Chapter 352: One Sword, Ten Thousand Miles
Su Li held the umbrella handle, making no other move, yet that sword intent had already encroached dozens of miles away.
No sword light flared, no sword wind stirred. Thin snowflakes drifted slowly down, but all around the snowy plain, countless harsh sounds erupted. Scrape, scrape, scrape, scrape! That was the sound of a sword edge cutting through space, the sound of a sword edge slicing through armor, the sound of a sword edge piercing the powerful bodies of demon generals.
Around the dozen or so mountain-like shadows of demon generals, countless fine white sword scars appeared. The cold wind shattered abruptly, heavy armor split apart, and blood burst forth. Some of the mountain-like shadows fell to the snowy plain with muffled groans, while others staggered back with fierce shouts. Not a single demon general could hold their ground!
Su Li looked toward the snow-covered hill a dozen miles away, at the black-robed figure sitting cross-legged there.
The square plate in front of the black-robed figure had already turned into a piece of scrap metal, covered in dense pits and hollows. It could no longer project everything from the Garden of Zhou as before. It was precisely because the square plate was destroyed that the terrifying explosion had occurred earlier. Even a peerless expert of his level had suffered no light injuries, his robes torn and tattered, making him look somewhat disheveled.
The inexplicable destruction of the Garden of Zhou’s square plate had wounded him, and sensing that the situation in the Garden of Zhou had collapsed, he was deeply hurt. But what made him most wary and uneasy was the umbrella Su Li now held in his hand. This long-planned killing formation, which had mobilized countless demon experts, seemed to be going awry.
If Su Li wanted to break through the demon encirclement, he would need to make a breakthrough in the way of the sword. Yet, as he himself had once said, for a sword expert of Su Li’s caliber, even the great terror between life and death could not help him overcome the obstacle that had remained unbroken for centuries—unless he obtained that sword.
Now, that sword had arrived.
How could this be? The black-robed figure looked at the young man behind Su Li, thinking silently, *So all the variables lie here.*
He recognized the yellow paper umbrella, knew its origins. He recognized Chen Changsheng, knew his origins. As the most skilled strategist among the demons on the continent, a mere flicker of his divine sense allowed him to calculate everything that had happened in and around the Garden of Zhou with perfect clarity.
Yet no matter how clearly he calculated, he could not change what had already happened, nor could he make that yellow paper umbrella leave Su Li’s side.
The black-robed figure stood up, his slightly bluish hands extending from his sleeves, as if trying to crush all the cold wind on the snowy plain.
Su Li watched him silently.
The two were separated by a dozen miles.
Su Li held the umbrella handle, his fingers tightening slightly.
With a crisp *clang*,
a bright sword blade was drawn from the yellow paper umbrella.
So this was the true form of the yellow paper umbrella.
The sword had always been hidden within it.
The sword had not fully emerged.
Only half of the blade appeared between heaven and earth.
On the snowy plain, the wind and snow suddenly intensified. Thin snowflakes transformed into countless invisible swords, howling as they swept forward, instantly reaching the snow-covered hill a dozen miles away.
The black-robed figure bowed his head, clasped his hands, his slightly bluish palms raised before his face like a salute, shielding himself together with the black robe that hung to the snow’s surface, concealing everything. An aura of extreme yin-cold met those sword-like snowflakes.
*Chi chi chi chi!* Countless tearing sounds rang out on the snow hill. Around the black-robed figure’s body, countless sharp sword lights appeared in the space around him.
The next moment, the hem of the black robe left the snow’s surface. The robe floated up, both garment and man light, drifting backward with the wind, snow, and sword light, vanishing into nothingness.
The sword light gradually faded, the sword hum grew still, and the wind and snow slowed.
A black scrap of cloth drifted slowly down onto the snowy plain, along with a streak of crimson blood.
From a dozen miles away, Su Li had wounded the black-robed figure with a single sword. Though the black-robed figure was already injured from the destruction of the square plate and not at his peak, do not forget that Su Li’s sword had not fully left its sheath either—half of it still hidden in the yellow paper umbrella. So what kind of sword was this?
…
…
Su Li paid no attention to the retreating black-robed figure. He looked toward the faint outline of the demon city deep in the snowy plain, toward the shadow in the sky that held boundless pressure and terrifying will. The expression on his face grew increasingly grave, but his eyes burned with ever more fervor. He shouted, “Come and fight!”
With this sharp cry like a sword’s ring, a true sword hum resounded across the snowy plain.
Su Li’s right hand gripped the umbrella handle and pulled outward. The sword blade, radiating cold light, appeared on the snowy plain.
After centuries, the famous Sky-Covering Sword finally saw the light of day again. Its first opponent was the Demon Lord.
What a domineering, what an arrogant return!
The sword was named Sky-Covering. No matter how vast the sky, if this sword was held before one’s eyes, it could be unseen. No matter how terrifying the shadow in the sky, if one wished not to see it, one could not see it.
Su Li held the yellow paper umbrella in his left hand, casually carrying the Sky-Covering Sword in his right, gazing at the shadow in the sky, exuding an aura that defied heaven and earth.
What a powerful, what a heroic figure!
Watching Su Li’s back, Chen Changsheng was moved to speechlessness.
He knew he was about to witness with his own eyes the highest-level battle on the continent in centuries. He might soon die, caught in the clash of auras from this fight, or the combatants might not even notice his death. Yet he felt no cold, only a growing heat.
This heat came from his heart, from his blood.
There were always moments of passion in life.
Even if he had just left the Garden of Zhou only to be inexplicably swept into this battle between near-divine beings and die suddenly, he did not care. The trip to the Garden of Zhou had been worth it. To see such a heroic figure with his own eyes, to witness the reemergence of such a peerless famous sword’s edge—what was life or death?
By now, Chen Changsheng had vaguely guessed who the extraordinary human expert standing before him was.
With a hand on his sword hilt, several powerful demon generals had fallen.
With half a blade drawn, the black-robed figure had been gravely wounded and fled far away.
Now, his sword was fully unsheathed, and he himself was fully unsheathed, releasing his edge freely toward the wind, snow, and the shadow in the sky.
What power would this third sword have? Could it cut through the sky and strike down that shadow with a single blow?
In an instant, Chen Changsheng thought of many things. He felt that his spiritual world had been thoroughly cleansed by the sword intent enveloping the entire snowy plain, granting him unprecedented courage and battle spirit. If he survived, he believed these gains would surely make him stronger.
But just then, a voice suddenly entered his ear.
“Hold the umbrella.”
Chen Changsheng looked at the middle-aged man’s back, knowing the voice must have come from him, but he didn’t understand what it meant and felt at a loss.
“Hurry up and grab it, or I’ll just run off on my own!”
Su Li stared at the shadow in the sky, his expression resolute, his aura extraordinary.
Who would have guessed that he was simultaneously whispering such unheroic words to Chen Changsheng?
Chen Changsheng was stunned, not knowing what was going on, and said, “Senior…”
Su Li didn’t turn around, sword in hand, gazing at the sky with a composed demeanor.
But his voice was so urgent, filled with anxiety.
And to avoid detection by the demons, his thin lips barely moved, his words almost grinding through clenched teeth.
“Senior my ass, you idiot, get closer! Reach out and grab it!”
Chen Changsheng was truly dumbfounded, even beginning to doubt life itself.
*Senior… aren’t you that legendary expert? The one who could roam the continent with a single sword? Weren’t you going to fight that shadow? Weren’t you challenging it to battle? So… you never planned to fight from the start, only to run? Your heroic spirit right now… is all an act?*
*Wasn’t this a fake fight?*
Chen Changsheng couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment.
This senior appeared so passionately bold, with a grand and generous air—who could have imagined he was actually…
He couldn’t find the right words. He wanted to call it shameless, but felt that would be disrespectful.
An idol that had stood in his heart for mere seconds had now crumbled to dust.
But he had no choice. If even this senior was running, was he supposed to stay and fight that terrifying shadow?
Chen Changsheng’s gaze fell on the yellow paper umbrella. His mind dazed, he reached out and grabbed it.
Su Li stared at the shadow in the sky, his expression cold, exuding the bearing of a true master. Only Chen Changsheng could hear the voice squeezing through his teeth: “You idiot, hold tight, or if you fall off halfway, I won’t stop to pick you up.”
Chen Changsheng obediently gripped the front of the yellow paper umbrella tightly, even adding a second hand.
A clear, arrogant laugh suddenly rang out, echoing across the snowy plain.
Su Li looked at the demon army in the wind and snow, at that shadow, and after a moment of silence, shouted loudly, “Watch the sword!”
This was the first true strike of the Sky-Covering Sword since its reappearance in the world.
It was also the most powerful blow in the days and nights he had been besieged by the demons.
In the wind and snow, the mountain-like figures of the demon generals grew extremely solemn, and the tens of thousands of demon soldiers farther away held their breath in silence.
Even the shadow from Snow Old City, covering half the sky, became much more grave.
This sword would surely gather all of Su Li’s lifelong cultivation.
Even the Demon Lord would be wary.
A fierce wind suddenly shattered the flying snow. The sword intent enveloping the snowy plain abruptly compressed into an unimaginably powerful sword momentum, striking down toward heaven and earth.
Su Li swung his sword.
He struck toward the sky.
But not at the shadow in the sky—at the opposite half of the sky.
The southern sky.
With a soft *chi*,
the thousands of energy locks the demons had set in the snowy sky were all shattered by that sword intent.
In the suddenly violent wind and snow, a very clear sword path appeared, leading out of the snowy plain.
At an unimaginable speed, Su Li turned into a streak of light, darting into that sword path.
His left hand held the yellow paper umbrella, with Chen Changsheng hanging from its end, Chen Changsheng’s body already floating up.
With a whoosh, Su Li and Chen Changsheng became black dots, growing smaller and smaller.
The next moment, the sword path vanished, and the two disappeared as well.
…
…
(I’ve also been thinking about what word to use to describe Su Li. From his first appearance, shouting “Come save me quickly!”, the tone was set. He is indeed shameless. He was always the sword supreme in the world of “The Legend of the Sky.” I’m not Chen Changsheng, so I don’t need to respect the elderly. I just feel that “shameless” alone isn’t enough to describe him, so I let him be shameless for ten thousand miles… Next chapter, I’ll try to get it done before nine o’clock.)