Supreme Sword Exalt

With a flicker, Gu Han vanished without a trace.

Yan Qianjue shifted his gaze to the Blood Soul Old Ancestor. “Is Cold Mountain your territory?”

The Blood Soul Old Ancestor trembled with fear. “No, no, no! It’s yours! All of it is yours!”

“Enough nonsense. From now on, you’ll watch over this place. Not a single blade of grass or tree can be missing... otherwise, hmph!”

“Understood!”

Yan Qianjue’s face was full of disdain. “Your cultivation is so low. Raise your cultivation to the Transcendent realm first!”

The Blood Soul Old Ancestor thanked him profusely, nearly moved to tears, “Thank you, Sect Master!”

Yan Qianjue then ignored him, looking instead at Ah Nan with ill intent. “Kid, come, go back with me and pay respects to your master!”

Ah Nan’s face turned pale with fright. “No! I don’t want to...”

Yan Qianjue laughed wildly. “That’s not up to you!”

He swept out his sleeve and whisked Ah Nan away. Those left behind could still hear her faint sobs. They vaguely felt that Yan Qianjue, having likely suffered repeated humiliations in front of Yu Miao, was deliberately trying to regain his dignity in front of Ah Nan. Inhuman behavior!

The Blood Soul Old Ancestor cautiously raised his head, looking at one of the elders. “Elder Zhao, what exactly is Young Master Fu’s origin?”

That elder glanced at him. “Young Master Fu? His surname isn’t Fu!”

“Huh? Then...”

“Do you know, over ten years ago, when the Holy Demon Sect went to the Great Flame Empire to rescue the young sect master’s junior brother?”

“Yes, I do.”

That elder sighed with emotion. “He is the young sect master’s junior brother!”

The Blood Soul Old Ancestor sat down on the ground and firmly etched these two places into his mind. Holy shit! Such a thick thigh to latch onto! Cold Mountain! Wangxiang Village! Starting from today, I will never leave this place! If anyone dared to touch so much as a blade of grass or a tree here, I will fight them to the death!

***

Without disturbing the villagers, Gu Han quietly returned to the small courtyard. The place that had been filled with laughter and joy just three days earlier was now desolate and cold. Wooden stools, firewood, wattle fences, thatched cottage... his gaze swept over each one, as if wanting to etch these things deeply into his heart.

Suddenly, he saw the fish basket placed in the corner of the wall. The fish was still there, preserved by a layer of spirit power.

Gu Han smiled upon realizing that the spirit power belonged to Ah Nan. He took out the fish and cleaned it, then walked to the stove he had built himself and cooked a pot of fish soup.

Scooping out the fish soup, he took a sip, then sighed. “This tastes fucking suck!”

Sure enough, he could never compare to her skill. He was lost in thought for a while. Then, holding the coarse ceramic bowl, he drank the fish soup in one go. Afterward, he carefully placed the tattered coarse cloth robe into his storage ring, and changed back into the white long robe.

Casting one last look at the small courtyard, he swayed and transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the horizon.

Faintly, his murmur came from the sky. “Farewell, mortal world.”

***

Within the void, Zhong Yu had been fighting the old monk for half a day. Earlier, the giant palm had caught him off guard, leaving him with fairly serious injuries.

At this moment, standing behind the old monk was a Bodhisattva. With the left hand holding a flower, and the right holding a sword, it was solemn and majestic.

The old monk intoned the Buddhist chant many times, his hands pressed together, “Buddha is merciful.”

In an instant, the left hand of the Bodhisattva’s manifestation flicked, and a Buddhist seal flew out. Initially only the size of a palm, by the time it landed in front of Zhong Yu, it had transformed into one several hundred zhang wide.

The Buddhist seal instantly imprinted on him. Immediately after, the Bodhisattva’s manifestation swayed, arriving in front of him. Its divine sword blazed with radiance as it chopped down heavily, sending Zhong Yu flying.

Zhong Yu barely managed to stop his momentum, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Bald Donkey!”

It wasn’t that his injuries were too severe, he just had no heart for fighting. Ling Ya's split soul should have been able to deal with such a measly cultivator with ease, yet half a day had already passed and there was still no sign of any movement!

He couldn’t hold back any longer. “No!”

I have to go back and make sure everything is okay!

Thinking of this, he activated his cultivation and advanced toward the summit of Cold Mountain.

The old monk ceased his attacks and followed Zhong Yu closely. In the span of a few breaths, the two had arrived above the summit of Cold Mountain. By now, both Gu Han and Yan Qianjue’s group had already left long ago.

Given Zhong Yu’s cultivation level, he could detect some clues. “Master!”

He didn’t know where Gu Han had gone, but judging from the residual qi on the ground, it was clear that Ling Ya’s clone had been killed.

“Master actually lost?”

Ever since taking Ling Ya as his master and witnessing his countless schemes and methods, Zhong Yu had become convinced that Ling Ya was invincible.

However, the current scene shattered his understanding.

The old monk also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Excellent! It seems that benefactor’s good fortune is heaven-sent!”

Now I can peacefully eliminate the demon. Thinking this, he sat cross-legged.

Under the flow of light, the Bodhisattva’s manifestation transformed into three thousand Buddhas. For a time, all three thousand phantom figures wore expressions of compassion, chanting sutras ceaselessly.

Zhong Yu felt somewhat restless and agitated. “What are you doing?!”

The old monk’s gaze was downcast. “Benefactor, your sins are deep and heavy. I want to deliver you.”

The chants became several times clearer than before, merging together into an extraordinarily divine power that pierced through Zhong Yu’s flesh, cultivation, and soul. It landed within his thoughts. No matter what method he used, he simply could not resist it.

He was filled with intense hatred. “Bald Donkey, just wait! When my master descends, he’ll make sure you die an agonizing death!”

As he spoke, his form flickered, moving away once more.

***

Half a day later, Zhong Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, staring fixedly at the old monk following behind him. “Bald Donkey, what exactly do you want?!”

The old monk pressed his palms together. “Benefactor, I want to deliver you.”

During this half day, he had been following Zhong Yu closely, doing nothing else besides chanting sutras.

Zhong Yu was nearly driven mad by him. “To hell with your deliverance!”

His eyes were somewhat red. He sped up again, only wanting to get rid of this annoying fly as soon as possible.

***

Three days later, Zhong Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of breaking down. “Stop chanting! I told you to stop chanting!”

The old monk was too hard to deal with. Zhong Yu couldn’t shake him off, let alone defeat him. He had chanted sutras for three days and three nights, not stopping for even half of an hour.

The old monk sighed. “Benefactor, are you willing to dissolve the karmic hindrances on you?”

“I don’t—” Zhong Yu was about to curse, but thinking of the terror of his chanting, he forcefully suppressed the anger. “Speak, what should I do?!”

“Listen to me chant sutras for a thousand years.”

Zhong Yu lost it. “I... I’ll kill you!”

***

Time passed in a flash, and more than ten days had gone by. Gu Han’s cultivation had greatly advanced, and his speed had increased again. He had now already returned to the Eastern Wasteland.

Halfway up the mountain of the Fengwu Court, Gu Han slowly descended. Before finding the old blind man, he had taken a detour to come back here for a look.

The moment he descended, he was somewhat surprised. Logically speaking, no one had returned here for over ten years, but now the three thatched huts were completely tidy. Even the weeds on the ground had been cleared away.

He seemed lost in thought. Who did that?

Just then, a sound of arguing suddenly drifted up from the foot of the mountain.