Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 731 - 726

Chapter 731: 726

"""

This time, he drew on his connections from the Earth Fire Realm, paying a hefty price and putting great effort into persuading them, all for this very moment.

"Without the protection of the Dragon Serpent, I want to eradicate every single one in the Dragon Serpent Realm!!" Especially that Lin Sherie!

Even now, he still remembered the intense pain of being bombarded with explosions all over his body.

If he had been defeated by an Earth Immortal, it would be one thing, but to be brought down by an unknown Fifth Rank cultivator, if he did not cleanse this humiliation, he feared he would never be able to lift his head among his peers!

"Your own business, your own decision. After the challenge is completed, that person will give us half an hour, during which time the entire Dragon Serpent Realm is yours to do with as you wish," the woman said with a smile.

"Half an hour?" That would be enough!

A violent killing intent flashed in Huan Niu’s eyes.

All of the core disciples of the Dragon Serpent, he had secretly assigned people to keep an eye on.

No matter how far they ran, under the surveillance of Shadow City, without sufficient power to protect themselves, it would all be useless.

"We will make our move together early tomorrow morning."

He declared fiercely.

With the direct forces of Shadow City and the intervention of that mysterious man with the iron mask, their inside-and-out approach ensured that this mission would go off without a hitch.

Thinking of the might of the iron-masked man, even Huan Niu, with his ferocity, couldn’t help but shiver slightly.

The previous severe blow to the Dragon Serpent was caused by this very man.

Late, while on a mission, forcefully using his cultivation technique only worsened his injuries.

It could be said that the Dragon Serpent’s early downfall was largely due to this person.

Among the five great Earth Immortals on this mission, one was a top-tier powerhouse of the Life Candle Realm. Another was the man with the iron mask, who could easily inflict a severe injury on a Realm Master in possession of a Realm Artifact, all by himself.

With such a lineup, dealing with a Dragon Serpent on the verge of death and severely wounded, and the few Fifth Rank disciples around him after the challenge, even having lost his Realm Artifact, would be effortless.

In truth, the reason for such an impressive array was simply due to fear that their inside man would suddenly turn against them.

Thinking of this, Huan Niu also felt somewhat reassured.

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

When Lin Xin left the Deep Fire Palace, the sky had already turned to night.

In the distance, columns of fire burst into the sky from time to time, casting a dazzling red light that repeatedly illuminated the surrounding volcanic earth.

Lin Xin gently descended in front of the small stone hut he previously resided in.

He pushed open the stone door.

"It seems you need my help."

Suddenly a voice reached his ears.

Lin Xin’s entire body jerked in shock.

Moonlight spilled into the cabin, like a thin veil, just barely illuminating a small area by the door.

There, standing in the doorway, was a small figure Lin Xin unexpectedly recognized.

"Xia!!?"

His body tensed in an instant, his vigilance skyrocketing to the maximum.

"Don’t be so tense... You’re already in enough of a mess, I have no need to come here and give you another push," Xia said, her small face stitched with needle and thread showing an extremely gentle smile.

Thump....

The stone door behind Lin Xin slowly vibrated and naturally closed.

The room was plunged into darkness.

"Can you help me?"

Lin Xin communicated via mental transmission. Yet, a real glimmer of hope truly began to rise in his heart.

Xia, being an Evil God King and such an ancient existence, might indeed have a way to resolve his current predicament.

"I can," Xia said with a smile, extending her hand with a small black stamp in the palm that emitted a putrid scent, swirling slightly.

"This Death Knot Seal can temporarily halt your Honored Master’s life at its current state, waiting for a better opportunity in the future that may reverse the outcome of his impending demise," Xia explained simply.

"Also, I will send someone to assist you through this difficult time."

"What do I need to give in return?"

Lin Xin looked at the seal and asked forthrightly.

"I want you to become my sacrifice," Xia chuckled wickedly.

A sacrifice to the Evil God...

Lin Xin’s heart jolted.

This was about to fully rope him in.

Xia had been using him, and Lin Xin had harbored doubts for a long time; whether Lin Yaoyang’s predicament was indeed prompted by Xia and how she ended up acting alongside the Demon God King—too many coincidences, too many puzzles.

And now she wanted him to become her Evil God’s sacrifice?

A sacrifice requires wholehearted devotion to an Evil God and, in turn, the ability to borrow some of the power of the Evil God’s own body.

How powerful Xia was, Lin Xin did not know, but what he did know for sure was that she was not just a simple Earth Immortal.

After a moment of silence, Lin Xin finally spoke softly.

"Allow me to consider it."

"Sure."

Xia laughed again, her feet unmoving as her body gradually shifted, quickly disappearing into the shadow nearby until she was gone.

"You have three days to give me your answer, I will always have offspring staying in the Dragon Serpent Realm," Xia said.

"The forces of the Earth Fire Realm, Shadow City, will set off tomorrow, remember, three days. If you don’t give me an answer within that time... then there will be no more chances to change..."

As the last sentence arrived, Lin Xin distinctly felt Xia rapidly retreating, exiting the range of his spiritual senses.

Standing alone in the room, he took a deep breath.

The arrival of Xia, in fact, reminded him that there might still be one channel to explore.

"""

Shadow City...

This behind-the-scenes power controlling the Yinfu has now caused my honored master’s severe injury to worsen and hastened his end.

This grudge is getting deeper and deeper.

In the darkness, Lin Xin’s eyes grew colder and colder, now too weak, but one day, he would uproot the entire Shadow City!

He took a deep breath, fumbled in his storage ring, and before he knew it, a small, unassuming object appeared in his hand—a white stone carved with the symbol of a communication talisman.

He gently squeezed the object.

Crack.

Immediately, a series of cracking sounds rang out, and the stone crumbled into powder and dispersed.

From its core, an extremely subtle, invisible fluctuation shot out, turning into a string of rope and thread. With a whoosh, it tore open a spatial crack in front of Lin Xin in an instant and burrowed in.

The crack was only as long as a finger and as wide as a piece of paper, appearing like a white thin line with bright white light shining through it.

"A direct passage to the Third Heaven... ’big moves’ indeed," Lin Xin mused.

Now, with all his strength, he had tried and at most could only break through to the second layer of space, barely entering the third heaven.

And yet, this message talisman used for communication was able to use its power to open up the space of the third heaven and shoot through. Truly befitting of the Chanting Star Cult, a powerful heretical sect renowned throughout countless worlds...

He stood patiently in place waiting for a while.

Soon, the crack slowly started to show a slight reaction.

Swish!

Another beam of white light shot out from it and hovered up and down in front of Lin Xin.

That white light turned out to be a piece of white jade paper.

On the paper was depicted a holy woman with two plum blossom deer antlers. Although it was only a sketch in gray lines, the portrait was lifelike as though it was a real person.

The woman in the portrait moved her lips slightly.

"What are your orders, Saint Heir?"

"?"

Lin Xin’s eyebrows knit slightly, somewhat taken aback.

"What did you just call me?"

"Saint Heir," the woman said calmly.

"According to the Sect Hierarch’s decree, before May of the forty-ninth year, an order was issued to list you, Lin Sherie, Lin Xin, and Taoist Lieshan as candidates for the Saint Heir of the Seventh Empty Realm."

The woman in the portrait answered flatly, using not any language but pure mental idea transmission.

"Me? A Star Chanting Saint Heir!?"

"Yes."

Lin Xin’s heart stirred, suddenly remembering what Xia had also mentioned before, about the Chanting Star Cult listing him as a Saint Heir.

He paused, his thoughts somewhat chaotic, quickly sorting out the logic, and digested the impact this situation brought before asking again.

"So, what benefits or roles can this position of Saint Heir bring me?"

Current events were urgent; regardless of the surprising turn of events, he first needed to see if it could help improve his situation.

"As a Saint Heir contacting the sect, are you seeking to resolve the immediate crisis?"

The antlered woman on the portrait countered.

"Indeed."

Lin Xin thought, it seemed that the Chanting Star Cult had indeed been keeping an eye on his recent situation. They even had some understanding of his greatest predicaments.

"With your authority, you can request the mobilization of up to five Earth Immortal powerhouses from nearby world sects for protection at any time.

However, Yun Guang of the Yun Guang Flow has already arrived personally. You need not worry."

"Yun Guang?" Lin Xin was taken aback again, having never heard of this name.

"Yes, he is approximately at the level of the Immortal Elder Jiuqu under the six divisions of the branch you’re in at Green Lake Mountain," the woman continued after a pause.

"Yun Guang is naturally bloodthirsty, cruel, and brutal. If it’s not necessary, please refuse any requests to meet with him.

After all, your divine soul is still weak and could potentially be injured by his true form."

"Also, it’s best not to get too close to Yun Guang. He has just devoured nine thousand descendants of the Heavenly Immortal Saint Venerable Tan Ming Shexiao, as well as two Candle Earth Immortals. He is currently being pursued and if you get too close, you may inadvertently become involved."

"........"

Great, this one’s even tougher—devouring the descendants of a Heavenly Immortal Saint Venerable, and nine thousand at that! And to top it off, he also consumed two Candle Earth Immortals...

This level...

Lin Xin had originally planned to cozy up to this seemingly powerful being, but now it seemed best to wait and see...

The woman hadn’t finished her words, though. Not only had Yun Guang devoured his prey, but he’d also bitten off half of that Heavenly Immortal Saint Venerable’s true form.

He is now being pursued by the furious sect of that Heavenly Immortal.

Several Heavenly Venerables might arrive at any moment behind him.

But these things didn’t need to be said.

After absorbing this information, Lin Xin paused again and asked.

"So, when can Yun Guang... arrive?"

If Xia was right, then tomorrow morning the army would be upon them. If Yun Guang arrived too late, it would be no use at all.

"Also, is there any way to save my honored master’s life?" he added quickly.

The woman’s expression remained unchanged, and she replied directly.

"As for when exactly he can arrive, that’s unclear and depends on Yun Guang’s movements. But he’s the only precursor nearby capable of resolving the situation.

Therefore, I recommend that you, Saint Heir, best avoid his edge for the time being."

"As for the life of the Dragon Serpent Realm Master... what’s his condition?"

Lin Xin described Dragon Serpent’s condition, not being clear about the poison but giving a vivid description of the symptoms.

"It’s the Yin Demon Heart Corroding Poison, Shadow City’s specialty," the antlered woman stated calmly. "Plus the secret injury has flared up, and his end is near."

She pondered for a moment.