Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

The Mountain-Drilling Beast worked tirelessly on the small quarrying island, excavating Mountain-Suppressing Rocks and transporting them back to Red Cotton Peak.

Meanwhile, over at Starhold Island, Hong Zhenyuan and his son, Hong Jufeng, were seething with rage. They had already gathered their forces and were preparing to head over to the quarrying archipelago.

Over the years, under the protection of the Penglai Supreme Sect, their sect had flourished. Their influence had grown, their forces had strengthened, and they could now rally a powerful group of cultivators at a moment’s notice.

Clad in full armor, Hong Jufeng stepped forward with a fierce expression. "Father! Let me go! Haven’t I always been in charge of the quarrying archipelago?"

Hong Zhenyuan replied solemnly, "You can handle the mining operations, but for something like this, I, as your father, must take the lead."

The father and son stood like two towering mountains of flesh, one larger than the other. They were both wearing divine armor, looking resplendent. Behind them, over a hundred cultivators at the fifth and sixth realms and three seventh-realm elders of Starhold Island hovered in midair.

Hong Jufeng said with a hint of concern, "Father, with you leading the charge, I’m sure dealing with those scoundrels from the Fuyao Kingdom will be no trouble at all. But I fear they might call for reinforcements, and those could be from Red Cotton Peak."

He then added in a cautious tone, "If any member of the Mount Shu Sect is there, you must be careful not to let them take advantage of you."

He had been beaten up by Di Nufeng last time, and even now, his injuries still ached on rainy days. As a result, he remained deeply wary of Mount Shu Sect.

"Don't worry," Hong Zhenyuan said with a confident smile. "If those people from Mount Shu want to play their little tricks in the East Sea, so be it. But if I rally my forces and openly declare war on the islands, and they actually dare to accept the challenge, then they would be laying hands on the Penglai Supreme Sect itself. Even if Mount Shu Sect cultivators are present, they won’t dare make a move."

Hearing this, Hong Jufeng finally felt at ease. "That’s good to hear."

There were countless islands under Starhold Island’s control. The Turbid Mountain Archipelago, known for producing Mountain-Suppressing Rocks, was just one part of its vast territory. The quarrying archipelago, a small section of the Turbid Mountain Archipelago bordering the Fuyao Kingdom, wasn’t particularly significant to Starhold Island on its own.

However, Starhold Island reacted so strongly because they knew that banning the Mount Shu Sect from purchasing Mountain-Suppressing Rocks would be meaningless if Red Cotton Peak could simply mine the resources themselves from the quarrying archipelago.

At its core, this was all about protecting the interests of the Penglai Supreme Sect. If Mount Shu and Starhold Island came into open conflict, the Penglai Supreme Sect would never stand by and do nothing.

In fact, it could even serve as the perfect excuse for them to wage war against the Mount Shu Sect.

The Mount Shu Sect was part of the Divine Nine, but it was ultimately just an immortal sect without a legendary artifact.

Hong Zhenyuan was filled with boundless pride. My sect is backed by the Penglai Supreme Sect and commands such powerful forces. Who in the entire East Sea would dare provoke us?

No matter what, I will make those invaders pay for what they’ve done!

Boom!

Towering waves surged from the sea, forming an enormous wall made of water. As the curtain of seawater fell, it revealed the massive, menacing silhouette of a beast.

The creature was completely black, with six legs and two tails. Eight twisted horns jutted from its head, and its body was covered in jagged scales. Its most striking feature was the pair of massive humps on its back, towering like mountains.

This was Hong Zhenyuan's mount—a sixth-realm Sea-Crossing Mountain-Carrying Beast. Only a creature of this size could carry someone of his massive build.

Hong Jufeng watched as the Sea-Crossing Mountain-Carrying Beast rose from the water, gritting his teeth in rage as past grudges and new reasons to hate Mount Shu flooded his mind. They had initially provoked the Mount Shu Sect because of an order from the Penglai Supreme Sect, but after suffering two humiliating defeats, he was truly angered.

"Those arrogant fools from Mount Shu…"

Yet, in the blink of an eye, his expression of anger turned to one of shock. In fact, the same was true for everyone else.

Just as the Sea-Crossing Mountain-Carrying Beast emerged from the water and Hong Zhenyuan flew toward its massive form, the beast suddenly opened its jaws wide and let out a thunderous roar.

This was a habit of the beast whenever it surfaced. But this time, a shadowy figure shot out from within its gaping maw.

The figure moved with lightning speed, barely leaving a trace. Only Hong Zhenyuan, the highest-ranked cultivator from Starhold Island and the one closest to the beast, noticed it. In an instant, the figure appeared right before him, and his thick facial muscles tensed in alarm.

Puff.

The shadowy figure gripped a sharp black saber and drove it straight into Hong Zhenyuan’s chest. Though Hong Zhenyuan wore powerful armor with immense defensive strength, it was as ineffective as tofu, offering no resistance. Even his thick layer of fat did a much better job at stopping the saber.

Though Hong Zhenyuan had been caught off guard, allowing the assassin to approach and wound him, he was no ordinary opponent.

In this critical moment, the years of fat he had accumulated proved not to be in vain. When he activated his foundational qi, white mist sprayed from the countless pores on his body. His jiggly chest tensed instantly, forming a defense as strong as a city wall.

Whoosh!

The shadowy figure drove the saber into Hong Zhenyuan’s chest, but his flesh managed to hold back the saber, accompanied by the harsh sound of grinding metal.

At that moment, the black saber was halfway through.

If it had been an ordinary person, having the tip of the blade sink this deep could have been life-threatening. However, with Hong Zhenyuan's large frame, the strike probably hadn't reached his internal organs. It was most likely just a superficial wound.

A sinister grin spread across his face as his hands extended wide, like two massive city gates. Then, he started swinging his arms in a circular motion.

Boom, boom!

As he clapped his hands together, a terrifying energy void[1] formed in front of his chest. The master of Starhold Island demonstrated that he too had traversed far in his cultivation of the Dao!

Yet, the figure in black did not dodge. Instead, he began to emit a glowing aura around him. In the next second, he flashed, twisted, and merged with the saber in his hand, transforming into a massive black blade.

It was Weaponized Body!

Hong Zhenyuan felt a sense of familiarity with this method, but he had no time to dwell on it. With a loud roar, he slammed his palms against the two sides of the giant blade.

Boom!

Cracks immediately appeared on both sides of the weapon transformed by the shadowy figure, suggesting that its true form had sustained serious damage. However, the figure remained unmoved.

Whoosh!

The saber's light flared violently, and the blade embedded in Hong Zhenyuan's body twisted before thrusting forward.

Puff!

A thick cloud of blood sprayed from Hong Zhenyuan's back as the black saber light didn't slow, shooting upward into the sky.

"Where do you think you're going, thief?!" two Starhold Island elders yelled.

They quickly sprang into action, unleashing their enchanted tools and divine abilities in a storm of brilliant light.

But the black saber, having withstood all the attacks, showed no sign of slowing. In the blink of an eye, it flew a thousand yards, gradually fading as it disappeared into the distant sky, leaving no trace for a thousand li!

Most of the Starhold Island’s members quickly flew toward Hong Zhenyuan as cries rang out from all directions.

"Island Master!"

"Father!"

Around four cultivators worked together to catch Hong Zhenyuan while he was collapsing backward. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t hold him up, and he continued to fall. Only when ten or more people worked together did they manage to catch him and prevent him from crashing on the ground.

"Father!" Hong Jufeng cried out, rushing to his father.

Hong Zhenyuan gripped his son’s hand tightly as he groaned in pain. "Ugh... ah…"

His entire chest was covered in blood. The light in his eyes had already faded, leaving behind an expression of astonishment and unwillingness. No matter what, he had always seen himself as a powerful figure of the East Sea, and he never imagined his life would end in such an unexpected way.

With everything coming to an end, his massive body strained as every muscle fought to hold on.

In the end, he could only whisper two words, "Seven Killings."

1. The raw really said vacuum area but as I was thinking about the physics behind this…it would make more sense that the author is trying to convey that the normal flow of energy in that area is disrupted, which then creates this deadly force? ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT