Chapter 1721: Far-Reaching Flying Sword

Generally speaking, the farther a flying sword was from its wielder, the weaker the wielder’s control over it became. Thus, sending a flying sword across 500 kilometers was no easy feat. In particular, once the distance exceeded 400 kilometers, the difficulty increased exponentially.

An ordinary Heavenly Being at the Zaohua stage was utterly incapable of such a feat. Qi Xuansu’s Qi Refiner lineage was only at the Zaohua stage, so he could not do it. One had to be a Pseudo-Immortal to accomplish this.

As Qi Xuansu thought about this, he found himself somewhat uncertain of Su Yuanzai’s intentions.

Was Su Yuanzai trying to maintain his neutrality and use this opportunity to extricate himself? Or did he genuinely intend to put an end to the conflict?

Zhou Mengyao said nothing, which presumably meant that she agreed.

Qi Xuansu asked, “A far-reaching flying sword?”

Su Yuanzai replied solemnly, “Precisely!”

Qi Xuansu thought for a moment before nodding. “Very well.”

After all, Long Xiaobai was not by his side. As the weaker party at present, he had little choice but to concede when circumstances demanded it.

Qi Xuansu added, “If someone refuses to honor the outcome, I hope you won’t go back on your word, Sage Su.”

Su Yuanzai laughed heartily and drew a flying sword from his sleeve. Its blade was as thin as a cicada’s wing, entirely purple, and without a hilt. A faint sword aura lingered around it.

“This sword is called the Purple Phoenix. It forms a pair with the Li family’s Green Dragon. Both once belonged to the Holy Xuan and were kept within his sleeves. With these swords, the Holy Xuan could right the wrongs of the mortal world.”

Su Yuanzai gently ran two fingers along the blade, and purple qi surged forth. “Of course, I would never dare make such a bold claim without this sword. Whether it can actually strike the target will ultimately depend on the will of the heavens.”

Qi Xuansu boarded Su Yuanzai’s multi-decked ship and stood to his left, secretly remaining on guard while gazing toward the mountain peak.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mengyao stood to Su Yuanzai’s right.

Su Yuanzai said no more. He tossed the flying sword into the air, brought his index and middle fingers together into a sword-finger gesture, and pointed into the distance. The flying sword instantly transformed into a streak of sword light and plunged straight into the snow-white sea of clouds, riding the wind and cleaving through the waves as it sped onward.

The streak of sword light split the roiling sea of clouds down the middle, leaving behind a deep ravine.

However, the sea of clouds quickly closed again. The mist then grew thicker until it completely engulfed the purple sword light. Only a faint trace of purple could be vaguely seen weaving through the mist-covered mountains, flickering in and out of sight.

Neither Qi Xuansu nor Zhou Mengyao said a word.

Meanwhile, Su Yuanzai wore a smile. He appeared completely at ease, brimming with confidence.

A short while later, a purple lotus blossomed atop the mountain peak, standing alone amid the sea of clouds. Although the great distance made it appear exceedingly tiny, like nothing more than a slightly larger purple dot, all three of them could still see it clearly.

There was no doubt that it was the flying sword.

Su Yuanzai then reached out and pulled his hand back toward himself.

Sending a flying sword forth was only part of it. One also had to be able to recall it. Only then could one be considered accomplished in the Sword Steering Technique. If one could send it out but not bring it back, then even if it traveled 500 kilometers, it could not truly be called a far-reaching flying sword.

After a short while, a streak of purple light grew brighter and brighter before finally returning to Su Yuanzai’s hand and transforming back into a flying sword. The blade trembled and hummed softly as though it had spirituality. Then Su Yuanzai tucked it back into his sleeve.

Zhou Mengyao said indifferently, “Sage Su has truly concealed his abilities well.”

Qi Xuansu praised him. “Impressive skills, Sage Su!”

Su Yuanzai smiled. “I am honored by your praise, but this isn’t a show of my skills. This is the will of the heavens that the two of you cease hostilities today.”

Qi Xuansu sighed. “Sage Su, it truly is unexpected that you are at the Pseudo-Immortal stage.”

Su Yuanzai waved his hand. “I would not dare compare myself with you, Sage Qi. I have merely had the fortune of living many more years than you, yet my cultivation has only just managed to tie with yours. By the time you reach my age, I’m sure you will already possess the bearing of an Immortal. I am far inferior to you, Tian Yuan, nor will I dare compare myself with Madam Zhou. After all, Madam Zhou is already an Immortal. In that regard, I am even more lacking.”

This confirmed Qi Xuansu’s earlier conjecture.

Su Yuanzai had indeed been deliberately concealing his true strength. On the surface, his cultivation appeared to be only at the Zaohua stage, but in reality, he had already entered the Pseudo-Immortal stage.

If Su Yuanzai sided with Qi Xuansu, then Qi Xuansu’s side would effectively have three Pseudo-Immortals joining forces against a severely wounded Zhou Mengyao, giving them an excellent chance of victory. If he sided with Zhou Mengyao, then Qi Xuansu would have no choice but to flee for his life. Even escaping unscathed would be a stretch.

Although neither Qi Xuansu nor Zhou Mengyao made a move because each was wary that Su Yuanzai might side with the other, the atmosphere remained extremely tense. Su Yuanzai also knew that being a mediator was no easy task. Both parties might even suspect the mediator of favoring the other side, and there was a possibility that the one trying to break up a fight would get hit first. He could not afford to have both Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao bear a grudge against him.

Thus, Su Yuanzai said, “The reason I asked the two of you to cease hostilities is not entirely because we all belong to the Daoist Order. More importantly, it is because of this pocket realm.”

Zhou Mengyao finally spoke. “Sage Su, I presume this isn’t your first time coming here.”

Qi Xuansu also asked, “Sage Su, could your Pseudo-Immortal cultivation be related to this pocket realm?”

Su Yuanzai replied, “I will not hide it from either of you. Everyone has their own fortuitous opportunities, and mine lies within this pocket realm. Just as Madam Zhou said, this is not my first time here. This is already my 13th visit. Over my previous 12 visits, I gained something each time, and through those gains, I managed to attain my present Pseudo-Immortal cultivation. Yet I have still been unable to reach the core of this pocket realm, so I have yet to become an Immortal.”

Qi Xuansu raised an eyebrow. “Sage Su, are you saying that deep within this pocket realm lies an opportunity to become an Immortal?”

Su Yuanzai said, “Although I have not verified it directly, the mere gains I obtained here were enough for me to advance to the Pseudo-Immortal stage. Thinking it over carefully, there must surely be an opportunity here to attain immortality.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu was not the only one who was tempted. Even Zhou Mengyao found herself somewhat enticed.

Though she was already an Immortal and had no need for any opportunity to attain Immortality, she desperately wanted to recover her peak strength. Especially now that in as little as half a year, or at most a year to a year and a half, the seventh-generation Grand Master would be chosen. By the time she recovered from her injuries, everything would already have been settled, and it would be far too late.

This was even more true for Qi Xuansu, who was always pursuing a higher cultivation level.

From a personal standpoint, Qi Xuansu urgently wanted to take control of his own destiny, and possessing the cultivation of an Immortal was the most crucial factor. From the standpoint of his faction, every day earlier that he became an Immortal would give him another measure of confidence in contending for the position of eighth-generation Grand Master. It might even help Sage Donghua in his own bid for the position of seventh-generation Grand Master.

No matter how one looked at it, Qi Xuansu had every reason to urgently seek immortality.

As for the credibility of Su Yuanzai’s claim, judging from how Long Xiaobai had reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage in a single leap and how Su Yuanzai had likewise attained Pseudo-Immortal cultivation, it was probably true.

Qi Xuansu showed nothing on his face as he said, “Are you truly willing to share such a tremendous opportunity with the two of us, Sage Su?”

Su Yuanzai gave a wry smile. “Honestly, who wouldn’t want to keep such an extraordinary fortuitous opportunity to themselves? The reason I haven’t done so is not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t. With my strength alone, there is simply no way for me to reach the core region deep within this pocket realm. The so-called opportunity to attain immortality is like the moon reflected in water—visible, yet forever beyond my grasp. That is why I shamelessly asked the two of you to cease hostilities. I hope to join forces with you two and solve this problem together.”

Zhou Mengyao spoke without mincing words. “There are three of us, but there will only be one such opportunity. How are we supposed to divide it when the time comes? Surely the two of you aren’t planning to join forces against me?”

Qi Xuansu said nothing.

Zhou Mengyao continued, “Qi Xuansu, I know you quite well. You believe that becoming an Immortal is only a matter of time for you, so you must regard killing me as your first priority and seizing the opportunity to attain immortality as your second. You probably wouldn’t mind giving up that opportunity in exchange for Sage Su’s support, then joining forces with him to kill me. So I want us to make everything clear beforehand.”

It had to be said that Zhou Mengyao knew Qi Xuansu well. After all, she had spent a long time with Qi Xuansu. With a single remark, she had exposed exactly what he was thinking.

Qi Xuansu truly had been thinking along those lines. He possessed the Longevity Stone Heart, so becoming an Immortal was just a matter of time for him. If he had to choose, this was an excellent opportunity to kill Zhou Mengyao, one that he could not easily let slip away. He could temporarily set aside the temptation of attaining immortality in exchange for killing Zhou Mengyao. In doing so, he could also forge a bond of goodwill with Su Yuanzai and perhaps even gain another Immortal as an ally. After all, the bond forged by killing someone together was no ordinary relationship. No matter how he looked at it, it was a profitable exchange.

Qi Xuansu asked, “You want us to enter into a pact?”

Zhou Mengyao said, “Pacts have always been bilateral agreements between two parties. With three people involved, things become too complicated, making it difficult to establish a pact.”

For a time, they found themselves at an impasse.

Qi Xuansu was more than happy to see this happen. The longer things dragged on, the better. Once Long Xiaobai arrived, he would be able to seize the initiative.

Clearly, Zhou Mengyao had mistaken Qi Xuansu’s Heluo God incarnation for Long Xiaobai, so this possibility had never occurred to her. Naturally, Qi Xuansu was perfectly content to let her remain mistaken and had no intention of correcting her. He would simply wait for Long Xiaobai’s arrival to give Zhou Mengyao a very big surprise.

His only concern was that Long Xiaobai might have been transported directly into the core region.

However, judging from Long Xiaobai’s previous experience, the pocket realm would transport any outsiders back out again after a certain amount of time. If that happened, the situation would be entirely different.

In the end, Su Yuanzai said, “Madam Zhou, you are worrying too much. Leaving aside whether Tian Yuan and I could even kill you by joining forces, even if we truly succeeded, we would not be able to withstand the Earthly Preceptor’s thunderous wrath. After all, I do know a little about your relationship with the Earthly Preceptor.”

Zhou Mengyao asked, “Then what do you propose, Sage Su?”

Su Yuanzai said, “How about this? If we manage to find the opportunity to attain immortality, it will belong to all three of us. If the opportunity takes the form of an elixir or medicinal pill, we divide it into three portions, one for each of us. If it takes the form of a cultivation method or lineage, then all three of us may memorize it. Whatever form it takes, we will handle it according to the same principle of equality.

“Madam Zhou, you have come here to heal your injuries, so I imagine there is no need for you to take everything. One-third should already be sufficient. Tian Yuan will inevitably reach immortality. It is merely a question of sooner or later, so he should not care too much either. As for me, I have already reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage and still have several decades ahead of me. With one-third of this opportunity, combined with several more decades of diligent cultivation, I should be able to attain immortality before 100 years old. That would be enough to leave me perfectly satisfied, and I would not dare ask for anything more. What do you two think of such an arrangement?”

Qi Xuansu fell silent for a moment before agreeing. “Since you have already put it this way, I can only agree.”

With that, Qi Xuansu looked toward Zhou Mengyao.

If Zhou Mengyao refused, then he would simply take advantage of the situation to join forces with Su Yuanzai and deal with Zhou Mengyao first. No matter what compromises he made, Qi Xuansu’s objective had never changed. While ensuring his own safety, he would look for an opportunity to kill Zhou Mengyao.

Zhou Mengyao frowned and pondered for a moment before finally having no choice but to nod. “I’ll do as you say, Sage Su.”

Su Yuanzai smiled. “Then it’s settled.”

At this point, Su Yuanzai seemed to remember something and said, “By the way, someone from The Inn has also entered this pocket realm. I wonder where that person is now.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “The three of us will be enough. We can simply dispose of that person. Sage Su, if you find it inconvenient, I can do it for you.”

Naturally, by “dispose of,” she meant disposing of the Innkeeper permanently, eliminating any future trouble.

Su Yuanzai stroked his beard with a smile. “In that case, I will have to trouble you to handle it, Madam Zhou.”

Qi Xuansu had no objections. After all, the grievances between him and The Inn were far too complicated to explain in just a few words.