Ling Tian Sword God

By the time Wang Yan reacted, a sharp sword was already against his neck.

"Boy, I am a Genius Disciple of the Shocking Death Sect! Kill me, and even if you flee to the Ends of the Earth, you're dead! Are you seeking death?"

Wang Yan, outwardly fierce but inwardly terrified, glared at Ling Chen, his mouth full of blood. He couldn't believe Ling Chen would dare to kill him. The Shocking Death Sect was the second-largest sect in Aqua Country, its power scarcely inferior to the current Divine Intent Sect. If Ling Chen dared to touch him, even fleeing back to the Divine Intent Sect would be useless; the Shocking Death Sect would undoubtedly pressure them to hand him over.

Ling Chen said impassively, "If you knew this would happen, why did you act as you did?"

Seeing Ling Chen hesitate, Wang Yan was secretly pleased. This man is indeed timid! He and I are now mortal enemies; this grudge is irreconcilable. I'll make him wish for death but be unable to attain it, to repay today's humiliation!

He looked at Ling Chen and sneered coldly, "A warrior has only one life. If you spare me now, we can consider this matter settled. But if you dare lay a hand on me, you know the consequences. There are paths you cannot afford to take. One misstep, and you'll ruin your own bright fut—"

SPLAT!

He never finished his last word. A flash of Sword Light decapitated him. Blood, mixed with the surrounding water, geysered three meters high.

"Since you've already offended me, there's no other option. You must die," Ling Chen stated indifferently.

"You... You killed Wang Yan?" Xu Ruoyan's expression changed drastically as she saw Ling Chen behead Wang Yan with a single stroke.

The Pupils of Sky Void Palace all watched Ling Chen in utter shock. The renowned Wang Yan, wielder of the "Extinguishing Life Saber," was killed just like that, reduced to a headless corpse.

Their gazes, fixed on Ling Chen, were filled with terror.

Ling Chen stated, "If I didn't kill him today, he would have killed me in the future."

The Martial World is a cruel place. Those who are too soft will never make their mark. Sometimes, one must be ruthless. If you don't strike, so be it; but if you do, you must cut down the weeds and dig up the roots to prevent future trouble.

Besides, Wang Yan had already publicly declared his intent to kill Ling Chen, so Ling Chen could not possibly spare his life.

"This man is dead! He's definitely dead! He killed Senior Brother Wang Yan! The members of our Shocking Death Sect will not let him go! Let's go, quickly! Once we're out of the Tienzong Ruins, we'll inform the Elders about Senior Brother Wang Yan's murder. They'll kill him!" a disciple from the Shocking Death Sect shouted.

"One might survive a calamity sent by the heavens, but one can never survive calamities of one's own making! Killing a Son of Heaven from our Shocking Death Sect is an unforgivable sin!"

"Run quickly! We must spread the news!"

The three Shocking Death Sect disciples fled towards the hall's entrance.

"Trying to escape?"

They had just turned when an extremely cold voice sounded from behind them. They whipped their heads around, their hearts almost splitting with fright. Ling Chen, enveloped in a formidable Sword Momentum, shot towards them at astonishing speed.

"No!"

The slowest disciple's head flew into the air, his eyes wide, as if he couldn't believe he was dead. He hadn't wanted to die; he still had a long life ahead of him.

"Don't, don't kill me!" the second-to-last Shocking Death Sect disciple screamed, begging for mercy.

SPLAT!

Ling Chen, his expression cold and grim, swung his arm. Sword qi erupted, cleaving the second Shocking Death Sect disciple in two.

After killing two Shocking Death Sect disciples, Ling Chen's gaze fell upon the last one. By now, the man had reached the hall's entrance. Believing Ling Chen could no longer catch him, he burst into wild laughter, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. "You demon! An Elder from our Shocking Death Sect won't let you go! Just wait for your death! Ugh…"

His laughter choked abruptly; his body stiffened. A small hole appeared between his eyebrows, from which dark blood trickled.

It was the Scorpion Tail Needle Ling Chen had launched.

BANG!

His body thudded to the ground. The last Shocking Death Sect disciple also lay dead.

"A Scorpion Tail Needle? Could you be Poisonous Scorpion, ranked thirty-fifth on the Heavenly List? Impossible, Poisonous Scorpion shouldn't be this strong." Xu Ruoyan's eyes lit up for a moment, then she fell into contemplation.

"This Scorpion Tail Needle indeed came from Poisonous Scorpion."

Ling Chen's indifferent voice reached Xu Ruoyan's ears, causing her to be inwardly shocked. The Scorpion Tail Needle is Poisonous Scorpion's unique weapon. How could it have fallen into someone else's hands? There could only be one answer: Poisonous Scorpion had already died by this man's hand.

Terrifying! First Poisonous Scorpion, and now Wang Yan. To him, killing experts from the Heavenly List was as easy as slaughtering pigs and dogs. It was unbelievable!

GULP!

A Pupil of Sky Void Palace swallowed hard, his face somewhat pale as he looked at Ling Chen. This masked fellow was simply a reincarnated star of slaughter—too savage! He was terrified that Ling Chen, in his killing frenzy, might turn on them and kill them too.

Indeed, after killing the three fleeing Shocking Death Sect disciples, Ling Chen's gaze fell upon the few Pupils of Sky Void Palace, his eyes holding a chilling glint.

The fact that I killed Wang Yan must not be leaked. Otherwise, I'll face relentless pursuit from the Shocking Death Sect. Ling Chen dared not be careless; his eyes still brimmed with killing intent. If any of them reported this, it would bring me immense trouble.

"Sir, we swear to keep this a secret! We won't breathe a word about what happened here to anyone! If we do, may we be struck by lightning and condemned to the Eighteen Levels of Hell!"

Perceiving Ling Chen's thoughts, the few Pupils of Sky Void Palace all knelt and begged for mercy.

Seeing this, Xu Ruoyan also bowed to Ling Chen and pleaded earnestly, "I can guarantee with my life that not a single word about what happened here will be leaked. I hope Your Excellency can trust us."

"Moreover, I am also involved in this matter. If Your Excellency hadn't intervened, I would have fallen victim to that villain. I, Xu Ruoyan, am not an ungrateful person and would never betray Your Excellency."

Hearing her words, Ling Chen's killing intent lessened slightly. He had indeed been caught up in the heat of the moment, which was why his killing intent hadn't subsided. If I really killed these Pupils of Sky Void Palace, wouldn't I become an indiscriminate slaughterer of innocents? Since Xu Ruoyan had spoken, he would let the matter rest.

"Miss Xu is the daughter of Sect Leader Xu Feihong. Her words naturally carry the weight of the Nine Cauldrons. I can trust her."

Ling Chen also cupped his fists. Since Xu Ruoyan hadn't recognized him, he naturally wouldn't reveal his true identity.

With that said, Ling Chen went over to Wang Yan's body. After searching him, he found some valuable items, including Wang Yan's Extinguishing Life Saber, all of which he took.

As for Wang Yan's corpse, Ling Chen set it ablaze, burning it along with the bodies of the other Shocking Death Sect disciples.

After finishing all this, Ling Chen walked towards the hall's exit, preparing to leave.

"Young Master, please wait."

Just as Ling Chen was about to step out of the main door, Xu Ruoyan's voice came from behind him.

Ling Chen paused and turned, looking slightly surprised. "Wang Yan is dead. What else do you require, Miss?"

"The debt of saving my life has yet to be repaid. May I ask for Your Excellency's name?" Xu Ruoyan asked earnestly.