"No, we're going to Han Country to find Lin Tanyu tomorrow," said Li Yang, clenching his fist, a fighting spirit brimming in his eyes. "I want to see if he is really as formidable as the rumors on the internet suggest."
On a certain cruise liner, a woman dressed in purple, carrying a longsword on her back, stood with the sword borne. The sea breeze lifted wisps of her long, black hair. She gazed into the distance, her eyes occasionally flickering with sharpness.
A youthful man, clad in white practice garments and with long hair, approached from behind: "Zi Ruo, did you hear about it too?"
The young swordswoman bearing the longsword was none other than the Inner Sect's disciple Zhuang Ziruo. Hearing the voice from behind, she turned her head and smiled, "Senior Brother Zhang."
"I heard that this Lin Tanyu wiped out a whole family in Han Country and even defeated the Sword God of Han Country, his reputation unmatched," Zhang Yesheng said with a focused gaze.
"I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I'm getting more and more interested in him," said Zhuang Ziruo indifferently.
"I also want to see if he truly is that formidable," Zhang Yesheng said.
In Xiazhou, Jingmen.
Wei Jingshou and Wei Qiankun lay on the ground, blood trickling from their mouths, their eyes filled with anger and unwillingness.
And in front of the two men was a sinister-looking man in a black suit, tall and thin with a ghastly pale complexion that looked almost sickly.
"Do the Wei Family of Xiazhou hold such little strength that they can control a region? Has the Martial Arts World of the mainland declined to such a degree?" he said, shaking his head.
"If you're going to kill, then kill me; I, Wei Jingshou, will not stand to be humiliated," Wei Jingshou said, his teeth gritted and his eyes bloodshot.
At this, the ghastly man turned his head, his eyes looking like piercing thorns, sending chills down one's spine.
"I won't kill you, but I've heard that your Wei Family bowed down to Lin Tanyu. I'll go kill Lin Tanyu now and convince you of your defeat. The so-called 'Strongest King' shall be slain by me and I'll gain renown across the world." With that, the ghastly man stepped on the water's surface; a pathway formed beneath his feet, and he rapidly moved toward the distance.
While the Huaxia Martial Arts World was in an uproar discussing Lin Tanyu's disturbance in the Martial Arts World of Han Country, the Martial Arts World and various powers of Han Country also began to take action.
Meanwhile, the upper echelons and media of Han Country were doing their best to cover up the truth. After all, this was what they were best at, but the death of Li Yanzhen had already spread within the Martial Arts World of Han Country, and the annihilation of the Li Family had all the major families and powers of Han Country in a state of unease.
It could be said that Lin Mo, within less than a month of arriving in Han Country, had managed to offend people from the Martial Arts World, the commercial circles, the Magic World, and even the upper tiers of Han Country.
In Han Country, Seoul.
Within this city steeped in modernity, no one would know that in a small village outside Seoul dwelt a very special group of people.
The terrain here resembled an upended funnel, with rugged roads and brambles everywhere, making it difficult for people to enter; however, in this seemingly treacherous environment, there was a group living there.
Unless one knew the secret techniques or was aware of hidden paths, no one could enter the village.
Yet now, standing outside the village were a man and a woman—the woman being pretty with a petite figure, dressed in an OL uniform, and a pair of black glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.
As for the man, he was wearing black clothing, with only a pair of sharp eyes visible.
The woman stood at the entrance of the village, looking at the scene inside, where the architecture of the village was similar to that of ancient Han Country, built entirely of wooden courtyards. Figures were leaping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as if they were flying.
The signboard at the entrance of the village had several big characters on it... Nan Family.
"Miss Zi Ji, the leader is already inside waiting for you," said the man beside her.
This woman was none other than the confidant and assistant of Cui Xuanjian.
Zi Ji gave a slight nod.
In the center of the village, they encountered the leader of the Nan Family, a middle-aged man of about fifty, in a courtyard that was more lavish than any nearby structure.
"Zi Ji pays her respects to Lord Nan Qianjing," Zi Ji said, standing erect and speaking reverently.
Nan Qianjing's eyes slowly swept over her, sending an icy chill throughout Zi Ji's body.
"It's been a long time since Chairman Cui Xuanjian has sent someone to find me," he said indifferently, before taking a seat on a stone bench beside him. "May I know what instructions the chairman has for Miss Zi Ji?"
Zi Ji nodded, "Lord Nan Qianjing must be aware already, recently a Huaxia Martial Artist has caused quite a stir in Seoul."
"Are you referring to that Huaxia person named Lin Tanyu?" Nan Qianjing asked calmly.
"He killed Park Shiyou and then Li Yanzhen, and also annihilated the Li Family," Zi Ji explained.
The expression on Nan Qianjing's face remained calm, without a trace of emotional fluctuation.
Seeing Nan Qianjing's indifference, Zi Ji said solemnly, "Moreover, I've heard that by that time Li Yanzhen had already become a Sword Saint, yet he was still defeated by that Huaxia Martial Artist."
Upon hearing this, Nan Qianjing finally showed a hint of concern, frowning slightly, "A Sword Saint? It's been a long time since our Han Country has had a Sword Saint. How could Li Yanzhen suddenly advance to that level? He may have only reached Semi-Saint."
Despite what he said, a serious look still crossed Nan Qianjing's face, "It seems the Martial Artist from Huaxia is no easy adversary."
"Does Lord Nan Qianjing also lack confidence?" Zi Ji asked with a slight furrow of her brows. Nan Qianjing gave her a glance, causing her to lower her head, unable to meet his gaze.
"While I alone may not be able to defeat a Sword God, our Nan Family specializes in the art of killing," he said with a cold snort, his tone calm yet betrayed by underlying pride from deep within.
A smile finally appeared on Zi Ji's face, "Chairman Cui Xuanjian said that as long as Lord Nan Qianjing succeeds in killing that man, the reward will definitely be satisfactory."
"Had you notified the Qian Family before coming here?" asked Nan Qianjing suddenly.
"That was Chairman Cui Xuanjian's instruction, so I..." Zi Ji started, pausing to look at Nan Qianjing.
Although both the Nan Family and the Qian Family were under the orders of the Sanhe Group, the two families were not united.
Lin Mo had not left the Han Country after annihilating the Li Family and slaying Li Yanzhen, along with ten other Han Country experts, because he had a simple reason: he wanted to find other Divine Spirits to allow the Sword Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword to devour and elevate the Xuanyuan Sword to a new level.
"Master, what are we doing here?" Yingzi asked, gazing at the majestic snow-capped mountains under the blue sky, puzzled.
This was a small county town below Seoul City.
"Xiao Zhu, come back with us to apologize, perhaps the leader will spare your life," a sharp voice rang out as the two were walking. Lin Mo halted his steps and looked up to see two tall and gaunt men with sullen faces blocking the path of a woman.
The woman was dressed in modern fashion, and it was indeed Xiao Zhu from the Li Family.
When Lin Mo killed Li Yanzhen and wiped out the Li Family, he had come across Xiao Zhu and Jin Taihe; however, by the time he had finished off Li Yanzhen, they had disappeared.
But when at the Huaxia Bar, Lin Mo had placed a mark on Xiao Zhu. Thus, Lin Mo had led Yingzi leisurely down this road with the intention of finding Xiao Zhu.