Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword

Zhou Heng truly wanted to unleash his fury and kill this woman with a single sword strike; her Initial Separation Realm cultivation level was not even worth considering in his eyes!

However, with Nangong Hong nearby, it was impossible for him to succeed, and taking action would be tantamount to turning against Cold Blue Country, a trouble he currently did not wish to invite. Of course, if an opportunity arose, he wouldn’t mind stealthily snuffing out the life of this malicious woman.

"There’s a reason you have been entrusted with this mission!" Nangong Hong gestured with his hand, signaling the Orchid Concubine not to interrupt, "The Liu Yue you’re tasked to rescue is a person of great importance to our sect!"

"The reason you’re acting alone is due to an unwritten rule among the nations, which stipulates that martial artists above the Land Cleaving Realm must declare themselves before entering another country, or else it will be considered an invasion and war may ensue!"

That made some sense. Otherwise, all it would take was a few Open Heaven Realm experts to launch a massacre, and Cold Blue Country would be practically finished. As for the binding power of such a regulation, it was probably set by Bright Moon Country, and no dynasty dared to disobey.

"The other party is unaware of Liu Yue’s identity, and Thousand Spirit City only has martial artists in the Initial Separation Realm, so you will be able to complete the mission with ease!"

Nangong Hong waved his hand and said, "Set off immediately. You must rescue Liu Yue. There will be a grand reward from me! But if you fail... come see me with your heads in your hands!"

This was an absolute command, success was required, failure was not permitted.

Just who exactly was this Liu Yue?

Willingly or not, Zhou Heng and his four companions had no choice but to pinch their noses and accept. To openly defy the command would be tantamount to betraying the nation. By controlling the divine artifact of the land, one controlled justice and could command the world!

Unless Zhou Heng could break through to the Open Heaven Realm, he would have to submit to the control of the royal family.

Zhou Heng glanced at the Orchid Concubine without a trace, noticing a hint of a cold smile on the corner of her mouth, just as before, at the Dayan Conference.

Clearly, this woman was never going to be content with her lot!

Zhou Heng’s right hand tightened, and his killing intent surged. He needed strong power to shake off this stifling situation. Very well, let them come at him with everything they’ve got; he didn’t mind killing a few more people to accumulate cultivation.

After leaving the imperial palace, Lin Zhihe and the others all asked Han Tao about Liu Yue’s background. With over three hundred years under his belt, Han Tao did not live them in vain, as he immediately revealed Liu Yue’s lineage.

It turned out that Liu Yue’s biological father was one of the four Heaven-Opening Realm elders of the Heavenly Star Sect, Liu Qingxuan.

Liu Qingxuan was a martial arts fanatic who only had eyes for the martial path, spending all his time in secluded cultivation. However, over thirty years ago, he lost his mind to a deviant practice and, in his confused state, ended up raping one of his female disciples, resulting in Liu Yue’s birth.

Having kept away from women before, Liu Qingxuan naturally had no offspring. Still, suddenly having a son, he doted on Liu Yue to the bone, utterly indulgent, which made Liu Yue extremely arrogant, with no one daring to defy him.

This recklessly bold child, after growing bored of playing in Cold Blue Country, actually went off to Water Origin Country. However, it was unclear what trouble he stirred up as he ended up being captured.

With no time to waste, the five of them set off towards Thousand Spirit City immediately.

Thousand Spirit City was located in the western part of Water Origin Country, just several hundred miles from the eastern border of Cold Blue Country, a border city long suffering from war, with not many inhabitants.

However, the commerce here was highly developed; for example, Golden Sun Grass, a specialty of Cold Blue Country, flowed into Water Origin Country through this place. Despite its small size, the city had a vast stream of visitors. Whenever the two countries ceased hostilities, it was the busiest time for Thousand Spirit City, with countless merchants daring to make their fortunes.

From the Imperial Capital to the eastern border, there were about thirty thousand miles in distance. For regular people taking a horse-drawn carriage, it would take two months to reach their destination. But for martial artists in the Initial Separation Realm, it was not nearly as long. Such experts could travel fast enough to cover a few months’ distance in one go, then take a single day to replenish their spiritual power.

A journey of thirty thousand miles, for an ordinary martial artist in the First Layer Heaven of the Initial Separation Realm, would take only about five or six days at most.

Zhou Heng was worried that the Orchid Concubine would resort to underhanded tactics, deploying Land Cleaving Realm martial artists to assassinate him along the way, yet after five days, they smoothly entered Water Origin Country without a single attack.

It made sense, after all. Given Liu Yue’s high status, the Orchid Concubine probably didn’t dare to risk killing him in an attempt on Zhou Heng’s life. If it came to light afterward, how could her status as a noble consort withstand the wrath of an Open Heaven Realm expert?

They might not strike on the journey there, but upon successfully rescuing the person and re-entering Cold Blue Country’s territory, things would be different!

This despicable woman must die!

Zhou Heng inwardly regretted the urgency to depart. If not for the pressing need to leave, he would have used the Swift Cloud Radiant Step to sneak into the imperial palace and stealthily slaughter the Orchid Concubine! With the Nine Mystic Trial Tower as cover, he could have accomplished it without anyone being the wiser.

Coming back and killing her would be just as good!

Entering Water Origin Country, they were getting close to Thousand Spirit City, and just an hour later, they arrived at this ancient city scarred by the ravages of war.

Thousand Spirit City had been destroyed countless times in the fires of war, but as it was the center of trade and smuggling between two nations, it would be rebuilt with astonishing speed after each calamity.

The annual trade volume here was astoundingly large; even the royal families of both nations could not afford to overlook it, as they needed to procure rare resources from the other country. Thus, although the two nations had been adversaries for ten thousand years, trade here had never been prohibited and was, in fact, protected. freewebnoveℓ.com

To ensure that the merchants from Cold Blue Country could do business in peace, Water Origin Country even strictly forbade any martial artists of the Land Cleaving Realm and above from entering Thousand Spirit City. So here, practitioners of the Initial Separation Realm could act as kings as long as they didn’t stir up too much trouble, since Water Origin Country would not deploy Land Cleaving experts to suppress them.

As a result, Thousand Spirit City was bustling, but it was also terrifyingly chaotic. Murder, robbery, and rape occurred nearly every second; the city was both heaven and hell.

No wonder Liu Yue ran off to this place; it was a paradise for those who defied all laws!

Zhou Heng and his four companions made their way through the city, which was teeming with life. The streets were so crowded with people that the congestion was incomparable to that of Fengyu City, Tianhang City, or the Imperial Capital.

The streets were rife with thieves, and a few who were foolish enough to try and target Zhou Heng and his party quickly learned their lesson when they encountered a powerhouse of the Initial Separation Realm.

Luo Runtian was the most violent of them all, going so far as to rip off a thief’s arm, causing the thief to scream out, spilling blood and attracting many sidelong glances.

Han Tao immediately scolded him, reminding him that they had come to rescue someone, so how could they afford to cause such a scene? Luo Runtian, however, was indifferent. In his eyes, a mere Body Refinement realm thief was like an ant, and since the thief had dared to make a move on him, severe punishment was necessary. Otherwise, where would the dignity of an Initial Separation Realm expert lie?

Both men were at the Second Layer Heaven of Initial Separation, and Han Tao’s seniority was useless against him. Martial artists respect strength, not age or experience, which meant he couldn’t suppress Luo Runtian.

"Enough!" Zhou Heng’s brow furrowed, and the two immediately shut their mouths, neither daring to cross him, "Let’s first find out why Liu Yue was captured and by which force."

The five of them found an inn to stay in and then split up to investigate the situation regarding Liu Yue.

In the evening, the five reconvened at the inn to consolidate the information they had gathered and finally pieced together the truth behind Liu Yue’s capture.

It turned out that this second-generation rich kid was indeed no good; he had behaved himself during his first few days in Thousand Spirit City, even becoming sworn brothers with a young master from the influential Fang Family in the city. However, when he visited the Fang family, he became infatuated with the young master’s beautiful new wife and, in an outrageous and bold move, raped her.

He was not killed on the spot because Liu Yue had a space artifact, which sufficed to prove that he was no ordinary individual. The Fang Family was interrogating him about his background, intending to make their plans after clarifying his origins.

If it turned out that Liu Yue was the scion of some powerful family in Water Origin Country, then the Fang Family would have to swallow their grievance since they couldn’t offend a force capable of possessing a space artifact. But if they discovered that Liu Yue was from Cold Blue Country, he would most certainly be sentenced to death!

Hearing of his misdeeds, Zhou Heng felt the impulse to wash his hands of the mess and leave; why save such scum, only for him to harm more people?

"What a disgrace!" Shi Yuluo spat, the sole woman among the five, she naturally felt a strong revulsion toward Liu Yue.

"Lucky for him, he’s got a good father!" Luo Runtian said enviously, his gaze subtly scanning over Shi Yuluo’s buttocks, swallowing his saliva in secret.

Shi Yuluo was a striking beauty, around the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, and her most enticing feature was her buttocks, round and plump like a ripe peach. Whenever she bent over, her curves would attract greedy gazes from men.

Let alone the Initial Separation Realm, even those who entered the Spirit Gathering Realm had transcended the level of mortals. Desiring a beauty was a simple task for them. But with the strength of the Initial Separation Realm and the excitement that came with the act, a bit too much force could easily kill a mortal!

Who would wish to be extremely careful while engaging in such an activity? And in the world of martial artists, women were overpowered by men, with beauties above the Spirit Gathering Realm being a scarce resource, which is why Lv Sue’s previous two masters had ended up taking her to bed.

Luo Runtian was not the only one who lusted after Shi Yuluo; even Han Tao, old enough to have one foot in the grave, often looked at Shi Yuluo with lecherous eyes.

Had they a father of the Open Heaven Realm, they probably would have had Shi Yuluo in their bed a long time ago.

Unfortunately for them, Shi Yuluo only had eyes for Zhou Heng.

It was only natural; Zhou Heng was a prodigy destined for greatness. Moreover, he was the son-in-law of an Open Heaven Realm expert and had even procured the interest of an Old Ancestor from Heavenly Star Sect looking to recruit him as a disciple. His status was certainly not lower than that of Liu Yue!

But Zhou Heng remained indifferent to Shi Yuluo; she was less innocent than Lin Fuxiang, less glamorous than An Yumei, and her figure couldn’t compare to Gu Zi. How could she possibly move his heart?

"We mustn’t delay, we’ll act tonight. Rescue Liu Yue and immediately head back to Cold Blue Country!"

In enemy territory, everyone felt an imminent sense of crisis. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)