“I’m not in a hurry to die, but I do have a question for you,” Ling Xiao said with a faint smile.
“A question? Haha, first time I’ve heard of someone asking questions before dying. Well, I won’t tell you a thing, so you can die a frustrated ghost!” Tang Qi sneered.
At that moment, Tang Qi’s killing intent surged, and the other two fully unleashed their true essence.
Phoenix Feather Soul-Chasing Arrow, Flying Knife, and Money Dart—three hidden weapons shot through the air, converging on Ling Xiao.
“Die!” they shouted.
Ling Xiao sighed. He didn’t want to kill, but these people were forcing his hand.
A flash of black-gold light flickered in his eyes, and three air swords slashed out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The three air swords first deflected the hidden weapons, then pierced through the throats of the three attackers.
Uniformly, the wounds were identical. The sword energy passed through them, leaving three terrifying holes in the wall behind.
Dust swirled in the air.
In an instant, the three bodies collapsed, never to rise again.
“Terrifying! Is this Brother Ling’s strength?” Long Chen, who had just opened his eyes, intending to help, witnessed this eerie scene.
He knew his Brother Ling was strong, but he never imagined he was this powerful.
Forget Tang Qi; he doubted even Tang Jiu could match Brother Ling.
“Gulp!” Long Chen swallowed hard, excitedly asking, “Brother Ling, those three air swords were infused with something, right?”
“The Will of Slaughter,” Ling Xiao replied calmly. “A will dedicated to killing.”
“No wonder!” Long Chen exclaimed.
He had heard Lin Bei mention the fearsome nature of wills before—a manifestation of soul power and a combat method.
Yet, few martial artists could truly master it.
There was even a misconception among human martial artists that martial wills were a prerequisite for martial souls.
This had recently been corrected, though some remote small sects were still unaware.
Martial souls and martial wills could coexist as distinct entities—one a tangible manifestation of soul power, the other a combat method within its intangible form.
Long Chen was genuinely thrilled for Ling Xiao and the Divine Sword Sect.
With only twenty percent power Half-Step Heavenly Venerable, he had slain three at fifty percent power. This strength—no, this potential—was terrifying.
Just as he was rejoicing, his brows furrowed.
“Bad news, Brother Ling. We should leave quickly. You killed Tang Qi; Tang Jiu won’t let you off!” Long Chen said urgently.
“No use. The spectators have already shown up,” Ling Xiao sighed.
They were too close to the True Demon Palace, so people in the distance had likely seen the fight. Leaving now wouldn’t help.
Besides, he had no intention of dodging responsibility.
Tang Jiu? They’d meet sooner or later.
He had already killed Bei Duanchang, so Tang Jiu was never going to let him go. Killing Tang Qi only increased the likelihood and speed of Tang Jiu’s retaliation.
In Long Chen’s eyes, though, Ling Xiao was no match for Tang Jiu, who was at eighty percent power Half-Step Heavenly Venerable—not someone to mess with.
“Long Chen, don’t worry. If Tang Jiu comes, I’ll kill him. Let’s head to the palace. The best opportunities are probably there,” Ling Xiao said, unafraid of Tang Jiu but seeing no need to wait for him.
He picked up the storage rings of the fallen, returned Long Chen’s items, and kept the rest—spirit stones, herbs, and array materials, all useful to him.
“Long Chen, your injuries are fully healed, right?” Ling Xiao asked as they walked and talked.
“Yes, fully recovered, thanks to the miraculous pills you gave me. Otherwise, I’d have had to withdraw today,” Long Chen said gratefully.
“That won’t do. You’re the Divine Sword Sect’s only representative in the preliminaries. If you withdraw, how will you face the sect?” Ling Xiao said with a smile. “Rumour has it the True Demon Palace holds pure true essence left by the True Demon Emperor, which can directly boost a martial artist’s realm. That’s too important to miss. Even if you withdraw, you need to enter first.”
“Is it really that powerful?” Long Chen asked.
“I don’t know. It’s my first time here too. But Senior Brother Wu mentioned it. Look, the palace seems sealed by some special force, only opening at specific times. Probably another hour or two. Let’s rest and eat something,” Ling Xiao suggested.
He glanced at the palace. Many martial artists had gathered, but far fewer than at the start.
Those who made it here were mostly Half-Step Heavenly Venerables. Anyone below that level was nowhere to be seen.
Ling Xiao was a bit worried about Dai Yuling and Leng Hao but could only wait patiently.
About half an hour later, Lan Yuer and Feng Yaorao appeared.
Another hour passed, and Leng Hao, Dai Yuling, and even Zhao Zhi showed up together, all bearing injuries. Zhao Zhi was in bad shape, carried by Leng Hao.
Still, reaching this point was a victory.
Ling Xiao didn’t expect them to make the finals, but they had to enter the palace. It was a prime opportunity to boost their cultivation, too precious to miss.
“Heal up quickly. The palace should open in about half an hour,” Ling Xiao said, sharing his healing pills and helping them recover.
Boom!
Half an hour later, a loud rumble echoed as the True Demon Palace, wrapped in strange golden-yellow light, finally opened.
The number of people present had dropped from nearly a thousand to about three hundred—a loss of nearly seven hundred.
Some had died; others had withdrawn midway.
This preliminary round was brutal indeed.
“The True Demon Palace is open. Let’s go!” Ling Xiao stood up.
The Moonlight Sect was now down to him, Lan Yuer, Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, and Zhao Zhi. The rest had been eliminated or killed.
Whether they could bring glory to the Moonlight Sect depended on them.
“Alright!” The group headed toward the True Demon Palace, taking their time. Previous events had proven that arriving early wasn’t as good as arriving at the right moment.
Outside the palace, many disciples were already rushing to enter.
“The True Demon Palace is my goal this time. If I can boost my cultivation here, I might make it to the finals!” one said.
“Not only can you improve your cultivation, but you might also find treasures that increase your chances of advancing to the Heavenly Human Realm!” another added.
