The air was cold and damp, and the sound of flowing water echoed from afar. Ancient trees rose from the ground, some standing tens of meters high, their dense foliage blocking out the sunlight, allowing only a sliver of stubborn light to be cast onto the moldy, damp ground.
He had already left the Soul Burial Valley. Ling Chen estimated that this should be the Demon Forest, located in the northern region of Wind Country.
On this vast Tianyuan Continent, countless countries stood tall. However, the semi-closed Extreme South Land was mostly dominated by five major countries: Wind Country, Thunder Country, Aqua Country, Fire Country, and Earth Country.
Each country had its Imperial Court and nobles, territorial divisions, tax collection, and control over the civilian population. But in these five countries, it was the various sects that held the true power!
The Martial World was held in higher esteem than the Imperial Court. Therefore, it was not the Emperor or the marquis and lords whom the people revered, but the Martial Arts Supreme.
Though a hundred schools of thought contended, none could compare to the Martial Arts.
I am not far from the Divine Intent Sect. I should be able to get back in half a day.
Ling Chen calculated the distance in his mind and prepared to continue his journey.
Just then, there was a sudden movement in the forest ahead.
Ling Chen's eyes flickered as he instinctively approached the source of the noise.
Hidden behind a large tree, he saw a carriage slowly making its way along the path ahead. On the carriage were an old man and a young girl. A slightly immature voice rang out from the girl, who had bright eyes and pearly teeth.
"When the Saintess returns, the Demon Cult rises;
When the Divine Intent Sect falls, the Supreme dies.
The Martial World is thrown into unpredictable turmoil;
It is unknown into whose hands the world will fall."
...
These few short lines were like a folk rhyme, catchy and easy to recite.
"Yingying, we are in the Demon Forest. Be quiet. Be careful not to attract robbers," the old man driving the carriage warned, glancing back at the girl.
The girl, however, was unfazed and flashed a sweet smile. "Grandpa Gu, with you here, Yingying isn't afraid."
"Oh, please, don't go thinking your Grandpa Gu is the world's foremost expert. With my meager skills, if we encounter a true expert, I'm afraid I might not even be able to escape," the old man chuckled self-deprecatingly. This child, after all, hasn't seen much of the world and trusts my abilities too much. Little does she know, experts in this Martial World are as common as clouds; with my meager cultivation as an Eighth Layer Martial Practitioner, I don't even rank.
Just as the old man was about to say more, he abruptly seemed to sense something. He quickly turned his head, his gaze shifting, his eyes flashing sharply. "Who's there?"
"Don't worry, I'm just passing by."
SWOOSH. A figure leaped down from the tree. It was Ling Chen.
He wouldn't have approached and aroused the old man's suspicion, but after hearing the content of the folk rhyme, he couldn't remain calm.
"Just a young man?"
Seeing only Ling Chen, the old man's vigilance lessened somewhat, though he remained suspicious. "Young man, this is deep in the Demon Forest. How is it that you are here alone, and you seem to be quite seriously injured?"
"It's a long story."
Ling Chen shook his head. He naturally couldn't tell others what had happened to him. Then, cupping his hands, he said, "I only wish to ask Senior one question. I will leave once I have my answer."
"Young man, go ahead and ask." The old man looked at Ling Chen, who carried an air of elegance. He assumed Ling Chen must be a junior from some martial arts aristocratic family who had gotten lost while training in the Demon Forest.
"Is what this young lady just said referring to the recent events at the Divine Intent Sect? 'When the Saintess returns, the Demon Cult rises; when the Divine Intent Sect falls, the Supreme dies.' How should this be interpreted?"
After speaking, Ling Chen's expression became solemn. He looked slightly nervous; from the literal meaning of the words, he could already guess some of it.
"That's right. The last two lines refer to the changes in the Divine Intent Sect. It's rumored that Demon Sect Saintess Liu Xiling betrayed her husband, Supreme Sky Feather, colluding with the Saint Witch Religion to launch a surprise attack, coordinating from within and without. This led to disastrous losses for the Divine Intent Sect. Over half their experts were killed, nearly leading to their complete annihilation."
"Simultaneously, Liu Xiling had finally returned to the headquarters of the Saint Witch Religion after fifteen years, an event their followers deemed a sign of their great resurgence."
"This is impossible!"
Ling Chen's face changed drastically, finding it hard to believe.
He simply would not believe that his father was dead, much less that his mother would betray his father and do such a thing.
"Young man, we have just come from the Divine Intent Sect. This news is indeed true." The old man, unaware of why Ling Chen had such a strong reaction and assuming he was unconvinced, continued, "The Divine Intent Sect is now led by Vice-Head Shentu Yan. They have announced the death of Supreme Sky Feather and issued a kill-on-sight order for Liu Xiling."
"It's a pity. A legend of the Martial World has thus fallen. Even more tragic is that a Heavenly Pride of his generation, his son Ling Chen, also died in this upheaval. It's truly lamentable."
Hearing this, Ling Chen, who had been dispirited, suddenly felt his eyes light up. He had almost started to believe the news of Ling Tianyu's fall, but now, he thought differently. If even he could come back from the dead in this catastrophe, would the dignified Supreme Sky Feather die so easily? Others might believe it, but Ling Chen absolutely did not. Besides, this talk of 'When the Saintess returns, the Demon Cult rises; when the Divine Intent Sect falls, the Supreme dies'—Ling Chen didn't believe a word of it. There must be another hidden truth to this matter.
"Thank you for letting me know."
Ling Chen cupped his hands towards the old man, then swiftly turned and sped away.
...
The Divine Intent Sect was situated in the heartland of Wind Country, nestled within the enchanting Myriad Dao Mountain. As the leader of the Righteous Martial World, the Divine Intent Sect commanded immense respect in Wind Country, its status supreme and unparalleled.
After leaving the Demon Forest, Ling Chen rode swiftly back to the Divine Intent Sect.
The Divine Intent Sect at this moment had lost its former prosperity, replaced by an air of decline. The number of disciples within the sect had dwindled by more than half, and the gates were deserted.
When Ling Chen stepped into the Divine Intent Sect, many gazes immediately fell upon him.
"Hmm, isn't that Young Sect Master Ling Chen? Didn't he die at the hands of those Demonic Sect villains?"
"Hmph. Is he still worthy of being called Young Sect Master? I see him as the son of a demoness, a criminal of the sect."
"Exactly. If it weren't for that demoness Liu Xiling, how could Supreme Sky Feather have fallen? How could our Divine Intent Sect have suffered such a catastrophe?"
"Don't say that. Supreme Sky Feather was Ling Chen's father. He's probably hurting a lot right now."
Unceremonious discussions came from all directions.
"Where are Sima Yin and Long Jia? Get out here!"
Ignoring the comments, Ling Chen channeled his True Qi and roared.
His voice, enveloped by True Qi, spread rapidly, like a domino effect, alarming more and more people.
These Sima Yin and Long Jia were the fat and thin men in black who had thrown him off the Soul-Burying Cliff.
"Which cur dares to shout and cause a disturbance here?"
Suddenly, with a gust of wind, two figures shot over and landed in the open space before him.
"How can it be you, kid? Weren't you already...?"
Seeing that the white-robed youth before them was Ling Chen, Sima Yin was stunned, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
"Already thrown off the Soul-Burying Cliff by you two, you mean?"
Ling Chen let out a cold laugh.
Hearing this, the expressions of both men changed. Long Jia immediately retorted, "Nonsense! How could we possibly do such a thing? You'd better stop slandering us!"
"Slander? I saw it with my own eyes. How could it possibly be slander? Today, I'm going to take both your lives!"
With that, Ling Chen drew his Treasure Sword, his killing intent released without reservation.
"How audacious! This is a vital area of the sect! How dare you behave so atrociously here?" Sima Yin exclaimed, instinctively startled, a hint of fear showing.
At this moment, Long Jia burst out laughing, completely unruffled. "What's there to be afraid of? All his meridians have been crippled. In his current state, does he still think he's the foremost Heavenly Pride of the Martial World? Ridiculous!"
Hearing this, Sima Yin seemed to have a realization, and the look of alarm on his face vanished instantly. That's right, the current Ling Chen is already crippled. What the hell was there to fear? Better to take this opportunity to eliminate him completely, to cut the weeds and dig up the roots. Since Ling Chen was the first to clamor about killing them, even if they killed Ling Chen, they could claim it was self-defense.
"Attack!"
The two exchanged a look, murderous intent flashing in their eyes simultaneously.
"Intermediate Human-Level Blade Technique, Blood Tempering Blade!"
"Intermediate Human-Level Boxing, Wolf Kill!"
Almost simultaneously, they attacked, unleashing killing blows from the outset, intending to put Ling Chen to death in an instant.
WHOSH!
Ling Chen's sword also moved. Although his cultivation was but a fraction of its former strength, his swordsmanship remained unaffected.
He executed four sword strikes consecutively. The sword light surged like a tide, swift as wind, elusive as a shadow, at times majestic, at times ethereal and unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the techniques of Sima Yin and Long Jia.
"It's the Da Feng Sword Song!"
A Divine Intent Sect disciple recognized the swordsmanship Ling Chen was using.
"The Da Feng Sword Song is an Earth-level Sword Technique! These four moves are 'Great Wind Rises', 'Cloud Flutter', 'Internal Power', and 'Guarding the Four Directions'. In Ling Chen's hands, they were executed in one breath, as smooth as flowing clouds and water," another Divine Intent Sect disciple added, looking utterly amazed.
The foremost Heavenly Pride of the Martial World indeed lived up to his name.
"How is this possible?"
Sima Yin and Long Jia both looked grim. How could Ling Chen, who only had a pitiful first realm cultivation, possibly contend against two Third Level warriors?
"You've underestimated the difference between a mediocre horse and a Kirin."
Ling Chen's voice sounded in their ears. The next moment, SNAP! The sword light flashed past Long Jia's face like a storm.
Where the sword light passed, a bloody gash suddenly appeared on Long Jia's neck, which then burst open, blood spraying wildly.
"He's dead?"
Sima Yin was greatly startled. Just as he was about to draw back and retreat, the cold edge of the sword was already pressed against his neck.
In a flash, Sima Yin and Long Jia were defeated.
"Speak. Who is the mastermind behind you two?"
A sharp glint condensed in Ling Chen's eyes.