing down upon his opponent.

"Not good!"

A smug, mocking smile had still been on the man's face a moment ago, but the next instant, his pupils contracted and his heart shuddered.

The power of that slash made his heart pound with terror.

His spiritual energy howled forth as he tried to block it.

But it was already too late. Lin Changkong's saber technique had reached the Transcendent Realm, so fast that it had reached the very limit of what someone at his realm could execute. Combined with the might of the Blood Fiend Saber Qi and the enhancement of the Crimson Flame Saber, his opponent had been completely careless and unprepared.

This slash tore through everything in its path!

Pffft—

The blade flashed past, slicing through the man's spiritual energy defense, sinking into his waist, then tearing out through his back.

"You..."

The man felt an intense burning pain erupt from his waist. He lowered his head for a glance, and his upper body rolled off from his waist.

One slash, cut in half at the waist!

In an instant, Xuan Ling and the other Mystic Moon Sect disciple both had their pupils constrict. Their hearts pounded wildly, and their minds went blank; they did not even understand what had happened.

While they were stunned, Lin Changkong had already charged toward the other Qi Gathering Seventh Level man.

Blood Fiend Saber Qi erupted. Combined with the fifth-grade Crimson Flame Saber and pure Crimson Flame Spiritual Energy, his entire body was like an exploding crimson sun, unstoppable!

"Ah!"

The other man roared as spiritual energy surged out. Raising his hand, he threw a punch straight at the saber qi.

He had no time for any other move.

Bang!

His fist collided with the blade, producing the sound of metal striking metal.

A crystalline glow visibly flowed beneath his skin. That slash only cut through his flesh; it failed to sever his bones.

"Hm?"

Lin Changkong was surprised. A Qi Gathering Seventh Level cultivator could actually block his slash with his physical body?

But his surprise lasted only a moment. When one slash failed, he immediately followed with three more.

The second slash finally broke through. One of the man's arms was severed and sent flying.

The third slash split open the flesh of his chest, yet still failed to cut through.

Only with the fourth slash did he finally cleave him in two from the chest.

It sounded slow in the telling, but in truth, only three or four breaths had passed.

Adding the first man, who had been killed in an instant, Lin Changkong had slain two men in only about five breaths.

Xuan Ling looked at the two fellow disciples whose corpses were no longer whole. Her once beautiful, arrogant face twitched slightly, and when she looked at Lin Changkong again, her gaze had changed completely.