Chapter 59: No Room for Error

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: No Room for Error

Qian Lao's face turned purple as the venom spread, his Qi barely managing to suppress it. He urgently needed to find a moment of stillness to counteract the poison. Despite this, his strength was greatly diminished, but even so, he remained a formidable opponent at the peak of the innate realm. Sword Qi surged as he made it increasingly challenging for Zhongshan.

The Demon Refinement Body Technique, the first level, doubling his strength, was still no match for Qian Lao. Initially, Zhongshan held the upper hand, but soon found himself at a disadvantage, suppressed by Qian Lao.

"Hiss~~~"

A tear appeared in Zhongshan's robe where Qian Lao's sword pierced through. His eyes flashed with intense coldness, realizing time was running out—it had already been an incense stick's worth of time; he couldn't afford to delay any longer.

The Demon Refinement Body Technique, the second level.

Triple the strength.

Zhongshan raised his sword from bottom to top.

To cut down all obstacles!

With one upward stroke, a huge burst of malevolent energy accompanied the blade, releasing a formidable aura.

"Clang~~~"

Qian Lao's longsword was knocked back by this powerful strike, barely avoiding a close shave. Qian Lao looked at Zhongshan incredulously. How could Zhongshan's cultivation have increased so rapidly? Wasn't he just at the innate realm for over a year? Previously, the head of the Qian family had mentioned that Zhongshan's talent was poor, and his progress slow. Could this still be considered slow?

"Roar~~~"

Slicing through the heavens!

With a vertical downward slash, Qian Lao met the blade, but the force was too strong. Zhongshan put all his strength into the strike—how could it be easily blocked?

As the blade descended, the ground below turned to dust, and Qian Lao's body sank to one knee. His face turned even more purple.

To cut down all obstacles!

"Hiss~~~"

"Ah~~~"

In Qian Lao's agonized cry, his left arm was severed by Zhongshan's blade.

"Clang~~~"

Taking advantage of his momentum, Zhongshan sent Qian Lao's longsword flying once more.

The outcome was clear.

With one final strike, Zhongshan was about to end Qian Lao's life.

"Wait~~~" Qian Lao shouted in terror. The fear of death spread throughout his body in an instant.

Death? Was it really his time to die? Despite his advanced age, in the face of death, he couldn't help but compromise in a desperate attempt to cling to life. But would Zhongshan listen?

"Hum~~~"

The great blade of nightmare halted before Qian Lao's face, on the brink of a critical moment, Zhongshan stopped his blade.

Looking at Qian Lao, a peak innate realm expert, now weakened by severe poison and missing an arm, defenseless and unarmed.

Zhongshan didn't immediately kill him but instead kept a wary eye on him. In Zhongshan's view, even a lump of dung had its uses.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me," Qian Lao trembled.

"You killed my second uncle. The death of a loved one can't be compensated for by your low-grade treasures," Zhao Suoxiang's eyes narrowed, his voice cold and resolute, clearly harboring an intense hatred towards Zhao Danchen.

"No, no, I have a piece of earth-shattering news that can surely buy my life," Zhao Danchen immediately cried out in fear.

Squinting at Zhao Danchen, Zhao Suoxiang's face showed a trace of a cold smile. "News? Let's hear it. Let's see if its value can outweigh my hatred for you."

"Yes, recently, isn't it true that the leader of your Iron Sword Sect is absent from the sect?" Zhao Danchen immediately said.

Zhao Suoxiang frowned and stared at Zhao Danchen, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"Recently, the Bright Sword Tower, the Demon Sect, and the Heavenly Gorge Sect are preparing to raid the Iron Spear Sect to seize their Spirit Stone mine," Zhao Danchen immediately exclaimed.

"Hmph, the Bright Sword Tower and my Iron Spear Sect have always been allied against the demonic sects. Why would they collude with the Demon Sect?" Zhao Suoxiang's eyes narrowed angrily.

"I speak the truth. I am indeed from the Demon Sect. My master gave me secret orders to rush to the Iron Spear Sect within twenty days," Zhao Danchen said immediately, taking out a piece of brocade and throwing it to Zhao Suoxiang.

Zhao Suoxiang took the brocade with suspicion, and upon closer inspection, found it to be true as Zhao Danchen had claimed.

His brows furrowed tightly.

"How about it? Can this news buy my life?" Zhao Danchen immediately asked.

Zhao Suoxiang frowned, but he retracted his spear.

As Zhao Danchen got up, he glanced at Zhongshan, Zhao Suoxiang, and Tianling'er once more without saying a word. With a leap, he jumped onto the roof. As he leaped, he was about to jump onto another roof.

"Fire~~~"

Once again, a crisp voice echoed from the distant courtyard.

Hearing this voice, Zhao Danchen's hairs stood on end. Although the voice sounded sweet, to Zhao Danchen, it was like a call of death.

"Bang, bang..."

Another forty large arrows, eight of them heavily, struck Zhao Danchen.

In the depths of the sky, with no leverage, even the former head of the Sun family at his peak was pinned to the wall, let alone the severely injured Zhao Danchen, who was struck by even more large arrows.

"Bang~~~"

Zhao Danchen was pinned to another wall. The two who had escaped earlier, the ancestor of the Li family, suffered the most severe injuries from Tianling'er's jade talisman. Not long after fleeing, as he ran with a heart full of resentment, a purple sword suddenly appeared beside him. His injuries and the excitement of escaping slowed his reaction, so he only noticed the purple sword when it was almost upon him.

He quickly dodged, but still had one arm severed. When he looked back, he saw a figure in black clothes, wielding the purple sword, engaging with him.

Despite his severe injuries, the Li family ancestor was a formidable opponent. Even with one arm severed, he resisted the Dark Emperor. Soon, the sounds of their fight attracted the city guards, who had been briefed by the Zhong mansion. Each guard carried a bow and arrow, and upon seeing the fight, they shot without hesitation.

"Bang, bang, bang...."

The Dark Emperor entangled the injured Li family ancestor, preventing his escape. Despite being hit by two arrows himself, the Li family ancestor was shot dead on the spot.

The Dark Emperor quickly fled into the darkness.

Elsewhere, after escaping from the Zhong mansion, Qian Lao ran frantically. When he reached the city wall and realized no one was behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was in this moment of relaxation that something eerie happened—within his own shadow, a sword suddenly emerged.

"Hiss"

Qian Lao was pierced through the heart by this terrifying sword. In his final moments, he had only one thought: he had encountered a ghost.

A dark figure separated from Qian Lao's shadow, took his storage bracelet, and swiftly headed towards the Zhong mansion like a ghost.