by Mars Gravity
CLANG!!
An almost ear-piercingly clear sound of bones breaking could be heard amidst the huge noise of collision. A booming sound came from Lei Kuangfeng’s head, after which, his body spun in the reverse direction and fell head first onto the ground. At the place he fell, a pit dozens of meters deep and wide was smashed out.
Yun Che, however, didn’t show any signs of stopping even for a second. Carrying along his still berserk profound energy, he swiftly flew towards the back.
Lei Qinglie’s whole body was dyed with blood after being severely injured by Yun Che’s sword. He was struggling to turn his body over, when he caught sight of Yun Che flying over, with that nightmarish huge vermillion sword in his hand.
“Ahh!!” Lei Qinglie shouted loudly in fright. As his black soul spear had been smashed away earlier, he instinctively raised his arms to block the attack.
PFTT-BOOM!!
Blood spurted from Lei Qinglie’s mouth as well as his body at the same time. The Heaven Smiting Sword ruthlessly pierced through his hands and again penetrated his body. When the profound energy on the sword burst out, all his internal organs were destroyed into a broken mess.
Lie Qinglie’s eyes popped out as the back of his head hit the ground. Afterwards, his body remained still without moving in the slightest.
As he undid the “Rumbling Heaven” state, Yun Che’s profound energy suddenly lessened. His body swayed from side to side and eventually, he had to get down on his knees. After breathing heavily over ten times, he finally managed to slightly gather enough energy to seal the injuries throughout his body.
The six bloody holes on his chest looked frightening but the damage had barely reached bone. It was fortunate that he didn’t have to worry about lightning itself and it was simply the profound energy that hurt him. Otherwise, his current injuries would absolutely have been several times more severe.
In comparison to his injuries or the consumption of his profound strength, the mental burden from using the Dragon Soul Domain twice repeatedly was a lot more serious. His head was feeling heavy, as if lead had been poured into it and he was feeling an incomparably strong desire to fall into a heavy sleep.
Having continued to gasp for breath for a good long while, Yun Che stood up and took out the Heaven Smiting Sword, as he walked over to Lei Kuangfeng with swaying steps.
At the center of the huge pit, Lei Kuangfeng was still lying in a pool of blood, several clearly visible cracks on the top of his head.
His face was smeared in blood and his eyes, in particular, were covered with a thick layer of blood. It should be impossible for him to see anything but it was clear that he had still not lost consciousness. As if he had sensed Yun Che approaching, his body began to shake and a feeble sound came from his mouth.
He was already aware of the terrifying might of Yun Che’s heavy sword after being hit on the head twice. Although he was still alive right now, he might not able to survive the next attack.
Yun Che didn’t continue to attack and instead said while panting heavily, “Remember to pass my word to your sect master. Tell him, I’ll only give him three days’ time!”
“This is the sole opportunity I’ll be bestowing him!!”
With that, Yun Che didn’t stay any longer. He froze the wounds on his body with a layer of ice to prevent leaving behind the aura of his blood that could be later used to track him down. Then, he channeled the last of his profound energy and swiftly flew away.
Heading in the direction he had pushed Little Jasmine away to, Yun Che quickly found her particularly conspicuous multicolored figure. Then, he picked her up before she could open her mouth and sped up as he flew to the western part of the Black Soul Mountain Range at an extremely fast speed.
“Brother-in-law, where’re those two bad guys? Don’t tell me they were taken down by brother-in-law? Wow! Brother-in-law is really powerful and not as useless as I thought.”
“Ah! Brother-in-law, so much of your blood is flowing out. Does it not hurt…? Hmm! You look so gross!”
“Eeh? Brother-in-law, why don’t you say anything? Hey, hey, hey… say something already!”
“If you ignore me any longer, I’ll get angry again! Last time you left me by myself and I’ve yet to vent my anger at you for that!”
“…” Yun Che didn’t utter a word and his face had on an unsightly expression too.
Upon arriving at the western part of the Black Soul Mountain Range, he further continued to fly for a long while. When he finally arrived at an area where he could ensure his safety, Yun Che stopped in his tracks. Afterwards, he threw Little Jasmine on the ground without the slightest show of gentleness.
“Wuah!” Little Jasmine groaned in pain, before immediately jumping up to her feet. She was just about to express her anger when she caught sight of the very fearsome look in Yun Che’s eyes.
“You may not have asked for it and it might as well be me meddling in other people’s business, but that still doesn’t change the fact that I did save you! So why… do you want to harm me in return!?” Yun Che coldly asked with a dark face.
“Harm you? What are you talking about? When did I ever harm you?” Little Jasmine put her hand at the place where she got hurt due to the fall. “After intentionally hurting me by throwing me down, you’re actually scolding me!? Oow… It hurts so much.”
“Don’t you try to act pitiful again!” The look on Yun Che’s face became even more terrifying. He turned over his hand as he raised a finger and said in a heavy voice, “That place earlier was the territory of the Black Soul Divine Sect. During this period of time, they have laid countless profound formations and arranged a large number of ambush teams in order to catch me at all costs. Even I need to be very careful when I go in there! But not only did you appear all alone in the Black Soul Mountain Range before, which in itself is extremely abnormal, this time you even crossed the western part of the mountain range and also travelled as far as the depths of its eastern part completely safe and sound… Something like this is simply impossible with your ability.”
“You either have someone secretly protecting you at all times or you have some profound weapon on you that can deal with everything. Do you really take me for a fool!?”
“I don’t want any explanation!” Yun Che interrupted her words with a cold voice. “I don’t want to hear about your identity or background, nor am I interested in them. I’m even less inclined to know your relation with me! The only thing I know is that I saved you but you purposely made noises to alarm those two people, causing me to almost lose my life… Do you understand how dangerous it was just now!? Fortunately, there was no one else in the surroundings. If one more person had rushed over, I might have quite likely died there. Do you get it!?”
Little Jasmine lightly blinked her eyes and said in a low voice, “It wasn’t on purpose. My nose was feeling itchy at the time… Eeh? You say that I purposely did it, then why’re you still helping me leave this place? Wouldn’t it be much easier to escape by yourself?”
“…” Yun Che stared blankly for a good long while before roaring, “I’m helping you… so that I can scold you. Do you understand!?”
He turned away from her, “It’s just me meddling in other people’s business once more. The next time we meet, I won’t bother with you even if you are on the brink of death. You can also drop the idea of again getting the opportunity to have fun at my expense.”
With that, Yun Che flew up into the sky without any hesitation.
“Ah! You can’t go! I still have things to say! Ah! Hey!!”
Yun Che didn’t pay any attention to her and flew far, far away in the blink of an eye.
“Oof! Seriously! So fierce.” Little Jasmine pursed her lips but soon her eyes sparkled as her fine eyebrows cutely bent upwards. “However, he sure looks amusing! Heehee…”
While giggling, the multicolored robe of the girl had begun to flutter lightly in the wind. She was actually flying in the same direction as Yun Che.
; Chapter 1093: Poison Saint Blackheart
Yun Che headed west, straightaway leaving the vicinity of the Black Soul Mountain Range. Activating the Dragon Soul Domain twice within such a short span of time had caused some backlash to his psyche. With the added injuries on him, he wouldn’t be able to assassinate any more Soul Sect members in the next couple of days.
The Soul Sect had also issued an order to seal the sect, which meant that he couldn’t move against them for now either.
Having arrived at a desolate region a few hundred kilometers away from the Black Soul Mountain Range Yun Che sat down. But instead of immediately meditating to recuperate, he took out his Sound Transmission Jade:
“Miss Ruyan, could you do me another favor? Lei Qianfeng should have many of his children in the branch sects. Could you help me confirm their movements and locations? Then tell me the location of those closest to me.”
Very soon Ruyan came back to him, “The closest branch sect is the Darkya City branch, Lei Qianfeng’s youngest son Lei Guangmo is one of the vice sect masters.
“Lei Guangmo is Lei Qianfeng’s official wife’s second son and is also his favorite. He has always been by his side until just last year when he was sent to the Darkya branch to gain more experience. Although he’s the vice sect master in name, he’s actually quite the good for nothing. A large portion of sect resources were spent on him before he barely stepped into the Divine Origin Realm. He used to return to the main sect quite often but during this period because of what’s been going on, he’s been in Darkya City all this while and hasn’t been back at all.”
“Such a big matter has occurred in the main sect. The atmosphere in the Darkya branch has also grown more solemn but Lei Guangmo is still engaging in sensual pleasures. With Sir Ling Yun’s ability, moving against him should be very easy.
Yun Che had just merely asked using a single sentence but Ji Ruyan’s answer wasn’t just speedy, it was also detailed beyond measure.
Ji Ruyan’s first impression of Yun Che was that he was mysterious, hot tempered, and exceedingly strong. As for Yun Che, he was quite biased against her owing to her relationship with the Black Feather Merchant Guild. These days however, several secrets and information that ordinary people wouldn’t know had found their ways into the ears of Ji Ruyan, and Yun Che time and again witnessed the resourcefulness and information that Ji Ruyan could provide. Add on the fact that they had a common enemy, a certain level of trust was slowly being built.
“Alright. We’ll start with him first… In one day’s time I’ll return to Darkya City. Help me keep track of Lei Guangmo’s whereabouts, especially his nightly activities. Besides Lei Guangmo, there’s an even more important matter. I’ll need you to help me find the names of doctors in the lower and middle star realms. Those who are famous but whose whereabouts are unknown, particularly secretive doctors. The more secretive they are, the better. It’d be best if they’re extremely famous wandering doctors yet rarely seen in public.
————————————
Black Soul Divine Sect.
Members of the Soul Sect had found Lei Kuangfeng. By the time they brought him back to the sect he was on his last breaths.
“Kuangfeng, what exactly happened?” Lei Qianfeng grimly asked.
Lei Kuangfeng was covered in blood and his voice was growing thin, “It was Ling Yun…”
The moment this name was mentioned, everyone’s expressions changed.
“He wants me… to tell Sect Master… he wants Sect Master… to… to.. within… three days… to personally cripple your profound cultivation and limbs… if not… if not…”
“That bastard!” Lei Qianfeng flew into a rage. He had been the overlord of the entire Darkya Realm for so many years yet no one had ever threatened him like this. “I will mince him into a thousand pieces!!”
“Sect Master, you don’t need to take to heart the ramblings of that little idiot. Kuangfeng, what level of cultivation is Ling Yun at? Did he really single handedly kill Qinglie and put you…” Great Elder Lei Qiandu frowned and asked.
“Ling Yun’s.... profound strength… second level of the Divine Soul Realm…” Lei Kuangfeng’s voice was weaker than ever. He spoke intermittently, but his words still left everyone stunned.
“The initial news we got from Darkya City also stated that he was in the early stages of the Divine Soul Realm…. But how is this possible!?” Everyone found this hard to believe.
“Ling Yun’s profound strength… although strange… but in a frontal clash… he shouldn’t have been our… match… but… but…” as if he recalling an extremely frightening matter, Lei Kuangfeng’s body couldn’t help but shudder uncontrollably, “His mental power… is fearsome… really fearsome… you must… must be… careful… urrgghh…”
Lei Kuangfeng went silent as his life finally left him.
“Sect Master, traces of Ling Yun almost immediately disappeared, leaving his whereabouts a mystery but he left behind a lot of blood which means that his injuries aren’t light. If we do a blanket search, I’m sure we’ll get results quick,” Lei Tiangang remarked.
“You want me to cripple my own cultivation and limbs? Heh!” Lei Qianfeng gave a cold laugh, “I want to see with my own eyes, what you can do in three days’ time.”
——————————
As his injuries stabilized, Yun Che returned to the exterior of the Darkya City. Just as he was about to enter the city, he received a sound transmission from Ji Ruyan.
“Sir Ling Yun, I’ve just managed to consolidate the information you requested on the doctors. In total I have the names of seven doctors which best fit the requirements you listed.”
A large merchant company indeed, it wasn’t just for show. Their information gathering prowess was incomparable. Ji Ruyan gave Yun Che all that they had gathered; the names, aliases, backgrounds, achievements, and recognizable features of the seven doctors.
Yun Che listened to her silently as she finally finished. He pondering for a moment before asking “The fourth person you mentioned, the one nicknamed ‘Poison Saint Blackheart, is his ability to create antidotes strong?”
“Based on the information, it’s indeed so,” Ji Ruyan replied. “Poison Saint Blackheart so far hasn’t used his medical skills to save anyone, or at least never based on our information but his ability to create poisons and antidotes is rumored to be unparalleled. Rumor has it that no matter how strong a poison is, he can cure it with a flip of his palm. The rumors even go as far as saying that there is no poison in all the realms that he cannot find the antidote to. As for the ‘Blackheart’ portion of his name, this comes from him charging an exorbitant price when it comes to detoxifying poisons. If you cross him in any way making him unhappy, he won’t hesitate to kill using poisons. His use of poisons to kill people far exceeds him curing poisons. An additional point is that when he gives an antidote, the other party must immediately consume it, this could probably be attributed to him not wanting the formula of the antidote being reverse engineered.”
“What does he look like?” Yun Che mulled over the information and asked another question.
“Our information on his features is limited but one recurring piece of information that keeps popping up when we researched him is that every time he appears, he’s always seen wearing large overalls. He’s not only tall, his upper body is considerably long as well. Another rumor is that owing to him being a practitioner of the poison arts, his face has been disfigured and so seldom shows his true appearance to anyone.
“Poison Saint Blackheart started being famous around three thousand years ago but due to him making several enemies over time, he started to travel across the different larger star realms. Finding him is extremely difficult. The only recent information I have on him is a few decades old. In fact, on his birth star, rumor has it that he is already dead.”
Yun Che stopped for a moment to think and replied, “Miss Ruyan, from tomorrow onwards start subtly spreading information that Poison Saint
Blackheart has been sighted in the Darkya Realm. Don’t go about spreading it furiously, be as subtle as possible and if it can directly reach the ears of the Soul Sect, that’d be even better.”
“This…” Ji Ruyan couldn’t help but have some misgivings, “Sir, what do you intend to do…?”
“Very simple.” Yun Che didn’t hesitate to give her his plan, “I’m preparing to disguise myself as Poison Saint Blackheart and give Soul Sect a really big present!”
“Ah!?” Ji Ruyan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise after hearing what Yun Che had said. “Sir, you definitely can’t do this! Although there shouldn’t have been anyone in the Soul Sect that has ever seen the Poison Saint, they’re definitely not that easily hoodwinked. Their methods are sinister and they’re thorough in how they do things. If not, my Black Feather Merchant Guild wouldn’t be subject to their control. Moreover the level of existence of such an individual as ‘Poison Saint Blackheart’ is too difficult to pass off. Trying to pass off the ability of creating antidotes is as hard as crossing the heavens in one step… If you get unmasked, you’ll be in great danger.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not taking them to be fools,” Yun Che calmly replied. “I definitely have my means to make them believe who I am… And not just believe, a belief beyond any shadow of a doubt! You’re right, impersonating such a level of existence is difficult… however if the impersonation is done well enough, similarly, it’ll be difficult to disprove the identity.”
“...” Ji Ruyan was speechless for a while. She couldn’t imagine how Yun Che would go about this “impersonation” and furthermore how he could make them “believe beyond any shadow of doubt.”
“Your Black Feather Merchant Guild should regularly send men beyond the city to purchase items. Today you can send three men outside the city, anyone of your choosing. As long as they carry five million profound stones and you inform me of their route.”
“This isn’t a problem… but what are your intentions?” Ji Ruyan asked suspiciously.