Chapter 16
Chapter 16
As the sword light dissipated, a youth was standing in the air like it was flat land. He then cupped his hands towards the mountain peak and said, “Cult Master Chen has countless experts under his command. Master Baoshu is truly worthy of his reputation. Nie Hua has been rude.”
The youth had an unconventional appearance as he was slovenly dressed. However, he was glowing with health and vigor, while being unconstrained. In the face of the Demon Cult Master, he was still smiling and talking as though nothing was happening.
The eyes of Song Lun appeared to be grave. When facing a figure like the Demon Cult Master, Song Lun’s full concentration might already be insufficient. In the end, he actually missed out on other factors and allowed a member of the Sword Pavilion to sneak here. It would be very easy for the Demon Cult to assume that he was colluding with the Sword Pavilion.
As expected, Vajra was revealing a sinister expression. While he was observing the surroundings with vigilance, his vision had been shifting between that Sword Pavilion’s Third Sir and Song Lun.
The Demon Cult disciples that were carrying the sedan chair also had grave and precautious expressions.
The Gaoyang Mountain peak was instantly covered in a stern atmosphere.
After hearing Nie Hua’s name, Vajra and the others were trembling a little in their hearts.
Flying Sword Nie Hua, the Sword Pavilion Lord’s third direct-line disciple, one of the Sword Pavilion Five Heroes.
Everyone knew that the Sword Sovereign rarely accepted disciples, and the Sword Pavilion didn’t have many members because they emphasized quality instead of quantity.
The Sword Sovereign’s disciples were filled with elites, and any of them would be able cause a huge commotion when they ventured into the outside world.
Martial kings younger than the age of 30 were extremely rare. Apart from the special cases, the young martial kings mostly originated from the Demon Cult, the Sword Pavilion, the Other Tribe, or the Great Xia Imperial Clan.
Among them, the Sword Pavilion Five Heroes had all stepped into the martial king stage without exception. All of them had great achievements at such a young age and were known as grandmasters.
Nie Hua studied the Sword Pavilion’s supreme codex, the Heaven Sword Book. He cultivated a unique sword art that was entirely different from his master’s Clear Sky Divine Sword. It allowed him to obtain the fame of being the world’s fastest sword, resulting in his title as the “Flying Sword”.
In terms of fame and prestige, he was actually above most of the venerable taoists and senior monks. He was actually placed on par with the Mountain City’s lord, Song Lun, and the Huayan Temple’s Zen Master Xindeng.
Vajra and the others were now in a heightened state of precaution as Nie Hua might be on the same side as Song Lun. However, it was at this moment, Chen Luoyang’s voice echoed from within the sedan chair.
“Song Lun, be it your filial duty or your great ambition, This Seat admires you. Those who comply with me shall thrive, and those who resist me shall perish. This Seat has never unfairly treated anyone who pledged his loyalty to me. I also have a generous gift for you that you will definitely like.”
Chen Luoyang’s tone sounded calm, and he had completely disregarded Nie Hua. He had imperceptibly pierced through the nervous atmosphere as everyone on his side was thinking that this was a trap set up by Song Lun.
Song Lun’s worried heart was now slightly more relaxed. However, for his private meeting with the Demon Cult Master to be exposed by the Sword Pavilion, his Five Color Hall that was stuck in the middle wasn’t going to have a good time.
“Give This Seat an answer right now,” Chen Luoyang said. “You don’t have to bother about others, as a dead person wouldn’t be able to speak much.”
Nie Hua stood in the air and laughed. “No wonder Cult Master Chen isn’t bothered that Nie Hua is listening by the side. It turns out that you have already made the decision to take my life. There is a reason why they say that curiosity killed the cat. I originally thought that Hall Master Song was leaving at midnight to meet with Shangguan Song, Zhang Tianheng, or even Sir Vajra. I never expected that Cult Master Chen would come in person.”
Inside the sedan chair, Chen Luoyang’s mouth was twitching.
This Nie Hua’s mouth is rather vicious. He might be grumbling at his bad luck, but he is actually reminding Song Lun that it is better to be the chicken’s beak than to be the cow’s behind. By joining the Demon Cult, Song Lun can only listen to commands from others. He might even become a slave or servant and will no longer be the dictator of a prefecture.
However, where did Nie Hua obtain the confidence to speak so frankly with me, the Demon Cult Master? Even if the chicken’s beak is better than the cow’s behind, dying would mean that everything was finished. Is he betting that my severe injuries aren’t fully recovered yet?
Or does he have something else to rely on…
Chen Luoyang pondered in his mind.
Song Lun could also hear that Nie Hua’s words had another meaning, but Nie Hua didn’t know that he had a hidden difficulty that he couldn’t mention. Right now, Song Lun was unwilling in his heart and was forcefully supporting himself.
Right at this moment, Chen Luoyang finally emerged from the sedan chair. His pair of eyes that flashed with black radiance had swept across Song Lun and Nie Hua. The two of them felt their hearts tightening.
Chen Luoyang stood with his hands behind his back and looked at Nie Hua while saying indifferently, “When is it your turn to interrupt when This Seat is talking to someone?”
“I have been rude. Will Cult Master Chen please forgive me?” Nie Hua cupped his fist and bowed in midair. “Nie Hua is actually just here to run an errand. I received orders from my master to come over and have a look.”
Right at this moment, there was a pillar of light that surged into the sky at another remote mountain peak. That pillar of light was as dazzling as the rising sun, and it surged right into the heavens. It didn’t just illuminate that mountain peak, but it had also illuminated the surrounding mountains.
The dark night skies had been lit up, and it was just like the rising sun in the east that instantly turned nighttime into daytime.
Rays of faint light were fluctuating in all directions, as though they were actual sunlight. Along with the clear sky divine radiance, there was a surging and boundless sword intent that filled up the entire place.
The sword light was far grander than the Buddha’s aura that hadn’t been extinguished for many years on the Golden Summit.
At this moment, everyone within thousands of kilometers was alarmed. When they saw the sword light that was like a pillar from heaven, they were stunned.
“Sword Sovereign?!”
The members of the orthodox factions were shocked first before they were delighted. The Demon Sovereign gave them too much pressure, not to mention the actual threat that was present.
On the other hand, after the decisive battle with the Sword Sovereign, the Demon Sovereign had actually taken one step further to invade the Shu Prefecture.
Now that the Sword Sovereign had arrived in the Shu Prefecture, everyone had let out a relaxed breath, while the Demon Cult members had expressions that turned grave as their greatest advantage might be counteracted by the enemy.
On Gaoyang Mountain, Song Lun looked at the giant pillar of light in the sky with an emotionless face. Yet, his heart was now in a confused state.
Chen Luoyang’s expression remained composed, but his heart was pounding constantly.
Stay calm! Calm down. The battle back then should have resulted in injuries on both parties,
Chen Luoyang thought in his heart.
The others might not know, but he knew it clearly. The Demon Cult Master was severely injured and if the Sword Pavilion Lord was only lightly injured, it would be the latter’s turn to eradicate the demons.
As such, the injuries on both parties must be roughly the same. The only uncertain point was whether the Sword Pavilion Lord had any special methods to achieve full recovery in a short period of time.
The Sword Pavilion members weren’t sure of the Demon Cult Master’s injuries because of this as well.
From the looks of it, both sides were afraid as when the hemp stalk was used to hit the wolf
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. Everyone was now apprehensive and even putting on a bluff.
If the Sword Pavilion Lord was in good health, he should be here personally. Why would he need to activate his sword light from far away to serve as a deterrence?
Chen Luoyang even suspected whether the Sword Pavilion Lord was actually here or not.
Earlier on, his cult members might have obtained the information of the Sword Pavilion Lord traveling south, but this might be a smokescreen from the enemy just to make things more convincing at this moment.
That powerful sword light in the distance did seem like it shouldn’t be trifled with…
Chen Luoyang’s mind was revolving with countless thoughts.
On his appearance, he actually smiled and said, “After the previous battle, everyone knows each other’s limits. Why make things unnecessarily complicated? If there is anything to say, then say it face to face. If we have to fight, then we will have another battle.”
“Nie Hua will convey Cult Master’s magnificent hospitality to my master,” Nie Hua said. “But my master didn’t come to have a contest with Cult Master Chen this time. On the contrary, he hopes that Cult Master Chen can withdraw his troops and return peace to the Shu Prefecture. It would be beneficial to both sides.”
Nie Hua’s facial expression turned stern. “There is activity in the north. The Other Tribe Chieftain has come out from seclusion.”