Chapter 538: Liu Can Yang
When Zhu Luo opened Su Li’s letter, the fat old man sat nearby with a smile, not particularly worried. He knew, of course, that Su Li was strong, that Su Li’s sword was terrifying, but this was, after all, just a letter. Even if it contained Su Li’s sword intent and spirit, the medium was limited—how could it truly harm Zhu Luo?
The fat old man even felt a hint of disdain for Zhu Luo’s hesitation, thinking that perhaps matters in the capital would need to be rearranged.
But when that sword intent burst forth from the letter, turning the entire Ten Thousand Willows Garden into night, the fat old man realized he was wrong.
Su Li’s sword was far more powerful and fearsome than he had imagined.
Just a single sword intent on a piece of paper could suppress a super-strong cultivator of the Eight Winds and Rains level?
Even though Zhu Luo was injured, this was still unbelievable.
The realm within that sword intent seemed to surpass Zhu Luo’s by an entire level!
Even the will of a sage might not be able to achieve this.
Except for legendary powerhouses like Zhou Du Fu, Chen Xuan Ba, Emperor Taizong, or Wang Zhi Ce from back in the day, who could do this?
Su Li was no sage, but his sword path was nearing divinity!
Watching the Golden Crows erupting in the Winter Garden, the moon in the night sky suddenly dimming, the fat old man’s face showed shock. Without a second thought, he drifted over.
Zhu Luo was already in danger; if he didn’t act now, it would be too late.
With a sharp howl, the fat old man’s palms tore through the air before him and slammed toward those Golden Crow-like, blazing sword intents!
He looked like a mountain of flesh, but his drifting movement was surprisingly light, and his palms fell just as gently, flapping slowly like a real bird.
The Golden Crow Sword was a secret sword of Li Mountain, originating from Su Li. Its sword intent was incredibly hot; once unleashed, it continuously spewed light and heat outward, unstoppable.
Back in the Great Court Exam and Zhou Garden, Chen Changsheng had used the Golden Crow Sword several times, forcing opponents stronger than him to temporarily avoid its edge.
Today, these Golden Crow sword intents came from Su Li’s hand, and their power was beyond imagination.
If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would likely be burned into green smoke before even touching those sword intents.
Even a cultivator of very high realm could only compete like Zhu Luo, using the Moonlight Sword Intent to contend, without daring direct contact.
Yet, for some reason, though the fat old man’s face showed caution and fear, he still struck down toward those Golden Crow sword intents.
An indescribable aura appeared in the now-ruined courtyard of Ten Thousand Willows Garden.
That aura was powerful, but still not as strong as Zhu Luo’s Moonlight Sword Intent. Yet it carried a very ancient feeling.
A sun, seemingly real, appeared between the fat old man’s palms, blindingly bright!
Under the light of those rays, the fat old man’s face no longer held any hint of festivity. His kind eyes and brows became immensely majestic, and behind him appeared the image of a dragon and tiger.
At this moment, he was no longer the common wealthy old man seen in the countryside—he was clearly an emperor!
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Three powerful auras met in the Ten Thousand Willows Garden.
Moonlight struggled to cast its silver glow across the sky.
The blazing sun kept pushing back the falling night.
Countless sword intents, like firebirds, wove between the sky and the sun.
Tens of thousands of cold-resistant weeping willows began to burn.
This wasn’t the fire of twilight; it was real combustion.
The cold Winter Garden seemed to plummet instantly into a scorching abyss of hell.
With a thunderous roar, flames scattered wildly, charred willows toppled, wells broke, and walls collapsed.
No one knew how long it took, but the violent auras finally began to subside.
The estate was now ruins; the cold pond could no longer reflect anyone.
Zhu Luo leaned against a broken willow by the pond’s edge, his face pale, his chest stained with patches of blood. Worse still, his left hand was severed at the wrist.
The fat old man stood inside a shattered table, his obese body straining the table’s remaining edges to the limit, as if it might break at any moment. His face, full of fat, no longer held any festive cheer or imperial majesty—only exhaustion and ugliness.
From many years ago, he had already glimpsed the threshold of the Sacred Domain. If not for his fear of the capital’s reaction, he might have crossed it long ago. In this battle, he had even displayed power not inferior to the Sacred Domain.
Yet he and Zhu Luo had still lost, and lost so miserably. If that sword intent hadn’t been aimed at Zhu Luo, if his family’s inherited technique hadn’t been close to the Golden Crow Sword’s origin, he would have been severely injured. And even with his help, Zhu Luo might have already died by now.
And their opponent was just a letter from Su Li.
Zhu Luo slowly stood up and looked around at the surrounding fields.
The once infinitely beautiful Ten Thousand Willows Garden was now a scorched wasteland. In the distance, some willows still burned.
The Ten Thousand Willows Garden still existed, but it no longer lived up to its name.
Just like him now.
He knew very well that this was Su Li’s revenge.
To that, he had nothing to say.
“I’m afraid I cannot participate in the capital’s affairs.”
Zhu Luo said to the fat old man without turning around, his expression somewhat desolate.
The fat old man knew this was inevitable. Not to mention that Zhu Luo might never recover his peak realm and strength, he might even fall out of the ranks of the Eight Winds and Rains.
For Zhu Luo, the most important thing now was how to arrange his family and the Heartless Sect’s future, because that was his true legacy.
The fat old man shook his mountain-like body and walked out of the Ten Thousand Willows Garden.
Outside Hanqiu City, with the help of his subordinates, he climbed with some difficulty onto a massive carriage.
A middle-aged man with powdered face and a slightly sharp voice whispered, “Your Highness, what happened?”
“You know? I originally thought that if the great plan succeeded, the first thing I’d do was seize that great carriage from the Liang Prince’s mansion.”
The fat old man squinted, looking toward Xunyang City, and said sadly, “Now I don’t know if I’ll ever have the chance to sit in it in this lifetime.”
He was looking at Xunyang City, but in truth, he was looking at the capital.
He spoke of the Liang Prince’s carriage, but in truth, he meant the throne in the capital’s imperial palace.
The middle-aged man had already been deeply unsettled by the strange events at Ten Thousand Willows Garden. Hearing the prince’s lament, he became even more anxious.
He and those officers and civil officials were all retainers of the prince’s mansion, but they could only follow orders from the capital. Over the years, he and his subordinates had taken immense risks, helping the prince run around and shout. If the prince’s plan failed, where would they find a way out?
“Infinite Green has entered the capital.”
The middle-aged man tried to boost the prince’s confidence, quickly sharing the news he had just received.
The fat old man was somewhat surprised. Though Infinite Green was also one of the Eight Winds and Rains, she had never been among his recruitment targets, because she was also a woman.
What was that old Daoist nun doing in the capital? Could there be some change?