Chapter 6: Qilin Snow Sword

Chapter 6: Qilin Snow Sword

In just the span of a single breath, Ning Hai's body withered away, like a deflated ball, collapsing limply to the ground.

It was an utterly bizarre sight. Every drop of blood in Ning Hai's body had been drained, leaving only a layer of shriveled yellow skin stretched over his bones. Even his eyes had sunken in, resembling a mummy that had been dried for decades.

This scene terrified everyone present. Ning Han trembled uncontrollably, staring at Ning Xiaochuan as if he were a devil, his teeth chattering with fear. "Ning... Ning the Sickly, y-you... you actually practice demonic arts!"

Another servant was equally terrified, his legs giving out as he slumped to the ground.

The sickly weakling everyone had looked down upon was actually such a terrifying figure—able to reduce a man to a desiccated corpse with a single palm strike. This was demonic cultivation, without a doubt!

Ning Xiaochuan also stared at his own palm. A few drops of blood had lingered on it earlier, but now they had seeped into his pores, vanishing without a trace.

With a slight exertion, the blood in his body surged violently, and a faint red glow, about an inch thick, emerged from his palm.

Profound Qi External Release—this was the Fourth Level of Profound Qi!

Absorbing the life force and blood energy of that servant had directly elevated him by an entire realm!

"Is this the Northern Abyss Divine Art? Or the Star Absorption Technique?" Ning Xiaochuan was equally shocked, unable to comprehend the changes that had just occurred in his body.

The blood energy within him raged wildly, filling him with an overwhelming sense of power. His gaze locked onto Ning Han. "I have no grudge against you. Why did you try to kill me?"

Ning Han wanted to curse—damn it, you're the one who just killed someone!

Suppressing his terror, he clenched his teeth and said, "Ning the Sickly, don’t think just because you’ve learned demonic arts that I’m afraid of you! You... go on, kill him for me!"

"H-he practices demonic arts, Young Master Han! We should run!" The servant had been utterly terrified by Ning Xiaochuan, having never witnessed such a horrifying death before.

"What’s there to fear? He’s only at the Fourth Level of Profound Qi! If you kill him, I’ll reward you with a hundred thousand coins. If you don’t, I’ll slaughter you right now!"

Under Ning Han’s threat, the other servant steeled himself and charged at Ning Xiaochuan. "Ning the Sickly, I’ll fight you to the death! One of us isn’t leaving here alive!"

This servant was also at the Fourth Level of Profound Qi. With a stomp that shattered the grass beneath him, he lunged forward like the wind, a layer of red Profound Qi surging from his palm.

Ning Xiaochuan didn’t dare to be careless. His expression turned solemn as he shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity into a firm horse stance, exuding the demeanor of a martial arts grandmaster. It was as if he only needed to utter four words: "Wing Chun, Ip Man!"

Truly the bearing of a master!

"Bam! Bam!"

After reaching the Fourth Level of Profound Qi, Ning Xiaochuan’s vision, hearing, and reflexes had all sharpened significantly. He exchanged seven or eight blows with the servant before finally seizing his wrist.

"Clang!"

At that moment, the small sword within his heart resonated once more. A crimson energy surged to his palm, latching onto the servant’s wrist.

The servant's face twisted in terror as he wailed, "Help... ah! Save me..."

Ning Xiaochuan wanted to let go, but his hand seemed fused to the servant's, impossible to shake off.

In moments, all the blood in the servant's body drained away, turning him into a desiccated corpse that collapsed lightly to the ground.

Ning Xiaochuan felt his own blood undergo another sublimation, surging like a great river within his veins. The amount of his Martial Arts Profound Qi had increased significantly—though he hadn’t yet broken through to the fifth level, he was far stronger than before.

"Demonic arts... demonic arts... it must be demonic arts!"

Ning Han was utterly terrified by Ning Xiaochuan now. Seeing him momentarily dazed, he immediately seized the chance to flee. "Ning the Sickly has been hiding his martial arts cultivation all along! I must return and report this shocking news to Father!"

By the time Ning Xiaochuan snapped out of it, Ning Han had already escaped dozens of meters away—far too late to chase.

"Roar!"

A qilin's cry echoed over the river.

White snowflakes suddenly drifted down from the sky, and the air grew colder.

How could it snow in such scorching weather?

A wave surged from the river, transforming into a furious dragon churning the waters. Droplets condensed into dozens of ice swords, flying like a rain of blades.

A scream!

Dozens of meters away, Ning Han was pierced by the ice swords, riddled with bloody holes before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Ning Xiaochuan stared in shock at the scene before him—snow in June, water freezing into ice, swords killing from afar. These were legendary techniques only a Sword Immortal could possess!

The river's surface calmed.

A woman in white stood upon the water, the currents beneath her feet shaping into the form of a qilin, its head rippling with waves, its scales formed from flowing water.

The woman wore a veil, her raven hair cascading like a waterfall, her skin as pale as snow. Only her dark, spirited eyes were visible—eyes that would leave any man haunted for life.

She stood at the river's center like a divine fairy, frost swirling around her delicate form. The snowflakes in the sky had formed because of her sword technique.

This divine ability was known as the "Qilin Snow Sword."

With a single sword art, snow fell from the heavens.

"You... you killed someone!" Ning Xiaochuan stared at the woman on the water, never having seen such an ethereal beauty—like a white lotus standing upon the waves.

The masked woman's voice was exquisite, as clear as a spring dripping onto stone. "Didn't you kill someone too?"

"I..." Ning Xiaochuan looked at his palm and finally nodded.

He was no stranger to death—he had likely seen ten times more corpses than the masked woman. So instead of fear, he felt only deep confusion.

Draining a man into a desiccated corpse with a single palm was too sinister, too hard to accept. Could it be because of that demonic sword in his heart?

The masked woman smiled. "Who would have thought that Jian Pavilion Marquis House's sickly one was actually a disciple of the Blood Devouring Demon Sect? Pity your cultivation is still too weak—you're worlds apart from Ning Xiaojian, the strongest of Jian Pavilion Marquis House's fourth generation."

Because Ning Hai's death was so bizarre, the masked woman mistakenly believed that Ning Xiaochuan practiced demonic techniques, labeling him as a disciple of the demonic sect. Ironically, this misconception saved Ning Xiaochuan's life—otherwise, the masked woman would have undoubtedly killed him to silence him.

"Yu Yan, let's go."

The masked woman pointed toward the shore, her fingertips releasing streams of white Martial Arts Profound Qi. It condensed into a White Spirit Chain dozens of meters long, as thick as a bowl's mouth, coiling like a steel dragon around Yu Yan before carrying her away across the water. In moments, they vanished from sight.

Yu Yan's gaze remained fixed on the shore, watching as the figure of the young man grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared entirely from view.

The masked woman said, "Disciples of the demonic sect are ruthless, often sacrificing the living and drinking blood from cauldrons. You should stay far away from him in the future."

"I will remember your teachings, my lady," Yu Yan replied, her eyes drifting back to the shore once more. But now, only a veil of mist lingered—nothing else could be seen.

...

"Martial Arts Profound Qi can be used like that?!" Ning Xiaochuan had just witnessed the masked woman refining her Martial Arts Profound Qi into a chain, manipulating it with flawless mastery. This was the skill of a true expert! Another eye-opening experience!

She was the most formidable person he had encountered so far.

Since the masked woman knew Yu Yan and had come specifically to rescue her, could she also be from the Jade Viewing Pavilion?

As Ning Xiaochuan pondered this, a strong scent of blood struck his nose. His gaze fell upon the three corpses on the ground—two of whom he had killed. This was his first time taking a life, and though tension still gripped his heart, his mental resilience was strong enough to suppress these unsettling emotions.

"Best to leave this place first!"

Ning Xiaochuan immediately departed from the riverside, driving the Green Deer Horse carriage back to the inner city. After returning the carriage to the Western Plains Trading Company, he arrived at a shop selling Spiritual Root Herbs.

His mind had already moved past the tension of killing. If he hadn't struck first, he would have been the one lying dead by the river. In a world where the weak were prey to the strong, he resolved to be the predator—not the meat on the chopping block.

Today's events solidified Ning Xiaochuan's determination to cultivate martial arts. If he lacked strength, the corpse by the river could have been his.

Once this realization settled in, his mood lightened once more. With renewed ease, he stepped through the shop's entrance.