"Hmph, Swordsmen of Mount Shu, don’t meddle in affairs that aren’t your concern, otherwise don’t blame me for being ruthless," the Great Elder’s face looked somewhat solemn. He had previously experienced how troublesome this particular Sword Immortal was to deal with, and he really didn’t want to make an enemy of Yan Dan at such a critical time.
However, Yan Dan was now brimming with a fighting spirit, his intent on avenging his earlier disgrace. For a Sword Immortal, the best way to wash away shame was with the heads of his enemies.
So his response to the Great Elder was not words, but a sharp Sword light.
"Seeking death," the Great Elder was thoroughly enraged by Yan Dan’s actions. To him, who already considered himself a Divine Spirit, Yan Dan’s behavior was nothing short of a blatant slap in the face.
Originally, he had some reservations about offending Mount Shu, after all, it was a famous and renowned Major Sect, and the Great Elder did not wish to easily offend these sword-crazed lunatics. But now he had no such thoughts; his only desire was to turn Yan Dan to ashes, to let him learn the consequences of blasphemy against a Divine Spirit.
Energy surged from his body, and a purple-black barrier appeared out of nowhere, blocking all of Yan Dan’s attacks. He gently waved his scepter, and an eerie aura descended upon the top of Yan Dan’s head; at this moment, an Immortal Sword phantom appeared above Yan Dan, cutting through the eerie aura.
"The sword strikes without ego." Yan Dan executed his strongest attack, and countless Sword Qi burst forth, cleaving towards the Great Elder with an unstoppable momentum.
The Great Elder’s expression instantly became grave. He could sense an aura of destruction emanating from the Sword light and hurriedly raised his scepter. A sinister power flowed from his body to fend off the attack.
Sword light and purple-black light shone together, a loud boom followed, and the Temple began to shake. The aftermath of the collision of the two forces caused the entire Cave Heaven to tremble as well, and even Curse Mountain outside the Cave Heaven quaked so much that the uninformed would have thought an earthquake had struck.
After the aftershocks had passed and the dust settled, the Great Elder’s youthful face was exposed, but his previous elegance was gone, marred by a deep sword slash.
Looking down at his body, his eyes flashed with madness, and his fair face contorted with rage as he gritted his teeth and said, "As expected of Mount Shu, to be able to wound my Divine Body; even in the Nether Springs below, one could be proud of such a feat."
Raising the scepter in his hand, he shouted loudly, and a multitude of strange auras flew up from the Southern Borderlands, crazily rushing into the Temple on Curse Mountain. All these were powers contained within the land itself.
Immense power flowed into the Temple, converging upon the Great Elder, making his aura soar. An overwhelming pressure emanated from his body, forcing those weaker in power to involuntarily kneel on the ground.
"This is the power a Divine Spirit ought to have," the Great Elder’s voice emerged from the strange aura, filled with satisfaction.
Yet, Yan Dan couldn’t just let him accumulate power like this. The enormous aura had already filled him with apprehension; if the Great Elder actually acquired this power, the Southern Borderlands would likely face endless troubles from then on.
"Infinite Heavens and Earth, I invoke the power," Yan Dan shouted, and Sword light radiated from him. The image of a white-robed Immortal appeared behind him, ethereal in flowing robes and unspeakably majestic.
The white-robed phantom lifted the Immortal Sword in hand and theatrically swung it downward. In an instant, endless Sword light fell from the Nine Heavens.
"Possibly as if the Milky Way itself was descending from the Nine Heavens," thought Lu Yu, unable to discern who the white-robed Sword Immortal behind Yan Dan was, yet this strike was indeed dazzling.
Endless sword light fell, disrupting the Great Elder’s unhindered absorption of power. A scream rang out, and the Great Elder could no longer maintain his composure, his eyes filled with venom as he looked at the somewhat exhausted Yan Dan, flames seemingly about to burst forth from his gaze.
"Pity, you still can’t kill me. Everyone here, must die," said the Great Elder venomously, his words appearing to be a curse, as a nameless force descended upon everyone’s heads.
However, just as he was prepared to continue his assault, an aged hand grabbed the scepter in his grasp. The Great Elder, shocked, turned his head and realized Lu Yu was somehow already behind him, having seized hold of his scepter.
"Third Brother?" The Great Elder seemed somewhat incredulous. The scepter was not only a divine artifact in his hands but also the source of his power. How could Third Brother possibly grab hold of it with his bare hands?
As confusion clouded his mind, he discovered with horror that Third Brother’s face gradually changed, taking on the visage of a young man with a smile on his face and a tranquil and peaceful aura.
"Who on earth are you?" he asked in bewilderment, for he had never seen such a person in his memory.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.
"Lu Yu?" Yan Dan, however, was already loudly expressing his surprise. He had recognized Lu Yu, yet disbelief painted his face. He found it unimaginable that the once incapable scholar had apparently become a strong being on the level of an Immortal. Suddenly, he felt as if all his years of cultivation had been in vain.
"Yan Dan, long time no see. You’ve matured quite a bit," Lu Yu teased with a smile. His words made Yan Dan involuntarily touch his face, only to realize that Lu Yu still looked as young as he had in the past, while he himself now looked like a middle-aged uncle.
While the two were catching up, the Great Elder was becoming increasingly angered, desperately trying to wrest the scepter from his hands. Yet, he found that the seemingly weak-looking fellow before him had astounding strength, and no matter how much force he applied, the scepter remained firmly in Lu Yu’s grasp.
Mana surged, and a sinister aura traveled along the scepter toward Lu Yu’s soul, only to be unexpectedly countered by the image of a Treasure Vase appearing over Lu Yu’s head, which instantly repelled the attack.
"Young man, you lack martial integrity, resorting to a sneak attack," the Great Elder yelled in anger.
Lu Yu, however, looked at the Great Elder with surprise. This cunning old man had the nerve to righteously accuse him of lacking martial integrity and resorting to sneak attacks.
"You who steal the power of Divine Spirits, how dare you say that to me," laughed Lu Yu, having long realized that the reason the Great Elder could wield the power of a Divine Spirit was due solely to the scepter in his hand, which was why he became frantic when Lu Yu took hold of it.
With a firm grip and a light swing of the scepter, the Great Elder’s body flew like a kite with its string cut, soaring several meters away before crashing to the ground. Deprived of the scepter, his aura began to weaken instantly.
Lu Yu, however, was curiously examining the scepter in his hand. He could feel a great power hidden within it, supreme yet vast and imposing, originating from the same source as the aura hidden within the Divine Statue.