Chapter Sixty-Five: The Figure Descending from the Heavens

Hei Qin stepped out of his residence, preparing to head to the War God Palace halfway up Mistgold Mountain for training with his instructor, when unexpectedly he caught sight of Ke Bei.

The memory of the cut across his forehead, the scorched hair and singed eyebrows, stirred a wave of malice within him. His already sinister face darkened further, a cold sneer curling his lips as he blocked the path between Ke Bei and Luo Ling.

"Heh heh... Who would’ve thought we’d meet again so soon," Hei Qin said, a chilling, twisted smile on his face, his eyes glinting with venomous intent as he fixed his gaze on Ke Bei.

Luo Ling let out a soft laugh, nodded at Hei Qin, then turned with a pout to Ke Bei, her tone full of playful reproach, as if blaming him for not introducing Hei Qin to her brother Luo Han. "Ke Bei, you seem to know quite a few people, don’t you? Honestly, you should have introduced him to my brother Luo Han!"

She was clever as ice and snow, instantly seeing that Hei Qin was trouble. Her words, seemingly casual, subtly revealed that Luo Han was her brother—after all, Luo Han was ranked in the top ten of the Azure Dragon List, a figure who demanded respect from most.

"Uh?" Ke Bei blinked in confusion. When had he ever met Luo Han? But catching Luo Ling's exaggerated winking as she turned her back to Hei Qin, he instantly understood.

Luo Ling was leveraging her brother's formidable reputation to intimidate Hei Qin, hoping to keep him from acting rashly.

With a knowing smile, Ke Bei looked calmly at Hei Qin. "Yes, it’s surprising to see you again so soon. In fact, my brother Luo Han will be arriving shortly. Would you like an introduction?"

"Luo Han!" Hei Qin’s eye twitched as he spat out the name, his voice icy.

"Are you threatening me?" Hei Qin's tone was frigid, murderous intent surging within him. Ranked twenty-ninth on the Azure Dragon List, he was being threatened by two mere newcomers to the Jiuxiang Genius Training Camp!

"You could say that..." Ke Bei shrugged indifferently. Since the act had begun, he had to see it through—showing any sign of nervousness would only arouse Hei Qin's suspicions. Unfortunately, neither Ke Bei nor Luo Ling, both new to the camp, understood what kind of lunatic Hei Qin truly was.

They did not know he was infamous for his madness.

"Ha ha ha, and what of Luo Han? If I kill you, what can he do to me?" Hei Qin’s bloodthirsty grin widened as he suddenly stepped forward. Golden energy surged from his body, so sharp and tangible it shattered the air around him, kicking up a wild whirlwind.

"You dare kill someone here?" Luo Ling hadn’t expected to face an outright maniac—someone bold enough to murder a fellow trainee within the camp’s very walls.

Her pale face was frosted with cold as she demanded, "And if you kill us, then what? Do you really think the Jiuxiang Base would execute you for killing two new recruits?"

"Who am I? I am Hei Qin, ranked twenty-ninth on the Azure Dragon List! Once I reach the Conqueror Realm, I’ll be a pillar of humanity itself. Even if I do kill you, would the base really kill me for two dead nobodies?"

"At most, they’d lock me away for a few decades! And when I get out, I’ll kill Luo Han too!" Hei Qin’s arrogance reached its peak, golden energy surging to its limit as he clenched his fists. A long blade formed in his grip, forged from that same lethal energy.

Last time, Ke Bei had managed to escape. This time, Hei Qin unleashed his full strength from the outset, leaving no chance for Ke Bei to run.

"Die!" Hei Qin let out a vicious snarl as the golden energy in his body tore through the air. With a thunderous boom, his body—gleaming with a metallic sheen—appeared before Ke Bei in the blink of an eye.

Even before he arrived, blades of golden energy, sharp as razors, tore toward Ke Bei. Hei Qin seemed less like a man than a figure wrought of metal, his body glowing faintly with a metallic luster.

Ribbons of golden energy slashed like monstrous knives, one grazing Ke Bei’s cheek and leaving a gash inches long.

A sudden chill on his cheek, and blood began to flow.

Ke Bei’s face grew grave. The Nine Yang Divine Art surged through him as he stepped forward, yanking Luo Ling behind him while his broadsword slid into his hand.

He knew his throwing knives couldn’t pierce Hei Qin’s defenses—not even when infused with the Nine Yang’s inner strength. So why waste his energy? Perhaps, if his broadsword tasted blood, it might stand a chance.

A violent gale of golden energy swept in, instantly carving deep wounds into Ke Bei’s arm, exposing bone as blood spattered onto the broadsword’s worn hilt, a flash of silver glinting along the rusted blade.

As Ke Bei did all this, Hei Qin’s golden blade was already descending toward him.

"Thunder Slash!" Ke Bei roared, his muscles rippling like waves. Instantly, his physique swelled in size, the Nine Yang Divine Art’s power flooding into his arms.

With explosive force, the blood-stained broadsword, charged with the Nine Yang’s power, crashed against Hei Qin’s golden blade.

With a resounding crack, the broadsword, shimmering with silver light, shattered the golden blade to pieces. Continuing its wild arc, the sword tore through layers of golden energy, finally crashing against Hei Qin’s metallic body.

The broadsword struck Hei Qin’s chest with a screech of grinding metal. Sparks flew as the silver-edged blade bit deep into his body.

But, strangely, not a drop of blood flowed. Instead, Hei Qin trapped the broadsword within his own flesh—his body not just metallic on the surface, but hardened throughout.

"Hmph!" Hei Qin glanced at the blade embedded in his body, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes before it turned to rage. With a cold snort, countless blades of golden energy erupted from within.

With a sickening rip, the razor-sharp gusts sliced toward Ke Bei, instantly shredding the Phantom Series black battle suit he wore.

In an instant, Ke Bei’s body was covered with wounds crisscrossing down to the bone. Blood poured freely, as if rivers of red flowed along the lacerations that marred his entire body.

He had traded blows head-on!

But just one exchange nearly cost Ke Bei his life.

The gap between his current strength and that of a Conqueror Realm master on the Azure Dragon List was simply too vast.

Their clash lasted but an instant. By the time Luo Ling, still shielded behind Ke Bei, realized what had happened, his broken body had already been sent flying.

He was a mangled ruin—little more than a skeleton draped in shreds of flesh.

Luo Ling’s face turned deathly pale, her slender body trembling as she stared dumbfounded at Ke Bei’s ravaged form. Only when his body was about to crash to the ground did she snap out of her daze.

"Ke Bei!" she screamed, her usually melodious voice now hoarse with anguish, her eyes filling with tears. In the split second before he fell, she caught his battered body in her arms.

"One kill or two, it’s all the same! Today, I, Hei Qin, will indulge my bloodlust!" A cruel gleam in his eyes, Hei Qin ripped the broadsword from his body, then strode toward Luo Ling.

At that moment, Luo Ling saw nothing but Ke Bei’s broken form. She paid no mind to Hei Qin, nor did she wish to. Her cold hands gently caressed Ke Bei’s bloodless cheek, a faint, mournful smile on her lips.

"Die!"

In a flash, Hei Qin, unleashing his full power, appeared before Luo Ling, his metallic fist swinging down toward her head.

"Touch her, and you die!"

Just as Hei Qin’s fist was about to strike, a deep, thunderous voice boomed out, and a towering figure dropped from the sky.

Hei Qin’s metallic fist was stopped cold, gripped firmly by this massive, sudden arrival.