The Infamous Bone Mendicant! Is That All? Bisected in a Single Strike!

"Hmm?" Bone Mendicant also came to a halt. He raised his head and saw the black-robed figure ahead. It was a bladesman. Dressed in black, he exuded an icy aura that warned strangers to keep their distance. Bone Mendicant had always enjoyed toying with people's minds, playing games of cat and mouse. He especially loved torturing his opponents, letting them sink slowly into despair as they lingered on the brink of death. Yet the moment he saw this man in black, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Dao Twelve! Ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking! Meanwhile, he, Bone Mendicant, had not even qualified to make the list. Even though news of the Divine Strength Ranking had only just begun to spread and few people knew of it yet, it had already become a thorn in Bone Mendicant's side. Once the ranking became widely known, would he not become a laughingstock? After all, Bone Mendicant considered himself a pinnacle figure of the Divine Strength Realm. Yet he had failed to even break into the top hundred. Still, there was always a chance to make amends. The Divine Strength Ranking was revised once every month. For Bone Mendicant to get on the board was simple enough: he merely had to kill someone in the top hundred. And now, his chance had arrived. "Dao Twelve, a complete nobody—what right do you have to sit at eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking?" "Your spot is mine!" A cruel smile crept onto Bone Mendicant's lips. Lu Changsheng did not know any Bone Mendicant. He simply found it baffling. Some martial artist who leaped out of nowhere thought he could just enter the Divine Strength Ranking? He even wanted to slay him and take his place? Did he think he could pull that off just because he looked fierce? Or because he wore a rosary of finger bones? Lu Changsheng could not be bothered to waste his breath. *Clang!* In an instant, Lu Changsheng's saber cleared its scabbard. A blood-red arc of blade light tore through the void in a flash. At the same time, in Bone Mendicant's eyes, the surroundings seemed to transform into a starry sky. Within that desolate starry expanse, the faint silhouette of a waterfall emerged. A three-thousand-foot waterfall cascaded straight down, plunging through the star-filled void. *Boom!* Carrying the Starry Sky Waterfall Conception, the blade light fell upon Bone Mendicant in an instant. "No!" Bone Mendicant let out a shrill scream of agony. He only had time to swing the iron staff in his hands. Then, the iron staff was sliced in two mid-air. *Crack!* The iron staff was cleanly cleaved apart. At the same time, the strike's residual momentum drove straight down from the crown of his head, slicing Bone Mendicant entirely into two halves. *Thud!* The two halves of Bone Mendicant's corpse collapsed rigidly to the ground. Dead! The overbearing, savage, and terrifying Bone Mendicant could not even withstand a single strike from Dao Twelve and had been bisected on the spot. "Is that all?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. Bone Mendicant looked fierce and talked big, claiming he would kill him and take his place. And the result? Nothing more than an empty bluff. He could not even withstand a single blow. With this pathetic level of skill, he still dreamed of making the ranking? The Martial Demonstration Tower's judgment was quite keen after all; everyone who made the list was an outstanding talent of the Divine Strength Realm. Some people had reputations that far exceeded their abilities and desperately sought a spot on the ranking, only to prove utterly fragile when facing a truly ranked martial artist. This scene played out before the eyes of several northern barbarians and martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty. In particular, the few martial artists who had been pursued by Bone Mendicant and barely survived widened their eyes, their hearts surging with shock. "Bone Mendicant is dead! He couldn't even block a single move and got cut in two by Dao Twelve!" "Before the Divine Strength Ranking appeared, Bone Mendicant had a massive reputation on the Northern Region Battlefield. And now? As soon as the ranking comes out, Bone Mendicant with his grand fame couldn't even withstand one strike from a ranked expert! A complete fraud!" "As expected, the Divine Strength Ranking wasn't put together haphazardly. Bone Mendicant was obsessed with getting on the list and even wanted to kill Dao Twelve, but he overestimated himself and was cut down instantly. The gap in strength was just too vast!" "Being on the ranking versus not being on it really are two entirely different leagues!" Lu Changsheng gathered that this Bone Mendicant must have had some fame. Turning him in for silver or martial arts manuals should yield a decent reward. Checking the time, he saw that today's outing was about done. *Time to head back.* With that thought, Lu Changsheng did not hesitate. He picked up the two halves of Bone Mendicant's corpse and swiftly headed back toward Beiling City. By the time he returned to Beiling City, evening had already fallen. In truth, whether day or night, fighting never ceased on the Northern Region Battlefield. Carrying two bloody halves of a corpse, Lu Changsheng could hardly avoid drawing attention. "That's Dao Twelve!" "Yes, Dao Twelve has returned from the Northern Region Battlefield again. The two halves of the corpse in his hand look somewhat familiar." "Could that be Bone Mendicant?" "Bone Mendicant's name wasn't on the Divine Strength Ranking, but they say his strength was by no means weak—definitely very close to the top hundred. Who would have thought he'd be slain by Dao Twelve?" "Taking Bone Mendicant to the Martial Demonstration Tower should fetch quite a few superior martial arts manuals!" "Worthy of a top-hundred expert on the Divine Strength Ranking—his kills are always swift and decisive!" Many martial artists looked upon him with admiration. Slaying barbarian experts on the Northern Region Battlefield commanded deep respect among martial artists. Though the martial world had its dark side, most practitioners still possessed hot-blooded spirit. Faced with the righteousness of nation and people, they knew right from wrong. Otherwise, the Martial Demonstration Tower's summons alone could never have drawn so many wanderers of the martial world to the Northern Region Battlefield. The blood of the martial world had not run cold! Lu Changsheng carried Bone Mendicant's corpse straight to the Martial Demonstration Tower. *Thud.* Lu Changsheng tossed the corpse before the tower's attendant martial artist. "Take a look at this corpse. What is it worth?" The Martial Demonstration Tower martial artist's eyes lit up. He inspected the remains carefully before speaking. "Northern barbarian, Bone Mendicant. Divine Strength Realm. Worth three hundred minor merits." At the Martial Demonstration Tower, heads obtained on the Northern Region Battlefield could be accumulated as merits. If one wanted to exchange them for silver, one had to go to the merchant chambers, not the Martial Demonstration Tower. Once redeemed for merits, they could not be converted into silver. Nor could merits be converted back into money. Lu Changsheng did not lack silver, so he naturally chose merits. The Martial Demonstration Tower divided merits into major merits and minor merits. One major merit was equivalent to ten thousand minor merits. With minor and major merits, one could redeem martial techniques, secret methods, and even pills from the tower. Yes, even pills. The Martial Demonstration Tower could procure pills and even provide them without limit. No one would believe there was no imperial court power behind it. However, under the current circumstances, none of that mattered. On the Northern Region Battlefield, one could kill enemies while earning various martial arts and pills openly to boost one's strength. What was there not to love? "How many merits do I currently have?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Dao Twelve, a total of 836 minor merits!" "Over eight hundred minor merits already?" Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. He had gone out hunting northern barbarians on the Northern Region Battlefield every day, paying little attention to counting his accumulated merits. He had not expected to have already reached over eight hundred. "Wait, do you have rare treasures? For example, Stone Heart Fruit or Heavenly Cloud Wood?" The two rare items Lu Changsheng mentioned were treasures required by the Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method. Now he lacked only these two rare treasures to cultivate the Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method to the seventh layer's completion. "Of course we do. Each of those two rare items requires one thousand minor merits." The martial artist's words made Lu Changsheng's eyes brighten. Indeed, even if the Martial Demonstration Tower did not possess everything under the sun, many resources were readily available. In some respects, the Martial Demonstration Tower had deeper reserves than any major sect in the martial world! *Still short over a hundred minor merits...* *It seems I only need to make one more trip to the Northern Region Battlefield tomorrow. If the haul isn't too poor, I should be able to gather the full thousand minor merits.* Lu Changsheng suddenly felt a spark of motivation. This Northern Region Battlefield was turning out to be quite nice. As time passed, news surrounding the Divine Strength Ranking continued to stir up waves. More and more people learned of the Divine Strength Ranking, making the entire Northern Region Battlefield grow even more bustling. Those who were not on the list became far more proactive, constantly searching for ranked martial artists in the hopes of hunting them down and stepping over them into the top hundred. Meanwhile, the ranked martial artists were all exceptionally powerful. Whenever others encountered them, many fled at once, yet they were still cut down, further cementing the prestige of the Divine Strength Ranking experts. "Who was it?!" "Who on earth killed my brother?!" A bloated man as massive as an elephant roared, his voice thick with rage. This was the "Fat Manslayer," ranked seventy-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking! The Fat Manslayer was a smiling tiger, always grinning pleasantly with a benevolent face like a Buddha. In truth, the Fat Manslayer was ruthless and venomous as a viper. Anyone who crossed his path rarely escaped death and would be slaughtered down to the last person. Compared to his younger brother, Bone Mendicant, he was even more vicious. "Fatty, hasn't word already come from outside? It was someone named Dao Twelve who killed Bone Mendicant. Supposedly ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking!" "Tsk, tsk. Speaking of this Divine Strength Ranking, it's quite amusing. They actually estimated our strength fairly well. But placing me at seventy-third, only a few spots above you—isn't that underestimating me a bit?" The speaker was a blind man. He possessed only one eye, but his appearance was fierce and menacing. On his back hung a saber, a scimitar very commonly seen across the vast desert. Anyone who recognized him would have been shocked. For this was the Blind Bladesman. In his early years, someone had injured one of his eyes, leaving him harboring deep resentment. Whenever he attacked, he made sure to gouge out his opponent's eyes, even taking delight in blinding them, his methods exceedingly cruel. The Fat Manslayer, the Blind Bladesman, and Bone Mendicant were actually a trio. The three of them were infamous in the Northern Region, disliked even by the northern barbarians. Yet on the Northern Region Battlefield, these three scoundrels had become barbarian heroes, constantly slaughtering martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty. Now, however, the Bone Mendicant was dead. Word had it he had been cleanly bisected with a single strike! "Dao Twelve! I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!" "Blind man, I'm going to avenge my brother. Are you coming or not?" the Fat Manslayer asked coldly. "Avenge him?" The Blind Bladesman chuckled. "The Northern Region Battlefield is massive. Where are you going to seek revenge? Even if you slaughter every martial artist on the battlefield, you might not bump into Dao Twelve." That was the truth. Killing on the Northern Region Battlefield came down to luck. If you crossed paths, you fought. Seeking vengeance? It was virtually impossible, as even meeting someone relied entirely on chance. "Even if I don't run into Dao Twelve, I'll still slaughter people to vent my rage! Are you coming or not?!" The Fat Manslayer's killing intent soared skyward. He simply wanted to kill to soothe the fury burning in his chest. "I'm going. Of course I'm going." "The Northern Region Battlefield is quite lively right now. Perhaps we'll encounter some experts on the Divine Strength Ranking. Slaying them might even bump our rankings up a few notches." A cold smile surfaced at the corner of the Blind Bladesman's mouth. Lu Changsheng had no idea that people on the Northern Region Battlefield were looking to take revenge on him. Even if he knew, he would have merely laughed it off. On the Northern Region Battlefield, it was either kill or be killed. Revenge? Such matters were all too common. Lu Changsheng arrived early at the Northern Region Battlefield today. With just over a hundred minor merits needed to reach one thousand and redeem a rare treasure, he felt plenty motivated. *Rustle, rustle, rustle.* Several dark silhouettes lurked faintly in the tall grass. "Halt!" "Senior Dao, we belong to the Great Fish Dynasty! Please, don't misunderstand!" Several martial artists suddenly crawled out of the brush. They had been lying in ambush, waiting to launch a sneak attack. Lu Changsheng glanced at them. Martial artists on the Great Fish Dynasty's side naturally had ways to prove their identities—special tokens provided by the Martial Demonstration Tower that allowed quick identification. Seeing that they were Great Fish Dynasty martial artists, Lu Changsheng had no interest in making a move. Although skirmishes between members of the same faction did occur on the Northern Region Battlefield, they were rare. After all, killing one's own allies yielded no benefits. "Have you heard any news of prominent barbarian figures appearing, especially experts on the Divine Strength Ranking?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Nothing of the sort. We've been lying in ambush here the whole time and haven't run into any other martial artists." Lu Changsheng nodded, asked nothing further, and drifted away. Watching his departing figure, the martial artists marvelled in astonishment. "Senior Dao has shown up again. Does he sweep the Northern Region Battlefield every single day?" "Ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking—stepping onto the Northern Region Battlefield is an outright sweep for him. He's invincible." "I'd truly love to witness another duel between experts on the Divine Strength Ranking with my own eyes!" With the launch of the Divine Strength Ranking, no matter how low-profile someone tried to be, they could stay hidden no longer. Every name on the ranking carried a certain renown. Lu Changsheng strolled through the boundless grasslands, following the scent of blood drifting on the wind. *Clang!* His saber cleared its sheath. Instantly, a bloody arc of blade light enveloped several barbarian silhouettes. "It's Dao Twelve! Run!" "Ranked eighty-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking—we're finished!" "Running from Dao Twelve is a pipe dream!" As the blade light fell, the figures froze for an instant before collapsing to the ground, their bodies split clean in half. Lu Changsheng did not even spare them a second glance. They were merely Refining Organs martial artists, worth only a few dozen or even a handful of minor merits. Lu Changsheng had no interest in claiming their heads. Severing heads meant carrying them back and returning here again—too much trouble back and forth. Lu Changsheng usually struck them down in a single blow; whoever was lucky enough to stumble upon the corpses and turn them in was welcome to the merits. "Senior Dao!" several Refining Organs martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty called out loudly. "What is it?" Lu Changsheng glanced at them. He did not recognize any of them. "Senior Dao, we recently heard a rumor. We don't know whether it's true, but it concerns you!" "Word has it that the northern barbarians' Blind Bladesman and Fat Manslayer are slaughtering everywhere on the Northern Region Battlefield, actively hunting for your whereabouts!" "You must be careful. The Fat Manslayer is Bone Mendicant's elder brother. Both the Blind Bladesman and the Fat Manslayer are experts ranked in the seventies on the Divine Strength Ranking, and they're working together!" They did not say anything more, confident that Dao Twelve would understand the danger. "The Fat Manslayer, ranked seventy-eighth on the Divine Strength Ranking." "The Blind Bladesman, ranked seventy-third on the Divine Strength Ranking." "If the two of them join forces, they might truly make decent opponents." "Where are they?" Lu Changsheng showed not the slightest trace of fear; instead, his interest was piqued. If he killed these two, it would likely do far more than just top off his one thousand minor merits—he might even secure another thousand! "Ah?" "Senior Dao, those are two ranked experts of the Divine Strength Ranking! They're sweeping the Northern Region Battlefield, and word has spread, but the battlefield is too vast. No one knows where they are!" They seemed astonished that Dao Twelve showed no fear whatsoever, looking eager to try his blade against them instead. Was he truly that confident? By now, everyone understood the weight of the Divine Strength Ranking. Not a single expert on that list was a fraud. Killing a ranked expert was no easy feat. Of the many who had eagerly sought to slay a ranked expert and take their place, how many remained alive? Most had been cut down in counterattacks! Not to mention that both the Blind Bladesman and the Fat Manslayer outranked Dao Twelve. "Thanks." Having said that, Lu Changsheng turned and walked away, vanishing into the boundless grasslands in the blink of an eye.