Chapter 254 - Don’t Rush, Let the Sword Qi Fly for a Bit
Murong Yan was momentarily stunned. “What? What about you?”
Shen Xuan understood Gu Han and felt a pang of anxiety. “Brother Gu, you want to stay behind alone?”
Zuo Yang tightened his grip on his knife and sighed. “Junior Brother, don’t say things like that!”
Gu Tian was expressionless, but he was even more resolute than the others. “I won’t leave!”
Luan Ping laughed coldly. ”As if you can leave! None of you will be spared. Our Holy Son and young master died by his hand. You all have to stay behind and pay with your lives!”
The group’s expressions darkened. They wished they could tear the few of them to pieces on the spot.
One person said with a ferocious expression, “If you ask me, we take this brat back and kill the rest!”
Suddenly, another series of faint sounds came from nearby. Gu Han’s storage ring cracked even more, as if on the verge of shattering.
He said impassively, “It seems like you didn’t understand me?”
The group held back, afraid to act rashly. In their eyes, the pills inside the storage ring were way more important than the lives of Gu Tian and the others. If Gu Han were to completely destroy them, the loss would outweigh the gain.
“Senior Brother, you saw it. I’m about to die. It doesn’t matter whether I leave or not. You should know how important Ah Sha is to me. Bring her back and take good care of her,” Gu Han said after a moment of silence. His gaze swept over the few of them. Although his voice was soft, anyone could detect the absolute resolve in his tone. “This is my final wish.”
The few remained silent. Even though words of refusal were on the tip of their tongues, they couldn’t say even half a sentence.
Gu Han stared intently at Zuo Yang. “Senior Brother, promise me!”
Zuo Yang nodded with difficulty. “... Alright. I promise you.”
Looking at Gu Tian, whose temples were gray and whose face was lined with hardship, Gu Han sighed softly. “Father, you leave too.”
“No... way!”
No one understood Gu Tian better than Gu Han. “Father, if we both die, there’ll be no one left to avenge me. Live, avenge me in the future, and then kill them all!”
These words instantly silenced Gu Tian. His black eyes swept over everyone one by one, as if trying to etch their faces permanently into his memory. His gaze was filled with brutality and chilling murderous intent. For some reason, even though these people had much higher cultivations than Gu Tian, Gu Tian’s gaze sent an involuntary chill down their spines.
He instantly shot into the air and vanished beyond the horizon in an instant. “Avenge! Kill... them all!”
Zuo Yang cast a complex look at Gu Han. Without another word, he swept his large sleeve, taking Murong Yan and Shen Xuan as he fled into the distance.
In the end, the crowd didn’t stop them from leaving. What truly mattered to them was the main culprit and the pills. The importance of the others who left wouldn’t amount to even a tenth of Gu Han’s. They didn’t want to risk losing the main prize over a trifle and invite further trouble. As for future revenge, that wasn’t something they had to consider at all.
In the distance, Di Kan clicked his tongue, watching with mixed emotions. “Tsk. I didn’t expect this guy to have such a sense of responsibility, preparing to shoulder everything alone. I underestimated him before. Impressive, truly impressive!”
One of his followers hesitated, “Young Valley Master, what about the pills in his ring...?”
Di Kan waved his hand. “Don’t worry. There are so many pills in the Profound Pill Pavilion, none of those factions can swallow them alone. When the time comes, we’ll get our share.”
Meanwhile, Elder Li wanted to say something but hesitated. “Divine Maiden, we—”
Zhao Mengyou shook her head. “Elder Li, no matter who comes, no one can save him. Besides, he’s no longer the one who made the Dao Bell ring nine times, understand?”
Elder Li sighed softly and said no more. Of course, he understood. Offering a favor to a nine-ring prodigy would show foresight and discernment, whereas doing so for a dying cripple would be foolish.
The crowd was unable to suppress their greed any longer. “Hand it over! They’ve already left. Take out the storage ring!”
Gu Han stared at them blankly, sensing that he only had a quarter of soul power left. “What’s the hurry? Wait a little longer.”
Luan Ping stared at him intently. “Don’t think that we really have no way to deal with you. If you push us—”
Gu Han stared into the distance as Zuo Yang had already vanished from sight. “Relax. I never thought about running. Wait a little longer, it’ll be soon.”
***
Deep within the void, thunder roared on all sides. Countless heavy, dark thunderclouds gathered, like peerless ferocious beasts—violent, fierce, and soul-shaking. Amid the rolling thunder, a figure wreathed in demonic qi flickered into view, surrounded by lightning.
Baptized by the lightning tribulation, he was already riddled with holes, with hardly a single intact spot left. Yet the more severely he was injured, the stronger the brutality and bloodlust in his black eyes became. His demonic qi churned violently, threatening to surge upward and devour the thunderclouds.
***
Mid-air, Zuo Yang swiftly fled forward with the other three without a word. Glancing around, he abruptly descended. “About here will do. I can only escort you this far.”
Murong Yan was taken aback. “You—”
Zuo Yang glanced at Ah Sha. “Take her back. Hand her over to Yu Miao. With her there, Ah Sha will be fine.”
“What about you?”
Zuo Yang touched his boning knife and soared into the air again. “Me? I’m going back of course!”
“Didn’t you—”
“I lied to him.”
With that said, he turned back in an instant, rendering the two speechless. They understood that this had probably been Zuo Yang’s plan from the beginning. Hence why he had agreed so readily when Gu Han asked him earlier.
Upon seeing Murong Yan’s dejected expression, Shen Xuan sighed. “Junior Sister, if we went, we’d just be burdens. Given the situation now, sending Ah Sha back safely is of utmost priority.”
Murong Yan touched Ah Sha’s head, feeling a bit sad. “Senior Brother, do you think when Ah Sha wakes up—huh?”
In the middle of her sentence, she caught a notice of something. Hidden within Ah Sha’s hair was a gleaming silver storage ring. She recognized it at once. This storage ring was unmistakably the one Gu Han had used to store all the pills from the Profound Pill Camp!
***
Although only a short time had passed, Luan Ping had clearly lost all patience after seeing the cracked storage ring. “Enough! Hand it over! Otherwise, I’ll make your life a living hell!”
Gu Han nodded. “That’s right. Time’s about right.”
However, instead of handing over the storage ring, he reached for his sword.
Luan Ping took a deep breath. “Last warning! Put the sword down! Cooperate and maybe then you can die without too much pain.”
Feeling the agile and unyielding spirit transmitted from the sword, he gently stroked the hilt. “Put it down? As a sword cultivator, how could I ever put down my sword?”
As his words fell, the sword vibrated gently as if sensing his intent.
Luan Ping smiled sinisterly. “Just as I thought! I knew you wouldn’t be so—”
Gu Han suddenly interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “Just now, who was it that hurt Ah Sha?”
That follower of Qi Jun’s could no longer hold back and stepped forward. “It was me! I hurt her! She’s just some wild girl who doesn’t know her place! Why? Does she mean a lot to you? Then I regret it. I should have just killed her myself!”
A flash of bloodlust appeared in Gu Han’s eyes. “Great! Thats fucking great!”
***
Within the consciousness space, the faint red hue that was originally there had darkened considerably. Strands of blood gathered together, almost forming a crimson red cloud.
The black shadow could no longer sit still. “What? The killing intent has intensified again?! Not good! There’s definitely big trouble! What the hell is this kid up to?!”
***
Outside, Gu Han slowly raised his sword, pointing it at Qi Jun’s follower. “This strike is for Ah Sha.”
The man laughed scornfully. “Look at the state you’re in. You’re about to die yourself, and you still think about striking me? Even if I stand here and let you strike, could you possibly harm a single hair on me?”
Gu Han ignored him and slowly closed his eyes. In his mind, the word “one” that the old man had written resurfaced along with that grand and majestic sword intent.
He murmured to himself, “Senior, please lend me a sword!”
In an instant, the rate at which his soul power burned increased tenfold. This time, he wasn’t just observing, but completely immersing himself in the old man’s sword intent.
Back then, he had failed to understand the old man’s state of mind, and therefore couldn’t imitate his sword intent. Now, it was different. Yang Ying had died for him. Ah Sha was severely injured by someone. He was also about to die. This unknowingly resonated with the profound sense of defeat and demise hidden deep within the old man’s sword intent, creating a faint resonance.
A hundred li away, on the earth that was now covered with a layer of green, a faint scratch could be seen. Upon closer inspection, it was the word “one.” The scribble was a bit crooked, and even a three-year-old child could write better.
Suddenly, the word trembled violently. The next moment, the earth shook and dirt flew everywhere. That word transformed into a grand and majestic sword intent, abruptly shooting up into the sky and vanishing in an instant.
***
In front of the thatched hut in the forbidden zone, the blind old man seemed to sense something and stopped rubbing his wooden stick. “Hmm? Good kid!”
Chongming, who had been dozing nearby, perked up. He stared intently at the sky. “What’s wrong?! Trouble again? Has the Great Dao gone fishing again?!”
Long accustomed to the rooster’s lack of seriousness, the old man ignored him. “That kid is borrowing a sword from me!”
“Who? Him?” Chongming was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted. He was full of dissatisfaction. “I knew it! This kid is so slick! After using me, he comes to borrow a sword from you! Borrow my foot! No way, no way!”
The old man smiled. “Too late. He’s already borrowed it. Did you forget? That ‘one’ word sword intent I left behind?”
“This kid really isn’t a—huh?” Chongming sucked on his teeth. He stopped mid-sentence, the realization dawning on him. “That’s not right! Your sword intent is unique, evolving based on your state of mind. Seemingly unchanging, it’s actually infinitely variable. How was he able to trigger it?”
The old man sighed. “I think he must have encountered some difficulty.”
***
Upon hearing Gu Han’s words, the man was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. “Borrow a sword? How stupid! Who are you borrowing from? Who could possibly lend you one?”
Gu Han ignored him. His sword felt as heavy as a mountain, causing him to tremble. Even if his physical cultivation base were intact, he couldn’t bear the old man’s sword intent, let alone now.
With a soft cry, his sword came down heavily. “Kill!”
Only by burning his soul power and unleashing boundless killing intent could he barely channel that strand of the old man’s sword intent. Ultimately, the sword strike had only the movement but not a shred of power.
Seeing that, the man grew even more arrogant. “Hmm? Kill me? Hahaha! Come on, I’m waiting for you to kill me!”
Gu Han’s voice was extremely weak. “Don’t rush. Let the sword qi... fly for a bit.”
The man was full of mockery as he deliberately took two more steps forward. “Pretending to be formidable! Come! I’m begging you to kill me!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a brilliant, dazzling light lit up on the distant horizon. A majestic and unmatched sword intent arrived above the man’s head, descending with a tremendous roar as if teleporting.
Gu Han closed his eyes with relief. “As you wish. I will kill you today.”
