Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-168

The midday sun hung lazily in the clear blue sky.

Hovering just above the Trade Convention, Ling Xian suspended casually in midair, his robe and the giant wings on his back white as snow. Clutched tightly in his hand, the bloodstained sword reflected sharply under the sun.

Swoooosh!

The color of the sword turned the sun blood red. Within the blink of an eye, the blade redirected itself and headed straight for the throat of the man in blue.

"What… is this sword?"

The man’s face turned ghostly white. In his haste, the man summoned all his powers and directed them towards reinforcing his rainbow shield. Hope against hope, his defensive weapon would deflect the devil’s sword!

But the moment the blade and shield collided, tiny cracks began appearing down the sides of the dome in a spider-web pattern. Then, accompanied by an earthshattering explosion, the shell gave in under pressure and vanished into thin air.

The Motionless Shadow of Light defeated into oblivion!

"Gahhhhhhh!"

The man spat out a mouthful of blood as his pupils dilated. This was impossible. A gust of freezing air entered his body and paralyzed him from within.

"Impossible!"

The man in blue shouted in agony. He simply couldn’t accept what he had just experienced as true. This weapon topped the list of the most powerful weapons inside the Zhou Dynasty. Before this, it had never failed. But now, one strike was all it took.

"Nothing is impossible. The truth is in front of you."

Ling Xian replied peacefully. Of course, it was possible. Against the Sword of Extinction, the fate of the shield was sealed. Perhaps no one inside the Zhou Dynasty could have a chance against it.

But the defensive resilience of the Motionless Shadow of Light was nothing compared to the offensive prowess of the Sword of Extinction.

The first and most powerful transformation of the Eyes of Execution!

It had conquered the world over 200,000 years ago under the grip of an Immortal. Legend has it piercing through the sun and the moon, reducing mountains to rubbles and earth to dust. It was truly unstoppable.

Had it been the man’s father under that shield, perhaps it could have lasted a few more rounds of attacks. But this fool was too meek to last one.

Shattered by a single strike!

The heart of the challenger in blue shattered alongside his shield.

All blood had drained from the man’s face, his eyes filled with a ghostly emptiness. He muttered, uncontrollably, to himself, "No, no, this…impossible, Motionless Shadow of… how can it be shattered by a single strike of a sword? My eyes are fooling me. Yes… they must be."

"Stop lying to yourself. The truth is in front of you. But it wouldn’t matter what you believe. You’re destined to die shortly anyhow," Ling Xian shook his head and reasoned on the man’s behalf. In the next moment, he reappeared directly in front of the man holding the sword against the man’s throat.

The man in blue finally regained his composure. He rolled to the side and missed death by inches.

"For f*ck sake, my father is the Deputy of Chang An. If you dare kill me, he’ll come after you and destroy you!" The man hollered in distress, his last card.

Son of the Deputy of Chang An!

One of the most prominent positions in the Zhou Dynasty is the Deputy. The Deputy of Chang An was amongst the favorite of all Deputies. Not to mention this battlefield was located within the boundaries of his ancestral land. Even the Royals wouldn’t care to interfere with affairs that occurred on this Estate.

And as such, the man in blue hoped to frighten Ling Xian with the story of his prominent background and force him into submission.

Unfortunately for him, this trump card was a complete waste.

What of the Third Prince?

The favorite son of the Emperor himself, was the Prince a figure of significance?

Significant enough of course, but Ling Xian had slaughtered him just the same.

How could this irrelevant son of a mere Deputy frighten Ling Xian into anything?

Ling Xian couldn’t contain his laughter. He chuckled. "You shouldn’t have argued when I called you a moron. I slaughtered the Third Prince. What makes you think I’d show you mercy?"

This seemed to finally wake him. The man in blue turned another shade of pale as he recalled that this was the man who destroyed a soul of the Third Prince.

Fear penetrated his soul, but he feigned calmness. The man shouted, "Even if you don’t care who I am, think about who my Master is. He’s the next Emperor. He and my father will hunt you down if you dare hurt me!"

"You idiot, think with your head! I’m already on the Prince’s death warrant. What do I care if you add a Deputy? I dare kill, so I do not fear the consequence." Ling Xian let out a cold smile. Without another word, Ling Xian expanded his wings and loosened thousands of delicate feathers. The feathers turned into blades and headed straight for the man in blue.

But just as the blades were within an inch of the man’s flesh, a sudden gust of wind materialized to deflect them like a shield before they entered the man’s body. The loose blades fell to the earth.

"Friend, please stop. You have already destroyed a piece of the Third Prince’s soul within my territory. If you kill this little deputy, you’ll make my life rather difficult." The Mayor of Sunset City appeared and walked slowly towards the duo.

"Mayor of Sunset City, you’ve come at a good time. Kill this man!"

The man in blue breathed deeply in relief. He laughed hysterically and said, "You bastard, how will you manage this time? Perhaps you’ll see your life end here!"

"How would I kill him?"

Ling Xian sneered and vanished in an instant. He reappeared behind the man and pressed the blade of the sword into the man’s neck. Instantly, flesh melted off the neck of the man. His pupils dilated wide. His expression was one of hopelessness immediately preceding a certain death.

Of course, there was a hint of regret as well.

Regretting that he blocked Ling Xian’s way, but it was too late.

"Like this, of course."

This was the last thing the man heard before he descended into unconsciousness. His body hit the earth, his eyes wide open.

What a waste of life, a poor decision.

This scene shocked the Mayor of Sunset City. An expression of anger swept across his face. He hadn’t expected that Ling Xian would discard his wishes completely. As he took a closer look at the mangled corpse, the Mayor couldn’t help but shutter. How easily could Ling Xian have done this to him?

The answer was, quite easily.

But so what? The Mayor knew quite well this was not all that Ling Xian was capable of. He was no match.

"Ah, friend... you have stepped out of your boundaries." The Mayor let out a huge sigh.

"No, it is they who did."

Ling Xian said peacefully as he wished away his bloodstained sword. "Mayor, do not fright. If anyone asks, tell them it was I who committed these crimes."

"Easy for you to say. Yesterday, you slaughtered the Third Prince’s soul on my land. Today, you killed the son of a Deputy. How can I possibly denounce responsibility?" The Mayor continued to sigh.

"Then I ask for your forgiveness. They are the ones who initiated. They chose to use your land as a battlefield." Ling Xian shook his head and continued, "If you think I ask too much of you, then strike. I’ll wait."

"Strike?"

The Mayor laughed bitterly and with a hint of fear. He responded, "I’d like to. But my fear is before my strike hits you, I’m already dead. Even if I was much stronger, I’m still no match."

"You flatter me." Ling Xian returned a smile but did not dispute this fact.

Seven foundational level cultivators are living in Sunset City. The most skilled and powerful were merely of the latter stage. Not to mention killing Ling Xian, perhaps not one was capable of defending himself against Ling Xian’s strike.

No use, Ling Xian’s powers defied nature.

He was undefeated as a meditational level cultivator. He had yet to reach that stage as a foundational, but it was only a matter of time.

"This is no flattery. The son of the Deputy was amongst the strongest of all foundational levels here. Yet you killed him effortlessly. My guess is, inside the Zhou Dynasty, you are amongst the best of the best. However..." The Mayor hesitated.

"I’m no match for the Third Prince." Ling Xian let out a careless laugh. Then, he whispered, "I suddenly have a new goal."

"What’s that?" The Mayor asked, curiously."

"Capture the Third Prince."

Ling Xian smirked confidently and continued, "Perhaps I’m no match for him yet. But soon, when the gap in our powers narrow, I will capture and imprison him!"

Capture and imprison him?

The Mayor of Sunset City was stunned.

"Ha ha, as the world turns, Mayor of Sunset City, we shall meet again!" Ling Xian roared with laughter. Then, giant wings appeared behind him and carried him off into the distance.

From this moment on, Ling Xian had a new goal. Just as he promised, he would capture and imprison the Third Prince.

Ever since he saved Lin Qing Yi from her pursuers, the words he heard most was how incredibly powerful the Prince was and how dead he was for having offended him. He had to find out for himself.

If you all say he is undefeatable, then I’ll show you.

This was Ling Xian’s new goal.

But of course, his short-term goal was to visit the City of Yun Xiao and find Water of the Healing Soul. The Prince was his long-term goal.

The Mayor of Sunset City stood quietly and watched Ling Xian’s shadow disappear into the distance. Ling Xian’s words echoed in his ears. But the Third Prince had never been defeated. He was a myth in itself.

Who would dare to set such a goal for himself?

"He claims he will capture and imprison the Third Prince. Perhaps he’s too arrogant for his own good. But he will achieve greatness one day!" The Mayor sighed again. This time, his eyes sparked a hint of hope. He continued muttering to himself…

"I shall wait for the day you capture and imprison the Third Prince."