Page 326

Hein's expression froze, clearly caught off guard by being exposed by a fellow Saint Realm practitioner. He felt somewhat flustered but did not respond directly. Instead, he loudly asked, "What are you babbling about? You nonsensical fellow, state your name to this king."

The young man with light golden hair frowned slightly and took a step forward, saying, "Very well, consider this a belated meeting. I am Carol Bainhart, the inheritor of the 'Saint Crest' from my teacher, the 'Blade Saint' Arshu. My title is 'Hanyue Knight.'"

"Haha, 'Hanyue Knight'?" Hein laughed wildly before continuing, "That's strange. Since you're the inheritor of that old man Arshu, why didn't you inherit his divine blade, 'Slaying Emperor Thunder'?"

"'Slaying Emperor Thunder'? Are you talking about this?" The young man named Carol slightly narrowed his eyes and did not explain further. Instead, he transferred the curved blade in his right hand to his left and then opened his right hand in a grasping motion. A dense green light condensed, and a simple yet imposing green long blade appeared in his hand.

It was none other than the divine blade of the "Blade Saint" Arshu, the "Slaying Emperor Thunder," which Chen Xuanfeng had long missed.

Hein had not truly believed that Carol was an imposter, as the profound and solid blade aura emanating from the young man was impossible to fake. He had merely wanted to use the opportunity to suppress Carol's momentum. However, Carol remained calm and unaffected, causing most of Hein's plans to fall through. Hein could only say resentfully, "Hmph, since your 'divine blade' is here, why did you bring out that pair of junk blades? Are you trying to deceive people?"

Carol did not get angry and replied indifferently, "I've long heard that the royal family of the Mercenary Empire, the Salong family, has a prince with decent talent but absolutely no sense of governance. It turns out it's really you. Probably no one else in the entire Mercenary Empire would fail to recognize the connection between these curved blades and my surname after hearing it."

"What are you talking about?" Hein was stunned for a moment before angrily retorting.

"I am Carol Bainhart, the first family of the Kuta Tribal Alliance, the Bainhart family, the Bainhart family that possesses the epic divine blade 'Wind and Fire Twin Moons,' the Bainhart family that forged these famous blades into our family crest and the alliance's flag. Do you still not understand?"

"So that's it, no wonder it sounded familiar..." Hein said involuntarily, but halfway through, he realized that admitting this made him seem too ignorant. He quickly shouted, "What's the point of saying all that? In the end, it's all the same. Since you've chosen to rebel and oppose this king, then let's fight!"

Seeing the furious "Red Sun Knight" assume an attacking stance, Carol showed no intention of responding. "Do you still not understand? In this tense wartime period, it is forbidden for human Sword Saints to intervene in internal conflicts. Similarly, battles between 'Saint Crest Knights' are also prohibited. Even though the six 'Saint Crest Knights' have now mastered the power of the Saint Realm, the orcs still hold the upper hand in terms of high-level power. Any internal strife could lead to the collapse of the human frontlines..."

"Enough!" Just as Carol was about to continue advising Hein, the one being advised loudly interrupted, "I've had enough of your nonsense! Every time I want to act freely, you people come out and drag in a bunch of irrelevant things. Nothing is allowed, nothing can be done. Now even a wild tribe of a few thousand dares to defy the orders of the great 'Mercenary King's' descendant. All these chaotic Saint Realm rules, all these incomprehensible power dynamics—I don't care about any of it! As long as I have my 'Ten Realms Crimson Lotus,' all problems can be solved with a single sword strike————"

"......" The chaotic and arrogant words made the "Hanyue Knight," who had been trying to reason with his opponent, realize the futility of words. He could only put away the divine blade "Slaying Emperor Thunder" and grip the two curved blades known as the "Wind and Fire Twin Moons," coldly saying, "If this is your belief, then I will use these 'Twin Moons' to stop you here."

Boiling flames responded to the young man's resolve. "Those who stand in my way, die————"

---

Chapter 9: The Legacy Blades and the Ghostly Slash

Talents emerge in every era, each dominating the stage for centuries.

This was Chen Xuanfeng's current thought.

He had not expected that Carol, the "Hanyue Knight" and inheritor of the "Saint Crest," would be so much stronger than Hein, the "Red Sun Knight." In the few minutes since their negotiations broke down, Carol had already taken complete control of the battle using only his pair of curved blades. Countless crescent-like blade lights interwove, forming a massive net of blades that confined Hein's surging flames to a small area of about ten meters in radius. Not a single spark could escape. This was no longer just the result of Saint Realm power; what was truly astonishing was the young dual-blade wielder's comprehension of blade techniques and intent. He had already stepped onto the path of spiritual enlightenment that the "Blade Saint" had once walked, and it was only a matter of time before he became the second "Blade Saint." After the "War of the Nine Saints," when seven Sword Saints had fallen, Chen Xuanfeng had believed that the world would be devoid of true masters for decades. Apart from the Orc King Samanda, his wife Katherine, and the Supreme Dragon Saint, he had thought there were no other noteworthy figures. When he defeated the "Red Sun" and "White Moon" Knights a month ago, he had looked down on these newly ascended Saint Realm practitioners, feeling that they possessed great power but lacked the corresponding talent and will. Their immense aura might be enough to bully ordinary people, but against a strong opponent like Chen Xuanfeng, they would be full of holes. As for challenging someone even stronger, that was out of the question. However, upon witnessing the skills of the "Hanyue Knight" Carol, he suddenly realized that geniuses would always emerge in this world. With a human population of 500 million—ten times that of the Great Song Dynasty in his previous life—it would be strange if a few extraordinary talents did not appear in each generation. The inheritors of the "Saint Crest" were naturally selected from the most talented individuals and were by no means ordinary. The incompetence of the "Red Sun" and "White Moon" Knights was likely due to poor selection. If he judged other "Saint Crest Knights" by their standards, the results would naturally be vastly different.