Chapter 205 - 203: The Death of Yan Qing

Yan Qing and his two companions joined forces, yet a single sword strike from Luo Tian forced them all back.

"His strength is incredible! He’s at least on par with the top five on the Chilong Dynasty’s Human List, maybe even close to the top three!"

The trio felt a wave of pressure.

But they weren’t overly surprised or shocked, perhaps because they had already been startled so many times by the Demon Beast corpses they found while tracking him.

Luo Tian’s performance wasn’t as terrifying as they had imagined. At the very least, with this level of strength, it would be impossible for him to kill a Spirit Sea Realm Fifth Layer Demon Beast in just two strikes.

’It seems those Demon Beasts weren’t killed by Luo Tian. It was most likely Xiao Feng.’

Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief at this thought.

"Did I get the wrong impression? You all seem a little disappointed with my strength?"

Luo Tian asked.

It was baffling that they would have such a reaction after their combined attack was repelled by his single sword strike.

After all, outside the hunting grounds, these people had all looked down on Luo Tian.

SWOOSH!

Luo Tian’s figure moved like a ghost, closing the distance in an instant.

In the darkness of the night, clad in the Shadow Cloak, he was even more difficult to follow.

WHOOSH!

A dazzling, bone-chillingly cold Sword Light shot toward them!

The night affected a normal person’s vision, but Luo Tian, who possessed Spiritual Sense, was not affected in the slightest.

Luo Tian’s swordsmanship was brilliant and magnificent, yet also unpredictable. Paired with his phantom-like Body Technique, the threat he posed increased greatly.

"Young Master Yan Qing! Save me!"

After just a few exchanges, the man in white was completely outmatched, suffering wounds on his arms and legs.

"Die!"

Luo Tian never missed an opportunity. His sword accurately pierced the man’s brow.

PFFT! THUD!

Blood sprayed out, and a body fell to the ground.

The man in white was merely at the Spirit Sea Realm Second Layer; Luo Tian could kill him with ease.

"Young Master Yan Qing, we should retreat," the woman in the red dress said with a panicked expression.

The man in white was easily killed, and her strength was not much greater than his.

At night, Luo Tian’s eerie Body Technique was impossible to guard against.

Yan Qing’s face was ashen.

He had once boasted that if he encountered Luo Tian, he would kill him with his own hands.

But now that he had gotten his wish and met Luo Tian so soon, he found he couldn’t kill him and could only retreat. How could Yan Qing accept this? Where would he hide his face in shame?

"Ah!"

The woman in the red dress screamed. The Wind and Snow Sword left a bloody gash on her arm. The wound immediately froze, and a chill entered her body.

Yan Qing wanted to pin Luo Tian down, but Luo Tian’s Body Technique was erratic and traceless, difficult to keep up with.

Meanwhile, the woman in the red dress was in grave danger from Luo Tian’s Sword Technique.

"Retreat!"

Yan Qing immediately shouted.

He decided to recruit another group of people and come back to surround and kill Luo Tian during the day.

"Trying to leave? Do you think that’s possible?"

Luo Tian’s cold words drifted out.

RUMBLE!

His Divine Vein activated further, and a layer of dark Cold Mist spread from his body, with the faint shadow of a ferocious dragon swirling within.

The Cold Mist blew over, causing Yan Qing and the woman’s blood and True Qi to stagnate. Their bodies grew stiff and cold, their speed reduced by more than thirty percent.

Celestial Star Technique, Chasing Stars and Catching the Moon!

The most basic technique, but also the fastest.

SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!

The sharp sword whistled through the air, instantly forming three bright flashes of Starlight that pierced through the chest of the woman in red!

With his two subordinates dead, Luo Tian focused his full attention on Yan Qing.

CLANG! CLANG! BANG!

The brilliant Sword Light and the sharp, jet-black spear light clashed continuously.

Yan Qing was suppressed by Luo Tian’s swordsmanship, his figure retreating step by step.

Yan Qing knew he was no match for Luo Tian, but it seemed escaping would also be difficult.

"Luo Tian, you actually want to kill me? I am the son of a Prince of the Chilong Dynasty!"

Yan Qing roared furiously.

"Perfect. You can go down and catch up with Zheng Wei."

Luo Tian chuckled lightly.

He had already killed one Prince’s son, so he naturally didn’t mind killing a second.

Celestial Star Five Techniques, Starry Array!

Luo Tian’s swordsmanship suddenly changed, following a profound principle of the sun, moon, and stars, outlining streaks of shimmering and transforming Starlight Sword Aura that fell around Yan Qing.

CLANG! CLANG! HISS!

Yan Qing swung his long spear with all his might, only to find that no matter how he attacked, he could not break free from the encirclement of Luo Tian’s Sword Technique.

’This swordsmanship is so profound!’

Yan Qing felt as if he were on a starry chessboard, completely trapped by streaks of Starlight sword-shadows that flickered between illusion and reality.

The chill in the air continuously eroded his condition.

The sword technique that had trapped him was still tightening, shrinking Yan Qing’s room to move.

SHINK! SHINK!

Two flashes of Sword Light streaked past, leaving two wounds on Yan Qing’s body.

This was only the beginning. Soon, more Sword Lights grazed Yan Qing’s body, leaving a trail of wounds.

The swordsmanship was like a game of chess.

Yan Qing had fallen into a completely disadvantageous position, being slowly worn down, destined for checkmate.

In fact, if Yan Qing hadn’t been wearing a Mid Grade Defense Treasure Armor, it would have been difficult for him to last this long.

The Mid Grade Defense Treasure Armor had blocked a lot of the damage for him.

This made Luo Tian slightly shift the focus of his attack, mainly aiming for Yan Qing’s limbs and head.

"Luo Tian, your strength is indeed greater than mine, but you are too ignorant!"

Yan Qing’s face turned vicious, a mocking sneer tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Then he took a black Jade Talisman from his Storage Space. It was a life-saving trump card his father had given him. Once activated, it could erupt with the power of a High Tier Spirit Sea Realm expert, making it easy to kill Luo Tian in an instant!

Luo Tian naturally recognized the object, and his pupils contracted.

"Sever!"

His Spiritual Sense had been locked onto Yan Qing the whole time, and the moment his opponent took out his trump card, he made his decision.

Deep within Luo Tian’s eyes, an illusory Sword Mark appeared, carrying a sense of ancient, boundless meaning.

The Wind and Snow Sword in his hand trembled slightly, suddenly circulating with an ethereal aura.

He slashed down with his sword.

Empowered by his formidable True Sword Dao Intent, Luo Tian’s ordinary, simple slash resonated with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, forming a vast, boundless momentum that shook the soul.

SHIIING!

Everything in the void was split apart as this simple yet magnificent sword strike fell in an instant.

"No! You actually possess Sword Intent..."

Yan Qing’s face was filled with terror and unwillingness.

SQUELCH!

The Sword Light flashed past, and his body was instantly split in two, right down the middle from his brow.

Before he could even activate his trump card, Yan Qing was killed instantly by Luo Tian, who had seized the first move!

"These geniuses with powerful backgrounds almost all have trump cards. I’ll have to be more careful when dealing with them," Luo Tian murmured.

If Yan Qing had successfully activated the Jade Talisman just now, it would have been disastrous.

"The spoils of war this time should be quite plentiful!"

Luo Tian first looted Yan Qing’s body.

That black Jade Talisman was a great item. Luo Tian immediately stored it in his Storage Space.

Next, he stripped the Mid Grade Defense Treasure Armor from Yan Qing’s body.

"It actually has five Inscriptions."

After a brief inspection, Luo Tian’s face lit up with joy.

A Treasure Artifact with five Inscriptions was worth around three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins. Typically, only cultivators at the Spirit Sea Realm Fifth or Sixth Layer could afford one.

After that, Luo Tian took Yan Qing’s Storage Space and found over a thousand Spiritual Essence Coins and a few Low Grade Treasure Artifacts inside.

"Only six Demon Cores?"

Luo Tian was very surprised.

He didn’t know that Yan Qing and his group had been tracking him the entire time, so they hadn’t hunted any Demon Beasts. Having six Demon Cores was already quite good.

All in all, the loot was still pretty good.

Next, he went to loot the belongings of the man in white and the woman in the red dress.

Compared to Yan Qing, these two were much poorer. Their Demon Cores combined only numbered nine.

SWOOSH!

Not even bothering to deal with the corpses, Luo Tian floated away.

"I have a total of forty-five Demon Cores now!"

The goal for the second assessment was long since met. The extra twenty-five Demon Cores could all be exchanged for the Sect’s Contribution Points.

And this was only the first day.

Luo Tian was in high spirits. Without resting, he continued to hunt Demon Beasts.

「The next day at noon.」

The number of Demon Cores in Luo Tian’s possession had reached sixty-two.

Obviously, the rate at which he was acquiring Demon Cores had slowed down.

The reason was simple: with over two hundred people participating in the assessment, the number of Spirit Level Demon Beasts was not infinite.

At the beginning, they were relatively easy to hunt, but the further into the assessment, the harder it became to find Spirit Level Demon Beasts.

He estimated that by the last day, all the weaker Spirit Level Demon Beasts would be killed off, leaving only some Spirit Level Middle Tier ones.

Many of the participants were already starting to panic, desperately searching for Demon Beasts.

But Luo Tian didn’t care.

In the coming days, he would just kill as many Demon Beasts as he could find.

’Yan Qing’s death hasn’t spread yet?’

Luo Tian was a little surprised by this, as he hadn’t heard any news about it.

’Perhaps after I killed Yan Qing, a Demon Beast happened to pass by and ate his corpse.’

「That night.」

The number of Demon Cores in Luo Tian’s hands reached seventy-three.

Just then, two figures shot out from the woods ahead. One of them, a cold and arrogant woman, looked at Luo Tian as if he were already defeated and said, "Luo Tian, hand over the Demon Cores you’ve collected, and we won’t tell Yan Qing your whereabouts!"

At this stage of the assessment, Demon Beasts were too difficult to hunt, so robberies had become more common.

"Why don’t you go ahead and inform Yan Qing?"

Luo Tian said with a half-smile.

His response felt like a deep provocation to the two people opposite him.

"Don’t think I wouldn’t dare."

The cold and arrogant woman was a little annoyed. She immediately took out a cylindrical tube and fired a signal.

"How about that? Scared now? Hand over your Demon Cores, then run away like a dog, and..."

The cold and arrogant woman said haughtily, her hands on her hips.

But before she could finish speaking, Luo Tian’s sword was already upon her.

"How dare you! You actually dare to attack? Aren’t you afraid of Yan Qing coming..."

The cold and arrogant woman’s face was filled with shock. She hadn’t expected Luo Tian to take the initiative and attack.

Her Cultivation was at the Peak of Second Layer. She was no match for Luo Tian, but at least she had a companion. It wouldn’t be a problem for the two of them to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

But she had gravely underestimated Luo Tian. Again, before she could finish her sentence, she was killed by him.

"You can die too."

After that, with just two or three sword strikes, Luo Tian killed the other person.

Since the assessment had been going on for two days, the two of them had a considerable number of Demon Cores, twenty-six in total.

At that very moment, Yan Qing’s death was finally confirmed.

Someone had discovered Luo Tian’s tracks and sent a signal, but Yan Qing had not rushed over.

If it had happened only once, one could say Yan Qing hadn’t seen it.

But after it happened several times in a row, it could only mean one thing: Yan Qing was dead!

"Yan Qing is dead? Who killed him?"

"Yan Qing and Luo Tian were mortal enemies. Yan Qing always wanted Luo Tian dead. Could it have been Luo Tian who did it?"

"How is that possible? Yan Qing was the son of a Prince, seventh on the Human List, with numerous trump cards. Luo Tian could kill Yan Qing? If he did, I’ll call him daddy."

Yan Qing’s death was confirmed, but no one believed Luo Tian was the one who did it.