Chapter 135: Slashing Away the Approaching Enemy!

Chapter 135: Slashing Away the Approaching Enemy!

East Courtyard.

Jiang Ning's ears twitched slightly, and he heard the conversation of the two who had climbed over the wall into the front courtyard.

His eyes suddenly sharpened.

It's him!

Yang Kai!

Hearing that familiar voice, Jiang Ning knew that one of the two who had climbed over the wall was Yang Kai.

"Then the 'Elder Qiu' he mentioned must be the head manager of the Blacksmith Shop, Qiu Shilong."

He muttered to himself again, "What could these two be here for?"

"Could it be because of this?"

At this moment, Jiang Ning's gaze unconsciously fell on the Spirit Blade he was holding in his hand.

The next moment—

He drew his blade with a swift motion.

Clang—

A clear, trembling ring sounded.

In the quiet of this moment, the sound instantly carried far into the night.

On the other side.

In the front courtyard.

"The sound of the blade ringing, over there!" Qiu Shilong turned his head, and his gaze instantly locked onto the east courtyard, also pinpointing the direction where Jiang Ning was located.

Qiu Shilong's figure moved, and he swiftly rushed towards Jiang Ning's direction.

Seeing this, Yang Kai quickly followed behind him.

"They're really here!" Hearing the commotion from the front courtyard, Jiang Ning's heart also felt slightly more at ease.

In this residence, it wasn't just him living here anymore.

There was also Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan, as well as his nephew and niece.

Under these circumstances, to prevent these two from harming them, Jiang Ning had intentionally made the sound.

The next moment—

Swoosh—

He stood in place, holding his blade, quietly awaiting the appearance of the two.

At the same time, information about these two emerged in his mind.

Qiu Shilong, an Eighth Rank Martial Artist, a skilled practitioner in the Divine Strength Realm.

At this level, his accumulation was already profound, far surpassing ordinary Divine Strength Realm practitioners.

And Yang Kai was no less impressive.

The strength of the two was likely on par with each other.

After a few breaths.

A figure appeared in Jiang Ning's sight.

He stood atop the wall, his eyes shining brightly even in the darkness.

His gaze instantly locked onto Jiang Ning.

"It's really him!"

"Qiu Shilong!"

Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

He had seen this man during the afternoon at the Initiation Banquet in the Martial Academy.

He was one of the important guests invited by Wang Jin.

The head manager of the Blacksmith Shop, and indeed a prominent figure in Luoshui County.

After all, over the years, the Blacksmith Shop's network of connections had grown significantly.

They had ties with various powers, and their influence was extensive.

Even though no Seventh Rank Martial Artist had emerged from the Blacksmith Shop, they remained a significant force in Luoshui County.

At this moment.

Qiu Shilong stood atop the wall, his figure towering.

Like a mighty brown bear in its prime.

His build was even more robust than Yang Kai's.

Just then.

Yang Kai's figure also appeared before Jiang Ning, standing atop the wall as well.

"Two Eighth Rank Martial Artists!" Jiang Ning tightened his grip on the Dragon Abyss Spirit Blade.

Qiu Shilong's gaze lingered on Jiang Ning for two breaths.

Then, his figure lightly leaped.

He landed on the grass without making much noise.

"His movement skills!" Jiang Ning's eyes slightly narrowed, and he became even more cautious of Qiu Shilong.

From the way Qiu Shilong landed, Jiang Ning could tell that his movement skills were extraordinary.

After landing, Qiu Shilong slightly bent his knees, effortlessly dissipating the force of the landing.

Qiu Shilong's gaze shifted from Jiang Ning's body to the Spirit Blade in his hand.

Seeing that the blade was drawn, Jiang Ning stood in place, holding the blade, and Qiu Shilong spoke, "It seems you discovered my arrival early on."

Qiu Shilong wasn't surprised by this.

He hadn't tried to conceal his intentions when he came here at night.

In the quiet of the night, even a slight sound would be noticeable.

It wasn't surprising that Jiang Ning had detected his arrival early.

At this moment, as Qiu Shilong spoke, Jiang Ning remained calm, his eyes like deep pools.

"I wonder what brings Qiu, the head manager, to my door today?"

Qiu Shilong replied, "It's simple. I'm here to retrieve the Spirit Blade in your hand."

"Once something is given away, how can there be a reason to take it back?" Jiang Ning said slowly.

Hearing this, Qiu Shilong couldn't help but scoff, "Don't you know that if you shouldn't take something, you shouldn't take it? Today, I'm giving you face because of Wang Jin. Otherwise, I wouldn't let this go."

As he spoke, Qiu Shilong walked towards Jiang Ning.

At the same time.

Yang Kai had also jumped down from the wall.

He spoke to Jiang Ning, "Jiang Ning, my apologies! Elder Qiu doesn't approve of me giving away this Spirit Blade. I can compensate you with other weapons!"

Jiang Ning shook his head, "Since Shopkeeper Yang chose to give it away, this Spirit Blade belongs to me! It's unreasonable to ask for its return."

"It's unreasonable?" Qiu Shilong couldn't help but coldly laugh, "Boy, have you not understood the situation? I thought I came here to calmly discuss things with you?"

"You will return it, one way or another!"

At these words, Jiang Ning's grip tightened on the Dragonfrost Sword.

"You want me to return the sword?"

"First, let's talk about the sword in my hand!"

At this moment, Qiu Shilong had already advanced to within ten feet of Jiang Ning.

His gaze was fixed on the sword in Jiang Ning's hand.

Looking at the hilt, he instantly recognized this sword as the Spirit Blade that had been stored in the underground armory.

"Yang Kai didn't lie to me! This kid can indeed draw out this Spirit Blade."

At this moment, Qiu Shilong changed his mind.

He wanted the sword, and he wanted the man.

Since Jiang Ning could draw the sword from its sheath, taking him away would undoubtedly aid in studying the Spirit Blade.

"Perfect, this place is desolate, and by taking this kid and killing everyone in the house, even Wang Jin won't know it was me."

Qiu Shilong's heart whispered.

After making his decision, the murderous intent in his heart suddenly erupted, and his eyes filled with a fierce aura.

The next moment, he abruptly struck out at Jiang Ning, raising his hand to punch towards Jiang Ning with overwhelming force.

This punch held no restraint.

The target was Jiang Ning's right arm, which held the sword.

If this punch landed squarely, his right arm would undoubtedly be disabled.

This was Qiu Shilong's intention.

With both arms disabled, Jiang Ning would naturally have no power to resist and could only be at his mercy.

"Elder Qiu, no!"

Behind them, Yang Kai saw Qiu Shilong's powerful punch and quickly tried to stop him.

His figure suddenly moved, as if to block Qiu Shilong.

"So ruthless?" Jiang Ning observed Qiu Shilong's fierce attack.

"He wants to kill me?" Sensing the murderous intent from Qiu Shilong, Jiang Ning's eyes also flashed with a fierce aura.

He swung the sword downward.

A flash of sword light instantly tore through the night sky, swift as a shooting star.

Ah—

A shrill, miserable scream resounded.

At the same time, on Qiu Shilong's body, inertia seemed to lose its effect, and his figure instantly retreated with a burst of speed.

Under the bright moonlight, the two severed fingers on his right palm were clearly visible.

His tiger finger, which could block divine blades, was obviously cut off by the sword.

"You little—"

Qiu Shilong retreated frantically, his eyes turning red.

He never expected that the sword would cut off his tiger finger, severing two of his fingers.

At this moment, he deeply regretted his carelessness.

He had underestimated the sharpness of the Spirit Blade in Jiang Ning's hand.

He also regretted not bringing his most skilled weapon, the Armor Breaker Hammer.

With two fingers severed, he would be disabled for life.

This filled Qiu Shilong's eyes with endless resentment.

For a martial artist, a physical disability would greatly limit their martial path.

Their future achievements would be extremely limited.

"You want to run?"

Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

He chose to strike again, not letting Qiu Shilong off the hook.

Since they were already enemies, he would take advantage of the situation to end his life.

Then, his right leg kicked off the ground.

Boom—

The dirt beneath his feet flew up, and his speed suddenly surged.

In an instant, he covered several yards.

Witnessing this, Yang Kai's expression turned from shock to fear.

At this moment—

Qiu Shilong saw Jiang Ning's rapidly approaching figure, and the resentment in his eyes was instantly replaced by terror.

"I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Spare me!"

"You're not just wrong, you know you're about to die!" Jiang Ning spoke.

His figure was incredibly swift.

After breaking through the limits with the Five Beasts Fist, Jiang Ning's speed had increased by three to four times compared to before.

The Five Beasts Fist not only had the explosive Tiger Form but also the swift Crane Form.

With the breakthrough and limit-breaking, his speed naturally soared.

At this moment, his speed was nearly twice as fast as Qiu Shilong's.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ning closed the distance between them.

"Yang Kai, help me!" Qiu Shilong cried out as Jiang Ning was within arm's reach.

Before Yang Kai could react, the sword in Jiang Ning's hand had already enveloped Qiu Shilong.

Under this sword strike, Qiu Shilong instantly felt an overwhelming force pressing down, with no way to dodge or retreat.

He could only withstand the attack; he had no other choice.

Momentum!

This is blade technique!

Qiu Shilong's eyes widened in disbelief.

Enveloped by the blade technique and the sharpness of Jiang Ning's Spirit Blade,

Qiu Shilong's eyes flashed with despair.]



This strike was unstoppable.

The blade's edge was not something a mortal body could withstand.

Even if his skin was now as tough as copper, what difference would it make?

Even the Thousand-Forged Tiger Finger, forged from the finest iron, was effortlessly sliced in two by a single stroke.

In this situation, bronze and tofu were no different.

The next moment—

The blade descended.

Qiu Shilong's body was cleaved in two and slowly fell to the ground.

Boom—

The over two-meter-tall body collapsed, instantly emitting a booming sound.

Yang Kai, standing nearby, watched this scene in disbelief.

He never expected that Qiu Shilong, who had dominated Luoshui County for so many years and was now the head manager of the Blacksmith Shop, would die so easily.

It was such an unexpected death.

Killed by Jiang Ning, who had only practiced martial arts for a few months.

Then, cold sweat instantly appeared on Yang Kai's forehead.

He saw Jiang Ning's gaze fall upon him as he held the longsword, observing him silently.

Yang Kai instantly felt enveloped by the aura of death.

Qiu Shilong couldn't withstand two strikes from Jiang Ning and perished.

Even if Yang Kai were in Qiu Shilong's position, the outcome would be the same.

Death was the only inevitable outcome.

The sharpness of the Spirit Blade was unstoppable by ordinary weapons.

Surrounded by the blade technique, how could one resist? It was an unstoppable killing move.

Jiang Ning calmly observed Yang Kai for several breaths, various thoughts flashing through his mind.

After a few breaths—

Swish—

He sheathed his sword.

"I won't kill you. Take Qiu Shilong's body away!"

"Thank you!" Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, then spoke timidly.

Jiang Ning added, "I hope what happened tonight won't be spread. You know the consequences if it does."

"Understood! Understood!!" Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.

A moment later, watching Yang Kai quickly leave with Qiu Shilong's body, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.

"I underestimated my own strength!"

"With the Spirit Blade that can cut through iron in my hand, facing a so-called Eighth Rank Martial Dao is like dimensional supremacy."

"Surrounded by the blade technique, their mental willpower isn't strong enough, so they can only withstand my strike. But with the sharpness of the Spirit Blade, ordinary weapons will be easily cut in two."

"Just like the ebony longsword I used earlier."

"It was supposedly forged from thousand-forged fine iron, yet it couldn't withstand a single strike and was sliced in two."

"However, if I were to face a divine archer like Cao Rong, my advantage would be completely gone."

"Facing those few arrows Cao Rong shot, with my current strength, I might not even get close before being taken down by him!"

At this thought, the pride in Jiang Ning's heart instantly vanished.

The sharpness of the Spirit Blade was only effective against those wielding ordinary iron weapons.

He knew that the reason for Qiu Shilong's swift defeat.

It was simply because Qiu Shilong was too careless, coming late at night unarmed.

How could a Tiger Finger, barely two centimeters thick, withstand the sharpness of the Spirit Blade?

Once at a disadvantage, his death was inevitable.

Letting Yang Kai go was a well-thought-out decision by Jiang Ning.

There was no grudge between them, and strictly speaking, Yang Kai had even saved his life once.

In this situation, how could Jiang Ning take Yang Kai's life?

Moreover, based on the information revealed in Yang Kai and Qiu Shilong's conversation, it seemed that Qiu Shilong had come on his own initiative.

Yang Kai bore no ill intentions towards Jiang Ning.

In Jiang Ning's eyes, the Blacksmith Shop posed no threat to him.

The vast Blacksmith Shop now had only two Eighth Rank Divine Strength Realm martial artists at the Eighth Stage Martial Dao.

One was Yang Kai, who had come tonight, and the other was the former head blacksmith, Gong Mingyuan, now old and frail.

Aside from these two, the other skilled blacksmiths in the shop were at most at the Ninth Stage Martial Dao.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai, after climbing over the wall of Jiang Ning's residence—

He heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"That kid is too terrifying! He has mastered the legendary blade technique and wields a Spirit Blade. Qiu Shilong's death is not unjust."

Muttering to himself, Yang Kai looked down at Qiu Shilong's body in his hands.

Under Jiang Ning's strike, Qiu Shilong's head had been cleaved in two, the blade mark reaching deep into his chest, leaving him dead beyond doubt.

Holding Qiu Shilong's body, Yang Kai paused to think, then turned and headed towards the direction outside the city.

That direction led to the former head blacksmith's current retirement residence.

"Regardless, Qiu Shilong's sudden death is a huge matter for the shop. We can't hide it from Elder Gong. We need his decision on this matter."

"I hope Elder Gong doesn't choose to be an enemy of that kid!"

"At this age, mastering the blade technique in just a few months of martial arts training is truly terrifying."

"Who knows how far he'll go in the future!"

"Tonight, he killed Qiu Shilong, relying on the advantage of his weapon, but his speed is too exaggerated!"

"Far surpassing Qiu Shilong and myself."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end