Chapter 37: The Cold and Clear First Sword
Under the dim twilight, the beast tide resembled a black ocean. Before this black sea stood five powerful demon clan experts, and in the sky above hung an even larger shadow, as if it were the reflection of that black ocean.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong stood on the stone platform before the main gate of the mausoleum, separated by the spirit path stretching thousands of zhang. They gazed at this magnificent and terrifying scene, at the small wooden block radiating countless threads of light in the hands of the young girl at the forefront, and knew that their earlier calculations had been correct. The Soul Pivot lay before the Obsidian Stone Coffin, but the Soul Wood was in the hands of the demon clan.
Xu Yourong said with some regret, "I have cultivated the Dao since childhood, yet I believe that the Dao cannot be spoken. What we call deduction is merely doing our best to fulfill human efforts. Now it seems that you and I can only rely on fate."
Chen Changsheng looked at the black sea before the mausoleum and the shadow in the sky, and said, "I believe in the existence of fate, but I do not believe that fate can decide everything."
When he said this, he was very serious and very calm. Only the final syllable of the last word trembled slightly, indicating that he was still somewhat nervous. He steadied himself and continued, "The Soul Wood is indeed in the hands of the demon clan. No wonder we never encountered any demon beasts along the way to Zhou’s Mausoleum. It’s just... since these demon clan members could have driven the beasts to kill us long ago, why didn’t they do so? Instead, they cleared the path for us?"
Xu Yourong said, "When we passed by that patch of autumn reeds last time, I said the most likely possibility is that they need us to show them the way."
From this, it seemed that in the eyes of the demon clan, the location of Zhou’s Mausoleum was far more important than his life or hers. What were the demon clan searching for in Zhou’s Mausoleum? What was inside that they absolutely had to obtain? No matter how he thought about it, it had to be the Two Severing Blade Technique carved on the walls of the Obsidian Stone Coffin. Thinking of this, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong exchanged a glance.
Now that the Two Severing Blade Technique had been destroyed, only by reassembling the words and images they had memorized in their minds could the technique be restored.
Could they use this to threaten the demon clan in exchange for a way out? He asked with his eyes.
"It’s useless." Xu Yourong looked at the cold eyes of the young girl at the foot of the spirit path and shook her head.
The Phoenix and the Peacock, fated rivals, two geniuses of different races, met in the Zhou Garden, which led to all the subsequent stories.
In that decisive, even tragic battle atop the Twilight Peak, no matter how terrifying the strength and realm Nanke displayed, she had responded calmly and secretly held the upper hand. Even when the old lute player joined the fray, she was severely wounded and fell into the abyss, on the verge of death, she triggered her bloodline’s second awakening, sprouting pure white wings and breaking through the night sky to escape.
If not for having to save Chen Changsheng, she would have been the undisputed victor in that battle, as long as she could leave the Zhou Garden alive. But now, though her life was temporarily safe, she was still weak and exhausted, utterly unable to fight. Meanwhile, Nanke had clearly recovered completely, as strong as she was atop Twilight Peak, perhaps even more domineering.
Should she regret it? She probably should. She looked calmly at Chen Changsheng and said nothing.
Chen Changsheng didn’t notice her gaze because he was staring at the black sea before the mausoleum.
That black sea was composed of tens of thousands of demon beasts. Countless powerful and bloody auras surged into the sky, as if they might tear open the heavens above the grassland.
Within the beast tide were gray flood dragons, demon vultures, and many beasts so powerful that even his divine sense could not perceive their strength, not to mention the terrifying shadow at the rear of the sky.
If the demon beasts from all directions on the grassland began to attack, this black ocean could directly drown the mausoleum. Not to mention him, even powerful divine generals at the peak of Star Gathering, or even saints at the Saintly Realm, would have to flee far away. Unless Zhou Dufu were resurrected, who could stand alone against such a terrifying beast tide?
But perhaps because the mausoleum still retained traces of Zhou Dufu’s aura, or because of the control exerted by the black wooden block radiating countless rays of light, the beast tide, though restless—especially the gray flood dragons and demon vultures, many of whose companions had been slain by Xu Yourong, constantly letting out shrill cries—still remained ten li away from the mausoleum, not advancing a single step further.
The black ocean was like a curtain, and a brilliant streak of light painted across it.
Seeing this scene, Chen Changsheng recalled the unforgettable encounter in the lake water from dozens of days ago. His pupils contracted slightly, and his hand gripping the sword hilt unconsciously tightened.
That streak of light instantly crossed the seemingly endless spirit path, arriving in midair before Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, at the center of the mausoleum hundreds of zhang high.
Beautiful and agile light wings fluttered gently in the dim light. Between the wings were two beautiful women who seemed fused into one.
Their brows and eyes were exquisitely formed, but their appearances and temperaments were very different, even opposite. One was dignified, the other seductive. One had flowing eyes and a myriad of charms, like a beauty from a land of flowers; the other had soft, serene eyes, pure and lovely like a proper young lady. Standing side by side, they delivered a tremendous visual and spiritual impact.
If Chen Changsheng were older, he might have better appreciated this allure. But he was only fifteen, single-mindedly cultivating the Dao in pursuit of immortality, and had never considered such matters. In his eyes, these two women were still the terrifying demonesses who had nearly killed him in that lake water.
Xu Yourong said, "They are Nanke’s wings, or rather, her twin attendants. One is called Hua Cui, and the other is Ning Qiu."
This was the first time Chen Changsheng had heard their names. He was slightly startled, and when he looked at them again, there was a different emotion in his gaze.
Throughout his journey and conversations with Xu Yourong, he had learned that this pair of Nanke’s wings were indeed spiritual bodies created by the Candle Yin Witch Tribe through some method. They had consciousness and self-awareness, but were bound to obey their master’s commands for life, with no control over their own lives or deaths. At a mere thought from their master, they would turn to ash and perish.
Hearing these names now, he didn’t like them. Hua Cui? Ning Qiu? These were the most common names for maidservants, evoking a sense of timidity and humility, as if they could never live freely. Of course, he knew these names were certainly not chosen by themselves. What he disliked was the demon princess who had given them these names and could control their very existence.
The twin attendants of Nanke served their master daily and could easily read the meaning in his eyes.
Hua Cui, the seductive beauty with a soft waist and tender eyes, looked at Chen Changsheng with watery eyes and said in a voice as soft as cotton, "What a caring child."
Ning Qiu, the elegant young lady with a beautiful face and extremely dignified demeanor, was greatly displeased by the sympathy, even pity, in his eyes. She thought, that day by the lake, you nearly died at our hands, and now you sympathize with us for having our lives controlled by our master? How laughable, how disrespectful.
With a hint of anger, she charged toward the stone platform.
"Aiyo, what’s the rush? I haven’t even had a chance to talk to him yet!"
Hua Cui was dragged along as she flew toward the stone platform, speaking in a flustered tone. She seemed a bit hurried, but the tips of her fingers had already begun to emit a faint green glow, sinister to the extreme.
With a hissing sound, countless points of green light appeared in the air before the high platform of the mausoleum, densely scattered like stars.
Those green lights were the poison of peacock feathers. Once they entered flesh, death was certain.
During the battle by the lake, they had tried every means but failed to pierce Chen Changsheng’s skin. Yet now they attacked in the same way, surely hiding some other trick.
Xu Yourong watched this scene quietly, her right hand holding the longbow, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the smooth, ancient bow body, ready to intervene if Chen Changsheng couldn’t handle it.
At this moment, she truly had no combat ability left, but she could at least use the Wu Bow to block a single blow from the enemy. Chen Changsheng didn’t give her that chance. He took a step forward with his right foot, the sole of his shoe splashing a spray of water on the stone platform. Power flowed from his waist to his shoulder and then to his wrist, and the short sword shot out in a straight line toward the edge of the stone platform.
With a crisp sound, the air at the edge of the stone platform seemed to be pierced directly by his sword.
Even more wondrously, around the straight line traced by his sword, countless pure white snowflakes suddenly condensed in the air. These snowflakes were at least ten times larger than naturally formed ones, beautiful and tangible.
The snowflakes fell, precisely enveloping the pair of light wings.
The twin attendants within the wings, even individually, were at the upper level of Tongyou, the same as him. When combined, their combat power surged immensely. That was why they had left Chen Changsheng with no chance by the lake that day. Today, to perform before their master, they had secretly prepared other means. But unexpectedly, none of their follow-up tactics could be executed before Chen Changsheng’s sword broke them.
The sword Chen Changsheng used had not appeared on the continent for at least ten years, except once during the Grand Examination two months ago, so no one recognized it.
He used the National Academy’s Mountain-Toppling Staff Technique.
If speaking of swordsmanship, the National Academy’s Mountain-Toppling Staff was inferior to the Heavenly Dao Academy’s Radiant Light Sword. If speaking of sword momentum, the National Academy’s Mountain-Toppling Staff couldn’t match the Three Swords of Wenshui or the great storm swords of Lishan Sword Sect. But the Mountain-Toppling Staff was originally a staff technique used by the National Academy’s instructors to discipline errant students, and its most important aspect was the principle of reason.
His sword seemed unreasonable at first glance, but it was actually very reasonable. The reason lay in the Profound Frost Cold Qi attached to the sword and the myriad snowflakes falling above the stone platform.
The twin attendants of Nanke were too fast, so fast that even using the Yashiki Step was meaningless. Moreover, the stone platform was too small for maneuvering, and he couldn’t fight in the air. So he had to limit their speed, controlling the battle within a relatively confined space.
At the same time, the National Academy’s Mountain-Toppling Staff also emphasized strictness.
Strictness meant no leniency. You... cannot evade!
These two words were the sword heart of Chen Changsheng’s strike.
Combined with the Profound Frost Cold Qi, this sword was as cold and clear as could be.
The snowflakes fell, touching those faint green glows, instantly turning their colors dull and lifeless.
The cold, clear sword momentum seized the opportunity, thrusting straight toward the two women within the light wings.
In the air before the mausoleum’s stone platform, a strange cry of anger and unwillingness suddenly rang out.
The light wings moved swiftly, scattering the snowflakes, and retreated dozens of zhang in an instant.
Hua Cui and Ning Qiu’s faces turned pale.
A stream of blood slowly flowed down from between their bodies.
Looking at Chen Changsheng standing with his sword at the edge of the stone platform, their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
(I returned home yesterday, driving a thousand kilometers. Though tired, I was actually very satisfied. There will be a second chapter today, but I truly can’t guarantee it will be written by seven o’clock. I’ll update whenever it’s finished.)