Chapter 464: Xiao Qiushui's Death, Plundering the Treasure Vault!

Chapter 464: Xiao Qiushui's Death, Plundering the Treasure Vault!

April 4, 2025, Author: Jiang Shangjing

Moonlight flowed like water, enveloping the architectural complex built against the mountain.

The deep blue jade tiles shimmered under the bright moonlight.

Jiang Ning walked on the grayish-white flagstones, passing through a courtyard surrounded by corridors on all four sides, heading towards a house in the distance.

At this moment, the surroundings were silent.

Only the occasional whispers from afar and the occasional "Cuckoo, Cuckoo" bird calls from below could be heard.

As Jiang Ning ventured deeper into Xiao Qiushui's palace, he felt an eerie chill in the deserted place.

He shook his head, dispelling his inner thoughts, and quietly approached Xiao Qiushui's location.

Ahead was a spacious main hall with an eight-meter-high ceiling.

A woman in a white skirt sat cross-legged on a bamboo mat.

Three inches in front of her chest, a small silver-white sword hovered in mid-air.

The small sword, about six or seven centimeters long, trembled in front of Xiao Qiushui, emitting a faint silver glow.

Behind her stood a statue of a woman, seemingly carved from white jade, radiating a bright light in the dark and spacious hall.

It was the faint reflection of the moonlight filtering through the skylight onto the statue.

Suddenly, Xiao Qiushui opened her eyes, and her pupils contracted.

She saw a tall and straight figure standing at the entrance of the hall.

The night wind blew in from the hall's entrance, ruffling the figure's black hair and causing his robe to flutter.

"It's you!!!" Xiao Qiushui's eyes were solemn.

Seeing Jiang Ning, she instantly understood why she had felt uneasy all day and why her right eye had been twitching.

Now she realized that the source of her premonition might have been this very moment.

As a Divine Human Master, she could sense the signs of fortune and calamity through the connection between heaven and earth.

She didn't believe that Jiang Ning, who appeared at this moment, had lost his mind.

The fact that he could appear before her at this precise moment and remain unnoticed until he reached the entrance spoke volumes.

"It's me!" Jiang Ning replied.

"It seems you're quite confident!" Xiao Qiushui slowly stood up, her long skirt flowing like water, concealing her graceful figure.

As she rose, her mouth opened, and the silver sword in front of her instantly transformed into a beam of light and flew into his mouth.

Jiang Ning couldn't help but take a second glance.

A sense of astonishment flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed his thoughts.

The next moment, he clenched his fist, channeling his strength throughout his body, and his blood surged.

Instantly, a golden glow enveloped his body.

Xiao Qiushui's expression changed, and her calm demeanor was instantly replaced by shock.

This was the physical manifestation of breaking through the sound barrier, and with her ears, she couldn't hear the explosion of the flagstones.

What kind of monster was this?!

She was shocked to her core.

Breaking through the sound barrier with sheer physical strength was something even she couldn't accomplish.

Or, to be precise, it was beyond the capabilities of most Divine Masters.

At that moment, she realized why Jiang Ning had sneaked into her palace in the middle of the night.

His current display had already proven that Jiang Ning's physical prowess surpassed hers.

Not to mention the faint golden glow surrounding Jiang Ning's body.

In the hall, Xiao Qiushui quickly retreated, moving with incredible speed.

Her white skirt flowed behind her as she backed away like a ghost.

After witnessing Jiang Ning's physical prowess in breaking the sound barrier and the golden glow around his body, Xiao Qiushui completely abandoned the idea of confronting him head-on.

However, her speed was no match for his.

Jiang Ning was even faster.

He parted the air like a surging wave.

Then, with a heavy stomp, he took a step forward.

Boom—

A thunderous roar seemed to echo in the void.

The air currents around Jiang Ning suddenly vanished, and the resistance to his body significantly decreased.

In an instant, he was just inches away from Xiao Qiushui.

Xiao Qiushui's pupils contracted sharply, and the distance between them was less than three feet.

She could feel Jiang Ning's body, just inches away, like a blazing furnace, radiating intense heat, and a powerful sense of oppression washed over her.

At the same time, she saw her own terrified reflection in Jiang Ning's pupils.

The next moment, her vision was dominated by Jiang Ning's golden hand.

As the hand approached, it seemed to expand into five towering mountains, gradually blocking her entire view.

Xiao Qiushui's mind flashed with the thought, "No direct confrontation."

Then, her red lips parted.

A silver light flashed, revealing a silver needle sword.

The small sword was no more than two inches long.

But its appearance made Jiang Ning feel an intense threat, like a sharp thorn.

He focused his gaze, refusing to back down, and channeled all his energy into his blood.

As the blood surged, a dragon's roar seemed to echo within him.

The two layers of golden light enveloping his body also became brighter.

The next moment—

A deep hum resonated as the silver glow forcefully struck Jiang Ning's palm.

The golden light vanished, leaving a sharp stinging pain in his palm.

But at the same time, Jiang Ning swatted away the silver glow, and the silver needle sword emitted a wailing clanging sound in mid-air.

Facing this strike, Jiang Ning's steps faltered.

Xiao Qiushui seized the opportunity to create some distance, leaping upward by several yards.

At this moment, she could no longer pay attention to Jiang Ning behind her.

Her figure soared into the sky.

As a Divine Human Master, she could walk on air.

She understood that as long as she ascended into the sky, even with Jiang Ning's formidable physical strength, he would have no means to stop her.

This was the greatest advantage of a Divine Human Master.

However,

In the next instant,

She felt her ankle being firmly grasped by a scorching hot large hand.

That huge hand was like an iron hook, firmly locking onto her slender ankle.

Xiao Qiushui immediately looked down, seeing Jiang Ning slightly tilting his head to look at her, his gaze exceptionally piercing.

At this moment, Jiang Ning didn't give Xiao Qiushui any time to react. Holding her ankle, he abruptly exerted force.

Boom—

With the burst of his strength, Xiao Qiushui was pulled down like a piece of cloth, slamming heavily onto the ground.

The impact shattered the flagstones, and the flying shards blasted like cannonballs in all directions.

The nearby wall instantly bore numerous large and small indentations.

Facing Xiao Qiushui, a Divine Human Master, Jiang Ning also didn't dare to give her any chance to recover.

Seizing the opportunity, he tightly gripped her ankle, repeatedly lifting and slamming her against the ground as if swinging a sandbag.

There was not a trace of compassion in his heart.

Jiang Ning only knew to fully seize this rare opportunity, not giving Xiao Qiushui any chance to recover.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

Consecutive booming sounds continued to echo.

The ground around them shook, and the pit beneath their feet grew deeper.

The booming sounds quickly spread throughout the entire WaterMoon Sword Palace, instantly awakening the disciples who had fallen asleep.

After just a few breaths,

Xiao Qiushui was heavily thrown to the ground by Jiang Ning.

The earth cracked, and the fissures spread like spider webs.

At this moment, Xiao Qiushui no longer possessed the noble demeanor she had before.

Her clothing was torn, and her limbs were twisted.

Although her spring was exposed, there was no hint of beauty at this moment.

Then,

Xiao Qiushui watched as Jiang Ning's golden glow-covered fingers landed on her forehead, and a glimmer of despair flashed in her eyes.

She never imagined that she would end up in such a situation.

And it was happening in such a humiliating manner.

She still had so many more tricks up her sleeve.

The sword intent that she prided herself on had not yet had a chance to unleash,

Had already suffered severe injuries and temporarily lost her ability to resist.

Although a Divine Human Master's physical body was strong, their vitality was robust, and their self-healing abilities were fast,

Jiang Ning, who was within arm's reach, obviously wouldn't give her such an opportunity.

The next moment,

Jiang Ning's fingertips unleashed their power, piercing Xiao Qiushui's skull.

Then, the true qi erupted, pouring into Xiao Qiushui's head and stirring her brain.

When he withdrew his fingers,

A blood hole the size of two fingers appeared on Xiao Qiushui's forehead.

A mixture of red and white matter gushed out from the blood hole, making her face look even more distraught.

Her once bright gaze had now completely dimmed, devoid of any luster.

After confirming that Xiao Qiushui's life force had been extinguished,

Jiang Ning didn't hesitate for a moment.

His figure flashed,

And he arrived at a corner.

After swatting away the silver needle sword with a palm strike, he had already memorized the direction it flew.

He was well aware that the silver needle sword was undoubtedly a rare treasure.

Not to mention its divine peculiarities,

The wound on his palm, still oozing blood from the strike, was enough proof of the silver needle sword's extraordinariness.

After finding the silver needle sword he had struck away, he grabbed it and put it in his bag.

Then, his figure flashed again, and he arrived in front of the statue of a woman cast in white jade in the center of the hall.

Under the moonlight, the statue emitted a faint glow, appearing exceptionally sacred.

After just a glance, Jiang Ning felt a sense of sanctity, as if he were looking at a divine maiden.

He then noticed the scattered stones beneath the statue.

It was evident that these stones were the shards that had flown out when the flagstones exploded.

Seeing the stones on the ground, a peculiar expression flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes.

The flying shards had blasted like cannonballs, creating large and small indentations on the wall.

Yet, the white jade statue showed no signs of damage.

The next moment,

He no longer dwelled on this minor issue.

Because the time left for him was limited.

That brief clash was enough to awaken all the disciples of the WaterMoon Sword Palace.

The reason he came in the middle of the night was to avoid being discovered.

Being exposed to the public eye brought few benefits and countless troubles.

Especially after witnessing the combat prowess of Li Sishang, the Deputy Master of Duxian Gate and a Two-Tier Divine Realm Grand Master, during the day.

He now fully understood that he had no right to be reckless.

There were countless towering mountains in this world, and he, at best, was merely a small hill.

Even a random Two-Tier Master could threaten his life.

Under such circumstances, it was best to continue developing stealthily.

He naturally didn't want anyone to discover that he was responsible for Xiao Qiushui's death.

However, at this moment, he couldn't leave immediately.

Because he had previously used his Heavenly Eye, he had already discovered a vault beneath the statue.

Inside the vault was the WaterMoon Sword Palace's treasured treasure chamber.

He was now a major consumer of resources.

With such a valuable prize within reach, how could he let it go?

The next moment, a broadsword appeared in his hand.

The blade flashed, and the flagstones beneath his feet instantly split like tofu, then flew into the air.

Below, a pitch-black and deep tunnel entrance appeared.

In the dimly lit hall, this tunnel entrance seemed to lead straight to the netherworld.

Jiang Ning, however, was fearless.

He had already thoroughly explored the situation below, not only through his Heavenly Eye but also with his Divine Perception, which had penetrated the tunnel and stopped at the door below, unable to go further.

"Truly amazing!" he muttered to himself.

Then, his figure vanished in the hall and entered the tunnel below.

In an instant, he appeared before a towering stone door at the bottom of the tunnel.

The oil lamps on both sides of the tunnel instantly lit up as he appeared.

The sizzling flames illuminated the previously pitch-black tunnel, making it much brighter.

Jiang Ning glanced at the stone door in front of him and then slashed with his broadsword.

Clang!

The blade struck the stone door, emitting a piercing sound, and sparks flew like fireflies on the stone wall.

Jiang Ning's hand holding the broadsword tingled, and surprise flashed in his eyes.

This strike didn't reveal what he had expected.

The stone door wasn't split open; it only left a several-decimeter-long, three-to-five-centimeter-deep gash.

The impact numbed his hand.

The next moment, he took a deep breath.

He slashed again, and the sword intent suddenly erupted.

Crack!

Where the sword intent passed, the stone door broke apart.

He instantly felt the air flowing through the gap he had created.

This indicated that his strike had split the heavy stone door.

Then, with several more slashes, the door was cut open.

Afterward, he placed his palm on the stone door and pushed.

The thick stone door, weighing over a thousand pounds, was pushed open, and the stone fragments fell into the vault behind the door.

Jiang Ning bent down and quickly entered the vault.

According to his previous observations, this vault wasn't very large.

It didn't hold many items, only the most precious treasures of the WaterMoon Sword Palace.

As for the other official sect treasury, he had already discovered it.

It was vast and held many items, but most of them were ordinary.

For him, they were far less valuable than the treasures in this vault.

After all, he was alone, and he only had two Shruti Rings, so he couldn't carry many items.

At this moment, he didn't have time for a thorough inspection. He quickly looted the treasury.

In less than two breaths, the treasury was emptied.

Then, his figure flashed, and he reappeared outside the stone door.

With his Divine Perception, he observed the entire WaterMoon Sword Palace.

He was aware of everyone's movements.

In an instant, he returned to the hall through the tunnel.

He approached Xiao Qiushui.

At this moment, Xiao Qiushui's clothing was torn, and her white qun was stained with blood and dirt.

She had lost all semblance of a master's demeanor.

Even with her exposed skin, she had lost the previous beauty.

His mind couldn't help but recall the previous Xiao Qiushui—a beauty with an icy demeanor, like a divine maiden.

But now, not even half of her former self remained.

"Forget it!"

"Let's give you a dignified departure!"

Jiang Ning sighed and waved his hand.

The long silk curtain floating in the hall flew into his hand.

He draped the curtain over Xiao Qiushui's body, and as the curtain fluttered, it wrapped around her.

The next moment, flames erupted from the void.

The temperature was extremely high, far exceeding that of ordinary flames.

In an instant, the flames ignited Xiao Qiushui's body, wrapped in the curtain.

The dancing flames illuminated the empty hall.

Jiang Ning's figure disappeared from the scene.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end