Chapter 41: This Young Man Must Not Be Provoked

Seeing the confidence on their faces, Ling Xiao’s lips curled into a strange, enigmatic smile.

In the next instant, the force of his fist exploded outward.

A deafening roar split the air as a mushroom cloud rose from the ground, and a violent shockwave swept out with unstoppable might.

With another thunderous crash, the five disciples of the Iron Fist Sect were sent flying backward all at once.

Blood spurted from their mouths as they crashed into the earth, gouging five deep craters into the ground.

“What terrifying strength! Retreat—now!”

Without another word, the five of them stamped their feet and vanished into the night as five flickering shadows, their earlier bravado utterly gone.

As they fled, one of the junior disciples glanced back. Seeing Ling Xiao still standing where he was, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Ling Xiao hadn’t given chase; it seemed their lives, at least, were spared.

But at that moment, Ling Xiao turned toward her with a gentle smile.

“Huh?”

Confused, the junior disciple watched as Ling Xiao raised his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air. Instantly, five silver blades of energy formed, slicing through the air with lightning speed toward them.

As the blades grew ever larger in his eyes, terror crawled up his spine.

“No!”

A desperate cry rang out, and in a flash, four of his senior siblings were decapitated, their bodies falling in unison.

The junior disciple swallowed hard as one of the blades slashed through his pants, grazing his skin.

He knew this was no coincidence. Glancing back once more, he saw Ling Xiao beckoning to him with a single finger.

A chill ran down the disciple’s spine. At that moment, there was no relief at having survived—only regret that he hadn’t died with the others.

The pressure Ling Xiao exerted was suffocating, almost more than he could bear.

Legs trembling, the junior disciple slowly made his way back to Ling Xiao’s side. With every step, his heart pounded faster.

For a martial cultivator, a mere few kilometers felt like scaling a ladder to the heavens.

Finally, he reached Ling Xiao and collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud.

“Se—senior, I was blind and ignorant. Please… have mercy.”

He forced the words out through chattering teeth.

Ling Xiao patted his head as one might stroke a loyal dog.

“Don’t be afraid. If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”

“Yes, yes,” the disciple replied quickly, with not a shred of doubt.

Ling Xiao withdrew his hand, his face calm.

“Go back and deliver a message to the Iron Fist Sect: Ling Xiao demands the sect master come in person to pay his respects.”

“And another thing—there is no longer any need for the Tiger Sect to exist in this world.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Now go.”

“Y—yes, sir!”

Without looking back, the disciple scrambled away, vanishing in a panic.

Meanwhile, Ming Cheng had finished dealing with the Tiger Sect disciples and strode over to Ling Xiao.

“Young master, last time you gave the Tiger Sect an order and those fools ignored you. The Iron Fist Sect may not obey either.”

Ling Xiao smiled faintly.

“This time is different. If the Iron Fist Sect has any sense, they won’t dare defy me.”

…

In the mountains, a black shadow raced through the darkness as if pursued by death itself.

He leapt without hesitation into a deep ravine.

At the bottom lay a hidden world, aglow with lanterns and bustling like a small mountain town.

“Hey, Senior Brother Zhao, you’re back already? You finished the mission so soon? Why not stay in Jiangzhou and have some fun?”

“Out of my way!”

Senior Brother Zhao shoved aside the gatekeeper without a word and rushed inside.

The guards spat in his direction.

“What’s he acting so high and mighty for?”

“Yeah, just wait. Sooner or later we’ll be inner disciples too!”

Their curses fell on deaf ears; Zhao was already charging madly into the main hall of the Iron Fist Sect.

The sect master and elders, eyes closed in meditation, were startled at his sudden intrusion.

“Zhao Li! Weren’t you in Jiangzhou? Why are you back so soon?”

“Where are your senior brothers and sisters?”

“It’s over! All is lost!” Zhao Li finally broke under the crushing weight of fear, collapsing into sobs.

“Master, Elders, the young lord of Ghost Valley is a monster. We couldn’t withstand even a single move from him. My brothers and sisters… they’re all dead!”

“What?!”

The Iron Fist Sect’s master slammed his hand down in fury.

“That wretched brat from Ghost Valley is going too far! First he wreaks havoc in the Tiger Sect, now he’s killed our disciples as well. He clearly has no regard for our Iron Fist Sect!”

“Master, let us elders go capture Ling Xiao and drag him back here for a thousand cuts!”

“I’ll tear the flesh from his bones and grind him to ashes!”

The elders clamored for vengeance. But one among them frowned and asked, “If he’s so powerful, how did you escape?”

Zhao Li, still weeping, replied, “He… he let me go on purpose! He had a message for the sect master.”

“What did he say?”

“He said… he said the sect master must go pay respects to him. He also said there’s no need for the Tiger Sect to exist anymore!”

“What? Who does this Ling Xiao think he is, demanding I go pay respects to him? Does he take me for a fool?”

The sect master’s rage boiled over, and he smashed the table before him to splinters.

The elders were equally incensed.

“Ghost Valley’s Ling Xiao goes too far! Master, let us go and kill him to restore the Iron Fist Sect’s honor!”

“Give the order, Master! If Ling Xiao lives, our sect will never live down this disgrace!”

With a grand sweep of his arm, the sect master declared, “Indeed! Our Iron Fist Sect has reigned over Jiangzhou for centuries. Never before has anyone dared insult us so! If we don’t kill Ling Xiao, what face will we have left?”

“That’s right! Kill Ling Xiao! Show the world our might!”

Even as the rallying cries echoed, Zhao Li suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood.

Silence fell instantly over the hall. Eyes wide, not a soul dared utter a sound.

The blood mist did not disperse. Instead, it slowly reformed into a handsome figure—identical to Ling Xiao.

With hands clasped behind his back, he gazed coolly at the assembled elders and spoke softly, “If you wish to kill me, you are welcome to try. But know that your Iron Fist Sect’s centuries of legacy will vanish with you. You may test your luck if you dare.”

With a flick of his finger, a blood-red sword shot forth, aimed straight at the sect master’s face.

As the sword passed, Ling Xiao let out a faint snort and the blood mist dispersed.

The sect master ran a hand over his cheek—where a fresh sword wound now bled coldly.

Every elder swallowed hard in terror.

“This man… must not be trifled with.”