Chapter 189: Extermination

Yu Prefecture, Liyang City.

Heavy snow fell across this prosperous city. Most of the buildings in Liyang City featured red walls and red pillars, a unique style that was famous throughout the world.

At this moment, in the eastern district of Liyang City, dust and snow mist flew as a large number of commoners and merchants fled.

Inside a certain manor, buildings had collapsed into ruins. Martial Artists were scattered everywhere, their expressions incredibly grim as they all looked in the same direction.

Following their gaze, Xue Jin stood atop the ruins with a longsword in hand. His eyes were cold, making no attempt to hide his killing intent.

“Qingxiao Sect, do you truly intend to exterminate us all?”

An old man in black robes with disheveled hair shouted angrily. He had previously fought Xue Jin, only to be defeated in less than three moves, nearly losing his head.

He was the Great Protector of the Lingtian Sect, Wu Huan.

He had practiced martial arts for forty years and had been passed down divine techniques. Ordinary experts who had entered the realm would only be killed instantly upon meeting him.

However, as powerful as he was, he had no power to resist when facing Xue Jin. His sneak attack on Xue Jin had almost resulted in his own death, which was difficult for him to accept.

The heroic man standing beside Wu Huan was the Second Protector of the Lingtian Sect, Xiao Wuhui.

Xiao Wuhui was tall, wearing a bamboo hat, with a weathered face and long hair flowing freely. Although his clothes were not as luxurious as Wu Huan’s, his Aura was no weaker.

At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged version of Invincible Xiao. He stared intently at Xue Jin, his gaze complex.

Xue Jin also looked at Xiao Wuhui. He could sense that Xiao Wuhui was the strongest among the remnants of the Lingtian Sect.

Not only that, this person was also a Cultivator!

“Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer. Impressive.” Xue Jin ignored Wu Huan, his gaze looking down upon Xiao Wuhui as he spoke coldly.

Xiao Wuhui felt naturally displeased seeing this young man critique him with the tone of a Senior.

However, he had to admit that Xue Jin was stronger than him.

Xiao Wuhui glanced into the distance and saw a figure walking along the courtyard wall; it was Shen Yue.

Looking in other directions, he could see the figures of other Qingxiao Sect Disciples. They were surrounded with nowhere to run.

Xiao Wuhui slowly lowered his head and let out an eerie laugh: “Useless, truly useless. A bunch of good-for-nothings who insisted on provoking the Qingxiao Sect and obeying the Qi Clan. It’s no wonder you can’t achieve anything great.”

Xue Jin stared at him and did not rush to attack. It wasn’t that he was intentionally giving him a chance, but rather he was waiting for the other Disciples to find the Lingtian Sect Leader, Ji Wuye.

The Lingtian Sect had emerged out of nowhere and unified half of the world’s Martial Forest. Everyone knew the Sect Leader was named Ji Wuye, but no one had ever seen him with their own eyes.

Xu Ning and Jiang Zhaoxia had swept through the Lingtian Sect before, but they hadn’t seen Ji Wuye either.

Xue Jin would not be as reckless as those two and alert the enemy. He chose to strike on a day when the Lingtian Sect’s Martial Artists were gathered to wipe them out in one go. However, not finding Ji Wuye filled his heart with wariness.

Intuition told him that Ji Wuye was hidden within this manor, merely pretending to be absent.

Otherwise, the Lingtian Sect wouldn’t be gathered so completely.

Wu Huan was furious upon hearing Xiao Wuhui’s words. He berated Xiao Wuhui, saying: “Not provoke the Qingxiao Sect? You think you can bypass the Qingxiao Sect to unify the world’s Martial Forest? You’re dreaming!”

Bang—

Xiao Wuhui suddenly raised a palm and struck toward Wu Huan, exploding Wu Huan’s head from a distance. Flesh and blood splattered, frightening the Lingtian Sect Martial Artists so much that they all took a step back, looking at Xiao Wuhui in terror.

Xiao Wuhui ignored the gazes of his fellow Martial Artists. He looked at Xue Jin, stepped forward, and said: “Xue Jin, you are the first person to force me to use the Martial God Secret Technique. However, against an expert like you, it is worth it even if it shortens my life.”

Boom—

A violent surge of energy erupted from within Xiao Wuhui, blowing off his bamboo hat. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and his energy was actually laced with faint traces of blood qi.

The Lingtian Sect Martial Artists looked at Xiao Wuhui in disbelief. This was the first time they had felt such a terrifying Aura, and combined with Xiao Wuhui’s recent behavior, they felt a sense of dread.

This was a human’s instinctive reaction to danger.

Xue Jin narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

He could feel that Xiao Wuhui’s Aura had already surpassed the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Origin Realm. Killing Xiao Wuhui would likely not be easy.

However, with Shen Yue present, Xue Jin did not panic.

Without a word, he leaped up and struck toward Xiao Wuhui with his sword, like an eagle pouncing on its prey, unstoppable.

Xiao Wuhui stepped out with his right foot and struck a palm toward the sky. His surging Origin Qi was like a mountain torrent erupting, kicking up clouds of dust and snow, resembling a rising Azure Dragon as it attacked Xue Jin… In mid-December, the first batch of spirit copper began to be delivered to Qingxiao Mountain. Li Qingqiu directly had the Disciples transfer it to the Tiangong Hall.

Just three days later, Wu Xingyue came to visit Li Qingqiu.

“Sect Leader, this spirit copper is an excellent material for forging Magical Artifacts. Its utility is too great; we must strictly control it and not let others waste it!”

As Li Qingqiu walked into the Lingxiao Courtyard, Wu Xingyue rushed over holding a sword, her tone excited. As she spoke, she handed the sword to Li Qingqiu.

The material of this sword was clearly not simple, with a strange cold light flowing over it, making it very eye-catching.

The blade was three fingers wide and nearly four feet long, longer than most swords in the secular Martial Forest.

Li Qingqiu gripped the longsword and injected Origin Qi into it. The blade emitted a vibrating hum, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

Ordinary mortal weapons cannot bear the infusion of Origin Qi; at most, one can coat the surface of the blade with Origin Qi for combat.

But this sword could actually contain Origin Qi—this was no simple feat!

If the blade was filled with Origin Qi, a Cultivator’s control over the sword would be much easier. It also proved the blade could withstand the impact of Origin Qi without shattering upon contact.

“Is it difficult to forge a sword like this?” Li Qingqiu asked.

Wu Xingyue replied excitedly: “It only takes three days. That’s why I said spirit copper is very important. The forging process is very easy; spirit copper only needs to be shaped, and it’s not easy to ruin.”

“Good. Then first forge ten thousand such swords. I will distribute them to the sect Disciples later,” Li Qingqiu instructed generously.

Although this sword couldn’t be considered a powerful Magical Artifact, it certainly counted as a Sharp Weapon. Sect Disciples would find it much more convenient to travel the Jianghu with such a sword.

“No problem, Sect Leader. Do you want to give this sword a name?” Wu Xingyue nodded in response.

Li Qingqiu hesitated for a moment before saying: “Let’s call it the qingxiao sword. From now on, the words ‘Qingxiao’ must be engraved below the crossguard of every sword, preferably in a way that cannot be erased.”

Wu Xingyue fell into thought after hearing this.

She had already mastered many basic Restrictions, all derived from the ‘Basic Text Record of Formations’. Her learning speed was not much slower than Ming Guang’s, though the directions of their research were different.

“I’ll give it a try,” Wu Xingyue replied, not daring to be too certain.

Li Qingqiu returned the qingxiao sword to her and gave her a few words of encouragement before letting her leave.

After Wu Xingyue left the Lingxiao Courtyard, a smile appeared on Li Qingqiu’s face.

spirit copper was indeed suitable for forging Magical Artifacts. Relying on the spirit copper mountain range, the Qingxiao Sect would take a huge step forward.

Even if there was no immediate threat from powerful enemies, Li Qingqiu planned to seize the time to equip his Disciples with Magical Artifacts.

He couldn’t wait for powerful enemies to appear before starting his preparations.

He wanted to strengthen the sect as much as possible so that the Qingxiao Sect would have the confidence to deal with any trouble.

Because of the qingxiao sword forged by Wu Xingyue, Li Qingqiu’s mood became cheerful. He also headed down the mountain, preparing to guide his beloved Disciples in their Cultivation.

Now, The Three Xiao Brothers and Cloud Color had all stepped onto the path of immortality. Li Qingqiu didn’t need to watch them constantly; they could rely on themselves for Cultivation. Thus, Li Qingqiu didn’t worry much normally, only giving them pointers occasionally.

News about the qingxiao sword soon spread. More and more Disciples learned that the sect was preparing to forge Magical Artifacts for them, which made them very excited.

They began to pull strings and ask around about what the qualifications were to own a Magical Artifact.

The sect couldn’t possibly provide a Magical Artifact for every single Disciple. Once they understood the requirements, they would know which direction to work toward.

Time reached the end of the year.

Shen Yue and Xue Jin returned with their people.

Li Qingqiu had them enter the Lingxiao Courtyard. When he saw Xue Jin, his brow furrowed.

Xue Jin’s right arm was actually missing, his right sleeve empty. This caused killing intent to rise in Li Qingqiu’s heart, and his expression suddenly turned sour.

Shen Yue came before Li Qingqiu and said: “The mission is complete, but I have failed Xue Jin.”

Xue Jin placed the bundle in his hand on the table and said: “This is the head of the Lingtian Sect’s Second Protector, Xiao Wuhui. I used secret medicine to preserve it, so it can be identified.”

Li Qingqiu looked at him and asked: “Who did it?”

“Xiao Wuhui.”

“What happened?”

Li Qingqiu’s brow furrowed even tighter. Shen Yue began to recount: “Xiao Wuhui was also a Cultivator, and his cultivation had actually reached the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Origin Realm. He knew his three sons were cultivating in the Qingxiao Sect and were by your side. After he and Xue Jin were both wounded, he pleaded for mercy, hoping I would bring him back alive, saying you might not necessarily kill him. I hesitated, and as a result, Xue Jin directly swung his sword to decapitate Xiao Wuhui. But Xiao Wuhui was no ordinary person; before dying, he struck out with a palm and broke the right arm that was swinging the sword. At the critical moment, Xue Jin actually sucked the sword from the air into his mouth, gripped the hilt with his teeth, and decapitated him with one strike.”

Speaking of this, Shen Yue’s expression was very strange. Recalling the sight of Xue Jin biting the sword still felt absurd to him.

For the first time, he felt that Xue Jin was not a simple person.

Xue Jin spoke up: “It’s not Senior Shen’s fault. He’s saving face for me by saying we were both wounded, but if Senior Shen hadn’t acted, I probably wouldn’t have been Xiao Wuhui’s match. As for losing an arm, it’s nothing.”

His expression was calm, as if he truly didn’t take the matter to heart.

Li Qingqiu asked: “Did you bring your severed arm back?”

“I brought it. I thought that with your medical skills, it might be possible to reattach it, so I carried it myself.” Shen Yue took the bundle off his back and placed it on the table.

Xue Jin looked at Li Qingqiu and said: “Sect Leader, I was afraid of putting you in a difficult position, so I killed him directly. If The Three Xiao Brothers ask, tell them the truth. If they must hate someone, let them hate me. Of course, if you yourself did not want to kill him, then please punish me.”

Li Qingqiu glared at him and said: “What nonsense are you talking? This matter was something I sent you to do, so naturally, I will bear the responsibility. If the three of them really hate you, I would rather discard them than fail to protect you.”

Xue Jin was stunned upon hearing this.

In the entire sect, who didn’t know that the Sect Leader held The Three Xiao Brothers in high regard? Though they didn’t have the title of master and Disciple, they had the reality of it.

Under such circumstances, how could he not be moved hearing these words from Li Qingqiu?

Third update!