I have the face of a great demon.

In the mountains and forests, the lush greenery is vibrant, and sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows that intertwine with the birdsong and the gentle fragrance of flowers to create a tranquil and serene scene.

However, this harmony was shattered by a shocking scene beside the cliff.

More than twenty corpses lay there silently, as desolate as autumn leaves falling, mercilessly severing this beauty.

"Uncle Cheng, it's just ahead! A woodcutter discovered it by chance."

A shout broke the tranquility of the mountains and forests, and a dozen or so disciples dressed in white robes slowly stepped into the battlefield shrouded in gloom.

Their steps were heavy, and their eyes flickered with complex emotions.

"Senior Brother Zhou!" A disciple suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on a familiar figure, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Immediately afterwards, more shouts rose up in unison.

"Senior Brother Liu!"

"Senior Sister Li!"

……

Each name called out was like a sharp knife, cutting through the defenses in the hearts of everyone present.

The middle-aged man, addressed as Uncle Cheng, moved with agility and in a few quick movements, he leaped to the side of the deceased, who lay quietly in white robes against the cliff face.

He gently stroked the deceased's face, his gaze sharp as he surveyed the horrific battlefield around him, then said in a deep voice:

"The martial world is in turmoil once again. The divine sword left behind by the immortals has reappeared, attracting heroes from all walks of life to chase after it. It's quite a lively scene!"

"Chen Jieping sent a message by carrier pigeon, claiming that he had the sword in hand and urgently needed help. We rushed as fast as we could, but we were still a step too late!"

One disciple, filled with indignation, gritted his teeth and said:

"Uncle Cheng, I recognize these men in black. They are the infamous Sand Tiger Gang! These thieves harmed Senior Brother Chen and the others, and stole the Divine Sword. Let's go and raze their lair to the ground and avenge Senior Brother!"

These words stirred up the crowd, and the disciples echoed their sentiments, vowing to seek justice.

"No!" Master Cheng raised his hand to stop the disciples who were indignant. "The Divine Sword was not stolen by the Sand Tiger Gang."

"How do you know?" the disciples asked, puzzled.

Uncle Cheng slowly began to speak:

"Although the Sand Tiger Gang is domineering and tyrannical, their martial arts skills are actually mediocre; they rely solely on their numbers. If they really dare to commit such a heinous act, how could they not fear our wrath?"

"Furthermore, judging from the scene, the place is a mess and no one has cleaned it up. It is obviously not the work of the Sand Tiger Gang. If they had succeeded, they would have been eager to clean up the traces to avoid future troubles."

"They didn't clean up the scene. There's only one possibility: they're all dead, and no one can handle the aftermath."

"Could it be... that a third party has intervened?" Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and secretly speculated.

The divine sword has vanished without a trace, and both factions have suffered heavy casualties; there must be a third party lurking in the shadows.

Master Cheng surveyed the scene, and when his gaze fell upon the numerous men in black who had been cut in half at the waist, his pupils constricted sharply.

Could these men in black have been fatally wounded by a single attack?

impossible! Absolutely impossible!

These men in black were so far apart, how could they all be cut in half with one move?

As far as he knew, the world's strongest martial arts master, Sikong Chen, was unparalleled in swordsmanship, with sword energy reaching two zhang in length, capable of slaying several people in a single move.

However, these men in black were so far apart that without a sword aura of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), it would be absolutely impossible to kill them all in one move.

To do this, one would have to be an immortal.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning:

"Unless... it is the power of a divine sword! Could it be that someone has truly obtained a divine sword and unleashed such an astonishing attack?"

Thinking of this, Master Cheng's eyes couldn't help but reveal an undisguised greed and desire.

"Act immediately!" he snapped back to reality and ordered his disciples.

"You will split into two teams. One team will be responsible for collecting the remains of your fellow disciples, while the other team will spread out to spread out, gather intelligence, and make sure to find suspicious individuals and the whereabouts of the divine sword!"

"Yes, Master!" The disciples obeyed and left swiftly.

Soon after, a disciple rushed over to report.

"Uncle Cheng, after examining the body, I found that apart from the two swords among the personal weapons being missing, all other belongings were intact."

"Two swords are missing?" Upon hearing this, Master Cheng frowned and fell into deep thought.

------

Filled with longing for the martial world, Liu Xingchen headed towards Zhendong.

After asking several people along the way, he finally found the Ling Shui Gang's "mansion" amidst a somewhat desolate landscape—a large courtyard barely enclosed by mottled earthen walls, exuding a rather shabby atmosphere.

This Lingshui gang seems to be relatively poor. There aren't many decent houses in the courtyard, unlike those wealthy families who have front yards, back yards, and inner residences.

This is a row of simple, gray farmhouses built against the earthen walls, presumably to provide shelter for the gang members from the wind and rain, and there are no other buildings.

The huge courtyard was spacious enough for horses to run through. Several weapon racks were casually placed in the center, filled with knives, spears, and clubs. This was the training ground where the Ling Shui Gang disciples trained hard.

Despite their poverty, the Ling Shui Gang was quite famous, and on the day of recruitment, it attracted strong men from all around.

When Liu Xingchen arrived, the line was already very long.

After finding out that this was the Ling Shui Gang, he did feel a little disappointed.

However, he didn't have many other options. No matter how bad this place was, it was still a martial arts gang.

He secretly encouraged himself and decided to settle here for the time being, practice martial arts to strengthen his body, and take things one step at a time as he went along with the future.

So he joined the back of the line.

Everyone in the group was dressed in coarse cloth, and they were all strong men who looked like they had been working hard all year round and were not lacking in strength.

Liu Xingchen was dressed as a scholar, looking refined and cultured, which made him stand out from the crowd and attracted sidelong glances and whispers.

"Why is this scholar joining in the fun? Is he going to join the Ling Shui Gang too?"

"Haha, who knows? But the Ling Shui Gang doesn't have a rule that scholars can't join, does it?"

"I didn't say that, but what can a scholar, who can't even kill a chicken, do?"

"Hey, don't underestimate scholars. There are many martial arts masters who look like scholars. They seem weak and easy to bully. But when they make a move, they are more powerful than strong men."

"That's right, I've met people like that before."

The whispers reached Liu Xingchen's ears, making him somewhat embarrassed.

He really wished he were the martial arts master people talked about, but unfortunately he wasn't; he was just a scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Just as he was about to give up, a series of heavy footsteps approached from afar, interrupting his thoughts.

A burly man, as tall as an iron tower, rushed over and stood behind Liu Xingchen.