Volume One: The Autumn Sacrifice — Chapter Thirty-Six: Brandishing the Blade

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The ruins of Qixia Street.

Xie Wuxing stood with his sword in hand.

It was as though a rift had been torn through the night sky.

The enormous sword stretched across the entire city of Hun. Had it struck the ground, more than half the city would have been reduced to rubble.

Jiang Wang raised his saber. Compared with the giant sword, its jet-black, icy gleam was no more than a firefly. Yet, as the saying went, a single spark could set the prairie ablaze. The instant the cold light met the giant sword, it actually forced the descending blade to halt.

Xie Wuxing’s pupils contracted slightly. This was the strongest sword strike he could produce, yet he had never expected it to end with neither side able to overcome the other.

But when he thought of Jiang Wang’s formidable strength—and of all the wicked deeds he had committed—his heart filled with both regret and blazing fury.

With abilities that could be said to tower over the younger cultivators of Bitter Sandalwood, Jiang Wang had not chosen to slay demons and purge evil. Instead, he bullied the common people. That made him more hateful than any monster.

“I’d like to see how long you can hold out.”

Xie Wuxing snapped his fingers. The giant sword plunged downward.

Jiang Wang’s feet sank into the earth. Terrifying fissures spread outward like a spiderweb, while clods of soil bulged up one after another. Then the ground beneath Jiang Wang collapsed outright.

“Interesting.”

Jiang Wang pulled his feet free of the earth and kicked aside the surrounding clods. Xie Wuxing was truly the greatest opponent he had ever encountered, and the realization sent his blood surging with excitement.

In an instant, the scorching air grew even more searing. Jiang Wang’s arms tensed, and wisps of steaming white vapor rose from them. At the same time, the Longnight Saber radiated a biting chill, making the atmosphere around them extraordinarily hostile.

The broken walls and shattered ruins of Qixia Street had already been on the verge of collapse. Under the assault of those two opposing currents of air, they soon splintered apart. The fragments of stone broke into clearly defined grains and floated suspended in midair.

The veins on Jiang Wang’s forehead bulged. Clutching the Longnight Saber, he lifted his gaze toward the giant sword and swung with all his strength.

Boom!

The fragments of stone rained across Qixia Street, smashing countless pits into the ground.

The Azure-Robed Cultivator and Ning Fourteen were forced to flee into the distance to avoid them.

“Is Mister Jiang really taking this seriously?”

The battle certainly appeared fierce. Yet the Azure-Robed Cultivator regarded Jiang Wang as an immortal and felt that things ought not to have unfolded this way.

The White-Robed Cultivator said, “This man is stronger than we imagined, but it is hardly realistic to think he could force Mister Jiang to fight seriously. Haven’t you noticed? From beginning to end, Mister Jiang has merely met his attacks with simple swings of his saber.”

They were very skilled at explaining things—and at convincing themselves beyond all doubt.

The Azure-Robed Cultivator wore an expression of understanding. No matter how formidable Xie Wuxing was, how could he possibly be Mister Jiang’s match?

The facts proved that Mister Jiang had only just made his second move, and this strike might already decide the victor.

That slash tore through the darkness and drove the giant sword higher into the sky.

Clear clouds churned and became stained black. The saber seemed to embody the entire endless night, swallowing the giant sword bit by bit.

Xie Wuxing suddenly let out a great shout. The dispersed clouds tried to gather once more.

After that repeated, desperate struggle, Jiang Wang delivered his third slash, and the clouds finally shattered completely.

A terrifying aura spread above Qixia Street and swept across the entire city of Hun like a violent gale.

Had the two forces not collided high in the sky, more than half the city would surely have been destroyed.

Even so, the scattered shock waves tore roofs from houses. Though the devastation was inferior to the breath the Night-Wandering God had blown through the lanes of the Southern District, it still caused considerable ruin.

Xie Wuxing’s breathing was heavy. A fine cut marked his right cheek, and though it was narrow, the pain was intense. A searing force lingered stubbornly within the wound.

Jiang Wang leaped from the collapsed pit, and the Divine Kingdom had already vanished into concealment within his mind.

He drew a hurried breath, then put on an air of composure.

“You’ve lost,” he said.

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Xie Wuxing slumped to the ground, his right hand resting on the pommel of his sword. In a low voice, he said, “Since I began cultivating, this is the first time I have ever lost a fight. Jiang Wang, you truly are formidable.”

Jiang Wang thought to himself that this was also the first time he had drawn out the full power of the Divine Kingdom. He had even exhausted it to the point that the Divine Kingdom had concealed itself entirely. Usually, a long while would pass before its power gradually faded and the mirage within his mind became hidden once more.

“You’re formidable as well. But I really want to know—when did that particular proclivity of yours begin?”

Xie Wuxing’s expression froze. He said angrily, “I don’t have one! Don’t talk nonsense! I’m perfectly normal!”

Jiang Wang scratched his cheek and asked, “Then why did you come looking for me... Bah! What did you seek me for...”

He quickly shut his mouth.

No matter how he phrased it, it sounded strange.

Xie Wuxing said nothing. Since he had lost, there was no need to drag Du Yanruo into the matter. If the bully Jiang Wang sought revenge, Xie Wuxing was afraid he would be unable to stop him.

Jiang Wang did not ask any further questions either. He was extremely weak at the moment, and if Xie Wuxing noticed, things would become troublesome. He could not yet guarantee that the power of the Divine Kingdom would surge forth again.

Besides, having such a formidable enemy as Xie Wuxing was something that dozens of Cai Tanggu and Old Six Tan could not compare with. Regardless of whether there had been some misunderstanding between them, Jiang Wang did not want to resolve it so quickly.

When he imagined Xie Wuxing repeatedly coming to cause trouble in the future, Jiang Wang instead found himself looking forward to it.

...

Within the Marquis of Xunyang’s estate.

After witnessing Jiang Wang and Xie Wuxing leave in a flash, Du Yanruo waited patiently for a little longer before scaling the wall and slipping into the estate.

Yet after searching for a long time, she found no trace of her father or younger brother.

Eventually, she circled around to the woodshed.

“Could Jiang Wang have already killed them?”

At the thought, Du Yanruo’s face went pale. Her legs weakened, and she staggered into the woodshed door.

Lying among the firewood, Su Lingyi was gaunt and sallow, with an unkempt beard and disordered hair. His eyes were dull and lifeless. Hearing the disturbance, he showed little reaction and merely blinked.

“Jiang, just get it over with. I can’t take this anymore. I surrender...”

He murmured, paying no heed to whether the person outside could hear him.

“Senior Brother Su?”

Leaning against the woodshed door, Du Yanruo found the faint voice vaguely familiar. She kicked the door open.

“Junior Sister...”

When Su Lingyi saw the figure before him, light finally returned to his eyes. Weeping bitterly, he said, “Junior Sister, you’ve finally come to save me!”

Du Yanruo was utterly shocked. Su Lingyi scarcely looked human anymore.

“How could Jiang Wang treat you so cruelly?”

She had just taken a step forward when a nauseating stench wafted over. Instinctively, she retreated.

“Junior Sister, get me out of here quickly.”

Su Lingyi struggled to rise, only to collapse immediately. He clawed his way toward Du Yanruo.

Enduring the foul smell, Du Yanruo crouched down and asked, “Senior Brother Su, have you seen my father and younger brother?”

Su Lingyi paused. “Your uncle and your younger brother were also captured by that Jiang fellow? I haven’t seen them. They may be confined somewhere else.”

The ominous feeling in Du Yanruo’s heart grew stronger. Holding her breath, she tried to help Su Lingyi up, but the moment she stepped out of the woodshed, she saw that the old steward was already standing outside.

With a smile, he said, “Du Heng and Du Zicheng are not in the estate. You came here for nothing.”

Du Yanruo’s voice sank. “What has Jiang Wang done to them?”

The old steward glanced beyond the estate walls. “You used that man to lure the young master away so that you could rescue your family, did you not?”

Seeing that Du Yanruo remained silent, the old steward asked with great curiosity, “How did you persuade a disciple of the Sword Pavilion to help you?”

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Du Yanruo’s eyes widened slightly.

A disciple of the Sword Pavilion?

Was he referring to Xie Wuxing?

The old steward raised an eyebrow. “It seems you did not know his identity. I had thought that if you had managed to establish ties with the Sword Pavilion, it would have been quite troublesome. But now it seems you deceived him and used him as a pawn to rescue people.”

Du Yanruo’s expression shifted several times before she gave a cold laugh. “I am betrothed to him. Sooner or later, I will become a disciple of the Sword Pavilion as well. You had better release my father and brother, or wait for the Sword Pavilion to raze the marquis’s estate to the ground.”

Su Lingyi was stunned.

His junior sister had actually pledged herself to someone?

But sensing the slight trembling in the arm with which Du Yanruo supported him, he realized that she might be lying. He immediately kept his mouth shut.

The old steward smiled, though no one could tell whether he believed her.

Du Yanruo grew increasingly nervous, and sweat gradually covered her face.

The old steward’s smile deepened.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Du Yanruo said again, “The marquis’s estate should not bring disaster upon itself.”

She made as though to help Su Lingyi leave.

The old steward raised a hand to block her and said calmly, “The marquis’s estate has always treated its guests with kindness. But guests must also understand the rules. I believe you would rather not learn how the estate treats those who are not guests.”

Su Lingyi turned his head toward the old steward. “I represent Fish Abyss Academy and have come to the city of Hun in search of traces of immortals. If we have a request, none of the garrisons stationed in the cities and towns throughout Bitter Sandalwood have the authority to refuse. Your actions amount to contempt for the imperial court. Do you truly wish to confirm the charge of rebellion?”

The old steward smiled. “Fish Abyss Academy indeed possesses the authority to have the city and town garrisons cooperate in its investigations. But it cannot forcibly command them to do so. Unless you possess an imperial decree, the garrisons also have the right to refuse.”

“Besides, the late emperor once declared that the troops of the Marquis of Xunyang may heed a summons without obeying a proclamation. Perhaps your Fish Abyss Academy carries great prestige, and the garrisons in most cities and towns choose to cooperate. That may have given you a mistaken impression.”

Su Lingyi’s face darkened.

His breathing grew somewhat labored.

Naturally, he had not known that the Marquis of Xunyang’s estate possessed such privileges.

The revelation enraged him.

Du Yanruo drew her sword. “You’re nothing but an old man. We’ll simply fight our way out!”

Although she was only at the Qi-Mobilizing stage of the Hundred-Day Foundation-Building process and did not yet possess the abilities of a true cultivator, if she fought desperately, she could still contend with a martial artist who had just entered the Second Realm. If she could not even defeat a lame old man, there would be no point in cultivating at all.

She charged at the old steward with her sword.

The old steward merely gave a soft shout.

Du Yanruo seemed to have been struck by a heavy blow. The sword fell from her hand, her legs gave way, and she dropped to her knees before him.

When Du Yanruo rushed forward, Su Lingyi had also summoned all his strength and hurled himself ahead. He had not expected his junior sister to kneel so quickly, however. Before he could react, he ended up joining her in a formal bow before the elders.

The two knelt side by side, their faces flushed crimson.

Their hearts filled with even greater terror.

The lame old steward of the marquis’s estate was actually a master!

The old steward paid them no attention. He turned his gaze toward the ruins of Qixia Street and said indifferently, “The victor has been decided. When the young master returns, whether you stay or leave will depend entirely on his mood.”

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