Chapter 90:

The bearded swordsman went straight into the crowd, swinging his sword and attacking as if there was nobody around.

His sword skills were extremely precise, every strike aimed at vital points, each strike taking a life.

Jade-faced Flying Dragon and the others in the back only threw hidden weapons from a distance, observing from the side, their faces showing a hint of surprise when they saw this scene.

With their strength, they naturally surpassed these villagers who were on fire.

But as long as they were a bit careless and caught a single spark, they couldn’t extinguish it, either dying or being left maimed.

They didn’t possess the meticulous sword skills of the swordsman, so they didn’t approach for close combat.

It’s not that they were afraid to risk their lives, they just didn’t want to fight to the death with ordinary villagers.

"The person recruited by Star Xuan Envoy this time is quite extraordinary," the burly man Thunderous Hand commented.

"Is it true that the Hu family’s master of swordsmanship is unknown on the Three Boards? Even if their internal strength is slightly inferior, they should still be famous on the Martial Arts Skills and Techniques Board…"

"Although they don’t appear on the Power, Strength, and Techniques Board, there is a famous swordsman surnamed Hu on another list of the Tide Listening Building," Jade-faced Flying Dragon suddenly added.

"What list? Is there something more prestigious than the Power, Strength, and Techniques Board?" Thunderous Hand asked again.

"Naturally… it is the Hero List that All-known Man ranked decades ago, the top ten martial artists in the world!" Jade-faced Flying Dragon startled everyone with this revelation, capturing their attention.

Among the most famous figures in the mortal world, Tide Listening Building was best known for All-known Man from the martial world fifty years ago.

The most famous thing that All-known Man did was create a Hero List, evaluating the heroes of the martial world.

Martial Saint, forty years ago, was the top-ranked general in the imperial court and also the number one martial artist.

He was thriving in the court and was vaguely considered the top martial official of Great Yan.

The military officer leader, also known for his ability and power in government, rather than his personal strength.

At that time, the Martial Saint was strong, but not yet the leader of martial arts.

In fact, before and after the Inhuman War, the Martial Saint ranked 11th on the Hero List of All-known Man in the martial arts world.

It is well known that there are two in the top 1, five in the top 3, and twenty in the top 10.

And those who can be ranked in the top ten in the world by All-known Man are naturally the top ten outstanding individuals.

"The tenth on the Hero List at the time was a swordsman surnamed Hu," exclaimed Jade faced Flying Dragon.

"It is said that this swordsman used to be a chef in the palace and had been hunting and killing various rare monsters for twenty years in the palace kitchen."

"One day, a 3rd rank assassin broke into the palace and tried to knock out the chef…"

Qiao Mu’s heart was moved, does this plot sound familiar?

"Then, the assassin who ranked 3rd was swiftly beheaded by the royal chef who had raised his butcher knife for the first time."

"From then on, he left the palace kitchen and trained with the ‘Cow Cleaver Knife,’ becoming the most renowned swordsman in the world."

When it comes to the extraordinary stories of the martial arts world in the previous era, everyone is filled with nostalgia.

The martial arts world of the old days, before the Inhuman War, was completely different from the present. They could only catch glimpses of that bygone era through stories passed down by their ancestors.

Jade faced Flying Dragon became more and more engrossed as he spoke:

"Whether it’s the All-known Man or the Hero List, they are all things of the past now."

"With the arrival of the Inhuman War forty years ago, the old martial arts world quietly faded away, and the Hero List became a relic of the previous era."

"The elite troops of Great Yan were completely wiped out in the war, with only the Martial Saint surviving. As the sole survivor, he later resigned from his official position and disappeared into the world of martial arts amongst the common people."

"After the Inhuman War, countless people placed their hopes on the top ten experts of that time, hoping they could turn the tide and defeat those inhumans."

"But eventually, they fell silent and disappeared without a trace in the following years, with no news whatsoever."

"Some say they suffered a tragic defeat just like the Martial Saint, or even died in battle; others say they became slaves to inhuman martial arts…"

"Forty years have passed, and still no one knows what happened to them, and gradually, no one cares anymore."

"Since then, the Hero List has become nothing more than a piece of waste paper, and the so-called top ten heroes in the world are nothing compared to the inhuman."

"And this swordsman with the surname Hu and his swordsmanship…" Jade-faced Flying Dragon’s gaze fell on the sword of the swordsman with sideburns.

He had seen the previous swordsman cut off Qiao Mu’s arm swiftly and cleanly, avoiding every vital point and bone with precise strikes, ultimately leaving Qiao Mu injured but not disabled, which was no easy task.

"You don’t happen to think that he is the former tenth in the world, the leading master in swordsmanship, do you?" Thunder Hand asked.

"That is certainly not possible," Jade-faced Flying Dragon shook his head. Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"But it’s possible that he is a descendant or a successor of the former master of swordsmanship, isn’t it?"

Everyone suddenly became a little confused.

This swordsman is very violent, without any hesitation, he uses his sword to take the lives of those villagers who are on fire.

If this person is really a descendant of the inhumane leader of the knife sect who was killed, then it makes sense.

While speaking, Jade faced Flying Dragon glanced at Star Xuan Envoy from the corner of his eye, but Star Xuan Envoy was completely covered by his cloak and mask, showing no emotions at all.

At this moment, most of the villagers who were on fire have been killed.

The remaining people who tried to attack Qiao Mu and the others were burned to death by Li fire, letting out terrifying screams before dying.

Further away, the villagers who were holding pitchforks were terrified and ran away.

Swordsman Old Hu didn’t chase after them, he stood still, leaning on his sword and catching his breath.

"As you get older, it’s normal for your vitality to decline," he sighed.

"You don’t need to guess anymore, I am indeed no longer in the top three of the Tide Listening Building."

His hearing ability was outstanding. Even in the midst of a fierce battle, he heard the discussion of Jade faced Flying Dragon and others behind him.

"I have used up a lot of my internal strength. I will need your help when I meet Saintess Wu Qingxin next."

"…That’s natural."

"Old Hu, you should rest for now." The others naturally nodded in agreement.

From beginning to end, Star Xuan Envoy didn’t take action. He only instructed Qiao Mu and others to fight. Now, he continues to wave his hand to command:

"Since there are so many villagers from the mountains, we must have already arrived at the Saintess Village."

"Follow them!"

The group used light steps to sprint for a while. Soon, the path ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a village in the mountains.

The village is not very big, but right now every house has its doors and windows closed. Nobody is making a sound, it is quiet like a ghost town.

But everyone is a martial artist with sharp senses, so they naturally realize that there are many villagers hiding in these houses.

Qiao Mu takes the lead and kicks open a tightly closed wooden door. Inside the door, there is a middle-aged farmer and his wife and daughter, holding pitchforks with frightened faces.

Qiao Mu has seen this farmer who is holding a pitchfork before. He saw this person earlier behind the crowd on fire, and later he was scared to death by Old Hu and ran away.

"Tell me, where is your Saintess Wu Qingxin?" Qiao Mu demands.



However, these villagers, although fearful, remain tight-lipped and cannot provide any useful information.

"All your people have been burned to death, and you are still protecting your Saintess?"

The farmer’s face turns even paler after hearing this. Beads of sweat appear on his forehead. He had witnessed with his own eyes the villagers who were burned to death by Li, which obviously gave him immense mental pressure.

"Saintess is the Celestial of Xuantian Sect, how could she be wrong?"

"They didn’t have enough sincerity just now, so they couldn’t withstand the burning of the holy fire… They died because of their own sins!" The farmer muttered to himself.

Qiao Mu squinted his eyes, slowly unsheathing his sword, and looked at the little girl behind the farmer with a cold gaze.

"I…," the little girl said with wide eyes, her pitch-black pupils trembling intensely, hesitatingly saying,

"I… I don’t know."

At that moment, swordsman Old Hu’s sigh could be heard at the door:

"You won’t get any answers by doing this."

"In the past forty years of the Inhuman War, the trend of seeking immortality and worshiping gods has spread across the imperial court."

"The celestial being is extraordinary and detached from worldly affairs. They have achieved immortality and possess immense power. As a result, they have become the object of admiration for many people, a guiding light in the human realm, and an idol in the realm of the divine."

"The ignorant people blindly worship gods, even if their beloved deities are wrong, they would deceive themselves and make up a suitable reason."

"They put on this collar by themselves."

"Asking with your mouth won’t lead to any results."

After speaking, Old Hu took a step forward and crossed over Qiao Mu. Before he could react, a flash of light appeared from his hand with a knife.

Sigh…

The farmer, covered in blood, stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"Have you ever heard of Lingchi?" the bearded swordsman said lightly.

"They say the most skilled executioner can put a person through a thousand cuts without killing them, making them experience every bit of pain, draining the last drop of blood. This is much more prolonged and painful than those who were burned to death in the past."

"Guess, how many cuts can you endure? And your wife, your daughter, how many cuts can they endure?"

The farmer’s body trembled like a sieve, his face pale as he pointed in a direction.

…………….

The original name of this Saintess Village was Guo Family Village, just a simple little village nestled among the mountains.

After Wu Qingxin built a temple here, it came to be known as "Saintess Village".

In the northeast corner of the village, there is a lonely temple where the mountain dwellers bow three times and prostrate themselves nine times every day.

Although the population of the village is not thriving, the incense is still continuous.

Cultivators who are more powerful don’t care about these trivial incense offerings, but for Wu Qingxin, who is not qualified to enter the Heyang City Xuantian Temple, it is as precious as a treasure.

At this moment.

In that temple, amidst the lingering fragrance of incense, there is a white-clad woman sitting cross-legged.

Her posture and demeanor vaguely resemble the statue behind her.

At this moment, Saintess Wu Qingxin sat cross-legged at the entrance of the temple, closed her eyes, and rested.

However, she could hear hurried footsteps, shouts, and the sounds of a fight getting closer and clearer.

"Can’t delay much longer, can we?"

She let out a slight sigh and stood up.

This Saintess village was secretly established by her servant who had great martial arts skills. If it wasn’t for the purpose of buying time to break through to the advanced stage of spiritual cultivation, she wouldn’t have allowed these devoted followers to willingly sacrifice themselves.

"If I hadn’t been feeling restless and unable to calm down, how did it come to this?"

"I can only… kill them all first and then figure it out."

She stood up, grasped a long sword beside her, her expression turned cold, and she murmured softly:

"Besides the hidden Star Xuan Envoy who doesn’t show themselves, there are a total of six people."

In front of her, Qiao Mu and others had arrived.

Two groups of people met, without any wasted words, and charged at each other.

Except for swordsman Old Hu, who was catching his breath and recovering behind with a sword, the other five people rushed forward and surrounded Saintess Wu Qingxin.

Wu Qingxin had already achieved the 4th rank thirty years ago, even though she had turned to cultivating the path of immortality, her martial arts cultivation was still extraordinary.

Swinging her long sword flawlessly, she surprisingly had superb swordsmanship and was surrounded by five people without any confusion.

"Brute Bull Divine Strength Technique!" The strong man with a thunderous hand gripped the huge axe, and his muscular arms bulged. The already exaggerated and fierce muscles expanded even further.

"Let go!"

Just with a loud sound, although Wu Qingxin blocked the axe with her sword, the sudden increase in force made her unable to stop it, and her long sword flew out of her hand.

Just as everyone was about to attack, they saw the flying sword turn in the air, swiftly piercing through the thunderous hand of the strong man’s throat, and then returning to Wu Qingxin’s hand.

"Five."

Wu Qingxin made a gesture and suddenly there were five identical Wu Qingxins, each holding a sword and facing a person.

"This cultivator can make copies of themselves?"

As everyone was astonished, the five Wu Qingxins started fighting fiercely. They were surrounded by red flames of Li fire. They abandoned their swords and instead opened their arms to embrace the people in front of them.

Caught off guard, several people were instantly engulfed by the flames of the Saintess.

The burning Wu Qingxin’s body quickly twisted and distorted in the fire, revealing several lifelike paper men.

In an instant, including Old Hu who was at the back, everyone was engulfed in a sea of fire.

Only the Wuji Association’s Star Xuan Envoy, who had not yet joined the battle, remained unharmed.

However, even he felt a bit uneasy at this moment.

The Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman is almost unbeatable for martial artists. Once it touches you, even a third-ranking Spirit Refining martial artist cannot escape. They can only cut off their own arm to survive.

If the arm is touched, it will be cut off. If the leg is touched, it needs to be chopped off. But if both hands and feet are tainted by the flames, is there any way to survive?

Cutting off both hands and feet? In that case, one would become like the livestock awaiting slaughter in front of Wu Qingxin.



Although swordsman Old Hu has superb and intricate knife skills, there are still things he cannot accomplish. Could it be that after just seeking survival by cutting off flesh earlier, now he has to cut off all of his body?

"Zero." Wu Qingxin glided through the air, standing on a flying sword and reappearing above, looking down at the five or six people trapped in the fire.

"The outcome is determined."

Ordinary martial artists can only master skills in boxing, martial weapons, and kung-fu. How can they compare with the ever-changing spells and techniques of the immortal path?

At this moment, the village was no longer quiet. People from all directions flocked to the entrance of the Saintess Temple, gazing from afar at the human bonfire. It felt like a festive celebration. "The sinners have all been set on fire, destined to burn in purgatory for eternity…"