Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"Who are you, that you know of my identity?" Dressed in black and holding an iron sword, Yang Ling Qin's gaze turned to Luo Feng, standing beside Gu Chen. His eyes were extremely cold, harboring an intimidating murderous intent.

"Who is this man?" Gu Chen also looked toward Luo Feng.

"Blood Drop Sword, Yang Ling Qin, is a hitman personally trained by the Red Dust Tower, possessing tremendous strength. He ranks in the top fifty on the Black List and is no weaker than some of the martial artists with lower rankings on the Leaderboard of Heroes," Luo Feng introduced to Gu Chen.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen instantly understood. As an assassin organization, the Red Dust Tower's killers naturally kept a low profile; the last thing they would want is for others to know their trump cards.

Coupled with the fact that Yang Ling Qin rarely made moves and did not garner any outstanding battle achievements over the years, he wasn't listed on the Leaderboard of Heroes by the Diancang Pavilion.

However, being a rival of the Red Dust Tower and having contended with them until now, the Red Flame Demon Sect naturally had a crystal-clear understanding of most of the Red Dust Tower's internal affairs. The same was true in reverse between the other top unorthodox factions – no one knew each other better.

"Someone from the Red Flame Demon Sect?" Yang Ling Qin's eyes flashed as he quickly guessed Luo Feng's background.

His cold eyes, akin to a venomous snake, swept across his surroundings as he spoke in a low voice, "No matter who you are, today, you will die!"

Since he dared to hide in Qiongtian City, he was naturally prepared to die there if his presence was discovered. As an assassin, death was not something he feared.

On the contrary, before dying, Yang Ling Qin would unleash all his strength, hoping to take as many lives with him as possible.

The reason his nickname was Blood Drop Sword was that he killed countless people, and his sword was stained with endless fresh blood.

Clang!

As soon as the words fell, Yang Ling Qin immediately made his move. Gangqi surged within his body, clinging to the sword, vibrating continuously, and the iron sword emitted piercing sword hums one after another.

"Ah..."

In an instant, many people screamed, with blood flowing from their ears, retreating backward with loud cries.

This was a high-grade martial skill from within the Red Dust Tower, highly unique, utilizing vibrating Gangqi attached to the sword, generating different frequencies to harm the enemy.

Even Luo Feng, who was at the Vajra Stage, had a look of pain on his face as he continuously retreated backward.

"Inner Gangqi?"

Gu Chen's gaze remained calm, letting the piercing sword hums attack him ceaselessly as he sat there quietly, unaffected.

Hum!

The next moment, he struck back with a palm, and layers of ripples immediately appeared in the air, surging towards Yang Ling Qin not far away.

Seeing that his usually flawless attack was ineffective against Gu Chen, Yang Ling Qin's face darkened. Meeting the attacks of ripples from Gu Chen, he drew his sword to strike.

Shlick!

A dazzling blood-colored sword beam shot out from the tip of the sword, but instead of attacking Gu Chen, it targeted Luo Feng behind him.

Whoosh!

Seeing this, Gu Chen's figure flashed, teleporting close, arriving beside Luo Feng and blocking the attack for him.

From their brief exchange, Gu Chen had already discerned that Yang Ling Qin, currently before him, was at the early Gang Qi Stage, just like the other Gang Qi Stage martial artists he had encountered before.

The Gang Qi Stage was divided into inner Gangqi and outer Gangqi, and the smaller realms within it were also divided into the early stage, middle stage, late stage, and great perfection, the same as other stages.

Martial artists from the early to middle stages of the Gang Qi Stage were also known as inner Gangqi martial artists, mainly because, at this stage, the Gangqi within their bodies was not yet profound enough to travel far from their bodies, hence referred to as inner Gangqi.

Once a martial artist reached the late Gang Qi Stage, it signified stepping into the realm of outer Gangqi, with their Gangqi condensed to the extreme, akin to common iron and steel compared to refined steel, capable of leaving the body for long-range attacks on the enemy.

Although there are only four small realms within the Gang Qi Stage, even between the early and middle stages of the Gang Qi Stage, despite both being classified as inner Gangqi, there is a huge gap, with significant differences in cultivation depth and the condensation of Gangqi.

Unless they are genius martial artists from top factions who have achievements in aspects like physical body or martial intent, early-stage martial artists of the Gang Qi Stage will definitely not be able to defeat those of the middle stage.

The difference is as if two grown men are fighting, one unarmed and the other wielding a weapon – the disparity is vast.

If one does not have any exceptional aspects, it is extremely difficult to fight across levels the further they progress in the martial path.

Unless one is as abnormal as Gu Chen, whose physical body, martial intent, and cultivation, as well as martial skills, far surpass his current stage by several times, it would be impossible to defeat someone at the Gang Qi Stage while still at the Vajra Stage.

The Yang Ling Qin before him, in terms of cultivation, was among the most profound inner Gangqi martial artists he had encountered during this time, second only to the old man from the Red Flame Demon Sect who had fused with a demonic ghost.

"Kill!"

Yang Ling Qin, of course, recognized Gu Chen and saw how difficult he was to deal with, yet he had no trace of fear. Gangqi surged within his body, attached to the iron sword in his hand. With a flash, he approached, with a sword slashing down above Gu Chen's head.

Ever since his physical strength had increased to fifty thousand catties, this was the first time Gu Chen was fighting someone. Curious to test himself, Gu Chen did not use any Qi cultivation and directly reached out with his bare hand to grab Yang Ling Qin's iron sword.

"Seeking death!"

A fierce glint flashed in Yang Ling Qin's eyes, as he saw Gu Chen's act as arrogant and giving him an opening.

Sensing the opportunity, Yang Ling Qin, as a battle-hardened assassin, naturally would not let such a chance slip by.
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Shlick!

At that moment, the tip of the sword shot dazzling cold light that was blindingly bright, hurting the onlooker's eyes. With a thrust, Yang Ling Qin aimed the sword at Gu Chen's throat, intending to kill him with a single strike.

Gu Chen's expression remained calm. Seeing the ferocious thrust approaching, his gaze didn't waver in the slightest, tranquil as a still pond.

Boom!

An explosive force of five hundred thousand catties suddenly burst forth, with Gu Chen slapping his palm onto Yang Ling Qin's iron sword. Yang Ling Qin's body trembled, feeling an overwhelming force transmitted through the blade that made his sword-arm numb, devoid of any sensation.

Without a firm grip on his sword, his attack was naturally unsuccessful.

Whoosh!

Yang Ling Qin, clutching his arm, leaped back, with his numb arm struggling with all his might to prevent his weapon from falling.

His pupils dilated, and although he said nothing, Gu Chen still saw profound shock in his eyes.

He couldn't understand how Gu Chen could possess such immense strength. Even with Gangqi protecting his body, he barely withstood the force.

Or perhaps, Yang Ling Qin should feel fortunate that he had his Gangqi with him; otherwise, if Gu Chen's punch had hit, it wouldn't have just been his arm feeling numb but his entire arm, and possibly even half his body, would have burst into blood mist on the spot.

Boom!

Seeing Yang Ling Qin retreat, Gu Chen did not intend to give his enemy a chance to catch his breath. Qi circulated within his body, and at this moment, in Yang Ling Qin's eyes, Gu Chen's aura changed. He felt as if Gu Chen had become a giant who reached the skies, his limbs transforming into four pillars supporting heaven and earth.

Thud!

Gu Chen threw a fierce punch, and in Yang Ling Qin's perspective, the sky collapsed!