The next day.

Following the map, Qin Shou arrived at the sect closest to Earth's base.

Ba Dao Sect—just hearing the name made it clear that the sect specialized in blade-type weapons.

However, despite the imposing name, Ba Dao Sect was at best a third-rate sect on the Heavenly Artifact Continent. The strongest individuals in the sect were merely three peak-level Spiritual Artifact Masters, equivalent to the Unbreakable Realm Ninth Star.

A sect of this level was perfectly suited for Qin Shou to use as a test subject.

At the outskirts of Ba Dao Sect, within a dense forested mountain range, a group of disciples dressed in black robes with their long hair tied high was patrolling idly.

"Brother Wu, where do you think these Earth people actually came from? Each one has such short hair, their armor looks bizarre, and they can control Iron Puppets and Devil Beasts, even more abnormal than the people from the Demon Sect."

"Sigh, didn't the Sect Leader already say that Earth people are devils from beyond this world? Their methods are naturally different from those of us on the Heavenly Artifact Continent. Luckily, Sword Sect is holding the line in front of us; otherwise, Ba Dao Sect wouldn't have been able to resist this Earth invasion."

"Exactly. Senior Brother has us patrolling every day—what if the Earth people suddenly attack us someday? For sure, it's going to be us who suffer."

"Don't think too much. The Earth people rarely make the first move; it's the other extraterrestrial devils that often ambush other sects."

"I heard about that too. A few days ago, over at the western Demon Sect, there was a massive devil with nine eyes that fought their Supreme Strong Person. It almost obliterated the entire Demon Sect—it's terrifying."

"Right, I heard that nine-eyed devil could control nine Supreme Devil Beasts. It was practically unbeatable. If not for some mysterious force coming to the Demon Sect's aid, it would already have been reduced to rubble."

"Alright, alright, enough talking about this. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Let's finish patrolling quickly and find a place for a drink. Tonight, let's go have some fun."

"Sounds good. Let's… wait, something's wrong. Brother Wu, Brother Bai, do you feel it? Something seems off here..."

The young man paused, scanned the surrounding dense forest, and his expression turned uneasy.

Nearby, the other brothers seemed to realize something, their faces suddenly changing.

"Not good! This is the presence of extraterrestrial devils—there are Earth people nearby!"

"Such a strong presence! Quickly, notify Senior Brother..."

Immediately, each of them slapped the jade pendant at their waists, summoning standard-issue long blades that shimmered with dazzling light, preparing to rise into the air.

"Boom..."

Suddenly, ominous black clouds surged out of the depths of the forest, accompanied by horrifying black winds howling fiercely, as though demons were manifesting.

The dense black clouds transformed into an air shield, enveloping the sky above the group. Terrified, they roared and, gripping their long blades, unleashed ferocious sword energy into the heavens, accompanied by the ceaseless sound of tiger roars.

"Buzz..."

The black clouds in the air shield churned wildly, swallowing the waves of sword energy without warning. All at once, they emitted horrifying sword energy tainted with an eerie, black energy, which surged overwhelmingly toward the group.

"What..."

Everyone cried out in shock. With no time to contemplate, the black sword energy rained down on them. Relying solely on their movement techniques, they dodged while continuously swinging their long blades to deflect the incoming strikes.

"Clang clang clang..."

The clash between long blades and sword energy sparked countless bursts of light. The black sword energy carried enormous strength, transferring through the blade to their hands, causing intense pain in their wrists. Blood oozed from the webbing of their fingers, making it nearly impossible to maintain their grip on the blade.

After barely fending off this wave of sword energy, the group collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat and exhausted. Their long blades were now warped, the blade edges curled, and the bodies of the blades riddled with cracks.

"Pfft..."

With their damaged blades, the group spat blood, their faces pale as death.

"Damn... Earth... Earth people... so strong..."

The leading man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, fearfully scanning the dense forest shrouded in black clouds as he forced himself to stand.

"Earth senior, you came uninvited. Are you not afraid of getting blamed by Sword Sect?" he asked bravely.

The black clouds churned, and a golden figure slowly emerged.

Seeing this, the group instinctively stepped back several paces, their expressions worsening.

A dragon-shaped golden armor!

It had to be an expert from Earth; who else would dare wear dragon-shaped armor?

The dragon symbolized the highest authority on the Heavenly Artifact Continent.

But what they didn't know was that on Earth, such things didn't matter. Even the weakest fighters could wear dragon-shaped armor.

The leading man nervously gripped his fractured blade, his heart racing.

Meanwhile, the golden figure took several leisurely steps forward, disdain evident in the voice emanating from within the armor.

"Sword Sect? Heh, Ba Dao Sect is nothing but a minor sect. Even if I slaughtered all of you, do you really think Sword Sect would go to war with us Earth people over it?"

Cold sweat dripped from everyone's foreheads, their faces filled with terror.

The man's words struck true. Rumor had it Earth possessed a Supreme Strong Person; Sword Sect wouldn't dare instigate war with Earth for Ba Dao Sect's sake.

"You... Earth senior, you grace our Ba Dao Sect with your presence. May I ask your purpose here? Could I notify our Sect Leader to properly welcome you?" The leading man bowed deeply.

When the situation favors the strong, submission is the only option.

Behind an intense crimson mask, Qin Shou raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, you all know the reason for my visit."

"This..."

The leading man's brow furrowed—what Earth people wanted could only be Heavenly Artifact Continent's cultivation techniques.

"Senior, it's not that this junior disrespects you, but the cultivation techniques you seek are beyond my ability to provide."

The young man at the side nodded fearfully. "That's right, senior. When we joined the sect, we swore an oath to the Heavenly Weapon Supreme never to betray the sect, nor to share its cultivation methods outside. The techniques you seek cannot be provided."

Qin Shou pondered for a moment. An oath?

If swearing an oath worked, there'd be no need for the Guard Team.

Still, on the Heavenly Artifact Continent, such things might actually matter.

There was only one way to find out.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.