Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Perfect Night for Murder

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse tonight—a perfect night for killing.

Five figures stood silently, as if appearing from nowhere, beneath the wretched, cold moonlight atop a towering skyscraper.

"King of Yan, this is an order from the Royal Court!"

The harsh cry came from an elderly man with white hair. Zhang Haihan, the Great King of Yan, slowly lifted his gaze. His voice was low and heavy. "I am the Sovereign of Yan, not some mere 'king'."

But that was not the point.

The Great King of Yan looked at the five figures, whose names shook the foundations of the human race, and slowly drew his sword. The blade, inlaid with sapphires, cast an even more desolate, pale blue light under the moonlight.

"Today, I, Zhang Haihan, will not permit you to take a single step forward."

His low voice roared like the fury of a god, causing the five great elders of Jixia to freeze in unison. They had not expected the King of Yan to stand in their way at such a moment. The monarchs of the other human nations stood silently in the corners of the shadows.

"Sovereign of Yan, all the monarchs of the human nations are gathered here, yet only you dissent. Do you not think you are being a bit too high-profile?"

"The borderlands of Great Yan are filled with treacherous mountain passes and a rugged, defiant people who resist royal enlightenment. The Royal Court has already resolved to bring order to your lands. I advise you to conduct yourself with decorum, Sovereign of Yan!"

"Hahahaha! Decorum?" The King of Yan looked up and laughed wildly, his eyes turning blood-red. He swung his blade with ferocity, a streak of light even colder and sharper than the moonlight speaking for him.

Today, whoever stood in his way would face no mercy from his blade!

"Sovereign of Yan, is it worth it?" The white-haired elder looked at Zhang Haihan, then glanced up at the night sky. "To be so flagrant and resolute, is it worth it for the sake of one child?"

The night sky was not without the eyes of the Royal Court. Every move Zhang Haihan made tonight was being watched. Regardless of the outcome, the nation of Great Yan would likely face catastrophe by dawn. Could the borders of Great Yan withstand the blood-stained, corpse-laden iron hooves of the Royal Court?

Yes, was it worth it?

To be honest, the watching King of Han felt his heart grow heavy with complexity as he weighed the options. Was it worth breaking ties with the Royal Court for the sake of Lin Yin? The Royal Court already reigned supreme over all human nations; obtaining Lin Yin would merely solidify their status. But if Lin Yin were claimed by another nation, the strong would grow stronger, the weak weaker, and no one could guarantee the final outcome.

In the silence that followed, the monarchs of the human race grew quiet.

Then, a voice rang out, strong and clear, as Xia Changsheng stepped out to stand beside the King of Yan.

"Lin Yin does not belong to any person or any faction. He belongs to the entire human race. He is the Qilin child of humanity. Is it truly necessary that someone of such importance should have only two paths left to him?"

"Does the Royal Court not feel that it is being overly overbearing and tyrannical?"

*Hiss!*

Xia Changsheng!

The King of Han stared at him in shock. *You are truly brave. You and the King of Yan are truly fearless!*

The atmosphere fell into a suffocating silence. The faces of the five Jixia elders turned grim. Tensions were at a breaking point. The world knew the people of Yan were fierce, but no one expected their Sovereign to be so fierce as to openly despise the Royal Court.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, Elder Jiang walked slowly from the darkness nearby.

The ground trembled—a faint, rhythmic vibration. Upon seeing Elder Jiang, the five figures atop the high-rise changed color.

"I heard you left my disciple with two paths: one is to join Jixia and the Royal Court, and the other is to be strangled in his cradle. Is that right?"

As the words fell, a howling gale swept through. The bricks under Elder Jiang’s feet shattered instantly, and his figure shot upward. His white hair danced like a demon’s mane, and the next second, he landed directly before the five elders of Jixia.

*BOOM!*

A scarred, withered hand, with the index and middle fingers pressed together like a sword, rested against the forehead of the white-haired elder.

"Mo Shang, don't move," Elder Jiang said calmly under the other's terrified gaze. "If you don't believe me, you can test whether this old man's sword-finger can pierce your skull."

Kong Moshan, one of the five great elders of Jixia, had countless disciples and a reputation so vast that millions of humans revered him as the contemporary Sage Kong. Yet now, this Sage dared not move a muscle, gritting his teeth instead. "Jiang Shang! Do you intend to break the oath you made back then?"

When Elder Jiang was driven out of Jixia years ago, an agreement was made: he was never to leave his mountain, nor interfere in any Jixia affairs.

"If you had stayed in your place, I would naturally have honored our agreement. But if you press me, why should I remain indifferent?" Elder Jiang said calmly. "Mo Shang, the tea you sent me every month—you truly went to great lengths."

Kong Moshan’s pupils trembled violently. "What are you saying? I don't understand!"

"Demon poison. The poison of the Red Tripod Snake clan."

Elder Jiang calmly tore away the veil of Jixia's hypocrisy.

"I resigned and left Jixia of my own accord. I never imagined that even after leaving, I would remain a thorn in the side of you vermin."

Kong Moshan’s body shook. He was afraid—afraid that this old man, known as the Great Demon King of Jixia, would end his life right here. If Jiang Shang truly intended to kill him, how could he possibly survive?

"It is a pity that I am too lazy to concern myself with the treacherous schemes of you vermin."

Kong Moshan swallowed hard. "You?"

*Could the Great Demon King of Jixia be this kind? To ignore being poisoned?*

"I only care about my disciple!"

Elder Jiang’s sword-finger exerted pressure. The intense, searing pain caused Kong Moshan’s face to twist and his muscles to spasm. *This old monster! After consuming chronic demon poison for so long, how does he still have such strength!?*

"My disciple will never, ever be handed over to you Jixia!"

"Jiang Shang!" The white-haired elder who had been watching finally couldn't help but shout, "Don't do this! The Royal Court sees everything."

Truth be told, this was a well-intentioned warning. But Elder Jiang remained unmoved.

"Jiang Shang! Jiang Shang!" The white-haired elder shouted in desperation, but he dared not step forward to intervene.

"Jiang Shang, do you truly mean to kill me?!" Kong Moshan gritted his teeth. "Think carefully! If you do this, countless geniuses across the world will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"

Elder Jiang smiled coldly, and suddenly, his finger thrust forward. A tyrannical force penetrated Kong Moshan’s forehead.

His finger bone, acting as a sword, pierced through.

Kong Moshan’s expression of shock froze forever.

As Elder Jiang withdrew his finger, the contemporary Sage Kong collapsed with a thud.

*Hum!*

The Jixia elders and the monarchs of the nations felt their scalps tingle. They stared with wide eyes, unable to believe that Elder Jiang had killed a Jixia elder so directly and easily in public!

He was strong—truly strong. He was still the unfathomable Great Demon King of Jixia after all!

But how would this end? Even the Great King of Yan, who had built up the courage to stand against the Royal Court, was stunned. *Uncle, I wanted to stand against the Royal Court, sure, but I didn't want to go around killing Jixia elders like you!*

The King of Yan was stunned, as were the other monarchs. The white-haired elder was even more so; everything had happened too fast. By the time he reacted, Kong Moshan was already a corpse with blood bubbling from his forehead!

"Jiang Shang!!"

Finally, the white-haired elder’s shriek tore through the quiet night.

"You are finished! You are truly finished! Everything is over!! You killed Kong Moshan; the Royal Court will not let you go! The Human King will not let you go!! Jiang Shang! Oh, Jiang Shang!!!"

The monarchs of the nations awoke from their stupor. No longer observing from the shadows, they all stepped out. The King of Han walked to Kong Moshan’s side with a complex expression and checked for a breath, sighing helplessly. It was clear that Kong Moshan was beyond saving.

A contemporary Sage, with so many disciples and such vast influence—even the Human King had once studied under him. This time, Elder Jiang had truly walked onto a path of no return.

The white-haired elder, Liu Qingtian, paced back and forth in a panic. He was the only elder in Jixia who had a decent relationship with Elder Jiang. He had been sad when Elder Jiang left Jixia, but he could accept it. Now, however, Elder Jiang had killed Kong Moshan. How would he explain this to Jixia? How would he explain it to the Royal Court? One could only imagine the fury of the Human King upon hearing the news.

"Run! Flee to the overseas lands!" Liu Qingtian rushed to Elder Jiang, saying urgently, "There are humans overseas, and the scale is not small. Flee there, and you might have a chance at survival. I have disciples overseas I can contact..."

"I will stay here, standing, until I die, or until my disciple spreads his wings and soars into the sky, where no one can sanction him."

Elder Jiang’s calm words silenced everything Liu Qingtian had left to say.

"You!! You stubborn donkey! You are truly a hopeless, stubborn donkey!!" Liu Qingtian cursed in anger, but he knew how obstinate Elder Jiang could be when he set his mind to something.

At this moment, the other Jixia elders remained silent. But the Royal Court was, in fact, watching the whole affair.

In the Royal Court, when Kong Moshan fell, the entire hall was deathly silent. The guards and the imperial troops didn't dare to breathe. The Human King, sitting high upon his throne, was shrouded in its shadows; his face was terrifyingly grim, as if a storm of black clouds hung over him.

...

The people from Jixia left. Before departing, Liu Qingtian looked at Elder Jiang with eyes full of reluctance and forced an ancient bronze token into his hand.

"If it truly comes to the end of your rope, take your disciple overseas. This token is a pass."

Elder Jiang remained silent. The monarchs of the nations were equally mute. A terrifying slaughter had passed in silence.

No one knew what kind of monstrous waves awaited Elder Jiang.

"Tell the Human King: my disciple will not join Jixia, and he will not enter the Royal Court."

This was the only message Elder Jiang had for Liu Qingtian.

The night grew quiet, and Tianhe City returned to its peace. The river flowing past the city moved silently as Elder Jiang returned to Lin Yin’s home. He stood outside the door, his aged body gazing at the darkened room, a trace of reluctance flashing deep in his eyes.

Yes, how could he not know the consequences of killing Kong Moshan? Even after being poisoned with chronic toxins for so long, he had never moved to kill him. But tonight, for the sake of his disciple, Elder Jiang had no regrets—only this lingering reluctance.

*If after tonight, we master and apprentice never see each other again...*

The next morning, Lin Yin woke up early to perform his usual blood-energy training. When he opened his door, he saw Elder Jiang standing outside.

"Oh? Teacher?"

"It's nothing, I'm just here to urge you on in your training!" Elder Jiang smiled as he walked in. "Don't let your tail get too high, you hear?"

"Don't worry!"

Lin Yin trained his blood-energy on the balcony while Elder Jiang watched from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. He pondered whether he should tell Lin Yin what happened last night. But after thinking it over, was it necessary? He only needed to ensure that Lin Yin would not be coerced by Jixia or the Royal Court.

By ten in the morning, Lin Yin finished his day's training.

"Come! Let's test it!" Elder Jiang said cheerfully, showing no sign of having anything on his mind.

"Hmm! Not bad! 1088! You've increased your blood-energy value by nearly a hundred points! You're getting closer to the Bone-Condensing Realm."

2000 points of blood-energy was the standard for entering the Bone-Condensing Realm. This was the reason for the so-called "cultivation bottleneck." To go from the ninth level of the Blood-Energy Realm to the Bone-Condensing Realm meant increasing one's blood-energy from 900 to 2000 points! This single bottleneck required more blood-energy than the entire duration of the Blood-Energy Realm itself.

But looking at Lin Yin’s progress, Elder Jiang felt no worry. He only watched with a smile, seeing his disciple improve every day.

"Alright, continue." After Lin Yin replenished himself with blood-energy pills and supplements, he dove back into his training.

[The Path to Martial Sovereignty]

He had already cleared the first layer and was currently tempering himself in the second. At the same time, he had opened a new acupuncture point: the "Tianzhu point."

The Tianzhu point was located at the top of the cervical spine, near the back of the neck. It was precisely because of this new point, combined with his awakened Grade 9 Martial Talent, that Lin Yin was able to increase his blood-energy by nearly a hundred points in just a few hours.

Sand and stone were the items Lin Yin used for body tempering. He continuously rubbed his joints and muscles with the grit, then circulated his blood-energy to repair them, constantly increasing his physical strength.

"Hmm, not bad. He's reached the second layer." Elder Jiang was very satisfied. He felt that giving Lin Yin these two techniques was the most correct decision he had ever made. The candidate was right, the constitution was right, and the speed was right. Elder Jiang felt the wonder of fate once again, only regretting that he was already old and had little time left to teach and accompany Lin Yin. *How wonderful it would have been to meet him in my prime.*

At noon, Jiang Zixun arrived happily with lunch. During the meal, Elder Jiang asked casually, "So? Which one do you want to join?"

"Any of them will do. Where isn't a place for advanced study?" Lin Yin continued to eat earnestly and wildly, his mouth stuffed full, answering vaguely.

"Then, would you like to join Jixia?" Elder Jiang asked, as if it were a casual thought.

"Jixia?"

"Yes, the Jixia Academy, known as the Holy Land of humanity."

"Not going."

"Hmm!?" Elder Jiang’s eyes widened. He hadn't expected Lin Yin to answer like that—so decisively, without even a moment of hesitation!

"Why? Didn't you want to enter the strongest academy and cultivate the strongest martial path? Jixia is just that."

"Teacher, did you come out of Jixia?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then who poisoned you?"

"You think it was someone from Jixia who poisoned me?" Elder Jiang laughed. "How would you know?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lin Yin shoved a piece of braised pork into his mouth and muttered, "So, no. Not a chance. I can't stand that place!"