Chapter 1208: Lu Yang’s Death
High above, master and disciple held their breaths, facing each other with swords in their hands. Their powerful auras plunged heaven and earth into silence.
It was a clash between the two strongest sword cultivators of the present age. In a flash, they exchanged hundreds of blows. The slightest lapse in focus would decide the victor.
After the words left Yun Zhi’s mouth, the Taciturn Daoist Priest gazed at Lu Yang with pride. My youngest disciple has grown so much without my noticing.
Good. It’s time I let go.
“Your shifu has thought it over. Since I’ve never admitted defeat in my life, perhaps I should try it for once. I’ve decided. I admit...”
Swoosh.
A sharp sword qi came hurtling toward him, forcing the Taciturn Daoist Priest to block it. Before he could speak again, Lu Yang appeared before him in an instant.
Clang!
Eyes locked, and swords clashed. Heaven and earth trembled.
“Shifu, what did you say? I didn’t catch that. Did you say you thought you’d win? I think so too, Shifu, you win...”
“Good disciple, your shifu is old and can no longer beat you!” The Taciturn Daoist Priest, who had been wielding his sword with one hand, suddenly gripped it with both hands and forced Lu Yang onto the defensive, cutting off his words.
He immediately exerted his strength. Lu Yang felt that he was no longer facing a person but an inconceivably heavy mountain range. Every time he tried to speak, his shifu would increase his strength, cutting him off.
The Chengying Sword and the Seven-Star Sword Set flew out from the Qingfeng Sword’s small world, forming the Immortal-Exterminating Sword Array over Lu Yang.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest grew alert. I heard that was a trophy Little Zhi had taken from the Yu Emperor Wu Yao. She even said that this sword array could be traced back to the Qilin Immortal! That alone speaks volumes about its power!
Below the Immortal-Exterminating Sword Array, Lu Yang felt his body move against his will. He dropped to his knees with impeccable posture.
“In the end, your disciple is still no match for Shi—”
“Sword Opens Heaven’s Gate!” the Taciturn Daoist Priest bellowed.
His sword shone brilliantly, as resplendent as a rainbow and as cold as ice. As he pointed it skyward, the Immortal-Exterminating Sword Array crumbled. Lu Yang plummeted like a meteor, crashing into the earth and creating a bottomless crater.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest spat out a mouthful of blood. He propped himself up on the ground with one hand and clutched his chest with the other, trembling like a sieve. “Sword Opens Heaven’s Gate is my ultimate technique, but it comes at a great cost. Your shifu has no strength left to—”
With a dragon’s roar, the ground quaked. Lu Yang executed Shrinking Earth and appeared at the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s feet. His sword qi transformed into a dragon that clamped the Taciturn Daoist Priest in its jaw and soared into the sky.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest shook, shattering the dragon-shaped sword qi, and landed back on the ground.
By now, both understood. Admitting defeat directly was impossible; the other party would always interrupt. The only way to surrender was to beat their opponent until they couldn’t utter a single word.
In that case, things were simple.
“Let’s decide the victor with one move!”
“That’s exactly what I had in mind!”
“Sword Opens Heaven’s Gate!”
“Everlasting Sword Mantra!”
The two gathered their power, their auras reaching the pinnacle as they unleashed their strongest sword moves.
The radiance of Sword Dao illuminated the night sky as if it were day. The entire Dao-Seeking Sect could sense the collision of their sword qi.
Space trembled, and dust filled the air.
Lu Yang was no match for the Taciturn Daoist Priest. He was sent flying backward, as if drained of all his strength. He crashed through two mountains and embedded himself in the cliff face of the third.
Seeing Lu Yang motionless, the Taciturn Daoist Priest flew over triumphantly to gloat. “Good disciple, in the end, you’re no match for...”
He was about to concede when his expression shifted dramatically. Lu Yang’s aura was rapidly fading away.
“What’s going on with you?!”
Lu Yang feebly raised his hand with his last breath, trying to reach for the Taciturn Daoist Priest, but he no longer had the strength left to do that.
“In the end, Shifu is still my Shifu... Your disciple is no match... I can die without regrets...”
The Taciturn Daoist Priest frantically poured spirit energy into Lu Yang, but it was like filling a leaking balloon; whatever went in flowed right back out.
The spectators, who had been eating while watching, quickly rushed over and fell silent at the sight.
“Little Zhi, save him!” the Taciturn Daoist Priest pleaded urgently.
Yun Zhi shook her head helplessly. Even I can’t reverse a situation like this.
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy flew out of Lu Yang’s body and threw herself onto his chest, bawling uncontrollably.
“Xiao Yangzi, how could you die just like this...
“It’s all this immortal’s fault for not protecting you!
“How am I supposed to live without you?!”
Tears streamed down her face, blurring her eyes. Anyone who heard her would be moved.
The scene was utterly silent, save for the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s sobs.
Master and disciple came to blows over the position of sect leader, ending with the Taciturn Daoist Priest taking his youngest disciple’s life. A struggle for power and an internecine feud—there could be no greater tragedy in the mundane realm than this.
“Right, this immortal can give you the Everlasting Incipient Dao Fruit!”
“That won’t be necessary...”
With his last breath, Lu Yang stopped the Everlasting Immortal Fairy from saving him and whispered intermittently.
“Shifu... before your disciple dies, I have no other wish... I just hope you’ll be a good sect leader... and lead our sect to glory...
“It’s been tough on Big Senior Sister... Don’t make her serve as the acting sect leader anymore...”
“Alright, alright, I promise. Your shifu promises you everything!” the Taciturn Daoist Priest hurriedly said as he grasped Lu Yang’s hand that grew colder and colder.
Lu Yang seemed to have been relieved of the last burden weighing on his heart. His body grew cold, his wrist went limp, and he passed away with a smile. He had no breath left; he was clearly dead.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest fell silent.
“Eh, wait. If you’ve already promised me, I don’t need to play dead anymore, Shifu.” Lu Yang had gone along with the atmosphere and feigned death, but halfway through, he realized something was off.
Since Shifu has already won, why do I still have to keep up the act?
“A corpse coming back to life?!” The Taciturn Daoist Priest quickly pushed Lu Yang back down. “Your shifu will fulfill your final wishes. Rest in peace, dear disciple.”
Lu Yang pushed himself up against the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s hand, and the Taciturn Daoist Priest couldn’t hold him down. “I really am alive.”
The two stared at each other.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest asked uncertainly, “Playing dead?”
“Yes, playing dead.”
The two fell silent again.
Without warning, the Taciturn Daoist Priest swung his sword. “You little brat, how dare you fool me?!”
Lu Yang rolled aside, evading the killing blow. “Shifu, you were the one who taught me to battle with wits and courage!”
“I didn’t teach you to use that on me! I’ll hack you to pieces, you unfilial disciple!”
“Heaven Dharma!”
Lu Yang turned into a spirit qi lifeform, letting the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s sword qi pass through him.
“Don’t dodge!”
“Don’t swing!”
The two chased each other around everyone in circles until they were out of breath and finally called it quits.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest stopped and pointed at Lu Yang, bursting out laughing. “Fine, I’ll give it to you, brat. You’re even more incorrigible than me!
“I already said you didn’t need my teaching! Even I couldn’t have taught you to become this way!
“Anyway, as agreed, I’m still the sect leader!”
Seeing his shifu laugh, Lu Yang couldn’t help but join in. Their laughter reverberated through the mountains.
“All sect affairs will be left to Shifu to handle then,” Yun Zhi added from the side.
The Taciturn Daoist Priest’s laughter abruptly stopped.