Eunuch Ye helped the envoy group clean up the aftermath, then left with the four corpses of the Demonic Sect Heaven-Man experts.
As for the Butcher, he hadn't received any orders to leave for now. He smiled at Daoist Longshan, then returned to Zhenwu City.
Some Zhenwu Sect disciples recognized who he was and were secretly amazed.
They knew he sold pork in Zhenwu City, and a few had even chatted with him before. They just never realized he was a Heaven-Man expert secretly working for the court.
Ye Qinghe's eyes widened. She remembered—she and Little Junior Brother had even bought pork from this Butcher's stall that day.
"What a coincidence!"
She sighed inwardly.
Then she suddenly froze. Where was Little Junior Brother?
She searched around, but couldn't find any sign of Ning Qi. Her heart grew anxious—could he have been injured in the aftermath just now?
Ye Qinghe hurried to report to Daoist Longshan:
"Master, Little Junior Brother is missing!"
Daoist Longshan paused, then smiled:
"Don't worry. I already sent a voice transmission to Tiansheng just now, told him to hide with Little Nine."
Ye Qinghe immediately felt relieved.
Daoist Longshan looked at Ye Qinghe's expression and sighed inwardly. But the fact that Ning Qi was actually the Heavenly Sword True Person—this information was better kept hidden for now. The fewer who knew, the better.
If the Demonic Sect learned that the esteemed Heavenly Sword True Person wasn't an old man nearing the end of his life, but rather an eight-year-old child, they wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Even—
The Great Yan Dynasty itself might not be able to tolerate Ning Qi.
Fortunately, it wasn't long—
Ning Qi reappeared. Covered in dirt, his disheveled appearance made Ye Qinghe burst into laughter. Ning Qi and Daoist Longshan exchanged a look and smiled. Their understanding needed no words.
...
News of the Zhenwu Sect being attacked by five Heaven-Man experts from the Demonic Sect quickly spread throughout all of Qingzhou from Zhenwu City.
Of the five Heaven-Man attackers, one was no weaker than a Heaven-Man Ranking powerhouse.
But it just so happened that the North-Stabilizing King was visiting. With a flick of his hand, he killed four of the Demonic Sect's Heaven-Man experts, and the one comparable to a Heaven-Man Ranking powerhouse fled in panic.
Qingzhou was instantly in an uproar.
The North-Stabilizing King's reputation soared even higher.
As more details were revealed, people realized that before the North-Stabilizing King appeared, the Heavenly Sword True Person had made another move—blocking the strongest Demonic Sect Heaven-Man expert. His Heaven-Man Ranking-level strength was clear for all to see. Some swordsmen were fanatical, claiming the Heavenly Sword True Person would surely enter the Heaven-Man Ranking next time. ʀἈℕổ𝖇ЁŞ
In the martial world, names and rankings matter. Which martial artists on the Heaven-Man Ranking wielded blades or swords was closely watched. Among martial artists who used weapons, eight or nine out of ten wielded either blades or swords.
Because of that—
If swordsmen outnumbered bladesmen on the Heaven-Man Ranking, sword users would feel proud.
Right now, the number of swordsmen and bladesmen on the list was tied. The last spot belonged to a bladesman.
If the Heavenly Sword True Person could make it on the list and bump off the last person, swordsmen would outnumber bladesmen—so his battle record was getting a lot of attention.
To this—
Ning Qi felt helpless.
He just wanted to cultivate in seclusion and pursue the path of immortality.
At the same time—
Not only did the attack on Zhenwu Mountain shake all of Qingzhou, but that same night, the Wang Clan was also attacked by the Demonic Sect!
Unlike Zhenwu Mountain, which happened to have the North-Stabilizing King present—
The Wang Clan wasn't so lucky.
Even though the court placed greater importance on them and had three Heaven-Man experts stationed there, Ghostface the Deputy Sect Master made his move, also bringing four Heaven-Man experts. The outcome was predictable.
The just-rebuilt main estate of the Wang Clan was once again razed to the ground—this time even more thoroughly.
The court's three Heaven-Man experts were slain.
The Wang Clan Patriarch was nowhere to be found.
Some said they saw him turned to ashes, no bones left behind. Others said they saw a Demonic Sect expert take him away. Yet others claimed he used a secret technique to escape.
When Ning Qi heard this—
His expression was calm.
Heaven's punishment cannot be escaped. Why involve yourself in battles between giants? You can only blame the Wang Patriarch for underestimating the Demonic Sect's thirst for vengeance. Even with the court's protection, it wouldn't last forever.
Ning Qi guessed it might be because his Master—just a junior—had attacked last time and provoked the old man. With his end approaching, the Wang Patriarch likely made a gamble to tie the Wang Clan to the Great Yan court.
After all, the Wang Clan had made plenty of enemies over the years. If the patriarch died and no new Heaven-Man rose, it would be inevitable they'd be eaten away and perish.
Better to gamble.
Unfortunately, he lost.
The Wang Clan, which had prospered in Qingzhou for centuries, was now wiped from existence. Even the rare few surviving side branches or lucky survivors would have to hide their identities from now on.
As for whether the Wang Patriarch really died, Ning Qi didn't dwell on it.
Even if he survived, Ning Qi would just take care of him when he showed up again.
Ning Qi lay on a rattan chair and shifted into a more comfortable position. He could sense the Enlightenment Tea Tree Seed underground had become far more active—its vitality surged.
Elder Wang's corpse lay below, providing nourishment for the seed.
Ning Qi couldn't help but sigh:
"A Heaven-Man body really is something else."
Thinking of this, he felt a bit regretful.
The other four Demonic Sect Heaven-Man corpses had been taken away.
If the Wang Patriarch were still around, he could've borrowed that body for use.
Then maybe the Enlightenment Tea Tree would sprout soon.
...
The two Heaven-Man battles involving the Zhenwu Sect and the Wang Clan shocked everyone and left them increasingly uneasy.
Too frequent!
Normally, battles between Heaven-Man experts were rare. But now, they were falling one after another.
If even the Heaven-Man experts were dying this easily, what about everyone else?
Wouldn't they just be cannon fodder?
Some checked old records and noticed things were similar to a century ago. Back then, the Demonic Sect had also risen with a vicious momentum, but was eventually crushed by the Great Yan Martial Saint. The Demonic Sect then vanished. Now, it seemed they were making a comeback.
Some keen observers noted that the signs this time were even more aggressive than a hundred years ago.
Many began to act cautiously, trying to avoid being caught up in the storm.
Even if the Great Yan Martial Saint eventually stepped in, who knew how many would die before then?
But there were also those who looked forward to it—and even quietly chose sides.
Chaos breeds heroes. Fortune lies in danger. The messier Great Yan became, the more chances to grow stronger.
The martial world of Great Yan gradually slipped into chaos.
Regardless of how the martial world viewed it—
Both factions were furious.
The Great Yan court felt that although both sides lost four Heaven-Man experts, the Demonic Sect wiped out the entire Wang Clan—so they got the short end of the stick.
The Demonic Sect, on the other hand, believed they'd lost five Heaven-Man experts in this round, plus Elder Wang, a powerhouse comparable to those on the Heaven-Man Ranking. It was a massive loss.
Inside the Demonic Sect's underground palace—
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Ghostface sat on the highest throne, silent, but everyone could imagine how dark his expression must be behind that bronze mask. No one dared speak.
After a moment—
Ghostface's cold voice rang out:
"Elder Wang still hasn't returned?"
"Reporting to Deputy Sect Master… still not yet."
"It's been days. Looks like Elder Wang has indeed fallen." Ghostface stood tall.
"Subordinates investigated in secret and found traces of a battle—Elder Wang likely fought an unknown expert and was overwhelmingly defeated. His whereabouts are unknown. The attacker used fist techniques, showing signs of the Heaven-Shaking Fist—likely the North-Stabilizing King, though we can't rule out an impersonator."
A chill instantly filled the great hall.
"This seat has never heard of the North-Stabilizing King teaching his Heaven-Shaking Fist to others."
"North-Stabilizing King… very good, very good indeed!"
Everyone's eyes flared with rage.
Rumors said both sides lost four Heaven-Man experts, making it seem like an even trade. But only they knew—they had lost five, and the court only lost three.
Not to mention they also lost someone like Elder Wang—on par with a Heaven-Man Ranking expert.
"The North-Stabilizing King is a b*stard!"
"One day we'll make him pay in blood!"
"Rumors say the North-Stabilizing King and the Emperor of Great Yan don't get along. We once thought we could win him over. Now it seems the b*stard was just acting!"
One angry curse after another rang out.
Someone spoke with murderous intent:
"The Zhenwu Sect has repeatedly caused our Holy Sect to lose Heaven-Man experts. Though small, this sect is hindering our rise. I suggest, Deputy Sect Master, that you lead us to wipe them out!"
Everyone looked to Ghostface.
Ghostface seemed to ponder and glanced toward Qin Yun, who had his head lowered.
"Qin Yun, what do you think?"
Qin Yun's body trembled slightly. He looked up, his gaze calm:
"This subordinate believes… we should not."
A mocking voice immediately followed from behind:
"I heard that Protector Qin came from the Zhenwu Sect. Now he wants to stop us from destroying them—still clinging to his old loyalties, perhaps?"
Many mocking and suspicious gazes turned to Qin Yun.
Qin Yun said nothing in reply.
Ghostface stared at him:
"Give me an explanation."
Qin Yun slowly opened his mouth:
"Our Holy Sect has fought repeatedly and lost ten Heaven-Man experts already. Continuing this conflict does not benefit our future. Better to rest and recover for now."
"The Zhenwu Sect may be weak, but they have Daoist Longshan and the Heavenly Sword True Person—two Heaven-Man experts. If we deploy more Heaven-Man to attack and run into a court ambush, our losses would be devastating."
"You would have the Deputy Sect Master go personally. What if the court has laid a trap? Would you send him into danger?"
"May I ask—what are your true intentions?"
His tone was calm, but his words sharp. The other man was left speechless, face turning dark.
"You! I am loyal to the Deputy Sect Master! How dare a brat like you question me? As if the court would care that much about a tiny sect like Zhenwu?"
Qin Yun calmly retorted:
"Then how do you explain the North-Stabilizing King's appearance earlier? Are you going to tell me it was just coincidence? Are you really going to gamble the Deputy Sect Master's life on coincidence?"
Ghostface's eyes narrowed.
The man broke into cold sweat, kneeling:
"Subordinate had no such intention! Qin Yun clearly still has old feelings for the Zhenwu Sect!"
Qin Yun cupped his fists toward Ghostface and bowed:
"Deputy Sect Master, I merely believe that the Zhenwu Sect is nothing but ants—too laughable to pose any real threat. There's no need to fixate on them right now while we're under scrutiny. If we must destroy them, wait a few years until things calm down and the court's attention is elsewhere. Then, with a wave of the hand, we can crush them."
"At that time, I, Qin Yun, will gladly take the lead and personally sever Daoist Longshan's head."
His tone was flat, as if discussing something trivial.
Ghostface smiled, his gaze cold and cruel.
"Reasonable. I'll give you three years. You'll lead the team to destroy Zhenwu Sect yourself—how about it?"
Qin Yun's heart trembled, but he ultimately took a deep breath and said:
"This subordinate accepts the order."
"But I believe my strength is lacking. I have a request."
"Speak."
"I wish to enter the Blood Demon Pool."
The hall fell silent. One shocked gaze after another turned toward Qin Yun.
This guy… was he insane?
Ghostface's pupils shrank, but he finally burst into laughter:
"This seat approves!"