Novel Full Chapter 2759 - Lies and Treachery
Chapter 2759 – Lies and Treachery
When the humming of a sword rang out, Xiao Zhixuan clearly sensed that vicious sword beneath the Mountain of Bitter Rains.
But now, he could no longer sense it.
The Mountain of Bitter Rains seemed to have returned to its sealed state, silent and still, as ordinary as could be.
Xiao Zhixuan found this hard to believe. All he did was press down. That was seriously enough to suppress that vicious sword?
Is this really the sword I know about?
At the End of the Devastation, its ferocious power was enough to injure even Heavenly Sovereigns!
Why was that Eternal Throne destroyed? Because of that sword’s incredible power!
But why? The Divine Hunt Edict has obviously already shattered. How could a young Unfettered Realm sword cultivator have suppressed it with his palm before it could fully enter the world?
Xiao Zhixuan was privy to countless secrets, and few in this world could compare to him in terms of knowledge and experience, but he was nonetheless stunned.
He just couldn’t wrap his head around it!
“How… did you do that?” He turned to look at Su Yi, so stunned that he seemed to have forgotten about the jug of wine he was carrying.
“I just did it,” said Su Yi. “Is that strange?”
The corners of Xiao Zhixuan’s lips twitched. “You just did it?”
Su Yi laughed. “Even something so vulgar sounds pleasing coming from you. It’s as if your lips are smeared with honey!”
Xiao Zhixuan looked him up and down, then gazed back up at the calm skies. “So you’re saying you’ve already claimed Great Sorrow?”
Su Yi nodded. “If you aren’t willing to accept it, you’re welcome to try to claim it.”
Xiao Zhixuan laughed. “You gave me all that fine wine. How could I? Let’s make a deal. Answer my questions, and I’ll give up on this good fortune. How about it?”
Su Yi said casually, “Sure. Wait for me in the outside world. Once I’ve dealt with the sword, I’ll meet you there, and we can find a bar and have ourselves a drink. It just so happens that I have questions for you, too.”
Xiao Zhixuan stroked his chin. “The outside world is too noisy and crowded. Who knows how many people are waiting to steal your treasure outside? What if something happens to you before we get the chance to meet? Wouldn’t that be far too disappointing?”
“Oh,” said Su Yi. “In that case, I really don’t know how to handle this.”
The two looked at each other, then fell silent.
It might have seemed like they were just making idle conversation, but in truth, they were probing each other’s limits.
Su Yi’s attitude was simple. He wanted the sword, and he wanted Xiao Zhixuan to leave as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Zhixuan, despite his insistence to the contrary, wasn’t willing to just let this end here. He wanted to know how Su Yi had managed to subdue Great Sorrow.
Also, he hadn’t seen the sword yet, and every hunter knew not to release the hawk until he’d seen the rabbit.
Thus, they’d reached a stalemate.
It might have seemed like they were just talking calmly, but in truth, this sort of confrontation was the most dangerous of all!
Su Yi had never really trusted Xiao Zhixuan. The old-timer looked like a drunken vagrant, and he’d seemed quite agreeable earlier, but in truth, it was impossible to tell what he was really thinking.
By now, Su Yi could say with some degree of certainty that the old man wasn’t the kind-hearted sort!
Su Yi even dared to say with certainty that if he’d hesitated even a little during their earlier conversation, he’d have invited unpredictable danger.
Ultimately, Xiao Zhixuan was being so agreeable for one simple reason—he couldn’t see through Su Yi!
Especially now that Su Yi had casually suppressed Great Sorrow.
Xiao Zhixuan obviously had reservations, and he wanted to get a clearer sense of the situation before deciding his next moves.
After a while, Xiao Zhixuan drained his jug of wine and sighed. “It really wouldn’t do to go on like this. How about this? You’re a sword cultivator, and I’m a sword cultivator. Why not just keep it simple and have a straightforward clash of the Dao of the Sword?”
Su Yi nodded, seemingly gratified. “That’s how sword cultivators like us ought to do things.”
Xiao Zhixuan gazed intently at Su Yi’s smile, but he saw no trace of hesitation. All he saw was anticipation.
After a brief pause, Xiao Zhixuan smiled. “That’s right. When a sword cultivator has problems, they ought to resolve them with their sword! My cultivation is currently in the Immortal Dao. You’d best be careful, my young friend.”
With that, he took a step forward.
His clothing billowed around him as a brilliant blood-red moon manifested in the air. Countless streaks of sword qi reminiscent of blood-red moonlight shot forth, dreamlike and ethereal.
Heaven and earth transformed. It was as if the entire area had been separated from the outside world, as if a wondrous sword domain had condensed around them.
A blood-red moon shone overhead, sword qi shining like moonlight. Xiao Zhixuan stood amidst it and smiled. “What do you think of the scenery, my young friend?”
“I’m afraid it’s an illusion, no more than flowers in a mirror or a moon reflected in water,” said Su Yi. He swung his fist like a sword, cleaving through the radiant, blood-red moon.
The entire sword domain cracked.
Xiao Zhixuan clucked his tongue. “You’re far too dishonest, my young friend. You only displayed the strength of a peak Transcendent earlier. I almost thought I had the advantage in terms of cultivation.”
“You’re one to talk,” said Su Yi. “I wouldn’t have guessed you’d attack with the strength of a peak Immortal King right off the bat. I couldn’t have held back even if I wanted to.”
“Ah, but your punch could block the power of an Immortal King. You’re hiding far more strength than me,” Xiao Zhixuan said with a laugh. He swung his sleeve.
Boom!
Heaven and earth shifted. Countless blood-red sword flowers condensed, shining like crimson lamps. Their petals were condensed out of clear sword qi.
Most wondrous of all, an illusory deity performing a sword dance hovered over each sword flower.
Su Yi instantly found himself surrounded on all sides.
This was the power of the Divine Dao. It was a bit stronger than even a Lesser God’s full-force attack!
Su Yi just stood there, unmoving, but sword qi rose around him, soaring into the firmament and shattering countless sword flowers.
Practically simultaneously, Su Yi took a step forward, drew Red Star, and attacked, blurring like a beam of flowing light.
Clang!
Xiao Zhixuan snapped his fingers, and Red Star shattered.
“You fell for it, my little friend!” Xiao Zhixuan burst into laughter, then suddenly erupted with the power of a Greater God. He swung his palm like a sword, attacking ruthlessly.
His tyrannical power was terrifying beyond measure.
Su Yi was sent flying on impact.
Before he could steady himself, Xiao Zhixuan was upon him. The depths of his gaze blazed with dense murderous intent.
He swung his palm once more, like a deity guiding the river of stars.
But before this strike landed, Xiao Zhixuan’s pupils constricted, and he retreated explosively without the slightest hesitation.
Boom!
A streak of sword qi shot out of Su Yi’s sleeve, boring a hole through the air and flying past Xiao Zhixuan’s body. It left a startling wound that gushed a waterfall of blood, staining his clothes red.
He gasped. “The Undying Realm? Kid, you look so honest and upright. Who’d have thought you were secretly rotten to the core?”
Su Yi wiped the blood from his lips. What a pity.
He’d deliberately let his opponent injure him earlier, all to create an opening to exploit. Who’d have thought Xiao Zhixuan would see through him and dodge at a critical juncture?
“You’re my senior, yet you keep trying to deceive me. When it comes to sheer rottenness, I can only sigh over my own inferiority,” said Su Yi.
Xiao Zhixuan disregarded his wounds and sighed. “This is, ultimately, the mundane world. I have no choice but to be cautious. What if you somehow made a miraculous comeback? It’d leave my reputation in shambles. I’d regret that even more than losing out on the sword.”
“A clone, that’s all,” said Su Yi. “So what if it’s destroyed? Wouldn’t it be more satisfying to go all out and determine victory and defeat in a single attack?”
Xiao Zhixuan laughed. “You make it sound so easy. It might be more satisfying, but a bad outcome would mean my past several hundred thousand years of effort have gone to waste. Could you accept that if you were me?”
Su Yi nodded. “I understand.”
As they conversed, they gathered their power.
In their earlier clashes, they were effectively probing each other’s limits. Now, both of them understood that the time had come to determine victory and defeat.
Xiao Zhixuan suddenly said, “My young friend, if you’re willing to give me Great Sorrow, I’ll agree to any request that’s within my power to grant.”
He pointed at the sky. “As proof of my sincerity, I’ll kill the member of the Black Cliff Sword Sect who ordered your death, no matter who they are!”
It was just one sentence, but it was full of formless, contemptuous majesty. He obviously didn’t take the Black Cliff Sword Sect the least bit seriously.
Su Yi laughed. Xiao Zhixuan has finally realized that I’m qualified to negotiate with him.
Prior to this, no matter what I said, he wouldn’t have truly considered me worthy of making a deal with him!
Xiao Zhixuan’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t believe me? Surely you realize that even if you manage to leave with the sword, certain doom awaits you the moment you leave the Huaihuang Empire?”
As if afraid Su Yi would jump to conclusions, he chuckled. “That isn’t a threat; it’s simply an obvious statement of fact. Aren’t you concerned that my true body is waiting out there, too?”
Su Yi said calmly, “If your true body is out there, why concern yourself with the loss of an avatar? And why bother trying to cut a deal with me? Or is your true body not enough to stop me either?”
After a moment’s silence, Xiao Zhixuan laughed and pointed. “You! You really won’t cry until you’ve seen the coffin. Trying to teach you sense was a complete waste of my time!”
His aura instantly transformed. Suddenly, he emanated the unique majesty of an Eternal.
The Laws of the Huaihuang Empire seemed agitated. Terrifying celestial phenomena appeared beneath the dome of heaven.
Xiao Zhixuan put his hands behind his back. “This is my true power! I’ve tested it repeatedly over the years, and I concluded that this is the limit of what’s possible when contending with the Laws of the Huaihuang Empire!”
He smiled at Su Yi. “But the limit isn’t the Unfettered Realm. It’s Divine Wandering!
“My young friend, you have only Unfettered Realm cultivation even in the outside world. Even if you manage to display your full strength here, you’ll still be a full realm beneath me!”
Xiao Zhixuan was visibly delighted. “To tell the truth, I didn’t kill you earlier purely for the fun of it. I wanted to test your limits.
“After all, you’re the first non-Heavenly Sovereign capable of contending with the Laws of the mundane world. You’re highly unusual, and quite interesting, too. How could I kill you without first trying to figure out what’s going on?”
He tried to take a sip of wine, only to discover that his jug had run empty. He couldn’t help but smack his lips. “Well? Was that information enough to buy another jug of wine and a change of heart?”