Soul Emperor Martial God

"Boom!"

Just as Guu Changfeng's words were uttered, he had already been sent flying by a punch from Xiao Yi.

He tumbled through the air for tens of meters before crashing down in an undignified heap.

"Wind Singing Sword," Guu Changfeng growled lowly, pulling out a Spiritual Artifact from his Qiankun Bag.

Just as he was about to counterattack, with a 'thud,' Xiao Yi firmly stepped on the hand that held the sword, pinning the wrist and rendering him immobile.

"Although I'm not afraid of your Wind Singing Sword, I also do not wish to waste time," Xiao Yi said coldly, his hand gripping Guu Changfeng's throat.

"Ah!" Guu Changfeng cried out in pain, his wrist stepped on and throat gripped, making him extremely uncomfortable.

His other hand was just about to resist.

Thud!

Xiao Yi delivered a punch straight to his face, causing stars to burst before his eyes.

Boom, another punch, left him with a bruised nose, swollen eyes, and a mouthful of the metallic taste of blood.

On the other side, the dozen or so men were alarmed and immediately took action.

Xiao Yi's series of movements before were swift and fluid, too fast for them to respond to.

It wasn't until Guu Changfeng was spitting out blood that they realized what had happened.

"Quickly, save Young Master Changfeng."

"Xiao Yi, stop at once, or else, do not blame us for being impolite," the dozen or so men shouted angrily, racing toward Xiao Yi at full speed.

"Hmph," Xiao Yi eyed them coldly and counterattacked with countless Sword Gang strikes.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

The dozen or so men were outright stopped by these numerous Sword Gang strikes.

"Such powerful Sword Gang, at least a Mid-level Xuan Rank Technique."

"This guy, with such surging True Qi, must be at Half-step Cave Profound Cultivation."

As they stood there in shock, Xiao Yi once again pummeled Guu Changfeng's face with several punches.

He had said, he wanted to tear up Guu Changfeng's mouth.

"Scram." In the next second, Xiao Yi picked up Guu Changfeng and tossed him aside casually.

"Young Master Changfeng." The dozen or so lackeys immediately caught him.

"You... Xiao Yi..." Guu Changfeng tried to say something but found that he was actually leaking air from his mouth.

"Puff." He spat out forcefully, a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with several broken teeth.

Xiao Yi looked on coldly and said, "Remember, this is just a lesson. Control your mouth, or else, next time, losing a few teeth won't be the end of it."

With that said, Xiao Yi turned and left, walking toward the sect's gate.

"Young Master Changfeng," the dozen or so people said anxiously, "you merely ridiculed Elder Yi a couple of times, and Xiao Yi reacted so significantly. Their relationship must be unusual."

"I heard that Elder Yi has been guiding him in his Martial Arts cultivation these past few days."

"It seems that Elder Yi is his mentor in Martial Arts."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Guu Changfeng endured the pain in his mouth and the fishy taste, his face contorted with fury, "I'm going to the Inner Sect now to find my brother, and I won't let Xiao Yi get away with this. I want him dead."

"That Xiao Yi clearly resorted to despicable means to injure me."

"Once I return to the Inner Sect, I will inform the Sword Hall Elders, Xiao Yi won by underhanded methods, his actions lowly. He must be severely punished."

"But..." The dozens of men showed hesitation, evidently aware that Xiao Yi had defeated Guu Changfeng through genuine skill.

"But what?" Guu Changfeng's face turned ominous.

"Do you think a mere Outer Disciple can compare to an Inner Sect Disciple like me?"

"Do you think that I, guided by Sword Hall Elders, would lose to Xiao Yi who had merely been instructed by an insignificant Outer Sect guardian for two days?"

"Of course not," the dozen or so men immediately changed their expression, backing down.

If they kept insisting that Xiao Yi won with real skill, wouldn't that imply that the Sword Hall Elders were inferior to Elder Yi?

"Hmph, as if you would dare," Guu Changfeng said coldly, "later, you will come with me to the Inner Sect. You know what to say. During a fair challenge, Xiao Yi resorted to underhanded tactics, injuring me in a calculated ambush. His crimes are heinous, and he deserves severe punishment."

"Yes, we will follow Young Master Changfeng's orders," the dozen or so men said respectfully.

...

Xiao Yi did not know what Guu Changfeng and the others were saying, as he had already left the sect's gate.

Of course, even if he knew, he would not be worried.

The Sky-splitting Sword Sect was not a place where Guu Changkong could do as he pleased, nor was it a sect blind to right and wrong.

Swoosh... Swoosh... Swoosh...

Leaping in strides, Xiao Yi sped through the forest. The range of three hundred li would be time-consuming to traverse slowly.

He had no intention of wasting this time.

.....

In his sprint, he had no idea that, far behind him, a gaze was fixed upon him from a distance.

The owner of that gaze was none other than Elder Yi.

"Ha," a trace of a smile suddenly appeared on Elder Yi's usually unchanging face, his eyes still intently watching the distant figure.

....

"Hm?" Xiao Yi, who was dashing away, suddenly halted in his tracks, clearly feeling as if someone were watching him from behind.

Of course, with his abilities, he was utterly incapable of detecting Elder Yi.

But, with a thoughtful look in his heart, he let slip a faint smile, "Could it be Elder Yi? That odd old man always likes to watch me from the shadows. Such a strange hobby."

With a helpless shake of his head, he set off again on his journey.

....

Behind him, at a distance, Elder Yi's figure remained motionless, just watching him softly, fixedly, and then inexplicably smiling.

Soon after, two figures appeared out of nowhere and landed beside him.

Seeing the arrivals, Elder Yi, without moving, spoke indifferently, "Greetings, Great Elder, Third Elder."

The newcomers were two of the Ten Elders from the Sky-splitting Sword Sect.

The Great Elder, his hair and beard both white, radiated an unfathomable presence, evidently possessing an extremely high Cultivation.

The Third Elder, with his kind and benevolent face, appeared to be a gentle soul, the elder of the Medicine Hall.

At that moment, upon hearing Elder Yi's words, both let out a wistful smile and awkward laughter.

"Shiyi, is it so hard for you to call us 'Senior Brother'?" the Great Elder said with a wry smile.

Elder Yi said nothing, his gaze still fixed on the now distant figure of Xiao Yi, never wavering from his departure.

Only when Xiao Yi had completely left the forest did Elder Yi retract his gaze and instantly disappeared from the spot, having already departed without even bidding farewell to the two elders.

"Ah," the Great Elder sighed, then asked with interest, "It's been many years since Shiyi laughed."

"Who is that young man? Is he a disciple of our Sword Sect?"

The Third Elder nodded, "That young man is named Xiao Yi, an Outer Disciple. This month, Shiyi has been guiding him."

"Guiding?" The Great Elder was evidently taken aback, "Shiyi himself guiding a disciple?"

"Yes," the Third Elder affirmed with a nod, "At first, I thought it odd too and even secretly observed them a few times. When Shiyi is with that young man, he smiles much more than he has in many years combined."

"Later, after looking into that young man's affairs, I came to understand."

With that, the Third Elder recounted the details to the Great Elder.

Upon hearing this, the Great Elder realized, "No wonder. He topped all three assessments, possesses an extraordinary talent for the Sword Dao, and is a genius in alchemy; his personality is proud and unrestrained."

"No wonder Shiyi takes such a liking to him and has even broken the norm to guide him."

"Alas," the Third Elder sighed, "Back in the day, Shiyi was equally extraordinary in both the Sword Dao and alchemy, a double prodigy known as the number one Martial Artist in Northern Mountain County."

"Had it not been for those events back then, Shiyi would not be what he is today; he likely would have become a renowned Martial Arts powerhouse in the Flame Martial Kingdom."

The Great Elder shook his head, "The injustices of those days deeply wounded Shiyi's heart. Now, his sole interest remaining in the Sword Sect is the younger generation, those young disciples."

"After all, he still harbors affection for the Sword Sect, otherwise he would have left long ago."

"It's said that this young man is the spitting image of Shiyi in his youth, bearing the same pride and unrestrained spirit, the same dazzling brilliance."

"However, faced with the same unfair treatment, Shiyi chose to bury his feelings, bottling them up for all these years; I hope this young man won't end up the same. With such talent, he should have a brilliant future ahead of him."

The two elders shook their heads sadly, filled with reminiscence about the past. The genuine article resides on M|V|L&EMPYR.

Suddenly, the Third Elder said, "Speaking of which, that Xiao Yi seems to have some grudge with Changkong."

"Changkong? The Fourth Elder's disciple?" The Great Elder frowned, "That person has decent talent, it's just a pity his character isn't good."

"He's far inferior to Ye Ming from your tutelage."

The Third Elder said with a wry smile, "You know the Fourth Elder's temperament too well, famously overprotective. I'm worried..."

"Let him stew," the Great Elder declared sternly, "Shiyi only has one disciple, yet he has many; we can't allow Shiyi's disciple to be at a disadvantage."

"This..." the Third Elder said wryly, "The Fourth Elder is hot-headed; you should be the one to speak."

"Hmph," the Great Elder snorted dismissively, "You may choose not to go, but Shiyi's alchemy skills surpass yours, and you often seek his aid."

"Whereas I, long ago, stopped involving myself in the affairs of the Sword Sect, and no longer need Shiyi's help."

Within the Sky-splitting Sword Sect, Eight Elders each preside over a hall of the Inner Sect; only the Third Elder oversees both the Medicine Hall and the Fire Hall.

As for the Great Elder, it is said he ceased dealing with such matters many years ago; he only emerges when major events occur within the Sword Sect that require his presence.

Yet, in terms of prestige and Cultivation, he is far superior to the other nine.

...

Outside the forest, Xiao Yi hurried on his way, eager to complete his task.

What could be so powerful about that item that required five thousand sword points to exchange?

Presumably, it must be a treasure at least on par with an Earth Rank Martial Technique.