The Path Toward Heaven

The Locking Autumn by Cold Well was the ninth form of the Snow-Flowing sword style of Shangde Peak.

This form wasn’t a true sword method. It was devised by the first Peak Master of Shangde Peak when he stood by the cold well on the peak, which was used especially against flying swords.

Gu Han was about to use this secret method to lock Jing Jiu’s flying sword.

Even though he had this secret method, it was still very risky to handle a fast flying sword with one’s bare hands.

The disciples of Green Mountain who learned the Snow-Flowing sword style only employed this form under extreme circumstances.

Gu Han thought he had the combat situation completely under control, so his confidence was at its peak. He didn’t take Jing Jiu seriously at all.

Gu Han pinched his two fingers of his right hand together like a dagger, and opened all five fingers of his left hand, resembling the full moon.

With a buzzing sound, the iron sword was trapped inside and regardless of how hard it vibrated, it couldn’t escape.

This was The Locking Autumn by Cold Well!

He had successfully locked Jing Jiu’s flying sword.

The next moment, Jing Jiu had to decide how to handle the incoming sword.

Everybody thought the outcome had already been determined, since Jing Jiu had no sword with him at that moment.

Without his sword, Jing Jiu couldn’t ride his sword along the cliff walls like before, and he had to block the incoming sword with his own body.

Though practitioners like Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui had bodies more solid than rocks after achieving the Tempered Will of the Sword, how could he withstand the force of a flying sword?

Some elders were ready to come to his rescue.

Though the distance was quite far-off between the battlefield and the stone platform, a few swordsmen in the State of Broken Sea on the platforms were likely able to save Jing Jiu’s life.

Zhao Layue stood up and stared at the battlefield with a look of concentration on her face.

A sudden gust of wind in the mountain tousled her hair.

In front of the platform, the hovering Thoughtless Sword vibrated slightly, exuding humming sounds, as if it were ready to take off at any moment.

No one noticed that the cold Three-Foot Sword, which was positioned ahead of the Thoughtless Sword, vibrated a little bit as well.

In the end, the Thoughtless Sword didn’t take off, and the Three-Foot Sword didn’t move either.

Countless surprised screams came up one after another.

Because Gu Han’s sword had failed to reach Jing Jiu.

…

…

The wind was also blowing above the stone forest.

Jing Jiu’s body disappeared with the wind, as if he were made of the lightest sand, blown away without a trace.

The next moment, he reappeared in the sky, accompanied by a dozen rays of sword light.

The rays of sword light came out from his body.

The strands of his hair and clothes fluttered in the wind, with each strand looking like a sword.

…

…

The Peak Master of Qingrong stood up and stared in his direction. A strange expression showed in her eyes for a second, and her sleeves trembled slightly.

What kind of magic method did he use to travel one hundred yards in the air?

Without a sword, a swordsman in a high Cultivation state could still travel in the air by stepping on sword energy, which Guo Nanshan had performed earlier.

But Jing Jiu had just entered the State of the Undefeated. How could he have already learned such a difficult method?

The most surprising part was that he traveled incredibly fast, and much faster than the magic method Guo Nanshan used. It even put some people in mind of the Heaven-Earth Travel method of the Center Sect!

…

…

Jing Jiu appeared in front of Gu Han.

Gu Han didn’t expect this, since he was busy controlling Jing Jiu’s sword by using the Locking Autumn by Cold Well.

Jing Jiu placed his hand on the sword hilt, pushing it sideways.

Gu Han’s hands couldn’t lock Jing Jiu’s sword anymore.

Clink!!!

The iron sword penetrated Gu Han’s body.

The fresh blood trickled out from the tip of the iron sword, dropping down from the sky.

…

…

Seeing the scene a mile away, Guo Nanshan’s look turned very grave.

He knew Senior Master Chi Yan or other senior masters would not offer any help.

They could see very well that the Jing Jiu’s iron sword had penetrated the right-hand side of Gu Han’s chest. It was not life-threatening, though it could cause a severe wound.

The senior masters believed that Jing Jiu would stop when he was certain that he had won the sword fight.

But Guo Nanshan didn’t think so, and he had a very bad feeling about this.

He could sense Jing Jiu’s murderous intent even at a mile away.

He knew the relationship between Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui.

It didn’t matter that the former master-and-servant pair hadn’t seen each other for three years, or that Liu Shisui had expressed disappointment at Jing Jiu earlier that day.

Liu Shisui hadn’t confessed that he went to Jing Jiu’s place that night, no matter how badly Shangde Peak tortured him.

Liu Shisui had now ended up in a horrendous condition. What would Jing Jiu do to avenge him?

Jing Jiu was not hardhearted.

If he were hardhearted, why would he challenge Ma Hua and Gu Han?

Guo Nanshan knew he had to help Gu Han. He was worried Gu Han would die otherwise. So he had to do something, regardless of how he would be punished later.

At that moment, some other people also realized that something had gone wrong.

Jing Jiu didn’t pull back his sword. He pushed Gu Han northward toward the cliff wall.

Gu Han had already been seriously wounded. Did he really want him dead?

“Stop!”

The disciples of Tianguang Peak and Liangwang Peak screamed, but they couldn’t prevent the tragedy from happening.

However, a calming sword light passed the stone forest and arrived at the cliff walls from one mile away.

Seeing this rainbow-like sword light, the disciples felt relieved.

Earlier this sword light had stopped Liu Shisui when he tried to kill Jian Ruyun by using Devil Fire from a deviant method.

A Big Brother in the state of Free Travel had come to the rescue, so there was nothing to worry about.

The powerful sword light pierced toward Jing Jiu’s back.

If Jing Jiu wanted to block this piercing sword, he had to turn around, pulling out the iron sword from Gu Han’s body.

Yet nobody had predicted what would happen next, especially Guo Nanshan.

Jing Jiu didn’t do anything.

Jing Jiu didn’t pull out his sword, and didn’t turn around. It seemed as if he didn’t know a sword light was coming up behind him, about to cut him in half.

“No!”

Guo Nanshan yelled in his mind.

He saw Jing Jiu release his hands from the hilt and stop pushing Gu Han.

Why didn’t you dodge or block?

Guo Nanshan didn’t have time to think about it, but he knew Jing Jiu would die for sure if his flying sword dropped down on him.

He knew Jing Jiu was a special talent in swordsmanship, and many masters secretly had high expectations for him.

If Jing Jiu continued hurting Gu Han, he would kill Jing Jiu without hesitation.

But under the circumstances, he couldn’t, and he didn’t want to kill Jing Jiu.

However, he had just entered the State of Free Travel, and driving a flying sword over the distance of a mile had already neared the limit of his ability, so he couldn’t control a faraway sword as well as he wished.

With a groan, Guo Nanshan abruptly diminished his Sword Pill and forcefully took back the Sword Source, attempting to halt the flying sword one mile away.

…

…

The rainbow-like sword light vanished.

The flying sword finally halted.

The tip of the sword was merely two yards away from Jing Jiu’s back.

It was very dangerous.

Suddenly, Jing Jiu turned around and reached out his arms, squeezing the flying sword between his palms.

It looked like he was pressing his palms together in a Zen courtesy gesture.

With a startled expression, Guo Nanshan attempted to call back his flying sword, but it didn’t work.

Though he was in the state of Free Travel, a Cultivation state much higher than Jing Jiu’s, his sword was in Jing Jiu’s hands, one mile away from him.

And Jing Jiu’s hands were even more powerful than Gu Han’s Locking Autumn by Cold Well!

“The Benevolent Hands!”

The Peak Master of Yunxing stood up, surprised. How could Jing Jiu have learned the secret method of the Fruit Formation Temple?

Many peak masters and the elders who recognized the method and had the same thought somehow remained silent.

The Peak Master of Xilai finally put down the teacup he had been holding, and narrowed his eyes in their direction, his expression solemn.

…

…

Jing Jiu separated his hands, sliding them along to both ends of the sword and holding them firmly.

“Don’t!”

Someone yelled.

Jing Jiu didn’t pay attention to it, and bent the sword forcefully.

The flying sword curled gradually in his hands, emitting a dreadful noise.

Blood trickled out between Jing Jiu’s hands and the blade of the sword.

“Please have mercy.”

Someone’s voice echoed among the peaks.

Jing Jiu looked at Guo Nanshan quietly one mile apart.

Snap!!!

The flying sword was broken in half.

Guo Nanshan spat out a mouthful of blood.