Chapter 7: The Sword Drawn, A Single Strike to Kill

Everything happened in the blink of an eye; from Ling Dao drawing his sword to the death of the man in black, it was merely a matter of moments. The sword of the man in black was only three feet away from Jiang Zhong, and had it not been for Ling Dao's strike, Jiang Zhong would likely have already met his demise.

The dragon swims in shallow waters and is teased by shrimp, the tiger falls to the plains and is bullied by dogs. Currently, Jiang Zhong cannot even deal with a mere True Qi Realm martial artist. Jiang Zhong chuckled self-deprecatingly and walked towards the man in black, as he was curious to see what this man in black was truly made of

The man in black lowered his head, incredulously staring at the blood-dripping tip of the sword piercing his chest. The Carefree Sword had already penetrated his body. Then, with a "bang," he fell to the ground; this sword had taken his life! Even in death, the man in black could not comprehend how he had been killed by Ling Dao.

Countless sword energies within his body have accompanied Ling Dao's growth. For fifteen years, they have tormented him day and night. However, he has always faced it with a smile, and others have no idea of the immense pain he endures

Your Highness, let us leave quickly. If this man in black has accomplices arriving, we will be in trouble

This is a dark iron token, one side engraved with the character "命" (ming), and the other side engraved with the character "夺" (duo). Just by seeing these two characters, Ling Dao immediately understood where this black-clad assassin came from, and he softly uttered a phrase.

A minor injury is hardly worth mentioning. If my cultivation had not been wasted, killing such a fellow would be effortless. Alas, I have grown old, and indeed, I am no longer of any use!

In this life, he began practicing swordsmanship at the age of three. Even in his frail state, he never missed a single day of training. His mastery in the way of the sword is naturally profound. If it were merely a comparison of swordsmanship, that man in black would not even be able to catch up to Ling Dao, as the difference is vast.

Seeing Jiang Zhong's expression, Ling Dao immediately knew that something was seriously wrong. Having once served as a great general, there were definitely not many assassin organizations that could instill fear in Jiang Zhong. Aware of the gravity of the situation, Ling Dao did not hesitate for a moment; after setting the man in black on fire, he left the place.

The first step on the path of cultivation is the Physical Body Realm, also known as the Three Realms of the Physical Body. As the name suggests, the Physical Body Realm is divided into three minor realms: Body Refinement, Bone Tempering, and Blood Condensation. Given Ling Dao's physical condition, he does not even qualify as being in the Body Refinement Realm.

The fate of human lives is in my hands, as flowers bloom and wither in the tower of death

Originally taking this mountain path, Jiang Zhong believed it to be absolutely safe, but who would have thought that he was still pursued by a figure in black. Fortunately, it was only a True Qi realm martial artist; had it been a more formidable opponent, it is likely that Ling Dao and Jiang Zhong would have been unable to cope.

Jiang Zhong was also extremely shocked; he had considered many possible outcomes, but he had never anticipated this one. During his life-and-death battle with the black-clad assassin, Ling Dao unexpectedly delivered an astonishing strike, directly killing a True Qi realm martial artist. If this matter were to spread, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation far and wide

The Qiankun Ring contains its own space, capable of storing inanimate objects within it. The carefree sword, gifted by the Carefree King to Ling Dao, has been kept inside the Qiankun Ring. Moreover, there are quite a few changes of clothes inside, but unfortunately, there is no food.

Drawing the sword and executing the strike, the movements were seamless and executed in one breath, astonishingly swift. After completing all of this, Ling Dao was also gasping for breath; for his frail body, performing such a sword strike indeed took a tremendous toll.

Ling Dao touched his left thumb, on which he wore a jade ring. No one would ever suspect that this jade ring was a Qiankun Ring. As for the previous man in black, he probably had never even heard of the name Qiankun Ring. Otherwise, he would not have been completely unguarded against Ling Dao.

Coming to his senses, Ling Dao sheathed the Carefree Sword and ran towards Jiang Zhong. Jiang Zhong's shoulder was completely soaked in blood, and Ling Dao quickly took out some cloth strips to bandage him up

How is that possible? Where did you get the sword?

Jiang Zhong, in his current state, has had his cultivation rendered useless, and naturally, he is greatly inferior to his former self. With age and frailty, coupled with injuries that have yet to heal, it is already quite difficult for him to endure until now. Were it not for his previous foundation, he would likely have perished long ago

The reason why Ling Dao can draw the Carefree Sword in an instant is that he possesses the Universe Ring. The Carefree Sword can cut through iron like mud, and it is not something that an iron sword or a steel sword can compare to. Even the physical body of a True Qi Realm martial artist is merely a joke in the presence of the Carefree Sword

Grandfather Jiang, may I take a look at that token?

Thanks to the Universe Ring gifted to me by my father, I would not have been able to slay the man in black

Soon, Jiang Zhong quickly discovered a token on the body of the man in black. When he saw the characters on the token, his expression changed drastically. As a general of the Da Luo Dynasty, he was naturally familiar with this assassin organization

However, it was fortunate that the man in black was overly careless and completely disregarded Ling Dao; otherwise, it would have been very difficult for Ling Dao to kill him with a single sword strike. Firstly, Ling Dao's body was weak, and he had not even stepped into the realm of physical body cultivation, while the man in black was a true qi realm martial artist. Secondly, the man in black saw that Ling Dao had no weapons at all and could not harm him in any way, so he naturally did not take him seriously

After all, it was this group of men in black who destroyed the Xiaoyao Wangfu, so Ling Dao was naturally very concerned. Regardless of who the mastermind was, this group of men in black could not escape their involvement. Jiang Zhong's expression changed slightly, and finally, he slowly exhaled and handed the token to Ling Dao.

Your Highness

Only Ling Dao himself did not find this matter shocking; it was merely as expected. In his previous life, he was a genius in the sword path, diligently practicing swordsmanship. Even though he came from a humble background, he had few rivals among his peers.

In the next moment, a three-foot-long azure blade appeared in Ling Dao's hand out of thin air; it was the Xiaoyao Sword given to him by the King of Xiaoyao. His expression was stern, and his eyes were fixed intently on the back of the black-clad assassin's head, and in an instant, the Xiaoyao Sword was drawn.

Ling Dao capitalizes on the indifference of the black-clad assassin; the more the black-clad assassin disregards him, the greater the likelihood of his success. Upon witnessing the black-clad assassin unleash his most formidable sword strike, Ling Dao's eyes also lit up.

Grandpa Jiang, are you alright

It is at this moment

Because of Ling Dao, Jiang Zhong's heart was thrown into chaos, and at the moment of striking, he revealed a flaw. The black-clad assassin naturally noticed this and gathered his true energy to unleash the most powerful sword strike he had executed thus far. The purpose of this strike was to kill Jiang Zhong, while Ling Dao would be dealt with later.

He struck with lightning speed, thrusting a sword into the back of the black-clad assassin. The force reached the sword tip, and his arm formed a straight line with the sword of freedom. In an instant, the sword of freedom pierced into the back of the black-clad assassin. Indeed, the physical body of a true energy realm martial artist is formidable, but unfortunately, to the sword of freedom, it is as fragile as tofu.