68: Chapter 68 Black Wind Sword

Manager Ma Yingjie's gaze slowly swept over the corpses in the great hall before finally settling on Hu Nan. "Hu Nan... I didn't expect you to be able to kill Zhou Hu."

"We've never met before. How do you know me?" Hu Nan feigned a look of confusion as he asked.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Manager Ma Yingjie burst into loud laughter, his voice filled with triumph.

"Never met?" Manager Ma Yingjie sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "Hu Nan, I not only know you, but I also know the immense secret you're hiding—you've Awakened an Ancient Divine Ability, haven't you?"

"What?"

"Who exactly are you?"

"How do you know?" Hu Nan asked, pretending to be shocked.

At this moment, Hu Nan's expression was one of panic, as if his greatest secret had been discovered.

"What? Surprised that I know?" Manager Ma Yingjie's tone was arrogant, filled with absolute certainty. "You thought you hid it well?"

"I've had my eye on you ever since your cultivation began to increase rapidly!"

For ordinary Cultivators, progressing from Qi Refining Level 3 to Qi Refining Stage 7 would take at least several decades.

Even those Genius Disciples would need over ten years.

Yet Hu Nan had gone from Qi Refining Level 3 to Qi Refining Stage 7 in less than four years.

More importantly, the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Demon Blood Curse had no effect on Hu Nan whatsoever.

The reason Manager Ma Yingjie suspected Hu Nan had obtained an Ancient Divine Ability...

...was that only obtaining an Ancient Divine Ability could possibly explain all of this.

Manager Ma Yingjie glanced at Hu Nan and continued, "Your talent is exceptionally high!"

"You are certain to achieve great things in the future!"

"However, you are blocking the path of our Blood Demon Sect!"

"Therefore, today, I can only eliminate you!"

Manager Ma Yingjie's tone grew increasingly arrogant and confident.

In Manager Ma Yingjie's view, Hu Nan was already fish on a chopping block; even if he grew wings today, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Hu Nan glanced at Manager Ma Yingjie, then leapt into the air, speeding away into the distance with lightning-like Speed.

Watching the panicked fleeing figure of Hu Nan, Manager Ma Yingjie's face showed no trace of alarm. Instead, he slowly shook his head, a disdainful sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, as if he had long anticipated this move.

The four Blood Demon Sect Disciples behind him immediately bowed and requested, "Hall Master, should we pursue him?"

"No need." Manager Ma Yingjie raised his hand, his tone indifferent, as if everything was under his control.

"A waste at Qi Refining Stage 7, even if he has Awakened an Ancient Divine Ability, can't cause any big waves. Killing him is as easy as lifting a hand for me. There's no need for you to intervene."

As his words fell, Manager Ma Yingjie slowly raised his right hand. His palm turned slightly, and a dense black Spiritual Qi suddenly condensed.

"Go!" Manager Ma Yingjie waved his hand towards Hu Nan's direction.

That black light instantly shot through the air, its Speed far exceeding Hu Nan's fleeing Speed. Like a ghost, it headed straight for Hu Nan's retreating figure.

In the next instant, the black light caught up to Hu Nan without any hindrance and instantly sank into his back.

"Bang—" A loud explosion sounded. Hu Nan's body was instantly detonated by the violent, sinister power contained within the black light, shattering into countless fragments that scattered into the night. He didn't even have time to let out a single scream.

Outside the Black Wind Stronghold, Manager Ma Yingjie slowly strode towards the place where Hu Nan had fallen, his steps unhurried, a smug smile on his face.

The four Blood Demon Sect Disciples behind him hurriedly followed, standing respectfully behind him, not daring to make any unnecessary movements.

Arriving not far away, he looked at the empty surroundings, feeling a bit puzzled.

How had his casual strike turned Hu Nan into fragments?

"Congratulations, Hall Master, for slaying Hu Nan!"

"The Hall Master's Divine Might is unparalleled!"

The many Blood Demon Sect Disciples all offered their congratulations.

Hearing the congratulatory words from his subordinates, Manager Ma Yingjie also revealed a smile.

In his view, it must have been because his own strength had increased significantly, allowing him to smash Hu Nan into pieces with a single move.

Manager Ma Yingjie lifted his gaze to the pitch-black night sky, his voice filled with thick mockery and disdain. "Although you obtained an Ancient Divine Ability and possessed extraordinary talent, you should never, ever have offended our Blood Demon Sect. Daring to be an enemy of my Blood Demon Sect leaves you with only one path—death."

His tone was full of the smugness and ruthlessness of one who controls everything.

In his view, with Hu Nan dead, the Ancient Divine Ability must have also vanished.

And without Hu Nan to restrain them, their Young Lord would undoubtedly win the championship in the Heavenly Sword Sect's grand competition.

Then he would obtain the secret treasure at the bottom of Qingyun Lake.

With the secret treasure from the lake bottom, their Blood Demon Sect could also use the Heavenly Sword Sect's shell to hatch their own eggs.

...

Heavenly Sword Sect.

Outer Sect, small courtyard.

Qin Changsheng slowly opened his eyes.

Regarding the death of his Incarnation, Hu Nan, at the hands of Manager Ma Yingjie, Qin Changsheng wasn't particularly surprised.

After all, the people of the Blood Demon Sect had been hunting Hu Nan all along.

In their attempts to kill Hu Nan, they had even used the Blood Demon Blood Curse on him several times.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand lightly, and two treasures appeared in his grasp.

One was a gleaming black longsword—Zhou Hu's High Grade Yellow Rank Magical Artifact, the black wind sword. The other was a black Storage Pouch, its corners stained with faint traces of blood, which Zhou Hu had used during his lifetime.

Although the External Incarnation had perished, Hu Nan had stored these two treasures in his Storage Space before his demise.

Qin Changsheng raised his hand, first grasping the black wind sword.

It felt slightly cool and heavy to the touch, with a faint black Spiritual Qi light swirling around the blade.

[black wind sword: High Grade Yellow Rank Magical Artifact, increases sword technique power by ten percent]

The moment Qin Changsheng gripped the longsword, a line of small text appeared on his attribute panel.

"Not a bad treasure," Qin Changsheng murmured, a flash of approval in his eyes.

As a High Grade Yellow Rank Magical Artifact, besides being sharp and having strong Spiritual Qi bearing capacity, the black wind sword also possessed a unique enhancement effect.

It could increase the power of sword techniques by ten percent. While not exactly Heaven-Defying, it happened to complement the amplification from his [Sword Heart Clarity] trait. With the two Overlay, the power of his sword techniques could reach another level.

He gently swung the black wind sword. A sharp black Sword Qi burst forth, the sound of it tearing through the air piercing. Its power was noticeably stronger than when he used an ordinary longsword.

Qin Changsheng nodded in satisfaction, sheathed the black wind sword at his waist, then reached out and picked up the black Storage Pouch.

Inside the pouch, aside from a few low-grade Spiritual Plants and some scattered Magical Artifact fragments, the most eye-catching item was a pile of sparkling, translucent Spirit Stones, roughly over a hundred in number.

Soon, Qin Changsheng found a letter at the bottom of the Storage Pouch.

The letter paper was yellowed, with several lines of handwriting in ink. The writing was messy, yet it exuded a sense of fawning.

Qin Changsheng unfolded the letter, his gaze slowly sweeping over the words.

This letter was written by Zhou Hu to a person named "Lin Hao." Between the lines, it was filled with respect and flattery. The content also resolved a long-standing doubt in Qin Changsheng's mind.

The letter roughly stated that Zhou Hu was grateful for Lin Hao's protection over the years, which allowed him to establish himself near the Heavenly Sword Sect for many years, making a living by robbing Loose Cultivators without ever being held accountable by the Heavenly Sword Sect.

This time, he was specially offering one hundred Spirit Stones as a tribute, earnestly requesting that Lin Hao continue to protect the Black Wind Stronghold. If there were any tasks in the future, Zhou Hu would be willing to die ten thousand deaths without a single complaint.

At the very bottom of the letter, Zhou Hu also informed Lin Hao that he had already discovered the whereabouts of the spirit cleansing grass.

The spirit cleansing grass was located in a valley within Beihai Prefecture. However, this spirit cleansing grass would only mature this year in the month of May.