I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

With a wave, he tossed his long sword into the air, leaped onto it, and at the same time executed the Heavenly Sword Technique.

His steps borrowing momentum, he lunged forward. Propelled by his True Qi, the long sword appeared just where he was about to land.

"Fire the arrows!"

Commander Xie gave the order, and the archers launched a volley toward the direction of Nameless's flight, blanketing an area of several dozen yards with three rounds of continuous fire.

The operatives of the Eastern Depot, naturally within the range of the arrows, fended off the incoming bolts while closing in on Nameless. A few of the operatives, ordinary in martial prowess, were struck and injured.

Nameless drifted in the air, nearly all his True Qi utilized to perform the Heavenly Sword Technique. Seeing the incoming arrows, he could only let out a reluctant sigh before landing and sweeping away the arrows with his swordsmanship.

At the same time.

Commander Xie ordered the infantry to advance and set up a military formation a hundred yards from the Sword God on all sides.

If the archers failed to bring down Nameless and he managed to leap out a hundred yards, no matter which direction he attempted to break out from, he would face thousands of soldiers entangled in close combat.

Three hundred cavalrymen stood by in support, ready to charge in a group assault. Even the Sword God would have to retreat.

"My ancestor once used a thousand-man formation, in alliance with military commanders, to fight and slay a pre-dynasty Innate Grandmaster. I, his unworthy descendant, use four times that number to halt you, not in vain of the title, Marquis of Pingjin!"

Commander Xie utilized all that he had learned, fully exerting himself to direct the military formation, trapping Nameless firmly within it.

The Heavenly Sword Technique was extremely exhausting. Nameless used it more than a dozen times in succession, fighting with Zhou Yi intermittently, depleting seven to eighty percent of his True Qi.

As his condition deteriorated, it became even harder to break out.

Over a hundred of the more than three hundred operatives from the Eastern Depot had been killed; the survivors, all formidable experts, tangled with Nameless from close quarters to slippery evasion.

Amidst the scattered limbs and corpses, Nameless held his long sword, his heart filled with sorrow as he surveyed his surroundings.

"Is today indeed the day of my death?"

"Rest assured, Sword God, I will find a feng shui treasure spot for you, erect a monument to commemorate you, and spread this tale throughout the world!"

Zhou Yi hid among the Eastern Depot's operatives, the greater the victory at hand, the more cautious he had to be.

Who knew if Nameless had some desperate move that could break through the Nine Layers of True Gang, break through the Vajra Invincible Body, break through the armored underlay, and break through the Inner Nurturing Qi Secret Technique...

It might truly endanger his life; he couldn't take risks with a dying man!

"Whoever takes the head of the Sword God, I will grant him control of a prefecture!"

Zhou Yi's life was but one, yet he had plenty of silver and official positions. Enough to crush Nameless to death.

Upon hearing these words, the operatives of the Eastern Depot lit up with excitement, looking at Nameless no longer with fear, but as a walking gold ingot, eager to pounce immediately.

The eunuchs dispatched to the various prefectures by the Inspectorate held the title of Supervising Eunuch.

Their authority was vast, the power they wielded even exceeded that of local prefectural magistrates.

Rumors claimed that a Supervising Eunuch in a prosperous prefecture in Jiangnan amassed a million silver taels barely half a year into his post, as officials and gentry scrambled to offer bribes, fearful of ending up on the Inspectorate's list.

"Kill!"

The operatives became frenzied, exchanging blows with Nameless without dodging or flinching.

Already on the brink of defeat, Nameless, after slaying a dozen more, suffered seven to eight sword wounds, his hemp clothing dyed red with blood—some belonging to the operatives, some his own.

Seeing this, the operatives fought even more ruthlessly.

Exhausted from defense, Nameless struggled to extend even the Heavenly Sword Technique with his remaining True Qi. Looking at Zhou Yi, twenty yards away and enjoying the spectacle, he couldn't help but sigh to the heavens.

"I do not fear death, but it pains me that I could not be invincible in this world!"

As he spoke, Nameless's eyes changed, going from a dull grey to a fiery red.

"Draw the sword, sacrifice the body!"

The operatives, seeing this determination, knew he was resorting to a desperate attempt. They each used their Qinggong to retreat hastily, but it was too late. Hundreds of strands of Sword Qi burst forth from Nameless.

Within a range of ten yards, no matter one's True Qi or armored protection, the Sword Qi easily pierced through.

Piteous screams resounded. Those with good luck lost arms and legs, while those less fortunate had their heads cleaved apart by the Sword Qi.

By the time the Sword Qi dissipated, instantly, over a hundred Eastern Depot operatives lay dead, the rest all wounded. Seeing Nameless's breath had ceased yet he remained standing, they disregarded their fear and pressed their attack.

The fastest amongst them was a burly man with a face full of beard; a strand of Sword Qi had pierced through his abdomen, causing a length of his intestines to spill out.

One hand clutching his belly, the other wielding a blade, he decapitated Nameless's head.

The other operatives' eyes flashed with ferocity, barely restraining themselves from fighting for the prize, but upon hearing a soft cough from behind, they immediately regained their senses, bowed, and retreated to open a path.

The burly man fell to his knees with a thump, holding the head aloft, indifferent to his intestines flowing out.

"Upon slaying the Sword God, your name will surely shake the Jianghu, my lord. I offer my congratulations!"

"Hehehehe…"

Zhou Yi received the head of the Sword God and said with a satisfied smile, "Not bad at all. What is your name?"

The man replied respectfully, "This humble one is named Zhou Guan."

Zhou Yi said, "Sharing the surname Zhou, we were one family five hundred years ago. You've said quite the flattering words. In a few days, you may take up your post as an Inspectorate eunuch."

"Thank you, my lord!"

Zhou Guan was ecstatic. Spending silver to change his surname at the yamen had indeed been worthwhile. What was ancestral inheritance compared to glory and wealth? His descendents would have to adopt the surname Zhou.

If another man should become the Overseer, he would simply change his surname again!

Zhou Yi said, "When you have the time, do make a trip to the Castration Chamber. Once the root of worries is gone, you'll be entered into the Palace Servants' roll."

"To undergo castartion?"

Zhou Guan was suddenly stunned; he was a notorious figure in the Jianghu with a penchant for pleasures of the flesh. Becoming a eunuch would mean the end of such indulgences.

"As an Inspectorate eunuch, this position was originally created for inner court officials, and if you're not one, you cannot assume this role."

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "If you are unwilling to be castrated, I can promote you to the position of Chief of the Inspectorate. That's the highest post one can have outside of being an inner court official. Anyone wishing to rise higher must make a visit to the Castration Chamber!"

The backbone of the Eastern Depot consists of eunuchs, as it was in the past and will be in the future.

Zhou Yi didn't care that most eunuchs were corrupt and embezzled silver; controlling the Eastern Depot was more important than any other issue.

"This humble one… I shall obey your command!"

Zhou Guan, who had heard the eunuchs speak in private many times, had long since learned their ways. He had forsaken his ancestors for wealth and power, so what was a mere root of troubles in comparison?

"You have the makings of a great man."

A look of appreciation flashed in Zhou Yi's eyes. How many people were willing to get rid of the root of troubles? Only the most ruthless of men would take the knife to themselves. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

Meanwhile,

Magistrate Wen, who was searching the Nameless corpse, found a scroll inside the chest. After ensuring that it was not poisoned, yet not daring to read the contents, he presented it with a bow.

"Please inspect it yourself, my lord."

Zhou Yi glanced around. Immediately, everyone stepped back several paces. Only after manifesting his protective True Qi did he unfold the scroll.

Extermination Sword Art!

The opening four characters in seal script brought joy to Zhou Yi's face. This cultivation technique could forcibly break through the Innate Realm. Although there might be some abnormalities when used, it was still an unparalleled divine art.

Continuing to read on, as Nameless had said, the culmination of this technique required the extermination of nine clans.

"The cultivation technique doesn't say one has to personally kill off nine clans. As long as there are no kin left in the world, one can achieve a state of utter heartlessness!"

Zhou Yi, whose strength was comparable to that of an Innate Grandmaster and who had borrowed various cultivation techniques from the Scripture Pavilion, had reached the pinnacle in his martial view and quickly understood the mystery of the Extermination Sword Art.

The sword technique clearly stated at the beginning that the Innate Realm was about refining Innate True Qi within the body, transforming Acquired True Qi into Innate True Qi.

According to Eunuch Xu, the Innate True Qi that one could clearly sense was extremely rare; even the Imperial Clan of Daqing only had it in the cold pond within the palace.

"Such a rare entity, causing countless martial artists stuck in the Acquired level, including Qing Jing Zhenren, the creator of the Extermination Sword Art..."

According to the sword technique, Qing Jing was extremely skilled in life-nurturing methods and had also perfected the Taoist Longevity Swordsmanship, living up to 145 years old, still spry as ever.

By this time, Qing Jing's later generations were almost extinct, including the disciples' disciples and grand-disciples.

With no relatives linked to Qing Jing left in the world, he lived alone in the mountains, with flowers and plants as his company, with tigers and leopards as his neighbors; although alive, his existence was no different from being dead.

Approaching the end of his lifespan at 105, Qing Jing sensed in the dark that his time was near.

Nearing his death and the dissipation of his path, he not only did not weaken, but his sensitivity to the heaven and earth became sharper, discovering various diluted Innate True Qi floating around in the world.

Yang Qi, Yin Qi, Death Qi, Evil Qi...

Such were the various types; capturing any one of them could lead to a breakthrough in the Innate Realm.

While Qing Jing was delighted, he also sighed helplessly, as his lifespan had reached the human body's limit, and even breaking through to the Innate Realm wouldn't allow him to live much longer.

On the brink of death, Qing Jing compiled the method for sensing the Innate True Qi into a volume, naming it the Heartless Sword Art.

When nine clans and relatives all perish, leaving only heaven and earth to rely on, one could then sense the faint Innate True Qi and use it to breakthrough the realm.

"Those who later obtained the Heartless Sword Art, unable to outlive the nine clans and relatives, therefore had to take matters into their own hands and send the nine clans on their way."

"As descendants continually contemplated the sword art, it gradually transformed into a perfected cultivation technique that anyone could practice, changing from Heartless to Ruthless, to Extermination..."