Chapter 22

As Han Seolhyeon stepped out of the carriage, the bustling activity in front of the inn subsided.

Her black robe clung tightly to her body, revealing her curvaceous figure, leaving everyone entranced.

However, when they noticed the veil covering her face, they all sighed in disappointment.

Han Seolhyeon's beauty was already famous within the Zhaogadaishanghui, especially hers among the siblings.

While everyone has their own standards of beauty, Han Seolhyeon's was so exceptional that it transcended all subjectivity.

Even if one had never seen her, they would unanimously predict that she would not be outshone by Sima Tianhui, the most beautiful woman of the Sima family, known as the "First Beauty Under Heaven."

Seemingly accustomed to the attention, Han Seolhyeon walked toward the inn with a cold gaze.

Suddenly, a massive chain scythe sliced through the air, cutting her veil.

The speed was so extreme that Han Seolhyeon had no time to react.

Seeing the clean cut of the severed veil, her face turned pale.

The distance between her face and the veil was merely half a chi (about 1.5 cm).

The precision of the strike with such a heavy weapon indicated that the attacker was no ordinary expert.

"Ah!"

The man who had retracted the chain scythe, revealing his white teeth and lustful eyes, was a middle-aged man with a white goatee.

Recognizing him, several people in the market screamed and fled in all directions.

"It's the Demon Scythe King!"

"Old Poison!"

The Black Heaven League, the ruler of Jiangxi.

Among the terrifying experts of the Black Heaven League, the Eight Warriors were the strongest.

The Black Heaven Eight Kings.

One of them had appeared here.

Demon Scythe King Mo Liao, known as the King of Carnage.

Among the ruthless experts of the Black Heaven League, he was the most cruel.

This Demon Scythe King was now revealing his lecherous desire toward Han Seolhyeon.

"Truly a rare beauty! I have never seen such a stunning woman in my life!"

As his gleaming eyes roamed over her body, Han Seolhyeon felt a shiver as if a snake had slithered past.

At that moment, a man with a strikingly deep voice appeared behind the Demon Scythe King.

"Indeed, a remarkable beauty."

A tall, middle-aged man.

The whip coiled around his waist like a belt, his face as cold and cruel as ice.

"Amazing! Even the Death Whip King is here!"

A scream mixed with fear from a corner of the market.

Poison Whip Death King A Ke.

He was also one of the Black Heaven Eight Kings.

Second only to the Demon Scythe King in cruelty.

Seeing two of the most notorious killers of the Black Heaven League in one place was a significant event.

"Meeting my disciples, I stumbled upon a windfall. Girl, I will personally give you a private chamber and make you my concubine."

Hearing this, the Demon Scythe King's face twitched.

"You already have eight concubines, and you still have such greed! This time, you must yield to me!"

"Madman. You should not get close to women. You will strangle and kill another precious beauty."

The Demon Scythe King had a unique taste.

Necrophilia.

He would strangle a woman to death at the peak of pleasure and then rape the corpse.

His unique taste and evil deeds were well-known in the Poyang Lake region.

Han Seolhyeon, who had to listen to the old men's chilling conversation right in front of her, was horrified.

Wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth, the Demon Scythe King retracted his chain scythe and approached Han Seolhyeon.

"Stay back!"

With a whoosh, the Demon Scythe King paused, noticing the white cold energy on Han Seolhyeon's palms.

"Ice Power?"

There were very few groups in the Central Plains who practiced Ice Power.

The Dark Devil Sect, the predecessor of the current Heavenly Horse City.

After the Nine Yin Devil Scripture, Ice Power had never appeared in the martial world.

However, the Dark Devil Sect had been eradicated by the Sword God in the past.

"Could you be from the Northern Sea?"

Han Seolhyeon's face turned even paler.

"Ah? You have the guts! To dare appear in the heart of the Central Plains in broad daylight. Hehe!"

The aftermath of the Great Battle Beyond the Frontier still lingered in the martial world.

If this were the territory of the righteous sects, Han Seolhyeon would have been taken to the Martial Alliance without a word.

"Don't worry. The martial world is not all the same. This is the territory of the evil sects. I will personally protect you in my private chamber."

"Are you mad?"

Zhang Hui, with an expressionless face, pushed aside the inn's curtain and walked out.

Han Seolhyeon's expression brightened but quickly turned stiff. She was momentarily puzzled by why she felt a sense of relief.

"No, Miss Han is a respected manager of our Zhaogadaishanghui. What do you mean by 'private chamber'? That's disrespectful to a professional."

The Demon Scythe King heard none of Zhang Hui's other words.

The only word that stuck in his ear was 'private chamber.'

"Are you mad?"

"Reflex, this guy. Why are you mimicking me?"

"Could you not know who I am?"

Even a three-year-old would stop crying at the mention of the Eight Kings.

It was unimaginable for someone living around Poyang Lake not to know the Eight Kings of the Black Heaven League.

Zhang Hui took out a ledger from his sleeve, flipped through it, and spoke.

"I know. Big chain scythe, white goatee. Definitely the Demon Scythe King."

"Even if you know?"

"Even if I know, what?"

When someone is utterly baffled, they are speechless.

This was the first time the Demon Scythe King had encountered such a situation while passing through Poyang Lake.

He had only been in Dangchuanpo for two months, waiting for his subordinates.

Could the reputation of the Eight Kings have disappeared in just two months?

But then, even more absurd words came from the madman's mouth.

"From your appearance, you must be from Dangchuanpo. So, you have no idea what's going on. How dare you cause a disturbance at a Zhaogadaishanghui event?"

"What did you do to Dangchuanpo?"

Mentioning the league's top secret in such a crowded market!

Zhang Hui brusquely held out a contract with the Black Heaven League's seal.

"Enough. You can't miss the Black Heaven League's seal, right? This is a Zhaogadaishanghui event. The Black Heaven League cannot interfere with any of Zhaogadaishanghui's activities. Do you dare defy the Black Heaven League's orders?"

"…Zhaogadaishanghui?"

The Demon Scythe King had not yet received a full report on the league's affairs.

He was already puzzled by the league's absurd withdrawal order and was about to call his disciple to find out what had happened after resting.

He had only come here because his disciple was staying here.

The Black Heaven Eight Kings would not fail to recognize the Black Heaven League's seal and its unique handwriting. This letter was undoubtedly a contract filled with the authority of the league's leader.

But it made no sense.

The Great Black Heaven League promising non-aggression to a mere merchant guild!

The seal and handwriting were genuine, but the content of the contract was unbelievable.

At that moment, the Poison Whip Death King, who had been standing behind the Demon Scythe King, stepped forward and carefully examined Zhang Hui's contract.

His expression quickly turned grim.

"…Has he gone senile?"

An unbelievable content.

Giving away all the prime land around Poyang Lake for free and promising non-aggression?

"There must be some trick."

The whip coiled around the Poison Whip Death King's waist began to unravel.

As he infused it with powerful energy,

"Do eight kings not recognize their master's seal? Or are you just pretending not to?"

Zhang Hui, still with a brusque expression, folded the contract and put it away.

"You need to make a wise decision. If you break this contract, your heads will roll."

"Madman!"

Swoosh!

The Poison Whip Death King's face was filled with doubt.

His whip had sliced through the air.

'Was my vision blurry?'

He blinked, trying to clear his vision.

It was unimaginable that his Seven-Section Whip, unleashed at such close range, would miss.

It must have been a trick of the eye.

Swoosh!

'Hmm?'

The Poison Whip Death King immediately realized that his failed attack was not a coincidence.

One failure could be a fluke, but two failures were not.

'Could it be the Form-Shifting Technique? I didn't even feel it?'

How could this happen?

His attack, at the peak of the Fire Realm, was powerful.

Even if it was a light strike, it should not have been possible to evade it without being noticed.

In fact, what Zhang Hui had used was not the Form-Shifting Technique but the Lightning Wind of the Nangong family, performed to perfection.

The afterimage was so faint that it seemed he had never been there from the start.

Another sound of breaking air was heard.

Sssss!

The speed was so fast that the sound was like a ghostly howl.

The massive chain scythe sliced through the air, aiming to cut Zhang Hui in half.

Clang!

The chain scythe shattered the stone floor and embedded itself in the ground.

Dodging three attacks from a peak Fire Realm expert?

With a technique that was invisible to the eye?

The eyes of the two kings changed.

"An expert!"

The two peak Fire Realm experts finally revealed their true strength.

The bone-chilling killing intent and the ruthless aura enveloped the area, causing the Zhaogadaishanghui workers to quickly hide behind the inn's walls.

Zhang Hui sighed.

He had heard that Zhang Yilong's master had come and gone.

On the second floor of the inn, Nangong Shu of the Heavenly Sword Association was present.

Even the master of the evil sects' disciples was here, causing more trouble.

Was this some kind of parents' meeting?

With a long journey ahead, encountering such fierce trouble repeatedly was frustrating.

However, revealing his true strength here would be problematic.

He had just drawn all the attention of the Heavenly Sword Association. Revealing the Absolute Realm would ruin everything.

It was best for Zhaogadaishanghui to avoid drawing attention.

'Hmm… What should I do?'

He had not yet revealed his martial soul.

Dodging three attacks might seem like a coincidence, but they would be unsure if he was truly an expert beyond the Fire Realm.

Could a young man like him easily accept that he was at a higher level than the Black Heaven Eight Kings?

Zhang Hui decided to buy time with conversation.

"Really, evil sects always try to kill first. Let's talk first."

While saying this, he secretly used his senses to scan the surroundings.

There must be a spy of the Black Heaven League nearby. It would be strange if they were not curious about Zhaogadaishanghui's every move after all the commotion.

The Demon Scythe King, still tense, asked.

"Why are you so curt, kid?"

Zhang Hui smiled.

"Are you going to argue about ranks and divisions between the righteous and the evil? Do evil sects even have manners?"

"Hehe! This guy is really mad, isn't he?"

The Poison Whip Death King, extending his whip, interjected.

"Is a mere merchant guild claiming to be righteous? Whose subordinate are you?"

Zhang Hui brusquely took out a token from his sleeve and held it out.

"Take a good look."

The unique sword-shaped token.

The clearly engraved characters "Cangtian."

No one in the martial world who claimed to be a martial artist would fail to recognize the famous Cangtian Sword Token.

"Sword Clan?"

"Hmph! A lackey of the Anhui Sword Clan!"

Anhui Sword Clan.

A derogatory term used by the evil sects to refer to the Nangong family.

At that moment,

"Out!"

Nangong Shu of the Heavenly Sword Association pushed aside the inn's curtain and came out.

Zhang Hui looked at Nangong Shu with a bewildered expression.

"Didn't I tell you not to come out?"

With the Heavenly Sword Association's prowess already revealed in the heart of Poyang Lake, how much more did he need to provoke the Black Heaven League?

Nangong Shu let out another roar.

"Zhang Fengong! How long do you plan to use the Cangtian Sword Token! Your own prowess is so outstanding, why do you hide under the shadow of the Nangongs!"

Zhang Hui, massaging his aching forehead, looked at the distant mountains with a resigned expression.

"Damn."

It was too late.

Suddenly,

Zhang Hui's eyes turned into dazzling white eyes.

Heavenly Sword Stream.

The Absolute Sword Spirit of the world.

A great martial technique that confines a hundred feet in all directions with the ultimate will.

A unique skill of the great sword master, it shatters all physical forces except for the user, a great technique of the sword master.

Thus, everyone within a hundred feet collapsed with puzzled expressions.

Even Nangong Shu of the Heavenly Sword Association, who was right next to him, was struggling to stay upright.

The legend of the great sword master had reappeared in the martial world after hundreds of years.

In martial arts, there are established principles.

If compared to nature,

Just as water always falls downward and spring always follows winter, these are absolute laws that cannot be broken, inherent rules.

But how could this be accepted?

His internal energy flowed smoothly.

He could still muster his will.

But the moment he tried to move, something intervened and all his strength dissipated.

It was truly a shocking situation.

Could this even be considered a martial technique?

The Demon Scythe King, lying on the ground like a cripple, his eyes rolling.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Zhang Hui's back.

'What kind of madman is this…?'

What kind of martial technique is this?

If his mind were confused, he might have suspected some evil sorcery, but his mind was clearer than when he was standing.

His powerful True Fire Energy still flowed within him, and his vitality was unimpaired.

Yet, he could not move.

As a seasoned veteran of the martial world, having roamed the rivers and lakes for sixty years, he had never heard of or seen such a bizarre martial technique.

What kind of method could make a peak Fire Realm expert so helpless?

On the other hand, Zhang Hui's white eyes, shining so brightly they were almost transparent, were scanning the surroundings.

There must be a spy of the Black Heaven League. If he couldn't find them now, he would be entangled in more troublesome affairs.

Heavenly Sword Stream.

One of the highest-level techniques in Zhang Hui's arsenal.

A skill that only those who have achieved the Sword Heaven All-Powerful Body can use, it raises the will to the extreme, interfering with and neutralizing all physical forces within a hundred feet.

Zhang Hui's white eyes.

In that intense black and white world, he was twisting all the physical principles he could see with his will.

The mental strain of this technique, more than the internal energy consumption, was the greater issue.

According to the great sword master, even an expert at the Absolute Realm should not sustain this technique for more than half an hour.

If sustained longer, it could cause severe brain damage, leading to a life of idiocy.

Zhang Hui unleashed the extreme Lightning Wind.

His pale figure flickered and disappeared, repeatedly checking the backs of everyone within a hundred feet.

A member of the Black Heaven League would have a small scorpion tattoo on the back of their neck.

Zhang Hui's prediction was not wrong.

There were seventeen spies of the Black Heaven League watching this inn from various parts of the market.

The number was beyond imagination, leaving Zhang Hui speechless.

Seventeen Black Heaven League spies were thrown to the front of the inn, their necks grabbed.

From the stall owners to the opera performers, comedians, waiters, porters, carriage drivers, and bamboo weavers, their appearances and backgrounds were diverse.

What was peculiar was that none of them showed any signs of martial arts.

Zhang Hui, still facing the spies, spoke. He couldn't show his white eyes to the two kings.

"Do you know them?"

The Demon Scythe King shouted in anger at Zhang Hui's question.

"Vile scoundrel! How dare you use无形之毒! Stop your nonsense and give us the antid