Swordholder

"Are you the elder of those three little traitors?"

There were no fortune tellers who cried out in surprise.

The others found it even more unbelievable that the swordsmen of today were so fierce.

The younger generation causes trouble during the day, while the elders seek revenge at night?

Before anyone could react, a blazing sword light swept across, sending more than a dozen heads flying into the air, blood gushing out like a fountain.

"It's...it's the Heavenly Light Demon-Slaying Technique!"

"You're insane! As a demon, using the Heavenly Light Demon-Slaying Technique will only injure yourself!"

Someone roared, but the only response was a sword!

Swish!

The cold moonlight sword energy slashed down vertically, cutting the person who shouted in two!

Immediately afterwards, countless starlight sword energies burst forth, crisscrossing and surging across the arena!

hiss hiss hiss —

Screams echoed throughout the main hall as dozens of Wuxiang warriors were slaughtered in the blink of an eye!

Afterwards, Lu Chengfeng roamed around Huaishan County, killing anyone he saw. All government officials, yamen runners, and fortune tellers were mercilessly slaughtered!

Even the many humans who had attacked Chen Yuan and his companions during the day were found and beheaded by him.

During the daytime, although Lu Chengfeng did not enter the city, he secretly observed everything.

Anyone who lays a hand on Chen Yuan and his two companions will face certain death today!

Those who aided and abetted the wicked all met their demise.

When there was no one left to kill, Lu Chengfeng shook off the blood from his sword and slowly sheathed it.

Clang!

The bronze sword emitted a soft hum, as if it were reveling after drinking its fill of blood.

The burly man stood in the night, thunder rumbling in the sky, the lightning reflecting off him, making his murderous aura even more chilling and intimidating.

"Come out."

Lu Chengfeng spoke in a hoarse voice.

Chen Yuan and his companions, who had been secretly spying, awkwardly came out.

"Uncle Lu, you said you wouldn't take action during the day, but why did you personally intervene after we finished?"

Li Wei asked curiously.

Lu Chengfeng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "You can kill as many people as you want, and that will be enough."

As your elders and your protectors, it is only right that I help you deal with any future troubles.

After saying that, Lu Chengfeng strode towards the city gate.

The dim moonlight cast his shadow, making it appear even taller.

But in Chen Yuan's eyes, his steps became increasingly unsteady, and he seemed somewhat unstable.

Chen Yuan and the others looked grave, their eyes filled with worry, and immediately followed Lu Chengfeng.

···········

Not long after Chen Yuan and his group left, a large number of people flocked to the outskirts of Huaishan County.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Like a black torrent, the army swept in with overwhelming force.

It was Xu Zhihua and Liu Qingyuan who led two hundred black-scaled horse cavalrymen, and there were also more than ten middle-aged men in tight-fitting clothes with a powerful aura in the team.

The leader was a white-haired man in his sixties with a stern face and sharp eyes. He was Liu Zongyuan, the magistrate of Huaishan County, and Liu Qingyuan was his cousin.

The Liu family was a behemoth in Huaishan County, wielding absolute power.

Upon learning that Xu Zhihua, the Grand Chief of the Wuxiang Division of Tianshan County, had come to search for the remnants of the Sword-wielding clique, Liu Zongyuan immediately became excited and led the strongmen of Qi County to help him, hoping to curry favor with the officials in the county and pave the way for future promotion.

Unexpectedly, not long after he left the county town, his base was turned upside down by the remnants of the Sword-wielding forces.

Upon hearing the news, he was terrified and immediately led his team back.

Liu Qingyuan's eyes were bloodshot and his soul was in turmoil.

Upon learning that everything stemmed from his son, Liu Gongquan, Liu Qingyuan was terrified and rushed home in a panic.

Only Xu Zhihua appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was already burning with anger.

"Those damned remnants of the Sword-Bearing clique have actually trained three more young Sword-Bearers! They deserve to die!"

He cursed coldly and immediately led two hundred Wuxiang cavalrymen to Huaishan County.

After the group entered the city, the air was filled with a pungent smell of blood, and there were only dried bloodstains on the streets, with no corpses in sight.

Xu Zhihua's face was gloomy as he stared at the blood moon, which had stained most of the night sky red, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Corpses are highly susceptible to attracting evil spirits at night; if they are not collected by humans, they will be devoured by demons.

The group immediately rushed to the county government office.

Upon arriving at the government office, they saw corpses scattered all over the ground, all warm and fresh, clearly having died recently.

"Damn it!"

Xu Zhihua's face turned ashen, and he let out a low shout.

Liu Zongyuan and Liu Qingyuan were terrified and hurriedly searched through the pile of corpses.

A moment later, both of their faces turned pale and ashen!

Yang Ling, the captain of the Wuxiang Division stationed here, is dead, and all the Wuxiang warriors have perished.

"Investigate! See if there are any survivors, and while you're at it, identify the deceased!"

Xu Zhihua gave the order sternly.

Liu Zongyuan and Liu Qingyuan immediately led people to search, and some people rushed back to the mansion to check.

Before long, a Taoist priest quickly walked up to Xu Zhihua, bowed deeply with a gloomy expression, and reported:

"My lord, there are other dead in the city, including scions of prominent families from Huai Shan County, and even..."

Da da da!

Liu Qingyuan rushed in from outside, his steps hurried, and upon hearing these words, his heart sank.

Xu Zhihua glanced coldly at Liu Qingyuan and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

The fortune teller bowed again: "And also, Lord Liu's son, Liu Gongquan!"

"What?"

Liu Qingyuan's expression changed drastically. He grabbed the other man's collar and roared, "Are you telling the truth?"

The fortune teller nodded repeatedly: "It's absolutely true, Young Master Liu's body has been placed in the backyard of the government office."

Liu Qingyuan felt the world spinning around him, and his vision blurred: "Take me there!"

He took a deep breath, his gaze terrifyingly sinister.

When they found Liu Gongquan among the mangled remains in the backyard, they saw that a chopstick had pierced through his temple. Liu Qingyuan's eyes were bloodshot, his whole body was trembling, and he was in excruciating pain.

"Aaaaah! Damn it! Which beast did this?!"

Liu Zongyuan, who arrived shortly after, also had a drastic change in expression!

When he saw Huang Delai, the county magistrate dressed in official robes with a shattered skull, he staggered and nearly fell.

Xu Zhihua stood with his hands behind his back, and upon seeing this, roared, "Chase! Search every 300 li of mountains and forests within a radius of 100 li! No one is allowed to rest tonight!"

The warriors of Wuxiang obeyed the order and set off. The rapid hoofbeats of the black-scaled horses faded into the distance, and the deathly still night instantly became restless.

Holding his son's corpse, Liu Qingyuan finally came to his senses, his eyes bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely:

"Chase them! Chase them! I'll make sure they die a horrible death!!!"

------

Led by Lu Chengfeng, Chen Yuan and the others moved forward at full speed, passing through several places where evil spirits were entrenched.

Although Xu Zhihua and his companions had black-scaled horses for transportation, they were unable to pinpoint their location accurately and had to constantly deal with the strange and malevolent disturbances in the mountains and forests, which was extremely annoying. They were always left dozens of miles behind.

More than ten days later, the group finally left Tianshan County and entered Tianqing County.

Further ahead lies the location of Chen Zhaoning's family.

Chen Zhaoning was overjoyed. After being away from home for several months, she had finally returned and even became the Swordholder.

That night, Lu Chengfeng led the group to a dilapidated temple, where they settled down for the time being.

A bonfire was lit in the temple, adding a touch of warmth to the dim, cold night.

Several people sat around the campfire, meditating and regulating their breathing.

Lu Chengfeng's face grew increasingly pale, his eyes sunken, and his green pupils gleamed with a faint, eerie light.

He stared at the fading scars on Chen Yuan's face, then raised his hand and opened his palm, revealing a dozen gray pills.

"This is?"

Chen Yuan asked, puzzled.

Li Wei and Chen Zhaoning also looked on curiously.

"Body Tempering Pill".

Lu Chengfeng said in a deep voice.

Chen Zhaoning's beautiful eyes widened: "Were these found in Huaishan County?"

Lu Chengfeng nodded slightly.

Chen Yuan and the others were taken aback. They had been so focused on watching Lu Chengfeng wreak havoc that they hadn't noticed he had also been searching for treasures.

"The two of you need to break through to the Dharma Body Realm next."

Lu Chengfeng looked at Li Wei and Chen Zhaoning.

The two nodded immediately, their gazes firm.

Lu Chengfeng then looked at Chen Yuan: "You have already entered the Dharma Body Realm, you should take it a step further."

"Alright, I will do my best to reach the Great Perfection of the Dharma Body Realm."

Chen Yuan said calmly.

Lu Chengfeng: "???"

He wondered if he had misheard, or if he was hallucinating because his days were numbered.

"Is it because I lack the aptitude to reach perfection in one step? I don't think so. My physical constitution has greatly improved since the battle half a month ago."

Chen Yuan looked puzzled and stared intently at Lu Chengfeng.

Li Wei looked on with admiration, feeling that Chen Yuan was exactly how he should be.

Chen Zhaoning rolled her eyes, almost deciding she didn't want to be friends with this person anymore.

In the end, Chen Zhaoning explained helplessly: "The Dharma Body Realm is divided into four minor realms: initial, intermediate, advanced, and great perfection. To reach the great perfection in one step requires tempering one's spiritual power countless times, which is by no means an easy task."

Chen Yuan seemed to understand: "I understand."

Chen Zhaoning looked bewildered, then gritted her teeth and thought to herself: I don't think you know anything!

But Chen Yuan already understood.

It's nothing more than a lot of practice and a few nights of hard work, and you can achieve it.

He suddenly looked at Li Wei and Chen Zhaoning, then asked Lu Chengfeng:

"Uncle Lu, Li Wei has opened two hundred spiritual apertures, and A Ning has opened two hundred and sixty. What are their aptitudes like?"

Lu Chengfeng fell silent.

Meeting the curious gazes of the three, he finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly:

"I have seen the strongest human cultivator, a Grandmaster wielding a sword."

"A Grandmaster of the Sword?"

Chen Yuan did not understand the significance of this name.

Chen Zhaoning's eyes suddenly lit up: "Heavens! A Grandmaster with a Sword! That's someone who can fly and disappear into the earth!"

Chen Yuan looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Chen Zhaoning excitedly explained, "We are currently the lowest-ranking Sword Bearers. Above us are the Sword Bearer Captains, Sword Bearer Directors, Grand Sword Bearer Directors..."

As she spoke, she looked at Lu Chengfeng, "As for Uncle Lu, he is the Chief of the Sword-wielding Division."

Lu Chengfeng nodded slightly, his face showing approval.

"What happens up there?"

Li Wei leaned closer, and Xiao Nuomi listened attentively with her big eyes wide open.

"Above that are Sword Master, Sword Grandmaster, and Sword Grandmaster!"

Chen Zhaoning's eyes were filled with admiration, and she asked Lu Chengfeng curiously, "Uncle Lu, what level is a Grandmaster of Swordsmanship?"

"Dao...Dao Platform Realm."

Lu Chengfeng said hoarsely.

Chen Zhaoning's breath hitched, utterly shocked: "True Lord Daotai? So the Grandmaster Sword-wielding expert is True Lord Daotai? My god, he's practically a god!"

"The Spiritual Aperture is for minor cultivation, the Dharma Body for major cultivation, the Yellow Court for a Daoist, the Purple Mansion for a True Person, and the Dao Platform for a True Lord!"

Chen Zhaoning spoke with excitement and longing.