Chapter 14484 Meeting Ling Bi

Chapter 14484 Meeting Ling Bi

The old man remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Perhaps, I really don't understand you... By the way, who exactly is your sister, the Moon Maiden?"

"My dearest." Ling Xiao answered with only four words, without any further explanation. Some emotions need no further explanation.

"Hehe, I understand." The old man nodded with a smile, turned around with his wooden cane, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to see someone who might be able to help you find some clues."

The two walked one after the other, their figures gradually disappearing into the sandstorm, leaving only a series of shallow footprints, which were quickly buried by the sand.

The bluestone steps wound down the rock wall. Ling Xiao followed Elder Mu's footsteps down, and the air became increasingly hot and dry as they went down. When he reached the last step, a blast of scorching air, carrying the smell of sulfur, suddenly hit his face. Even his breath felt like it was covered in sparks. He stopped abruptly, staring blankly at the scene before him.

In the abyss where the subterranean fire surged, hundreds of obsidian palaces floated above the lava, connected by chains adorned with unburnt fire crystals. Bare-chested warriors tempered their bodies along the lava river, the clanging of hammers against refined iron deafening, sparks flying into the lava and creating bubbling waves. Even more astonishing to Ling Xiao was that when three men in the crowd raised their swords, semi-transparent phantoms of sword gods appeared behind them—legendary innate sword bodies, a rarity even in a century!

"Is this the true form of the Sword Sect?" Ling Xiao unconsciously stroked the hilt of the Demon Lord Black Heaven Sword with his fingertips, his fingertips brushing against the cold demonic patterns, and he was secretly shocked.

Elder Mu led him towards the central hall. The gilded pillars outside the hall were carved with totems of a nine-headed willow tree and a three-legged golden crow. The willow tree's snake eyes were inlaid with red fire jade, gleaming in the darkness. Just as they reached the hall's entrance, an elderly man in plain clothes, leaning on a snake-headed cane, emerged from the shadows. Elder Mu bowed respectfully upon seeing him, and before retreating, secretly gave Ling Xiao a profound sword-finger gesture—a unique warning signal of the Sword Sect.

"Call me Jade Sword Master." As the old man in plain clothes spoke, three centipede-shaped scars on his face moved with his words, gleaming with a light brown light in the candlelight, making him look particularly ferocious.

Ling Xiao cupped his hands in a sword-holding salute, his tone straightforward: "Junior Ling Xiao wishes to see Ling Bi."

“She cannot receive guests now.” Yu Jianzi tapped the ground lightly with his snake-headed staff, a faint glint of light flashing in the snake's eye at the tip of the staff, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

A murderous intent instantly hardened between Ling Xiao's brows, and the Seven Deadly Killing Array faintly appeared beneath his feet, runes flowing across the ground. But before he could activate his sword technique, Yu Jianzi's snake-headed staff suddenly burst forth with eerie light, and the totems throughout the entire hall seemed to come alive. Xiang Liu's snake body twisted, and the golden crow's wings unfurled, swallowing up all the surging energy around him without leaving a ripple.

“Young man, don’t be impulsive.” Yu Jianzi sighed, drawing a circle on the ground with the tip of his staff. “The Divine Light Clan now has at least five peak Star River Realm experts. Taking your life will only take an instant.”

Ling Xiao sneered, twirling the sword sheath in his palm: "Then why don't they make a move?"

“Killing you is easy, but bearing the wrath of that woman in the moon dress is difficult.” Yu Jianzi looked up at him, his gaze carrying a hint of meaning. “Besides, you hold the Demon Lord Black Heaven Sword in your hand. Whoever holds this sword will be the target of everyone’s hatred. You should be aware of that.”

He suddenly turned around: "Come with me."

Ling Xiao followed in his footsteps and walked to the edge of the abyss. Suddenly, a giant bronze gate rose from the boiling lava. The gate was covered with star patterns, and the rotating galaxy inside emitted a suction force, causing even the surrounding space to collapse slightly.

"Go in." Yu Jianzi waved his sleeve, and a gentle force propelled Ling Xiao forward. "Remember, if you see any unusual phenomena, do not use any of your treasures."

As soon as Ling Xiao stepped into the star gate, a violent dizziness struck him. The turbulent spacetime felt like thousands of steel needles piercing his soul. When he regained his footing, he found himself standing on a wasteland scarred by sword marks. Broken stars floated in the gray sky, and a sickening chewing sound came from afar, as if a giant beast was gnawing on rocks.

The sword light suddenly exploded!

Ling Xiao instinctively drew his sword to parry, and with a crisp clang, his hand instantly split open, blood flowing down the scabbard. He was thrown back a hundred feet by the impact, and only when he looked up did he see his attackers clearly: three ferocious beasts covered in bone armor, each ten feet tall. The single eye of the central beast gleamed with greed, and his reflection was still visible in its pupil.

"The Annihilation Demon Eye?" Ling Xiao's heart trembled violently, his knuckles clenched until they turned white. This ancient ferocious beast should have become extinct a thousand years ago, so how could it appear here!

The ferocious beast on the far left suddenly swung its head, its sharp claws tearing through the earth with rubble, aiming straight for Ling Xiao's heart! He spun around and drew his sword, the Demon Lord's Black Heaven Sword humming as it unleashed a hundred-foot-long sword aura. The sword light grazed the beast's claws, carving a deep trench in the ground. But when the sword aura struck the beast's bone armor, it only produced a string of blinding sparks, leaving only a shallow white mark, without even breaking its skin!
Just as Ling Xiao was about to activate the Sacred Rune Array, a clear and melodious sword cry suddenly rang out from the sky. The three ferocious beasts trembled violently at the sound and turned to flee, but before they could take more than a few steps, nine sword lights descended from the sky, precisely piercing their heads. Amidst the rain of blood, a sword-wielding girl gracefully landed, the golden bells entwined in her black hair jingling with her movements, and the bloodstains splattered on her cheeks making her eyes and brows shine even brighter.

"Young Master!" Ling Bi raised her hand to wipe the blood from her cheek. When she saw Ling Xiao, her eyes lit up instantly, and a big smile appeared on her lips.

Ling Xiao strode forward, his gaze falling on the newly formed sword mark between her brows. The sword mark shimmered with a pale gold hue and was still slightly warm: "What did the Sword Sect do to you? What's the deal with this sword mark?"

“It was my own initiative to accept the inheritance.” Ling Bi pulled him into the depths of the desert. The sand dunes beneath their feet were blown away by the wind, and the ancient altar foundation stones that had collapsed could be vaguely seen below. “Back then, I was ambushed by men in black outside Lin Yuan City. My dantian was almost destroyed. Fortunately, an elder from the Sword Sect passed by and saved me.”

Seeing that Ling Xiao's brows were still furrowed, she added, "I know you're curious about who ambushed me, but I didn't see their face clearly at the time. The Sword Sect investigated for a long time and finally concluded that it was the Holy Temple. No one else could have set up such a killing trap in such a short time."

"Sanctuary?"

Ling Xiao took a deep breath, his fingertips tracing the demonic runes on the sword hilt, a chill running through him. It was them after all. He had destroyed the Heavenly Abyss Holy Hall; how could those people possibly let it go? They not only wanted to kill him, but also those around him, not even sparing Ling Bi.

"What about Zhu'er? Do you have any news about her?" Ling Xiao grabbed her wrist anxiously, his voice trembling slightly.

Ling Bi gently shook her head, her tone tinged with self-reproach: "Don't worry, Miss Zhu'er is alright. She was with me when we encountered danger, and suddenly a white light shone from her body, and she vanished into thin air. I've been looking for her for a long time, but I haven't heard anything... By the way, young master, you must be careful. The Holy Temple may have joined forces with various major powers to target your Moon Maiden sister. Make sure she doesn't show herself!"