Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 223 - 216 Trouble Part 2

Chapter 223: Chapter 216 Trouble Part 2

Shh!

The talisman paper exploded suddenly, transforming into a ring of blue light, and in the middle was a somewhat damaged circular water mirror—an image on the screen.

A white-haired old man covered in blood, holding a white longsword full of rust marks, stood atop a high cliff,

his face filled with a look of utter desperation.

"I am Xue Lingzi, one of the leaders of this expedition. If anyone sees this message talisman, it means

I’m about to be unable to hold on any longer," he said.

He looked around, a trace of confusion in his eyes.

"The expedition has failed. No, it can’t be considered a failure. The insect queen self-destructed. Among us cultivators, only one in ten survived,

the losses were devastating. Perhaps we truly won’t be able to return this time. If anyone sees this piece of talisman paper, please tell Huang Zongxian that I won’t be able to go back and drink with him anymore. Take care."

The scene abruptly switched from the old man to a vast yellow plain.

A gigantic black insect floated midair, resembling a colossal caterpillar. Its body was covered with countless transparent spikes and wings like those of a fly. Numerous small tentacles

suddenly extended from its body and grabbed onto the cultivators flying around, then violently retracted.

Around the enormous insect, a multitude of cultivators flitted about like small bugs, each one compared to the massive beast as ants to an elephant, though from a distance, one could only see swarms of tiny, colorful specks of light.

"This is a blood talisman that I’ve just received; it was sent by a friend of my teacher as he was dying. Lin Xin,

I’ve made a direct copy for you," said Dugu Lin, his voice coming from the screen.

"This is what happened during their encirclement of the insect queen."

Lin Xin’s brows furrowed tightly, a sense of ominous premonition vaguely rising in his heart.

Indeed, not long after, the giant insect within the screen violently exploded, and countless waves of black liquid, like wild ocean surges, gushed out, blanketing the surroundings.

Many of the cultivators, still releasing colorful lights as they attacked, had almost no resistance and were instantly engulfed.

A few cultivators, enveloped in varying colored light rings around themselves, managed to withstand the force of the explosion, but they too were faintly seen to spew out blood, their light rings dimming one by one.

"Those who could withstand the self-destruction are around the Golden Core Stage, but what the expedition team did not anticipate was

that there wasn’t just one insect queen, but two." Dugu Lin’s grave voice followed. "So now they face the frenzied pursuit of another insect queen, and the situation is unknown."

The image vanished.

"Also, about the person named Lin Qing you asked me to investigate—it couldn’t be the ’Heaven-Defying Hand’ Lin Qing who shone so brightly in the expedition team, could it?" Dugu Lin’s tone carried a slight tinge of regret.

"Among all the cultivators in the expedition team, there’s only one by the name of Lin Qing. He’s been exceptionally low-key during dozens of battles. At first, everyone thought he was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but after several fights, we realized he was actually in the early stages of Golden Core. By the time they surrounded the quarry, he showed his true cultivation—a late-stage Golden Core, with combat power astonishingly comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator. Among loose cultivators, he’s considered one of the top ancestor-level powers, known as ’Heaven-Defying Hand.’"

Lin Xin stood there, somewhat taken aback. Lin Qing was clearly Nan Shunqing, who had left the manor; he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage when he left, then he reached Golden Core, and now he was in the late Golden Core stage? Could cultivation progress so rapidly? Was Dugu Lin certain he didn’t mix it up with someone else?

"I have definitely not mixed him up with someone else. After multiple confirmations, Lin Qing is indeed your manor’s Nan Shunqing. Actually, whether he is Nan Shunqing or not is no longer important,"

said Dugu Lin, pausing, his voice slightly sorrowful, "They might all be dead, or if not dead, then missing. I’m sending you this message so that you’re prepared. The deaths of so many powerful figures will surely trigger a seismic shift among various forces, so be careful."

The voice completely disappeared there.

The light circle also slowly faded away.

Lin Xin stood in place, silent for a long time.

The failure of the expedition team, or rather, their mutual destruction with the insect queen, was a result he had guessed at, but now that it had come to pass, he felt a vague and indescribable sensation.

"Qing’er..."

The Hidden Guard had disappeared without a sound, leaving Lin Xin alone by the lakeside.

Nan Shunqing’s life or death was left to fate.

Whether Lin Qing was him or not, whether he could return or not, it was the path he had chosen.

From the very start, with the golden lock given by the stranger, to Nan Shunqing’s arrival at the manor with the lock, Lin Xin knew he couldn’t be bound by a small manor like his.

Though he understood this, facing the reality still brought feelings of sadness and concern.

With mixed emotions in his heart, he tried to cast aside all concerns and returned to the manor’s treasury. He took some jade tokens, changed his clothes, covered his face, and left the manor, heading straight for the slanted space between the Mortal Realm and the Outer Regions.

After all, meeting with the ’Porcelain King’ of the Radiance Society’s branch would definitely yield more information.

*******************

Across the gray, slanted land where all was askew, several seven- to eight-meter-tall rotting treants shuffled slowly, their bodies swarming with maggots and flies.

In the sky, giant air whales gently swayed their massive tails as they glided above Lin Xin’s head. These ten-meter-long creatures had no natural predators here and spent their days in leisure.

Turning his gaze back, Lin Xin donned a black metal ghost mask, took a deep breath, leapt up, and in a flash crossed the small plain dotted with little lakes, arriving directly in front of a stone disc resembling a clock face.

He quickly made several hand seal decrees, and the stone disc slowly revealed a red door, which swung open inwards.

Two adorable little porcelain people dressed in red silk dresses stood on each side of the door, gesturing an invitation to enter.

Lin Xin crossed the threshold swiftly, ignoring the two porcelain figures, and followed the passage through a door, turning several corners before arriving at a large mahogany door.

"It’s Red Flower, please come in."

The voice of the Porcelain King emitted from the room.

Lin Xin slowly pushed the door open, inside which numerous candles were arrayed in rows, surrounding a small porcelain figure that was only a meter tall. There were also two unfamiliar masked individuals seated around it.

"Let me introduce, these two are envoys who have just arrived at our branch," the Porcelain King gestured towards the two.

"This is Red Flower, the top Formation Talisman Master here," the voice of the Porcelain King was neither male nor female, childishly neutral.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xin looked towards the other two, realizing that if they were invited here, they must be regarded highly by the Porcelain King.

"I’ve seen the two of you."

One wore a monkey mask, the other an owl mask, both were women.

"No need to be polite," the two said in unison, almost as if a single person was speaking.

"Our purpose here has been fulfilled, we shall take our leave."

The two did not bother with formalities and turned to leave.

"Why not stay a bit longer?" the Porcelain King said, trying to detain them.

"No need, we have other important matters to attend to. With a great change impending, we must still reach the other branches," the two women said together.

With a ’poof,’ the two suddenly turned into two clouds of grey smoke and slowly vanished.

"Escape Skill, Divine Skills?" Lin Xin’s heart turned cold, knowing that the ability to use escape skills freely was a hallmark of the Golden Core Stage, and the gravity of the situation could be surmised by the involvement of two Golden Core Stage individuals to relay the message.

"What brings Mr. Red Flower here?" After the two had left, the Porcelain King, appearing regretful, then focused his attention on Lin Xin.

Lin Xin organized his thoughts and slowly began to speak.

*************************

Outside Shadowplay City, within a desolated temple on a barren mountain.

"Are you certain about this? That Red Flower is indeed Lin Xin from the Expedition Team?" Hua Yunu’s face alternated between shades, questioning her subordinates before her.

"Your subordinate has confirmed it. Lin Xin, as the Villa Master of Spirit Heart Villa, wields the Sword, a Magic Artifact known as the Red Flower Sword, which is also the unique Magic Artifact of his Heart Blood Sacrificial Refinement," the kneeling leader swiftly replied. "And from all aspects, he is the most suspicious."

"Spirit Heart Villa, quite the esteemed name; I’ve heard of it, and they even do business here. Their Talisman Sword is not bad."

Accompanying Hua Yunu were three others, one man and two women, all composed and exuding a faint pride.

Though their attire differed, they all shared a common emblem: a tiny golden plum blossom embroidered on their cuffs.

"A man with only Innate inner strength is capable of inscribing a Third Grade Magic Artifact? Who would believe that? Therefore, he must be concealing his true cultivation level."

"With a Sect as a backing and close relations with Dugu Lin, as well as being friends with Dongyue, he has enough motive to meddle in this affair. The only doubt lies in his cultivation, from the Innate Layer, approaching the Golden Core Stage—the leap is too vast."

The three Golden Core Cultivators brought by Hua Yunu commented one after another, quickly making sense of the situation.

Hua Yunu’s expression kept changing. Lin Xin’s role to the Sect was undeniable, and he was part of that faction... Protected by Dugu Lin, one couldn’t easily move against him without evidence.

"But, without evidence..."

"Since when do we, the Taoist Masters, need proof to act?" the man among them played with a black jade cup in his hand and sneered, "Have you, Hua Yunu, been away from Flying Sect so long that you’ve forgotten the basic rules?"

Hua Yunu inwardly cursed, but on the surface, he maintained a composed appearance.

"What do the three of you plan to do then?"

"What to do?" The woman with purple hair spoke indifferently, "Us three of the Yue Ying always strike with the swiftness of thunder, finishing swiftly and fleeing far."

"This, might not be so good..." Hua Yunu was at a loss for words.

"You worry too much. After we make our move, we can return to the sea. Are you afraid the tentacles of your Sect will chase us all the way to Flying Sect?" the other woman spoke with disdain.

"Then..."

"We go straight for the manor, kill, and flee. With that, the matter is concluded," the man interrupted him.

"I am wounded, and as such, I leave everything in your hands," Hua Yunu bowed deeply.

"Of course. The most powerful among them is only comparable to you. Any one of us can handle him with ease. A trivial matter."

"What if it doesn’t work?" Hua Yunu asked further.

"Doesn’t work?"

The man’s jade cup in his hand shattered into countless particles at once.

"Are you, joking?" his voice suddenly turned eerily chilling.

Hua Yunu took a deep breath and eventually bowed to the three once more.

"In that case, I’ll leave everything to the three of you. The reward will not be an issue."

Despite the outward generosity, Hua Yunu’s heart bled; this was his years of accumulated savings, and now he had to spend one-third at once. Worth ten Third Grade Magic Artifacts!

*****************

Meanwhile, in front of the Porcelain King, Lin Xin also slowly began to speak.

"I’m here to hire a top expert for protection for some time."

"Oh? What level of expert?" the Porcelain King asked casually.

"The highest, Taoist Master Level," Lin Xin tossed out a Jade Token indifferently, "Money is no issue." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)