Chapter 406: Black Flame Blade Lord

On the city wall, seasoned warriors cried out in shock, their voices filled with disbelief.

"The Lord of the Lihuo Sect, ranked twenty-eighth on the Master List—Lord Jin—how did he end up in our Wulong Fucheng? And why is he fighting someone?"

"Who is fighting Lord Jin? Judging by the energy fluctuations, they're at least at the Earth Altar Realm's Five Qi Convergence! How can two of them hold off the Black Flame Blade Lord's blade aura?"

Xie Antu also widened his eyes, muttering to himself, then turned to Chen Mu beside him, "Brother Qin, you're well-traveled—can you tell where they're from?"

Chen Mu did not answer immediately, only gazing intently at the distant battle.

He had heard of the Black Flame Blade Lord and Jin Ao.

The Lihuo Sect was a well-known orthodox sect in Shannan Dao, famed for its fire-based cultivation arts; its lord, Jin Ao, was a long-established powerhouse whose "Black Flame Scorched Heaven Blade" was fierce and tyrannical, ranking among the top on the Master List.

From the true energy fluctuations radiating from him now, he had indeed reached the Earth Altar Realm's Seeing the Divine, Unbroken stage—comparable to Chen Mu's own realm, though his true energy leaned toward explosive fire and destruction.

The two men fighting Jin Ao, as Xie Antu said, were merely at the Earth Altar Realm's Five Qi Convergence, not yet at Seeing the Divine, Unbroken.

But their cultivation arts were bizarre and sinister; the emerald and crimson auroras carried a strong aura of life plundering and corrupting decay.

Together, they moved in perfect sync and had indeed temporarily held back Jin Ao's tyrannical black flame blade light, creating a stalemate.

Just as the crowd on the wall watched in heart-pounding awe and buzzed with chatter, the battle atop the distant hill suddenly changed!

Jin Ao, who had been exchanging blade light from afar, seemed to lose patience—or sensed a flaw in his opponents.

He let out a deafening roar, its sound like clashing metal, piercing clouds and splitting stone!

With the roar, a flash of light appeared in his hand—a long blade, ancient in design, entirely black, with dark red flame patterns swirling along its edge.

The moment the blade emerged, the surrounding air temperature surged abruptly, light warping.

A mystery weapon!

And a mid-grade mystery weapon!

With the mystery weapon in hand, Jin Ao's aura surged again.

He gripped the blade with both hands, his body erupting in even fiercer, denser black flame true energy.

Then, a sharp, tyrannical blade intent—capable of severing all bindings and obstacles—crashed down.

Fourth-tier blade intent!

Blade intent, cultivation level, mystery weapon, supreme technique—all forces fused perfectly, concentrated upon that black blade!

Jin Ao's eyes blazed with sharp light as he slashed downward at the emerald and crimson auroras.

This slash was utterly unlike the previous ones.

Where the blade light passed, space itself subtly twisted.

The black flame was no longer mere attachment—it became a tangible, flowing river of destruction!

The blade intent coalesced into solid sharpness, cleaving the air, energy, and even the opponents' wills in two.

"Ssshh—"

First, the emerald aurora—like encountering its natural enemy—crumbled under the black flame blade light, empowered by fourth-tier blade intent and the mystery weapon. It lasted less than a breath, let out a mournful hiss, its glow dimmed rapidly, then vanished like a candle snuffed by wind.

Next came the crimson aurora.

It seemed to try to flee or shift, but the blade light was too fast, its coverage too vast.

The crimson aurora was swept by the residual wave of the black flame blade light—like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil—it writhed violently, struggled, then shattered with a louder, silent scream, dissolving into a storm of foul-smelling crimson specks that vanished instantly.

In the instant the emerald and crimson lights were destroyed, two short, pained grunts echoed from the distant hill, followed by the sound of something bursting.

Then, all fell silent.

Only the split clouds and the dust and chaotic residual energy swirling over the hilltop proved the brief yet shocking battle had occurred.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Almost as the battle ended, two figures shot skyward from within Wulong Fucheng, speeding toward the hill at incredible velocity.

One wore deep-blue official robes, his aura steady as a mountain—the Chief Hunter of the Wulong Fucheng Office.

The other wore the standard uniform of the Zhenwu Bureau, his aura sharp and piercing—the head of the Wulong Fucheng Zhenwu Bureau.

Both had clearly been startled by the battle and now rushed to investigate and negotiate with Jin Ao.

Many bold or curious warriors on the wall also activated their lightness arts, racing toward the hilltop, eager to witness the Black Flame Blade Lord's grandeur—or see what fate befell the two who dared fight Jin Ao near Wulong Fucheng.

Xie Antu stretched his neck to watch the flying figures, snorted, and lowered his voice to Chen Mu: "These bastards rush over to kiss ass now—don't they see the timing? The Black Flame Blade Lord just finished fighting—do you think he's in a good mood? If he takes offense, they'll cry and have nowhere to turn."

"Heh, someone always wants to test luck—what if the Lord Jin takes a fancy to them?"

Chen Mu gave a noncommittal reply, leaning casually against the battlement, his gaze still fixed on Jin Ao descending and the Chief Hunter approaching.

In truth, he had quietly activated his "Listen to the Wind" skill.

After advancing to the Earth Altar Realm's Seeing the Divine, Unbroken, Chen Mu's spiritual awareness and perception had undergone a qualitative leap—his "Listen to the Wind" skill's efficacy rose accordingly.

Now, though still miles from the hilltop, with his full concentration and maximum activation, the conversations atop the hill sounded as clear as if spoken beside his ear.

First came the Chief Hunter's voice, respectful yet probing: "... Lord Jin's grand arrival in Wulong Fucheng is an honor we failed to properly welcome—we beg your forgiveness. Who were those scoundrels you just fought? How dare they cause trouble here?"

Then came the Zhenwu Bureau chief's voice, slightly solemn: "Lord Jin, those two's cultivation arts are bizarre and sinister—they don't seem like ordinary demonic sects..."

After a moment of silence, a slightly hoarse yet metallic, resonant voice spoke—Jin Ao, the Black Flame Blade Lord.

"Hmph. Just two trash from the Shishen Sect, hiding in a valley not far from here, plotting some foul scheme. I stumbled upon them, and they tried to kill me to silence me."

"What? The Shishen Sect?"

"Shishen Sect members are here in Wulong Fucheng?"

"Damn it!"

Shishen Sect?

On the city wall, Chen Mu, hearing the name, frowned slightly.

Like the Changsheng Sect, the Shishen Sect was a demonic force whose main practice was cannibalism.

But unlike the Changsheng Sect, the Shishen Sect is even more extreme!

The Changsheng Sect treats humans as pills, yet still selects carefully—only those with special constitutions or born in special years are worth their attention; ordinary civilians are utterly beneath their notice.

The Shishen Sect, however, eats everything—meat or vegetables, whether human or pestilence, they consume it all!