Chapter 23: Sword Immortal Liu Hongyi, A Single Sword Shakes Heaven and Earth
Chu Xiu stood beneath a willow tree outside his cave dwelling, hands clasped behind his back.
He gazed at the bright moon in the night sky, his eyes reflecting the moonlight, appearing especially deep and lonely.
An unknown amount of time passed.
“Senior Brother…”
A clear and elegant voice called out.
A slender figure emerged from the shadows.
Dressed in a green dress, her figure was graceful and willowy.
The cold moonlight fell upon her delicate face, enhancing her beauty.
A gentle breeze stirred her long skirt.
The breeze lifted Chu Xiu’s waterfall-like black hair. He turned, a smile gracing his lips. “Little Junior Sister.”
Tao Yao, with her hands behind her back, walked gracefully towards Chu Xiu, a sweet smile on her face, dimples adorning her cheeks.
“Junior Sister congratulates Senior Brother on reaching the top of the Sea of Qi Pagoda today~”
“Senior Brother, are you troubled, standing here alone, gazing at the moon?”
Chu Xiu shook his head, a melancholic look on his face. “Senior Brother is a little homesick.”
“Senior Brother…”
Seeing the look in his eyes, Tao Yao felt a pang in her heart. She took his hand and said, “Senior Brother, Qishan County is your home, but the Holy Land is also your home.”
“Master and I are your family, too.”
She didn’t mention Ren Hongying and Xiao Yishan. She disliked them; they always badmouthed Senior Brother behind his back.
And as for Fourth Senior Brother, he was just a cultivation fanatic, always in seclusion.
She recalled…
The Tianqi Kingdom’s Qishan County, a mortal realm under the Tai Su Holy Land’s jurisdiction, was attacked by the demon race over thirty years ago. Most of the humans in Qishan County perished. That year, the magistrate of Qishan County, also Senior Brother’s father, and his mother, both died in battle defending against the demons, covering the mortals’ retreat…
Senior Brother, only three years old at the time, luckily survived and was brought back to the Holy Land by Master, who had gone to eliminate the demons.
Thirty years had passed since then.
“Mm…”
Chu Xiu nodded, smiling, and patted her soft shoulder. “You are all my wings.”
Tao Yao blushed, lowering her head.
Lately, she felt that Senior Brother had changed.
Before, he always avoided her, not daring to look her in the eye. But now, he was close to her, exuding confidence and a unique charm.
“Senior Brother, this is the information you requested.”
Tao Yao took out an envelope and placed it in Chu Xiu’s hand. Emboldened, she stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed him on the cheek. Blushing, she turned and flew away, her figure transforming into a streak of green light. “Senior Brother, please rest well. Junior Sister is going back to cultivate.”
If anyone in the Holy Land were to see this, they’d be stunned.
What?!
This vixen… blushing? Taking the initiative to kiss a man?
Unbelievable.
It was truly mind-blowing.
As he watched the arc of light disappear into the night sky, the smile on Chu Xiu’s face faded.
Did “Chu Xiu” survive thirty years ago because of luck?
Of course not. It was Chu Xiu who orchestrated his survival, arranging the encounter with Qi Meng Die to infiltrate the Tai Su Holy Land.
He had placed many such pawns within various Holy Lands and great sects.
Chu Xiu tore open the wax seal of the envelope.
And retrieved the information he had requested.
Three days ago, Liu Hongyi appeared in Chang’an City in the Eastern Continent…
Displaying the map;
[Human Territory Map]: Eastern Continent, Central Continent, Southern Domain, Northern Wasteland, Western Desert.
Note: The Tai Su Holy Land is located in the Southern Domain – deep within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
[Demon Territory]: Click to View.
After reviewing the information…
…Chu Xiu’s body surged with energy, and he tore the paper to shreds, reducing it to ashes.
He turned and walked slowly towards the main hall of his cave dwelling.
———————————
Eastern Continent – Great Tang Empire, Chang’an City.
A cold, clear sword light, like autumn water, sliced through the night sky above Chang’an City.
Within the imperial palace, as the Tang Emperor and the empire’s experts trembled and watched, two Small Saints in the void were cut down by a single sword strike, their bodies dissolving into a bloody mist.
A woman, like a demon goddess, stood in the void, clad in a crimson dress, a green sword in her left hand. Her skirt and waterfall-like hair flowed in the wind.
Her eyes were covered by a white cloth, her skin as white as snow. Her delicate features hinted at a breathtaking beauty.
“Liu Hongyi…”
The only surviving elder of the ancient Ji Clan, his white hair and beard disheveled, his blood-soaked robes clinging to his body, stared intently at the demonic woman with his cloudy eyes.
His roar shook the land for ten thousand li…
“Are you following in the footsteps of that devil Chu Xiu?!”
“Do you also wish to become the enemy of every power in the human domain?!”
“The Ji Clan will not let you go! We will tear you to pieces!”
Liu Hongyi remained silent. She raised her green sword with a delicate hand and swung it gently. A single strike, infused with the Seven Slaughter Sword Intent and the power of the Dao, shook the heavens and earth. The buildings of Chang’an City trembled, and a massive chasm, filled with chaotic energy, appeared in the void a thousand li ahead.
The Ji Clan elder, a late-stage Small Saint, didn’t even have time to scream before he was reduced to ashes by the Dao-infused sword intent, swallowed by the rift in the void.
“…”
Emperor Li Ke and his ministers were speechless.
“Such a terrifying attack… if it had struck Chang’an… the entire city would have been wiped out in an instant…”
“Your Majesty, what should we do?”
“What can we do?” Li Ke said with a bitter expression. “Do you expect us to fight that monster in the sky?”
“But the Ji Clan… they might be unhappy…”
“Unhappy?” Li Ke’s expression darkened. “Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Go die?”
“Go fight Liu Hongyi? Didn’t you see? Three Small Saints from the Ji Clan were like ants before her!”
The ministers and generals were speechless.
The Tianqiong Continent was such a cruel place. The strong possessed everything, and the weak could only drift along.
“She’s gone…”
Someone cried out.
Everyone looked up, and indeed, the red figure was no longer there.
“She’s finally left…”
“Phew…”
The emperor and his court breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Is this the power… of someone in the top four of the Small Saint Ranking?”
Crown Prince Li Hong murmured, gazing at the night sky.
“Father, how strong was Chu Xiu, the one who was once ranked first?”
Li Ke shook his head. “Such a great figure… he’s beyond our comprehension.”
“Hong’er, you must cultivate diligently. In this world, strength is everything… Without strength, you’re nothing but an ant…” 枢机
“I understand, Father.”
Crown Prince Li Hong’s eyes shone with a newfound determination, his fists clenched. He vowed to become strong.
——————
“Where will you go next?”
A vast lake, spanning a thousand li, shimmered under the moonlight like a cold mirror embedded in the continent, tranquil and beautiful…
Liu Hongyi sat cross-legged beneath a willow tree by the lake shore, recovering her true essence from the previous battle.
A hundred meters behind her stood a humanoid figure shrouded in black mist.
Judging by the voice, the figure was female.
Liu Hongyi remained silent for a moment, then her lips parted slightly, and she spoke calmly, “To kill.”
“You… why…?” The black mist figure seemed choked up, then sighed. “Making an enemy of the world will lead to your death… Even someone as strong as Chu Xiu died.”
Liu Hongyi looked up at the two moons in the night sky. “He’s not dead…”
Her voice was quiet and clear, betraying no emotion.
“Heh…” the black mist figure scoffed. “While you were in seclusion all these years, he was killed by dozens of Great Saints at Return Soul Cliff in the Howling Forbidden Zone.”
Hum~
A sword light, condensed to its utmost limit, swept behind her. Liu Hongyi’s robes billowed, but her body didn’t move.
The black mist figure vanished, dodging the attack.
Behind her, the sound of trees snapping and crashing echoed… The sword light had carved a hundred-li-long path of destruction through the forest.
In the next moment, the black mist figure reappeared, perched atop a willow tree to her left.
“My, my! As expected of you… Your sword intent is almost at the level of Divine Comprehension.”
Liu Hongyi stood up, her red dress trailing on the grass. With her back to the moon, she walked eastward.
“Are you really planning to make an enemy of the world for him?” The black mist figure floated after her. “He brought this upon himself! There’s no need for you to die for him…”
As she walked, Liu Hongyi said:
“If making an enemy of the world is what it takes, then so be it.”
“If he is a Buddha, I will help him enlighten all beings.”
“If he is a demon, I will help him slaughter them all.”
She walked for about half a li along the path cleared by her sword.
Liu Hongyi stopped, looked up at the void a thousand li away, and placed her left hand on her sword.
In an instant, she vanished.
Only the violent fluctuations in the void hinted at the fierce battle taking place.
“Witch! Die!” A Ji Clan expert roared, his voice hoarse with rage.
The incredibly sharp Seven Slaughter Sword Intent filled the void, clashing with a torrent of divine abilities. Everything was annihilated, the void shattered, mountains and rivers within ten thousand li pulverized, the very earth flattened…