Chapter 210 – The Approaching Crisis

After hundreds, even thousands of attempts, Su Ming had to admit one fact.

That was, this legendary Divine Artifact had no interest in him.

It hadn’t acknowledged him—it had acknowledged his right hand.

This was utterly ridiculous.

It didn’t favor the real deal, but instead favored a mere right hand—could anyone believe that?

In any case, Su Ming was at his wit’s end. He could only withdraw his senses, open his eyes, and let the ghostly blue glow that had been burning like flames on his right hand fade away.

“How did it go?”

Seeing that Su Ming seemed to have finished something, Xu Yanyan quickly inquired.

The others were the same, staring eagerly at Su Ming as if they could see flowers blooming from him.

Of course, Su Ming knew they weren’t interested in him, but in the Demon Emperor Sword in his right hand…

This was equally ridiculous!

Su Ming wasn’t feeling too good about the whole situation.

Still, he answered truthfully, albeit somewhat helplessly.

“I did sense the presence of the Demon Emperor Sword residing in my right hand, but it showed no intention of responding to me.”

What he meant by this was clear to everyone.

“So, Lord Ming Wang hasn’t gained the acknowledgment of the Demon Emperor Sword and become its master?”

Bai Ruxiang confirmed this point.

“Then, can’t you draw the sword out?”

Wang Yihan also hurriedly asked.

“No, I can’t,” Su Ming said bluntly. “It doesn’t respond to me at all. I’m even worried it might just stay in my right hand forever and never come out.”

This was the truth.

If he could use the power of the Demon Emperor Sword, Su Ming would have accepted the fact that this Divine Artifact had taken up residence in his right hand.

But it didn’t acknowledge him at all. No matter how he tried to provoke it, it showed no reaction. Wasn’t this just like having a squatter who did absolutely nothing?

And this squatter seemed extremely dangerous, with its brutal will and ferocious power potentially affecting anyone who came into contact with it, causing them to lose control and go berserk.

Su Ming felt as if the word “Danger” was stamped on his forehead.

However, what others thought was beyond Su Ming’s control.

For example, Xu Yanyan.

“Is that really the case?”

Xu Yanyan murmured this softly, causing the atmosphere in the room to shift slightly.

Su Ming turned his gaze to Xu Yanyan.

“What? Do you suspect I’m lying?”

Su Ming looked at Xu Yanyan with a faint, mocking smile, making her involuntarily take a step back.

Clearly, this Young Miss of the Xu Family did doubt the truthfulness of Su Ming’s words.

After all, who knew if Su Ming was saying this deliberately to avoid suspicion?

What if he wanted to monopolize the Demon Emperor Sword and avoid becoming the target of everyone present, so he intentionally claimed he couldn’t control it or draw it from his right hand?

Xu Yanyan had reason to suspect this.

And this might also be the thought on the minds of many others present.

Especially the injured who had been watching from the sidelines, unable to get a word in edgewise. Having witnessed the Demon Emperor Sword take residence in Su Ming’s right hand, they had surely started to let their imaginations run wild.

To this, Su Ming only said lightly,

“If I could use the Demon Emperor Sword as I pleased, I’d just go on a killing spree right here. Why would I need to hide it?”Such words sent a chill down the spines of many present.

Xu Yanyan, in particular, was so frightened she dared not speak.

At this moment, the female Hunters of the Bai Family seized the opportunity to voice their opinions.

“Lord Ming Wang is the only Upper-Rank Professional here. If he wished to conceal something, he wouldn’t need to go through such trouble.”

Bai Ruxiang was the first to stand by Su Ming’s side.

“That’s right!”

“Lord Ming Wang has no reason to take unnecessary steps!”

“After all, no one here is a match for Lord Ming Wang!”

“If he wanted to keep the secret of the Demon Emperor Sword, Lord Ming Wang wouldn’t need to lie like this!”

Led by Bai Xiaoyan, the female Hunters of the Bai Family eagerly voiced their support one after another.

Their demeanor seemed less about defending Su Ming and more about convincing themselves not to doubt their benefactor.

This was an unavoidable situation.

The Divine Artifact Demon Emperor Sword—its allure was simply too great for anyone to remain indifferent.

With the Demon Emperor Sword in hand, one could disregard Bloodline superiority or innate talent. Wielding the power of this Divine Artifact alone would allow one to dominate the world, forcing even the highest-star Professionals to bow in submission.

The title “Divine Artifact” was no exaggeration.

Once possessed, it granted near-invincibility, achievable by anyone—was that not worthy of being called a “Divine Artifact”?

Otherwise, why throughout history have so many people fought desperately for Divine Artifacts?

It was all because the temptation of such power was simply too overwhelming.

As for the hidden dangers of using a Divine Artifact, their intimidation paled in comparison to its immense power.

If such formidable power could be obtained, many would willingly take the risk.

Under these circumstances, the fact that the Bai Family’s female Hunters sought reasons to convince themselves not to betray their benefactor was already commendable.

At the very least, Su Ming was certain that if he weren’t an Upper-Rank Professional, and if the people in the Shelter weren’t mostly immobilized injured, many would have already harbored ill intentions and attacked him.

“What a troublesome situation.”

Su Ming furrowed his brow, forced to confront this looming threat.

The fact that the Demon Emperor Sword had fallen into his hands had been witnessed by so many present—there was no avoiding it.

Thus, even if this matter were resolved, he would likely face scrutiny from many scheming individuals in the future.

Especially since those present were from the Six Great Families. Once they reported this to their Families, many from the Six Great Families would undoubtedly set their sights on Su Ming.

Moreover, as the news spread, those targeting Su Ming would not only be from the Six Great Families but also ambitious schemers from all over the world.

This, perhaps, was an even greater threat than the dangers posed by the Demon Emperor Sword itself.

Unless Su Ming truly acted as he had declared and killed everyone present.

In this bottomless, sunless place, even if Su Ming were to kill everyone here, no one would suspect him.

So, if he wanted to eliminate future troubles, now was the best opportunity, the perfect timing.

Yet, even so, Su Ming had not entertained such a thought for even a single moment.It was simple; this was not something he could bring himself to do.

He was not some unscrupulous villain who would stop at nothing. A massacre that spared neither friend nor foe for personal gain was something Su Ming would never commit, nor would such an idea even cross his mind.

If everyone present were his enemies, he might have acted without hesitation.

But the problem was, there were no enemies here—only individuals like Xu Yanyan, who harbored some ambition and selfishness, entertaining thoughts they shouldn’t have.

To unleash a massacre over such trivial matters would truly be asking too much of Su Ming.

Fortunately…

“My identity hasn’t been exposed.”

This, perhaps, was the silver lining in this unfortunate situation.

In the eyes of others, the one who obtained the Demon Emperor Sword was not an elite second-year student at the Demon Hunter Academy with a low ranking, but a mysterious Upper-Rank Hunter.

No one knew it was Su Ming who had acquired the Demon Emperor Sword; they only believed it was someone known as Ming Wang.

And as for those who knew Ming Wang was Su Ming, there were only two people in the entire world.

One was Xu Qianqian, who had been aware of Su Ming’s hidden identity from the start.

The other was Yun Langyue, who also had a deep understanding of Su Ming’s concealed identity and had even lent a hand in maintaining it.

Aside from these two, no one else knew the truth.

Su Ming also believed that neither Xu Qianqian nor Yun Langyue would reveal his identity over the matter of the Demon Emperor Sword.

The reason was equally simple: like Su Ming, they were not that kind of person.

In that case, once this matter was resolved, Su Ming could easily let the identity of Ming Wang fade away, ensuring no one could trace it back to him.

This way, even if someone sought the Demon Emperor Sword, they would have no leads.

The only issue might be that this could implicate the Yun Family Estate.

It was widely known that Ming Wang was an Upper-Rank Professional from the Yun Family Estate, a mysterious powerhouse dispatched by Yun Langyue to assist Xu Qianqian.

So, if Ming Wang were to vanish without a trace, the Yun Family Estate would likely become a target for many.

However, this wasn’t a major problem.

The ‘Cloudflow Commerce’ was different from other factions—it wasn’t a family, nor was it a large organization vying for power and influence. It was merely a commerce guild.

Merchants had extensive connections, and many powerful individuals were affiliated with the ‘Cloudflow Commerce,’ but most of them hadn’t joined the faction itself. Instead, they collaborated with the guild for reasons such as profit, benefits, favors, transactions, and various other motives.

In short, the relationship was one of mutual cooperation and benefit, not a hierarchical one.

Under these circumstances, the Yun Family Estate could easily claim that Ming Wang was not a member of their family but an external expert they had hired.

It would be entirely plausible for an externally hired expert to flee after obtaining the Demon Emperor Sword.

By making such a claim, the Yun Family Estate could extricate themselves.

Even if many doubted this explanation, the nature of the Yun Family Estate and the ‘Cloudflow Commerce’ would silence these skeptics, leaving them without legitimate grounds to cause trouble.

And without legitimate reasons or concrete evidence, who would rashly provoke a major force like the ‘Cloudflow Commerce’?

Even factions from the highly esteemed Base Cities in the heart of the continent would not act so recklessly.Given this, Su Ming felt he could continue his usual routine of lying low for a while.

“I just don’t know what that enchantress will stir up now that she’s got this leverage over me…”

This was the one matter Su Ming couldn’t avoid.

Nor did he want to avoid it.

After all, it was because of him that the Yun Family Estate and Yun Langyue had been troubled. If some compensation could make amends, he wouldn’t refuse.

Having sorted out these thoughts, Su Ming could maintain his casual and forthright attitude.

Only Wang Yihan remained unable to accept the situation.

“So, there’s really no way to get my Sword back?” Wang Yihan’s voice trembled with grievance, her eyes welling up.

Su Ming didn’t dare look at her.

He felt too guilty.

This treasure her father had risked his life to obtain, which she had painstakingly protected all this way—yet he had taken it for himself. He truly had no face to meet the Young Miss of the Wang Family.

Perhaps he should find some way to compensate her?

Su Ming began pondering this.

So preoccupied was he that, for a moment, he failed to notice one thing.

The enemy was coming.

……

“Is this the place?”

With a soft murmur, a black-clad figure swept out of the darkness like a ghost, landing silently on the ground.

It was none other than Lord Crow.

He now stood before a cave-like opening.

His sharp gaze, hidden beneath his hood, fixed on the cavernous space ahead.

From within, Lord Crow sensed human presence.

Not just one or two, but a considerable number of living beings.

“A temporary Shelter?” Lord Crow quickly deduced.

His perception and insight were truly remarkable, instantly grasping the truth of this place.

“Whoosh!”

“Whoosh!”

Soon, two more figures arrived.

“Lord Crow!”

Scarface and Baldy appeared one after another, bowing respectfully to their halted superior.

Lord Crow didn’t spare them a glance.

“This is the place,” he stated flatly. “There are many living beings here, including the Wang Family’s Young Miss.”

He had confirmed this much.

The only thing that puzzled Lord Crow was that he didn’t sense any powerful auras.

“Are you certain there’s an Upper-Rank Professional with astonishing power accompanying the Wang direct lineage?”

Lord Crow’s sharp eyes turned toward Scarface and Baldy.

The two men shuddered, quickly responding.

“We’re certain!”

“The Wang Family’s Young Miss definitely has an Upper-Rank Professional with incredible power by her side! He’s the one who killed our men!”

Scarface and Baldy vouched repeatedly.

Though still somewhat skeptical, Lord Crow knew these two wouldn’t dare tell such an easily exposed lie to his face.

Yet he truly couldn’t detect any strong presence—only the residual fluctuation of a familiar yet unfamiliar power here, as if something unusual had just occurred.

“Could it be that this expert has means to conceal their aura?”

Lord Crow could only speculate thus.

And indeed, that was the case.Su Ming’s equipment was designed to conceal his aura and even his scent, preventing others from detecting that Ming Wang was actually Su Ming.

Because of this, Lord Crow had failed to sense Su Ming’s Qi.

But that no longer mattered.

What needed to be done next was clear and straightforward.

“Move,” Lord Crow commanded coldly. “Attack.”

“Yes!”

Upon hearing this, Scarface and Baldy responded without hesitation, revealing ferocious expressions.

Crisis had arrived at the Shelter.

(End of Chapter)