The Young Master is unparalleled, his sword intent like a rainbow.
Everyone was stunned by the radiance of the full moon. Silence engulfed the square.
Wu Duantian stumbled to his feet, unable to hide his panic.
The Qingxuan Sword in Qingxuan Daoist's hand trembled slightly.
In the deepest reaches of Qingyun Sect, hidden in a secluded cave, an elderly woman with snow-white hair, sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly furrowed her brow.
Li Qingran gazed dazedly at the moonlight.
In the moon, a figure danced with a sword, wild and carefree.
"The bright moon rises over Tianshan, amidst the vast sea of clouds——!"
A faint voice echoed through the moonlit sky. The sound lingered in the ears, but it was not annoying; instead, it was mesmerizing, pulling one deeper into its essence.
The sword dance in the moon was like a dream, like an illusion.
Cold, sharp light flew from the blade, piercing through the sea of clouds.
Suddenly, the sword's movement changed, faster than thunder!
The faint voice laughed:
"The long wind travels for thousands of miles, blowing past the Yumen Pass——!"
"Swoosh——!"
The sword's intent soared high into the sky.
The figure holding the sword stopped mid-air.
The flying sword in his hand drifted down gently with a slash.
Clang!
The sea of clouds split, the world was cleared, and the moonlight grew even more intense.
Yet, the boundless killing intent hung over them all.
Wu Duantian's heart pounded in his chest, his face pale. He quickly shouted:
"Bad! Quickly stabilize the sect's protective array and order the disciples to retreat from the square!"
When the mysterious cultivator had first appeared, his aura had only been at the late stage of Divine Transformation, so Wu Duantian had not taken him seriously.
He had expected that Qingxuan Daoist could hold his ground, even if not winning, at least stalling.
But as soon as the sword technique began, just the aura of the sword made him feel cold from head to toe.
Could this person be an elder monster from the Sword Pavilion, hidden from the world?
To wield such terrifying swordsmanship?
It was widely known that cultivators favored swords, but pure sword cultivators were extremely rare to see with great achievements.
Yet once a sword cultivator reached such a level, their techniques were second to none in Cangyun Realm.
There was no more time to think. The sword had already fallen, aimed straight at Qingxuan Daoist.
The coolness of the moon and the sharpness of the sword merged as one.
From afar, it still had form, but as it neared, the only thing visible was a flood of silver-white light.
Qingxuan Daoist gripped his sword, unable to distinguish whether it was moonlight or sword light before him.
He was surrounded on all sides, nowhere to retreat, and with gritted teeth, he summoned his greatest technique—"Starry River Embrace".
The blade of the Qingxuan Sword flickered with starlight, dazzling to the eyes.
This was supposed to be a majestic strike, but under the moonlight, it appeared childish and laughable.
A spark may ignite a prairie fire.
But starlight, in the presence of the full moon, could only be swallowed up and dissolved.
---
The full moon vanished.
The Qingyun Sect square was filled with countless sword marks, the closer to the center, the denser they became.
Qingxuan Daoist was drenched in blood, using his sword to prop up his shaking body.
The Qingxuan Sword, which had been with him for over a hundred years, was now full of cracks, as was his own battered body.
It seemed that with the slightest movement, both would fall apart.
A beam of moonlight fell on Qingxuan Daoist's back.
Chen Huaian emerged from the moonlight, not even glancing at the bloodied man kneeling in the center of the square.
He simply walked over to Lu Changtian.
"Do you want to do it yourself, or should this lord help you?"
Lu Changtian looked up at Chen Huaian, his face growing even paler.
He swallowed hard and hoarsely said,
"I... I'll do it myself…"
With a burst of spiritual energy, a muffled sound echoed as Lu Changtian clutched his dantian and rolled on the ground in pain.
His sharp screams reverberated through the square.
Qingxuan Daoist's body twitched, trying to stand but failing, collapsing back into the pool of blood.
"Grievances have a head, debts have a master."
Chen Huaian walked over to Mu Baishuang, gazing at the delicate girl.
His golden vertical pupils reflected nothing but indifference.
At that moment, she looked like a frightened deer, her face full of terror, her lips and body trembling.
Her pitiful appearance was indeed tempting, as though a slight movement of his finger could tear her apart.
But Chen Huaian felt a bead of sweat form on his brow.
Mu Baishuang - Female - 347 years old - Mid-stage Divine Transformation (self-sealing) - Born with seductive charm
Two bad news.
First, this was an ancient monster in disguise.
Second, his energy had already run dry.
They exchanged glances for a moment, and then Chen Huaian slowly spoke:
"Hand over Li Qingran's Water Spiritual Root."
"Senior, I…"
"Hand it over, or not?"
He locked eyes with her, his golden pupils filled with deadly intent.
Mu Baishuang gritted her teeth, weighing her options in her heart.
If she refused, she would have to unseal her cultivation and fight this terrifying sword cultivator.
Not only would she expose her true identity, but if he had any strength left, she would be defeated.
She had to live in order to help the Young Master.
She couldn't reveal her identity.
A Water Spiritual Root was of no use to the Young Master, and she didn't care for it.
"I'll give it," Mu Baishuang feigned a look of grievance.
She puffed out her chest, turned her head to reveal her pale neck, her face full of sadness as she spoke, tears falling as she did:
"Please, Senior, take it."
No wonder she was born with a seductive charm.
Chen Huaian was speechless.
[Please choose which spiritual root to extract]
＜Water Spiritual Root (from Li Qingran)＞
＜Earth and Wood Dual Spiritual Roots (from Yang Tian)＞
Goodness!
Chen Huaian thought to himself, Goodness.
He didn't know how this fox demon had hidden her previous spiritual roots from Qingxuan Daoist.
But now… this opportunity must not be missed.
Both of them! Take both!
If she was a hidden identity demoness, could she say anything?
Could she expose her identity?
Chen Huaian chose both.
Suddenly, two glowing orbs appeared around Mu Baishuang's lower abdomen.
He reached out and grabbed them without resistance, pulling them straight from her, and placing them into his backpack.
With a meaningful glance at Mu Baishuang, he gave her a subtle look.
Mu Baishuang stood frozen.
The pain of losing her spiritual roots was nothing compared to the fear and dread that now consumed her.
She was born with no spiritual root, but she had mastered a technique to conceal other people's roots, and according to the laws, no one should have seen through her cover.
But how did he…
She reflected on his gaze and shuddered.
Could he have seen through her?
If so, why hadn't he exposed her?
Could he also be a demon cultivator?
Her mind was in chaos.
She raised her eyes to confirm with Chen Huaian,
But he was already walking toward Li Qingran.
---
Mission complete. Revenge taken. What was due, claimed. The blue bar was drained.
Chen Huaian was ready to take Li Qingran and escape.
Passing by Qingxuan Daoist, he considered whether to deal a final blow to the half-dead old man. But then, he felt the air around him grow heavy.
Multiple late-stage Divine Transformation presences locked onto him.
Wu Duantian said nothing.
But from the silence, Chen Huaian understood:
Know when to stop. Otherwise, it's death or survival.
Qingxuan Daoist wasn't evil, just a misguided teacher.
"Qingran, let's go."
"Go?" An ancient voice rang from behind.
At some point, a white-robed elderly woman had appeared next to Qingxuan Daoist.
She leaned on a dragon-headed cane, her cloudy eyes staring at Chen Huaian.
There was no fluctuation of energy around her, and she appeared without a sound, blending into the surroundings like part of the environment.
"You come here to destroy Qingyun Sect, and now you think you can just leave?"
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen."
The old woman's cane slammed into the ground.
Boom!
A ripple of green energy spread like waves on a lake.
Around them, several late-stage Divine Transformation elders, including Wu Duantian, knelt and bowed low.
Before the grand hall of the sect, an eerie silence prevailed.