Upon hearing these words, Li Ming's mind went blank, and he stared intently at the figure that was approaching from afar.
The newcomer was none other than Xie Xuan, the leader of the Qingyun Sword Sect.
The opponent's strength is unfathomable; he has already reached the third-grade Martial Saint realm, transcending the ordinary and entering sainthood!
In ancient times, before the distinctions between different martial arts paths, this could already be considered a terrestrial immortal.
Not only has his strength increased significantly, but his lifespan has also far exceeded that of a mid-level third-grade grandmaster.
To reach the realm of Martial Saint, one needs not only abundant resources but also extraordinary talent!
Those who can reach the realm of Martial Saint are undoubtedly the best among their peers.
Upon seeing Xie Xuan's arrival, Ye Xiu's eyes lit up as if he had found a lifeline, and he immediately cried out:
"Sect Leader, this brat has killed many of our people! You must avenge us!"
"He's a ruthless killer who doesn't even blink an eye!"
Upon hearing Ye Xiu's words, Xie Xuan looked at the corpse on the ground without showing any expression.
Then, looking at Ye Xiu, a hint of disgust appeared in his eyes.
Xie Xuan shifted his gaze to Li Ming, who remained calm.
"You're the one who killed them?"
Li Ming looked at Xie Xuan with an indifferent expression, but a smile appeared on his lips, a smile that was not quite a smile:
"Don't you know that?"
"You've been watching from nearby for a long time, haven't you?"
"You watched...for a long time?"
Ye Xiu muttered to himself, then suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and looked at Xie Xuan in disbelief.
His originally refined and approachable demeanor now seemed to have transformed into a demon in his eyes.
Xie Xuan didn't refute, and chuckled:
"How dare you! Do you know that I am the Martial Saint?"
"And do you know the rule that murderers should pay with their lives?"
Xie Xuan stood with his sword on his back, his deep eyes reflecting the tall figure before him.
A ripple of emotion stirred within me.
As the head of Qingyun Sect and a martial arts saint, he has been responsible for recruiting disciples for many years and has seen countless talented martial artists, but the person in front of him made him tremble.
With such exceptional physical attributes, spirit, temperament, and talent, it must be admitted that he is indeed a first-rate martial arts prodigy.
Reaching the rank of First-Grade Martial Saint is not difficult at all!
And what followed was a murderous intent.
Unfortunately, it cannot be used by him.
Seeing the murderous intent in the other person's eyes, Li Ming showed no fear, but calmly said:
“Your disciples ambushed me first, and I only made a slight move... I didn’t expect them to be so weak that they died so easily.”
"Do you know the consequences of leading a mob to attack an official of the imperial court?"
"Does your Qingyun Sword Sect... perhaps intend to rebel?"
Of course, Li Ming spoke with great conviction.
A jade talisman secretly appeared in his hand, which he gripped tightly, ready to use it decisively if anything went wrong.
The path of martial arts is based on qi and blood, and true qi, with the goal of forming a dantian and becoming a grandmaster.
The Refining Spirit Realm tempers the mind and spirit, while the Divine Power Realm uses martial arts to reach the divine.
However, attaining sainthood is much more difficult.
Not only must one refine one's physical body to perfection and open all the orifices of one's Qi, and understand the changes in the physical body, but one's mind and spirit must also be perfectly unified. Finally, one must break through the elixir and transform into a spirit, transforming it into a Dharma form, in order to become a martial arts saint.
Such a being would have a place no matter where it is placed.
Li Ming dared not be presumptuous.
"Arrogant..."
A chill ran through Xie Xuan's eyes as he said coldly:
"I know you have exceptional talent, unmatched by anyone in my Qingyun Sword Sect, but you must understand... talent needs time to be converted into strength."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xuan took a step forward, his entire being resembling a peerless divine sword drawn from its sheath, its sharpness fully revealed, its aura enough to blot out the sky and the sun.
This is the might of the Martial Saint!
Every move it makes draws upon the power of heaven and earth, and can stir up celestial phenomena.
Despite the overwhelming killing intent, Li Ming remained unmoved and calmly said:
"Sect Leader Xie, what do you mean by this? I've already been very magnanimous by not causing trouble for your Qingyun Sword Sect... Do you really intend to make this a fight to the death?"
"It seems... he has some trump card up his sleeve?"
Xie Xuan squinted. After being contradicted by Li Ming, he did not get angry or lose his composure. Instead, he began to think seriously.
Li Ming's actions clearly demonstrate that he is fearless and has nothing to fear.
"Li Ming, do you really think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"
Xie Xuan feigned anger to see what gave Li Ming the confidence to back up his act.
"Hehe... I'm afraid you don't know, this is Cangzhou, and you can't possibly not know who the Chief Constable of the Six Doors is in Cangzhou, can you?"
"Do you think someone might come at any moment?"
Li Ming spoke with an air of seriousness.
"Are you... threatening me?"
"No, no, no, how could I dare threaten you? I'm just stating the facts... You're welcome to try and make a move, and then you can think about what good it would do you to go down in a fight to the death?"
Seeing that the other party's aura was gradually receding, Li Ming became even more certain of his guess and said in a deep voice.
He didn't want to waste the jade talisman Zhao Xuanwu had given him. Xie Xuan should have arrived here much earlier, but he had been hiding his tracks until Li Ming had killed almost all of these people before he showed up.
There must be something fishy about this. He didn't know the inside story... but Li Ming was certain that Xie Xuan didn't actually care about killing these people, and might even have deliberately made him kill them.
As his imposing aura faded, Xie Xuan now resembled a scholar rather than the peerless swordsman he had been before.
"Ye Xiu, Xing Qingqing, and the others left the sect without permission, disregarding the sect's rules. I have already expelled them from the sect... Now they are simply independent cultivators. Your grudges have nothing to do with my Qingyun Sword Sect..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xuan gave Li Ming a deep look, then waved his hand, and all the surrounding corpses disappeared.
Then a cold wind blew by, and the figure disappeared.
Ye Xiu was left with only despair on his face, his heart as cold as ashes.
At this point, how could he not realize that he had been deceived!
He was completely fooled by Xing Qingqing. It wasn't the sect leader who ordered Li Ming to be killed; he was just a pawn used in their power struggle.
This foolish woman is trying to outwit the sect leader; isn't she just courting death?
If he had known it was this script, he would never have come.
Unfortunately, it's too late now.
Seeing the other party leave, Li Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief. Facing an enemy Martial Saint, he was under a lot of pressure.
Fortunately, it seems the other party didn't harbor any deep-seated hatred towards him...
However, today's experience also made him realize the benefits of his growing fame.
With the support of the Six Doors, one can stand up to the sect leader of a first-rate power, and the other party dares not easily break off relations. These are all benefits brought about by the change in status and position.
Looking at Ye Xiu kneeling on the ground, Li Ming shook his head.
This person possesses a strong swordsmanship and excellent comprehension, making him a true swordsmanship prodigy.
However, in order to save his life, this person abandoned his sword heart, and his path of martial arts was almost cut off.
Li Ming sighed.
"Your path to martial arts has been severed, so I might as well help you get back on track sooner."
"puff!"
With a swift stroke of his knife, Li Ming severed a head, causing blood to gush forth. Ye Xiu's body then collapsed to the ground.
After destroying the evidence, he also left the place.
The crisis was eventually weathered smoothly.
...
On the other side.
"Letting this child go, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."
"However, to act rashly would be too reckless."
Xie Xuan muttered to himself, his feelings complicated.
What Li Ming didn't know was that he carried a powerful aura, making Xie Xuan hesitant to act rashly.
This aura was deliberately left behind by Zhao Xuanwu.
Only a martial saint-level expert could perceive this fluctuation.
If Li Ming were to suffer a powerful attack, Zhao Xuanwu would immediately realize that something was wrong.
Xie Xuan, however, was unsure whether Zhao Xuanwu was secretly lurking, so he did not make a move.
Furthermore, Xing Qingqing's death was something he deliberately orchestrated.
The current result is also less than satisfactory.
He certainly wouldn't kill Xing Qingqing himself, as that would give others grounds for criticism and greatly damage his reputation.
It's alright now; the death of this mother and child has brought him a lot of relief.
Normally, Xing Qingqing would often use his name to cause trouble, while Xing Wuming would rely on his mother's misbehavior and he would often have to clean up her messes.
With these two burdens gone, he felt much better.
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