Chapter 69: Gale Sword Skill
The crescent moon hung high in the sky like a cold sickle, casting a chilling glow.
’Now that I’ve obtained the Purple Lightning Golden Eagle, it won’t be long before I won’t even have to fear Innate Realm experts. But first, I need to force out this poison...’
Zhao Tianxuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, channeling all his power. Drop by drop, poisoned blood began to seep from the wound on his lower abdomen.
A gentle night breeze swept through the silent forest, the only sound the rustling of leaves.
Suddenly—
BANG!
A sudden sound shattered the quiet.
As he sat meditating, the hairs on Zhao Tianxuan’s body stood on end. He was suddenly struck by an intense, rapidly approaching sense of crisis and frantically snapped his eyes open.
WHOOSH!
He saw a finger-sized ’Hidden Weapon’ hurtling toward him like a bolt of lightning. Its speed was incredible; in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him.
’Such a terrifying Hidden Weapon! That speed—’ Zhao Tianxuan’s eyes widened in terror. In all his years roaming the martial world, he had never encountered a projectile moving so fast. It was fast enough to make one despair. This was the only thought that had time to flash through his mind.
The next moment—
SQUELCH!
The bullet pierced the center of Zhao Tianxuan’s forehead, exiting through the back of his skull with a spray of blood and brain matter.
A single shot to the head. A bloody hole appeared in the middle of Zhao Tianxuan’s brow, blood trickling down. With a THUD, he collapsed to the ground, all signs of life gone.
And so, Zhao Tianxuan—an expert on the Tang Country’s Wind and Cloud List, a top-tier Ninth Realm Martial Artist known in the martial world as the ’Gale Swift Sword’—was dead. The look in his eyes as he died was one of pure terror and disbelief.
A pistol bullet reaches a terrifying speed of three to four hundred meters per second upon leaving the barrel. Even with air resistance, it remains near, or even exceeds, the speed of sound (340 m/s). In other words, the bullet reached Zhao Tianxuan’s forehead at virtually the same instant he heard the gunshot. He had no time to dodge and was killed instantly with a shot to the head.
’Haha, a direct hit! The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole waits behind. It’s all mine now!’ With excitement he could barely contain, Ye Xing rushed out from the woods.
In the clearing ahead lay two corpses and a severed arm. One belonged to the gray-robed man from the Five Poison Sect. Blood still trickled from the stump where his right arm had been severed, staining the ground crimson. The Cyan Blade Sword was still embedded in his chest, right where his heart was. As for the other corpse, it was, of course, that of the Gale Swift Sword, Zhao Tianxuan. Zhao Tianxuan’s body had a deep gash on the abdomen, oozing black, poisoned blood. But that wasn’t the fatal injury. The fatal wound was the bloody hole in his forehead. It would have been a miracle if he’d survived his head being pierced through. This was, of course, Ye Xing’s handiwork.
’So arrogant, weren’t you? And you still died at my hands. You dare steal my seat? I’ll send you to hell with a single bullet!’ A cold smile touched Ye Xing’s lips as he swiftly removed the two Qiankun Bags from Zhao Tianxuan’s waist.
A single Qiankun Bag was worth several thousand Gold Coins, far beyond the reach of an ordinary Martial Artist. Typically, only those at the Eighth and Ninth Realms were worthy of carrying one. Of the two bags, one had belonged to Zhao Tianxuan, and the other, naturally, to the gray-robed man from the Five Poison Sect.
Ye Xing scanned the surrounding woods warily. He fought down the urge to open the two Qiankun Bags right away and instead quickly left the area. Of course, before he left, he also pulled the Cyan Blade Sword from the gray-robed man’s chest.
The Cyan Blade Sword was Zhao Tianxuan’s personal weapon, a Treasure Sword that could slice through iron as if it were mud, worth a fortune. ’Something this valuable? I’m definitely taking it.’
The Cyan Blade Sword alone was worth a fortune, to say nothing of the contents of the Qiankun Bags. This was a massive haul. Ye Xing’s gamble had paid off.
Although Ye Xing was dying to see what was inside the Qiankun Bags, he managed to resist the impulse. A major battle had just taken place here, and the commotion had been significant. There was no telling if someone was already on their way to investigate. Even though they were in a desolate mountain wilderness, it was better to be safe than sorry and avoid any further trouble. So, after grabbing the Qiankun Bags from Zhao Tianxuan and Miao Wuxie, Ye Xing turned tail and immediately fled the scene.
The trees on either side blurred and flew backward as Ye Xing executed the *Flying Spin Step*, rushing onward. He ran for a mile or two before finally stopping in front of a Big Banyan Tree.
The Big Banyan Tree was enormous, likely several hundred years old. It would take three to five people to encircle its trunk. Its foliage was dense and lush, the branches and leaves forming a massive, sky-supporting canopy that blotted out the heavens.
Ye Xing reached the Big Banyan Tree and kicked off the ground. Executing his Lightweight Skill with a SWOOSH, he leaped onto the trunk. He continued to climb higher, finally stopping at the most hidden spot amidst the densest foliage.
’First, let’s see what’s in Zhao Tianxuan’s Qiankun Bag!’ With a glint in his eye, Ye Xing immediately took Zhao Tianxuan’s Qiankun Cloth Bag from his belt.
Zhao Tianxuan was a master of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer and was listed on the Tang Country’s Wind and Cloud List; his fortune was surely substantial. Of course, the real reason Ye Xing wanted to check Zhao Tianxuan’s Qiankun Bag first was that he coveted his Martial Arts Manuals. He was especially interested in the eleven-stance *Gale Sword Skill*, which was quite famous throughout the Tang Country.
Ye Xing bit his finger, dripping a drop of blood onto Zhao Tianxuan’s Qiankun Bag. Instantly, the patterns on the Qiankun Cloth Bag writhed and shifted before quickly absorbing the blood.
The next moment—
BUZZ!
Ye Xing felt a vibration in his Sea of Consciousness as a mystical connection formed with the Qiankun Bag, allowing him to faintly perceive and control the space within it. This was the unique property of the Qiankun Bag. The patterns on the hide it was made from were said to be an evolution of the laws of heaven and earth—so mysterious that even many Innate Realm experts couldn’t comprehend them.
Now, Ye Xing could perceive the space within two Qiankun Bags in his Sea of Consciousness. One was his own, which currently held little besides a bundle of Gold Tickets and a few miscellaneous items. The other, of course, was the one he had just looted from Zhao Tianxuan. Zhao Tianxuan’s Qiankun Bag was packed with all sorts of treasures: weapons, Secret Manuals, Elixirs, Gold Coins and Gold Tickets, and more. It seemed most of his wealth was stored inside.
Ye Xing’s consciousness rummaged through the contents of the Qiankun Cloth Bag and quickly locked onto a particular Secret Manual. On its cover were three bold words: *Gale Sword Skill*.
’The *Gale Sword Skill* is quite famous in the martial world, and Zhao Tianxuan’s nickname was ’Gale Swift Sword.’ This Sword Skill’s quality must be high.’ With a thought, Ye Xing reached into the Qiankun Bag and eagerly pulled out the *Gale Sword Skill* manual.