Chapter 138: Mount Li

Ling Chi's will descended, directly fusing into a single entity with him. Had Zhao Qing known of such a daring move, his jaw would undoubtedly have dropped in astonishment.

Yet, he was destined to become the master of slaughter, not reduced to its slave.

Though his will was formless and intangible, it firmly controlled the crimson mist condensed by the murderous saber momentum.

However, he had no intention of forging a prison of will to trap this wisp of saber momentum. Instead, he released his will, letting it roam freely throughout his body.

The crimson saber momentum plunged deep into his Dantian, instantly enveloped by thousands of spiritual crystals.

Lightning surged wildly around the purple-gold thunder crystal, while towering heatwaves radiated from the crimson supreme-yang crystal.

Caught right in the middle, the murderous saber momentum charged left and right, unable to advance or retreat. The intent of slaughter immediately clashed fiercely with the forces of thunder and supreme-yang, unexpectedly forming a tripartite confrontation.

Until a thunder pearl flashed with brilliant radiance and suddenly descended.

The power of thunder instantly subordinated them all, and the supreme-yang power subsided into silence.

Only the murderous saber momentum remained, like a delicate maiden surrounded by a group of burly men, huddled in a corner, sobbing pitifully in low whispers.

Ling Chi's will descended quietly, and the spiritual crystals automatically parted to create a path. The saber momentum embraced his embrace like a homing swallow, completely subdued by him from that moment on.

Feeling the saber momentum that responded to his every command as if it were an extension of his own arm, a trace of joy surfaced in Ling Chi's heart.

A newly born saber momentum was like a newborn child, still holding vast potential for growth, and would accompany him further along the path of martial arts in the future.

Rather than treating this newborn murderous saber momentum as a mere tool to be wielded at will, he regarded it as his companion.

With a casual flick of Ling Chi's finger, the power of slaughter soared into the sky, and a nearby desolate mountain was directly sheared in half by this single finger's force.

The soldiers clearing the battlefield were awed by this fleeting power of slaughter. Those below the Qi Sea realm instantly turned weak at the knees and sat flat on the ground.

Even those with the cultivation of the Qi Sea realm trembled in both legs, propping themselves up with their weapons, casting lingering, fearful glances toward Ling Chi's direction.

They had known Ling Chi was ferocious, but they never expected him to be monstrous to this extent. A mere release of murderous intent had sliced off a hilltop and knocked everyone flat on their backs.

If that power of slaughter had been aimed at them, they would probably already be on their way to reincarnation by now.

Who knew how many life-or-death battles this young man had experienced, or perhaps he was simply a natural-born killer, to be able to brew up such a sharp murderous will.

Ling Chi reined in the murderous saber momentum, stood up, twisted his waist, rotated his hips to loosen his bones and muscles, and scanned his surroundings to find Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing and Cao Hubao were sitting together drinking wine, but their conversation was entirely about Ling Chi.

"Your disciple has truly achieved overnight fame with this battle, and on top of that, he has comprehended saber momentum—a murderous saber momentum famed for its lethal force, no less."

"With such heavenly talent, this tiny Northwest Province is probably too small to keep him," Cao Hubao sighed deeply, pouring a hefty gulp of fiery liquor from his wineskin straight down his throat.

Just from the undisguised admiration in Sun Xuan's eyes when he looked at Ling Chi, it was not hard to tell that the intention to recruit him had likely already taken root.

"Everyone has their own destined path. His journey should be decided by himself alone!" Zhao Qing said calmly. He was certainly not the kind of master who would sell out his disciple.

"Master, I've comprehended saber momentum!" Ling Chi's face was full of ease, but his tone carried a hint of joy.

Zhao Qing's expression stiffened. Was his young disciple showing off to him? A display between saber artists.

"Not bad, not bad. It was your destiny; you naturally comprehended saber momentum when the conditions were ripe," Zhao Qing said, forcing a straight face.

"Right now, you can only be considered to have just stepped across the threshold of saber momentum. The road ahead is still long, so you must not grow arrogant and complacent!"

Zhao Qing emptied his wineskin in one gulp and said in a muffled voice.

"Only when you can manifest its physical form can you be considered to have achieved initial mastery of saber momentum—like this."

With a point of his finger, an intangible and formless intent of destruction emerged from his fingertips, swirling around them.

Ling Chi looked at Zhao Qing's fingertip thoughtfully.

Zhao Qing's brow twitched, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, the next moment he saw Ling Chi imitate his gesture and point a finger. A streak of crimson murderous saber momentum pierced out from his fingertip, and its intent of slaughter was so intense that even Zhao Qing felt his heart palpitate.

"Is it like this, Master?" Ling Chi hooked the corner of his mouth, a single sentence piercing deep into the bottom of Zhao Qing's heart.

The two types of saber momentum stirred restlessly, as if they were about to clash and fight each other the very next moment.

Zhao Qing was speechless for a long time. It was inappropriate to withdraw the finger he had extended, and leaving it in place to let the two saber momentums stand in rivalry was even more inappropriate.

For a moment, he fell into a dilemma, until Ling Chi noticed his predicament and proactively recalled his saber momentum.

Zhao Qing breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and immediately reined in his own saber momentum.

"What a terrifying talent this monstrous kid has. He entered the stage of initial mastery mere an hour after comprehending saber momentum. Given time, there's no telling what he might achieve," Zhao Qing muttered to himself inwardly.

Nearby, Cao Hubao watched with a mixture of envy and amusement. This was probably the consequence of having a prodigy as a disciple. Facing the rapid pursuit of a young prodigy, even an outsider like him found it distressing, let alone Zhao Qing.

"You brat possess such high talent and comprehension. There is not much left for me, as your master, to teach you on this path, and from now on you will have to rely solely on your own comprehension."

Zhao Qing patted Ling Chi's shoulder, speaking in a profound tone.

Ling Chi shook his head without speaking, and instead gave a deep bow to Zhao Qing. After all, it was Zhao Qing who had originally led him through the door and taught him what saber momentum was.

"You master and disciple shouldn't be so overly modest with each other. Both of you are top-tier combat forces of our Yingzhou."

Cao Hubao stood up and said, though inwardly he wondered how much longer Ling Chi would be able to stay in Yingzhou.

Zhao Qing shook his head slightly. He hadn't even broken through to the Spirit Pearl realm yet; what kind of top-tier combat force was he? Right now, he was merely basking in the reflected glory of his own disciple.

"Commander Cao, there is an urgent letter from Lord Sun." A squad leader appeared before Cao Hubao and reported.

The latter twisted open a bamboo tube, shook out a piece of silk fabric, smoothed it out with his palm, and finished reading the letter in just two or three glances.

"Commandant Sun has sent an urgent decree. He and the brave vanguard camp have already surrounded the He and Jiang brothers at Mount Li."

"He wants us to set out immediately to participate in the encirclement of the He Zhixian and Jiang Xianhe brothers, and we must not let them escape."

Cao Hubao said to Zhao Qing and Ling Chi.

Zhao Qing nodded to indicate he had no problem, and naturally, Ling Chi would not refuse.

Hopefully, after this battle, he could get a little closer to the Spirit Pearl realm.

Cao Hubao immediately assembled the troops. Ling Chi mounted Da Hei, embracing his saber, and they set off immediately.

They launched a forced march directly, with seven or eight hundred men galloping along the official road. The dust kicked up, while not quite enough to blot out the sun, was not far from it.

The surrounding rocks, hills, and vegetation rapidly receded. Da Hei ran with rising excitement, taking the lead.

There were no pedestrians or merchants on the road; no doubt having heard that a major battle had broken out in Hezhou, they had all given the area a wide berth.

Military disasters in times of chaos were no idle talk. The Northwest Province was still relatively stable and order still existed.

In any other place, if these soldiers were left unchecked without suppression, they would have long since scattered to pillage the local villagers.

Mount Li was located near Wu County and was a tail ridge of the Western Mountain range, stretching dozens of miles deep. No wonder Sun Xuan had to summon everyone to join the encirclement.

With such a vast search area, even if all eight major camps under the Red Wind Army were brought here, they still wouldn't be able to cover it completely.