Chapter 180: Chapter 159: Carnival, Bloody Night (Part 1)
Ling Xiao was well aware of the three women’s capabilities. As long as they stayed with him, they should be safe.
"To think this group of people would actually dare to come at a time like this!"
Uncle Fu’s voice was low as he said, "It seems that after this, we’ll need to teach those three families a lesson!"
Ye Wen Ni frowned, saying softly, "Those three families haven’t had any contact with the outside world recently. This matter might not have anything to do with them!"
Meng Li, however, chuckled softly. "You misunderstand Uncle Fu. He means to use tonight’s events as an opportunity to simply purge those troublesome noble families who’ve been such an eyesore!"
"Doing that... won’t it draw criticism? After all, this is the young master’s domain!" Qiuyue said, her face clouded with worry. Although her and Chunlan’s official status was that of Maids, none of them—not Uncle Fu, Ye Zi, or Meng Li—ever treated them that way. Ye Zi, especially, treated the two like sisters.
"What’s there to criticize? Is the young master supposed to just take it when he’s being bullied and not fight back?" Chunlan said indignantly. "Besides, in all of Penzes City right now, those three noble families are probably the only ones who will never support the young master. Get rid of them, and who wouldn’t give the young master a thumbs-up? For most people, eliminating them would be like a carnival gift!"
Just then, a soldier from the Lightning Legion burst in from outside, covered in blood—whether his own or the enemy’s, it was impossible to tell. His face was also smeared with blood, causing Chunlan and Qiuyue to let out soft gasps of alarm.
"Sir, you must flee! The enemy has already reached the city gates! We... we’ve suffered heavy casualties! So many of our brothers have fallen!"
As the Lightning Legion soldier spoke, his voice choked with emotion. Bleeding on the battlefield was nothing to fear, but watching his comrades fall one by one beside him was the hardest thing to accept.
"What? How did this happen? Where is Ling Wu? How many of them are there, and what is their highest level of power?" Uncle Fu demanded, his eyebrows bristling with clear rage.
Ling Xiao’s expression turned cold. ’How could the Lightning Legion, with its formidable power, suffer such heavy casualties?’
"They... they have an extremely high-level Martial Artist. As for his rank, I don’t know. The others all seem to be Mercenaries, and they’re incredibly skilled! They all look like elite soldiers! There was nothing to identify them, and there are more than five thousand! It was a surprise attack. Because it’s carnival night... the city gates... were open. They charged right in and... caught us completely off guard..." As the soldier spoke, his breathing grew labored and his eyes began to lose focus. He was clearly severely injured.
Ling Xiao immediately retrieved a Healing Elixir from his ring and gave it to the soldier. He then looked deeply at Uncle Fu, listening as the sounds of battle cries from the street grew louder. Clearly... they were coming for them.
Uncle Fu grunted heavily. "Young Master, remain calm. I will go and see for myself!"
"OH-HOHOHOHO!~ No need for anyone to go anywhere. Ling Xiao, today is the day you die!" A maniacal laugh echoed from the distance, and by the time the last word landed, a figure was already flying toward them through the air.
"Sword Sect!"
Uncle Fu roared, his eyes bloodshot with fury, "Young Master, run!" With another roar, he charged forward to meet the enemy. To an expert from the Sword Sect, a First Rank Demon Sword Master was no different than an ant. The figure in the air snorted heavily, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly swept toward Uncle Fu!
Uncle Fu violently spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying several dozen meters away!
"Ling Xiao! Surrender your life!"
The man let out another strange laugh, raised his palm, and brought it down toward Ling Xiao’s head! A powerful pressure accompanied the man’s movement, rushing toward Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao, however, recognized him at a glance. This was the man who had attacked the Crown Prince’s carriage in the Imperial Capital and stolen the Tier Five Magical Beast! Although Ling Xiao didn’t have a photographic memory, he would never forget an expert whose power was so immense it was terrifying; one look had been more than enough.
Ye Wen Ni, who had been forcefully pushed back by the aura, also clearly recognized the man. ’Tonight’s events have nothing to do with the Crown Prince!’ she thought, her face pale.
Ling Xiao had unleashed a powerful sword attack yesterday, and today his Spiritual Power had only recovered a little more than halfway. His Spiritual Power, on the other hand, was fully replenished. Seeing Uncle Fu injured in a single blow and sent flying while spitting blood, a place deep in his heart felt a sharp, stabbing pain, as if pierced by a needle.
’This old man had followed me, meticulously arranging my life and taking care of me. He had taught me, someone who knew nothing of this world, countless things. He was humble and elegant, and carried himself with the grace of an elder, yet he could also reveal an iron-blooded side when danger arose! Like a raging lion protecting its cub!’
’It was safe to say that Uncle Fu’s place in Ling Xiao’s heart was second to none.’
’And now, such a man had been sent flying with a single blow, his fate unknown!’
"You’re courting death!"
Ling Xiao roared, the demonic Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword appearing in his hand as he slashed it toward the Sword Sect expert!
"Floating Light, Fleeting Shadow!"
A distorted wave of air suddenly appeared, and an invisible stream of Sword Qi dozens of meters long blasted ferociously toward the Sword Sect expert in the sky!
"OH-HOHOHOHO, little brat, what can you possibly..." The Sword Sect expert had been laughing maniacally, looking at Ling Xiao with contempt, but Ling Xiao’s earth-shattering sword strike choked the second half of his sentence back down his throat.
The Sword Sect expert had already been surprised that Ling Xiao hadn’t been blasted away by his aura. ’What strange Cultivation Technique is this kid practicing? How can he be unaffected by my pressure? Impossible!’
’As for the Demon Sword Master who had charged him, he hadn’t even given him a second thought. Just an ant.’
When that demonic-looking sword appeared in Ling Xiao’s hand, the Sword Sect expert had only been slightly surprised, as it was the first time he had ever seen such a weapon.
But when Ling Xiao’s Sword Qi slashed out, the Sword Sect expert’s expression changed dramatically! He tried to dodge... only to discover in horror that he was completely unable to avoid this stream of Sword Qi!
With a furious roar, he instantly concentrated the vast, ocean-like Inner Strength within his body into his palms and charged head-on to meet the invisible Sword Qi!
’If I can’t dodge it, I’ll meet it head-on!’
’When adversaries clash, the braver one prevails!’
BOOM!
The Sword Sect expert, however, let out a blood-curdling scream. His body, like a withered leaf in the wind or a lone boat on a great wave, was violently thrown through the air!
Ling Xiao, however, also spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes dimming slightly. The lightly injured Meng Li, Ye Zi, and the other woman quickly came to support him.
"Quick, go check on Uncle Fu!"
Ling Xiao’s eyes were bloodshot as he barked out the command.
"Young Master, don’t worry... I’m... still... not dead yet!" A series of violent coughs came from the side, and Uncle Fu, hunched over, staggered toward them one step at a time.
Chunlan quickly ran over and took out an Elixir. After Uncle Fu took it, he panted for a few moments, then looked at Ling Xiao and grinned. "Young Master, that was an earth-shattering strike! A magnificent blow!"
"Stop talking. Meng Li, go at once and check on Ling Wu. I suspect that aside from this Sword Sect expert, the rest of them aren’t that strong. You, Ye Zi, you go too! If... if Ling Wu still has the strength to fight! Then those three noble families... raid their manors! Don’t kill them. I want them kept alive!"
"Why?" Ye Wen Ni, who was about to leave, asked subconsciously, her face ashen. "Those people all deserve to die!" Seeing Ling Xiao injured felt like a knife twisting in her heart, and the unique ruthlessness from her past as a young thief began to resurface.
"To crush an enemy, conquering them with force isn’t enough. Violence and bloodshed are gratifying, yes... but fools forget the pain once the wound has healed. The suffering brought by violence is not lasting. Only by repeatedly trampling upon their souls—souls that seem arrogant but are in fact more wretched than an ant’s—and then, when you please, swatting them dead like a fly, can you inflict irreversible ruin. You must make your opponent sink into a vicious cycle of nightmares, a torment of body and soul, so that even at the moment their life ends... the nightmare continues!" Ling Xiao finished, panting slightly. A look of exhaustion appeared on his face, and he waved his hand. "All of you, be careful. From this moment on, I will let everyone know the consequences... of offending me."
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