Book 3: Chapter 3: Because I Am a Genius
These black-clothed swordsmen who abandoned their bows for swords’ bodies were beaten rotten, bones snapped, becoming muddled clumps of flesh as they landed on the ground.
Even if their hearts were steady like boulders, these black clad swordsmen’s eyes still completely became red, releasing vicious, almost inhuman howls.
However, the white clad woman was still standing there, perfectly unharmed, only raindrops and the blood of enemies landing on her body.
The distressed faced middle-aged man and the green clad ‘assistant’ with an oil paper umbrella in hand walked together. However, just like before, they still only spectated, watched as the last black clad swordsman’s scream tore through the air, body flying through the sky, and then landed on the ground, no longer displaying a trace of life.
On the muddy path, there was only the white-clothed woman, the grim-faced middle-aged man, the oil paper umbrella holding green clad ‘assistant, as well as Li Qilong who held magistrate pens left, only these four standing.
This world entered a momentary peacefulness. There was only the light pattering of rain, no one trying to seize the initiative to attack.
The dazzling giant axe in the white-clothed woman’s hands was still dripping blood. Her eyes first landed on the grim-faced middle-aged man’s unique hairstyle, calmly and indifferently asking, “You are someone from the south?”
“This junior is Qiu Luosha, studied under Long Jiya, precisely from the south as the princess says.” The grim-faced middle-aged man nodded his head slightly in courtesy. Even though his age was greater than the white-clothed woman’s, he still understood extremely clearly that regardless of whether it was status or cultivation, the other party could be described with the word ‘senior. That was why his expression was extremely natural, having no qualms about what he just said.
“Seems like you are a student of Thousand Devil Nest.” The white-clothed woman nodded faintly. “Devil Nest to Rudong City is at least a two month journey, you’ve worked hard to get here.”
The grim-faced middle-aged man and the green clad ‘assistant’ who had remained beneath the oil paper umbrella the entire time were both a bit stunned. They had already replayed this meeting with this white-clothed lady who had Yunqin Empire’s most noble blood flowing through her veins countless times, yet they never expected the other party to actually utter these words when they truly faced each other.
“It wasn’t that difficult.” After several breaths of silence, the slightly rigid faced middle-aged man shook his head. “This junior has always remained in Thousand Brilliance Mountain, which is why rushing here didn’t take that long.”
“My Yunqin Empire has always attached heavy importance to military might, even more importance to courage… after you die, I will have someone return your corpse to Thousand Brilliance Mountain, allow you to return to your homeland.” The white-clothed woman looked at this grim-faced middle-aged man, saying this with a dull tone.
If her words were spoken by any bystander, almost anyone would feel that it was too egotistical and arrogant, yet when she spoke these words, the grim-faced middle aged man’s body instead leaned forward slightly, solemnly displaying an act of respect. “Many thanks for senior’s considerations.”
The white-clothed woman nodded slightly, and then turned towards the green clad ‘assistant’ beneath the oil paper umbrella. “And you?”
The green clad ‘assistant’ remained silent, not saying anything. The corners of the white-clothed woman’s lips turned slightly cold, no longer saying anything unnecessary. “Which one of you will come first.”
The grim-faced middle-aged man revealed a bitter smile. “Then this junior will go first.”
The rain continued to fall. An intense and clear cry abruptly sounded in this world, the grim-faced middle-aged man’s right sleeve completely split open at the shoulder. A purple thin blade, due to the extreme speed, drew out a trail of afterimages through the air, hacking towards the white-clothed woman!
The white clad woman took a light step. The snow-white giant axe swept out horizontally, smashing into the purple thin blade in the middle-aged man’s hand, releasing an ear-splitting crisp noise.
The grim-faced middle-aged man’s entire body shook slightly, sent flying by the great power, landing in the mud several zhang away. His expression was now much more pale. However, the purple longsword that was thin to the point of almost being transparent wasn’t damaged in the slightest, only wisps of purple light swimming along the blade itself.
“Purple Jade… you are Thousand Devil Nest’s disciple after all.” As if she knew what everyone before her was thinking, the white-clothed woman didn’t continue her attacks, instead nodding in praise.
The grim-faced middle-aged man released a bitter chuckle again. A clear cry sounded again from the curtain of rain, man and blade tearing through the droplets, arriving before the white-clothed woman. However, the white-clothed woman’s movements were still extremely simple, the axe that was even faster than this middle-aged man forcing him to retract his blade, block in front of him. Then, he flew out miserably once again.
Dang… dang… dang…
Purple sword shadows continuously danced around the white clad woman’s body, the grim-faced middle-aged man like a big bird that continuously flew around the white clad woman. However, the results of crossed blades each time instead made his expression more and more pale, his right arm that held the blade shaking even more, drops of blood starting to seep out of his mouth… then, drops of blood began to flow out from his nostrils.
The white-clothed woman’s expression didn’t reveal the slightest bit of impatience, only brandishing the axe, forcing this middle-aged man to fall back again and again.
Suddenly, she took another step forward. There was no exceptionally powerful aura that left her body, but with this step, the middle-aged man could no longer hold on anymore. The yellow light on his body went out like a candle flame, when the purple longsword made contact with the giant axe, it separated from his hand, the blade smashing heavily into his own body instead.
As if what struck his body wasn’t this thin blade, but rather a great hammer, the grim-faced middle-aged man’s chest immediately caved in. His hands fell powerlessly at his sides, body flying outwards, and then it planted heavily into the mud.
Blood flowed out from his mouth and nose like a fine stream, making it impossible for him to breathe. However, his expression was still extremely calm.
“Senior Ouyang, seems like it’s up to you now.” Unknown as to whether this was done sheerly through willpower, after this already fatal injury, this individual who clearly knew more about what was at stake than Li Qilong didn’t immediately die, instead powerlessly looking towards the dark curtain of rain, uttering this with a mouthful of blood and rainwater.
The green clad ‘assistant’ with the oil paper umbrella in hand silently bowed deeply towards this expert whose entire body was buried in mud.
The moment he bowed deeply, the rainwater in his surroundings was suddenly bound by the surrounding air’s fine vibrations, everything seemingly slowing down.
Crack…
The oil paper umbrella, under this strange and powerful vibration, was completely crushed into fragments, scattering in the rain, revealing a pale and young face.
This ‘assistant’ who previously remained hidden under the pergola, and then under the oil paper umbrella, all of his hair, including his eyebrows, were snow-white colored.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
This white-haired man who gave off a solemn and resolute feeling, his heart suddenly released a war drum like noise. Following the release of these noises, the vessels under his skin all bulged one after another, becoming thick and sinister. Moreover, they began to turn a terrifying black color, as if black threads were appearing on his body.
“Purgatory Mountain!” Li Qilong was standing on the muddy road in somewhat of a daze, as he watched these strange changes take place on the body of this green clad ‘assistant’, his body also began to uncontrollably shake, unknown whether it was because of the cold, or because of fear.
Suddenly, he completely lost control of himself. The pair of magistrate pens fell into the mud, and then like a woman who was being violated, he howled, “Impossible! How could you be someone from Purgatory Mountain?!”
It was precisely like the warning the middle-aged uncle left behind for Lin Xi; there were too many unclear things in this world, too many powerful individuals. Yunqin Empire had Green Luan Academy, while the south’s Great Mang Dynasty also had the existence of Purgatory Mountain.
What was terrifying weren’t the strong, what was frightening was the appearance of powerful individuals from places like Purgatory Mountain by one’s own side.
Since there was a State Knight level cultivator from Purgatory Mountain here, then what purpose did he serve?
“Could it be that I, a veteran of a hundred battles, someone who climbed to the city supervisor rank with great difficulty, hadn’t even touched upon the so-called art of politics yet? … I was merely a chess piece pushed around at will by those people?”
He, who had reached the city supervisor position, originally thought that he had entered the true levels of politics. However, only now did he vaguely acknowledge how superficial, uncouth, and laughable he was.
The entire body of the grim-faced middle-aged man who was buried in mud suddenly twitched intensely, his caved chest also releasing a strange noise. The green clad ‘assistant’ whose body was covered in black blood patterns knew that this grim-faced middle-aged man was at his limit. Moreover, he also understood extremely clearly that the only reason this middle-aged man held on like this, was to see the final result with his own eyes, but this type of struggle would inevitably be an incomparably painful one. That was why he had to end this quickly. He gathered all of his body’s strength, then took a deep breath, shifting all of the soul force in his dantian into his own blood vessels.
All of the rainy mist around his body suddenly turned into white energy. However, the moment he prepared to take a step towards the white clad woman, his expression suddenly went rigid. He suddenly felt like the surrounding air suddenly developed a bit of irregular vibration.
Moreover, this irregular shaking actually came from beneath his feet, coming from the underground mud.
All of a sudden, this expert from Great Mang Dynasty’s sacred land thought of a certain possibility. He suddenly raised his feet, trying to crush this entire muddy path with a stamp of his feet. However, it was already too late, an extremely weak sword radiance shot out from the mixture of blood and mud, avoiding his feet, and then suddenly accelerated. It released an astonishing screaming noise in the skies. Following a light pu noise, this streak of sword radiance severed all of the protruding black veins by the right side of his neck, and then rushed into the skies, spinning around the top of his head.
The green clothed ‘assistant’ held his neck, but the black blood still shot out from between his fingers like arrows.
His eyes widened. Only now did he see clearly, seeing that the green clothed young lady seated at the front of the carriage had unknowingly when already left the carriage impaled by black arrows, seriously looking at the flying sword spinning above his head.
This flying sword was a shaftless blade, slightly silver in color, flickering with cold radiance. Apart from some fine symbols, there were also clear ice-shaped patterns.
“How could this be?!”
The green clothed ‘assistant’ slowly knelt down into the pit he produced through his stomp, the rainwater that filled up the pit reaching his waist. He looked at that green-clothed young lady whose hair was in pigtails, her face that was childish, yet completely disregarded the blood and corpses on the ground, his eyes full of bewilderment and confusion. “How is that possible… you are only this old, how can you control a flying sword over fifty steps, how could you have possibly reached Sacred Expert level cultivation?!”
Perhaps because he knew it was futile, he gave up on covering his neck, the black blood thus gushing out even more crazily from his neck. While watching the unending stream of black blood, the green-clothed young lady frowned slightly, but still seriously replied, “I was born with this young looking face… also, I am a genius.”