Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

With the Tier Six Sword Emperor Zhezhong Tang taken care of, the tide of battle had begun to turn in favor of Ling Xiao and his allies! The Zhe Family’s Tier Five Sword Emperor, Patriarch Zhe Shiwei, streamed with tears as he cried out to the heavens in grief, "Must the heavens truly destroy my Zhe Family?"

Tiger roared madly as red halos continuously rose from beneath his feet, keeping him in a constant state of frenzy! The few Zhe Family Sword Emperors who had previously treated Tiger as an easy target were now suffering immensely! This included the Zhe Family Patriarch, Zhe Shiwei. Tiger swung the black greatsword Ling Xiao had given him, and his every move was a suicidal attack aimed at mutual destruction!

After Tiger took down a Tier Four Sword Emperor by trading blows, the others finally realized that this bald giant, who fought like a Tier Nine Magical Beast, had only suffered minor injuries!

At this point, almost no one dared to trade their life with Tiger’s. Several of them ganged up on him, yet the larger group was somehow being suppressed by the one!

Inside the Zhe Family Manor, a hush had fallen. Countless people stared in terror at the distant fireballs in the sky and listened to the constant, thunderous explosions!

Everyone knew the enemy was at their door!

Most of the countless members of the Zhe Family didn’t even know what was happening! Yes, they were innocent and lacked the standing to know, but every single one of them had a terrible feeling in their hearts!

As for the Sword Sects of the Zhe Family hiding underground, they felt an immense sense of shame!

Wu Liang followed beside Zhe Jianye. Zhe Jianye, formerly a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master, had recently broken through to become a Tier One Sword Sect. He hadn’t hidden underground, however, because he didn’t think it was safe. If his family’s top experts couldn’t stop Ling Xiao, where could he possibly hide to survive?

There was another reason: those in the Zhe Family who were privy to the inside story regarding Ling Xiao all despised Zhe Jianye. In their eyes, the Zhe Family had provoked a deadly menace like Ling Xiao entirely because Zhe Jianye had coveted the beauty of Ling Xiao’s older sister, Ling Su!

Otherwise, how could the Zhe Family be facing its most severe crisis in thousands of years?

"Master, is Ling Xiao here too?"

Wu Liang’s meager strength was like that of an ant in everyone’s eyes. Yet, with his smooth-talking and considerable intelligence, he had managed to win Zhe Jianye’s favor. Zhe Jianye had even brought him along to the Zhe Family Manor. This was because Zhe Jianye had always dreamed of restoring the prestige of the Zhe Family in Seven-colored City, and he couldn’t do that without capable people. The Divine Wind Mercenary Corps had been torn to shreds by Ling Xiao, and if he wanted to rebuild it, talent like Wu Liang was indispensable. Furthermore, Wu Liang had an excellent understanding of Ling Xiao and was particularly adept at getting things done, which made him highly valued by Zhe Jianye.

"Ling Xiao? He’s probably here... In just a few short years, he’s changed so much. The Zhe Family... is in danger this time!" Zhe Jianye’s voice was filled with a world-weary sorrow as he spoke. At that moment, he couldn’t help but hear the accusations of his clansmen in his mind.

"Zhe Jianye, if it weren’t for the trouble you caused, how could the Ling Family have become mortal enemies with the Zhe Family!"

"Hmph, Zhe Jianye, you’ve doomed the Zhe Family! Because of your selfishness, the family is about to be destroyed at your hands! If Ling Xiao breaks in, we’ll deal with you first!"

’A bunch of ignorant idiots,’ Zhe Jianye sneered inwardly. ’With that girl Su Xue around, even without me, did you really think you’d be fine? Deal with me if he breaks in? We’ll all be dead by then!’

Wu Liang’s expression was extremely grim. Watching the multicolored fireballs erupt in the sky and listening to the continuous explosions, he suddenly shivered. A chill ran through him as he thought, ’Should I run away from here?’

...

Zhe Wushuang had been driven half-mad by the red sword that constantly shifted in size. The sword’s speed was simply too fast! He had never seen anyone use a sword like this, controlling it with their will alone to injure someone from afar!

How could he know that this wasn’t Ling Xiao controlling the sword with his will at all? It was the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword itself—having been nurtured into a Spiritual Artifact—that was attacking him! All Ling Xiao was expending was his True Essence! As long as Ling Xiao’s True Essence didn’t run out, the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword would continue its assault indefinitely!

"You were the one who led the massacre of the Su Family back then, weren’t you?" Ling Xiao suddenly called out from the air.

"That’s right, it was I, your master Zhe Wushuang! HAHAHA! What’s wrong, boy? Here to get revenge for that woman? My only mistake back then was not putting another sword through her throat!" Zhe Wushuang, his hair in disarray, roared with laughter as his inky-black shortsword continuously condensed various forms of powerful, tangible Sword Qi.

"Good. As long as you admit it. Don’t worry, we won’t make that same mistake. When we kill you, we’ll make sure you’re utterly and completely dead!" There was no emotion in Ling Xiao’s voice.

"Come and get me if you have the guts, boy!" Zhe Wushuang roared with crazed laughter. "I, Zhe Wushuang, have roamed the world for years. I don’t even fear death, so what is there to be afraid of?"

Ling Xiao’s figure suddenly shot toward Zhe Wushuang. With a swift flick of his sword, Zhe Wushuang fired two streams of inky-black Sword Qi at Ling Xiao!

But Ling Xiao’s eyes narrowed, and he abruptly shot two invisible streams of Spiritual Power into Zhe Wushuang’s Sea of Consciousness!

Zhe Wushuang had a volatile temperament and had been shouting angry curses, his mind already thrown into chaos by Ling Xiao. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, needle-like pain pierce his brain. The agony was unbearable, and he cried out, "AH!"

Ling Xiao, at the Nascent Soul Stage, had transformed his Spiritual Power into needles of thought. His unexpected attack on Zhe Wushuang had a miraculous effect. In that single instant, the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword, which had shrunk to the size of a finger, pierced through Zhe Wushuang’s Protective True Qi and passed back and forth through his body more than twenty times!