Chapter 40 After Daji, Lady Xi Appears, the Horse Hunter by the Luoshui River
After the Cheng Ying Sword was suppressed by the Qiankun Ring, it became exceptionally slippery, seizing an opportunity to dart out again, heading straight for Li Mingzhu.
Though the Sword Qi was vast and murderous in aura, it carried no true killing intent. Li Mingzhu realized it bore him no malice.
It was merely venting grievances, like a child waiting after school for their parents but being left to wait for two whole hours. Its frustration was imaginable.
Li Mingzhu understood this was precisely the situation now. The Cheng Ying Sword had been guiding him all along, yet he had come so late!
Sensing the sword's minor tantrum, Li Mingzhu could only smile helplessly. What could he do? In the end, it was a miraculous inspiration that brought him here. Otherwise, he might never have found it.
So it wasn't unreasonable for the Cheng Ying Sword to be upset. With a sheepish grin, Li Mingzhu leapt out of the water. This journey was a success.
As for why the Cheng Ying Sword had been suppressed by the Water Spirit—it was because, after the Holy Emperor placed it beneath the water, it often disturbed the Water Spirit's cultivation. Eventually, the Water Spirit used the entire Luoshui River's power to suppress it. It had brought this upon itself; no one else was to blame.
Li Mingzhu felt his trip to the Luoshui River was fruitful. Not only did he acquire the formless Holy Dao Slaughter Sword, the Cheng Ying, but he also encountered the future Luo Shen and even took her as his disciple.
He had little to complain about. Before leaving, he intended to bid farewell to the Horse King—better still, to persuade it to follow him.
Over seven days, Li Mingzhu had mapped out the horses' habitat and arrived in a flash.
Yet what met his eyes was the sight of the Dragonhorse's nighttime resting spot—a barren land awash in yellow sand, as if a thousand horses stampeded!
Something was wrong. Trouble was brewing!
At first glance, Li Mingzhu could sense the dire situation. The Cheng Ying Sword silently appeared in his hand as he dashed forward.
Within the herd, the Horse King stood at the forefront, facing off against eighteen cultivators who wielded specially modified ropes. These cultivators were all at least at the Primordial Spirit level.
Among them, the strongest was at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm. Li Mingzhu took in this sight, observing everything carefully.
The Horse King snorted heavily, clearly having already fought a fierce battle. At the center of the herd, over a dozen injured Dragonhorses were being shielded.
Li Mingzhu quickly approached the Horse King, reached out to calm it, and took out Spiritual Wine, signaling the Horse King to restore its strength.
Unexpectedly, the Horse King, who usually loved wine, pushed its head forcefully toward the injured Dragonhorses, indicating they needed it more.
"Don't worry—they have better Spiritual Medicine!"
Li Mingzhu said softly before taking out Spiritual Medicine he had plundered from the Dragon Palace to heal the herd.
Upon seeing Li Mingzhu casually produce such top-grade elixirs, the eighteen cultivators' eyes gleamed with greed. They began cursing Li Mingzhu for his wastefulness, calling him profligate for using such precious resources on mere beasts.
"Brat, who are you? Do you even know what you're doing now?"
The leader of the eighteen cultivators, clad in a wide Daoist robe but looking more like a mortal executioner, barked aggressively.
"This humble Daoist is treating Holy Beasts!"
While distributing the medicine among the herd, Li Mingzhu ignored the group for now. Let them live a bit longer.
"Holy Beasts? They're just animals! Brat, I advise you to hand over the medicine, help us capture these beasts, and you might win Lady Xi's favor, sparing yourself from death!"
As the leader's words fell, they drew unanimous approval from the other seventeen, who voiced their agreement.
Li Mingzhu turned to face the eighteen cultivators, his murderous intent unrestrained, his voice chilling as he declared, "Speak now—how do you wish to die? You each get one choice!"
"Ignorant fool! Brothers, kill him for me!"
Enraged, the Profound Immortal Daoist boomed.
"Kill!"
This was a band of desperate outlaws. With Li Mingzhu blocking their path to riches, they showed no mercy, charging at him like ravenous wolves.
Various Magic Artifacts were summoned with the intent to deliver a lethal, decisive blow to Li Mingzhu, regardless of his strength.
"Fools!"
Li Mingzhu felt no need to show mercy to those courting death. These people had already crossed his bottom line.
The Dragonhorse was not only a symbol of prosperity but also the Holy Emperor's mount in the Ancient Times. It had accompanied him in countless battles. Calling it a Holy Beast of the Human Clan was entirely justified. And yet, these people dared to hunt it!
Seeing his top-grade medicine had triggered their greed, killing them was the only answer!
Though Li Mingzhu wasn't bloodthirsty, he never hesitated to kill when it was deserved.
The Shadowless Sword flew from his hand, formless and invisible as it claimed lives without a trace.
In an instant, the Sword Qi danced like the wind, elusive and enigmatic. Blood splattered everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, seventeen bursts of blood accompanied the rolling of seventeen heads.
This was nothing short of crushing them with his superior cultivation—and with the Cheng Ying Sword, an unparalleled artifact of slaughter, the outcome was inevitable.
After slaying the seventeen men, the Cheng Ying Sword stopped near the throat of the Profound Immortal Daoist, still formless and invisible, yet poised to strike.
"Spare me, Daoist! Spare me, Daoist! I was blinded by greed and should not have tried to hunt Holy Beasts. Please spare my life!"
The Daoist immediately groveled, his arrogance replaced with abject terror. A moment ago, he had been full of bravado, but upon witnessing the Cheng Ying Sword's power, he kowtowed frantically.
He dared not disobey. The chilling sensation at his neck told him that one wrong move would mean losing his head.
He didn't intend to die like the others, clueless as to their own end.
"Humble Daoist asks you: who exactly is this Lady Xi you mentioned?" Li Mingzhu ignored the pleas and asked coldly.
"Lady Xi… Lady Xi is the consort of Great Shang's King Zhou. She is his favored concubine!" The Daoist, sobbing and trembling, replied hurriedly.
"Lady Xi? This humble Daoist has never heard of her. If you dare spout nonsense again, I will show no mercy with my Sword Light!" Li Mingzhu retorted coldly. What Lady Xi? He had never known King Zhou to have such a consort.
"I don't know her origin either. I only know that after King Zhou failed to summon Su Hu's daughter from Jizhou, Su Hu somehow brought forward a Su Xi to present to him. Not only did it avert the military disaster on Jizhou, but Su Hu also became a royal in-law and is now extremely favored. This Su Xi has become King Zhou's favorite. She demanded Dragonhorse hides for shoulder guards and wanted to ride Dragonhorses in public, so how could we defy her?"
The Daoist gibbered, stealing fearful glances at Li Mingzhu, uncertain what thoughts churned in his mind.
"So, in your eyes, you're a hero for telling me all this?"
Li Mingzhu glared fiercely at the Daoist, shouting aggressively!
"I wouldn't dare!"
The Daoist, hearing Li Mingzhu's words, immediately poured out tears and mucus again, kowtowing without pause.
"Wouldn't dare? Don't think I don't know. Even without this Su Xi's orders, you'd still come to hunt horses. Judging by your equipment, you frequent these parts. The only difference is her payments are higher!"
A Human Race cultivator daring to hunt Human Race Holy Beasts deserved only death!
Li Mingzhu left no room for the Daoist to argue further. The Cheng Ying Sword turned into a flash of white light, slicing cleanly. The Daoist's head was severed.
Allowing him to live momentarily had only been to uncover the truth. Did he truly think he could escape death?
Even as he died, the Daoist tried to point accusingly at Li Mingzhu, as though questioning him. But did he even have the right?
What troubled Li Mingzhu was this so-called Lady Xi. Though he had stopped Daji's entry into the court, another "Lady Xi" had appeared. Was Heaven set on dooming the Yin Shang dynasty?
Li Mingzhu didn't feel overly sorrowful, only reflective. Indeed, human effort could not resist the will of Heaven.
Perhaps the Yin Shang's fate was destined to end. For King Zhou to heed Su Xi's wishes and hunt Dragonhorses—the beasts embodying auspiciousness and the Human Clan's destiny—was unforgivable. If they were truly wiped out, it would sever thirty percent of the Yin Shang's fortune.