Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

"How did it go? Don’t tell me you’ve been on tenterhooks for three days?"

After responding, the man from the Yi Family burst into laughter, his face full of mockery.

Ning Xuan laughed along. "I have regrets."

"It’s not too late to regret. Thank me, and I’ll send you on your way. I’ll be quick, to spare you the pain."

The smile remained on Ning Xuan’s face. "What I regret is taking so long. To deal with a beast like you, I shouldn’t have waited three days—one would have been enough."

At this, the man from the Yi Family stopped laughing and snorted coldly. "Still stubborn at death’s door! In that case, you’ll only have yourself to blame!"

Ning Xuan ignored him, instead turning to a woman in the crowd. "Miss, may I borrow your sword?"

Not only did the woman nod immediately, but she also added, "Young Master Ning, this sword belonged to her. If you can use it to take his life, her spirit will surely find peace."

Ning Xuan nodded. In truth, he had accepted the sword because he had sensed the fallen woman’s aura on it.

At that moment, the Yi Family man’s pupils shrank. He asked Ning Xuan in a deep voice, "Have you truly entered the Holy Realm?!" Only a Holy Realm Cultivator’s Six Senses would be so keen! A Martial Artist would never be able to sense the aura on this sword!

"I broke through in half a day," Ning Xuan said truthfully, without a care. Sometimes, the more honest you are, the less people believe you.

Sure enough, the man from the Yi Family mocked openly. "Hahaha, breaking through to the Holy Realm in half a day? Who do you think you are?!"

Ning Xuan didn’t answer, instead asking, "You remember what I said three days ago?"

"That you’d dismember me? You think you’re worthy?!" the man sneered.

"I’ve changed my mind. Now that I have this," Ning Xuan said, gently caressing the fine sword, "simply dismembering you would be an insult to her memory."

The sword let out a clear, ringing hum.

After a moment of shock, the man from the Yi Family’s face turned ferocious. To him, that clear hum was an utter disgrace—as if his Daoist companion was responding to Ning Xuan even after her demise! This was the ultimate humiliation!

"Ning Xuan, I will tear you limb from limb!" With a furious roar, he reached into the void, conjuring a weapon from thin air!

WHOOSH!

The conjured sword shot forward, thrusting at Ning Xuan with incredible speed, as if it defied time and space. However, the sword struck nothing. Ning Xuan had vanished.

As the man’s expression changed drastically...

SLICE!

He felt a chill at his waist.

The man from the Yi Family retreated in a flash, erecting a Defensive Barrier around himself. Just as he reached for his waist...

THUD.

He watched in horror as a chunk of blood-soaked flesh landed on the ground before him. It was his own.

The man from the Yi Family was aghast. This guy’s speed is terrifying!

The spectators were equally astounded.

"What the hell, how did he do that? I didn’t see a thing!"

"I thought it was just me! Is he really just a novice in the Holy Realm?!"

"This kind of improvement is inhuman!"

Below, the crowd was abuzz. Atop the city wall, three Law Enforcement Officers, who had appeared at some point, were also in discussion.

"Could the Judge have passed a Secret Technique on to him? How else could he have improved so terrifyingly in just three days?"

"That must be it! Leng Yi, what do you think?"

"He might have had a fortuitous encounter on Trial Mountain. You know it’s a place of infinite possibilities."

Although the other two Law Enforcement Officers were skeptical, they couldn’t find a good reason to refute him and could only nod. However, after exchanging a look, they began to communicate via voice transmission.

"Something’s off about Leng Yi. He seems to really admire Ning Xuan."

"It’s not that he admires Ning Xuan; he’s siding with the Judge!"

"Do you think the Judge will move against us? We weren’t exactly respectful to him before!"

"It’s possible!"

"The Judge isn’t here, and Ning Xuan is new to the Holy Realm. What if... both he and Leng Yi were to have an ’accident’..."

"This..."

As the two Law Enforcement Officers spoke, a murderous intent surfaced in their discussion.

Ning Xuan had no idea that his performance had earned him the jealousy of two Law Enforcement Officers.

In the center of the field, even after abandoning his own sword and using his strongest techniques, the man from the Yi Family still couldn’t escape his fate of being utterly dominated by Ning Xuan. Ning Xuan’s strikes were like lightning. Every time his sword flashed, it sliced another piece of flesh from his opponent. No matter how the man tried to escape, it was all in vain.

The spectators were dumbfounded. The Yi Family man’s alarm grew with every exchange, quickly turning into genuine terror. He suddenly realized he was no match for Ning Xuan.

BOOM!

With a roar, he thrust both palms forward, and two massive Heavenly Steles materialized from the void, crashing down. The man from the Yi Family seized the opportunity to turn and flee.

But then...

"Hehe."

Ning Xuan’s laughter echoed clearly in his ear, like a death summons from Yama himself. The man’s very soul threatened to flee his body, and all his courage to fight vanished.

But Ning Xuan wasn’t finished.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The sword light flashed repeatedly. When Ning Xuan stopped, the man from the Yi Family, who had been forced back, looked utterly baffled. He was still alive.

But everyone around him was gasping in shock.

Seeing the man hadn’t realized yet, someone’s trembling voice reminded him, "Look at your legs."

He looked down and screamed in horror. His legs were nothing but stark white bone. Not a shred of flesh remained.

"Such a fast sword!"

"It reminds me of Ding Heyan!"

"You mean Ding Heyan of the Butcher’s Divine Blade? You’re right, it’s uncannily similar to his butchering technique!"

"Holy shit, don’t tell me he’s Ding Heyan’s disciple!"

The spectators’ discussion gradually drifted off-topic. The discussion, however, sparked a thought in Ning Xuan’s mind. He decided that after dealing with this guy, he would find someone and ask about Ding Heyan and the Lu Family.

At that thought, Ning Xuan moved again. The sword light flickered, so fast that few dared to look at it directly.

When the light vanished, the once-swaggering man from the Yi Family was gone. In his place stood only a skeleton.

The entire area fell into a dead silence. For a long time, no one moved.

Until...

CLANG!

The sound of a spear falling to the ground echoed from the city wall. The guard whose shoulder Ning Xuan had touched slumped to the ground, his face ashen.

The other two Law Enforcement Officers struck at once, killing the guard with their palms.

"Gentlemen, was that necessary?" Leng Yi sighed.

One of them replied, "He brought shame upon the Judgment Court!"

Leng Yi opened his mouth, intending to say that Ning Xuan had brought great honor to the Judgment Court, but it devolved into a sigh. Mentioning Ning Xuan right now would only backfire.

As Ning Xuan went to return the sword, Leng Yi glanced at the other two. He caught the murderous glint that flashed and vanished in their eyes.

His heart tightened.

This is bad. Ning Xuan is in big trouble now! No, to be precise, we’re both in big trouble. This won’t do! he muttered internally, then immediately sent a voice transmission to Ning Xuan. "Brother Ning, I have something important to discuss. Meet me at the entrance to Trial Mountain!"

With that, Leng Yi departed in a hurry. He didn’t know when the other two planned to make their move.

But the crisis was already upon them.