The stone cave is not far from the Sword Sect, and soon the eight of them arrived outside the stone cave. Xi Wen said loudly: "Master, disciple Xi Wen requests to see you. There is news about Ninth Master Brother." His voice was transmitted into the deep stone cave under the wrapping of his vital energy.

  After a while, an echo came from inside the stone cave, "En. I just heard the sound of the Tianxuan Bell, have you found Ouwen's disciple? You can all come in." It was indeed the clear voice of the Tianxia Sword Saint.

  "Yes, Master." Xi Wen responded with a single word, leading Ah Duan and his own several junior brothers into the stone cave.

  A'Dai looked around and found that the stone cave was completely natural, without any human traces. The cave was very deep, and it wasn't until they walked over a hundred meters and turned a corner that it suddenly opened up. This was not a particularly large cave, and in the center of the cave, on top of a large rock, sat a person with their legs crossed. Because the light was so dim, A'Dai couldn't make out the person's features.

  Seven people knelt down on the ground at the same time and respectfully said: "Greetings, Master."

  A'Dai stumbled and fell to the ground under Xi Wen's pull, stuttering: "Ah, A'Dai pays respects to the venerable Tianxia Sword Saint."

  "Everyone, get up! Xiwén, you stand aside." The originally calm voice of the Tiancan Sword Saint had a hint of excitement.

  Xie Wen and others responded with a sound, retreating to both sides. Ah-Dai was the last one to stand up, just as he stood up, two cold electric lights suddenly shot onto his body, startling him, and he involuntarily took a step back. The cold electric light was emitted from the eyes of Tian Fengjian, which were now open. They were a pair of clear eyes that, although devoid of any emotional color, were full of vitality. His entire body seemed to be locked in place, unable to move even slightly, with his true energy circulating continuously inside him, and the surging energy seemed to be in an abnormally excited state.

  "Are you Owen's disciple, Ah-Dai?"

  Ah-Dai nearly gasped for air under Owen's intimidating aura of the Heavenly Sword Saint, "Y-yes, Uncle Owen taught me martial skills."

  Tianxia Sword Saint let out a soft sigh, closed his eyes, and the pressure on Ah-Dai's body instantly disappeared. "Tell me how you met Owen, everything about your interactions with him, and how he eventually died."

  The fool didn't even think of resisting, and honestly replied: "I was originally in the Mystic Forest with Goris teacher to practice magic. During that time, Goris teacher went out to find something. Ah! Right, Goris teacher is a great alchemist. After the teacher left, one day, I suddenly found that the magic array set up by Goris teacher had been touched by someone. I thought it was the teacher who came back, so I ran out to welcome him, but unexpectedly, I encountered a group of black-clothed people attacking a white-clothed person. The white-clothed person is Uncle Owen, and that group of black-clothed people wanted to kill Uncle Owen, but they were no match for him. I heard them say that Uncle Owen had already been poisoned by the deadly poison of the Second Holy Water."

  Upon hearing this, Shi Wenhui and the others simultaneously exclaimed in shock. The name of Wu Er's Holy Water was well-known throughout the continent, and its unparalleled, unsolvable, and extremely feared poison was something that anyone would be extremely afraid of.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint seemed indifferent, "Continue."

  "Ah-Dai said: "Uncle Owen was almost killed by those black-clothed men at the time, then he used the Ming Wang sword to kill two of the black-clothed men."

  This time, even the Sword Saint Tian Feng couldn't remain calm. His eyes opened again, and a cold light shot out as he said with a hint of emotion: "You say that Owen uses the Underworld King's sword. So, that means the infamous first killer 'Underworld King' who has been wreaking havoc on the continent for years is actually him? I never thought...I really never thought that my disciple would become a killer. Kid, continue speaking."

  He nodded and told Owen how he had scared off the black-clad men, how he had fainted, and what had happened between him and Owen in detail. "Uncle Owen said before he died that the two people he owed the most in this life were his junior sister and you, sir. He said to come visit the Sword Sect when I have time." After Uncle Owen's death, I cremated his body and carried his ashes with me. With the blood of the divine dragon as a guide, open it, the space-time door." Ah-Dai took out the blue divine dragon blood from his collar, and in the flashing light, the Tian-Gang heavy sword given by Owen to Ah-Dai and the urn containing Owen's ashes floated out, falling steadily to the ground under Ah-Dai's control.

  The Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint and the seven people of Xiwen were all silent. A gentle breeze flashed, and the Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint had already appeared in front of Ah-Dai, very close to him. Ah-Dai was surprised to find that the Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, with no wrinkles on his face, only white hair and beard. His appearance was not very handsome, but his face was clear and calm, with a high nose and a pair of piercing eyes that flashed cold light between blinks. Upon closer inspection, Ah-Dai discovered that the Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint had an unusual charm that made him involuntarily feel respectful, a feeling he had never felt even in front of Hongyi Zhuangzhu. The Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint was emitting a strong and dense aura of justice. At this moment, his whole body was slightly trembling as he stared at the two objects on the ground, with flashes of light in his eyes.

  The Sword Saint Tian Ge stretched out his right hand, and the seventy-kilogram Tian Ge heavy sword and bone ash urn floated up and fell into his palm. Although years of cultivation had long allowed him to reach a state of no desire or demand, suddenly learning of the death of his beloved disciple and the cause of his daughter's death also made this world-renowned Sword Saint's emotions surge. He gently stroked the sword body and muttered: "Old Nine, you've had too hard a life. Alas... it was all Master's fault back then, I shouldn't have neglected you because of your master sister's death. That wasn't your fault!"

  The emotions between Xiwu and Owen were extremely deep, and several people had already been crying for a long time, surrounding the body of the Sword Saint with sobs. Feeling the sad atmosphere, Owen's face seemed to appear in Ah-Dai's mind again, and he choked: "Uncle Owen, I will definitely avenge you."

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath suddenly lifted his head, his eyes flashing with cold light as he charged at Ah Dumb and said: "Hand over the Nether King Sword for me to take a look."

  A'Duo's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily said: "The evil aura on the Ming Wang sword is too strong, I'm afraid, I'm afraid for you..."

  Tian Gang Jian Sheng let out a cold hum, his entire aura surging upwards, causing the entire stone cave to tremble slightly. "Bring it on, I don't believe there's any evil that can harm me."

  Ah-Dai suddenly remembered that the Tianxia Sword Saint's Shengsheng Jue had already been cultivated to the highest ninth level, nodded, and opened his outer garment, revealing the leather pouch inside. The hilt of the Mingwang Sword, inlaid with black gemstones, emitted a faint cold glow. Ah-Dai warned, "Sword Saint, you mustn't draw it out! When the Mingwang Sword is unsheathed, it takes away souls." After finishing speaking, he carefully removed the Mingwang Sword along with its leather pouch and respectfully presented it to Tianxia Sword Saint.

  The Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint handed the Heaven's Wrath Sword and Owen's ashes to Shiwen beside him, and his body was greatly revitalized. Ah-Dai discovered that the Underworld Sword in his hand seemed to be wrapped in an unknown energy, and he could no longer feel any evil aura, as if it were just an ordinary short sword. The Underworld Sword fell into the Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint's hands along with its scabbard, and he grasped the hilt, pulling out the Underworld Sword from its scabbard. As soon as the Underworld Sword left its scabbard, a surge of evil energy erupted, but the overwhelming evil intent was still unable to break through the life-releasing aura released by the Heaven's Wrath Sword Saint. A white light appeared, and Ah-Dai could clearly see that the Underworld Sword was continuously releasing a faint gray gas under the aura.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint's eyes flashed with surprise, and he frowned, saying: "This is the Mingwang Sword that ruined Owen's life! This child is really too obsessed, creating so many killing karma, no wonder he will not come to a good end. The most evil Mingwang Sword in the world indeed has a powerful force. I don't know how many moves of the Mingzi Nine Decisions I can withstand."

  "Uncle Owen said that if I can cultivate to the ninth level of Shengsheng Jue, I can use the first five moves of Mingwang Jianfa. He also said that the later moves are not powers that should appear in the mortal world. Sword Saint, you'd better be careful."

  Tianxia Sword Saint put the Ming Wang sword into his leather pouch and said to Ah Dumb, "If I tell you now that I want to keep this Ming Wang sword by my side, would you be willing? After all, it was given to you by Owen."

  When he heard the words of Tianjian Sheng, Ah-Dai felt a sense of relief in his heart. Although the Mingwang Sword had great power, it also caused him great trouble. He nodded repeatedly: "It's better for you to keep the Mingwang Sword. If it wasn't for Uncle Owen insisting on giving it to me back then, I wouldn't want it. That evil power is really too terrifying."

  The Tianxia Sword Saint looked at the relief in Ah-Dai's eyes and smiled slightly, saying: "What a pity! It's useless to me. Owen was right, such an evil sword can be used for good on earth. I'm very satisfied with your temperament, so let you be the guardian of the Mingwang Sword." After finishing speaking, he threw the Mingwang Sword at Ah-Dai again.

  "Wait, don't you want to reconsider? With your profound abilities, only you can control it. I'm afraid, I..."

  The face of the Tianxia Sword Saint sank, saying: "As a disciple of my Tianxia Sword Sect, you must have an unyielding determination and rise to challenges. What kind of appearance is this? Don't you understand the principle that man can conquer heaven?"

  Watching Tianxia Sword Saint's anger, Ah-Dai couldn't help but feel intimidated, hastily putting away the Mingwang Sword and hanging it on his body, not daring to make a sound.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint glanced at his seven disciples and asked, "What are your thoughts on Owen's death?"

  Ximen Dao said, "Master, the Killer's Guild has gone too far this time. They clearly know that Owen is your disciple, yet they still dare to harm his sister and force him to join them. I think it's time for us to take the initiative. I believe that with our brothers' skills, we can wipe out the Killer's Guild and avenge Ninth Brother."

  Zhou Wen said in a cold tone, "Big Brother is right, the Assassins' Guild is simply too detestable, they don't put our Tianxia Sword Sect in their eyes at all. Ninth Brother's grudge cannot be left unavenged!"

  The Tianxia Sword Saint closed his eyes, let out a soft sigh and said: "What's the point of avenging or not avenging? Regardless, your junior brothers and sisters are already dead. I've lived for over a hundred years, yet I couldn't protect my own disciples and daughter... Alas, what use is this title of Sword Saint?" He thought of Ah Dai saying that Owen was still thinking of him before his death, and his eyes became moist.

  "Master, is it just going to end like this?"

  Tianxia Sword Saint slightly shook his head and said, "I'm tired, take Ah-Dai back with you. Let me think for a moment. From today on, Ah-Dai officially becomes the third generation disciple of my Tianxia Sword Sect."

  Xie Wen used his eyes to stop the fellow disciples who still wanted to speak, and pulled Ah Duan along with them out of the stone cave.

  As he walked out of the stone cave, Ah-Dai suddenly burst into loud sobs. Earlier, when he told everyone about his experiences with Owen, it was as if he had relived everything that had happened between him and Owen. He thought of all the things Owen had done for him, and the deep bond they had formed over the years, and he couldn't help but feel a deep sorrow in his heart.

  Xie Wen patted Ah Dai's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Kid, stop crying. Don't worry, Owen will not die in vain. Master has always been protective of his disciples, he will definitely not let the killer from the Workers' Guild get away with it. You're also tired from the journey, take a good rest first. Master has already decided your title, from now on don't call us Uncle anymore, but call us Shifu, understand? Call Master as Shizu."

  A'Dai wiped away his tears and nodded: "Yes, Master Bo."

  Back in the Sword Sect, Ah-Dai was arranged to stay in an ordinary small house. The rooms of the Rocky Brothers and Xuan Yue were adjacent to his, the Rocky Brothers had gone to sleep early, but Xuan Yue waited for him to return.

  "Ah-Dai, what's wrong with you? Why are your eyes all red? Did something happen?" Xuan Yue asked anxiously, looking at Ah-Dai's gloomy expression.

  "Ah, Moon, Master said he wants to take me in as a disciple and make me the third generation of Tianxia Sword Sect. I'm fine, it's just that I remembered Uncle Owen's death and my heart is heavy."

  Xuan Yue said, "Master? You're referring to the Tianxia Sword Saint, aren't you? However, if you join the Tianxia Sword Sect, then you won't be able to roam the continent with me anymore. How can that be? You're someone's follower and need to accompany them."

  "Ah-Dai lowered his head and said: 'I, I don't know, my heart is very confused.'"

  Xuan Yue looked at Ah Dai's appearance and couldn't bear to force him anymore. She spoke softly, "You've been traveling all night, you must be tired too. Rest first, we'll talk about everything when you wake up." After finishing speaking, she forcibly pushed Ah Dai onto the bed and personally covered him with a quilt. Just as she was about to leave, Ah Dai grabbed her hand and said, "Yue Yue, can you stay with me for a little while longer? I feel so lonely in my heart."

  Xuan Yue nodded gently, pulled over a stool and sat down beside Ah Dai, allowing him to hold her small hand, saying in a low voice: "Go to sleep quickly, when you wake up everything will be over."

  Holding Xuan Yue's soft little hand, Ah Dai's excited mood gradually subsided, and he was indeed a bit tired. After a while, he had already fallen asleep.

  Until dusk, Ah-Dai finally woke up from his sleep, and Xuan Yue was nowhere to be seen. The room was empty. Ah-Dai lay flat on the bed, gently stroking the Ming Wang sword at his chest, recalling the scene of seeing Tian Geng Sword Saint in the morning, with waves rising in his heart. The powerful aura emanating from Tian Geng Sword Saint and Xi Wen made him feel how small he was. He clearly knew that even if he used the Ming Flash, he would be absolutely unable to defeat them. With his current skills, it was impossible for him to avenge Uncle Owen. It seemed that he could only continue to cultivate!

  At this time, the door suddenly opened and Xuan Yue slipped in. She thought Ah Dai was still fast asleep, so she tiptoed to his side. When she saw that Ah Dai's eyes were open, she was startled. "Hey, when did you wake up? Why didn't you say anything when I came in? You scared me half to death. Honestly."

  Ah-Dai forced a smile and sat up, saying: "I just woke up too, Yueyue, didn't you rest for a while?"

  Xuan Yue Dao said: "I slept for a while. Let's go, those old men are calling us to eat together, Yan Shi and Yan Li have already gone."

  "Ah-Dai frowned and said: 'Yueyue, you can't be unreasonable with Shibo, they are all respectable elders.'"

  Xuan Yue stuck out her cute little tongue and said, "I know, let's go quickly."

  Ah-Dai got up from bed, simply tidied himself up, and under the leadership of Xuan Yue, he came to the great hall of the Tian Geng Sword Sect again. Inside the great hall, there was an additional table, Xi Wen and other second-generation disciples of the Tian Geng Sword Sect were all present, Yan Shi and Yan Li two brothers sat respectfully at the lower end. On the table, several large bowls of dishes were placed, the fragrance wafted over, and Ah-Dai's hunger was stirred up.

  Xī Wén smiled slightly and said: "Ah Dāi, come quickly, we've been waiting for you." Ah Dāi and Xuán Yuè sat down beside Yán Shí and Yán Lì.

  Ximen Dao said, "You've just arrived at the mountain, there's nothing good to entertain you, they're all some local specialties of the mountain, make do with eating them. Everyone in the Sword Sect eats these, although you were originally guests, it can't be an exception."

  The four of them were already starving and wouldn't pick at anything, these delicious dishes made them eat a lot, even Xuan Yue ate a lot. On the other hand, the seven people in Xiwen's group ate very little, since they learned about Owen's encounter today, their mood has been hard to calm down.

  "Ah-Dai, how did you get to know the Rock people? I heard from Feng Ping that when he saw you, you were still alone, not long after that, how did you end up with the Rock people? And this little girl from the Sacred Court, whose child are you? How could the Court let you wander around the continent so freely? You seem to be too young for training yet."

  Ah-Dai looked at Xuan Yue for a moment, then recounted how he had met Xuan Yue, and later taken on the task of traversing the Mountains of Death. He also told her about his encounters with the Pu Yan tribe and the Spirit tribe. However, he didn't mention that Xuan Yue's father was one of the Red Bishops of the Church.

  After listening to his narrative, Lu Wen couldn't help but laugh and say: "You young people! You really don't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth. The Mountains of Death are also a place you can go? Fortunately, the kind-hearted Spirit Clan stopped you, otherwise, if you had really gone there, I'm afraid you would never have come out again."

  Xie Wen's gaze was gentle as he looked at the rock, saying: "I didn't expect your wife to let Yan Ju harm you. Ah, Yan Ju was originally a good child, but his desire for power was too great, leading him down a demonic path. It's just that it's unfortunate for you! People can't come back from the dead, so mourn in peace. Rock, if you're willing to stay, I can formally take you on as a disciple of the Tian Gang Sword Sect."

  If Shiwen had asked him to be his apprentice when he was younger, he would have agreed without hesitation. But now, he couldn't, and shook his head, saying sincerely: "Thank you, Teacher Shiwen. However, since we promised the Elf Queen that we would help her find her people, we can't break our promise. If there's an opportunity in the future, I will definitely ask for your guidance."

  Xī Wén nodded slightly and said: "Alright, I won't force you. Ah Dāi, are you also going to help the Spirit Tribe find their people?"

  Ah-Dai looked at Xuan-Yue, whose eyes were filled with anxious gaze. "Master Bo, I was the one who promised the Spirit Queen first, so I think it's better for me to go help her find *person first."

  Xī Wén smiled slightly, and Xuán Yuè's expression he couldn't understand, "You are all kind and good children. Helping the spirit tribe is very correct. You have done what is right, if in the future you offend some noble of the Luò Rì Empire, you can come back, here, no one will bother you. However, ā Dāi, I hope you stay a few more days, Shī Fù he is very perplexed about the ninth brother's matter. I think, after he decides how to deal with the Assassin's Guild, you can leave."

  Xuan Yue was overjoyed and quickly said, "No problem, the scenery of Tianxia Mountain is so beautiful! Especially during sunrise, we were thinking of staying for a few days too." However, what Xuan Yue didn't expect was that this decision to stay would lead to her separation from Ah Dai for three years.

  …………

  The Thieves' Guild headquarters in some corner of the Empire of the Setting Sun.

  "What, Old Fourth was killed by the Reaper's Guild's dark disciple?" The Thief Guild leader slammed his hand on the table, his chest filled with rage. The Acquirers had always been the middle power of the Thief Guild. Losing one person would be a heavy blow to the guild. If it weren't for the extremely high commission offered by the client this time, they wouldn't have mobilized all the Acquirers in the guild. The temptation of 10,000 diamond coins was too great. With that amount of money, the Thief Guild could live a rich life for ten years.

  Meng Feng took a step forward, bowed his head and said: "President, it's all my fault. If Fourth Uncle wasn't trying to save me, he wouldn't have died under the King of Hell's sword. Please punish me."

  The president looked at his daughter, his only daughter and the greatest pride of his life. Mie Feng not only had an extremely high talent, but also worked harder than he did when he was young, reaching the level of a getter at just 19 years old, which was entirely her own effort. The other six getters could be said to be his older brothers, they loved Mie Feng sometimes even more than he did, and he understood why the fourth elder would replace Mie Feng to take that sword from the king of hell. He sighed and shook his head, saying: "You first tell me what happened."

  "Things were like this. After we accepted the employer's deposit, under your command, we led ten high-level thieves and one hundred ordinary thieves to sneak into the Tianyuan tribe's spiritual forest. At first, everything went very smoothly. We set up many traps and spent half a month capturing sixteen ordinary spirits, six male and ten female, just short of the employer's requirement of thirty people. However, later on, those spirits became more vigilant, frequently dispatching high-level experts to patrol the forest, causing our thieves to suffer heavy losses, forcing us to temporarily withdraw from the spiritual forest.

  Later, a group of strangers appeared, consisting of six men and two women, a total of eight people, with unremarkable abilities. As soon as they entered the spiritual forest, they were intercepted by a small group of spirits. The spirits possibly didn't trust these outsiders due to our previous captures and insisted on binding them with natural magic. I calculated that the number of spirits we had already captured, plus this group, would exactly meet the employer's requirement of thirty people.

  We decided to use all our strength to capture this group of spirits. We followed them into the spiritual forest, and after scouting out the surroundings and finding no other spirits, we launched a surprise attack, quickly capturing their magic user. The situation soon turned in our favor. Just then, those strangers suddenly broke free from their restraints and killed many of our ordinary thieves. In order to avoid further casualties, we decided to confront them head-on.

  Their abilities were not impressive; the first person who came out couldn't even withstand my single attack. The second person was a tall young man with a somewhat dull expression on his face, wielding a large longsword with much deeper abilities than the previous person. However, he still wasn't my match, and after exchanging several blows, he was about to lose when he suddenly revealed that he possessed the Underworld Sword.

  Fourth Uncle, fearing I would get hurt, took it upon himself to test him. Who knew that young man was indeed a descendant of the Underworld King? With the Underworld Sword, even Fourth Uncle's abilities couldn't withstand a single exchange, and...”

  At this point, Mie Feng's eyes turned red as she choked back tears, unable to continue speaking. Every time she thought about Fourth Uncle's death, her heart filled with boundless hatred towards the person who killed him, wanting to tear them limb from limb.

  The one who became the uncle of the exterminated phoenix walked up to the exterminated phoenix and said respectfully: "President, this time's mission failure was all caused by my mistake. If I hadn't let Old Fourth go probe whether that young man was the descendant of the Underworld King or not, he wouldn't have died either. Please punish me."

  The leader of the Thieves' Guild stood up, his entire body shrouded in black clothing, with a conical hat adorned with green threads on his head, making it impossible to see his face. "Brother Li, this time's matter can't be blamed on you. If I were at the scene, I would also try to probe the young man's depth. You don't need to argue about whose mistake it was. The death of Old Four is regrettable, but your mission this time didn't fail. On the contrary, it was very successful. The client not only paid us the original agreed-upon fee but also added 5,000 diamond coins. These 5,000 diamond coins can be considered as your reward for this trip."

  Meng Feng's expression changed, and he said, "Dad, what did you say? We've completed the task? But we only caught sixteen elves! The number didn't meet the client's requirements."

  The tone of the Guildmaster's voice softened a bit, saying: "No, you've already completed your mission. Do you know? Among the sixteen spirits you captured, one of them has the bloodline of the Spirit King, which means she is the daughter of the Spirit King. With her alone, it's enough to make up for hundreds of ordinary spirits. Although we lost many people this time, you also brought a lot of benefits to the organization. Over the years, you have made countless contributions to the organization, and are my good brothers. Without you, there would be no Thieves' Guild today. So, I'll give you a year's vacation, and you can take a good rest. As for recruiting new members, I'll find someone else to do it."

  "Father, what about the murderer who killed Fourth Uncle? Are we just going to let him off?" The Li surname getter beside her pulled her back and said, "Feng'er, don't say any more. Although everyone is deeply grieved by Old Four's death, the person who killed him must have a close relationship with the Assassin's Guild. We can't afford to provoke the Assassin's Guild."

  "Even if the Assassin's Guild is powerful, they can't just kill our people for no reason! We've provided them with so much intelligence over the years, haven't we?"

  The president raised his hand, stopping Ming Feng from continuing to speak, and said calmly: "Fourth brother will not die in vain. I will seek justice from the Assassin's Guild. Although their strength is stronger than ours, as a dark force, they will give me some face. What I find strange is why the King of Hell would send his treasured sword, the King of Hell Sword, to his disciple. You all go rest. I'll handle this matter."

  As soon as the president said he would avenge the deceased, the eyes of the five elderly members showed gratitude. Without saying anything else, they quietly retreated. The room was left with only the president and Mie Feng. Mie Feng removed the veil from her face and said, "Dad, Fourth Uncle cannot die in vain. Let me go. As long as I find the murderer, I will definitely kill him."

  "Are you trying to get me into even more trouble? Don't you understand that there are rules outside of our own? The first rule of the Thieves' Guild is not to kill people, and as my daughter, do you want to break this rule?" He sighed and continued, "I know your feelings for Lao Si run deep, but some things can't be resolved just by acting on impulse. You're my only daughter, if something happens to you, what am I supposed to do? Alright, don't interfere with this matter again, I'll go ask the Assassins' Guild about it myself. If there's any news, I'll let you know. Go now."