The Path Toward Heaven

“Besides, I need to thank you for your hard cultivation. I believe by tomorrow nobody will know it was me who killed you.”

Master Zhou said with a smile, “This is the top of the Sword Peak. Someone with the State of Breaking Sea can’t even find out what have happened here without using the special Piercing Discernment.”

“You have to kill me first if you don’t want anyone to know what’s happened.”

Soon after, Zhao Layue waved her hand, a green flash of sword light leaving her sleeve and flying at high speed in front of the cliff walls.

The green sword was very nimble and extremely fast, forming a light-green screen of light that looked airtight, and not even wind could penetrate it.

“It’s pretty good. Looks like you have almost reached the State of Inherited Will,” praised Master Zhuo while witnessing the scene.

In the darkness of night, Jing Jiu nodded as well, and he appreciated this method more than the State she demonstrated.

Since there was no chance to attack by surprise, it was better to call out the sword in advance in readied defense.

The problem was that they were miles apart in their States; she had no way to defend herself.

Jing Jiu came to the conclusion that Zhao Layue would die tonight for sure; that is, unless a miracle occurred.

The wills of swords on the Sword Peak were chaotic, the night becoming deep and nature changing in ten thousand ways, and so this miracle was…Jiu Jing himself.

“There is no way to beat that man…”

Jing Jiu screamed in his own mind.

As his state at the moment was even lower than hers, he couldn’t help her, unless that man in gray stood still.

Yet, who would stand in the same spot and wait for you to reach your hand out?

Jing Jiu glanced at the bracelet once, thinking hard about other methods could be used.

It was then that combat started.

There was no suspense as to what the battle’s outcome would be; you could really call it a one-sided fight.

The night winds started up, the rolling clouds were disturbed, and a flying sword with a plain grey color flew over a distance of three hundred yards in an instance, finding its way to the cliff wall.

The frequent and faint sounds of swords clashing were taking place.

A dozen sparks of fire came to life on the light screen from the green sword.

Jing Jiu knew without question that those seemingly tiny fire sparks actually contained tremendous power like that of thunder and lightning, possessing an awesome attack power.

Still, the Tide Sword Style of Bihu was aggressively powerful.

A while later, the light screen formed by the small green sword was broken through easily by the sword with the hidden power of thunder.

The small green sword dropped to the ground like a piece of iron.

Sitting in the cave with her legs crossed, Zhao Layue had no chance to dodge.

After a few thudding sounds, her body was pierced through times, seven bloody holes forming in her before the plain gray flying sword retreated.

The seven bloody holes spread all over her body, blood trickling out of her in an unbearable display,

Her face was pale like snow, lying against the cliff wall, blood dropping from the corners of her mouth, the expression in her eyes faint and weak.

Sword fighting were always like this: simple and straightforward; a loss and a win; even life and death; all were decided in moments.

The rule of the powerful always being powerful manifested clearly in the combat of flying swords, and it was extremely cruel.

As for the side with lower state, your sword couldn’t even touch your opponent, so how can you win the battle?

“Do you have any last words?”

Strolling to the cliff wall, Master Zhuo question to Zhao Layue was emotionless.

This wasn’t a case of the winner humiliating and playing with the loser before their death.

If he had wanted, Zhao Layue would have already been dead.

It was only because the people behind him wanted to know what Zhao Layue was investigating and how much she had already known.

The key question was who ordered her to do so, the Qingrong Peak or Tianguang Peak?

The words of a man are trustworthy.

He hoped to get some valuable information.

Looking at him, Zhao Layue lifted her head and said, “What I want to say is, you shouldn’t come so close to me.”

That miracle, it happened as she spoke.

Suddenly, the bracelet on her wrist turned into a flash of silver light, like a snake shooting forward, and lengthening instantly and turning into a sword rope, binding Master Zhou!

Zip, zip!!!

A few tears appeared on his gray sword robe.

“Do you think you still can live by using this, Master Zhuo asked coldly while looking at her.

That plain gray flying sword appeared again, its pierce aimed toward the sword rope.

Wham!!!

The meeting spot of the gray flying sword and the sword rope radiated lightning flame the size of a fist.

Yet, the sword rope didn’t break off as Zhuo expected by Zhuo.

Master Zhuo’s expression changed slightly.

What was going on??

The sword rope tightened, cutting into his flesh, blood instantly pouring from his body

He shrieked, feeling unusually angry.

The external disciple of the Green Mountain Sect usually brought the sword rope with them when they were patrolling, to help them pursue the animals and demons and to restrain opponents.

These sword ropes were the most common magic weapon, inferior even to the worst kind of flying swords.

How come his magic sword has failed to break this sword rope?

What on earth is this thing? What is it made of?

In a short time, Master Zhuo thought of many things and guessed there was something special about this sword rope; it was not as simple as it looked.

It might be a treasure protected by magic given by an important figure in the nine peaks, or even by the Sect Master himself.

Thinking of this possibility, he regretted being careless.

But he wasn’t that scared, or even worried.

Even if the sword rope was a magic treasure, Zhao Layue’s state was still too low, and with her injury, how could she change the eventual outcome?

“Do you think you can kill me this way?”

Staring at her eyes, he didn’t conceal his anger and deadly intention.

The plain gray flying sword flew back to his side, and he absorbed it.

The Sword Pill was triggered, with many rays of sword will shooting out from his body like small daggers, blocking the tightening rope.

The clouds opened up by a bit, starlight shining on Zhao Layue’s body.

She was covered in blood, it matting her short hair and face, and yet it wasn’t completely horrible, as the expression in her eyes was still very calm, looking like a young animal ready to mount its last attack.

The flying sword was destroyed and the sword rope was blocked; what should be done next?

Zhao Layue threw a punch with her fist.

She used the entry-level boxing style.

The same boxing style was practiced everyday by the external disciples in the woods at the South Pine Pavilion.

The boxing style was very common, being used to help the external disciples train for the State Of Possession of Virtue.

It was never thought that this boxing style could be used in combat between two magic swordsmen.

The way she wielded her fists was not special, only fairly accurate, just like the small figure doing them on the pages of the textbook.

But that accuracy obviously came with precision.

Dozens of punches fell on the body of Zhuo like the raindrops.

Her fists were small, but very hard.

A swordsman in the Undefeated State, awash with power of the Chaotic Sword, couldn’t withstand it.

Thud, thud!!!

The gray robe was dented at more than ten spots.

Master Zhuo coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Zhao Layue whipped her wrist to make the sword rope wrap around his neck, and dragged him to the cliff wall; her crossed legs straightened like lightning, landing right in his back.

Another mouthful of blood came out from his mouth.

Zhao Layue, with her feet on his back, straightened her legs and bent her own body backward, so the sword rope was tautly pulled, as straight as a pencil.

She wanted to use her own body weight to pull his head off.

The sword rope shivered violently, moving around slowly on his body, producing an ear-piercing sound of friction.

“You are indeed Zhao Layue, but you can’t kill me this way,” said Master Zhuo, puffing.

The gray flying sword wedged between his neck and the sword rope on his neck.

He was very angry, thinking he was forced into such an embarrassing situation by a person of a younger generation and of a much lower state.

But as he said, Zhao Layue couldn’t kill him by using this method.

The gap between two different states usually cannot be closed by courage, cleverness or something else.

The fresh blood flew out of Layue’s body, and even faster now due to the pulling force she used on Master Zhuo.

Her face was turning paler, and the expression in her eyes was getting dimmer.

She knew the moment she had no strength to hold onto the sword rope, the death would come.

At the moment, the clouds on the top of the peak disbursed a little bit more, and the stars were setting.

Master Zhuo was stunned by what he saw.

Even though the sword rope was wrapped around his neck, he was still distracted by something.

A man appeared in front of him from nowhere.

A youth in the white cloth.

…

…

During the struggle of life and death, the attraction was not how handsome that youth in white looked, but rather, he could not figure out how this youth in white could possibly appear from nowhere.

Master Zhuo was completely stunned, disoriented, and even somewhat lost.

Before he injured that young eagle, he observed the surroundings and didn’t see anybody.

During their fight, he was also sure that no sound, breathing, heartbeat, and foot movement, could be heard in the surroundings on the top of the peak.

It seemed the youth in white appeared from nowhere, or like he had stood there the whole time.

But, if he had been standing by the cliff wall, why I hadn’t seen him, even a trace of his existence?

Was he able to conceal his existence in heaven and earth making him a swordsman of the State of Free Travel?

No, as not even a swordsman at the State of Free Travel cannot even achieve that deed.

Is he a ghost?

In a very short period of time, Master Zhuo thought of many things, many possibilities, but he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Jing Jiu didn’t give him enough time to think, as lifted his hand.

Master Zhuo felt a great danger, his pupils shrinking, desiring to leave, but he was bound by the sword rope and locked firmly by two legs on his back.

Jing Jiu landed his hand with all his might on his neck.

There was a resounding smack that pierced the ears, spreading sparks of fire everywhere in a fairly awesome display.

The whole thing was very short.

The horrible cry from Master Zhuo and the smack stopped suddenly.

Boing!!!

Master Zhuo’s head fell down from his neck like a ripe fruit.

Zhao Layue’s face appeared, and her eyes, still distinctively black and white.

The fresh blood gushed out from the neck cavity of the headless corpse, like fireworks in a ceremony, or like waterfall flowing upward.

Two of them were eyeing each other amid the red bloody flowers that filled the air.

…