act recklessly

The setting sun dipped low, painting the sky a vibrant red.

Zhong Qing strolled along the mountain path, occasionally taking a sip of wine, as figures constantly streaked across the sky.

Heavenly Question had not truly emerged yet, but the surrounding area was already bustling with activity.

In just a short half an hour, Zhong Qing had seen at least a hundred people from different Sects hurrying towards the Sword Tomb.

On both sides of the mountain path, high mountains stretched in undulating ranges, with lush ancient trees standing tall.

A river flowed continuously along the mountainous terrain, rushing towards the distance.

Above the river in the distance, tearing through the sky, came sounds of Sword Qi, accompanied by ripples of energy that swept in all directions.

Clearly, a conflict was occurring.

Zhong Qing stopped, slowly taking a sip of wine.

He paid it no mind.

This region was currently a gathering of heroes, with experts converging; in the cultivation world, it was common for disputes to break out at the slightest disagreement.

Zhong Qing had encountered no less than several such conflicts of this level just that afternoon.

But then!

A voice rang out, catching Zhong Qing's attention.

"Sword Maniac, don't be too presumptuous! The Reverse Defect Sword is the Lingjian Sect's treasured artifact. How dare you seize something from my Lingjian Sect? Are you not afraid of my Lingjian Sect destroying you?"

The voice was clear and echoed in all directions.

"It's her?!"

Zhong Qing instantly recognized the person's identity from the voice.

This voice was none other than the woman who had given him a long sword earlier in Wanjian City.

"It seems she's in trouble!"

As Zhong Qing murmured to himself, his body moved.

He hurried towards the scene.

Upon arrival, he saw that high above the river.

A man and a woman were facing each other in the air.

The woman's pretty face was flushed with anger, her brows tightly furrowed, as she looked gravely at the man confronting her.

The man she called Sword Maniac sneered, "Sword Spiriter, don't try to pressure me with the Lingjian Sect!"

"The Reverse Defect Sword, I am determined to obtain it. If you know what's good for you, hand it over to me quickly."

"Otherwise, I don't mind turning this place into the burial ground of the Lingjian Sect's Saintess."

"Never!"

Sword Spiriter's beautiful eyes narrowed.

"Master said, 'Where the sword is, the person is; where the sword perishes, the person perishes.' If you want to seize my Lingjian Sect's treasure, you'll have to step over my corpse first!"

Though her body was delicate, she carried an undeniable resolve.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Qing roughly understood the cause of the matter.

He stepped into the Void Realm, directly arriving beside Sword Spiriter.

"It seems you're in trouble. Do you need help?"

Seeing Zhong Qing suddenly appear, Sword Spiriter was first stunned, surprised that Zhong Qing had arrived beside her so stealthily.

She secretly marveled at Zhong Qing's strength.

But after glancing at the opponent, her heart tightened.

She said urgently, "This Sword Maniac is a notorious evil sword cultivator, a grand expert of the Venerable Realm. Even I can only contend with him for a bit by relying on the Sect's secret treasure. Young Master, I'm afraid you won't be able to help me."

"You should leave quickly!"

Clearly, she recognized Zhong Qing immediately.

Although Zhong Qing had appeared beside her stealthily, it was only because her full attention had been on the Sword Maniac that she hadn't noticed him.

So, while Zhong Qing might be strong, in her opinion, he was likely still insufficient against the Venerable Realm Sword Maniac.

Now that she was already deeply embroiled, there was no need to involve an innocent person.

"Come as you please, leave as you please? Did you ask me?!"

Before Zhong Qing could speak, the Sword Maniac on the other side sneered coldly.

"Kid, if you're not strong enough, don't try to be a hero saving a beauty."

"Next life, remember to open your eyes wider."

As he spoke, his eyes flickered with killing intent, and he directly unleashed a terrifying killing move.

The Reverse Defect Sword was one of the three keys to an ancient Secret Realm, and he was determined to obtain it.

The Lingjian Sect was powerful, and the Reverse Defect Sword had always been kept within the Lingjian Sect's Sect, leaving him helpless.

Now, with thousands of experts gathered in the True Domain's center, he rarely saw the Lingjian Sect's Saintess traveling alone with the Reverse Defect Sword. How could he miss such a rare opportunity?

And Zhong Qing had suddenly appeared.

He must have countless ties to the Lingjian Sect, so how could he let him run back to report?

A terrifying Sword Qi tore through the sky, striking towards the two of them.

That Sword Qi seemed indestructible and unstoppable, possessing the power to cleave mountains and split seas.

Just the residual pressure of the Sword Qi caused endless waves to surge in the river.

Seeing this!

Sword Spiriter's face turned pale.

A look of determination flashed across her face.

"You go quickly!"

"I'll block this killing move."

She gritted her silver teeth, about to activate a secret technique to forcefully block this attack.

However, as soon as she activated the secret technique, she felt a gentle force push her, then guide her behind him.

"Don't worry, this attack isn't strong enough to warrant you using a secret technique to block it!"

The soft words carried an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

The next moment!

Zhong Qing extended his palm and lightly pointed.

The Sword Maniac sneered, "Seeking death!"

This killing move of his gathered his obsession with the sword, making it akin to a Divine Ability.

Even someone two minor Realms above him wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

Attempting to break his killing move with a single finger.

In his eyes, how foolish this was.

However, the next moment, the sneer on his face instantly froze.

Zhong Qing's understated finger not only shattered his sword move with devastating force but also pierced through his forehead with lightning speed.

"How... is that possible?"

The Sword Maniac's body fell, directly plunging into the river.

Before dying, he uttered a thought filled with unwillingness and confusion.

He wasn't the only one with this thought; Sword Spiriter also had it.

She, who had already prepared to sacrifice herself, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed, and her cherry-like mouth formed an 'O' shape.

Her gaze towards Zhong Qing was filled with disbelief.

"You... are you that powerful?"

She swallowed, her mind flooded with myriad thoughts.

Too unexpected!

Too delightful!

She never imagined that Zhong Qing would be so powerful.

With a single, gentle finger, he killed a grand expert of the Venerable Realm.

This was simply too incredible.

Facing Sword Spiriter's surprise, Zhong Qing merely smiled faintly.

"Are you alright?"

His gaze turned to her.

Sword Spiriter's own cultivation was not high; she hadn't even reached the Myriad Laws Realm.

The reason she could fight a Venerable Realm expert was because a Venerable Realm Sword Spirit was sealed within her body.

This Sword Spirit allowed her to temporarily exert the combat power of the Venerable Realm.

Such a method was Heaven-Defying, allowing a person to temporarily unleash combat power spanning several major Realms.

But relatively speaking, the burden was also immense!

After Zhong Qing spoke, Sword Spiriter felt waves of weakness wash over her body.

Her face also visibly paled at a rapid pace.

A large part of this was due to her body operating under extreme overload.

But a small part was also due to the shock she had just experienced.

Her mind was still replaying the scene of Zhong Qing casually killing the Sword Maniac with a single finger.

She never expected that a simple, unintentional act of kindness on her part would lead her to encounter such a person.

...