Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 424: Chapter 304: Star Sword Formulas

In July of the 1455th year of the Imperial Calendar, things had been quiet for a long time. The Lord’s Mansion had long since moved to Penzes New City, and Old Penzes, in fact, was now completely encircled by it.

The new city covered an immense area. Its two main thoroughfares, which ran from the east gate to the west and the north gate to the south, were a hundred and twenty meters wide. They were paved with smooth, flat bluestone slabs and were incredibly durable; not even a fully laden Turtle Shell Beast could hope to make the slightest dent in them.

These two roads alone had cost an immense fortune. Furthermore, the construction workers were all master craftsmen recruited from various nations with exceptionally high pay.

This extended to the buildings owned by Ling Xiao within the city, especially the new Lord’s Mansion. The estate was magnificent and imposing, with breathtakingly beautiful and exquisitely fine details.

The residential districts were designed by Huangpu Yue, who was now far away in the Imperial Capital. The housing blocks were sectioned off individually, which made them both convenient to manage and aesthetically pleasing.

From a distance, the massive city walls were as majestic and imposing as a mountain range, exuding an immense, oppressive aura. A magic crystal cannon was mounted above each of the four main gates, their muzzles looming ominously, enough to strike fear into the hearts of any onlooker.

The area designated for the Ice Sea Secret Race was in the northwest corner of the new city, while Ling Xiao planned to reserve the northeast corner... for the Beastmen of Penzes Swamp!

In the end, Lady Ling did not move to Penzes New City. Rumor had it that His Majesty the King had personally visited the Ling Mansion and exhausted every pleasantry before she finally acquiesced. However, Lady Ling only promised to stay until the end of the year. After the carnival, she insisted the entire family would move south.

Li Wu Zhi knew that forcing the issue would only antagonize Ling Xiao. He could only pray that the Gou Family, who held an old grudge against Ling Xiao, would send someone to kill him soon. ’As soon as Ling Xiao is dead... the very first thing I’ll do is ransack the Ling Family!’

’For me, the great Emperor of the Empire, to bow my head to a woman... it’s an absolute disgrace!’

Ling Xiao understood his mother’s choice. ’She’s lived under the thumb of imperial authority for so many years, after all,’ he thought. ’It will take time to escape that shadow.’

Old Marshal Qiu Chen had recently arrived in Penzes New City. Upon seeing Ling Xiao’s Iron Army, he had taken an immediate liking to them and become the head instructor of the Ling Family’s private army.

Ling Wu was beyond thrilled by the old marshal’s arrival. Had it been anyone else, Ling Wu would not have so willingly accepted being led. But Qiu Chen was different. He was the Empire’s god of war. Among the common people, he was even more revered than the legendary Sword Saints and Sword Gods.

Talented people from all fields were gathering around Ling Xiao. His only real shortage, perhaps, was in High-tier Martial Artists. And while Ling Xiao hadn’t offended many people, the families backing each of those he had were terrifyingly powerful.

Take the Zhe Family, for instance. Despite the losses they had suffered on the Qin Family Island, their foundation remained intact. Their Sword Venerable powerhouses disdained to make a move against Ling Xiao personally, and too few Sword Emperor powerhouses had come last time. It was easy to imagine, however, that more would follow.

The Dragon Valley Gou Family had suffered much more severe losses; everyone they sent to the exchange gathering had been annihilated. They likely wouldn’t have the luxury of bothering with Ling Xiao for the foreseeable future, as they were bound to be locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Li Family. But that had nothing to do with Ling Xiao.

The Yu Family’s hatred for Ling Xiao ran deep, and it was unlikely they would give up. However, they didn’t seem particularly powerful—or perhaps their strongest experts just hadn’t attended the gathering. In any case, at his current level, Ling Xiao had no reason to fear them.

’The Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron, the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword, the Soul-Devouring Demon Net, and the Cold Iron Sword Array! With these four treasures, which I’ve mostly refined,’ Ling Xiao thought, ’plus that incredibly powerful defensive artifact from Shangguan Yutong’s ancestral ruins—the Refined Gold Moonlight Armor—I’m confident I could take on even a Tier Six Sword Emperor in a one-on-one fight!’

Deep within the sea, Ling Xiao had spent three months having his body tempered by the Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron. He had absorbed countless essences of the water element, forging his physical form until it was nearly indestructible. The current strength of his body far surpassed that of a normal Cultivator at the Golden Core Stage.

He believed that with his Mid-Golden Core Stage strength, even without using his magical artifacts, he could rely on his sword alone to hold his own against a High-Tier Sword Emperor for hundreds of exchanges.

As for Shangguan Yutong’s original sect, Lengning Palace, Ling Xiao didn’t give it much thought. However, that baffling super-family, the Jingwu Family, left him both puzzled and wary.

Although Ling Xiao still wasn’t quite sure how he had offended those three young Sword Sect masters—men so arrogant their eyes might as well have been on top of their heads—he was certain of one thing: there was no way they could have recognized him as the same person from the island.

’If that’s the case, then there’s only one likely possibility,’ he reasoned. ’The Jingwu Family must also be targeting the enormous profits from my Alchemy! Otherwise, there’s no explanation for why they would suddenly send a High-Tier Sword Emperor to cause trouble for me.’

Ling Xiao felt no regret for killing that High-Tier Sword Emperor from the Jingwu Lie Family. ’A man who could bring himself to harm ordinary women and children... scum like that is a menace just by existing.’ As for retaliation... ’Would they really not have come for revenge if I hadn’t killed him?’

Therefore, Ling Xiao had recently spent his time refining dozens of Small Returning Pills. This was all thanks to his ample supply of Ten Thousand Year Jiao Blood; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible to produce so many high-grade elixirs.

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