The man was sweeping and tapping his cane as he made his way forward. He had to be blind!
But a cultivator who had reached the Innate Stage could see the world with his spiritual senses. Why would he require a cane to get around?
Was the blind man just an ordinary person?
Everyone extended their spiritual senses to probe the blind young man, but they detected no cultivation at all. He was devoid of any spiritual strength, and his body was no more than a fragile husk—he was just an ordinary man.
Was it a joke?
Four Master Stage cultivators were lying on the ground because of him. How could he be an ordinary man?
There was confusion on the faces of many of the law enforcers, and Xu Xiaoshou was equally puzzled.
With his spiritual senses and Sense skill, he should be able to detect everyone’s cultivation.
He had used every means of detection at his disposal, but scanning this blind young man was akin to throwing a rock into the ocean. He got nothing.
“He is a pro! We have a pro at work here!”
Xu Xiaoshou shrank back to his spot behind the pillar. He was immediately on high alert. He could tell with one look that there was something amiss with the young man. He must be a great Master who was concealing his cultivation.
Ye Xiaotian kept his eyes fixed on the blind man as he walked right up to everyone and finally stopped calling out for Dudu.
“Who are you?” asked Ye Xiaotian.
“Lei Shuangxing of the Holy Vassal.”
The young man’s voice was raspy yet pleasant and easy on the ear. It had the quality of sandpaper easing gently across your skin and felt strangely soothing.
An odd expression flickered across everyone’s faces. The man had a badly scarred face. It was such a shame that the soothing voice belonged to a man with such a disfigured face, and many sighed in sympathy.
What a pity. Such a pleasant voice wasted on a face that looked like that.
“Lei Shuangxing?” questioned Qiao Qianzhi as he tried to recall where he had heard the strange name before. He looked surprised moments later. “Your last name is Lei. You are a member of the Lei family?”
The blind young man did not reply. He just stood there. He did not open his eyes but merely lifted his head, and everyone knew he was looking at Luo Leilei.
Luo Leilei looked miserable and had tears in her eyes. She looked like a young girl who had just caught sight of her elder brother after being bullied. She had an expression like she desperately wanted to tell her elder brother what had happened to her.
“I am here.”
Those three simple words had the power to set her heart at ease. Luo Leilei nearly burst into a flood of tears.
Yu Zhiwen’s lovely eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at the blind young man. “He is still alive?”
Ye Xiaotian and Qiao Qianzhi turned toward Jiang Bianyan. The latter thought for a long moment before sighing and replied, “Unless something unexpected happened, I believe he is.”
The certainty in his voice made their eyes widen in alarm.
Yu Zhiwen staggered backward. Her eyes looked empty. The cold, merciless words that she had heard in her youth swept through her mind once more.
“The Lei family has been secretly plotting to claim Abyss Island for themselves. For their crime, we must destroy them!”
It had been more than a decade ago. Yu Zhiwen had been a child who had known nothing of the world. Held within her master’s arms, she had witnessed the true strength of Holy Divine Palace, the most powerful organization on the continent.
It did not matter that the Lei family had been a longstanding, semi-divine family. The simple order had led to their swift and utter extinction.
Those bloody memories had grown blurry with time. The only thing Yu Zhiwen remembered was some members of the Lei family had escaped death. But even though they had escaped with their lives, they were maimed or ruined for life.
The possibility that her childhood companion was still alive somewhere out there gladdened her.
But the appearance of the young blind man before her stunned her…
Yu Zhiwen stared at the face, badly scarred beyond the point of recognition. Her heart flooded with emotions, and she felt her head throb. With no warning, she clasped her head with her hands, and in a swoon, fell to the ground.
Jiang Bianyan reached out, using his internal energy, and steadied her. Then, in an instant, he appeared next to her and whispered, “Do not get caught up in the past. The Lei family conspired with demon beasts. They deserved what they got!”
“I understand,” Yu Zhiwen softly replied.
She grimaced and shut her eyes tightly. She pursed her lips, nodding—then her eyes were clear and bright when she opened them again.
Ye Xiaotian turned his gaze away from Jiang Bianyan and Yu Zhiwen. He had not expected to hear such shocking information from the Holy Divine Palace. But he did not wish to pursue the matter, for it was not the matter which concerned him the most at that point.
“I cannot believe the Holy Vassal has the temerity to even think of sending someone to the Spirit Palace again,” Ye Xiaotian said as he stared at the blind youth.
Lei Shuangxing tilted his head. His blank eyes looked like they were staring right back at Ye Xiaotian. His voice was calm when he spoke. “Why not?” he replied.
Ye Xiaotian froze instantly. Fury flashed across his face when he remembered how the masked man had effortlessly removed his arm.
He would have balked if it was the masked man who spoke in such a manner. But how dare the young man, at his level of cultivation, talk to him so brazenly!
“You think too highly of yourself. You are just a Master Swordsman!” Ye Xiaotian said.
A Master Swordsman?
Everyone froze for a moment. The blind youth possessed no cultivation at all. How could the young man be a Master Swordsman?
Xu Xiaoshou refused to believe that he had failed in his detection and scanned the young man with his Sense skill again. He appeared to be a Master Swordsman with no cultivation.
Something flickered across Xu Xiaoshou’s face.
The young man must be an incredible prodigy to have become a Master Swordsman at such a young age. He thought of Su Qianqian—she might presently be a lot younger than he was, but no one could guarantee that her Sword Will would reach the Master Stage within ten years.
That was right! It was one’s Sword Will and not one’s cultivation that mattered!
One became worthy of the title of a Master Swordsman only when one possessed a Master Stage Sword Will.
It was then that Xu Xiaoshou realized why the blind youth could easily take down four Master Stage cultivators when he had no cultivation. He had chosen the path of Pure Sword Will Combat!
He might very well be the masked man’s disciple!
Lei Shuangxing fell silent. He started feeling his way around again, tapping the tip of his cane on the ground as he moved. In front of him stood a group of law enforcers.
“Excuse me.”
The others who heard him glared at him with sheer astonishment. The blind youth seemed to show no regard for the law enforcers at all! He had the gall to request that they let him pass through as if the place was his own!
“Stop right there!”
One of the law enforcers yelled at him. His voice quivered slightly.
Lei Shuangxing walked around him, passing him by, and walked right into the group of law enforcers.
Xu Xiaoshou was in awe and felt respect for the man. The members of the Holy Vassal seemed to know no fear at all!
But he should not be that bold, even though he was a Master Swordsman. His actions were tantamount to open provocation!
A mere Master Swordsman would not be a match for a Sovereign Stage cultivator whose wrath he had provoked.
Ye Xiaotian got mad. He held his hands out, intending to trap the blind young man with Shackles of the Abyss. But Lei Shuangxing was faster. He pulled a jadestone out of his robes.
What manner of attack was that? Did he plan to throw the rock at Ye Xiaotian?
Everyone stared in puzzlement as Lei Shuangxing crushed the jadestone in his hand. A pillar of sword energy surged into the sky, ripping the Heavens apart, before swinging toward Ye Xiaotian in a violent slash.
The move looked vividly familiar.
It abruptly distracted Ye Xiaotian, as the move instantly reminded him of the masked man. It was his sword energy!
Though the familiar sword energy the blind youth had unleashed was terrifying, it was significantly slower than one executed by the masked man. With a slight shift to the side, Ye Xiaotian dodged the sword energy which continued past him along its slashing arc.
The white sword energy continued striking relentlessly and surged toward the clouds. The Spirit Palace’s array rippled into view as the blow landed on it.
Everyone laughed.
He was truly blind. He had missed his mark!
The next moment, the chimes of an ancient bell rang through the place.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The smiles on everyone’s faces froze. The chiming of the bell went on and only ceased after it hit seven times. It was then when everyone panicked.
The bell chimed seven times. It meant that a great enemy had arrived.
The blind man had no intention to hurt Ye Xiaotian with his sword. He used the attack to accomplish a task.
It was to send a signal.
Ye Xiaotian’s ears twitched. A look of alarm appeared on his face.
It would seem Xiao Qixiu had requested help!
The man before him had not come alone. He had the Holy Vassal’s bigwigs as his reinforcement!
“What do you want?”
Ye Xiaotian silently swore. The Spirit Palace was a small sect, but it seemed to be a repeated target of terrorist organizations such as the Holy Vassal. It was not a good feeling at all.
Lei Shuangxing steadied himself with his cane and stepped forward. There was fear and fury on the faces of the law enforcers as they gradually back away.
In response to Ye Xiaotian’s question, Lei Shuangxing’s voice remained calm, as if nothing in this world could faze or distract him.
“Nothing. I came to pick someone up.”