'What is a Sword Wielder?'
Xu Qing muttered in his heart.
In the past, he did not understand this. He did not know what a Sword Wielder was. Even his original intention of becoming a Sword Wielder was not to protect the human race.
After all, he had experienced the misery of the human world since he was young. It was impossible for him to have any feelings for the human race.
His most sincere wish was to live on and live a better life. He wanted to live long enough to kill Crow and Eagle.
As for why he became a Sword Wielder, it was because the captain wanted to be a Sword Wielder. Secondly, he would have an extra layer of protection after becoming a Sword Wielder. Thirdly, he planned to use his authority as a Sword Wielder to search for Crow.
At a critical moment, his identity as a Sword Wielder would even become his weapon to kill Crow.
These thoughts were actually selfish, but Xu Qing was not the only one like this. Every new Sword Wielder of each province had similar thoughts.
Apart from those who grew up in the Sword Wielder Palace and were influenced by it, it was impossible for cultivators from other states to have any feelings for protecting the human race.
However, these thoughts changed slightly after the ceremony to welcome the new Sword Wielder from the Emperor State and the Great Emperor's self-examination.
However, it only changed a little. It only allowed Xu Qing to understand the concept of a Sword Wielder.
When he came to the county capital, he saw Kong Xianglong, who was different from the others. He saw a few prodigies who were hostile to him but did not have any ill intentions. He saw the Palace Lord who was strict but clearly protective of the Sword Wielder.
He also experienced the Sword Wielder's oath and heard about the history of the human race.
It was impossible for all of this to disappear without a trace like a gust of wind.
In the end, he left some of it behind and settled in his heart.
At this moment, he saw another scene that made his heart tremble.
The young man who was close to the human race with 120 Dharma apertures, the young man who aspired to become a Sword Wielder, the young man who did not reveal any information despite being tortured by the Holy Billow Tribe.
He recited the Sword Wielder's oath with a smile, closed his eyes, and disappeared in the collapse of the formation.
Xu Qing did not know this person and it was his first time seeing him. Moreover, Xu Qing had seen too many deaths, so what made his heart tremble was not the young man's death.
It was the young man's dream and choice.
This person could have had a better future, but he chose this path of no return.
Xu Qing was a little puzzled, but he knew that he understood.
However, Feng Chen's heart made it so that he would not easily accept any outsiders or forces of power, much less acknowledge them and place them in the depths of his heart.
Even now, it was still the same.
However, he knew that in his eyes, the sword-wielder had unknowingly changed.
There was more respect.
He didn't care if he didn't belong to anyone, but he respected Kong Xianglong's sincerity, respected the Palace Master's strictness, respected the sword-bearer's oath, and also respected this young man who was about to die.
Thus, Xu Qing clasped his fists and bowed deeply toward the spot where the young man had disappeared.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew past and swept up the dust formed by the collapsed Rune on the ground. It scattered the ashes that the young man had turned into, and it also blew the aura contained within the opened Wish Box to the crowd.
This aura was a little special. It carried the fragrance of osmanthus flowers.
Kong Xianglong's eyes were filled with grief and indignation. He walked forward step by step until he reached the spot where the boy's body had been scattered. He crouched down and picked up a handful of soil from the ground. He carefully placed it into a bottle and kept it properly before he picked up the opened wish box.
…
"Our mission is complete." Kong Xianglong held the wish box and spoke softly with his back facing the crowd.
Xu Qing was silent. The others did not speak either.
The mission of receiving the boy had failed. However, they had obtained the intelligence. Regardless of whether they succeeded or not, they had completed it.
"Kid, return to the county capital. Help me hand this item to the field office."
Kong Xianglong said in a low voice. He raised his right hand and waved it. The wish box flew straight to Xu Qing, who caught it.
Holding it in his hand, the osmanthus fragrance inside became stronger.
"You guys go back with Kid. I'm in a bad mood. I'm going to find a place to walk around and relax by myself."
Kong Xianglong did not turn around and spoke calmly.
"Alright, Brother Long. It's good for you to relax by yourself. Kid, you guys go back. I have some personal matters to attend to, so I won't be going with you guys." Shan Hezi clenched his fists and the veins on them popped up as he suddenly spoke.
"What a coincidence. Me too. I'm going back to my hometown. I won't be going back for the time being." Wang Chen's expression was gloomy as he spoke calmly. After that, he looked into the distance.
"I'll accompany you, Brother Long." Night Spirit looked at Kong Xianglong with a determined gaze.
Xu Qing looked at them. After a few breaths of silence, he threw the wish box in his hand to a field office swordsman behind him. The other party raised his hand and caught it. He wanted to say something but stopped.
"I have some personal matters to attend to. You guys go back," Xu Qing said slowly with an expressionless face.
As soon as he said that, Shan Hezi, Wang Chen, and Night Spirit all looked over with surprised expressions.
Kong Xianglong turned around and looked at Xu Qing as well.
"Kid, you don't have to do this."
"I'll return the favor," Xu Qing looked at Kong Xianglong and said seriously.
Kong Xianglong was silent. After a while, he nodded and turned to run into the distance.
Shan Hezi and the other two followed quickly. They were heading towards the border of Fenghai County.
That was also the border of the Holy Wave Tribe.
Xu Qing also took a step forward and rushed towards the four of them like an arrow.
Naturally, he knew what they were going to do.
It was not strange that Kong Xianglong did not follow the rules when he was out on a mission. Not to mention that he had personally witnessed the youth being tortured miserably by the Blackguard. With Kong Xianglong's personality, he could not tolerate this.
In addition, the cold voice left behind by the Blackguard in the jade slip was still echoing in Xu Qing's memories.
Xu Qing felt that since the other party had given the sword-bearers a gift, they naturally had to return the favor. That would be polite.
As the five figures flew into the distance, the sword-bearers of the field office watched in silence.
There was envy and regret in their eyes, but in the end, they bowed to Xu Qing and the others with their swords and chose to return.
Not all sword-bearers did not follow the rules.
They could not go because they had a more important mission at the moment.
They had to safely send the information back to the county capital.
This was their core mission.
Hence, after the sword-bearers of the field office left in the night.
At this moment, the cold wind contained the coldness of the night. It was like an envoy of death carrying a scythe that reaped lives, following Xu Qing and the other four.
The wind whistled in front of them, causing their clothes to flutter and strands of hair to flutter in the wind.
…
However, when it landed on their faces and seeped into their hearts, it was not as cold as the killing intent in their hearts.
Killing intent was rising from every single one of them.
As they sped up, it became more and more intense.
There was no moon on this night, but the wind was strong. It was still a night for killing.
They had already unleashed their maximum speed and no longer held back. From the moment Xu Qing chose to return the greeting, Shanhezi, Wang Chen, and Night Spirit looked at him with completely different gazes.
There was more acknowledgment.
Shanhezi's body emitted a bloody mist. His entire body was in the mist, like a bloody shadow from the Yellow Springs.
Night Spirit had already transformed into a demon again. This time, he did not transform into a green-faced malicious ghost, but a Scarlet Bone Fire Bird that carried death.
Wang Chen's misty body was retracted. The coffin opened for the first time, and a dwarf in luxurious robes walked out.
Kong Xianglong was surrounded by dragons, emitting terrifying fluctuations. With a single step, he crossed thousands of feet. He was extraordinarily mighty.
As for Xu Qing, he was not inferior to them.
Shadows covered his entire body, and the power of his seven palaces was violent. He was as fast as lightning, like a spirit of the night, soul-stirring.
They sped through the night like five murderous ghosts, approaching the Holy Crest Race's black-robed guards who had yet to leave Linlan State.
During this period, they communicated and clarified their battle plan. Although they did not know the exact number of enemies, they could simply assign targets based on their experience and understanding.
Finally, before dawn, when the night was at its thickest, they saw a few tens of figures dashing forward in an area that was less than the time for an incense stick to burn away from the border.
Every single one of them was dressed in black Daoist robes. There were more than 60 of them!
They were not fast. Clearly, they were in a good mood after completing their mission. As they sped, they would occasionally laugh and chat.
However, they were still quite vigilant. The moment Xu Qing's group of five charged over, the Holy Crest Race's black-robed guards immediately sensed them. Many of them turned their heads and their expressions changed.
However, it was useless even if they discovered them.
Kong Xianglong was the first to charge over. With a low roar, he charged in.
Xu Qing was the second. Like a black bolt of lightning, he crashed into a five-palace black-robed guard. With a loud bang, the black-robed guard was reduced to a bloody mess. The moment the black-robed guard let out a tragic cry, it stopped abruptly.
As blood spewed out, Shanhezi and the other two charged over as well.
A battle suddenly broke out at this moment.
Angry roars came from the black-robed guards as they instantly resisted.
As a team that had entered deep into the human race's Fenghai County, their combat strength and experience were naturally rich.
Among them, there were more than 40 five-palace combatants and 12 seven-palace combatants.
Most of these seven-palace combatants possessed the unique Emperor-level cultivation techniques of the black-robed guards.
And there were two eight-palace combatants.
These two did not activate their Heavenly Palaces with five flames. Instead, they had reached the limit of four flames and seven palaces. Coupled with their Emperor-level cultivation techniques, they formed eight-palace combatants. It was very impressive.
In addition, there were three team leaders.
They were half-step Nascent Soul cultivators.
With such strength, they would be the backbone of any sect. However, to the Holy Crest Race that occupied the Great Holy Crest Region, this was just a small team.
If one added those who had ambushed Xu Qing and the others, it could be seen that the Holy Crest Race's team was not only larger in number, but their cultivation was also stronger.
…
After all, the Holy Crest Race was the ruler of the Great Holy Crest Region. The foundation formed by the people of the region made them more powerful.
In comparison, a county was naturally inferior.
However, the team of swordsmen this time was different from the ones they had encountered in the past!
At this moment, as the two sides collided, a huge battle erupted. The three half-step Nascent Soul cultivators went straight for Kong Xianglong. The two eight-palace black-robed guards were about to follow when a coffin fell and blocked their path. Wang Chen, the dwarf, revealed a sinister smile.
Appeared.
At the same time, Night Spirit also appeared beside him. Shan Hezi also arrived. The three of them fought against the two of them to stall for time and wait for Kong Xianglong and Xu Qing.
The former was fighting against the three strongest half-step Nascent Soul cultivators here.
The latter was fighting against everyone else.
This was the distribution they had made on the way here.
At that time, Xu Qing said something.
"I'm good at group battles."
At this moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath and took out his dagger.
The forbidden poison pill of the third Heavenly Palace in his body was fully activated at this moment, erupting from his body.
Countless little black bugs spread out from Xu Qing's body, forming a shocking black fog. It gave off a terrifying aura and fatal poison as it spread out in all directions.
The poison was acting quickly.
As shrill screams came from the black-robed guards, Xu Qing's expression was calm. He lowered his head slightly and rushed towards the crowd.
The black metal skewer that the King Kong Sect's patriarch was on also turned into red lightning at this moment and swam wildly.
The eye on Xu Qing's forehead was also blinking rapidly at this moment. At the same time, it spread out and fused into the shadows of the surrounding black-robed guards, beginning to devour them.
At this moment …
A nightmare descended.