Tang Jin's face twitched with a mixture of shock and rage. But in an instant, his fury turned into sheer brutality, and killing intent surged in his eyes like a rising tide.
Clang!
His nine-ringed broadsword unsheathed with a sharp ring. The blade was snow-white and gleamed with a piercing, cold light.
His inner force resonated powerfully with the three major acupoints he had opened within his body. The nine bronze rings on the spine of the blade rattled frantically, emitting a terrifying, clattering din that shook the souls of all who heard it.
Holding the broadsword in one hand, Tang Jin pointed the tip toward Ji Ning and bellowed, “Ji Ning, where is Chen Xin?”
Chen Xin was the eighth chief of Chenjian Dock.
Upon landing on the island, Tang Jin had dispatched him to intercept Ji Ning and prevent him from providing backup, thinking it would buy them enough time.
Yet here was Ji Ning, having broken through to the Anjin Rank and appearing completely unscathed...
Chen Xin had likely met a grim end!
Hearing this, Ji Ning stopped in his tracks. He stood amidst the fading glow of the setting sun, his beast-hide coat bathed in a dull crimson light.
Looking at Tang Jin, his expression remained completely calm as he finally spoke. “He... has gone where he belongs.”
His worst fears were confirmed.
Tang Jin squeezed his eyes shut, his throat bobbing as his chest heaved like a stormy sea.
He had originally come this time to avenge Qu Bushi, hoping to crush the Ji family's spirit and reclaim the honor they had lost with their fallen chief.
He had never expected to lose both Tu Xiaotian and Chen Xin, while Pang Yi's fate remained entirely uncertain.
Tang Jin could not begin to imagine how he would face Duan Xiao upon returning to Chenjian Dock!
Opening his eyes, a suffocating aura of bloodlust erupted from him. “Opening your acupoints and reaching the Anjin Rank at such a young age... Your talent is indeed extraordinary. But at the end of the day, you are just a wet-behind-the-ears brat who has only opened a single acupoint!”
“I have immersed myself in the Anjin Rank for years and opened three acupoints. What do you have to fight me with?”
“Today... is the day you attained the Anjin Rank, and it shall be the day of your demise!!”
Boom!
Before his voice even faded...
Tang Jin lunged forward like a bloodthirsty bear. He raised his nine-ringed broadsword high with both hands, unleashing a terrifying force capable of shattering mountains as he cleaved downward at Ji Ning!
The wind howled from the blade!
It was as if even the air itself was parted like water by the sheer force of the slash.
Yet, faced with this devastating blow, Ji Ning's expression did not ripple in the slightest.
He reached out with his right hand and gripped the hilt of his ancient longsword.
Zing!
A clear, resonant chime rang out, echoing across the lakeshore like a dragon's roar.
The instant the sword left its scabbard, a bone-chilling cold swept over the entire pier.
Then, under the incredulous gazes of everyone present, an inch-long, almost tangible glow of pure white light suddenly seeped from the blade in Ji Ning's hand!
The white light flickered like shifting mist and smoke. As the sword-glow pulsed, the surrounding air warped slightly, radiating an indestructible sharpness.
Ji Ning gave his wrist a slight flick.
The longsword seemed to move slowly, yet it was lightning-fast as it swept upward in a gentle, slicing arc.
The sword-glow-coated blade sliced through Tang Jin's Blood Fiend Blade as silently and effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.
Screech!
A crisp sound rang out, like the tearing of fine silk.
The Blood Fiend Blade—a low-grade precious artifact forged from refined steel that had claimed countless lives—was cleanly sliced in half!
Whoosh!
The severed half of the blade spun through the air before plunging into the dirt with a thud, its steel still vibrating with a low hum.
Tang Jin felt the weight in his hand suddenly vanish. Looking down, he saw that his broadsword was now only half its length, the break as smooth and reflective as a mirror.
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he cried out in absolute terror, “Sword-glow?!”
“You actually cultivated sword-glow!”
Sword-glow, sword-qi, sword-yuan, and sword-intent—these were the four great milestones of a sword cultivator.
Only those who had achieved sword-glow could truly call themselves sword cultivators.
And anyone who achieved this was without a doubt a genius with exceptional talent in the Sword Dao.
Regardless of their cultivation level, they could directly join either the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion or the sword sect of Bixia Villa, two of the four great powers in the prefecture capital.
Upon entry, they would start as inner sect disciples, with their treatment and resources tailored toward grooming them as prospective core disciples.
Why would someone with such staggering talent remain nestled away on this tiny Yunyi Island?
Tang Jin would receive no answer.
For Ji Ning gave him no room to breathe.
After shearing through the broadsword, the sword-glow swept forward with undiminished, devastating momentum, slicing horizontally in a clean, unstoppable motion!
Squelch!
The sound of a sharp blade tearing through flesh echoed.
Blood sprayed instantly!
To Tang Jin's absolute horror, his right arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder. Spouting a fountain of fresh blood, it flew high into the air, spun several times, and landed yards away on the ground, its fingers still twitching slightly.
“Ahhh! My arm!”
His face turning as white as paper, Tang Jin let out a bloodcurdling shriek of agony, stumbling backward from the excruciating pain.
But the white glow followed him like a shadow. With a swift turn of the tip, the sword thrust straight toward his heart.
Rip!
Tang Jin was too slow to dodge.
The razor-sharp sword-glow instantly tore through his garments, aiming straight for his chest!
Yet, just as the sword tip was about to shred his heart...
Screeech!
A shower of blinding sparks and the harsh sound of grinding metal erupted from Tang Jin's torso!
Beneath his robes, he wore a form-fitting inner vest of dark, gleaming scales.
The armor was made of tiny, overlapping black scales, each reflecting a cold, eerie light like the skin of a giant serpent.
This was a mid-grade precious artifact of Chenjian Dock!
The 【Ink-Scale Armor】!
It was meticulously crafted from dark iron and the hardest pieces of shell taken from the backs of several Tier Two Precious Beasts, the Ink-Scale Turtles!
It was impervious to swords, spears, water, and fire!
The armor withstood the remaining force of the sword-glow, leaving a deep white gouge across the scales, but it was not pierced through.
Yet, it only managed to block the physical blade for a split second.
Ji Ning shifted his wrist once more.
Within his Taichong acupoint, his Anjin surged forth like a tidal wave. The inner force bypassed the armor entirely, shattering Tang Jin's breastbone with a sickening crack and forcing a torrent of blood from his mouth.
Bang!
Using the rebound force, Tang Jin flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the ground far away and leaving a long trail of blood in his wake.
Upon hitting the dirt, the fifth chief of Chenjian Dock, who had once struck terror into the hearts of all in Changyun County, possessed none of his former arrogance.
His face was as pale as a ghost. He didn't even dare to stop and retrieve his severed arm; instead, clutching his bleeding shoulder, he turned and fled toward the lake like a beaten dog.
Thud, thud, thud...
His movement technique was indeed remarkable, and with a few rapid leaps, his figure began to vanish into the distance.
This sight instantly shattered the spirits of the dozens of Chenjian Dock lackeys and river bandits remaining on the pier, plunging them into utter despair.
The Ninth Chief, Tu Xiaotian, was dead on the spot!
The eighth chief, Chen Xin, was missing!
The Sixth Brother, Pang Yi, was of unknown status!
The fifth chief, Tang Jin, had fled with a severed arm!
Clatter...
Someone dropped their weapon, letting out a hopeless shriek: “We lost! We lost! This guy is too tough! Run, run for your lives!”
In the next instant, the crowd scattered like startled monkeys.
The river bandits wept and wailed, scrambling like headless chickens as they fought to reach the small boats moored at the shore.
“Brothers, the bandits are defeated!”
Watching this unfold, Wang Jindao suppressed the shock in his heart. He raised his broadsword, his eyes bloodshot as he roared: “Kill them! For vengeance!”
“Kill!”
The other patrol envoys and guards felt their morale skyrocket. Drawing their sabers, they charged forward like tigers descending from a mountain, trampling over the bloody stones.
Blades flashed, and blood and flesh splattered.
An overwhelming, one-sided slaughter played out on the western pier of Yunyi Island, concluding with a resounding victory for the Ji family!
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