Book 10: Chapter 48: The Consequences of That Sword
Book 10: Chapter 48: The Consequences of That Sword
To kill three children who couldn’t even move out of fear, Master Painter didn’t even have to use a blade.
However, perhaps because he held onto that last strand of luck, or perhaps because he wanted to give the soldiers here even more pressure, give Li Anting more time to think, he raised the sickle blade in his hand and then fiercely hacked down.
Many soldiers standing at the very front closed their eyes, unable to bear watching the following scene.
In the previous breath of time, Lin Xi felt like no one could stop Master Painter, so he was about to use his unique ability.
However, right at this time, a hole suddenly appeared in the wall behind Master Painter.
Since the speed was too fast, not even the soldiers between the wall and Master Painter could react in time. They only felt as if there seemed to be an indigo blue streak of light shooting out from the wall, and then it passed between the crowd, arriving behind Master Painter.
At this time, only Li Anting and Master Painter, cultivators like them, could sense that this indigo blue flowing light that shot out from the wall was an indigo blue thin sword connected to chains.
In that instant, Master Painter’s curved sickle blade didn’t hack towards the girl’s neck anymore, instead instantly hacking backwards. Moreover, under the rapid surging of soul force, this curved sickle blade also became a blade of light, a blade of light that was rapidly breaking apart under the power of soul force.
Since he was already close to the peak of State Master level, already able to sense the difference between himself and a Sacred Expert, right now, Master Painter could sense that the one who released this sword still wasn’t a true Sacred Expert.
However, he could also sense that the other party’s cultivation already far exceeded his own, already seemingly reaching that Sacred Expert doorstep. If one were to say that the distance between his cultivation and Sacred Expert was a great mountain, then that person’s cultivation already reached the peak of that mountain. In the time it took to descend the mountain, he would become a true Sacred Expert.
Moreover… this sword’s power seemed to be even more powerful than a true Sacred Expert’s flying sword.
It was because even if it was a true Sacred Exert, there was no way they could pour all of their erupted power into a flying sword. However, this sword using cultivator seemed to have transmitted all of his strength into this sword.
This sword seemed to have the force of a mountain behind it, the pressure of an entire nation behind it.
The feeling this sword gave Master Painter was that if it landed on his body, what would be blown open wouldn’t be a mere sword hole, the power behind this sword would completely blast him into pieces.
Master Painter wanted to live, that was why he would threaten Yunqin’s army with the death of a little girl. That was why right now, he couldn’t tend to killing that girl anymore, only wishing to block this sword.
A muffled ka sounded.
The sickle blade in Master Painter’s hands hacked into the indigo blue sword. Then, what made Master Painter’s entire body immediately go rigid, was that what he anticipated didn’t happen. All of the terrifying power that originally gathered around the indigo blue sword suddenly vanished.
The chains that were connected to the indigo blue longsword instead suddenly extended, wrapping around his body.
That terrifying wave of power instead now appeared in the chains.
Master Painter’s body instantly rose into the air, releasing bone crunching noises under the pull of these chains, fiercely smashing into the wall that indigo blue longsword thrusted out from.
An explosive boom noise sounded.
The wall split up into pieces, completely collapsing.
Without waiting for Master Painter to get up, the moment blood gushed out from Master Painter’s mouth, the chains loosened a bit. That indigo blue longsword suddenly rushed up and then descended.
It was just like Master Painter’s curved sickle blade a moment ago, rising up and then hacking down.
Master Painter’s head flew.
A fountain of blood gushed out from his neck, gathering soul force and then collapsing the remaining half of an already ruined roof.
When dust, smoke and bloody mist descended, only then did the horrified Yunqin soldiers react. More than ten individuals rushed out to prevent those three children who were so scared they fainted from suffering harm.
All of these nearby Yunqin soldiers could tell that apart from Master Painter’s corpse, there was no one else in the collapsed house.
Their shocked eyes continued forward, vaguely making out that in a single story home’s patio, a calm man dressed in white-colored cotton clothes already held that indigo blue longsword.
This place immediately became quiet again, only some heavy breathing could be heard.
Li Anting looked at that tall man’s figure, looking at this man who had unknowingly arrived at this scene, already over thirty steps from Master Painter’s corpse, his eyes unable to help but narrow.
Towards this man, he inwardly surged with the truest admiration. It was because without this man, these three innocent children would have definitely died. However, Li Anting was quite a strong cultivator as well. He was sure that the strike this man released just now was extremely different from Yunqin’s cultivators, especially that indigo blue longsword connected to chains… This seemed to be something only a powerful Great Mang cultivator would have.
While all of these thoughts flashed past his mind, Li Anting gave this indigo blue longsword wielding man a deep bow of respect, thanking him.
After this bow, his expression became calm and ice-cold again. “What is your name?”
The indigo blue longsword wielding Zhantai Qiantang released a slow exhale. Previously, before he made his decision, every single breath of time seemed to be an extra second of torment. However now, when this sword was truly released, he instead became calm, instead felt carefree. “I am Du Siguo.” He gave Li Anting a bow of respect and said.
Li Anting’s brows furrowed deeply.
All officials and followers of influential families, as long as they were known cultivators, their names would be recorded before they entered the city gates. This information would then reach the garrison army, so he would naturally know them.
Cultivators were irregular species in the secular world after all. Yunqin’s army always paid close attention to cultivators.
Hower, Du Siguo, this name, was entirely unfamiliar for Li Anting. This meant that this was a cultivator who didn’t belong to the royal court, moreover someone who previously never exposed his cultivator identity.
“I need to examine your identity, I need your cooperation in this matter.”
As such, Li Anting no longer said anything else, only looking at this cultivator who, regardless of his identity, was worthy of his respect, slowly saying this.
Zhantai Qiantang naturally understood Li Anting’s intention. However, he didn’t go against it, only inwardly releasing a sigh, nodding and saying, “Alright.”
“Apologies.”
Li Anting seriously said this word whose meaning was many folded, waving his hand towards the officials at his side.
These officials all bowed in respect towards Zhantai Qiantang and then gave out some military orders.
Six Green Sky Wolf Heavy Armor soldiers who weren’t injured by Master Painter gathered at Zhantai Qiantang’s side.
Some heavy armored mounted soldiers began to gather over. An infantry commander politely asked Zhantai Qiantang to first hand over the indigo blue longsword in his hands, and then under the escort of at least several hundred soldiers, began to guide Zhantai Qiantang back to their garrison army camp.
…
Lin Xi stood up on an attic no one paid attention to. His brows furrowed, watching as this great army escorted Zhantai Qiantang, still tense, as if they were facing a great enemy.
Since he had already faced many cultivators related to Great Mang, right now, even though he didn’t know Zhantai Qiantang’s identity, he was sixty to seventy percent sure than Zhantai Qiantang should be a cultivator from Great Mang.
Right now, Wenren Cangyue who made his soul split from pain was precisely in Great Mang, moreover, he was going to fight a great battle against Yunqin soon. According to normal reasoning, he should hate Great Mang’s cultivators bitterly. However, at this moment, he instead didn’t feel any hatred towards Zhantai Qiantang who was being escorted by the military, instead feeling extremely strange emotions.
Just now, all for the sake of three Yunqin children, regardless of what reason this Great Mang cultivator came to Clear Distant City for, he shouldn’t have taken action.
However, this white cotton clothed man instead did.
The army began to withdraw. Some Judicial Sector people began to take over, starting to lock down the alleys where this battle happened.
Since he wasn’t in the region where the battle took place, it wasn’t hard for Lin Xi to leave this alley he picked. He lowered his head, slowly starting to think over what he should do next.
Originally, in his plans, he was going to first use Master Painter to kill Su Zhongwen, and then while Master Painter was fleeing, try to tell Master Painter that Zhang Lingyun already made some arrangements to help him leave Clear Distant City, have Master Painter escape towards Zhang Lingyun’s official residence. Then, he could try to link Master Painter with Zhang Lingyun.
However, he still underestimated the power of Yunqin’s army when facing a single cultivator a bit.
Now, Master Painter was already dead. Dealing with Zhang Lingyun became another issue.
Lin Xi’s brows furrowed. He began to slowly walk about, slowly think to himself.
He couldn’t immediately think of any good methods. However, he instead recalled Zhantai Qiantang’s sword. His eyes flickered, a bit of self-mockery appearing at the corners of his lips. He released an exhale, shaking his head and quietly saying to himself, “Someone like him who can’t even take action took action… I clearly said that towards those who originally disregard the laws, as long as there is no proof, it doesn’t count as going against the law… Zhang Lingyun even dared seek out Master Painter, Lin Xi, you could take action, you could start over again, you had a chance to not be discovered by anyone… so what are you hesitating and feeling misgivings over? Why did you have to rack your brains and think so much?”
After saying this stuff in self-mockery, deciding not to waste any more brain power on someone who he felt already had his feet bound, Lin Xi’s mood suddenly became a bit better. He casually walked up to a noodle shop not far from him. After finishing a bowl of hot soup, Lin Xi then decided that he had to at least ascertain the identity of the man from just now. At the very least, if he wasn’t an enemy of his, he couldn’t just watch this person die in Yunqin.