Chapter 417: Nightmare of the Black-Clad Guards

What is a Sword-Holder?

Xu Qing murmured softly in his heart.

The former him actually didn't understand this. He didn't know what a Sword-Holder was, and even his original intention for wanting to become a Sword-Holder wasn't as great as protecting the human race.

After all, for him who had walked through the misery of the human world since he was small, it was impossible for him to have much patriotic sentiment for the human race.

His most real thought was hoping that he could survive, live a bit better, and live until he killed the crow and killed the eagle.

As for why he became a Sword-Holder, one was that the Captain wanted to become a Sword-Holder, two was that after he became a Sword-Holder, he could have an extra layer of protection, and three was that he planned to use the authority of a Sword-Holder to search for the crow's tracks.

Even at critical moments, the identity of a Sword-Holder would become a weapon for him to kill the crow.

These thoughts were actually selfish, but Xu Qing wasn't the only one like this. Every batch of newly promoted Sword-Holders in every prefecture actually had similar thoughts.

Except for those who had lived in the Sword-Holding Palace since they were small and were influenced by what they saw and heard, cultivators from outside prefectures couldn't have much sentiment for protecting the human race.

But these things, following the ceremony of the Sword-Holders of Yinghuang Prefecture, following the Great Emperor's questioning of the heart, had some changes.

But it didn't change much; it just let Xu Qing understand the concept of a Sword-Holder.

Until he came to the Capital District, he saw Kong Xianglong who was different from others, saw several prodigies who had hostility but no malice toward him, and saw the Palace Master who was strict but clearly maintained the Sword-Holders.

And he experienced the oath of the Sword-Holders and heard the history of the human race.

All of this could not have left no trace on him like the wind blowing.

Ultimately, some still remained, settling in his heart.

Like at this moment, he saw another scene that stirred his heart.

That teenager who had one hundred and twenty dharma apertures and was close to the human race, that teenager who longed to become a Sword-Holder, that teenager who had not revealed any information under such cruelty of the Saint-Lan clan.

The other party recited the oath of the Sword-Holders together, smiled, closed his eyes, and vanished into the collapse of the formation.

Xu Qing didn't know this person and was seeing him for the first time, and Xu Qing had seen too many deaths, so what caused waves in his heart wasn't the teenager's death.

But the other party's dream and choice.

This person could clearly have had a better future, but he chose this path of no return.

Xu Qing didn't quite understand, but he knew that he actually understood.

It was just that his sealed inner heart made him not easily accept any outsiders or forces, let alone identify with them and place them deep in his heart.

Even now, it was still like this.

It was just that he himself knew that in his eyes, the Sword-Holders had unknowingly become different.

There was more respect.

He could have no sense of belonging, but he respected Kong Xianglong's sincerity, respected the Palace Master's strictness, respected the oath of the Sword-Holders, and also respected this teenager who went to his death.

So Xu Qing clasped his fists and bowed deeply toward the place where the teenager vanished.

At this moment, the wind blew, rolling up the dust formed by the collapse of the formation on the ground, causing the ashes the teenager had turned into to dissipate, and also blowing the aura contained in the opened wish box on the ground in front of everyone.

This aura was a bit special, carrying a scent of osmanthus.

Kong Xianglong had grief and indignation in his eyes. He stepped forward step by step, arrived at the place where the teenager's corpse had dispersed, squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil from the ground, put it into a bottle preciously, and only then picked up the opened wish box.

"Our mission is completed." Kong Xianglong held the wish box, turned his back to everyone, and spoke softly.

Xu Qing was silent, and the others didn't speak either.

The rendezvous mission failed, but the intelligence was obtained. Regardless of success or failure, it was completed.

"Child, you go back to the Capital District and help me hand this item to the Field Office." Kong Xianglong spoke in a low voice, raised his right hand and waved, and the wish box flew straight toward Xu Qing, being caught by Xu Qing.

Holding it in his hand, the osmanthus scent inside was even stronger.

"You all go back with Child. I'm in a bad mood and plan to find a place to wander around, to clear my mind alone."

Kong Xianglong didn't turn around and spoke calmly.

"Okay Dragon Brother, it's good for you to clear your mind alone. Child, you all go back. I have some private matters to deal with, so I won't be with you." Shan Hezi gripped his fists, blue veins bulging on them, and suddenly spoke.

"What a coincidence, me too. I'm going back to my hometown for a trip, so I won't go back for now either." Wang Chen's expression was gloomy, and he spoke indifferently. After speaking, he looked at the distant horizon.

"I'll accompany Dragon Brother." Ye Ling looked at Kong Xianglong, her gaze firm.

Xu Qing looked at them. After being silent for a few breaths, he threw the wish box in his hand to a Sword-Holder from the Field Office behind him. The other party raised his hand to catch it, wanting to speak but stopping.

"I have private matters to deal with. You all go back." Xu Qing was expressionless and spoke slowly.

As soon as his words came out, Shan Hezi, Wang Chen, and Ye Ling all looked over, their expressions revealing some surprise.

Kong Xianglong turned around and also looked at Xu Qing.

"Child, you don't have to be like this."

"I'm going to return the gift." Xu Qing looked at Kong Xianglong and spoke earnestly.

Kong Xianglong was silent. After half an hour, he nodded, turned, flickered, and headed straight for the distance.

Shan Hezi and the three others also followed quickly. The direction they went was exactly the border of Fenghai County.

That was also the border of the Saint-Lan clan.

Xu Qing also stepped forward, like an arrow leaving the string, heading straight for the four people.

He naturally knew what they were going to do.

It wasn't strange for Kong Xianglong to not follow the rules when going out on a mission, not to mention seeing the teenager being cruelly abused by the Black-Clad Guards with his own eyes. With Kong Xianglong's character, he naturally couldn't endure this.

In addition, the cold voice left in the jade slip by the Black-Clad Guards was still echoing in Xu Qing's memory at this moment.

Xu Qing felt that since the other party had sent a gift to the Sword-Holders, they naturally had to go and return the gift, so that it would be polite.

Following the rapid departure of the five people, those Sword-Holders from the Field Office stood in silence, gazing.

There was envy and emotion in their eyes, but in the end, after bowing to Xu Qing and the others with a sword salute, they still chose to return.

Not all Sword-Holders didn't follow the rules.

They couldn't go, because they had a more important mission at this moment.

To safely send the intelligence item back to the Capital District.

This was their core mission.

Thus, after the sword salute, the Sword-Holders of the Field Office left in this night color.

At this moment, the cold wind contained the chill of the night, like a messenger of death carrying a sickle to harvest life, accompanying the five people of Xu Qing as they moved forward.

It whistled from in front of them, passing over their clothes and making a hunting sound, blowing over their hair and lifting strands of hair.

But when it fell on their faces and seeped into their hearts, it was not as cold as the murderous intent formed in their hearts.

Killing intent was rising in each of them.

Following the increase in speed, it became increasingly intense.

This night had no moon but the wind was high; it was still a night for killing.

Their speed had each unfolded to the extreme, and they no longer held back. From the moment Xu Qing chose to return the gift, whether it was Shan Hezi, Wang Chen, or Ye Ling, the gaze they looked at him with was completely different from before.

More recognition.

Shan Hezi's whole body emitted blood mist, and his whole person was placed in the mist, like a blood shadow from the Yellow Springs.

Ye Ling had re-transformed into a demon. This time, what she transformed into was not a green-faced fierce ghost, but a red-boned fire bird carrying death.

Wang Chen's Yanmiao body was put away, and the coffin was opened for the first time, from which walked out a dwarf wearing luxurious robes.

After smiling at Xu Qing, he licked his lips, his whole body emitting ice cold, and wherever he passed, the earth was frozen.

Kong Xianglong had a golden dragon winding around his surroundings, his whole body emitting terrifying fluctuations, and one step forward was several hundred zhang, majestic and extraordinary.

And Xu Qing here was not inferior to them.

The shadow covered his whole body, the seven-palace physical body power was violent, fast as galloping thunder, like a spirit of the dark night, heart-stirring.

They galloped in this black night, like five death-reaping Yin-Luo, constantly approaching the Saint-Lan clan Black-Clad Guards who were returning but hadn't left Linlan Prefecture yet.

During this period, they also had communication, clarifying the combat plan. Although they didn't know the specific number of enemies, based on experience and understanding, they could also simply distribute the targets for action.

Finally, before dawn broke, at the moment when the black night was most concentrated, in an area less than an incense stick of time away from the border, they saw dozens of figures galloping ahead.

Each of them wore a black Daoist robe, a total of more than sixty people!

Their speed was not fast, clearly in a pleasant mood after completing the mission. At this moment, while galloping, there was laughter from time to time.

But vigilance was still quite a lot. Almost the moment Xu Qing and the five of them rushed over, these Saint-Lan clan Black-Clad Guards immediately noticed, and many turned their heads violently, their expressions changing.

But discovery was useless.

Kong Xianglong rushed over first, let out a low roar, and killed his way in directly.

Xu Qing was the second. Like a black lightning, he crashed directly into the body of a five-palace Black-Clad Guard. Amidst the rumbling, flesh and blood were blurred, and the miserable scream of this Black-Clad Guard came to an abrupt end the moment it was emitted.

Amidst the gushing blood, Shan Hezi and the three others also rushed over.

The slaughter erupted at this moment.

There were roars from the Black-Clad Guards, and each resisted instantly.

As a team infiltrating the human Fenghai County, their combat power and experience were naturally rich.

Among them, there were more than forty with five or six-palace combat power, and twelve with seven palaces.

These seven-palace ones mostly possessed the Imperial-level cultivation arts unique to the Black-Clad Guards.

And there were two with eight-palace combat power.

These two were not five-fire opening Heavenly Palaces, but reached the limit of four-fire seven-palaces themselves, forming eight-palace combat power in cooperation with Imperial-level cultivation arts, which was quite extraordinary.

In addition to this, there were three team leaders.

They were actually half-step Nascent Souls.

Such strength, placed in any sect, was a backbone force, but for the Saint-Lan clan that occupied the Saint-Lan Domain, this was just a small team.

And if added to those who ambushed Xu Qing and the others before, it could be seen that the number of people and experts in the Saint-Lan clan's small teams were not only large, but their cultivation was also stronger.

After all... they were the masters of the Saint-Lan Domain, and the foundation formed by the clansmen of one domain made them have more experts.

By comparison, the land of one county was naturally inferior.

But this Sword-Holder team was not quite the same as what they had encountered in the past!

At this moment, following the touch of both sides, the great battle erupted. The three half-step Nascent Souls headed straight for Kong Xianglong, and the two eight-palace Black-Clad Guards were about to follow, but a coffin fell directly, blocking in front of them. The dwarf Wang Chen revealed a ferocious smile, and his Yanmiao clan clone appeared beside him.

At the same time, Ye Ling also revealed herself on the side, and Shan Hezi also arrived. The three joined forces to fight these two, delaying time, waiting for Kong Xianglong, waiting for Xu Qing.

The former was fighting the three strongest half-step Nascent Souls here.

The latter was fighting everyone except these.

This was the distribution they made on the way here.

At that time, Xu Qing said a sentence.

"I am good at group battles."

At this moment, Xu Qing took a deep breath and took out his dagger.

The Poison Prohibition Pill in his third Tiangong operated comprehensively at this moment, erupting violently from within his body toward the outside.

Countless small black insects expanded from Xu Qing's body, forming an astonishing black mist, carrying terrifying aura, carrying fatal poison, enveloping toward all directions.

This poison was fast-acting.

Following the miserable screams coming from the Black-Clad Guards, Xu Qing's expression was calm. He lowered his head slightly and rushed violently toward the crowd.

There was even the iron skewer where the Jin Gang Sect ancestor was located, which at this moment turned into red lightning, traveling crazily.

And there was the eye of the shadow between Xu Qing's eyebrows, which at this moment was also blinking rapidly, while spreading, merging into the shadows of the Black-Clad Guards all around, and beginning to devour.

At this moment...

Nightmare, descended. ===== CHAPTER 418 =====