Volume One: Young Master of the Demon Gods, Chapter 7: Assassination

Qi Yu felt spiritual energy pouring into his body with reckless abandon, coursing through every meridian. He could not help but knit his brows.

The influx of spiritual energy was overwhelming, rampaging through his meridians. Since Qi Yu had not yet opened his meridians or cleared his acupuncture points, continuing like this would risk rupturing them, rendering all his previous efforts futile.

Qi Yu guided the spiritual energy toward his dantian. A dark red mark suddenly flickered on his forehead, though it vanished in an instant.

Yao Yao paused, murmuring, "Could it be that his bloodline has begun to awaken?"

Under Qi Yu’s guidance, the violent spiritual energy within him was suppressed, yet his forehead remained drenched in cold sweat.

The mark on his forehead appeared once more. Qi Yu breathed rhythmically, but just as he was guiding the energy into his dantian, a far more brutal force erupted from somewhere deep within his body, instantly scattering the energy he had struggled to gather.

Yao Yao turned pale with alarm. "Oh no! Why would his bloodline awaken exactly while he is breaking through his cultivation realm? If the bloodline energy scatters his spiritual power and the breakthrough fails, the force of the bloodline will shatter his acupuncture points, leaving him a complete invalid!"

"Qi Yu, you must hold on! If you make it through this, you will be reborn!"

A familiar sensation!

The brutal energy ravenously devoured Qi Yu’s reason. Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the first time he had gripped the giant sword.

Yes, it was all too familiar. The giant sword had imbued him with this exact same tyrannical energy, a force that stripped his body of conscious control.

Qi Yu once again circulated his spiritual energy, struggling to suppress this force and prevent himself from losing control. For a moment, the spiritual power and the violent energy within him reached a strange, precarious equilibrium.

Qi Yu took deep, rhythmic breaths. The vortex of energy around him began to expand, pulling in spiritual energy with such intensity that it finally suppressed the rampaging force.

Drip.

Drip.

Large beads of sweat fell from Qi Yu’s forehead to the ground. His nerves remained taut as he methodically guided the absorbed spiritual energy into his dantian.

Finally, with a sound like a shattering mirror, he felt his dantian break through a barrier. In an instant, it expanded countless times over. The spiritual energy flowed in like a river returning to the sea, yet it remained calm, soon settling into a state of tranquility.

The vortex around Qi Yu gradually dissipated. After guiding the last wisp of energy, he turned his inner gaze to his meridians, searching for the violent force. If that energy were left to roam freely, it would eventually become a ticking time bomb that could cause his body to explode.

To his surprise, he discovered that the energy had completely merged into the meridians of his right arm. The entire limb was now emitting a faint purple glow.

Qi Yu let out a long, ragged breath and slowly opened his eyes from meditation. He lifted his arm with a look of surprise as the glow slowly faded.

Only when his arm returned to normal did he realize his current state.

"First level of the Profound Entry Realm!"

Qi Yu was overjoyed.

Yao Yao looked at the center of his forehead. The mark had completely vanished, but she could already sense the signs of his bloodline beginning to awaken.

"Qi Yu, how do you feel?" Seeing him open his eyes, Yao Yao asked, her face full of anticipation.

"Sister Yao Yao, I succeeded in breaking through!" Qi Yu could not suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

Yao Yao nodded and said only one word: "Good."

Qi Yu turned toward the giant sword in the center of the Sword Domain. He held his breath and focused. A layer of milky-white spiritual energy gradually coated his Cold Cicada Sword, causing the blade to tremble slightly.

"Hah!"

Qi Yu let out a shout and swung his sword. The Cold Cicada Sword hummed as a majestic, razor-sharp sword qi surged forth. The silver light was blinding, the sword intent overflowing—it was far more pure and vast than ever before!

However, halfway to the giant sword, the sword qi gradually dissipated into the air.

Even so, Qi Yu felt immense joy; he was one step closer to the giant sword!

Just as Qi Yu was feeling smug, Yao Yao’s bamboo branch landed on his head with a "thwack."

"So happy? What, have you fully mastered the sword technique?"

Yao Yao’s words were like a bucket of cold water; Qi Yu’s head immediately drooped.

"Your cultivation realm has improved, but your sword technique is still a complete mess. I’ve told you before: cultivation level does not equate to strength."

Qi Yu nodded earnestly and replied, "I understand, Sister Yao Yao!"

With that, Qi Yu gripped the Cold Cicada and continued to practice the God-Slaying Sword Technique.

For the next period, Qi Yu’s cultivation did not advance further. Apart from catching fish in the pool when he and Little Yu'er were hungry, he spent every spare moment practicing the sword technique.

Seven days later, Qi Yu could flow through the entire set of sword moves with ease. Although not as sharp as Yao Yao’s, his movements were fluid and natural.

Yao Yao finally seemed barely satisfied.

However, unbeknownst to Qi Yu, two men in black had been observing him for three days.

Both were at the third level of the Profound Entry Realm. Standing high in the tree branches, one man with a hooked nose sneered, "Every day, all Qi Yu does is catch fish and sit in that cave meditating. Assassinating such a waste is a complete waste of time. Let’s do it!"

The other man, with silver hair, said cautiously, "Wait a bit longer. I have a feeling it’s not as simple as it looks. That is the forbidden ground of the Sword Sect, yet he comes and goes as he pleases. Don't you find that strange?"

But the hooked-nosed man had lost his patience. He sneered, "Hmph, I can't wait any longer to take his head!"

With that, he darted toward Dragon Pool. Though hesitant, the silver-haired man followed closely behind. In an instant, the two figures turned into black blurs.

Qi Yu was currently in the water, busy catching fish. The sound of the waterfall masked their footsteps in the deep forest; he was completely caught off guard.

In the cave, Yao Yao and Little Yu'er poked their heads out.

Little Yu'er asked with some concern, "Sister Yao Yao, will Brother Qi Yu be alright on his own?"

Yao Yao smiled faintly and said confidently, "Don't worry. With the sword techniques I’ve taught him, as long as he isn't dull-witted, he’ll have no problem dealing with these two!"

However, the moment the two men stepped into the perimeter of Dragon Pool, their bodies froze, their movements turning sluggish as if caught in a gravity spell.

"Not good, our cultivation is being suppressed!"

The hooked-nosed man, who had entered first, looked shocked. His cultivation had been forcibly suppressed to the first level of the Initial Profound Realm, and the spiritual power in his dantian was rapidly leaking away. The silver-haired man, following behind, noticed the anomaly as well and frowned.

At the cave entrance, Little Yu'er stuck out her tongue and said, "I forgot to lift the restriction!"

She quickly formed a seal. As the restriction vanished, the two men felt their bodies lighten considerably.

"Huh, our cultivation is back?"

The two exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

Only then did Qi Yu notice the two uninvited guests.

Knowing they meant him harm, Qi Yu asked coldly, "Who are you?"

No longer constrained by the barrier, the hooked-nosed man narrowed his eyes. "We are the ones here to take your life!"

As he spoke, a short blade appeared in his hand. With a flash of cold light, he lunged toward Qi Yu!

The Cold Cicada Sword instantly appeared in Qi Yu’s hand. He raised it to meet the attacker, thrusting forward in the same motion he had practiced day after day.

In the eyes of the hooked-nosed man, Qi Yu’s movement was not fast—it was, in fact, incredibly slow.

"A death struggle from an ant!"

The hooked-nosed man sneered in total disdain, channeling his spiritual energy to surge forward. He leaped across the Dragon Pool at top speed, the tip of his blade aimed directly at Qi Yu’s throat.

In his mind, this strike was a guaranteed kill.

But as he drew closer to the sword Qi Yu had thrust out, his heart suddenly tightened.

Something was wrong!

His intuition told him that this seemingly mundane strike from Qi Yu was brimming with murderous intent!