Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Bright Moonlit Night of the 24 Bridges
Zhao Xia watched as Wen Qingye expelled a wisp of black qi from his body, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Qingye slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed gravely on the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain not far away.
SPURT~
Black blood continuously flowed from the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s waist. The dark liquid slowly soaked through his clothes and dripped onto the ground, causing the earth to corrode with a sizzling sound.
"What is this?" Zhao Xia asked, bewildered.
Wen Qingye looked at the black blood and explained, "He’s not going to make it. The poison has already started to ravage his entire body."
The Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain slowly lifted his head, his eyes locked on Wen Qingye and the others. "Bullshit! I won’t die! My Poison Technique is unrivaled!"
As he spoke, the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain let out a sinister chuckle and slowly got to his feet.
The Chieftain’s low chuckle suddenly erupted into a crazed roar of laughter. "HAHAHA! ’On twenty-four bridges in the bright moonlight, where does the fair lady teach me to play the flute?’ I spent nine years! I was on the verge of success! How could I fall short at the last moment? The treasure will be mine soon!"
Wen Qingye instinctively reached out, pulling Zhao Xia behind him. His palms began to sweat. Though he didn’t understand what the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain was rambling about, Wen Qingye knew this was his final, desperate frenzy. This was the most critical moment.
Zhao Xia’s beautiful eyes rested on the man before her. Although his cultivation wasn’t high, this was the first time—the very first time in her life—that someone had stood in front of her, shielding her from danger. A profound sense of security filled Zhao Xia’s heart.
BOOM!
Black Primordial Qi erupted from the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s back, soaring into the sky as a gale raged around them. The Chieftain’s entire body took on a bizarre appearance.
Wen Qingye watched the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s wound. The black blood had stopped flowing, and red blood was now trickling out. He knew that when this red blood ran dry, the Chieftain would meet a gruesome end.
"Five Poison Hand!"
Completely unaware that his death was imminent, the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain swiped his palm, sending a wave of glossy black poison gas surging toward Wen Qingye and Zhao Xia.
"Undying and Undying Yin Yang Break!"
Wen Qingye extended a finger, unleashing an aura that seemed to sweep across the heavens. That sliver of cold, divine light seemed to make the very world tremble.
Immortal and Undying, shattering the balance of Yin and Yang!
At this moment, Wen Qingye was wounded and his strength greatly diminished, yet the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s Poison Technique was at its absolute peak.
In the end, his finger attack failed to pierce the black poison gas. The dark mist rushed toward Wen Qingye, his face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back four or five steps.
Just then, Wen Qingye felt a searing heat on his back. A stream of scalding Primordial Qi surged directly into his Qi Sea, suffusing his limbs and meridians, and slowly began to dispel the poison within him.
"Torrential Rain Crosses the River!"
Zhao Hao’s sword intercepted the advancing Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain just in time. Enraged, the Chieftain met Zhao Hao’s strike with his palm.
Beads of sweat slowly trickled down Zhao Xia’s forehead, and her face grew pale.
"That’s enough. If you keep going, you’ll start consuming your Life Essence," Wen Qingye said urgently.
Zhao Xia nodded and withdrew her palm.
Wen Qingye took a deep breath and watched the two fight. Although Zhao Hao’s cultivation was at the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven, the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Sixth Level of Refining Essence. Zhao Hao was quickly being completely suppressed.
Watching Zhao Hao’s desperate struggle, Wen Qingye felt the gravity of the situation. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer. Gritting his teeth, Wen Qingye endured all the pain racking his body.
He knew that Zhao Hao alone was no match for the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain. He had to endure the heart-rending agony of his injuries and find the most critical opening. Taking a deep breath, Wen Qingye moved.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Wen Qingye’s figure shot toward the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain. Zhao Hao caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye. When Wen Qingye gave a slight lift of his sword, Zhao Hao seemed to understand his intent.
"Torrential Rain World!"
Zhao Hao’s sword seemed to gather the ferocity of a tempest, transforming into the sharpest, most brilliant glint of cold light within the downpour, and stabbed toward the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s body.
"Bone-Transforming Hand!"
A vast amount of Primordial Qi gathered around him, creating ripples in the air like water, as a dense wave of power rushed toward Zhao Hao.
’A perfect chance!’
The instant the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain extended his palm, a flash of lightning glinted in Wen Qingye’s eyes. The Cyan Mist Sword in his hand seemed to transform into a piercing ray of divine light.
The sword strike was so fast it stole one’s breath.
That sword strike stunned even the Ghost Gods!
Three Swords of Inquiry: Wind and Snow World!
A fleeting streak of light flashed past!
GURGLE!
An unwilling and incredulous look filled the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s eyes as he stared at Wen Qingye. The last thing he felt was a coolness on his neck. He never imagined he would die at the hands of the person with the lowest cultivation.
THUD!
Wen Qingye fell heavily to his knees. The backlash from Wind and Snow World, combined with his existing injuries, suddenly overwhelmed him.
Zhao Hao was also struck by the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain’s final blow, stumbling to the side. But from his position, he had a direct view of Wen Qingye’s sword strike. The sheer brilliance of that strike made him feel as if the rest of the world had dimmed to nothing, leaving only that one floating sword.
This single sword strike would influence him for his entire life!
.......
As dusk fell, Wen Qingye looked at the unconscious Zhao Mei on the ground and said, "She’s out of danger now. She should wake up soon."
Hearing this, Zhao Xia sighed in relief. "That’s a weight off my mind."
Zhao Xia turned her gaze to Wen Qingye. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, no fatal wounds," Wen Qingye said with a smile, touching his chest. In truth, his injuries were severe; he just wasn’t one to show it.
Zhao Xia looked at his arm with concern. "No, the dressing on your arm needs to be changed. Let me do it for you."
"Okay." Wen Qingye didn’t refuse, simply nodding. The wound on his arm had split open again from the prolonged use of his sword.
Zhao Hao sat nearby, staring at the sword in his hands, his mind replaying Wen Qingye’s strike from earlier that day. It was as if he could see it clearly, yet at the same time, the memory was completely blank.
Wen Qingye, sitting cross-legged, chuckled. "Don’t dwell on it. That sword strike isn’t something you can comprehend right now."
Zhao Hao nodded. After a long moment, he flushed and, mustering all his courage, asked, "Can you give me some guidance on my Swordsmanship?"
Zhao Xia, who was wrapping a clean white cloth around Wen Qingye’s arm, glanced at Zhao Hao in astonishment. She knew her younger brother’s pride all too well; he wouldn’t even give the instructors at Celestial Academy the time of day. Yet here he was, humbly seeking guidance from Wen Qingye.
"I can," Wen Qingye said with a nod. "If you want to become a peerless Swordsman, I can only offer some advice. The path is one you must walk yourself. Your Swordsmanship is indeed good, but it will be difficult for you to improve in the short term, because you lack a certain kind of experience."
Zhao Hao frowned. "Experience? I’ve been training in the outer regions of the Hundred Break Mountains for a full two months."
Wen Qingye shook his head slightly, his gaze drifting toward the vast, hazy distance. "No. The experience I’m talking about isn’t about killing. It’s about the heart."
Wen Qingye said softly, "Your sword’s edge is completely exposed for all to see."
"Completely exposed?" Zhao Hao sat there, lost in thought.
Wen Qingye said no more. Instead, he took out a flower. It had three petals that glowed with a purple light, a thin stem, but thick leaves and branches. This was the Purple Jade Flower. Wen Qingye had found it on the body of the Black Cloud Mountain Chieftain. Originally, the Purple Jade Flower had seven petals; the other four must have been used by him.
Finally, Wen Qingye placed it into his Sumeru Mustard Seed. At that moment, Zhao Xia finished tying the white cloth around his arm.
Wen Qingye looked at the sturdy, secure bandage on his arm and said to Zhao Xia, "Thank you."
"You’re welcome," Zhao Xia replied with a faint smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The mountain stronghold was filled with corpses—mostly villagers, with a few bandits mixed in—and the stench of blood was overpowering. In the end, the four of them found a quiet spot just outside the stronghold to rest.
