Chapter 154: Chapter 150: Three Swords Subdue Taihe
In the instant Du Ruyuan faltered from surprise, Du Youqian struck with his sword.
The sword strike was like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky.
Though fleeting, it left a sharp, indelible brand upon the retinas of all who watched.
It was clearly just a single strike, yet the onlookers distinctly felt they heard the RUMBLE of thunder.
Before anyone could see clearly, a loud BANG echoed out. Du Ruyuan had unfurled a thin, silver shield in his hand, blocking the sword in the nick of time.
Then, Du Ruyuan quickly tossed the silver shield aside, produced a small silver ball, and with a flick of his wrist, threw it out.
The small ball grew as it met the wind, rapidly transforming into a curved canopy. With a SHIINK, a gash was torn through it by an invisible Sword Qi.
Only then did the crowd realize that Du Youqian had already launched a second strike.
Though torn, the canopy was rapidly repairing itself.
However, Du Ruyuan did not wait for the canopy to mend. His face ashen, he roared, and lightning coiled around his Peach Wood Sword. BOOM! With no sign of gathering power, a hundred bolts of lightning, each as thick as a child’s arm, struck down from mid-air.
"Such a Thunder Technique! It’s almost on par with the style of a Core Formation Ancestor!"
The onlookers immediately retreated further, but the pavilion had no legs to flee and was utterly disintegrated by the lightning, turning into countless fragments.
"What about Fellow Daoist Yu?" Fang Hua and Meng Xiao both had their hearts in their throats. They strained their eyes and saw a figure shoot out from within the blinding lightning.
Only when the person left the range of the lightning and tossed aside a damaged Spiritual Artifact Cloak did Fang Hua and Meng Xiao breathe a sigh of relief.
Du Youqian, unhurried, simply extended his hand and grasped the Jinhuan sword, which had flown back from an unknown direction. "Brother Du," he said calmly, "I was lucky."
Everyone then turned to look at Du Ruyuan. His face was as pale as gold leaf, his eyes were dim, and his aura was in disarray.
He had clearly suffered a grievous injury at some unknown point and probably lacked the strength to even strike again.
Those with less keen eyes hadn’t even seen how Du Ruyuan was injured.
Du Ruyuan managed a nod and gave a cupped-fist salute to Du Youqian. Without a word, he turned and left.
His four attendants, having lost all their previous pride and composure, hurried after him. One of them tried to support Du Ruyuan, only to receive a backhanded slap across the face.
After the slap, Du Ruyuan seemed to have aggravated his internal qi. He staggered and couldn’t stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Clearly unable to keep up the facade any longer, he took out a porcelain bottle with a trembling hand, tipped out a round, fragrant elixir, and swallowed it on the spot. After meditating for a moment to regulate his breathing, he continued his miserable, flight-like departure.
Only then did the silver shield he had dropped on the ground rattle, CLATTERING into a thousand pieces.
The people from the Shengxuan Sect were aghast. A Middle Grade Defense Spiritual Artifact had shattered like this after blocking just one sword strike?
Just how thunderously powerful was that strike?
And the final strike that had grievously wounded Du Ruyuan—how absolutely stunning it must have been!
Ge Cheng and Bei Shaoyin looked at each other, their eyes asking the same question: ’Could you have blocked that strike?’
Both of them shook their heads.
’Couldn’t block it. No way.’
A bitter feeling welled up in both their hearts.
They were both True Disciples from the Shengxuan Sect and usually carried themselves with a certain degree of pride.
Although they were deferential to Major Sect Cultivators, in their hearts, they weren’t necessarily convinced of their superiority.
Not until they witnessed today’s Magical Combat.
Just three strikes...
...had shattered their pride and confidence.
Thinking about it further, this Yu Guardian Envoy was not yet thirty, and his Cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
In a few more decades, when his Cultivation reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, how terrifying would his Swordsmanship be?
The thought alone was despair-inducing.
’Is the gap between a Major Sect Cultivator and a cultivator from an ordinary sect truly as vast as that between the clouds and the mud?’
Nearby Cultivators were whispering amongst themselves. "How exactly did the Taihe Sect Governor get injured? Did you see?"
"No, did you?"
"I didn’t see it either."
Fang Hua and Meng Xiao, however, had understood.
And because they understood, their expressions were now incredibly complex.
Fang Hua’s complexity came from the realization that when Du Youqian usually sparred with her "all-out," he wasn’t even using thirty percent of his Power.
’If Du Youqian went all-out like he did today, I probably wouldn’t be able to withstand a single strike!’
As for Meng Xiao, he was simply shocked.
Although he had been forced by circumstances into servitude, a part of him had remained proud. ’I’m at Foundation Establishment Perfection. You’ll have to rely on me plenty in the future, so you’d better be polite to me!’
But Du Youqian’s three strikes today had forced him to see him in a new light.
More importantly, it made him understand that a Cultivation of Foundation Establishment Perfection was nothing to be proud of in the face of those three strikes!
He had, after all, personally witnessed Du Youqian’s fight against Xi Mengran.
That was just a little over four years ago... less than five.
Du Youqian’s Sword Intent had already undergone a complete transformation.
Back then, Du Youqian’s Sword Intent had been very weak, still in its nascent stages.
It could only be used to catch an opponent off guard, inflicting minor injuries when they were careless, and then capitalizing on their momentary pause to strike again and claim victory.
But now, Du Youqian’s Sword Intent had become a trump card, capable of inflicting considerable damage even on enemies with several times his Cultivation, becoming the decisive factor that could determine the outcome of a battle!
That Du Ruyuan, although he appeared to have no external injuries...
...in truth, the Sword Intent had erupted inside his body, shattering his meridians and leaving them riddled with holes.
He had only managed to hold on and leave after taking the elixir because he didn’t want to embarrass himself on the spot.
But such a severe injury could never be healed by a single elixir. He would surely have to rush back to his Sect and ask a senior from the Taihe Sect for help.
Otherwise, even if he didn’t die this time, his Cultivation would regress significantly in the future, and his Dao Foundation would be severely damaged.
Meanwhile, Du Youqian had not yet entered the decline phase after his Reverse Blood Qi Transformation Technique ended. He was still glowing with health, his presence overwhelming.
He didn’t rush over to speak with the others. Instead, he stood with his back to the crowd, admiring the azure lake and leaving them with the image of his towering figure.
After a long moment, he turned, looked at Bei Shaoyin, and said lightly, "Since Brother Du has withdrawn, the matter of the Wu Kingdom will proceed according to my opinion. Yes?"
How could Bei Shaoyin dare to object? He could only nod obsequiously. "Yes, we will listen to whatever Guardian Envoy Yu says."
"Oh, right," Du Youqian added with a smile. "I heard your sect’s Collection Room contains a lot of precious materials. I wonder if I might have the honor of taking a look?"
Even with Du Youqian wielding the authority of his great victory, Bei Shaoyin didn’t dare agree to something that would bring shame to his ancestors. He could only bow his head and politely refuse. "Our sect’s Collection Room does have a few noteworthy texts, but how could it possibly compare to the vast collection of the Dem—...the Holy Blood Sect? Besides, our sect has its own rules. Only disciples of our sect, or envoys carrying out the duties of promotion or demotion, are permitted to enter the Collection Room. No other outsiders are allowed. Please forgive us, Guardian Envoy Yu."
Du Youqian laughed heartily. "In that case, I won’t insist. Your sect’s fellow Daoists who guard the Collection Room must work hard. Tonight, I will host a banquet and invite them for some drinks and entertainment. Please, I must insist, do not refuse!"
His final words were laced with a threatening tone.
Anyone with a brain knew the unspoken meaning behind Du Youqian’s words.
But, after all, he hadn’t completely dropped the facade.
So, after a moment’s thought, Bei Shaoyin could only pretend not to understand the subtext and agree with a sense of grievance.
That night.
Du Youqian did indeed prepare a banquet, inviting the few Cultivators from the Shengxuan Sect’s Collection Room, as well as Ge Cheng, Bei Shaoyin, and others.
He made a round of toasts, then excused himself, claiming to feel unwell, and left the banquet.
The few Cultivators from the Shengxuan Sect knew exactly what he was going to do, but who would dare expose him?
What if he flew into a rage from embarrassment and went to ’spar’ with Elder Han?
They could only stare at their own bitter smiles reflected in their wine cups, downing their sorrow and bitterness in one gulp, transforming it into a moment of forced revelry to forget their troubles.
The banquet lasted until dawn, at which point Du Youqian leisurely returned. With an apologetic look, he said that his hospitality had been lacking and asked the fellow Daoists of the Shengxuan Sect for their forgiveness.
Bei Shaoyin and Ge Cheng looked at each other, their mouths twisting into bitter smiles. They both felt as though they could see a green glow hovering over the other’s head.
’Our Collection Room... has been defiled.’
~~~~~~~~~~
Du Ruyuan, the Governor from the Taihe Sect, had fled on his Flying Boat before dawn.
He was presumably in a hurry to get back and save his life.
Shortly after, the Taihe Sect sent a new Guardian Envoy to conduct the promotion assessment for the Shengxuan Sect.
This Guardian Envoy was more cautious and restrained, and did not meet with Du Youqian.
Du Youqian, naturally, did not go looking for trouble either.
After the assessment was over, the new Guardian Envoy returned to the Taihe Sect to report. According to procedure, an Elder from the Taihe Sect’s External Affairs Hall would come next to preside over the Shengxuan Sect’s promotion ceremony.
Once the assessment was passed, the Shengxuan Sect was filled with sounds of laughter and celebration.
Everyone was celebrating this grand occasion, the culmination of several thousand years of the Sect’s hard work finally coming to fruition.
Du Youqian kept a low profile, using the secret chamber arranged for him by the Shengxuan Sect to focus on his Cultivation.
There was no need to wander around and make people unhappy at a time like this.
After all, he had already achieved his goals here. He had copied all the scriptures, Cultivation Techniques, Secret Techniques, and Inheritances that he deemed worthy in the Shengxuan Sect’s Collection Room.
Now, he could afford to be magnanimous.
Unfortunately, the last Jade Scroll Fragment was not in the Shengxuan Sect’s Collection Room.
Du Youqian had performed Divination several times for it but had not received any precise information, only vague hexagrams.
Apparently, the status of the Liu Hua Cave Mansion was too high, exceeding the limits of what he could divine.
The reason Du Youqian was still lingering at the Shengxuan Sect was, for one, that he was curious about the sect promotion ceremony and wanted to observe it.
Secondly, he wanted to wait until the situation in the Wu Kingdom stabilized, lest the Shengxuan Sect folks feign compliance while acting otherwise.
As it turned out, the Shengxuan Sect was being quite obedient.
The abdication ceremony in the Wu Kingdom had long been over. Du Yuxi had already ascended the throne as Emperor, keeping the kingdom’s name as "Wu" and choosing the reign title "Chengde."
According to custom, a new emperor upon ascension is to posthumously grant the title of Emperor to the three preceding generations: his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
But Du Yuxi did something most people didn’t expect.
He only ennobled his father and grandfather, and then posthumously honored his ancestor from over a dozen generations ago, "Duke You De."
You De, Chengde. Those who understood, understood.
The Court had already been sorted out. Du Yuhuan, in her capacity as Eldest Princess, had gathered a group of key court officials and begun preparing for reforms with great urgency.
Of course, reforms couldn’t be accomplished overnight. They were currently in the "testing the waters" phase, where Du Yuhuan had some low-level officials submit memorials requesting reform, which Du Yuxi would then have the court officials discuss.
This both gauged the court officials’ opinions and revealed who the vanguards of the anti-reform movement were.
As for the third reason Du Youqian remained at the Shengxuan Sect... it was because...
Xi Mengran had woken up.
