Chapter 7

Because of Ling Dao, Jiang Zhong's heart was in turmoil, and he exposed a flaw as he drew his blade. The black-clothed assassin naturally noticed this and gathered his true qi, unleashing the most powerful strike he had ever used. The purpose of this strike was to kill Jiang Zhong, and as for Ling Dao, he would deal with him later.

"This is the moment!"

Ling Dao took advantage of the black-clothed assassin's disregard. The more the assassin ignored him, the greater his chances of success. Seeing the assassin unleash his most powerful strike, Ling Dao's eyes lit up.

In the next moment, a three-foot-long green sword appeared in Ling Dao's hand—it was the Free and Easy Sword given to him by the Free and Easy King. His face was stern, and his eyes were fixed on the assassin's back. In an instant, the Free and Easy Sword was drawn.

He struck the assassin's back with a speed that was too fast to be seen, the sword tip piercing through with his arm and the Free and Easy Sword forming a straight line. In that instant, the Free and Easy Sword penetrated the assassin's back. The flesh of a True Qi Realm martial artist was indeed formidable, but to the Free and Easy Sword, it was as fragile as tofu.

The actions of drawing the sword and striking were fluid and seamless, and incredibly fast. After doing all this, Ling Dao panted heavily; for his weak body, such a strike was indeed very draining.

"How is this possible? Where did you get that sword?"

The black-clothed man lowered his head, looking at the blood-dripping sword tip in his chest in disbelief. The Free and Easy Sword had already pierced through his body. He then fell to the ground with a thud, the strike having taken his life! Even in death, the black-clothed man could not understand how he had been killed by Ling Dao.

Everything happened in a flash. From the moment Ling Dao drew his sword to the death of the black-clothed man, it was all over in an instant. The black-clothed man's sword was only three feet away from Jiang Zhong. Without Ling Dao's strike, Jiang Zhong would have been dead.

"Your Highness?"

Jiang Zhong was also extremely shocked. He had thought of many outcomes, but never this one. During his life-and-death battle with the black-clothed assassin, Ling Dao had delivered an incredibly stunning strike, directly killing a True Qi Realm martial artist. If this news spread, it would surely cause a sensation.

Only Ling Dao himself did not find this shocking; it was expected. In his previous life, he was a sword genius, always diligently practicing sword techniques. Despite his humble origins, he had few equals among his peers.

In this life, he started practicing the sword at the age of three. Even in his weakened state, he never missed a day of sword practice. His achievements in the path of the sword were naturally not low. If it were a pure sword technique competition, the black-clothed man would be far behind Ling Dao, not even in the same league.

However, it was fortunate that the black-clothed man was too careless and completely disregarded Ling Dao. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for Ling Dao to kill him with one strike. First, Ling Dao's body was weak, not even reaching the Physical Body Realm, while the black-clothed man was a True Qi Realm martial artist. Second, seeing that Ling Dao had no weapon, the black-clothed man naturally did not care.

The first step in cultivation is the Physical Body Realm, also known as the Three Realms of the Physical Body. As the name suggests, the Physical Body Realm is divided into three minor realms: Body Refinement, Bone Tempering, and Blood Condensation. With Ling Dao's physical condition, he did not even reach the Body Refinement Realm.

Countless sword auras have accompanied Ling Dao's growth for fifteen years, tormenting him day and night. But he always faced it with a smile, and no one knew the immense pain he endured.

"Thanks to the Heaven and Earth Ring given to me by Father, I was able to kill the black-clothed man!"

Ling Dao touched the emerald ring on his left thumb. No one would have thought that this emerald ring was a Heaven and Earth Ring. The black-clothed man probably had never even heard of the Heaven and Earth Ring, otherwise he would not have been so completely unguarded.

The Heaven and Earth Ring has its own internal space where inanimate objects can be stored. The Free and Easy Sword given to Ling Dao by the Free and Easy King was always kept in the Heaven and Earth Ring. Inside, there were also many changes of clothes, but unfortunately, no food.

The reason he could instantly draw the Free and Easy Sword was because he had the Heaven and Earth Ring. The Free and Easy Sword could cut through iron like butter, far surpassing any ordinary iron or steel sword. Even the flesh of a True Qi Realm martial artist was a joke in front of the Free and Easy Sword.

"Grandpa Jiang, are you okay?"

Coming to his senses, Ling Dao sheathed the Free and Easy Sword and ran over to Jiang Zhong. Jiang Zhong's shoulder was completely soaked in blood, and Ling Dao quickly took out some bandages to wrap it up.

Jiang Zhong's cultivation had been destroyed, and he was far from his former self. Old and weak, with his injuries not yet healed, it was already a feat that he had managed to hold on this long. If not for his past foundation, he would have died long ago.

"Just a minor injury, not worth mentioning. If my cultivation hadn't been destroyed, killing such a person would have been effortless. Alas, I am old and no longer useful!"

A dragon in shallow water is mocked by shrimp, and a tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs. Now, Jiang Zhong couldn't even deal with a small True Qi Realm martial artist. Jiang Zhong gave a self-deprecating smile and walked over to the black-clothed man, wanting to see what this man was all about!

Soon, Jiang Zhong found a token on the black-clothed man's body. When he saw the words on the token, his face changed dramatically. As a general of the Daliang Dynasty, he had naturally heard of this assassin organization.

"Your Highness, let's leave quickly. If this black-clothed man has any accomplices, we'll be in trouble!"

Originally, Jiang Zhong thought this mountain path was absolutely safe, but he didn't expect the black-clothed man to catch up. Fortunately, it was just a True Qi Realm martial artist; if it were a stronger opponent, Ling Dao and Jiang Zhong would have been in serious trouble.

Seeing Jiang Zhong's expression, Ling Dao knew something was wrong. As a former general, there were not many assassin organizations that could make Jiang Zhong afraid. Understanding the severity of the situation, Ling Dao did not hesitate, burned the black-clothed man, and left the place.

"Grandpa Jiang, can I see that token?"

After all, these black-clothed men had destroyed the Free and Easy King's mansion, and Ling Dao was naturally very concerned. Regardless of who the mastermind was, these black-clothed men could not escape responsibility. Jiang Zhong's expression changed, and he finally let out a slow breath, handing the token to Ling Dao.

It was a black iron token, with the word "Life" on one side and the word "Death" on the other. Just seeing these two words, Ling Dao knew where the black-clothed assassin came from. He softly spoke a phrase.

"Life and death in the hands of the world, the Flower Blooming and Death Tower!"