Sword Sovereign of the Celestial Emperor-Chapter 144, Life and Death Gorge

Chu Ming stepped forward, and with each step, his momentum increased. Sword Qi spiraled around him, a palpable Slaughter Realm emanating from him.

"Shadow Splitting Thousand Break Slash!"

With a swing of his sword, the space changed color. Red and black light interwove, Slaughter Sword Force erupting completely, like several blazing suns descending, illuminating the entire surrounding space.

Puff, puff, puff...

The elderly couple’s faces changed. The old woman grabbed the old man’s arm, their bodies spinning like wind wheels, with the old man’s shoulder as the center. They spun continuously, kicking Chu Ming multiple times, each kick heavier than the last, the kick shadows overlapping, the sound of space whistling never ceasing.

Boom!

The Slaughter Sword Blade shattered the green finger and the gray Palm Seal, turning into dense Spiritual Power, dissipating in the air. The old woman’s footwork was also excellent, instantly kicking out a hundred kicks, completely grinding away the Slaughter Sword Blade.

Bang!

As the Slaughter Sword Blade shattered, Chu Ming stepped on the ground, his body leaping up, turning into a strand of refined fierce wind, floating like a reed in the wind.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

In mid-leap, Chu Ming struck out several swords in succession, attacking the elderly couple. Although the couple was two people, they moved as one, their reversals always able to shatter Chu Ming’s Sword Aura.

Chu Ming remained calm, his Sword Light continuous, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, cold as ice rain, continuously cutting through the air, making a puffing sound, driving straight for a thousand miles, like an antelope hanging its horns, a stroke of divine inspiration.

The more the three fought, the more surprised the elderly couple became. According to the information from the organization, the target’s strength was not supposed to be this strong. Any one of them should have been able to easily deal with him.

"This is bad, the organization’s information is wrong. The target isn’t someone we can handle!"

After a strike, the three separated. The old woman lowly roared, grabbed the old man’s shoulder, and quickly retreated, trying to leave. Their gray robes fluttered, appearing hundreds of meters away, and their speed kept increasing.

"Trying to run?"

Chu Ming coldly laughed. A killer would always be killed. He generally didn’t provoke others, but he would never let go of those who deliberately provoked him. That’s just how the Martial World was.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

"Nine Clone Techniques!"

Nine phantoms suddenly appeared in the air, forming a straight line and flying. The air was continuously kicked apart, Spiritual Power splattering. Chu Ming’s speed was more than twice as fast as the two of them.

Thus, in just an instant, Chu Ming had already caught up with their figures. The two of them appeared somewhat disheveled, their bodies swaying, gray robes flying.

"Phantom Stream Blade!"

Nine dazzling Sword Lights simultaneously lit up. The space fell silent, a gentle breeze blowing. The air was filled with fine drizzle, hazy as if it were a misty March.

"Black Devouring Palm!"

The old woman’s face changed. In the midst of turning her body, she hastily struck a palm behind her. A black light emerged, seemingly trying to devour a person’s mind. Within that black light, there were indistinct strange ripples, continuously wriggling.

Puff!

How could her palm withstand the nine Sword Auras? The black Palm Seal was instantly cut off, the ghostly howls dissipated.

The space went quiet. The elderly couple’s eyes briefly brightened, then lost all sensation. Their bodies were still standing, but thin streams of blood trickled from their heads.

From their foreheads, noses, and cheeks...

Thud, thud!

The two bodies fell to the ground, blood gushing out. The nine phantoms in the sky disappeared, revealing Chu Ming’s true form, with thin wisps of dust rising from the ground.

Sheathing his sword, Chu Ming lightly stepped towards the two, searching them and taking off their Storage Rings.

With a thought, two bronze medallions appeared in his hands. They felt cold to the touch, with intricate patterns on them. At the convergence of these patterns was a large blood-red character "Nether." At first glance, the blood character seemed alive, subtly twisting and changing, but a closer look revealed no change at all.

"Nether Night Association?"

Chu Ming’s heart stirred, his mind suddenly flashed with the thought. The Nether Night Association was the number one assassin organization in the Celestial Realm, with countless assassins, and most terrifyingly, even Realm of Transcendence experts in its ranks.

As an assassin organization, they never killed without reason. Someone must have placed a bounty on him in the Nether Night Association.

"Was it Burning Fire Valley? Or the other three sects?"

For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Chu Ming’s mind. He believed Burning Fire Valley was the most likely, especially since a Burning Daoist had tried to kill him before but failed.

"The Nether Night Association usually takes action three times. This was only the first. I must leave quickly!"

As the number one assassin organization in the Celestial Realm, they had their own set of rules, one of which was to target a given person no more than three times. Otherwise, if they slaughtered indiscriminately, the many martial artists in the Celestial Realm would have banded together to attack them long ago.

With Blue Star Horse killed, Chu Ming could only travel on his own. Fortunately, it was only a hundred miles to Life and Death Gorge. Ahead, there should be small towns or cities.

And Life and Death Gorge was the final barrier between the Great Yan Kingdom and the Celestial River Kingdom. Once past the Life and Death Gorge, he would have entered Celestial River Kingdom territory. Chu Ming had heard the legends about Life and Death Gorge but had never seen it with his own eyes. This was the first time.

Using Lightweight Skill, moving agilely, Chu Ming’s body turned into a gust of fierce wind. In an instant, he was a hundred meters away.

In just three or four hours, Chu Ming arrived in a small town near Life and Death Gorge.

As he approached the gorge, there was an indescribable momentum in the air that grew increasingly heavy. Even the Spiritual Power became somewhat obstructed.

Although the Spiritual Power was congealed, staying in such an environment for a long time had its benefits. At least for a martial artist, the likelihood of comprehending realms increased considerably. If a martial artist could comprehend a hint of the Life and Death Realm King’s realm from the past, their strength would undergo a tremendous transformation.

The town wasn’t very populated. Outside the town, it was barren, with hardly any weeds growing, making it appear quite desolate.

At the town entrance, there were many trade teams and martial artists. Most of these trade teams traveled between the Great Yan Kingdom and the Celestial River Kingdom. Because of the differences in resources between the two kingdoms, trade teams often came and went, making a profit from the price differences. A successful trip could yield tens of thousands of Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Most of the martial artists had ideas similar to Chu Ming’s, venturing into the Celestial Realm.

"Young hero, buy a boat token. It’s only thirty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, two thousand less than the Black Water Sect’s."

Chu Ming had just entered the town and had no time to take in the scenery when a sneaky-looking, coarse-clothed martial artist quietly approached him, speaking softly while his eyes darted around, looking for other martial artists to target.

"No need!"

Chu Ming frowned, gently pushing the coarse-clothed martial artist away. There were many ways to cross the Life and Death Gorge, but the main method was to take the Black Water Sect’s large ship. The Black Water Sect was one of the two great sects in the Celestial River Kingdom, wealthy and powerful, far surpassing any of the Five Great Sects of the Great Yan Kingdom.

The Black Water Sect’s large ship could drift from one side of the Life and Death Gorge to the other, extremely safe and fast. Naturally, it was the first choice for many martial artists. However, the cost was incredibly high, with fifty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, equivalent to the entire fortune of a True Dao Martial Artist.