Ye Qing stretched lazily, his hand gripping the hilt at his waist.
The moment he drew his sword, the laziness and carelessness in his eyes vanished instantly.
Replacing them was a profound, bone-chilling coldness.
“Sky-Cleaving!”
With a single swing of his sword, a fierce gale swept forth, and sword energy billowed like clouds.
The dazzling sword light merged into the dark clouds in the sky, vanishing without a trace as if swallowed by the sea.
Ye Qing sheathed his sword, yawned, mounted his horse, and turned to leave.
The moment he turned, the oppressive dark clouds in the sky were split cleanly in two, revealing the warm sunlight beyond.
Countless sharp sword lights poured down like a torrential rain from the gap in the clouds.
Their target was none other than the most rampant haunt of demonic beasts—Myriad Demon Ridge.
…
Ye Qing had merely swung his sword with casual ease.
Yet, the entire imperial capital trembled in awe.
Children who had been crying and fussing moments earlier were instantly silenced by fear.
Women who had been laughing and playing were left pale and shaken by the Sword Intent.
Countless ancestral elders of various clans simultaneously opened their eyes wide.
Without a word, they burst out of their doors, gazing toward the direction of Myriad Demon Ridge.
“What terrifying, what pure Sword Intent…”
“Which great master has descended upon the imperial capital?”
“And which fool dared to provoke such a master…”
Inside the imperial palace.
The court officials were so frightened they hid under their desks, trembling uncontrollably.
A group of imperial guards stood firm around them, yet their faces were equally pale.
As experts of the Nascent Soul Realm, they naturally understood what this power meant.
It meant that the wielder could annihilate them without even showing themselves, with just a flick of a finger.
Faced with this overwhelming Sword Intent, only the Grand Preceptor, Sima Yanqiu, remained standing with his hands behind his back, unwavering.
Yet, even his usually calm eyes revealed deep solemnity and wariness.
“I never expected…”
“That there would be such a Sword Immortal within the imperial capital.”
…
Unaware that his impulsive sword swing had shaken the entire imperial capital, Ye Qing continued leisurely, drinking as he rode toward Myriad Demon Ridge.
Halfway there, he passed through a desolate forest.
There, he encountered a woman stumbling toward him.
Clad in a white robe, she was beautiful and charming, with a pure and ethereal aura.
In her hand, she carried a sandalwood box that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance, resembling a physician.
At this moment, her face was filled with terror, her steps unsteady, and her clothes stained with blood.
It seemed as though something terrifying was chasing her from behind.
Squinting his eyes slightly, Ye Qing sensed it.
“A Spirit Transformation Realm demonic beast?”
“Near the imperial capital, that indeed counts as a formidable demon.”
Seeing Ye Qing approaching on horseback, the woman clung to him like a lifeline, pleading anxiously, “Young master, please save me!”
“Very well.”
Ye Qing reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and steadied her onto the horse.
Just as the woman breathed a slight sigh of relief, Ye Qing leaped off the horse.
“Young master, what are you doing?”
The woman panicked. “There’s a Savage Tiger behind me. It has chased me for over ten miles.”
“That Savage Tiger feasts on raw flesh and blood, kills as easily as a cat, and its cultivation has reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.”
“I just witnessed it kill over a dozen Golden Core Realm demon wolves with a single roar!”
“You’re no match for that Savage Tiger, let’s run for our lives!”
Hearing the woman’s words, Ye Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Tiger soup?”
The woman: “…”
No, big brother, I said all that, and you come out with this? What do you mean?
As they spoke, the Savage Tiger had already leaped fiercely, appearing before Ye Qing.
This Savage Tiger was three zhang long and one zhang tall, its entire body shrouded in billowing black mist.
Yet Ye Qing’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he said cheerfully, “Such robust muscles!”
“If stewed into a pot of tiger soup, it would surely be a perfect dish to go with wine.”
Hearing this, the Savage Tiger was also stunned.
Seeing it and not running for his life, but instead thinking about eating it?
Which of us is the demon beast?
“You insolent fool, how dare you!”
The Savage Tiger narrowed its eyes and coldly roared, “You want to eat me? I’ll chew your bones to pieces first!”
When the Demon Tribe reaches the Nascent Soul Realm or above, they gain intelligence and can speak human language.
The Savage Tiger gathered its full strength, its massive body leaping high into the air like a black cloud blotting out the sky, pouncing fiercely toward Ye Qing.
The woman’s heart was already filled with despair, closing her eyes, unable to bear watching.
Yet the next second, Ye Qing unhurriedly swung his sword.
When the woman opened her eyes again, the Savage Tiger had already been reduced to dust.
Only the tiger bones, tiger gall, and the two plumpest hind leg meats remained, plopping onto the ground.
Seeing the previously arrogant Savage Tiger directly turned into ingredients by Ye Qing’s single sword strike,
the woman was utterly stunned, her small mouth forming an “o.”
“He… he actually killed a Spirit Transformation Realm great demon with just one sword strike?”
“When did such a terrifying Sword Immortal appear in the Great Qi Dynasty?”
Just as the woman was astonished, she suddenly sensed a surge of beastly aura and pressure from her surroundings.
She raised her head and looked closely, her face instantly filled with terror.
“This… this can’t be possible?!”
At this moment, three great demons had appeared to their east, south, and west, glaring at them with murderous intent.
Two of them were also Spirit Transformation Realm Savage Tigers.
And the other one was a hundred-zhang-long giant serpent, covered in pitch-black scales, its blood-red eyes radiating fierce power.
Its aura was unmistakably that of the Void Refinement Realm.
The woman murmured tremblingly, “Even within the Demon Tribe, the Void Refinement Realm is absolutely among the elite.”
“Why would they appear here?”
“Senior, can… can you handle them?”
Ye Qing’s domineering strength from earlier gave the woman a sliver of hope in this desperate situation.
Yet when she turned to look, she nearly burst into tears.
Faced with the encirclement of three great demons, Ye Qing actually sheathed his sword into the ground.
He picked up the wine gourd at his waist and began drinking with great relish.
The woman frantically said, “Senior, did you hear what I said? It’s dangerous!”
Ye Qing nodded: “This wine is called Soaring Immortal.”
“It’s a century-old fine liquor passed down from the Ye family ancestors. In the entire Great Qi Dynasty, only half a jar remains.”
The woman: “…”
Ye Qing took another sip, unable to help but exhale a long breath of wine aroma.
“This taste, this lingering sweetness, it’s absolutely perfect!”
“So comfortable!”
“Big brother, what time is this? How can you still have the mood to drink?”
Faced with Ye Qing’s relaxed demeanor, the woman was on the verge of a breakdown.
The next second, the three demon beasts simultaneously launched their attacks.
The blood-eyed giant serpent to the east opened its mouth and spewed a cloud of blood-red poisonous mist.
Meanwhile, the two Savage Tigers charged directly toward them, pouncing and biting fiercely.
The woman’s heart sank abruptly, her face ashen with despair.
“This time… it’s over…”