NOVEL NEXT chapter 21
Chapter 21: Walking the Jianghu Requires Keen Eyes
Wan Zhu’s perception told him that He Youzhou’s strength was only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, the overwhelming pressure made him mistakenly believe that He Youzhou was ten times, even a hundred times stronger than himself.
The man with delicate features in front of him had a presence like a monstrous creature with demonic energy soaring to the sky.
Wanzhu had only felt a similar sensation from the head of the Qingshan Sect.
No, perhaps the feeling He Youzhou gave him was even stronger.
“You…” Wanzhu hesitated, unable to lift the sword in his hand to point at He Youzhou.
He Youzhou’s strength and aura were completely mismatched, leading him to a possibility.
“You’re hiding your true strength!?” Wanzhu squeezed out these words.
“Father?” Wan Ruicai, who was still thinking about exterminating this demonic cult with his father, looked over in confusion.
Seeing Wanzhu’s pale face, he became even more puzzled.
Wan Ruicai couldn’t feel the terrifying aura emanating from He Youzhou, only thinking he was a simple Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“I’m not hiding my strength, I’m a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator.” He Youzhou said lazily, “At least for now.”
His eyes were drowsy, as if this tense atmosphere meant nothing to him.
Suddenly, Wanzhu seemed to understand why he felt such immense pressure.
It was the sword. The sword and He Youzhou were one, their auras overlapping.
What almost suffocated him was the sword’s aura, not He Youzhou’s strength.
This seemingly ordinary sword must be an extraordinary weapon or an ancient treasure.
Now that he looked closely, he realized the sword was extraordinary in every way.
Look at the scabbard, though rough and without any decoration, it seemed like an ordinary iron sword he had seen in the market.
But on closer thought, it must be intentional. Why would a cultivator use an ordinary iron sword?
Look at the sword guard, the rusty spots must be from thousands of years of wear.
Once the sword is unsheathed, one would see the exquisite blade inside.
No matter how the craftsman tried to hide its brilliance, they couldn’t avoid working on the blade.
Once unsheathed, everyone would understand this is a divine weapon.
So that’s it, the head of the Tianyan Sect was using his power to oppress others.
Being suppressed by such an ancient divine weapon, he didn’t feel ashamed.
“Using external objects, huh, truly a heretical path.” Wanzhu felt much more at ease after figuring this out.
It was as if the pressure on his shoulders had disappeared.
“Hmm?” He Youzhou tilted his head, not understanding what Wanzhu was saying.
He was actually a sword cultivator, so what else would he use if not a sword?
Although he did know many things, in the end, a sword cultivator was most comfortable wielding a sword.
In this sense, he was indeed using an external object, and Wanzhu unexpectedly wasn’t wrong about him.
“You have a point,” He Youzhou responded seriously.
“Let’s make a deal,” he said to Wanzhu.
“A deal? We, the righteous, absolutely do not collude with the demonic cult!” Wanzhu was quite concerned about his identity as a righteous person.
Even if he were to be killed by the demonic cult now, he would not betray Qingshan Sect.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m not asking you to force good people into prostitution,” He Youzhou waved his hand that wasn’t holding a sword, “I want to talk about something else.”
Wanzhu frowned, “Demon, speak!”
“I can spare your lives,” He Youzhou said faintly.
“…” Wanzhu wanted to retort, but he realized that He Youzhou indeed seemed capable of killing everyone here.
The fear he felt instinctively indicated that He Youzhou’s strength surpassed his own.
Such a person could easily slaughter the disciples of Qingshan Sect with just a flick of his wrist.
As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances. He decided to retreat for now.
“Go on,” he said sternly, letting He Youzhou continue.
“In return, when we participate in your rookie competition, don’t sabotage us,” He Youzhou said.
“That’s it?” Wanzhu thought it was quite simple.
If Yulan from Tianyan Sect practiced a bit, she could indeed reach the Foundation Establishment stage and be eligible for the competition.
But if Yulan was only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, she posed no threat at all.
“Of course, there’s more. Yulan is already my disciple, so stop bothering her and remove her from the wanted list,” He Youzhou thought the serious-looking man in front of him was actually quite reasonable.
He initially thought that with such a serious face, there would be no way to negotiate.
“That’s a matter for the Baicheng government. We at Qingshan Sect have no authority,” Wanzhu said in a deep voice.
“Just mention it to them, that’s all,” He Youzhou paused, taking a step back.
“Hmph… fine,” Wanzhu snorted coldly to avoid appearing too cowardly.
“In that case, you may leave,” He Youzhou said, lowering his sword.
“Ruitai, we will retreat for now!” Wanzhu said to his son.
“But father, this demonic cult is harboring that witch!” Wan Ruitai still wanted to kill Yulan, making a final struggle, “Who knows how many people this witch has killed!”
“Don’t slander people, you murderer,” Yulan’s eyes flashed coldly. She had no good feelings towards Wan Ruitai.
“Ruitai! We must plan carefully, don’t throw your life away here,” Wanzhu said earnestly.
He didn’t understand why the others present didn’t feel the oppressive aura of He Youzhou.
It was understandable for the other disciples to be unaware, but Wan Ruitai should have sensed it.
This sword was obviously a dangerous thing! When walking the martial world, one must have a keen eye!
He decided to go back and teach his son that keen observation was crucial.
“Farewell! Let’s go!” Wan Zhu waved his sleeve and led a large group of Qingshan Sect disciples away from the dilapidated sect.
Only Wan Ruicai, after leaving, looked at Youlan with eyes full of resentment.
“Master, are we really not going to kill him?” Zhishi couldn’t help but ask after everyone from the Qingshan Sect had left.
No matter how you look at it, this guy named Wan Ruicai is very dangerous.
This danger does not refer to Wan Ruicai’s strength, but the worry that he might launch a sneak attack.
“He will reap what he sows, we don’t need to do anything.” He Youzhou said indifferently, “He probably won’t have the time to frame anyone soon.”
“But if Youlan, you want to kill him yourself, I won’t stop you.” He glanced at Youlan, wrapped his sleeves, and added another sentence before walking out of the main hall, “But remember to wait until I participate in the competition.”