I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

As the sea voyage continued, Xiao Zhao visibly lost weight. Zhao Min assumed it was due to seasickness and, out of consideration for Song Qingshu, ordered someone to fetch Jiren Pills for her.

Song Qingshu knew that Xiao Zhao was preoccupied with something, so he patiently comforted her several times, promising that no matter what happened, he would stay by her side.

"Young master, actually..."

"No need to say anything, I know you have me in your heart."

Zhao Min, standing to the side, saw that Song Qingshu had deep feelings for Xiao Zhao, which was clearly not just a master-servant relationship on the surface. Her eyes flickered, and she seemed to be thinking about something.

Two days later, an island finally appeared on the sea. Granny Jin Hua immediately ordered her people to come ashore, which must be Spirit Snake Island.

"Although I don't know why you all disguised yourselves as sailors and followed this old woman to this Spirit Serpent Island, let's part ways amicably now and not cause any more trouble and lose our lives."

After saying this, Granny Jin Hua took out two heavy gold ingots and threw them onto the deck. It seemed like she was trying to be polite before resorting to force, or perhaps she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

In fact, the captain, helmsman, and sailors accompanying Zhao Min on this voyage were all disguised as personal guards of the Prince of Ruyang's mansion. Their martial arts skills were not top-notch, but they had the advantage of having a large number of people.

Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji had already noticed, but they hadn't brought it up. Now that Granny Jin Hua had spoken up, it was clear that she had also noticed and didn't think it posed any threat to her.

"Ignore it, just say we're going to the island to get some fresh water."

With Song Qingshu by her side, Zhao Min was naturally not worried about Granny Jin Hua using force. She instructed her men to respond and first bring the ship to shore and make sure it was secure.

Before long, the ship slowly arrived at the shore. Before the ship could stop, Granny Jin Hua had already pulled Zhu'er off the ship and walked straight towards the island.

Song Qingshu and his companions also left the cabin. On Ling Snake Island, towering mountains stood, with five or six facing the ship alone. The island was also covered with lush trees and had craggy rocks on the beach, resembling the scenery of southern China.

Just as the group was about to follow Granny Jin Hua, a roar like that of a lion suddenly came from the forest ahead, its imposing and fierce aura overwhelming them.

Zhang Wuji was both surprised and delighted. His adoptive father, Xie Xun, was known in the martial arts world as the Golden-Haired Lion King. This roar was all too familiar to him. He immediately jumped off the boat and rushed into the mountains and forests.

Song Qingshu and his two companions followed closely behind and soon arrived at the scene. It turned out that four Beggar Clan elders were surrounding an old man, while five others stood guard on the side.

Granny Jin Hua glanced at the group but did not reprimand them. She simply coughed a few times and turned to the Beggar Clan disciples, saying, "The Beggar Clan's beggars have come to Spirit Snake Island without even greeting this old woman. Isn't that a bit too rude?"

Seeing that the old man was very tall and had a full head of yellow hair, and considering Zhang Wuji's excited expression, Song Qingshu knew that he must be Xie Xun, the Golden-haired Lion King.

Upon hearing this, the four Beggar Clan elders realized that they were in the wrong, and if Granny Golden Flower and Xie Xun joined forces, they would have no chance of winning.

The four shouted, just as they were thinking of capturing Xie Xun as soon as possible, when one of the eight-bag elders suddenly noticed Song Qingshu not far away. He immediately recalled the scene on Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua that day and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Elder Ji, Elder Zheng, this man is Song Qingshu, the new leader of the Huashan Sect. Let's stop fighting for now!"

The Beggars' Sect members were surprised that Song Qingshu would travel all the way to Ling Snake Island overseas. Song Qingshu was also surprised that he would be recognized so coincidentally. He simply stepped forward and said, "I am Song Qingshu, the head of the Huashan Sect. I greet Senior Xie." Xie Xun had lived on an isolated island overseas for a long time, and his impression of the martial arts world in the Central Plains was still based on what he had seen more than twenty years ago. It was uncertain whether Song Qingshu was even born at that time, so he had naturally never heard of this name.

Although the voice was young, the breath was long and deep, suggesting that the internal strength was unfathomable.

Moreover, his mere appearance was enough to intimidate the Beggar Clan thieves who dared to seize the Dragon-Slaying Saber, clearly indicating that his reputation was even greater than that of Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King.

"I'm old, I'm old. I, Xie Xun, am like a tiger fallen into the plains, and I still need the help of the Huashan Sect. Why should I come back?"

Elder Ji of the Beggars' Sect, renowned in the martial arts world for his "Nine Forms of Yinshan Palm," exclaimed, "Sect Leader Song, everything should be done in order of arrival. Xie Xun killed countless people twenty years ago. If you wish to rid the Central Plains martial arts world of a scourge, we will naturally raise our hands in agreement."

"But if they came for the Dragon-Slaying Saber, even if we are no match for them, the martial arts world will naturally have its own opinion!"

Before Song Qingshu could answer, Xie Xun roared, "Anyone who wants the Dragon-Slaying Saber, come at me all at once!"

Xie Xun was unaware of Song Qingshu's background, but he had heard a lot about the Huashan Sect's modus operandi. They were either trying to kill him to gain fame, or they also had the intention of seizing the sword, or more likely, both.

They immediately struck first, and a flash of black light appeared in the air. The weapons in the hands of the four Beggars were cut off along with their chests, and blood filled the sky. Only Elder Zheng reacted the fastest, but he also lost an arm.

The incident happened suddenly, and everyone who was watching was startled at the same time. When they looked at Xie Xun, they saw that he was holding a dark, heavy sword, about four feet long. A sword as sharp as that must be the legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword, which it was said to grant the owner the title of leader of the martial arts world.

Granny Jin Hua first glanced at the Dragon-Slaying Saber, ignoring the three Beggars' Sect members who were covered in blood and flesh. Then she sneered and turned to Song Qingshu, saying, "The name of the Huashan Sect Leader Song has become quite famous in the martial arts world over the past year. I didn't expect him to condescend to come to this little Ling Snake Island."

Zhao Min's eyes darted around, and she deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, "Hey, Granny Jin Hua, are you officially appointed by the imperial court, or have you lived here for generations? How can you prove that this Spirit Serpent Island is yours?"

At this moment, the four sides were divided: Song Qingshu and his group of four were on one side, Xie Xun was on the other side alone, Granny Jin Hua and Zhu'er were on the other side, and the Beggars' Clan, who had lost four members, were on the other side.

Although Granny Jin Hua had never personally witnessed Song Qingshu's martial arts prowess, she knew that few in the world could rival him, and that he was at least far superior to her. Therefore, she decided not to stoop to Zhao Min's level for the time being.

"Thank you, Third Brother. I had already made progress on my trip to the Central Plains to find Zhang Wuji, the son of your sworn brother Zhang Wuxia, but someone unexpectedly interfered."

“That man’s martial arts skills are really not weak, which is why I returned to the island to borrow your knife. I will definitely be able to bring Zhang Wuji to you then.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuji realized that his adoptive father's presence on Ling Snake Island was entirely for his sake, and he immediately wanted to go forward and acknowledge him.

To everyone's surprise, Xie Xun angrily retorted, "Madam Han, what promise did you make to me on Icefire Island that day?"

"I'm afraid your trip to the Central Plains to inquire about my Wuji child was a pretense; your real intention was to secretly send people to seize the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Otherwise, how would the Beggars' Sect have found their way to this Spirit Snake Island!"

Seeing this, Song Qingshu pulled Zhang Wuji aside and whispered, "Junior Brother Wuji, don't be too hasty. Senior Xie is in a bad mood right now. If we show up rashly, he might think we have ulterior motives."

As expected, Xie Xun brandished his sword and shouted, "Since you disregard our past friendship, I, Xie Xun, will simply return to the martial world. Anyone who dares to follow me will face my wrath!" (End of Chapter)