Chapter 561: The Suddenly Appearing Person in Blue
The steward of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had secretly notified the people within the Cold Mountain the moment Xiao De first appeared. However, watching the brown gleam in Xiao De’s beastly pupils grow deeper and brighter, he realized there was no time left. He hurried forward, preparing to shield Chen Changsheng, while praying that those in Cold Mountain would react as quickly as possible.
That demon race prodigy, equally renowned for wisdom and madness, once he decided to act, would have surely calculated every possible outcome. Even if he didn’t kill Chen Changsheng, merely humiliating this future Pope would suffice to accomplish his purpose for this trip. But this was not something the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wished to see.
There might be some issues between His Holiness the Pope and the Old Heavenly Secrets Master, but how could the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion stand by and watch the future Pope be humiliated on their own turf?
Apart from this steward of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, dozens of cultivators simultaneously gripped the sword hilts at their waists, watching Xiao De warily. As for that rogue cultivator who had earlier performed the kneeling bow to Chen Changsheng, his sword was already in hand, his gaze icy-cold, as if he was willing to sacrifice his life to defend Chen Changsheng’s dignity the moment Xiao De dared to make a move.
This was because the vast majority of the dozens of cultivators on the mountain path were humans, and moreover, believers of the National Religion.
How could they allow the future Pope of the National Religion to be humiliated by the demon race?
Xiao De watched those dozens of human cultivators standing on guard, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
His expression did not turn grave; instead, he clasped his hands behind his back, appearing utterly contemptuous.
With this gesture, his originally not-so-imposing figure seemed to transform into a mountain peak.
He looked down upon these human cultivators from a height.
He was a true powerhouse, having fully completed the Star Gathering Transformation, and could even faintly perceive the boundary between the sacred domain and the mortal world.
With the Saints and the Eight Winds not yet arrived, aside from the top-ranked Divine Generals of the Zhou Dynasty, the great figures of the National Religion and various sect mountain gates, and a few individuals like Wang Po, Xiao Zhang, and Liang Wangsun on the Unrestrained Roll, who could be his match?
Wind swept through the forest, lifting yellow leaves and bringing with it an unimaginable pressure.
Whether it was that rogue cultivator with sword in hand or the dozens of human cultivators whose battle intent was rising, they suddenly found themselves unable to act, even losing the courage to strike. The steward of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion’s expression also changed drastically, and for the first time, he felt a deep regret over the arrangements for entering Cold Mountain.
Why had they insisted on forbidding the National Religion’s cavalry from accompanying Chen Changsheng into the mountain?
If Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai were present, would this demon race powerhouse still dare to be so arrogant?
Zhong Hui, who had been standing behind the crowd, turned slightly pale, but his gaze grew resolute and fierce. With a muffled grunt, he gripped his sword hilt.
Zhe Xiu stood expressionless, his knees slightly bent, staring at Xiao De’s throat like a starving wolf. His pupils instantly turned red as he prepared to transform.
Chen Changsheng stood at the very front, bearing the most genuine and intense pressure.
It could even be said that at least half of the pressure Xiao De released was being shouldered by him.
His expression remained unchanged as he slowly raised his left hand amidst the howling mountain wind.
In his left hand, he held a short sword—this was a gesture of invitation.
The sword was named Stainless, the sheath named Concealed Edge. He himself was a sword hidden in its sheath, ready at any moment to reveal its true sharpness.
In truth, whether during the martial display before the National Education Academy or his battle with Xu Yourong on the Bridge of Helplessness, he had never fully revealed all his strength. Now, facing a powerhouse of the same rank as Wang Po on the Unrestrained Roll, he could no longer afford to hold back.
He didn’t know what the outcome of the coming battle would be. Defeat might be inevitable, but he wanted to see if he could land a single strike on this opponent.
Any of the ten thousand swords within the sheath would do.
Or perhaps, he wanted to try and see if he could slash this man with a blade.
Any of the one hundred and eight saber strokes he had comprehended before the Broken Stele Hut would suffice.
Watching Chen Changsheng’s expression, Xiao De’s eyes narrowed even more, like a tiger dozing in the sunlight. Yet the coldness in the slits of his eyes grew sharper, the yellow-brown ferocity more violent. He was somewhat surprised that this person was stronger than the rumors suggested, seemingly capable of resisting him for a moment.
“Please, let me through.”
Suddenly, a person walked up from below the mountain path.
This person wore a blue garment, head lowered, voice also very low, giving off a feeling of humility—or rather, leaving no impression at all.
The crowd gradually parted, making way for this suddenly arrived person in blue.
“Thank you,” the person in blue said, head still lowered, continuing upward.
Only after making way did the people realize something was strange.
Earlier, the flow of qi in the field had been completely controlled by the aura released by that demon race expert. No one could move, not even draw their swords.
Why, when this person in blue asked everyone to make way, could they suddenly move?
Zhong Hui watched the back of the person in blue, a very complex emotion flickering in his eyes. Entering Cold Mountain for the first time today, encountering Chen Changsheng, forced to bow his head in greeting, and then seeing so many experts—he, who had made great progress over the past year and inevitably grown somewhat proud, suddenly understood something.
The person in blue walked along the mountain path, seemingly slow, but it didn’t take long for him to pass through the crowd.
He walked past Tang Thirty-Six and Zhe Xiu, brushed past Chen Changsheng, and then arrived before Xiao De.
Even now, he still kept his head lowered, shoulders slumped. No one saw his face.
Watching the back of the person in blue, Chen Changsheng was somewhat startled.
“Please, let me through.”
The person in blue said to Xiao De, his voice very low, his attitude very humble.
Xiao De did not make way; his eyes narrowed even more.
He had once met a person who liked to wear blue, and that person also liked to slump his shoulders.
If he hadn’t seen that person, he might have mistaken this person in blue for him.
Because in his eyes, this person in blue was just as terrifying as that one.
However, that person’s slumped shoulders seemed more like a silent attitude toward the heavens—shabby yet noble, calculating accounts in a shop while worrying about the affairs of the world.
This person in blue’s slumped shoulders, on the other hand, were an attitude toward the mundane world. In his eyes, the world was full of dead people; his shoulders sagged only to facilitate a faster draw of his sword.
Xiao De did not recognize this person in blue and had no intention of making way. His breathing suddenly became violent, roaring like the mountain wind.
He released all of his realm and aura, and the pressure instantly became even more terrifying.
Yet the person in blue seemed to sense nothing, still standing quietly before him, head lowered, shoulders slumped.
The person in blue did nothing, just stood there in an ordinary, unremarkable way, yet it was as if he had vanished.
That was the truly terrifying thing.
No one knew how long passed before the person in blue moved, walking upward along the mountain path with his head still lowered.
Xiao De’s expression turned cold and fierce. His palms came from beyond the heavens, meeting before his chest, as countless sand, stones, and tree bark were swept up by the gale, hurtling toward the person in blue.
In an instant, the mountain path was filled with flying sand and stones, a yellow wind swirling, blurring all vision.
Suddenly, a flash of sword light blazed, illuminating all the wind and sand, cutting through the terrifying pressure.