I was chased at the beginning, and I got the first quick sword

Chapter 551 Stealing the Heavenly Demon Art
The events did not unfold in a transparent manner.

Therefore, by the time Huangfu Changkong realized the seriousness of the problem, it was almost too late to turn the tide.

The only thing she could do was send her eldest son away.

By the time Jian Jiu revealed his true intentions, he had already lost almost all of his internal strength.

However, this was not a real theft... but rather Jian Jiu had given him a slow-acting poison.

To this day, Huangfu Changkong still doesn't know what that poison is called.

After he was defeated by Jian Jiu, he thought Jian Jiu would kill him, but unexpectedly, Jian Jiu brought him here and locked him up.

Because he didn't know what Jian Jiu was planning to do, Huangfu Changkong had initially felt a glimmer of hope.

No matter what kind of poison you are poisoned with, if you know you are poisoned, and you give yourself enough time, you may be able to force the poison out.

Therefore, he remained calm during the initial period of his imprisonment.

On the tenth day of his imprisonment, Jian Jiu appeared before him again... but this time, Jian Jiu's face was wrapped in thick gauze, revealing only his eyes, which were quietly looking at him.

It was a calm that Huangfu Changkong had never seen before, yet it could stir up deep-seated unease in people's hearts.

"I have treated you well... why are you like this?"

Huangfu Changkong was naturally resentful at being wronged to this extent.

Jian Jiu sneered:
"Not stingy? If it really is not stingy...why would your father have given me the Sword Heart Secret Technique?"
"If you disobey your orders, your sword heart will backfire, and you will suffer the pain of being distracted by ten thousand swords!"

"From the moment your father instilled the sword spirit into my body, all the so-called kindness of raising me or passing on his skills became a joke."

"This is unreasonable!!"

Huangfu Changkong was furious:
"If it weren't for his pity on you, you would still be fighting for food with stray dogs on the street!"
"We brought you back, provided you with food and clothing, and taught you the Huangfu family's unique sword techniques..."

"You grew up with me since childhood, and I regard you as my own brother. I have even taught you a lot of the sword techniques in the [Heavenly Will Sword Manual]."

"How could you be so heartless and treacherous!"

In Huangfu Changkong's view, adopting Jian Jiu was not purely out of kindness.

In this regard, the Huangfu family has done everything they could...

Adopting these orphans saved them from freezing and starving to death on the streets.

Make sure they have clothes to wear and food to eat.

Moreover, they were not entirely without opportunities from the very beginning.

All those who mastered the Sword Heart Secret Technique chose to learn the martial arts of the Huangfu family.

To prevent the family's secret techniques from being passed on to outsiders, they used sword heart to control them.

If any of those children didn't want to learn martial arts, there were no such restrictions... The Huangfu family owned many businesses, and they could learn the relevant skills from the Huangfu family's private school and eventually be assigned to help out in various businesses.

The silver they earned was enough for them to live a fairly wealthy life.

Getting married and having children is no problem at all.

Therefore, they should have known what the consequences would be when they made their initial choice.

How can a person be so demanding? And now they dare to use this as an excuse to turn against their master?
"You truly... regard me as a brother?"

Jian Jiu's tone suddenly turned calm, with a hint of inquiry in his words.

At this point, Huangfu Changkong could no longer regard him as a brother, but at this moment he was at the mercy of others. If he could appease Jian Jiu's emotions and give himself more time, that would be even better.

He nodded earnestly immediately:

"I naturally regard you as my brother!"

"That's good. Since that's the case... we brothers should be one."

"So, what's yours is mine!"

"right?"

Jian Jiu's tone carried an indescribable madness.

Huangfu Changkong's expression changed slightly:
"what you up to?"

"Huangfu Changkong, have you ever heard of a martial art?"

"...What kind of martial arts?"

"【Stealing Heaven Demon Art】!"

Huangfu Changkong's expression suddenly changed drastically:
"This is impossible... The [Heaven-Stealing Demonic Art] has been lost for a long time, how could you possibly have it?"

"Legend has it that there was once a thief in the martial arts world."

"I created the [Stealing Heaven Demon Art], which allows me to steal other people's cultivation for my own use."

"At his peak, he stole the cultivation of five top masters in the world, causing them to fall from grace overnight."

"Unfortunately, although the [Stealing Heaven Demon Art] can steal other people's cultivation and take all of their knowledge as one's own, it is not a great skill."

"However, he was unable to neutralize the differences between different cultivation methods... which led to the fact that after Stealing Heaven Venerable completed this great task, he roamed the martial world for only three months before going mad with evil.

"He was eventually besieged and killed by various masters from the martial arts world."

Jian Jiu said calmly:

“Huangfu Changkong, we cultivate the same lineage. Now that I possess the [Heaven-Stealing Demon Art], I can seize your cultivation and thus gain a commanding position and reach new heights.”

"You have far surpassed your peak..."

As he finished speaking, he reached out with his five fingers and grabbed Huangfu Changkong's head.

Feeling his cultivation level steadily declining, Huangfu Changkong cursed in his struggle:
"You won't get away with this!!!"

The extraordinary aspect of the "Stealing Heaven Demon Art" lies in the fact that it steals more than just internal energy.

Rather, it was the martial arts skills the other party had cultivated throughout their life.

Internal strength, swordsmanship, and even combat experience can all be stolen.

However, Huangfu Changkong's cultivation had not fully recovered at this moment, so one theft was not enough for Jian Jiu.

After that, he would come here every now and then to use the [Heaven-Stealing Demon Art] to steal all of Huangfu Changkong's knowledge.

If this method is only applied to one person, and the practitioners are from the same source, there will be no hidden dangers whatsoever.

In this way, it took almost two months from start to finish.

Jian Jiu not only stole Huangfu Changkong's cultivation, but also his spirit and energy, causing him to age by more than ten years overnight.
Only then did Jian Jiu remove the gauze from his face in front of Huangfu Changkong.

It revealed a face that looked exactly like Huangfu Changkong's.

Huangfu Changkong then realized that Jian Jiu wanted to take away not only his martial arts skills, but also his identity.

He wants to take everything from the Huangfu family's assets, the positions of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

"However, we don't know if there are any flaws in his [Heaven-Stealing Demon Art], or if the technique itself has any defects."

"Although he stole all my knowledge, he never obtained the complete text of the Heavenly Will Sword Technique."

"Without this mental cultivation manual, even if he stole the [Heavenly Will Sword Technique] from me, he would find it difficult to unleash its full power."

Back in the present, Huangfu Changkong recounted everything that had happened back then to Chu Qing:
"So over the years, he started by constantly trying to steal the complete 'Heavenly Will Sword Manual'."

"But it was difficult to achieve... So they simply started to interrogate me."

"He used all sorts of methods, torture, deprivation of water and food, and then feasted in front of me."

"They even brought several beautiful women... but after discovering that I remained unmoved, they all had their heads chopped off..."

"I see," Mo Duxing said softly.
"No wonder... He didn't actually know that I remembered these things. Whether he finds me or not is not important."

"But for you, I am a bargaining chip that makes you hesitant to act."

"And along the way, he kept testing me, asking if I still remembered what I had learned back then..."

Chu Qing stroked his chin:
"This is interesting."

"Senior Huangfu, in my opinion, Jian Jiu is nothing special. The one who is truly to be feared is the person hiding behind Jian Jiu."

"This person was able to obtain the [Heaven-Stealing Demon Art], and single-handedly facilitated Jian Jiu's substitution of another person for another. He could even find a medical master to change Jian Jiu's appearance."

"To achieve such a level of realism in every aspect... the power behind this should not be underestimated."

"...What do you want to say?"

Huangfu Changkong understood the unspoken meaning in Chu Qing's words.

Chu Qing thought for a moment, then asked a question instead of answering:

"Senior Huangfu, who were those people who shared your interests back then?"

"Who is the leader of this group of people?"

"So what about your relationship?"

Huangfu Changkong gave Chu Qing a deep look and said softly:

"You suspect they are the people behind Jian Jiu?"
"Although that person is indeed incredibly powerful and extraordinary... I believe he would never do such a thing."

"believe?"

Chu Qing was both amused and exasperated, suddenly realizing that Huangfu Changkong, who had been imprisoned for half his life, was still so naive.

This seems to be something that has been passed down in the Huangfu family.

He shook his head slightly and said softly:

"Senior Huangfu, some things are not as simple as you believe them."

"If you have a close relationship with them, they will know you very well."

"Even if Jian Jiu substitutes for you and joins the World Alliance, they will eventually discover the difference between you and Jian Jiu."

"It's like how a junior, even though they haven't spent much time with a senior, has discovered all the unique aspects of your personality."

"And how could the group of people who have been with you for so long not know this?"

"...You don't know this, but Jian Jiu grew up with me since he was a child. If he wanted to pretend, I'm afraid even the closest people would find it hard to detect."

Huangfu Changkong frowned, trying to refute Chu Qing.

But even he himself didn't quite believe it after saying it.

The saying goes, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." The "Stealing Demon Skill" stole his martial arts skills, not his character and personality.

Huangfu Changkong was never good at hiding himself, just like his sword, which was always straightforward and unrestrained, and he was also quick to settle scores.

Even if Jian Jiu initially tried to hide his identity by imitating his own appearance.

But after all these years, hasn't anyone noticed Jianjiu's problem?

Chu Qing spoke slowly:
"Back then, before the alliance of the world was formed, you thought you shared the same interests as them."

"But is it possible... that you were never on the same path as them from the beginning?"

"The World Alliance can indiscriminately kill innocent people for their so-called secrets."

"It's not that the monk's martial arts skills are there; his status within the World Alliance is limited. What he can see and access is perhaps only what the World Alliance allows him to see and access."

"You said that when the monk killed the fleeing scholar, you must have hesitated and struggled."

"How could the Alliance of the World bear to let such a person do something against his conscience?"

"To be honest, I realized it when I killed someone who wasn't a monk."

"He has been abandoned... Otherwise, he wouldn't be hiding alone in an ancient tomb in the Ten Deadly Caves to heal his wounds."

"The World Alliance forced him to kill an innocent person who discovered the secrets of the World Alliance, and then discarded the non-monk who did this as if he were a worn-out shoe."

"Is this still the Alliance of All Under Heaven that you envision?"

Huangfu Changkong's expression changed slightly:
"You... what you're saying is all true?"

"What reason would I have to deceive you?"

Chu Qing glanced at Mo Duxing:
"Your father doesn't believe me, but do you?"

"...Of course I believe it."

Mo Duxing looked at Huangfu Changkong:
"He killed the Ghost Emperor in the Ten Deadly Caves some time ago, and half a month ago, he ascended to heaven in one step at Yue Song Mountain outside Xiangnan City."

"Furthermore, they joined forces with Dongfang Jinghong, Jian Jiu, and Shang Qiuyu."

"They defeated the Heavenly Evil Cult Leader, currently the number one expert in the world..."

"His martial arts skills are so high that he has long been considered the best in the martial arts world."

"In this world, I'm afraid that apart from that Heavenly Evil Cult Leader, there is no one who can match him in a one-on-one fight."

"A person like him...there's no reason for him to lie under these circumstances."

Huangfu Changkong listened, completely stunned.

Although he didn't know who the leader of the Heavenly Evil Cult was, or why he could be called the number one person in the world.

However, he knew who the Ghost Emperor was, and he also knew what it meant to rise to the top in one step.

He also knew how dangerous it was for Chu Qing to ascend to the top in one step after killing the Ghost Emperor and gaining his status.

I never expected him to have such abilities at such a young age... No wonder his son sees him as a savior.

For a moment, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, they were unwilling to believe it, but on the other hand, they felt that the current Tianxia Alliance was indeed completely different from what they had imagined back then.

At least the Alliance of Heaven, which he once admired, would never kill an innocent person for the sake of some so-called secret.

Why does the World Alliance, which he once looked forward to so much, seem to have changed?
"Could it be that the Tianxia Alliance in your heart has changed, or that from the very beginning... the Tianxia Alliance was never what you imagined?"

Chu Qing said softly:

"Your ideals are contrary to theirs, so they secretly supported a Sword Emperor who could support their ideals."

This explains why, even though the real Sword Emperor had been imprisoned here, Sword Nine, who had substituted for him, was still able to successfully join the World Alliance and become a crucial member.

Huangfu Changkong was in a state of confusion, while Mo Duxing sighed and said to Chu Qing:
"Why don't we leave here first and then talk about it?"

Chu Qing nodded:

"It's alright, but actually, even if Senior Huangfu didn't say it..."

"I now have some guesses about this person's identity."

"A person with such extraordinary abilities is extremely rare to find in the whole world..."

"I reckon this person is either one of the other Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, or... the head manager of Wanbaolou."

The moment the words "head manager" were uttered, Huangfu Changkong suddenly looked up.

Chu Qing felt a chill run down her spine. Her thoughts were written all over her face; no wonder she was so easily manipulated.

(End of this chapter)