“Jason, my master regarded you as a confidant and bestowed upon you the Xuanming Manual he had chanced upon, but who would have thought you would strike so ruthlessly? Not only did you seize the lower volume of the Xuanming Manual, but you also secretly harmed my master. Now, you have chased me for seven days and nights for the upper volume of the Xuanming Manual. Such a blood feud—if I, Jason Sutton, do not avenge this, I swear I am not human.” The young man’s words were not actually addressed to Jason, but rather seemed intended for Brian Sutton. In this wilderness, whenever kindred spirits meet, there is always a sense of connection. The two had already discovered Brian Sutton hiding within the mountain.

Sure enough, Jason Sutton turned and flew in this direction, calling out loudly in midair, “Brother ahead, could you lend me a hand?”

“Kid, don’t meddle in other people’s business. The life of Jason Sutton is mine to take—I, Richard, will not let him go.” Jason also played a little trick, subtly revealing his own name to hint that the other should not interfere.

If Brian Sutton had heard of the name Jason, he would know that this person was a notorious demonic expert of the Free Sect, with considerable martial prowess.

Seeing the two flying toward him, Brian Sutton felt quite hesitant. He knew his own limits; even though he had made some progress in cultivating the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art and the Sword-Body Mind Technique, he was by no means a match for anyone in this ancient world. He had no idea why these people were seeking his help. What he didn’t know was that in this ancient world, all experts had ways to conceal their true strength. Among the human race, there had not been an ascendant for tens of thousands of years; any martial artist one could meet would never be as weak as Brian Sutton. Thus, the two assumed the man before them was pretending to be weak, deliberately hiding his true power.

Judging by these two, it seemed they were fighting over a volume of the Xuanming Manual. With over a hundred million martial arts in the Sacred Hall, who knew what kind of extraordinary art the Xuanming Manual was, to make these two fight so fiercely? Seeing that Brian Sutton still remained quietly in the mountainside, Jason Sutton grew anxious and said, “Brother, if you can save my life, I will reward you handsomely.” With that, he twisted his body and landed on a slanting branch jutting from the mountainside. His face was ashen and his steps unsteady, clearly having exhausted too much of his inner energy.

Faced with this martial artist who had suddenly appeared in the wilderness, Jason was quite suspicious. He had always been cautious, never acting rashly before probing his opponent’s background. Yet the man before him had such weak inner energy that it made him hesitate even more, so he stopped thirty paces away.

“This brother, if you help me capture this man, I, Jason, am willing to share this top-tier martial art, the Xuanming Manual, with you.” Jason had already made up his mind: as soon as he got the upper volume of the Xuanming Manual, he would strike ruthlessly. If the other did not side with him, he would kill him to silence him; if he was no match, he would immediately flee. In terms of lightness skill, Jason considered himself quite adept.

Brian Sutton remained expressionless throughout, never showing the slightest emotion. The opponents’ martial arts were far superior to his own; even a hint of emotion might provoke a relentless attack. At that point, even if he didn’t intervene, he might still be silenced. When Jason spoke, Brian Sutton clearly saw a cold glint flash in his eyes and instantly understood his intentions.

A thought flashed through his mind, and suddenly he had an idea.

With fingers like a sword and a thought in his mind, there was a clear, ringing clang, and a flash of cold light streaked across the sky. That cold light was a three-foot-long blade, exuding wisps of chill, its surface bright as a mirror. Brian Sutton controlled the blade with sword intent, making it circle nimbly in the air a few times before returning to Jason’s scabbard. He said nothing, only stared at Jason with bright, piercing eyes.

Jason’s face turned ugly. He clasped his fists and said, “I did not expect a master of the Blade Domain to be cultivating here in seclusion. I have disturbed you—please forgive me. I will personally come to apologize another day.” With that, he sped away.

“So, brother, you are from the Blade Domain. Thank you for your help.” Jason Sutton clasped his fists in thanks.

“No need. We must leave this place immediately—the sooner, the better. Once Jason realizes what’s happened, neither of us may survive.” With that, Brian Sutton leapt down from the mountainside and sped toward another peak.

“What!” Jason Sutton was bewildered. Clearly, Jason had already retreated in fear, so why did this man say he would soon return?

Though he didn’t understand, Jason Sutton still followed. But he soon discovered that the other’s technique for traveling through the air was not fast at all, unlike the experts he had imagined.

“Senior, forgive my confusion, but just now you said we must leave quickly, yet you seem so unhurried. Are you toying with me?” There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his words.

Brian Sutton gave a wry smile. “The art I practice is the world’s finest sword-riding technique. In terms of speed, it’s second to none, but even the best technique requires inner strength to support it. Do you think I don’t want to go faster? Since your lightness skill is so superb, why not take me along with you?”

“Ah!”