Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Chapter 535: Has He Really Just Reached the Holy Realm?!

The six men glanced once at the flying figure of He Zhi before ignoring him. They all began to search for Ning Xuan, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?"

"Could he have been blown to bits?!"

"Didn’t you see Elder He has a sword wound?"

"Elder He, are you alright?"

While two of them scanned the surroundings, the other four started talking among themselves.

On the ground, a bewildered He Zhi suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood. He clutched his left shoulder, shook his head, and pushed himself to his feet. He also began to scan his surroundings, deeply suspicious. Where is Ning Xuan?

Unable to find Ning Xuan, He Zhi had no choice but to send a secret mental transmission. "Fourth Uncle, did you succeed?"

The others might not know who had acted, but he knew perfectly well. With people from the Domain Lord’s Mansion watching, he couldn’t make a move himself, but someone else could. A small, staged injury was all it would take to clear his name of any suspicion. But now, he was injured, and Ning Xuan was nowhere to be seen.

"I don’t know!" a voice replied via the secret transmission.

"What?!" He Zhi was so stunned that the word escaped him, not as a mental transmission, but as an involuntary cry of shock.

The six men all turned to stare at He Zhi, completely baffled.

"What’s going on? Where did Ning Xuan go?" He Zhi reacted instantly, redirecting their attention with his own question as he too began to search.

At the same time, he continued his mental transmission to his Fourth Uncle, who was hidden in the shadows. "Fourth Uncle, what happened? How could you possibly not know?!"

"It’s all your fault! Your interference just now threw off my judgment!" The hidden figure suppressed his own shock and immediately deflected the blame onto He Zhi.

He Zhi was speechless. To help Fourth Uncle succeed, I had specifically chosen the perfect spot! And what happened? I was the one who got stabbed, and that damn Ning Xuan just vanished?! Dammit! Does that mean I took that sword wound for nothing?!

A surge of rage filled He Zhi, but he dared not show it. He sent another transmission, "Fourth Uncle, what should we do now?"

"Relax. He can’t escape the palm of my hand," the powerful figure in the shadows replied, his words filled with unparalleled confidence. "So he won’t come out, is that it? I’ll use a little trick, and he’ll present himself obediently."

He Zhi was about to warn him to be careful when a rustling sound came from the trees ahead. Just as everyone’s gaze turned in that direction, a THUD echoed from behind them.

They turned to see Ning Xuan lying on the ground, his face pale. After a moment of shock, He Zhi was overjoyed. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he gloated inwardly. Fourth Uncle truly is one of our He Family’s four great Sealing Pins! He succeeds the moment he says he will! You little beast, you’re finished now!

But just then...

BANG!

Another heavy thud sounded from not far away.

He glanced over, and the smile on his face froze instantly. He saw his Fourth Uncle. Or more precisely, his Fourth Uncle’s corpse. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the dead man’s unblinking eyes and, between them, a shocking speck of red at the center of his forehead.

He Zhi’s eyes widened, and he stood completely stupefied. My Fourth Uncle’s strength is at the very apex of power in the entire Dali Realm! Although the Ten Elders are nominally the ten strongest people in Dali, we all know that each major family has its true powerhouses! They are the cornerstones of a family’s enduring legacy! Our family has four such cornerstones. But now, Ning Xuan has just erased one of them! This is too absurd! I can’t believe it!

"Who is he?"

"I don’t know, but his strength must have been incredibly terrifying!"

"Indeed! Even though he has fallen, I can still sense the terrifying Majestic Pressure his body contains!"

"But he was killed... Who did it?!"

"Are you stupid? It was obviously Ning Xuan!"

At these words, all of them turned to look at Ning Xuan. They saw him just as he was getting to his feet, a bit of color returning to his face. Doubt filled their eyes. The difference in Realm between Ning Xuan and his opponent was immense. How could Ning Xuan possibly possess the power to kill him in a single strike?

Ning Xuan cupped his fists toward He Zhi in thanks. "That guy’s strength was terrifying. Thank you, Elder He. If you hadn’t blocked that sword for me, he would have killed me. I never would have had the chance to take advantage of his carelessness and land a successful strike."

He Zhi felt like crying. I’m one hundred percent certain that damned Ning Xuan did this on purpose! This isn’t just murder; he’s twisting the knife!

Right now, I wish I could just slap him to death! But I have to hold back. The land deed is still in his hands, so I can’t make a move. Ning Xuan must die, but not by my hand. What’s more, I’ll probably have to block another attack for him soon! That’s the only way to clear myself of suspicion!

With this in mind, He Zhi could only force a smile that was uglier than a grimace and say against his will, "It’s nothing. It was my duty. How are you? Are you alright?"

Ning Xuan shook his head. "Not good. I only killed him in one strike because he was careless. I used up all my Element Force in that one attack; otherwise, I wouldn’t be in such a sorry state."

These words finally made He Zhi feel a little better. He immediately pointed ahead and said, "There’s a pavilion up ahead. Go and rest there."

Ning Xuan glanced at it and then shook his head in refusal. "There might be an ambush ahead. I’d better go back and recover first."

He Zhi’s mouth twitched. He clearly doesn’t trust me!

Thinking of the piercing wound in his shoulder, He Zhi seethed with anger. Yet, without waiting for a response, Ning Xuan turned and walked straight back the way they had come.

The six from the Domain Lord’s Mansion glanced between Ning Xuan and He Zhi before deciding to follow Ning Xuan. Although He Zhi was, in many respects, the superior choice, they all knew that the Realm Lord and He Zhi did not get along. If they grew too close to him, they could forget about ever returning to the Domain Lord’s Mansion.

Soon, He Zhi was left all alone.

"Damn it!" he cursed in anger, but the movement pulled at his sword wound, making him grimace in pain.

Suddenly, three white-haired elders appeared before him.

"He Zhi, what in the world happened?!"

"Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother!"

"Killed in a single blow... what a swift sword strike!"

After inspecting the corpse, they all turned to He Zhi, their expressions strange. It had never occurred to them that their Fourth Brother could be killed so cleanly.

"It was all that little beast Ning Xuan! Fourth Uncle was just a little careless, and the bastard took his chance!" He Zhi didn’t hesitate to pin the blame on Ning Xuan.

"Is he really just at the initial Holy Realm?" one of the elders demanded, his gaze accusatory.

It was no wonder he asked. After all, their Fourth Brother’s strength was immense; it was simply not possible for a Cultivator who had just entered the Holy Realm to be a match for him. Even a careless Fourth Brother should have been able to crush an opponent in the early stages of the Holy Realm.