Chapter 84: The Most Ferocious Law-Destroying Shadow in History
The red maple tree swayed without wind, a few maple leaves falling, dissipating midair before reaching the ground.
An old man sat cross-legged beneath the maple tree, his tattered robes making him appear somewhat disheveled. He lacked any immortal aura, and his pitch-black eyes were chilling to behold.
"Inheritor, what is your choice?"
The old man's abyss-like eyes fixed on Su Xiao, who frowned slightly. The old man hadn't given him any choice at all, let alone indicated what he should choose.
"..."
Noticing Su Xiao's silence, the old man seemed somewhat displeased.
With a whoosh, Su Xiao's vision blurred. He had been about a dozen meters from the old man, but now the old man and the red maple tree stood right before him.
The old man raised a hand withered like a tree branch. With a crackling explosion, a large area of golden light patterns appeared around Su Xiao.
"Rest assured, I mean no harm."
The old man glanced at his palm, where cracks rapidly healed.
Su Xiao wasn't sure what was happening. While trying to improve his blade technique, he had been suddenly pulled here by a spatial force. Not only had his blade technique not improved, but this old geezer was also demanding he make a choice.
Su Xiao never believed in things like pies falling from the sky. Encounters with peerless masters who bestow true teachings simply didn't happen.
"Who are you?"
Su Xiao spoke, and the old man smiled, his wrinkles especially prominent.
"Who am I..." The old man pondered for a moment before finally shaking his head. "You don't need to know that yet. So, what is your choice?"
The old man seemed somewhat impatient.
"Mawen Hua'erzi."
Su Xiao tentatively spoke a name.
"That useless brat..."
The old man's eyes narrowed, darkness surging around him.
"He is my disciple. Since you've met him, you should understand I don't have much time. So, make your choice."
The old man's aura clearly calmed, no longer as eerie as before.
"Choose... what?"
Su Xiao voiced his confusion.
"..."
A hint of surprise flickered in the old man's eyes.
Su Xiao could now confirm that this old geezer was definitely Mawen Hua'erzi's master. That meant this unreliable old man was also a Law-Destroying Shadow.
With a crackling sound, a large chunk of the old man's shoulder shattered like broken ceramic. Through this break, Su Xiao could see inside the old man's body.
The old man's body was hollow, with large amounts of colorless energy surging within.
Seeing this colorless energy, Su Xiao's confusion suddenly cleared. He finally understood why this old man had appeared here. The old man's body was constructed from shattered soul crystals, and as for the source of those soul crystals, it went without saying—it was Su Xiao's 30 Soul Crystals (Large).
The old man extended his palm, and after a moment, nodded thoughtfully.
"So you haven't reached the time for decision yet. It was your 'backer' that manifested me early. I see. No wonder you seemed so dull-witted."
The old man muttered. By now, he no longer had that eerie feeling from before.
"Remember, when you face your choice, choose what your heart desires. Whether it's 'Holding the Blade' or 'Severing the Void,' the choice is yours. If you regret becoming a Shadow of Law, you can also take another path."
The old man's body shattered, turning into large fragments of soul crystals.
Scenes appeared before Su Xiao's eyes. A young boy swung a blade beneath a maple tree. Time turned like a wheel. The swinging boy quickly became a middle-aged man, and finally an old man—exactly the appearance of that old man.
The old man stood beneath the red maple tree, his eyes flashing with blue light. In the next moment, a shadow surged into his body from behind.
The old man sat cross-legged beneath the tree, his eyes blood-red. After an unknown amount of time, a shadow seemed to try to burst out of his body, but the old man was wrapped in a layer of blue energy, and the shadow couldn't break free.
The shadow gradually dissipated, and the old man's blood-red eyes turned pitch black.
The scene before Su Xiao's eyes abruptly stopped. Only the red maple tree remained; the old man had vanished.
"Truly... a ferocious old man."
Su Xiao muttered. He had indeed learned something today. This old man of unknown name was Mawen Hua'erzi's master. This old geezer was definitely a formidable figure—Su Xiao was certain of that.
Based on what Su Xiao knew, all Law-Destroying Shadows were wary of turning into Blade Demons. Whenever they used the Devouring Core, Law-Destroying Shadows risked becoming Blade Demons, and Su Xiao was no exception.
Su Xiao didn't know where Blade Demons came from, which was also a mystery to most Law-Destroying Shadows. Blade Demons had no independent consciousness, or rather, it was a special kind of energy. When a Law-Destroying Shadow turned into a Blade Demon and went on a killing spree, it was mostly instinct, not the so-called drive of the Blade Demon.
Some particularly ferocious Law-Destroying Shadows sealed Blade Demons into their bonded weapons, greatly increasing their combat power. But Mawen Hua'erzi's master was even more impressive. This old man used Azure Steel Shadow energy to create a cage, used himself as bait to lure the Blade Demon into his body, imprisoned it, and devoured it. Because he swallowed that energy, his eyes became as black as ink.
The appearance of this old man not only opened up "new ideas" for Su Xiao but also told him something very important: he was about to face a choice.
According to the old man, that choice was related to blade technique. Su Xiao immediately thought of the change after raising Blade Master to Lv.50. At that time, he would have two options, which should be different development paths.
Su Xiao didn't know the specifics yet. He observed the red maple tree in front of him and, after careful inspection, realized it wasn't a maple tree at all, but an ancient tree he had never seen before.
Standing before the ancient tree, Su Xiao felt a very wondrous sensation. He sat cross-legged beneath the ancient tree and began to meditate.
With a hum, the scene around Su Xiao changed drastically. The surroundings became bright, dust particles floated in the air, and a slash flashed by.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Xiao suddenly felt a spatial pull. His eyes opened, and he instinctively grabbed at the ancient tree. If he could get this thing, he would be set—it enhanced his meditation effect by at least dozens of times.
With a crack, Su Xiao tore off a piece of the ancient tree's bark. The old man who had disappeared suddenly reappeared and kicked Su Xiao in the lower back, sending him tumbling into a spatial vortex.
The old man quickly approached the ancient tree. Seeing the torn-off bark, the expression on his face clearly showed some pain.
"This... little bastard."
The old man's cheek twitched. He looked at the spatial vortex, clearly wanting to chase after Su Xiao and snatch back that piece of bark.
"Forget it, consider it a gift in return."
Light flickered in the old man's hand, and twenty-eight Soul Crystals (Large) appeared around him. Originally there were thirty; two were the toll fee.
"Been dead so long, I wonder what the Void looks like now. If those Spellcasters..."
The old man's words cut off abruptly. He was just a wisp of residual soul. What the Spellcasters had done to the Void was clearly no longer his concern.
"Dust returns to dust, ashes to ashes. We were the Element Guardians, yet we have faded into the river of time..."
The old man and the ancient tree vanished. The surrounding scene began to desolate, violent elements surged, and large spatial cracks appeared. This was the place of origin and end for the Law-Destroying Shadows, and now, it was a forbidden zone for all living beings.