Chapter 244 - 130: Ancestral Hall, Worship the Martial Saint, Receive the Mantle! Black Market, Celestial Killing Star, a Successor Arises

Chapter 244: Chapter 130: Ancestral Hall, Worship the Martial Saint, Receive the Mantle! Black Market, Celestial Killing Star, a Successor Arises

The young man’s mind stirred. For a brief, tranquil moment, he simply stared at the ’Sword Marked Stone Wall’. Then, Tribulation Fire assailed his body, threatening to incinerate the ’Glazed Jade Skin’ he had just refined, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.

The sudden turn of events made Chen Hex, who was off to the side, flinch. He instinctively thought something had gone wrong and was about to intervene.

However, when Duan Chenzhou saw that Ji Xiu’s gaze had already fallen upon the stone wall recording the essentials of the ’Great Five Decline Celestial Saber’...

He sighed inwardly, knowing it was too late to stop him. The arm he had started to raise froze in mid-air.

"Have you ever seen one of those people who are born with innate knowledge?"

"The kind who can comprehend any True Skill, any Secret Martial art, with but a single glance."

Chen Hex looked skeptical and answered instinctively:

"I have not."

After hearing this, Duan Chenzhou silently looked over at Ji Xiu.

"Well, now you have."

After hearing his words and seeing the Tribulation Fire ignite on Ji Xiu’s body—a flame that seemed born from his very Divine Soul and perfectly matched the description of the First Decline of the Great Five Decline Celestial Saber—

Chen Hex was stunned for a moment.

He then slowly turned, walked out without a backward glance, and took down the black plaque hanging in the ’Ancestral Hall’.

"When are you leaving?"

Chen Hex asked in a heavy tone, clutching the plaque.

"I’m not leaving. He is."

Duan Chenzhou chuckled and pointed at Ji Xiu.

"His roots are in Anning County. As for the Prefecture City, while I’ve paved the way for him, there are still some things that need to be arranged."

"This time, I just brought my apprentice here to broaden his horizons. The next time..."

"...that will be when this Juvenile Dragon truly leaves his ’mark’ on this Prefecture City!"

"Also,"

"from this day forward, the world will no longer need ’Duan Chenzhou of the Celestial Blade School’."

He pulled a Red Gold Celestial Spirit Mask from his robes, traced the patterns on its surface, tapped it a few times, and said half-jokenly:

"Oh, right."

"If I’m struck from the records and happen to fall out there somewhere, will you, the great Sect Leader, carry the coffin for a renegade disciple like me?"

Chen Hex’s expression changed the moment he saw the mask in Duan Chenzhou’s hand.

"A Celestial Spirit Mask from the Gold-Selling Cave of the ’Black Market’..."

"How did you get your hands on this?"

If, on the surface, Jiangyin Prefecture was a place of clear hierarchies—Grand Lineage, Daoist School, and School—

—then in the shadows, the ’Black Market’ operated, its origins shrouded in mystery, powerful enough to even go toe-to-toe with a True Sect!

Within it, the Celestial Spirit and Earth Fiend ’Assassins’ ran rampant throughout the surrounding Prefecture and County. As long as one had enough wealth and treasure, they could kill anyone beneath the rank of a Titled master!

These individuals had mysterious origins. The ranks of the Celestial Spirit assassins were so exclusive that one had to be at least a Leakless or Dragon and Tiger Martial Artist to qualify, making them incredibly rare!

He slowly donned the mask named ’Celestial Killing Star’.

As his tattered purple sleeves fluttered in the wind, the mask on Duan Chenzhou’s face seemed to meld with his skin, exuding a thick aura of malice and slaughter.

"’Duan Chenzhou’ is dead."

"But one must live on under a new identity."

"Otherwise, how will I earn resources for my Cultivation? And how will I settle old scores?"

RUSTLE!

As he watched his apprentice ’Ji Xiu’ completely absorbed in the Great Five Decline Heaven Saber Realm, unable to extricate himself,

Duan Martialist, now wearing a ’brand new face,’ gave his sleeve a shake, and a long list of names unfurled from it.

"’Borrowing’ resources by showing up at someone’s door and tying them up is a principle the old man taught me. As his disciple, I have diligently passed it down to his grand-disciple."

"The old man walked the kingly path, overwhelming all supposed adversaries."

"But that is not my path."

On the list, from bottom to top, were the names Chen Chuhe, Xuu Mao, Ren Canghai...

—every single one of the Grandmasters from the Fishing Trade, the Wood Element, and the Purple Mist Water and Fire Daoist School who had plotted to kill him was listed, not one of them missing.

Then, Duan Chenzhou lightly ran his finger over the list, drawing a cross.

"I would rather kill everyone in the world than let anyone in the world kill me."

"For those who have wronged me, if they are not dead, my heart cannot be at peace!"

"Perhaps they can’t cause me any trouble..."

"...but my apprentice, who has yet to reach his full potential, may not be able to withstand them."

"It’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to defend against an arrow from the shadows."

"Rather than wait for that..."

"...it would be better to have them all die as a funeral sacrifice!"

Chen Hex’s eyes narrowed. He saw that at the very top of the list, written in bold, was the name... ’Duan Chenzhou’!

"You..."

"In the underworld of Jiangyin, in the Gold-Selling Cave of the Black Market, there are bounties on the name Duan Chenzhou. Ever since I became a Grandmaster, a good dozen or so contracts have been put out."

"The smallest reward is a hundred taels of Red Gold, while the largest offer Sea Marvels, Qi Dao Spirit Pills, and even half an Earth Treasure. You could say they’ve spared no expense!"

"I never thought my head could be worth so much!"

"Since that’s the case, I’ll grant them their wish and erase this name myself."

The corner of Duan Chenzhou’s mouth hooked into a grin.

"Then, the Black Market’s ’Celestial Killing Star’ will make a name for himself in a single battle, killing Jiangyin’s most famous Sword Master prodigy in sixty years. I imagine that will build quite a reputation, and countless Grand Lineage Daoist Schools will treat me as an honored guest. The wealth will just pour in."

Chen Hex was rendered speechless.

"...There was a reason he took a liking to you and accepted you as his disciple back then."

Duan Chenzhou gave a noncommittal response, his eyes fixed on the plaque in Chen Hex’s hands.

"What do you mean by taking this thing down...?"

Seeing that Ji Xiu was on the verge of stepping into the third stage of the Sword Realm, Chen Hex glanced at the boy. His face was flushed and his body was wreathed in Tribulation Fire, which seemed to be leaving faint marks of decay on his Glazed Jade Skin, yet a potent Sword Intent was growing stronger with it. Chen Hex replied:

"No one in our entire school can comprehend this plaque. Rather than keep it here, it’s better to leave it to Junior Ji."

"Besides, the other Schools in Jiangyin Prefecture have been coveting this plaque for a long time. In the past, they showed some restraint, fearing the old man’s lingering might, truly afraid he might one day return. That’s why they never dared to be too outrageous."