Chapter 56: The Suddenly Appearing Person in Blue
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The steward of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the moment Xiao De appeared, had already secretly notified the people within the Cold Mountain. However, watching the brown gleam in Xiao De's beastly pupils grow deeper and brighter, he knew there was no time left. He hurried forward, ready to shield Chen Changsheng, while praying that the Cold Mountain would respond as quickly as possible.
That prodigy of the demon race, equally renowned for wisdom and madness, once he decided to act, would surely have calculated every consequence. Even if he didn't kill Chen Changsheng, merely humiliating the 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 Man of Heavenly Secrets, but how could the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion stand by and watch the future Pope be humiliated on their own turf?
Besides this steward of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, dozens of cultivators simultaneously grasped the sword hilts at their waists, casting wary glances at Xiao De. As for the rogue cultivator who had earlier performed a kneeling bow to Chen Changsheng, his sword was already in hand, his gaze icy to the extreme, as if he were willing to sacrifice his life to uphold Chen Changsheng's dignity should Xiao De dare to make a move.
This was because the vast majority of the dozens of cultivators on the mountain path were of the human race, and all were followers of the State Religion.
How could they allow the future Pope of the State Religion to be humiliated by a demon?
Xiao De looked at those dozens of human cultivators standing on guard, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
His expression did not grow solemn; instead, he clasped his hands behind his back, appearing utterly disdainful.
With this gesture, his originally unremarkable frame seemed to transform into a mountain peak.
He gazed down at these human cultivators from on high.
He was a true powerhouse, having fully completed the Star-Gathering and Manifestation stage, and could even faintly perceive the boundary between the sacred domain and the mortal world.
With the sages and the Eight Winds and Rains absent, aside from the top-ranked Divine Generals of the Zhou Dynasty, the great figures of the State Religion and various sect gates, and the few like Wang Po, Xiao Zhang, and Liang Wangsun on the Carefree List, who could be his match?
A wind swept in from the forest, stirring up yellow leaves and bringing an unimaginable pressure.
Whether it was the 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 also changed expression drastically, feeling for the first time a deep regret over the arrangements for this entry into the Cold Mountain.
Why had they insisted on forbidding the State Religion cavalry from accompanying Chen Changsheng into the mountain?
If Mao Qiuyu and Linghai Zhiwang were present, would this demon powerhouse still dare to be so arrogant?
Zhong Hui, standing at the back of the crowd, his face turning slightly pale, his gaze hardening with resolve, let out a muffled grunt and gripped his sword hilt.
Zhe Xiu, expressionless, bent his knees slightly, staring at Xiao De's throat like a starving wolf, his pupils instantly turning red as he prepared to transform.
Chen Changsheng, standing at the forefront, felt the pressure most acutely and intensely.
In fact, it could be said that at least half of the pressure Xiao De released was borne 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 Concealed Edge; he 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 Teaching Academy or the duel on the Bridge of No Return with Xu Yourong, he had never fully revealed all his strength. Now, facing a powerhouse of the Carefree List's upper echelons, on par with Wang Po, he had no choice but to hold nothing back.
As for the coming battle, he didn't know what the outcome would be—defeat might be inevitable—but he wanted to see if he could land a single strike on his opponent.
The myriad swords within the sheath—any one of them would do.
Or perhaps, he wanted to try and see if he could cut this man with a single blade.
The one hundred and eight blades he had comprehended before the Broken Stele Hut—any one of them would do.
Seeing Chen Changsheng's demeanor, Xiao De's eyes narrowed even more, like a tiger dozing in the sunlight, yet the gaze within those slits grew colder, the yellow-brown ferocity more savage. He was somewhat surprised that this man was stronger than the rumors suggested, seemingly capable of resisting him for a moment.
"Please, make way."
Suddenly, someone walked up from below the mountain path.
That person wore a blue garment, head lowered, voice also low, giving an impression of humility—or rather, leaving no impression at all.
The crowd gradually parted, clearing a path for this suddenly arrived person in blue.
"Thank you," the person in blue said, head still lowered, continuing upward.
Only after making way did people realize how strange the situation was.
Earlier, the aura of the scene had been completely dominated by the demon expert's released presence, rendering no one able to move, not even to draw a sword.
Why was it that when this person in blue asked everyone to make way, they could move?
Zhong Hui watched the back of the person in blue, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. Entering the Cold Mountain today, encountering Chen Changsheng first, forced to bow his head in greeting, then meeting so many experts—he, who had gained much in the past year and inevitably grown proud, suddenly understood something.
The person in blue walked along the mountain path, seemingly slow, yet it didn't take long to pass through the crowd.
He walked past Tang Thirty-Six and Zhe Xiu, brushed by Chen Changsheng's side, and then arrived before Xiao De.
Even now, he still kept his head down, shoulders slumped, and no one saw his face.
Watching the back of the person in blue, Chen Changsheng was somewhat startled.
"Please, make way."
The person in blue said to Xiao De, his voice low, his attitude humble.
Xiao De did not make way, his eyes narrowing even more.
He had once met someone who liked to wear blue, someone who 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 as terrifying as that one.
But that person slumped his shoulders more as a silent attitude toward the sky—shabby yet noble, calculating the accounts of a shop while worrying about the world.
This person in blue slumped his shoulders as an attitude toward the mundane world of red dust; in his eyes, the world was full of dead people, his shoulders sagging only to facilitate a faster draw of his sword.
Xiao De didn't recognize this person in blue and had no intention of making way. His breathing suddenly became fierce, like a mountain gale howling.
He released all his cultivation level 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 down, shoulders slumped.
The person in blue did nothing, just stood there in an ordinary, unremarkable way, yet it was as if he had vanished.
This was the truly terrifying thing.
After an unknown amount of time, the person in blue moved, walking up the mountain path with his head still lowered.
Xiao De's expression turned cold and harsh. His palms came from beyond the sky, joining before him, sweeping up countless sand, stones, and bark in a gale, hurling them at the person in blue.
For a moment, 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.