Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 252 No Struggle, Zixuan Meets Honglian
"Ding!"

At the Cape Headquarters, seven or eight men in black were besieging a girl. A short dagger broke through the sword net formed by the chain snake soft sword and arrived in front of the girl.

An elderly man with a full head of silver hair watched this scene, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

As assassins, they are different from people in the martial arts world. They don't care about chivalry or code of honor. For assassins, the mission is always the top priority, no matter what.

Just like now, a group of people are besieging a woman, which is indeed immoral, but their mission is about to end.

Just then, a sigh resounded from the depths of everyone's hearts.

Then, a strange wave swept across the entire area, freezing everyone present in place.

"Oh no! The world has lost its color!!"

Looking at the hall that was now only black and white, the old man surnamed Shi felt a chill run down his spine. The "loss of color" technique of the Taoist Heavenly Sect was extremely powerful and could not be controlled by anyone who was not a Grandmaster. In other words, the person who made the move was at least a Grandmaster of the Taoist Heavenly Sect.

Almost instantly, the auras of the several Grandmaster-level experts in the arena surged wildly. Two of them even activated secret techniques, recklessly raising their realms in an attempt to break through the colorless barrier that had enveloped the world.

But the next moment, the old man surnamed Shi's pupils contracted again.

The Taoist Heavenly Sect's "Heaven and Earth Lose Color" is an absolute domain formed by the user's internal energy. Therefore, in essence, as long as one's internal energy can surpass that of the opponent, the restriction of "Heaven and Earth Lose Color" can be broken.

Just now, when he tried to break the colorless barrier of the world with his inner strength, he felt not a person, but an entire world, with the power of heaven and earth working together. This level was beyond what a Grandmaster could achieve.

"Grandmaster~~"

The old man surnamed Shi could only smile bitterly. He had thought things would go very smoothly tonight, but reality was so cruel.

Before long, a light appeared in the hall, and a figure entered their field of vision.

He was a young man, a young man who looked to be only in his early twenties.

"The people from the Net?"

"Has Zhao Gao gone mad? Or does he think he won't die just because he's hiding in Xianyang Palace?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyelids twitched.

Zhao Gao was the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office and the leader of the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven).

In the empire, this person held a pivotal position, but in the mouth of this young man, it seemed easier than crushing an ant.

But in the next moment, the old man surnamed Shi seemed to have thought of something. At such an age and with such a level of attainment, there seemed to be only one person in the martial arts world today: the young grandmaster of the Taoist Heavenly Sect—Qingxu.

"I told you before that I've kept a few people around me who I can rely on."

Qingxu walked over slowly, causing a slight tremor in the space. The eyes of the figures still suspended in mid-air dimmed silently.

The elderly man surnamed Shi, standing at a distance, was horrified when he saw this scene.

Without a sound, he took the lives of those people. The young man's methods were even more terrifying than the rumors.

Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, only two sects were feared by Luo Wang.

One is the Yin-Yang School, whose spells are extremely subtle and can catch people off guard without them even realizing it. The other is the Taoist School, whose magic is no less powerful than Yin-Yang spells, and its power is even greater.

Just like now, the methods this young man is using are unpredictable and even frightening to this veteran martial arts master.

"poison?"

Qingxu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the short dagger left in mid-air. Martial arts battles often disregard morality, but the Luo Wang organization was absolutely ruthless in its actions.

"I didn't expect them to come looking for us, after all, this is Mount Taiyi."

Looking at Qingxu, a hint of lingering fear flashed in the girl's eyes. Poison can be very troublesome at times.

With the Empire as its backing, the poisons that Luo Wang can collect are often not simple things. If it is one of those legendary rare poisons, it would be too late to regret it if you accidentally come into contact with it.

"Bai Zhi and the others haven't come out yet."

As if remembering something, the girl pointed to the entrance to the secret chamber on the floor of the hall, but Qingxu shook his head.

He then turned to look at the only surviving assassin from the Luo Wang organization in the hall, an old man who called himself Mr. Shi.

"Since you're able to become the leader of these people, you must be a smart man. And if you're smart, you should know very well that killing you is very simple!"

The old man surnamed Shi's face turned ashen as he looked at the young man standing in front of him, whose eyes had become very sinister.

"As a veteran of the martial arts world, you must have experienced far more than us. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a hundred schools of thought have emerged, and academic debates have taken place, presenting a scene of a hundred flowers blooming. During this period, many sects became mortal enemies, and some disappeared into the long river of history."

"But no force has ever openly provoked my Taoist school. It is said in the martial arts world that the Taoist school is detached from worldly affairs, transcends worldly matters, and has no interest in worldly affairs. Therefore, most conflicts will not involve my Taoist school."

"My Taoist patriarch disdained to explain these things. Over time, everyone came to believe that this was truly the case in Taoism. Did the old master also think so?"

The old man stood there, silent, or rather, unable to speak even if he wanted to. Within the ethereal, colorless realm of heaven and earth, he was no different from a puppet on a string.

“When I entered the mountains, my master Bei Mingzi told me some things.”

When talking about the past, Qingxu's eyes became somewhat distant.

The girl next to him also subconsciously looked over at him. Bei Mingzi was the Supreme Elder of the Taoist Heavenly Sect and a top master at the Grandmaster level, enjoying a high reputation throughout the martial arts world.

"It is precisely because he does not contend that no one in the world can contend with him. The Daoist principles of non-contention and non-action are essentially the same: through non-action, nothing is left undone. Don't risk your lives to challenge my will. The essence of non-contention is that no one will contend with him, and no one dares to contend with him."

No one came to contest it, and no one dared to contest it.

Upon hearing these two words, the girl next to him lit up. Such a statement was probably quite novel to others as well. In this young man's words, the Taoist concept of non-contention carried a domineering air of disdain for the world.

Of course, given the other party's current level and strength, they certainly have the right to say that.

"The martial world has always revered martial arts. You are decades older than me, sir. If you truly believe that the Taoist principle of non-contention is retreat or avoidance, then you have wasted all these years!"

The old man's face flushed. After all, he was an old man of the martial arts world, and sometimes he still had to save face. Now that a young man was pointing his finger at him and cursing him, he had no way to defend himself and naturally began to lose his footing.

But the next moment, his expression changed, and a mouthful of blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

"You've ruined me!!!"

The old man lay on the ground, his voice hoarse and filled with shock and anger.

"Go back and tell Zhao Gao that Qingxu will be visiting again in a while. Tell him to prepare something that I will take with me!" Qingxu paused, and another burst of energy emerged from nothingness, throwing the other party away.

Mr. Shi leaned against a large tree outside the Cape headquarters, feeling weak all over. If he guessed correctly, his meridians had probably been destroyed by that young man without him even realizing it.

From the moment the opponent made their move to the moment it ended, only a short time had passed. The group of eight, including himself, consisted of four Grandmasters and four Innate Realm experts, but in the opponent's hands, they were like childish children. If he hadn't still had some use, he probably would have been crushed to death by the opponent long ago.

He knew that Grandmasters were the most powerful fighters in the martial arts world, and he had even met the two Grandmasters of the Yin-Yang School several times.

However, the one from the Taoist Heavenly Sect is far more terrifying than those two.

The power that caused the heavens and earth to lose their color in the hands of this person could no longer be measured by ordinary standards.

It's hard to imagine how many people in Xianyang City would be able to move freely amidst the other's world turning colorless if this person actually went there.

"Is this the power of a Grandmaster of Taoism?"

Mr. Shi sat for a long time, gave a bitter smile, and then stood up by leaning on the big tree behind him. His steps were unsteady as he slowly disappeared into the darkness.

In the lobby of the Cape headquarters, several people stood silently. After a while, Qingxu, who was standing by the window, slowly turned his gaze away from the window and looked at these people.

These individuals are talents cultivated by Haijiao. The fastest-improving ones have reached the Grandmaster realm, while the slowest have reached the Innate realm. Haijiao has become the most powerful intelligence organization in the martial arts world, so naturally it has no shortage of people.

With the profits from refined salt and white paper, the cape grew at an astonishing speed, which naturally included the arrangement and training of manpower.

“Some mistakes I may not care about, some mistakes I can only make once. Killing them is not difficult for me, and similarly, dealing with you is not difficult for me either. I don’t want to see what happened today a second time.”

After the group from the cape left, Qingxu looked towards the door and soon saw a girl walk in.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Zixuan narrowed her eyes.

Although it had been seven years since they last met, she recognized him at first glance.

Princess Hongryeon of South Korea.

When Honglian saw the girl next to Xiuyuan, her eyes became very strange. Although she had no recollection of any information about the girl, she felt a sense of familiarity with her, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

"What a beautiful woman, so lovely that I feel sorry for her."

"Young master, having too many romantic entanglements is not a good thing!"

Seeing Honglian approach, Zixuan smiled and teased softly.

Before Qingxu could speak, Honglian took over the conversation.

"My sister is just as good!"

"However, I have a strange feeling about you, sister. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before, but I can't remember where. Could you please help me figure this out?"

Zi Xuan's eyes twitched. She had been in contact with Hong Lian for quite some time and knew the girl's abilities well. After Qing Xu's intervention, she had learned seventy or eighty percent of her Ninth Brother's abilities, making her another core figure in Liu Sha after Han Fei.

"Her name is Zixuan, the Queen of the Cape."

Qingxu didn't say much, just a few simple words, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this name, Honglian's brows furrowed with suspicion. She had naturally heard of Haijiao, the most mysterious and largest intelligence organization in the martial arts world, but she never expected that the master of Haijiao was a girl.

"Quicksand - Red Lotus".

Honglian nodded and then began to introduce herself. Of course, given Qingxu's example, her self-introduction was exceptionally brief.

"Everyone says that Haijiao is the largest intelligence organization in the martial arts world, renowned for its knowledge of everything under the sun. I never knew that you, sister, were the master of Haijiao. My apologies!"

Zixuan stood there, smiling and shaking her head.

"I have long heard of Princess Honglian's great name. The fact that Quicksand was able to become the king of the darkness and stand out from the crowd is also due to the princess's efforts. I think the princess should be able to see that I am just a worker. As for who is the master of the Cape, I am sure that cannot be hidden from the princess!"

Upon hearing this, Honglian's face darkened.

Although she did not deliberately conceal her identity, few people in the martial arts world knew about it, or rather, almost none knew about it. The state of Han had been destroyed for seven years. It is said that a new emperor brings a new court. Even the emperor was like this. Why would those people back then care about a princess of a fallen state?
"You know my identity?"

Zi Xuan chuckled and replied with a smile, "Of course, Princess, don't forget what Haijiao does. Not to mention the princess's identity, Haijiao also has information on other people in the quicksand."

Upon hearing this, Honglian nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, Cape is an intelligence organization, and its greatest strength lies in intelligence gathering. As the king of the dark forces, Quicksand will naturally be noticed, and after investigation, it will not be difficult to obtain some intelligence.

As for who would own the cape, Honglian had already guessed it; the other party's use of the word "young master" was enough to explain everything.

"Since Sister Zixuan knows my identity, she must also know that Liusha has been pursuing a truth all these years."

Zixuan lowered her eyelids. She had been paying attention to the situation of Liusha ever since that incident, but there were some things she couldn't say before Qingxu spoke up.

"Does the truth really matter that much? Seven years have passed already~~"

After a while, Zixuan sighed softly.

Honglian clenched her fists gently.

Spending seven years searching for the truth is not something everyone can persevere with; perhaps there are very few people in this world who can.

"For some people, the truth is not just a truth, but also an answer. Just like what we all do every day, what they want is never a simple right or wrong, but an answer. This is the meaning of everyone's life."

Zixuan's heart stirred slightly.

Seven years ago, that young man stepped forward and drew up a beautiful blueprint for everyone, but reality is so cruel. What was shattered was not only an organization, but also that dream.

"The disappearance of Han Fei, the ninth prince of the state, was a tragedy for the whole world."

Is he alive or dead?

"I don't know."

"He's not dead?"

"I don't know."

(End of this chapter)