Above, sand and dust fell together, and countless pieces of rubble dropped from the ceiling.

Henry Owen also nearly lost his balance. He immediately looked up, his expression filled with surprise and bewilderment.

What’s going on? Could it be an earthquake?

※※※※

While the entire library was shaking, Matthew Thompson stepped heavily onto the final step of the twelfth floor.

This floor was extremely spacious, with a space seventy zhang long and wide, and not a single wall to divide it.

All four walls were lined with tall wooden bookshelves, piled with all kinds of books and scrolls.

But the moment Matthew Thompson set foot on this floor, all the bookshelves instantly turned to dust, and deep grooves appeared on all four walls.

The wild, blood-red sword energy emanating from Matthew Thompson’s sleeve was clashing fiercely with a vast, masculine force of pure energy.

Countless scattered sword energies sliced in all directions, while the shattered force spread outward, sweeping over everything.

At the center of this floor, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in white robes, floated up from behind a nanmu wood desk.

Though he was aged and frail, his stature was extremely tall, and he looked down from above at the man standing at the stairway—dressed in a blue disciple’s robe, with handsome features and a blue sword mark at his brow.

“Blood Sea Drifting Sword? Are you Bloodwind Sword Matthew Thompson?”

The old man in white spoke with a mix of surprise, suspicion, and anger: “You’re quite bold, but have you considered the consequences?”

“How could I not?”

Matthew Thompson chuckled at these words, his eyes rebellious as he raised his head: “Won’t I be treated as a mortal enemy by your entire Wuxiang Divine Sect? But since I’m already here, why would I be afraid?”

At that moment, all his clothing turned blood-red.

Countless blood-colored sword energies instantly converged into a massive blood sword, striking straight at the old man in white.

“Utterly lawless!”

The old man in white drew a horsetail whisk from his sleeve and casually swept it, shattering the blood sword: “These years you’ve willingly walked the path of evil, committing all manner of crimes. If your master were still alive, he would be ashamed of you.”

“If I hadn’t entered the Blood Sea, I’d have been a ghost under the imperial blade years ago.”

Matthew Thompson sneered, bloodlust flashing in his eyes: “Enough nonsense. I’ve come this time for the things Grace Carter left in this building. Hand over all her notes, annotations, and true intent diagrams, and my men and I will leave at once, not harming a single blade of grass here.”

The old man in white was momentarily stunned, his expression puzzled: “You came just for this? There are indeed a few true intent diagrams that Grace Carter copied here as a child, but are they really worth all this trouble?”

Matthew Thompson gave a dissatisfied snort, his tone laced with killing intent: “Don’t play dumb with me! Her childhood doodles mean nothing to me. What I want is Grace Carter’s Reverse God Banner!”

Upon hearing this, the old man in white looked even more bewildered, as if at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Matthew Thompson continued, “Grace Carter began martial training at ten, reached first rank at twenty-two, undefeated all her life, dominating the Northern Region. Such achievements are simply unprecedented and cannot be explained by talent alone.

Some have concluded that the ancient relic, the ‘Reverse God Banner’, was in Grace Carter’s possession. Only this item in the world can defy fate and seize the creation of heaven and earth for oneself. But after Grace Carter’s death, the Qin clan of Tieshan, together with the imperial court’s experts, searched all her belongings and found no trace of the Reverse God Banner.”

The old man in white shook his head: “Leaving aside whether the Reverse God Banner was ever in Grace Carter’s hands, even if it was, what does that have to do with my Zhengyang Martial Hall? She left the hall for the Wuxiang Divine Sect when she was only twelve. Since then, Grace Carter never set foot here again.”

“A sixth-rank martial artist at only twelve!” Matthew Thompson sneered coldly. “She was still a child then, so it’s even more likely she left clues to the Reverse God Banner here. Half a month ago, the emperor asked the imperial astrologer to divine the banner’s whereabouts at the cost of his own lifespan, and received the prophecy: ‘The iron pass is truly like iron, but now we take the first step anew’—”

Suddenly, his expression changed, a sharp glint in his eyes: “You’re stalling for time, waiting for others to help you? Wishful thinking!”

Matthew Thompson’s body suddenly slid forward, pointing a single finger at the old man’s brow.

Countless blood-colored sword energies gathered, spiraling like swimming fish, slashing and drilling forward like a blood-red storm, their momentum terrifying.

The pure yang force before the old man shattered inch by inch, but he remained calm, instantly shifting his force from yang to yin, then struck forward with his palm.

In an instant, Matthew Thompson and all the blood-colored sword energies were frozen three feet ahead. Outside his body, countless droplets of water condensed, solidifying into ice.

Yet the old man in white showed no joy, instead retreating several steps and drawing a soft sword from his sleeve, gathering his true energy with all his might.

The ice around Matthew Thompson cracked inch by inch, and countless blood-colored sword energies emerged from within.

He praised lightly, “This is the Yang Extreme Reversing Yin Palm that Grace Carter often used before reaching fourth rank, a martial art she created herself. Did you learn it here in this library? So she could create a fourth-rank martial art at just twelve? Remarkable.”

Seeing this, the old man in white couldn’t help but gasp.

He thought, what a dense blood sea, what a fierce aura—

Chapter 10 Bloodwind Bandit