Chapter 743: Competitive (II)
As those thoughts raced through his mind, the Sea Master swam swiftly through the sea, moving so fast he was nearly invisible.
Eighth-realm Eminent Ones often comprehended the Great Dao of Distancelessness so that they could use it for swift travel. Despite living in the Ruins of Return, the Sea Master was no exception to that.
When the Sea Master arrived at Bloodmist Manor, Madam Hongyu had just knocked Baozhu Liange unconscious.
In the Ruins of Return, there was no convenient messaging system like the Circle of Immortal Friends Token. Consequently, after setting Princess Liange down in a safe place, Madam Hongyu raised her hand and conjured a coral pillar. The coral pillar then softened and reshaped into a long blood-red jade-like arrow.
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Madam Hongyu did the same with her left hand, but instead of an arrow, she made a crystal-like translucent coral bow. She then nocked the arrow in the bow, aimed it at the sky, and released it explosively.
Whoosh!
Like a shooting star, the arrow streaked across the sky of the Ruins of Return, heading straight toward Wuchao's location.
The arrow was moving very quickly, but it was still far slower than the Sea Master traveling with the Great Dao of Distancelessness. As a result, by the time Sea Master arrived at Bloodmist Manor, Wuchao still had yet to receive Madam Hongyu’s message.
Still far from Misty Island, the Sea Master formed a hand seal, and darkness enveloped him, transforming into a cloak. It was impossible for anyone to see through his concealment unless their cultivation level was significantly higher than his.
With his identity concealed, he finally propelled forward, speeding toward Misty Island!
Madam Hongyu was standing at the barrier, keeping watch to stop Chu Liang's group from breaking out.
Suddenly, she noticed a black-cloaked figure streaking past.
"How dare you!" Madam Hongyu bellowed, striking the intruder with lightning speed.
She fired a crimson beam of light at him, but the Sea Master merely flicked his sleeve, unleashing a ball of darkness. It devoured the crimson beam before slamming into Madam Hongyu.
Wham!
With no chance to retaliate, Madam Hongyu was blasted into the ground. It was uncertain if she was dead or alive.
Just as the Sea Master turned his gaze back to the barrier, a deafening explosion rang out from within it.
Boom!
…
The commotion outside had not affected what was happening inside the barrier.
Chu Liang, Lin Bei, and Xu Ziyang were trapped within it, and their only hope of breaking the barrier was, of course, Chu Liang.
With the Demon-Slaying Sword in hand, Chu Liang stood in front of the sturdy coral barrier. His first attempt to break through it had failed, but he did not panic. Instead, he calmed his mind and lowered his eyelids slightly in deep focus.
Divine thunder rumbled all around them, and Grand Ancestor Fuyou's protective red mist was wearing thin.
Lin Bei asked urgently, "What are you doing?"
"I'm comprehending the Dao," Chu Liang replied calmly.
If he couldn't break through the coral barrier soon, all three of them would die there. Yet, rather than letting this urgency overwhelm him, it led him to a sudden realization.
Hovering between life and death, there is only the sword. If it can cut through, the world will open wide. If it fails, it is uncertain if death or life lies ahead.
This is the Cloud of Determination.
Chu Liang's first glimpse into the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination had been when he was trapped in a water prison in the South Sea. Amid a life-and-death crisis, he had comprehended the immortal art that embodied the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination—the Heaven-Raising Sword.
The mortal peril that Chu Liang was in this time had triggered another moment of enlightenment.
This was the profound nature of the seventh realm. Centuries of closed-door cultivation could not compare to a moment of enlightenment. A cultivator could meditate endlessly with no results, yet in the right circumstances, they could be blessed with divine inspiration.
Unfortunately, the timing was a little awkward for Chu Liang. He wasn't receiving the enlightenment smoothly. The looming shadow of death had spurred the power of the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination, yet he felt that he wasn't getting enough of its power. It was likely because he was there as a clone and not truly facing life and death.
At this moment, Chu Liang wished he was there in his actual body. It was worth risking his life for a precious chance to comprehend a Great Dao.
If he hadn't gotten any inkling of this enlightenment, it would have been just fine. However, he knew it was there; he was just stuck outside of its reach because he hadn't quite met the requirements for receiving it.
It was as if a membrane was blocking his way. He could touch the door, but he could not step through it.
That frustrating itch, the unbearable sense of being just short of success, was agonizing. Due to that, Chu Liang kept his eyes closed for a long time at this crucial time.
Lin Bei was as anxious as a monkey stepping on a hot wok. Scratching his head in frustration, he turned to Xu Ziyang. "Eldest Senior Brother, something's off with Chu Liang. Let's try working together first—wait, what are you doing now?"
Xu Ziyang had been looking ahead, deep in contemplation. Then the moment Lin Bei spoke, Xu Ziyang suddenly closed his eyes as well. There seemed to be three words written coldly across his eyelids: Do Not Disturb.
"Let me comprehend the Dao," Xu Ziyang replied calmly.
Compared to Chu Liang, Xu Ziyang had a deeper understanding of the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination. After all, he and Jiang Yuebai had been the first of their generation to master the Heaven-Raising Sword.
Jiang Yuebai had learned from her teacher, who specialized in the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination, but Xu Ziyang had comprehended the Cloud of Determination entirely on his own. Despite the many other Great Dao he could have chosen, that was the one he had picked to be his main Great Dao.
During the six years that Chu Liang had been dormant, Xu Ziyang had continued down the path of the Cloud of Determination and had already progressed quite far into it. Furthermore, unlike Chu Liang, who was there as a clone, Xu Ziyang was truly facing mortal peril.
In an instant, he could feel that the opportunity he had sought out for years had arrived at last.
It all depends on one sword strike—advance and live, retreat and die.
Unwilling to perish under divine lightning and terrestrial fire? Then split the world apart to survive!
This sword strike…[1]
Xu Ziyang was completely immersed in a profound state of enlightenment, leaving Lin Bei to wait anxiously alone.
Clutching his hair in despair, Lin Bei thought, Are you two messing with me? You've even made this into a fucking competition?! The red mist is about to disperse. When the divine lightning hits the ground, we will all die. Yet, the two of you chose this exact moment to close your eyes and comprehend the Dao?
"Oh, fuck it," Lin Bei cursed under his breath and shut his eyes as well.
Of course, he wasn't comprehending anything. He just thought that he would have a more peaceful death this way.
Fortunately, fate wasn't so cruel. Just as Lin Bei was about to give up completely, both Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang opened their eyes at the same time.
Chu Liang opened his eyes because he had reached a bottleneck in fully comprehending the Great Dao of the Cloud of Determination. Nevertheless, he had gained a deeper understanding of it, enhancing his swordsmanship.
At this moment, he had some comprehension of the Great Daos of Severing the Void, the Cloud of Determination, and Tai'a—each to a lesser degree than the one before. Combined, Chu Liang could attain a high level of swordsmanship he had yet to reach.
Xu Ziyang, on the other hand, had opened his eyes because his moment of enlightenment had ended. His gaze carried incredibly intense determination—like a torch blazing in the long night, like the first light of dawn breaking through the heavens, like the very first bolt of lightning splitting the clouds!
Chu Liang muttered, "Severing the Void."
As he raised his sword, his sword intent gathered into an unstoppable force.
Xu Ziyang muttered, "Cloud of Determination."
As he raised his arm, his sword qi surged resolutely in vast, mighty waves.
Lin Bei muttered, "Mother."
As he clasped his hands together, he contemplated whether he should just kneel and pray.
All three of them moved simultaneously, with two swords slashing forward.
Boom!
Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang struck the coral barrier at the same time—one with razor-sharp sword intent, the other with fierce sword qi. They broke through the red coral; cracks spread across the coral barrier like a spiderweb, leaving it no chance to regenerate in time.
Together, Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang were indomitable!
This was the brilliance of the Mount Shu Sect's younger generation. Among the four people who had once represented the Mount Shu Sect at the Assembly of Immortal Sects, the most gifted and perceptive was undoubtedly Jiang Yuebai, who had ventured far from home. However, Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang were surprisingly the ones who had attained the seventh realm first.
That was the profound nature of the Dao! Or perhaps, it could be because they had been blessed and influenced by the brilliance of the Mount Shu Sect?
As the coral barrier shattered, Chu Liang, Xu Ziyang, and Lin Bei saw a black-cloaked figure outside. Only his eyes were visible, and they exposed his astonishment.
The Sea Master hadn't expected that the sturdy coral barrier would collapse the moment he laid eyes on it.
Yet, what surprised him even more was the people on the other side of the barrier.
Chu Liang and his companions hesitated for a moment, unsure whether this mysterious black-cloaked figure was friend or foe.
Then the Sea Master blurted out, “Violet Gold Marquess?”
1. FYI, this isn’t a translation mistake; the sentence is incomplete in the raw. I guess it’s just meant to indicate that he’s still comprehending the enlightenment. ☜
GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts
Translator: LD
Term change:
Honorable Ancestor -> Grand Ancestor