Chapter 147: The Threat of the Martial Saint (Fourth Watch)

Having twice severely beaten Ling Tian, Xin Lang was confronted by Ling Fangzheng, a Martial Sage from the Ling family, who was determined to put him to death.

As a Martial Sage, Ling Fangzheng held Xin Lang, a mere seventh-rank Grandmaster, in absolute contempt. Intending to toy with him, he never expected Xin Lang to suddenly unleash a Saint-grade martial technique: the Qi Blade.

Xin Lang executed the technique just as his fist was about to reach Ling Fangzheng’s chest, leaving the latter no time to dodge whatsoever!

With a loud roar, Ling Fangzheng’s arms glowed with a faint white light as he snapped backward into an iron-slab bridge posture, attempting to evade the fatal strike.

Xin Lang’s Qi Blade collided with Ling Fangzheng’s arms. Although parried slightly by Ling Fangzheng’s protective qi barrier, the momentum of the Qi Blade remained unabated. It sliced open Ling Fangzheng’s arm, tore the fabric across his chest, and finally sheared off a significant portion of the tip of his nose.

Had Ling Fangzheng not bent backward, Xin Lang’s strike would have shattered his protective qi barrier and inflicted grievous injuries upon him. Even so, a large piece of Ling Fangzheng’s nose was sliced off, sending a geyser of blood spraying into the air.

"Ah!" Ling Fangzheng shrieked in pain. He wanted to cover his nose, but didn't dare, and howled, "Xin Lang, I'm going to kill you!"

Channeling his inner energy to control the meridians around his nose and stanch the bleeding, Ling Fangzheng reached around his waist and drew a soft sword from his belt.

This soft sword was over three feet long and two fingers wide, ordinarily worn coiled around his waist. It had been years since Ling Fangzheng used it in combat, and he would not have drawn it today had Xin Lang not thoroughly provoked his rage.

Channeling his inner qi into the blade, the pliable sword instantly became as rigid as steel!

Swish! Ling Fangzheng thrust upward at Xin Lang in a sweeping arc!

A fierce sword aura surged from the blade, slashing upward to cleave Xin Lang in two!

"Sword aura? Heavenly-grade movement technique: Phantom Traceless Steps!"

Xin Lang shifted his form, narrowly dodging the incoming sword aura. The inner armor he wore was merely of heavenly-grade and could not withstand Ling Fangzheng’s sword aura, leaving evasion as his only option.

The ability to project qi outside the body was the hallmark of the Qi-Control Stage. Techniques like Xin Lang’s Qi Blade belonged to the first level of the Qi-Control Stage, whereas Ling Fangzheng’s ability to project qi through weapons like sabers and swords indicated that he had cultivated to the second level of the Qi-Control Stage.

Without complete Saint-grade cultivation methods, reaching the second level of the Qi-Control Stage was an accomplishment that commanded immense respect throughout the mortal realm.

Swish, swish, swish...

Ling Fangzheng unleashed a flurry of sword strikes at Xin Lang, who continuously altered his position to dodge them one by one.

After landing several near-misses, Ling Fangzheng regained his composure. Holding his sword at the ready, he stared down Xin Lang and said, "Xin Lang, I never expected you to have reached the Qi-Control Stage! Tell me which sect you belong to, and I might spare your life!"

Xin Lang was not even twenty years old. Achieving the Qi-Control Stage at such an age was something no ordinary person could accomplish; he was likely a disciple of an immortal cultivation sect. Therefore, Ling Fangzheng needed to ascertain Xin Lang’s background. If Xin Lang truly belonged to an immortal sect, killing him would invite the wrath of those powerful entities—not just destroying the Ling family, but potentially wiping out the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

Thus, Ling Fangzheng had to figure out Xin Lang's identity first!

"Hmph! A minor rogue cultivator at the second level of the Qi-Control Stage, you are not worthy of knowing my sect!" Xin Lang replied with an air of grandiose arrogance.

Xin Lang’s Heavenly Halberd gloves were currently a tier-three super weapon, capable of consecutively firing only three Qi Blades before requiring a two-minute cooldown. Unable to use them carelessly, Xin Lang had to rely on intimidation to make Ling Fangzheng lower his guard.

Ling Fangzheng’s face flushed red and white at Xin Lang’s words. His current situation was immensely awkward; if he did not kill Xin Lang, he would lose all face, yet if Xin Lang truly were a disciple of an immortal sect, killing him was out of the question.

Reading the turmoil on Ling Fangzheng’s face and guessing his inner thoughts, Xin Lang said, "Go back and properly discipline those two nephews of yours, and tell them to tone down their arrogance in the future!"

"You—!"

Ling Fangzheng fought to suppress his fury as Xin Lang continued, "Oh, and your Ling family should tone down your arrogance as well. Huangfu Huijing is my woman now. If your Ling family dares to make any moves against the Huangfu family, don't blame me for exterminating your entire clan."

With a gloomy expression and eyes locked onto Xin Lang, Ling Fangzheng burst into wild laughter after a long pause. "Xin Lang, had you revealed your sect, I might have spared your life. But your arrogance and overbearing nature mean you will surely become a grave threat to the Ling family in the future. Leaving you alive is courting disaster. Therefore, you must die today!"

Ling Fangzheng raised his sword and lunged at Xin Lang once more.

Although Ling Fangzheng possessed the cultivation of the second level of the Qi-Control Stage, he was merely a rogue cultivator without specific advanced cultivation methods or true Saint-grade martial techniques. Consequently, he had to rely on ordinary sword forms combined with sword aura to slay Xin Lang.

Facing martial techniques of the Qi-Control Stage, Xin Lang’s heavenly-grade martial techniques were entirely useless. His only viable asset was his movement technique, which he used to dodge Ling Fangzheng’s onslaught.

Having cultivated to the Qi-Control Stage for over a decade, Ling Fangzheng possessed a vast reserve of inner qi. After just a few rounds, he completely suppressed Xin Lang.

A cruel smile crept across Ling Fangzheng’s face. "Xin Lang, so what if you are a disciple of an immortal sect? If I kill you here today, no matter, no one will ever know. Even if your sect seeks revenge, they will go after the Huangfu family! When that happens, our Ling family will reap the profits of the strife! Haha..."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Driven to extremes, Xin Lang fired off two more Qi Blades.

This time, Ling Fangzheng was prepared. Infusing his light sword with inner qi, he flicked the blade and deflected Xin Lang’s Qi Blades into the distance.

"Haha, Xin Lang, so this is the extent of your tricks!"

Elation surged within Ling Fangzheng. While he had previously been wary of Xin Lang’s Qi Blade, he now realized that Xin Lang could not use it at will. Eliminating Xin Lang was only a matter of time; as long as he left no trace, no one would ever know he was the killer.

Once Xin Lang’s death was framed on the Huangfu family, their destruction would not be far behind!

With this thought, Ling Fangzheng sped up his swordplay, unleashing the full twelve-tenths of his power.

Bang, bang, bang...

Xin Lang utilized the high-tier heavenly-grade martial technique Phantom Fists to evade, but Ling Fangzheng’s sword aura was too razor-sharp. Without distinguishing between Xin Lang’s afterimages and his true body, Ling Fangzheng slashed through all of them.

Several gasps had already been torn into Xin Lang’s clothes by the sword aura; a single lapse in concentration could cost him his life.

"What should I do?"

Regret began to well up in Xin Lang’s heart. His miscalculation and underestimation of a Martial Sage’s true strength had driven him into a desperate predicament.

Now, Xin Lang’s only remaining hope lay in the Upgrader!

While dodging frantically, Xin Lang pulled up the Upgrader’s interface, searching for a way to defeat Ling Fangzheng.