Rebirth of The Strongest Swordsman

Chapter 10

Lin Feng froze his stance instantly as the name Lu Chen vibrated through the air, causing the silver Divine Sword Qi along his three unlocked spinal vertebrae to hum with intense, lethal resonance.

The armored envoy stood in the center of the shattered flagstones, holding the blood-red sealed decree aloft as four hundred pounds of physical aura pressed outward from his Fourth Layer cultivation base. Dusty grey stone powder drifted through the air, settling onto the surrounding crowd of silent, terrified servants.

Sect Master Ye Cang took two heavy steps forward, placing his left hand onto the wooden railing of the platform to support his frame. His carotid artery pulsed with healthy arterial blood flow as the dark ice toxin remained temporarily neutralized in his upper chest.

"The Qingyun Sect has guarded the Fallen Sword Valley for three hundred years under the founding charter of the Seven Sect Alliance, so an external envoy holds no unilateral authority to force a territorial surrender," Ye Cang stated, his voice clear and resonant across the quiet square.

The armored envoy turned his head forty-five degrees to the left, his cold eyes locking onto Ye Cang before shifting to Lin Feng.

"Alliance Leader Lu Chen holds absolute military command over all seven regional sects," the envoy replied, his tone carrying direct, lethal authority. "Any branch sect master who refuses compliance within seven days will be branded a traitor to the Holy Sword Realm, and his entire disciple body will be executed."

Lin Feng stood at the edge of the four-foot platform, his left hand gripping the linen-wrapped hilt of the thirty-five-pound black iron sword while silver Divine Sword Qi vibrated along his three unlocked spinal vertebrae.

He calculated the exact distance between his position and the envoy's throat—twenty-four feet across the stone aisle. His Dantian remained completely empty, yet the concentrated energy in his spinal marrow provided four hundred pounds of explosive kinetic output force.

"Return to Lu Chen," Lin Feng said, his tone flat and devoid of emotion.

The envoy narrowed his eyes beneath his dark iron visor, stepping two paces forward onto the stone floorboards.

"An unranked servant dares speak the holy name of the Alliance Leader directly without kneeling?" the envoy demanded, channeling blue internal Qi into his right gauntlet.

"Tell Lu Chen that the owner of the Fallen Sword Valley has reclaimed his blade," Lin Feng stated clearly, his voice cutting through the silent square. "If he wants the ancient sword intent fragment, he must come to this mountain valley and extract it himself."

Supervisor Hu Lang stepped toward the envoy, gesturing frantically toward Lin Feng with his right hand.

"Envoy Qi, this crippled brat possesses zero Dantian Qi, yet he broke the limbs of three Canglan disciples using abnormal physical joint leverage! Execute him on the spot for treason against the Alliance!" Hu Lang urged, his face flushed with anger.

The envoy, named Qi Zhen, raised his armored right hand, pointing his iron gauntlet straight at Lin Feng's chest.

"By the legal decree of the Seven Sect Alliance, insulting the supreme title of Alliance Leader Lu Chen carries the immediate penalty of decapitation," Qi Zhen declared, stepping forward to initiate a high-velocity dash.

Before Qi Zhen could jump across the ten-foot gap, Sect Master Ye Cang stepped directly into the central line of sight, drawing his grey steel administrator sword from his waist belt.

"The Qingyun Sect still maintains its sovereign jurisdiction within these mountain gates," Ye Cang said, grounding his heels into the wooden floorboards. "If the Holy Sword Sect wishes to execute a member of my division, you will cross my blade first."

Qi Zhen halted his stride, assessing the stabilized spiritual pressure radiating from Ye Cang's chest. He rolled the crimson scroll closed with a swift wrist motion, securing the blood-red seal back into his leather chest strap.

"You have seven days, Ye Cang," Qi Zhen said coldly, backing away three paces toward the square archway. "On the morning of the seventh day, Supervisor Hu Lang and three hundred heavy armored cavalry from the Canglan Sect will enter the Fallen Sword Valley. If the ancient sword intent fragment is not delivered to the altar, your entire sect will be wiped out."

Qi Zhen leaped thirty feet backward into the air, landing on the stone roof tiles of the main gatehouse before disappearing over the mountain ridge at a velocity of fifteen feet per second.

Supervisor Hu Lang unsheathed his golden hilt three inches, staring at Lin Feng with intense malice.

"Enjoy your remaining seven days of breath, brat," Hu Lang sneered, turning on his heel to exit the stage alongside Elder Liu Tianba and the four injured patrol captains.

The eight hundred spectators in the central square began to disperse in chaotic panic, their loud, fearful chatter echoing off the surrounding stone halls as the threat of total military extermination settled over the mountain.

Sect Master Ye Cang turned toward Lin Feng, adjusting his grip on his steel sword hilt as he inspected the pale youth's posture.

"You recognized the Dark Soul Ice Poison in my meridians and cleared the subclavian vascular blockage without channeling Dantian Qi," Ye Cang observed, his old voice filled with deep curiosity. "Who are you, young man?"

"My identity is irrelevant to the survival of this sect," Lin Feng answered, lifting the thirty-five-pound black iron sword onto his right shoulder. "I require immediate, unrestricted access to the restricted zone of the Fallen Sword Valley."

Ye Cang pulled a heavy brass key ring from his inner pocket, detaching a triangular iron token engraved with the green cloud emblem.

"The entrance to the rear valley is sealed by an ancient stone barrier in Zone 3," Ye Cang explained, placing the iron token into Lin Feng's open hand. "This token grants you official administrative clearance past the outer guards, but the subterranean canyon contains lethal residual sword energy that slays any practitioner below the Sword Intent Realm."

"Residual sword energy does not harm its origin," Lin Feng said, securing the iron token into his inner tunic pocket.

Lin Feng turned on his heel, stepping off the edge of the high stone platform and landing silently on the stone pavers below.

Da Zhuang ran up from the edge of the crowd, his face covered in cold sweat as he clutched the ten Gold Coins against his ribs.

"Brother Lin! That envoy mentioned three hundred heavy cavalry from the Canglan Sect!" Da Zhuang stammered frantically, his broad chest heaving. "What are we going to do when seven days pass?!"

Lin Feng replied, walking down the central aisle toward the northern mountain trail. "We go to Zone 3 now. I will unseal the third spinal node and extract the first blade fragment before the Canglan Sect reaches the valley threshold."