Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

"Alas, what a terrible thing to do." Nongyu was taken aback.

Zi Nu's gaze was deep and her voice was as soft as the wind: "Let alone three times of assistance, even if he only helped once, his value might be equivalent to the entire Zi Lan Xuan."

The next morning.

"Ah..." Lin Tian sighed, looking up. "Now I don't even have the right to shamelessly sneak into Nongyu's room to listen to the music anymore. I'm afraid I'll never hear that heart-string melody again."

Before the words were finished, the melodious sound of a zither drifted in from outside the window.

Lin Tian was taken aback—it was "Heartstrings".

He closed his eyes and listened intently.

After an unknown amount of time, the lingering sound faded away.

He was familiar with the emotions flowing in that song, having touched upon them twice before—once during their first encounter, and once when he was moved.

He sighed softly, "Never mind... let nature take its course."

Night falls.

Just as Lin Tian was about to go to bed, he suddenly saw a purple figure flash past the window.

After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and followed.

At this moment, the city of Xinzheng was completely silent. The once bustling and lively streets and alleys were now only graced by the cold moon and lonely lamps.

Han Fei staggered drunkenly, carrying a lantern as he wandered the streets.

Suddenly a cold wind swept by, chilling to the bone.

Eerie whispers echoed around them, and the ground trembled slightly. Then, dozens of illusory cavalry figures roared in, galloping through the streets, their hooves silent yet terrifying.

Ghost soldiers?!

A thought flashed through Han Fei's mind, but he forcibly suppressed it.

The next instant, the lantern burst into flames, and a sharp arrow pierced the air!

He was so startled that he fell to the ground with a thud, narrowly avoiding the fall, and looked back—

Dozens of ghostly figures wielding twin swords had surrounded him and killed him.

It turned out that Zi Nu had secretly followed Han Fei when he left the pavilion. According to a secret report from Zi Lan Pavilion, the Hundred Birds Black Crow would attack him tonight.

How could she stand idly by?

Seeing Han Fei surrounded, Zi Nu gripped the Crimson Serpent Sword tightly, ready to rush to his aid.

But at that moment, her waist suddenly tightened—someone grabbed her from behind!

Her heart skipped a beat! Who could have gotten so close without her noticing?!

"Don't panic," a deep voice came from behind.

Upon hearing that it was Lin Tian, ​​Zi Nu's tense nerves relaxed a little. Looking down, she saw his hand resting on her bare waist, their skin touching, warm and burning.

Her cheeks were slightly hot, but she did not break free.

"Aren't you his creditor? Aren't you afraid that if he dies, the money he owes you will be gone?"

Zi Nu stared at the face in front of her, so close she could almost feel its breath, and her heart skipped a beat.

Lin Tian chuckled and withdrew his hand from her waist. He only wanted to stop her, not take advantage of the situation.

But as her hand loosened, Zi Nu felt a pang of disappointment at the loss. She suppressed her emotions and frowned impassively: "Then tell me, what secrets does Han Fei hold?" Her eyes flickered, and a thought flashed through her mind—could it be that Han Fei, like Lin Tian, ​​was hiding his true abilities, and his martial arts were so high that she couldn't see through him at all?

"What are you thinking?" Lin Tian glanced at her, his tone amused. "Han Fei? He's utterly useless. But he... he's hiding a huge secret. Now, it can't be hidden anymore."

Before the words were even finished, the world suddenly changed.

A bluish-gray aura swept across the land like a tidal wave, and amidst the churning fog, a figure appeared out of thin air—white hair dancing wildly, clad in tattered armor, holding a longsword with a broken blade. The swordsman stood before Han Fei, coldly blocking his attack, and the ghostly soldiers' assault came to an abrupt halt.

Where the bluish-gray mist lingered, the branches and leaves froze, even the wind held its breath, and the entire space seemed to be sealed by invisible ice.

Lin Tian was unharmed, but Zi Nu, who was standing right next to him, suddenly froze, her eyes glazed over, and her thoughts seemed to have fallen into a deep abyss, almost coming to a standstill.

Lin Tian raised his hand and firmly gripped her waist. His powerful inner strength surged into her like a warm current, and she suddenly came to her senses. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her breath returned to normal.

"Who is this person? How did they appear out of nowhere?!" Zi Nu lowered her voice, her fingertips unconsciously clenching her sleeves.

"A person?" Lin Tian shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Not a human? Or is it some kind of ghost or spirit?" Zi Nu glanced at him sideways, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Lin Tian pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly, "If we really have to categorize it, calling it a 'ghost' wouldn't be wrong."

In fact, the moment Lin Tian first met Han Fei, he had already sensed an unstoppable sword intent lurking within him—sharp as a blade, its edge concealed. However, at that time, his mind was preoccupied, and he did not delve into it further.

It wasn't until he heard the name "Han Fei" that he realized: that sword intent was the manifestation of the reverse scale.

Lin Tian had heard of the Reverse Scale before, but had never seen its true form. It only appeared suddenly when Han Fei's life was hanging by a thread, protecting its master as if it were an instinct, much like an ancient artifact in the cultivation world that is both domineering and human-like.

Seeing that Zi Nu's face clearly said, "Are you kidding me?", Lin Tian raised an eyebrow and nodded in Han Fei's direction: "Don't believe me? Then take a closer look—does he have a rising and falling chest? And look at the sword in his hand."

Zi Nu frowned and stared intently, her pupils suddenly contracting. Her voice was extremely low: "No...no breath! And...that sword is actually broken into several pieces?! Could it really be from the underworld?!" Before she finished speaking, she had unconsciously moved half a step closer to Lin Tian's side. Such a bizarre event would send chills down anyone's spine.

"Just kidding." Lin Tian suddenly laughed loudly.

Zi Nu was taken aback, then her face flushed with anger: "You—!" She raised her hand to hit his shoulder.

"Stop messing around." Before the words were even finished, his fist had already been firmly clenched.

The two fell silent.

The posture was far too intimate—Lin Tian still had one arm around her waist, and she had shrank back a little in his arms when she was startled, and her hand was still firmly held by him.

No matter how you look at it, they look like a couple flirting and teasing each other under the moon.

Zi Nu's ears burned, and she lowered her eyes and whispered, "Let go."

Lin Tianqian chuckled twice, loosened his grip on her fist, and quietly took a small step back.

"The other hand." Zi Nu glared at him, her gaze intense.

Lin Tian spread his hands, looking completely at ease: "I dare not let that out. The bluish-gray mist outside is extremely poisonous. If you get even a little bit on it, it's like being frozen in an ice cave, unable to even think straight."

"Hmph!" Zi Nu rolled her eyes, then let him hold her, pressing for an answer: "So what exactly is he?"

Lin Tian stroked his chin and slowly said, "It must be because after the sword's former owner fell, he borrowed the remnants of a 'god' and entrusted a wisp of his obsession to the sword. Han Fei gained the approval of this consciousness, and in the critical moment, the obsession materialized—what a pity..."

"What's a pity?" Zi Nu pressed.

"It's a pity he's gone. Otherwise, he would have been a worthy opponent." Lin Tian paused, his gaze deep. "What intrigues me even more is—what kind of formidable enemy could have killed him to this extent, even shattering his sword into pieces?" He narrowed his eyes, his expression growing somber: This world is far deeper and darker than it appears on the surface.

Zi Nu frowned slightly, feeling puzzled—Lin Tian's words sounded like a riddle to her, and like a philosophical discussion.

As soon as Ni Lin appeared, he swept his broken sword across the area several times, scattering all the ghost soldiers before they could even scream.

Mo Ya was forced to reveal himself, and Ni Lin kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string. Just as he was about to finish him off, he suddenly looked up and saw Lin Tian and Zi Nu standing in the distance.

In the next instant, his figure suddenly turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared. The Reverse Scale Sword in his hand shattered inch by inch, and the fragments shot back to the young master's mansion like a rain of lightning.

"There's still some residual judgment?" Lin Tian's lips curled slightly. "That's interesting."

Mo Ya clutched his aching chest, feeling as if he had been crushed by a massive boulder. When he looked up at Han Fei again, his gaze had completely changed, now filled with apprehension and disbelief.