Chapter 50: The Nameless Expert

“Where is it? Take us there now!”

Jiang Baishan shuddered, instantly realizing what had happened.

A trace of horror flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Following him, the others also realized something; one by one, they could no longer restrain themselves and rushed toward that direction.

Ning Qi felt a slight sense of helplessness in his heart.

He knew exactly what it was. After killing the Flying Eagle earlier, he had been in such a hurry to come to the rescue that he hadn't had time to dispose of the corpse. It had likely been discovered by the disciples.

His eyes flashed slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

Soon.

The crowd appeared at the site where Ning Qi and Tie Ying had fought earlier.

The conspicuous traces left behind caused people to gasp in shock. The nearly collapsed pavilion and the crisscrossing marks on the ground all served as proof that the battle that had just taken place here was undoubtedly at the Gangyuan Realm level.

“A Gangyuan Realm expert has infiltrated us!”

“Was the River Dragon just a distraction to draw our attention?”

Using a diversion to mask their true objective—the enemy clearly had grand designs. Looking at this direction, it was exactly on the mandatory path to the Sutra Pavilion!

Such wild ambition!

To actually plot against the martial arts heritage of the Zhenwu Sect!

The crowd was both shocked and enraged.

Then, Ye Qinghe was the first to react.

“Just now, the Ground Tiger said, ‘How did the second brother die?’ Could it be... that the person before us is the Flying Eagle?”

Shock rose in everyone's eyes.

A dignified Gangyuan Realm expert had actually died just like this?

Xiong Shi crouched down.

He pulled back the mask of the corpse before him, and instantly, a thin, sinister face appeared before everyone. However, on this face, the wide-open eyes still retained a sense of terror and horror, as if he had witnessed something inconceivable.

“Is it the Flying Eagle?”

The others asked repeatedly.

Xiong Shi only frowned and slowly shook his head.

“I can't tell.”

Suddenly.

As if thinking of something, he pulled a dagger from the waist of a nearby disciple. With a single slice, he cut open the black clothing of the corpse, and an indistinct pattern was revealed. Xiong Shi's eyes lit up, and with a pull of his hands, the pattern on the corpse's back was fully exposed to the crowd.

It was a descending tiger, possessing extraordinary divine majesty and filled with a unique charm.

Xiong Shi took a deep breath and said heavily

“It is indeed the Flying Eagle!”

Jiang Baishan asked

“Second Senior Brother, how can you be sure?”

Seeing the doubt in everyone's eyes, Xiong Shi said slowly

“You all know of the Three Terrors of Tieling, but do you know their origins?”

Everyone shook their heads, though Ye Qinghe frowned and said

“There are rumors that they are not biological brothers, but merely came from a place called Tieling and became sworn brothers later.”

Xiong Shi said

“Correct. It seems those rumors are true.”

“When these three left Tieling, they encountered extraordinary opportunities, but they did not fully trust one another, which is why they swore brotherhood. Not only that, but it is said that the three obtained three different martial arts related to the Dragon, Tiger, and Eagle, so they changed their names to Tie Long, Tie Hu, and Tie Ying.”

Ning Qi was staring blankly at the tiger pattern. He had already seen it—there was profound mystery within this tiger pattern. Once one immersed their mind into it, the tiger seemed to come alive, roaming through mountains and forests, with every movement containing the ultimate principles of martial arts.

Hearing Xiong Shi's words just now.

Ning Qi subconsciously asked

“Does Senior Brother mean this pattern is related to the Flying Eagle's identity?”

Xiong Shi nodded.

“Exactly. These three brothers have committed many evils and even kept a watchful eye on one another. To prevent being betrayed one day, they tattooed the three True Intent Patterns they obtained onto their own bodies.”

At this point, he paused, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

“However—it wasn't their own martial arts they tattooed on themselves, but rather, they each tattooed someone else's onto themselves.”

The crowd suddenly understood.

“So, the Flying Eagle carries the martial arts of the other two terrors?”

“If I'm not mistaken, it should be the Ground Tiger's Tyrant Tiger True Intent Pattern!” Xiong Shi nodded. “In that case, the River Dragon carries the Sky Eagle True Intent Pattern, and the Ground Tiger carries the Mad Dragon True Intent Pattern.”

At this moment, everyone was convinced that the person before them was the Flying Eagle. No wonder Tie Hu had been so exasperated when he arrived earlier, and even seemed somewhat reluctant to leave; so this was the crux of the matter.

Since the Flying Eagle died in the Zhenwu Sect, it meant the Ground Tiger had lost his True Intent Pattern from this day forward.

It was no wonder he was so furious.

A True Intent Pattern was different from martial arts recorded in manuals. Observing and comprehending it constantly was like receiving divine enlightenment, allowing one to reach profound martial realms more easily, or even create entirely new martial arts from it.

It was a treasure that could only be produced by Heaven-Man level experts who had refined a particular martial art to its absolute peak.

The eyes of the crowd grew fervent.

This Tyrant Tiger True Intent Pattern was a magnificent treasure!

But immediately.

A single sentence from Jiang Baishan made everyone's bodies shudder.

“Then... who killed the Flying Eagle?”

They had been so preoccupied with confirming the Flying Eagle's identity that they had forgotten this crucial matter.

Who had been fighting the Flying Eagle, and who had slain him here?

Jiang Baishan's gaze was deep.

As the only Gangyuan Realm expert present, he naturally observed more closely. He had been studying the nearby battle traces, and now, crouching down, he brushed over the two wounds on Tie Ying's chest and neck. He took a deep breath and said

“If I am not mistaken, the Flying Eagle was killed instantly by a single sword strike from this nameless expert! Even without that strike to his neck, the Flying Eagle would have died regardless.”

He felt an immense pressure.

He had been constantly imagining that if he were in the Flying Eagle's position, he likely wouldn't have fared much better; it would have been nothing more than a matter of one or two sword strikes.

The sudden appearance of such a sword dao expert on Mount Zhenwu left him feeling uneasy.

Everyone fell silent.

Their hearts were filled with shock.

Although the reputation of the Three Terrors of Tieling was poor, their strength was real. A Gangyuan Realm expert was among the top tier of experts in the entire Qingzhou province, yet he had been easily killed in an instant. One could only imagine how powerful the person who struck was.

“Could it be someone else who infiltrated our Zhenwu Sect?”

As soon as this thought arose, everyone felt an overwhelming pressure.

But immediately, a disciple came to report

“Seniors, there are no signs of intrusion at the Sutra Pavilion, and there are no traces of combat anywhere else.”

The crowd looked at one another.

If this nameless expert truly harbored malice, the Zhenwu Sect would likely have no one to stop him; he could enter and exit places like the Sutra Pavilion at will, unless their masters came out of seclusion.

But since there was no movement now, it meant that the nameless expert most likely had no ill intent.

“Do you think... is it possible that this nameless expert is a hidden foundation of our Zhenwu Sect? Perhaps the elder discovered the Flying Eagle's infiltration and struck him down.”

Everyone's eyes lit up.

They automatically imagined an old Taoist with a transcendent, immortal aura.

“It's very possible! Otherwise, it can't be explained!”

Looking at the increasingly excited expressions on the faces of his senior brothers, senior sisters, and the many disciples, Ning Qi lifted his head from the Tiger True Intent Pattern, his expression somewhat strange.

(End of Chapter)