Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 184 - 177 Undercover Part 2

Chapter 184: Chapter 177 Undercover Part 2

Nan Shunqing’s old face turned red too. His third hand was immensely powerful, but it was somewhat embarrassing; every time he used it, it would burst through his trousers or belly, ripping open a large hole.

Fortunately, the large hand extended longer and longer, quickly spanning more than ten meters, and suddenly grabbed the Great Witch leader who had leaped into the air. With a ’puff’, an enormous force burst out, causing the Great Witch to suffer so much pain that she couldn’t help but let out a tragic scream, as the sound of being tightly clenched emitted with a ’crack’.

Nan Shunqing sneered, and with another grab of his hands, he effortlessly conjured ten streaks of Light Sword Qi, which shot out like crescents and streaked toward the surroundings.

The seemingly random Sword Qi faintly shimmered with a trace of silver light, effortlessly cutting through all the red mist and wooden stakes it encountered.

Following his lead, Snow Bamboo and the others started to move, bursting forth, as Luminous Talisman Swords slashed down one after another, chopping the unguarded wooden stakes directly.

Gradually, the red mist in the forest dissipated, leaving only the assassins of the Red Flower Manor who had been wounded, lying immobilized on the ground.

Looking at their faces, they couldn’t even commit suicide and could only glare venomously at Lin Xin and his party.

As Nan Shunqing withdrew his third hand, he immediately yanked the Great Witch back to him. With his right hand drawing his sword, a flash of lightening-like Sword Qi swept across.

The Great Witch was cleaved into two halves, like a watermelon split by a sword, without even an opportunity to resist before she was gone for good.

Oddly, not a single drop of blood spurted from her body.

He retracted his third hand and let the corpse fall, with a flash of redness crossing his face.

"Teacher, I’m sorry for the shock."

He turned back and bowed to Lin Xin.

Lin Xin looked at him and didn’t quite know what to say. Even that Great Witch would have required a fight to determine the victor, yet now this fellow had simply grasped and killed her instantly, without allowing any chance for her to fight back.

The gap between them was indeed...

"I didn’t expect you to grow so quickly..." Lin Xin said with some emotion.

Nan Shunqing laughed heartily.

"No matter how fast I grow, I will always be Master’s disciple."

A glimmer of pride shone in Lin Xin’s eyes. Nan Shunqing, though boisterous, had always been very filial and respectful.

"Right, teacher, I came back in a hurry this time. As a Loose Cultivator, I participated in the encirclement conference, so..."

He flipped his hand and took out an item.

It was a small brown box, gently placed into Lin Xin’s hands.

"What is this?"

"This is something I hope you will keep safe for me. Inside, there is a note, which I hope you will take the time to read carefully."

Nan Shunqing’s earnest demeanor made Lin Xin take this box seriously.

He received it and carefully put it away.

"So, you’re leaving now?"

"Time waits for no one; if I linger too long, I might not be able to catch up with the team. I shall not overstay my welcome, teacher. Qing’er bids farewell!" Nan Shunqing said with a smile, his body suddenly dissolving into a piece of paper, gently falling and burning into ash in mid-air.

"Is this, the Substitution Technique?!" Snow Bamboo and the others were equally shocked. Was the Nan Shunqing who had just exhibited his divine powers and annihilated the Great Witch of the Red Flower Manor merely a substitute made from the Substitution Technique?!

With that in mind, no one could really say how high Nan Shunqing’s cultivation was now...

Lin Xin watched the scattering paper ash and silently put away the box.

"This isn’t simply the Substitution Technique; he really did come back. This must be some kind of Positioning Technique, coupled with Divine Skills that attached some of his cultivation to the paper. Qing’er... has surpassed me."

He had to admit this point; his disciple, who he had nurtured with great care over the years, had finally exceeded him, the teacher. The sentiment was undoubtedly complex.

"Clear the area; we’re going back."

He said offhandedly.

"What about these people, Villa Master?"

Snow Bamboo asked quietly. Yet as he spoke, his gaze still lingered on where Nan Shunqing had left, faintly filled with envy and desire, seemingly somewhat absent-minded.

"Take them away, back to the manor. The Red Flower Manor having lost a Great Witch will not remain as indifferent as before. Qing’er is in danger out there..."

Lin Xin’s eyes flickered.

"What about Hua Yaozhu? How should we deal with her?" A cultivator with the surname Yao, acting as a retainer, asked while clutching the wound on his chest, his face pale.

Lin Xin looked at Hua Yaozhu among a group of witches, her face full of panic and unwillingness.

"No... don’t kill me! It wasn’t intentional; I was, I was just blinded for a moment... teacher, please don’t kill me!!"

She cried out again and again, but her abdomen was pierced by Nan Shunqing’s Sword Qi, nailing her firmly to the ground, unable to move.

"She is a Great Witch possessed! Not Hua Yaozhu!" the Yao cultivator said with hatred. "Villa Master, I beg to interrogate and execute her myself!"

Lin Xin didn’t say much but glanced at Hua Yaozhu, who was still desperately pleading.

"Kill her sooner rather than later to prevent further complications."

He turned away, no longer paying attention and walked towards the manor.

Meanwhile, Yao cultivator approached Hua Yaozhu with a ruthless expression on his face.

"Daring to plot against me, to injure me severely..." He raised his sword blade, and fiercely thrust it towards Hua Yaozhu’s chest.

Bang!

Suddenly, a clump of black matter flew in from the side, struck his sword blade, and deflected it.

"Who!"

All the people present suddenly became alert.

Within a moment, a white figure flickered several times before appearing directly in front of Hua Yaozhu, blocking the sword blade of the Yao-clan cultivator.

"Uncle Yao, this is not Zhu’er’s fault. She was just possessed; her nature is not bad, and it’s not her fault. I earnestly beg you to spare her life!"

The person who appeared was actually Lin Zhen!

"Zhen’er!" The Yao-clan cultivator had a good relationship with Lin Zhen, the Young Villa Master of the manor, and was somewhat astonished to see him block in front of Hua Yaozhu. Since he had been in seclusion for a long time, he had naturally not paid close attention to the fact that Hua Yaozhu and Lin Zhen had been inseparable all day. Seeing Lin Zhen standing in front now, he was also somewhat at a loss.

He was indecisive for a moment, turning his head to look in the direction of Lin Xin.

Lin Xin, who had not yet completely left, also turned his head back, staring from afar at the suddenly emerged Lin Zhen.

"Father!" Lin Zhen’s eyes were filled with urgency as he looked at Lin Xin and pleaded.

Lin Xin completely turned around, calmly gazing at this son he had raised for twenty years.

"Zhen’er, do you know the essential condition for possession?"

"Child... child... knows," Lin Zhen replied, his voice filled with sorrow as he couldn’t help but lower his head, not daring to look his father in the eye.

Indeed, a necessary condition for Red Tower’s possession is complete consent from the person being possessed from the very beginning. Otherwise, it would not be possible to wield such powerful strength perfectly.

After all, Hua Yaozhu was merely an external martial arts expert.

"Since you know, why do you still protect this witch?" Snow Bamboo spoke up coldly from the side. She only obeyed Lin Xin. She had never thought much of Lin Zhen, the Young Villa Master. With her exceptional talents, had it not been for deep hatred and having no other recourse, she might have joined the Immortal Sect and become a Qi Cultivation Disciple.

"I..." Lin Zhen was at a loss for words.

"My manor’s disciples have been killed by this demoness. Do you think these lives should simply disappear into smoke because of a few words from you, the Young Villa Master?" Snow Bamboo was not courteous in the least.

"You should also know that I cannot let her go," Lin Xin too shook his head slightly.

But Lin Zhen raised his head once more, his gaze resolute.

"I won’t let you just kill Zhu’er like this! If you must kill, then kill me first!!"

These words stunned not only Lin Xin but also Snow Bamboo, the Yao-clan cultivator, and the surrounding Hidden Guards of the manor; everyone couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

In that instant, a red shadow suddenly surged from behind Lin Zhen. Hua Yaozhu had somehow regained a bit of strength, lunged up, and fiercely grabbed Lin Zhen’s throat, holding him from behind.

"Anyone who comes closer, I’ll kill him!"

Hua Yaozhu’s eyes were ringed with blood red, clearly a typical symptom of the Red Tower witch.

Caught off guard, Lin Zhen and the Yao-clan cultivator, who was closer by, did not expect Hua Yaozhu to lay hands on Lin Zhen, who had been desperately protecting her.

"Let us leave, or I’ll kill him!!" Hua Yaozhu cackled twice, sounding like a strange bird, sending chills down one’s spine.

Lin Zhen’s eyes revealed disbelief as he slightly turned his face, trying to look back at Hua Yaozhu regardless of the blade at his neck.

But he was forcefully suppressed by great strength and couldn’t move.

"Zhu’er..."

His eyes, filled with disbelief, mixed with traces of heartbreak and pain.

Lin Xin stood in the distance, quietly observing the overlapping figures of the two. He saw the pain in Lin Zhen’s eyes as if it were tearing him apart.

He seemed to momentarily return to the day of that wedding banquet when An Ying’s last desperate and pained gaze still echoed in his mind.

And Lingling’s final departure, filled with infatuation and helplessness. The last beautiful dance on the ice lake.

He slowly drew the Red Flower Sword, its delicate blade making a clear sound as it was unsheathed in the woods.

"Zhen’er, have you ever heard..."

Lin Xin stood the blade upright, bringing it close to his ear.

"The sound of flowers blooming."

Ding.

In an instant, a light ring sounded, and the Red Flower Sword suddenly burst into countless red afterimages, like the last glimmer of sunset on the water’s surface, withering grandeur, shooting out.

The red lines flowed and in a flash divided into two, shooting back into Lin Xin’s scabbard between Lin Zhen and Hua Yaozhu.

Lin Zhen was startled, his gaze involuntarily captured by the Red Flower Sword’s blade. By the time he snapped back to reality, he suddenly felt the blade at his neck gently falling. Droplets of blood ran down along his neck without a hint of pain.

Far away, he saw Lin Xin close his eyes, with the red light on the sword blade returning to its scabbard and then turning to leave.

Behind him, he faintly felt a limp body leaning weakly on his back.

"Zhu’er..." His whole body stiffened, and as he slowly turned around, he saw Hua Yaozhu with her eyes wide open, quietly staring at him. The line of blood at her throat became clearer and thicker, bleeding profusely.

"How fast..."

No matter whether it was Snow Bamboo, Yao Retainer, or the others present, all were disturbed by the sound of the sword, and by the time they came to their senses, they saw the red light returned to the scabbard, and everything was settled.

The distance of several tens of meters closed in an instant.

"Heart Eye Sword Path. Red Flower Chorusing."

Lin Xin walked toward the distance, while behind him Lin Zhen knelt to the ground, covering his face and weeping.

"If this is the inevitable price to pay for growth, then the sooner, the better."

"Zhen’er, don’t blame me..."

His figure flashed, and he disappeared in an instant.

In the woods, only Lin Zhen’s mournful crying echoed continuously while the people of the manor gathered around him, all remaining silent. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)