When it came to these swordsmen, they hailed from the northwest, belonging to a sect known as the Ghost Blade Sect. This sect was not prominent in the martial world, in fact, it was virtually unknown.
This was not surprising, as this sect, a hundred years ago, had engaged in a business with no capital: horse bandits.
This was a profession where one licked blood from the edge of a blade, and those in the martial arts world disdained to associate with them.
The weapons of all members of the Ghost Blade Sect were ghost-head sabers, though some also used zhanmadao (horse-chopping sabers). Their martial arts were characterized by tricky and fierce attacks, employing the most insidious moves, aiming to kill with every strike.
Later, these individuals colluded with invaders and ultimately tasted the iron fist of the people, forcing them to cease their activities, and those horse bandits were thoroughly dealt with.
However, the Ghost Blade Sect was not completely annihilated; they still had some disciples who were barely surviving in the northwest.
Now, the demonic and heretical factions were preparing to seize the opportunity of the Celestial Palace asteroid's arrival and the great resurgence of spiritual energy in heaven and earth to stir up trouble. They had invested a vast amount of capital and immense resources, attracting many obscure minor sects or those that had been suppressed by the righteous alliance in the past into the embrace of the heretical factions.
The Ghost Blade Sect, in particular, received substantial financial injections from the heretical factions, and the heretical faction members also promised to exponentially increase their sect's strength.
Indeed, after consuming the so-called elixirs provided by the heretical factions, the disciples of the Ghost Blade Sect experienced monstrous improvements in their physical conditioning, and their strength soared like a rocket.
What these unfortunate souls did not know was that they were not eating immortal elixirs, but pills containing the eggs of divine蛊 (gu) worms.
Once these pills were ingested, the worm eggs immediately hatched and parasitized their livers, altering their endocrine systems and thereby strengthening their bodies.
Of course, the price was the depletion of their life force; these individuals had at most 10 years left to live!
Yet, the people of the Ghost Blade Sect remained ignorant, blissfully unaware, and smugly dreaming of their future.
Seeing their companion die tragically, the eyes of these two Ghost Blade Sect disciples turned red, and their sabers simultaneously slashed towards Ling Tian.
The two cooperated with exceptional默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding), their saber angles perfectly precise, sealing off almost all of Ling Tian's escape routes.
Ling Tian, unhurried, raised his hand and unleashed a saber strike.
Just as Ling Tian's saber was about to clash with their ghost-head sabers, Ling Tian's saber suddenly vanished before their eyes. Their own sabers sliced through empty air. The next moment, they were horrified to find Ling Tian's saber reappear, this time less than a foot from their necks.
It was too late for them to change their moves or dodge.
Two heads flew into the sky, rolling onto the ground like footballs, their bodies collapsing onto the ground, the entire pavilion stained crimson with blood.
Ling Tian flicked the Ghost Cutting Long Saber in his hand, and the blood on the blade dripped onto the ground, leaving no trace on the weapon.
At this moment, the voice of his sixth master, Yan Yu, came through his earpiece.
"I say, Ling Tian, can't you be a bit more subtle? How am I supposed to clean up all this blood you've made all over the place!"
Ling Tian chuckled, "Alright, Master, I understand!"
With that, Ling Tian sheathed the Ghost Cutting Long Saber and went in search of new targets.
In a secret chamber beneath the Yan Yu Pavilion, Yan Yu and Qiu Hong watched a large screen, Qiu Hong's eyes filled with admiration.
"Master, has Ling Tian's martial arts improved again?" Qiu Hong asked curiously.
"More than just improved; his current martial arts have far surpassed ours. I doubt even if the few of us attacked him together, we would be his match!
This child is truly a genius. To think he only descended the mountain three years ago.
Among these, there is his talent and effort, and of course, there must have been some fortuitous encounters."
"Yes, I knew it, Ling Tian younger brother is a once-in-a-century genius!" As Qiu Hong spoke of Ling Tian, her face lit up.
"Such a genius, and you still haven't captured him? What are you waiting for?" Yan Yu suddenly said.
Qiu Hong was somewhat stunned by her master's sudden remark, her entire being falling into a daze.
"Qiu Hong, I know you like Ling Tian, and you probably can't accept any other man. Hurry up and put in the effort. I'll handle this kid Ling Tianzi.
Do I need to teach you some things hand-in-hand? What is our sect for?"
"Master, I do like Ling Tian very much, and I really want to capture Ling Tian, but Ling Tian is a person who values relationships greatly, and his relationship with Bing Xia is very good..."
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already spoken to Bing Xia about this matter. I will handle Wang Bing Xia. You need to put in the effort and capture Ling Tian!
Qiu Hong, I consider you my own daughter. If you want to find another son-in-law, I won't agree!"
"Okay, Master, I will definitely capture that brat!" Qiu Hong's eyes were filled with fighting spirit!
At this moment, on a high ground near the island's pier, two men and one woman stood, people occasionally reporting the island's situation to them.
The fiery-figured, alluring woman in the middle was Yuliya of the Joyous Union Sect.
Beside Yuliya stood a tall, slender man wearing a black robe made of exquisite silk, with a headband tied around his hair.
This person was named Li Fei, around 40 years old, and he was one of the thirteen newly promoted protectors of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The reason he became a protector was that his teacher was the Gu King!
Although the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect now deeply resented the Gu King, believing that the old fellow had fallen into the hands of the righteous alliance and sold them all out.
The righteous alliance had obtained a vast amount of information about the Heavenly Demon Sect, which severely jeopardized the lives of the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples.
But the problem was that many of the Heavenly Demon Sect's plans required the technology held by the Gu King.
For instance, various poisons and unexpected gu worms, which they used to kill or control opponents invisibly.
Although there were alternatives, these alternatives were far inferior to gu worms.
Therefore, the Heavenly Demon Sect, out of necessity, promoted Li Fei to protector ahead of schedule, barely maintaining the establishment of the 13 protectors.
On Yuliya's other side stood a burly man with a face full of coarse flesh but a fawning expression.
This man had a massive ghost-head saber strapped to his back, which was a size larger than the ghost-head sabers used by others.
This person was named Ma Hualong, and he was the current sect leader of the Ghost Blade Sect.
In fact, the Ghost Blade Sect was a very peculiar sect; in this sect, the person who could become the sect leader had to be the strongest. Even if you were old and no longer able to fight, you had to abdicate, rather than relying on seniority.