Chapter 8 – Arrival

“Tell me! Who was it that sent you?” Xue Ying’s voice sounded beside the ears of the three murderers.

“Don’t know, we don’t know.”

“We’ve accepted the mission through Bloodshed Tavern, thus we do not know who it was that issued the order.” The three murderers experienced the utmost terror.

Xue Ying frowned.

Bloodshed Tavern’s mission? That noble young master’s clan actually set down a reward for this mission? Since it’s like that, then the chances of investigating the one who set down the mission would be almost impossible.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Three cold rays flashed.

Under the shroud of One with the World’s and the cover of darkness, a tiny hole appeared above the brows of the three murderers’ wide-opened eyes.

“Since you found your way to my home, and are so useless, why would you still hope to escape with your life?” Xue Ying glanced at the three fallen bodies. Before this, he actually threw out three spindle-shaped darts that were purchased alongside the higher-quality short spears during his county visit! These darts were bought with consideration to their convenience of use when dealing with those weaker than him. Using short spears would totally not be worth the value. Xue Ying had paid for a whole box of these darts and then placed them in his storage treasure ring.

On the refiner flying-ship in the night sky, Xiang Pang Yun currently overlooked everything beneath him with a cold gaze.

Om~~~

Within that castle, pressure from One with the World could be felt. With the amazing eyesight of his, Xiang Pang Yun could clearly see, within the distorted air, a black-robed youth walked towards Wind Devil. As he followed closely, that youth’s hand suddenly produced a long spear!

Within three moves of this youth’s lightning fast strikes, Wind Devil had actually died!

“En?” Xiang Pang Yun’s pupil contracted along with a twist of his lips. His blood-red eyes glowed unimaginably bright, “One with the World? At 22 years attaining the realm of One with the World? Killing Wind Devil in a single clash? Good, this is really too good. I’d never guessed that at this time I’d be so lucky in meeting such a rare plaything!

“At 22 years he has entered the realm of One with the World and possesses such strong combat capabilities! He has plenty of time for him to search for his own path, with an eighty to ninety percent chance of becoming a Transcendent.

“If the Dragon Mountain Manor was to confirm Dong Bo Xue Ying’s true strength, I’m afraid that those groups of Transcendents would come invite such a monster.

“Or is it that he has already entered some Transcendent group?”

Xiang Pang Yun silently pondered.

Having lived for so long, naturally he would know of all these secrets.

In this world… existed Transcendents! Having an army of mortals was pointless to Transcendents. Instead, it could be said that the true rulers of the world were Transcendents!

As for the big six Transcendents’ groups, they were precisely formed by Transcendents.

The empire? It had began decaying long ago!

The big six Transcendents’ groups were really the true rulers of this entire world, especially so with their long lifespans! The Temple of the Earth God and Bloodshed Tavern were two of the more special groups belonging to the big six.

“A future Transcendent, yet such a pity that you do not have that chance any longer!” Xiang Pang Yun’s eyes expressed extreme excitement.

“Wait for me here!” Xiang Pang Yun ordered.

“Yes, master.” The servants controlling the flying ship obeyed.

Hu.

Xiang Pang Yun landed with a single leap.

Even though it seemed a long time had passed, in actual fact, only a moment passed between Xiang Pang Yun’s self pondering and Wind Devil’s demise.

On the inner grounds of the castle.

Having killed Wind Devil, Xue Ying looked uncertain at the corpse’s chest. On that chest was a strange-looking bronze heart-protective gear. On the heart-protective gear, there were lines that gave Xue Ying a strange feeling, “This bronze heart-protective gear seems to be one of the best refiner treasures I’ve ever seen.”

“En?” Xue Ying’s expression changed as he gazed into the sky.

High above, in the sky.

A crimson-robed brawny man with a face that looked like a knife had carved his features sped down at terminal velocity. His robe was fluttering, and he fell alongside a wave of blood-red Qi that could be seen with the naked eyes, centering around him.

Like a demon falling, Xue Ying immediately recognised the expert coming at him. The face of this expert had long ago been etched into his mind.

“Xiang Pang Yun?”

“Humph!” Xue Ying made up his mind immediately. He manipulated the world energy to directly clash against that blood-red wave of Qi, meeting in mid-air a hundred meters away. Peng~~~ The two surging forces rammed at each other. Because Xue Ying’s spirit strength was currently One with the World, right at the moment when the two forces rammed, he could immediately feel the endless killing intent contained in that wave of blood-red Qi.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Countless voices shouting for him to kill reverberated in his heart. Though Xue Ying was aghast at this method his opponent used, he could easily recover against this surge of killing intent with his stable mind. Furthermore, after achieving One with the World, his spirit strength had become even stronger after receiving the essence from nature. This killing intent was something he could ignore. However, any rankers of Silver Moon and below would generally fall down onto the ground after receiving such a substantial assault of killing intent.

“He actually united his killing intent and One with the World, into a single force? That blood-red wave Qi of his, not only does it contain forces of the heaven and earth, it also contains an attack that can actually kill.” Xue Ying felt surprised in his heart, “It’s known that this Xiang Pang Yun was a mad-man and a frightening killer. Solely judging on this killing intent of his, it is already so incredible!

“Xue Ying, what happened?”

“What is happening?” Many people within the castle were alarmed.

After all, when Xue Ying utilised the world energy, even the surrounding air was distorted. Even though these kinds of unseen forces did not injure his own people, it still alarmed them.

Also, during the exchange with Wind Devil, every time his long spear and the bent blade met, a loud collision sound resounded!

The harmless but still-felt forces and the loud sounds all alarmed the people in the castle.

Needless to say… Xue Ying’s utilisation of the world energy meeting with the blood-red wave Qi was even more frightful to those present. In this clash between two rankers, the control of the natural forces created thunder-like sound.

“Uncle Zong.” Xue Ying opened his mouth, being a Meteor knight, Zong Ling was the fastest to reach the side of Xue Ying.

“The bronze heart-protective gear on this person’s body is an extremely special refiner treasure,” Xue Ying said, “Uncle Zong, please take and examine it. You should be able to use something like this.”

The stronger a Legend ranker was, the less help any refiner treasure would be to them.

Zong Ling nodded, extending his hand in that split second to accept the bronze heart-protective gear. He then continued taking the other treasures, weapon, armour, etc. Yet suddenly —

“Hong!!!”

Xiang Pang Yun who had come down from several hundred meters above landed directly on the battlement of the inner castle. That blood-red wave Qi of his surged outwards, pressuring several soldiers beside the wall onto the ground, causing such terror that they even screamed out in horror. Those weaker soldiers were affected so much that their entire faces were pale like ghosts, and blood even oozed from their orifices.

Actually, world energy already had a suppressive power against Silver Moon knights and Meteor knights. Against all these mortal soldiers, their lives would even be threatened by it.

“In front of I, Xiang Pang Yun, you still dare to resist?” Xiang Pang Yun looked down upon his opponent, Xue Ying, “Dong Bo Xue Ying, you sure are daring.”

“Hong hong hong~~~~”

Xue Ying manipulated the world energy as if it were an immense unseen cover, shrouding against the surrounding and clashing countless times against Xiang Pang Yun’s blood-red wave Qi.

“Xiang Pang Yun?” Zong Ling’s face immediately paled. That scary big demon? That Legend ranker who dominated the entire Azure River County for close to a hundred years?

“Uncle Zong, help me take care of Qing Shi.” Xue Ying said resolutely. With his control of the world energy, he could clearly view the confused-looking Qing Shi walking out of his residence.

“Yes.” Zong Ling did not carry on pillaging the bodies any longer. This could wait until after this situation was settled. Quickly, he leaped towards the third floor of the castle, landing beside Qing Shi.

“What happened?”

“This, what exactly happened?”

Qing Shi was even feeling hoodwinked.

He had previously been hugging his quilt, sleeping unhappily on his bed. For so many years, his brother had not ever treated him so fiercely. He hugged his quilt and had cried before eventually falling asleep.

The surging world energy, the loud noises in the clash of weapons, and that collision between two legend ranker’s world energy, as well as several horrible shrieks outside had woken Qing Shi, causing him to come out immediately from his room.

The moment he came out…

He saw his brother Xue Ying standing below with a body beside him and three other bodies some distance away.

At the same time, his surroundings seemed so strange.

The air around was distorted.

Standing on his brother’s side, a huge region of air was being covered by an unseen force. On the other side, standing on the battlement of the wall was a crimson-robed demon-looking man emitting out a wave of blood-red Qi. That blood-red wave Qi was clashing against the huge unseen cover.

As for that blood-red wave Qi, just by looking at it with his naked eyes, he could feel a building terror! Qing Shi’s experiences of tempering himself was not enough to keep him from turning pale at this sight..

“Uncle Zong, what happened?” Qing Shi was somewhat panic, turning to the closest person he could trust – Uncle Zong.

“It’s Xiang Pang Yun!” Zong Ling said solemnly, “It’s the scariest killer in the entire Azure River County. He’s even scarier than the Si Clan’s ancestor, Si Liang Hong! Even if it was a Legend ranker fighting against him, most of them could not even last for more than move!

“What?” Qing Shi was aghast.

Legend ranker, how strong was that?

In front of Xiang Pang Yun, dying from a single move? One must know that the reason why the Si Clan could control the entire Azure River County was because of that ancestor of theirs! Yet Xiang Pang Yun was even stronger than the ancestor of Si Clan?

“Dong Bo Xue Ying, I came today because of a mission given by the Bloodshed Tavern. It was a mission to take away your brother, Dong Bo Qing Shi’s life.” Xiang Pang Yun had a strange look on his face as he stood on top of the wall battlement. His voice resounded in the air, “I do not care about killing you at all. Obediently step aside for me to kill your little brother and I’ll turn away after I complete it. After all, the Bloodshed Tavern did not give me any bounty for killing you.”

Xiang Pang Yun did this deliberately.

This time, the mission was actually accepted by Wind Devil. Even when he, Xiang Pang Yun killed Qing Shi, he would also not have the chance to acquire the bounty!

The reason why he would say this was purely to disrupt Xue Ying’s mood. If this could cause him to waver in his decision, then all the better it would be. Being an openly-publicised killer, he killed not because of any bounty! Killing was actually a pleasure for this madman.

“Kill me? Bloodshed Tavern’s mission?” Qing Shi stood in amazement. This scary situation was all because someone was sent to kill him?

“Kill my little brother?” Xue Ying glared at Xiang Pang Yun, before he coldly said, “Unless I, Dong Bo Xue Ying die, nobody else will be permitted to harm my little brother! Even you, Xiang Pang Yun!”

“Big brother!”

Standing by the railing on the castle’s main building, Qing Shi felt sour after seeing all of this. Looking down at the blurrish shadow figure of his brother behind that distorted air, it was as if he saw the same shadow that had been with him all the time since he was young. That immovable mountain that would always protect him.

“For your little brother, you are even willing to sacrifice your life. That’s so touching. Since that’s the case… then you can just die!”

Xiang Pang Yun suddenly looked grim, before shouting out.

Hu.

A blood-coloured shadow suddenly rushed out from the wall battlement of the castle. A biting cold light of sword flew across the sky. Those around felt terror simply by seeing this snow-white blade of light flying across countless meters in the sky.

“Big brother.” Beside Zong Ling, Qing Shi was so nervous that be began trembling.