Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 691 - 621 Collapse

"For this meeting, I planned for ten years," Jun Qianzi sighed. "There was so much to prepare. I had Situ Zhi spread the plague, seize lives, and weaken the Dragon Vein in specific areas. In the Northern Ice Field, I dug holes corresponding to the Star Position Shift and set up arrays to temporarily shield celestial sensing. I detonated over a thousand volcanoes beneath the Endless Sea, causing a very subtle change in the water temperature, provoking sea beasts to migrate centuries ahead of time. This forced the Academic Palace to divert its strength, sending Doctors to the East Sea. I assassinated the Turkic Khan and incited Jing Country and Zhou Kingdom to station their armies along their borders, keeping the garrison too preoccupied with other matters. Each act was for this moment—you always had the habit of returning home alone to worship at your ancestral tomb."

WHOOSH—

Outside the window, a demonic wind picked up, blowing over flagons, toppling stalls, and raising dust and sand. Passersby screamed and scattered, running into the shops along the street to shelter from the storm.

Li Ang stood in the middle of the road without taking cover, his eyes narrowed, his gaze locked onto the two figures at the end of the road.

One was a thin-faced, sharp-mouthed old man in brocade robes, a sword tied to his waist; the other was a peddler, carrying a pole over his shoulder with baskets hanging from each end.

The two had disguised their appearances, but at such close distance, Li Ang could already identify them by their auras—Yuan Sou and Ya Jiu.

Li Ang’s fists clenched slightly. A mighty force enveloped the skies above Xingzhou, suppressing Spiritual Energy communication. For these two to dare appear so blatantly in the market streets of Yu Country clearly means they intend to strike the Mountain Master with a thunderous blow. Other members of Zhao Ming must also be nearby.

The Mountain Master withdrew his gaze from the window and asked calmly, "Chaotic Wind?"

"Exactly." Jun Qianzi nodded. "Nurtured by various disasters for so long, today’s Chaotic Wind can cover a city, a state, or even an entire Domain. It can buy us about thirty minutes."

The Mountain Master remained unfazed and merely asked, "Is thirty minutes enough?"

Jun Qianzi nodded solemnly. "It’s enough."

CRACK—

A faint sound emanated from the middle of the wooden table. A crack spontaneously appeared and, as time passed, rapidly expanded, causing the tabletop wood to warp and curl. The table split in two, both halves tilting and collapsing inward. The bowl of noodle soup also slid and fell into the center of the table, caught between the angled halves.

BOOM!

With the table as its horizontal plane, the tavern building above it collapsed completely. Bricks and tiles flew wildly, and wood shavings splattered in all directions. Tavern patrons and workers, who had no idea what had happened, were swept up by the blast wave. They spun through the air and, just before hitting the ground, were gently caught by a force and placed safely down.

At the center of the explosion, the Mountain Master maintained his posture, sword drawn single-handedly. The Longsword in his hand hovered mid-air. Its blades on each side emitted vast clouds of mist, and in front of the sword’s tip floated a piece of talisman paper as thin as a cicada’s wing. It was this talisman that stopped the Longsword from continuing its path to slit Jun Qianzi’s throat.

The Mountain Master stared at the Ruoshui characters on the paper, his complex gaze a mixture of three parts surprise, three parts anger, three parts sorrow, and one part regret. "You completed it."

"Yes." Jun Qianzi reached up to touch his throat. Even though the Longsword hadn’t actually struck him, a wound had appeared on his neck, and his fingertips were stained crimson.

The Ruoshui Talisman was an unrevealed secret of the Academic Palace Talisman Path. Back then, Jun Qianzi had not mastered this talisman before he betrayed the Academic Palace and disappeared without a trace.

Supreme goodness is like water. Water benefits all things without contention and dwells where others despise; hence, it nearly approaches the Tao.

Relying on vague memories and his astounding talent, Jun Qianzi had completed the talisman on his own. That he could capture its true meaning proved that deep down, he still considered himself to be like that supreme, benevolent water—performing good deeds and adhering to morality.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Shadows emerged from the streets and alleys, surrounding the tavern ruins from all directions: Shixing Monk Harvard, half his head embedded with Gold, his face wearing a radiant smile; Lady Zhu, clad in a red dress, dignified and luxurious, full of charm; Feilian, in the guise of a noble young master, and Yan Fu, appearing as a servant; Shangyang, dressed in brocade robes like a wealthy elder; the young girl Suo Luo in a yellow skirt; and Ping He, clad in pitch-black armor. Each emitted the fluctuations of a Candle Cloud Realm expert’s Spiritual Energy, an aura that not even the Chaotic Wind circling high above could completely conceal.

However, the Mountain Master just sneered, commenting indifferently, "A motley crew." They hide here and there like rats and foxes, not content to live as humans, choosing instead to be like ghosts. Only when Lian Xuanyao was old and on the verge of death did they dare to launch a sneak attack. What else are they, if not a motley crew?

HEH HEH.

Anyone who advanced to the Candle Cloud Realm was naturally exceptional, having survived countless life-and-death situations, and each carried a measure of pride deep within their hearts.

Shangyang clapped his folding fan and said with a smile, "Even a fierce tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves..."

Before he finished speaking, Lian Xuanyao’s figure suddenly flashed before him. His eyes were cold and grim, his snow-white hair and beard moving without wind. He slashed diagonally with his Longsword, striking Shangyang’s neck. Clothing, fabric, skin, muscle, and bone—all split apart before the sword’s edge. The Longsword was unstoppable, tearing open most of Shangyang’s chest.

STOMP!

Ping He, clad in dark armor, charged forward. In the nick of time, he threw over a dozen punches with both arms toward the sword’s edge, barely managing to halt its cutting force. The cost was being violently flung away by the sword’s blade; he crashed through dozens of buildings before vanishing from sight.

Nearby, Lady Zhu flicked out a dense rain of delicate red threads. They passed through Shangyang’s body, which had been sliced in two by the Longsword, hooking and pulling him out of the sword’s range. Then, the red threads twisted and turned, barely stitching the two halves of his body back together.

No one knew what Secret Technique Shangyang had cultivated, but even with such grievous injuries, he could still cry out in shock, "How is this possible? We are all in the Candle Cloud Realm! How can you be so much stronger than us?!"

"Candle Cloud Realm?" The Mountain Master executed a sword flourish, flicking off the specks of defiled blood from its tip, and calmly stated, "I left that realm behind long ago."

BUZZ!

His robe fluttered violently as his thin body slowly rose. He looked down upon the Human World, taking in all its myriad aspects, a plan forming in his mind. He had not sensed any aura in the city higher than the Candle Cloud Realm. If You Qiong wasn’t here, he could handle this ambush by Zhao Ming...

CRACK.

An extremely faint tremor came from the riverbed. Lian Xuanyao abruptly turned his head, his eyes wide as he stared at the Suspended River above the city.

Shock, astonishment, sorrow, anger.

"JUN! QIAN! ZI!" Each word of his roar thundered across the sky above Xingzhou City.

Jun Qianzi’s gaze was dark as he chuckled softly. "So, you’ve discovered it?"

CRACK. CRACK.

Thousands upon thousands of cracks simultaneously appeared on the shaking riverbed’s bottom, as if something hidden deep below was struggling to break free.

BOOM!

Finally, torrents of immense pressure from the Nine Nether Dark River erupted. They effortlessly tore through the riverbed, burst through the rock strata, and surged into the Yellow River, instantly causing its banks to collapse.