“Qianlong List?”
This was a term that seemed rather unfamiliar to Ke Mo.
“Oh, that’s just the list of young prodigies across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!” Luo Yao replied, puzzled. How could this kid know so many martial artists yet not know what the Qianlong List is?
“On the list, you have genius warriors under the Inner Scene realm who are all under thirty years old. It’s quite an honor,” she added with a hint of nostalgia.
“Seems like Yin Huacheng has clung to the last position on the list before,” she quipped.
Not bad memory, huh?
Ke Mo, realizing he had just been schooled, quietly went back to his business, deciding he might change to a less embarrassing nickname when he had time.
As the evening wore on, the sky grew darker.
He had noted down everything he needed but still hadn’t seen that Han Zhen fellow.
Meanwhile, inside the hall, the banquet had just begun.
…
“This time in the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm, only Brother Yin Hua seems worth mentioning,” Bai Jinghong boasted, all high and mighty. With Qingyuan Sect being the local overlord of Ziyang Mansion, and with Yin Huacheng having once graced the Qianlong List, he couldn’t help but put on a show of courtesy, albeit half-heartedly.
But Yin Huacheng was obviously not much of a swordsman; he was more interested in Ying Bing.
“I’ve heard your junior sister has some impressive sword skills?”
“Oh, she’s nowhere near your level, Hero Bai,” Yin Huacheng replied, downing his drink, before calling out:
“Junior Sister Ying Bing, Hero Bai carries some mysterious talents; why not represent our Qingyuan Sect and duel with a sword?”
Ah, classic case of forgetting one’s own wounds while trying to poke at others.
Could Ying Bing even care about him?
At that moment, the Ice Chunk was busy dipping her delicate fingers in water, drawing something on the table.
Hmm, it looked like the shape of ice cream she planned to make tonight.
Making ice cream counts as cooking, right?
Bai Jinghong smirked, “Brother Yin, your status in the sect isn’t really that impressive, is it?”
“Hehe…”
Yin Huacheng’s face fell, and he could only lamely retort:
“Ying Bing has a cold and proud nature; she’s focused solely on her training and swordsmanship. She treats everyone equally.”
Well, isn’t that just unfortunate.
Just then, the young lad returned, grabbing Ying Bing’s teacup and gulping down a couple of swigs.
Afterward, Ying Bing, as if already used to it, naturally poured him some more water.
“Your ice cream drawings are too weird; they’re hard to lick!”
Ke Mo turned his gaze away from the stage and said:
“I’ll come back to the banquet later; I need to head home for now.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.”
Ying Bing and Ke Mo still had their sword practice session later.
She knew Ke Mo wasn’t really going home.
He was just waiting for someone destined.
But the weather wasn’t in their favor; torrential rain began to fall outside.
Ke Mo put down the Xiexiao Sword he had borrowed from Ying Bing and turned to brave the wind and rain.
Watching the young man walk away, Bai Jinghong had an amused expression, the way he stared at Yin Huacheng tinged with a hint of pity.
“Excuse me,”
Yin Huacheng, surprisingly unfazed, calmly replied.
After all, he thought, there was no need to get worked up over a dead man.
The elders had gone to discuss matters, and Ke Mo hadn’t even brought any weapons.
Within the estate, it was a mixed bag of fish and dragons, all sorts coming and going.
And the weather? Perfectly suited for a downpour like this.
Timing, location, and people all just right.
He excused himself, stepping out the door, finding a deserted corner, donning a straw hat and cloak—all black, complete with a human skin mask.
With everything in place, he stepped into the curtain of rain.
Crack—
A flash of lightning split the sky, illuminating the world in shades of gray—a dismal scene, wretched mountains, and waters alike.
The rain roared loudly, drowning out Yin Huacheng’s breath and heartbeat.
Raindrops hit his sparse exposed skin yet couldn’t manage to soak in, as if a slippery barrier blocked them.
He silently weaved through the woods next to the official road, his body moving like a slick serpent, twisting and turning with swiftness and agility.
One pair of vertical pupils fixed tightly on the back of the young man ahead.
He was at a comfortable distance.
Just as he prepared to strike with certainty…
Suddenly, the young man turned around, looking in his direction.
As their eyes crossed, Yin Huacheng’s heart raced.
It was eerily calm.
The boy not only showed no fear but seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
“Brother Yin Hua, lucky you’re such an anxious fellow.”
“Otherwise, I’d have probably been waiting forever for you,” Ke Mo’s voice was soft.
“You were waiting for me?”
At that moment, Yin Huacheng’s body couldn’t help the transformation brewing within; suddenly, his neck elongated, scales piercing through his skin, and his eyes became the cold slits of a snake.
“This place is utterly forsaken, no heaven’s response, and no earthly resonance.”
“I’ll k*ll you, destroy your body and erase all traces, leaving only a small token at Misty Rain Tower’s entrance.”
“Then who would know it was me?”
He wasn’t sure if he was threatening Ke Mo or trying to convince himself.
“Funny.”
A strangely shaped hammer appeared in his hand.
Li Mo, in the rainy night, choosing a hammer over a sword, how poetic.
“I thought the same way at the start.”
“d*e!”
But Yin Huacheng was the first to strike; his body trembled violently, as though a hundred beasts were raging inside him.
Li Mo seemed to hear a shriek.
Was it a snake? Or a dragon?
The overwhelming power radiating from him felt like pure brute force, terrifyingly overwhelming—not some ethereal essence.
But…
Crack—
Thunder rumbled as a bolt of lightning carved its mark into the night sky, momentarily dimming the world.
A sound echoed, loud enough even to overshadow the preceding thunder.
The hammer?
As that strike came down.
Yin Huacheng tried to roar, only to find himself silenced.
The rain froze abruptly, soon draining upwards into the sky, forming a brief vacuum.
That one strike.
His essence shattered, his internal qi crumbled; the very beastly physique he had refined turned to mush.
He was smashed into the ground, bones shattered.
“Ah, that was a bit too harsh; what’ll I tell you?”
Qian Bufan stepped out from behind the curtain of rain, accompanied by Xue Jing.
Elder Xue sighed heavily, shaking his head:
“Well, at least he’s still breathing.”
With a stomp of his foot, Yin Huacheng was knocked out into the open.
He was in a miserable state, hardly recognizable as human, his flesh seemingly gaining its own consciousness and beginning to consume him.
“Yin Hua… why go through all this?”
Qian Bufan let out a heavy sigh.
Yin Huacheng was like this, and Yin Huaxuan couldn’t have been unaware either.
It only indicated that this elder from the Beast Peak was likely the source of the bl**d refining beast method.
“Back at Qingyuan, Shang Wu was reckless enough to narrowly crash into the truth,” Xue Jing frowned.
Yin Huacheng’s body was already on the edge of collapse.
The healing medicine would only exacerbate the backlash.
“The sect master is already aware of this matter.”
“Ke Mo, just act as if nothing happened. We’ll handle Yin Huaxuan ourselves.”
Xue Jing began to ponder.
The Huanmo Sect was mysterious, possibly possessing means for news transmission that was unknown to them.
“Give him a taste of pain…”
“Whack!”
Bang—
Before long, Xue Jing and Qian Bufan watched the young lad retrieve his hammer, falling into a moment of silence.
You little rascal had no intentions of letting Yin Huacheng survive, did you?
They all wondered.
The Qingyuan Sect might not just produce a second Shang Wu.
But rather something that surpasses Shang Wu.
Thankfully, Li Mo remained one to be cautious…
….
Inside Dongli Manor.
At the banquet,
Bai Jinghong suddenly stood up, locking eyes with the elder beside him, before drawing his sword and declaring:
“Ladies and gentlemen, the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm is extremely perilous.”
“As Hengyun Sword City, we harbor compassion and do not wish for anyone to d*e in vain.”
“If you cannot withstand my three moves, there’s no reason to step into the secret realm and take risks.”
He spoke coolly.
The content was somewhat polite, but the tone conveyed nothing less than:
‘You’re all trash sitting here.’
‘What level are you to compete with me for opportunities?’
Surprisingly, Bai Jinghong’s gaze was like a sword, sharply sweeping over the crowd, causing most to avert their eyes in fear.
Of course, a few exceptions were present.
Tie Qi’s eyes sparkled, showing no signs of backing down.
Luo Yu frowned, thinking, “You set the bar, and I’ll raise it too.”
And of course…
There was the Ice Chunk.
She was still busy drawing her ice cream.
