Southern Song, Jiaxing, Misty Rain Tower.
"Qigong, Brother Guo, I'm leaving the Song Dynasty. I must go to Great Qin!"
"Rong'er, that place is extremely dangerous right now. War could break out between the Qin Emperor and the Six States at any moment. It's too risky."
"Qigong, I have a reason I must go. Don't worry. With my strength, unless I face those old monsters from the Hundred Schools of Thought, I won't be in danger. Besides, I have a life-saving treasure with me."
"You're right. There's no need to worry about you. I won't ask why. Just be careful on your journey."
Thinking about how the uncle and nephew of the Ouyang family couldn't even withstand a single move, it was clear that Huang Rong's strength had already surpassed the Five Greats.
Although relieved, he couldn't help but feel a bit bitter as well.
———
Great Sui Dynasty.
Lingnan, Song Family Mountain City, by a stream on the outskirts.
Not far away stood a man-made forest.
Two graceful and elegant women walked slowly along the path.
"Elder Sister, compared to the two new names on the list, who do you think is stronger?"
Song Yuzhi looked at her sister with childlike curiosity.
Song Yuhua smiled softly but said nothing.
Duan Yu and Xu Zhu, who were on the list, were at the Late Grandmaster Realm. While not weak, they were still far from being her match.
"Yuzhi, it's time we handled proper matters."
"We've already delayed over a month and given them three chances to live. Yet they remain stubborn."
"I won't hold back any longer."
At that moment, a cold glint flashed in Song Yuhua's eyes.
"Exactly. You should've done this earlier, Sister!"
"That father and son pair, Xie Hui and Xie Wenlong, are disgusting. When their marriage proposal was rejected, they spread slander about you in the martial world."
"And now they've even colluded with criminals, attempting to defile and harm you. They deserve death a thousand times over!"
"I once respected Xie Hui, but now, he's nothing but a despicable lowlife."
Song Yuzhi was full of righteous fury.
Song Yuhua said nothing in return but turned her gaze toward the nearby forest.
"Come out. You've been following us for long enough. Let's end this today."
"I've run out of patience to keep playing games with you."
Her voice was calm and emotionless.
As soon as she spoke, a dozen masked figures in black appeared and swiftly surrounded them.
A terrifying killing intent radiated from their bodies.
"Xie Hui, Xie Wenlong, show your true faces. There's no need to hide anymore."
"For the past month, you've committed all sorts of vile deeds. Did you really think my Song family wouldn't know it was your Sole Venerable Fortress behind them?"
"It was only out of consideration for our past ties that I spared your reputation."
There was a clear note of disdain in her voice.
"Such a fine niece. What a shame. You could've been the young madam of our Sole Venerable Fortress!"
"And now, you'll become a woman to be ravaged by all."
"If Song Que finds out what happens to you, I wonder what he'll think?"
"Would he kill you with his own hands?"
"I would love to witness that delightful scene."
The leading figure removed his mask, revealing Xie Hui's true face.
He no longer had the gentle and refined appearance from before. Now, he looked vicious and twisted, like an entirely different person.
Perhaps he thought that with all their preparations, they could handle a Grandmaster and a martial artist of Innate level, so he spoke without any restraint.
In response to his provocation, Song Yuhua simply shook her head and sighed.
"Master Xie, I have a question I don't understand. Could you enlighten me?"
"My Song family and your Sole Venerable Fortress have had a strong relationship for many years. Even if I couldn't marry your son, you had no reason to commit so many heinous crimes, did you?"
"You repeatedly attempted to harm me."
"Why?"
She spoke slowly and clearly, her eyes locked onto Xie Hui, icy cold.
As for Xie Wenlong and the Grandmasters beside him, she ignored them completely.
Xie Hui narrowed his eyes. In the next instant, a murderous aura surged toward Song Yuhua.
He clearly had no intention of answering her.
"Once the task is done, you'll know."
"Everyone, attack together!"
With a furious command, all the killers unleashed their most lethal moves, charging toward Song Yuhua.
As for Song Yuzhi, they dismissed her as unworthy of attention.
"Ethereal Sword Art: Sword Eight!"
At some point, a magnificent long sword had appeared in Song Yuhua's hand.
She flicked her wrist.
The next second, the sky was filled with dense sword energy, raining down upon their heads.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like a storm of blades.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Even the Grandmasters, including Xie Hui, were pierced by the sword energy.
"Wenlong!"
Xie Hui roared.
In that brief instant, his son Xie Wenlong had been struck through the heart and died on the spot.
The other Grandmasters also died miserably on the spot.
If not for the fact that she had spared him intentionally, Xie Hui would have died instantly as well.
Song Yuhua's strength had far surpassed his expectations.
"You're not a Grandmaster. You're a Great Grandmaster?"
"No, even Song Que and Ning Daoqi weren't this powerful!"
"What kind of monster are you?"
A month ago, when he saw that Song Yuhua's strength far exceeded that of Song Yuzhi in the Song Family Mountain City, he naively assumed she was a Grandmaster.
He never imagined things were far worse than he thought.
A Great Grandmaster.
And not even twenty years old.
Far superior to her father, Song Que.
He also never realized that all his probing over the past month had failed to reveal her true strength.
He had overestimated himself and underestimated his enemy.
"Grandmasters? In my eyes, they're no different from ants. No matter how many there are, I can wipe them out with a wave of my hand."
"This is what you were relying on?"
"What a disappointment."
"Tell me who's behind all this!"
At first, Song Yuhua had thought Xie Hui's madness stemmed from the broken engagement.
But over the course of the month, she had sensed something else.
It seemed like someone else had set their sights on her.
Xie Hui and his son were merely pawns.
But what was the real motive?
Was it the Ethereal Sword Art?
Or was it because of "him"?
Just as she was about to force an answer out of him, a cold gleam shot from the distant forest.
In an instant, it pierced through Xie Hui's heart, killing him on the spot.
"You're courting death!"
Song Yuhua was completely enraged.
She had hoped to extract information about "him" from Xie Hui.
Now that he had been silenced, the clues were cut off once more.
She swung her sword.
A wave of sword energy shot out, blocking the assassin's escape.
To her surprise, the assassin, realizing escape was impossible, bit down on the poison hidden in his tooth.
He fell to the ground dead in an instant.
"Damn it!"
Song Yuhua gritted her teeth in frustration.
The assassin had a very ordinary face. She had never seen him before.
He was likely a loyal dead man under the command of the mastermind.
She had underestimated them.
What was the mastermind's true goal?
Was it the Ethereal Sword Art?
Or was it "him"?