Book 4: Chapter 27: Who is Playing the Lute, Who is Slaughtering in the Alley
Book 4: Chapter 27: Who is Playing the Lute, Who is Slaughtering in the Alley
In his decades of service in Jadefall Border Pass, Nanshan Mu personally watched as Respected Cangyue rose up through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. He understood it extremely well, apart from their own cultivation levels, he knew just how much power and influence Respected Cangyue and Ghost Advisor amassed during these years.
Respected Cangyue truly was ambitious and ruthless.
Ghost Advisor was also truly ambitious and ruthless.
Forget about everything else, just the establishment of the Sky Wolf Guards, a power comparable to Dragon Snake’s Black Flag Army, in the last two decades, was something the previous west defending great general could never hope to achieve.
Nanshan Mu wasn’t the type of official to just give up and enjoy life before imminent disaster, if there was a chance to stake it all, he would obviously go at it against Respected Cangyue. However, it was precisely because he understood Respected Cangyue too well, knew his vicious way of handling things, as well as the strength of the cultivators below him, knowing that he couldn’t win no matter what he tried, that he set the resolution to complete a matter he wanted to take care of his entire life, but never did, and then he would peacefully meet death.
Who, within an area of more than two thousand li, dared challenge Respected Cangyue’s prestige?
Faint lute sounds could be heard from a distant building. An unknown person began to play a military song, the low notes like troops marching along the flow of time.
Sounds of blades passing through blood could clearly be heard.
Ghost Advisor narrowed his eyes, lowering his head slightly, the hair that scattered down covering most of his face. Under the gloomy dark of night, there was no way to see his expression.
He no longer questioned Nanshan Mu, because he could tell that Nanshan Mu’s current stunned expression was real, meaning that this unforeseen event most likely had nothing to do with him.
…
Smoke rose in spirals in the distance. The indistinct lute music traveled into an ordinary house in the alley.
Cheng Xiangyi was standing in this ordinary single story house.
This army cultivator wore a stellar white long gown, his hair combed into the ‘daoist immortal’ style extremely popular among Central Continent cultivators.
His four foot short sword’s scabbard in his left hand was made of white jade, decorated with gold, the sword hilt made of exquisite ivory. It was gorgeous and graceful, completely like a work of art and not an instrument for murder.
However, this ‘Inch of Radiance’ sword in this graceful swordsman’s hand, its blade forged with special ‘Heavenglow Steel’, had already struck down who knew how many enemies.
He came from Milky Way Academy, an academy outside of the three great academies, and then served in the army for thirteen years, precisely the amount of time needed to grind a blade to its sharpest.
Even though he already smelled a strong bloodiness, sensing that the enemy was like a great python, moving through this alley, he still stood inside this black painted single-story house, not moving at all.
It was because his job was only to watch over this place. He understood the reason why the respected great general was powerful extremely well, it was because he had too many cultivators like this under his command… Moreover, his orders were absolute, all cultivators would unconditionally obey him, no one would take even a step away from their post.
Yunqin valued strength, the military also consisting of who knew how many experts, how many behind the scenes visitors. Most of them had researched why Respected Cangyue became powerful to this degree, the conclusions they reached usually the same, and also extremely simple… All participating in dangerous missions, if they were Respected Cangyue’s people, if they lived, they would obtain glory and reward, if they died, they could still be at peace. All future arrangements would be done, their friends and relatives, all of them would be taken care of.
Even though it was really simple, few could imitate this, because there weren’t many who were as good in understanding character and ability as Respected Cangyue, able to win over so many powerful cultivators in following him, no one was like Respected Cangyue and Ghost Advisor, able to seize so many achievements and so much glory to share with their subordinates.
…
Pa!
The earth wall behind Cheng Xiangyi suddenly split apart like a piece of paper.
This clay single-story house that wasn’t all that sturdy to begin with groaned like an old woman. Without the support of one of its walls, it seemed like it would quickly collapse, bury this stellar long white gown swordsman underneath.
However, the expression on his face remained calm like water, not affected by the chunks of earth and thick dust pouring down from the roof at all, to the extent where not even his rate of breathing was disturbed in the slightest.
His entire body turned around with inconceivable speed. All of the soul force from his left arm immediately gathered towards his left thumb, and then it flicked upwards, moving along the sword’s hilt. Then, all of his body’s power concentrated on his right hand, making that elegant short sword that was only four feet long rapidly accelerate once more. The moment he turned around, there was an air shattering noise, a dazzling milky way cut across the air, the sword energy instantly scattering all of the dust behind him.
This was Milky Way Academy’s extremely difficult but at the same time their most ferocious Milky Way Slash, a single mistake and it would produce clumsiness and awkwardness.
After thirteen years of polishing, Cheng Xiangyi’s current strike could already be considered perfect.
Only when this slash sprinkled outwards, did he himself see that the one who broke through the wall and entered was actually an empty-handed fourteen or fifteen year old green-clothed young lady, on her feet a pair of disharmonizing purple embroidered shoes.
He was immediately stunned, his expression becoming a bit sluggish. However, the sword in his hands didn’t stop, shooting towards this unknown green-clothed young lady without any hesitation.
The green-clothed young lady’s temples were a bit wet, producing a bit of sweat. When faced with this merciless blade, she only reached out a hand towards the incoming edge.
The sword’s sharp end stopped between her fingers. There wasn’t even an inch between itself and her fine white palm, but it was stopped by extreme compressed air, unable to stab any further.
The stellar long white gown on Cheng Xiangyi’s back instantly exploded, turning into shreds of flying silk.
All of his body’s muscles swelled, squirming about, exerting force, thus causing his clothes to instantly stretch and break apart. However, his sword edge was still frozen in the air, unable to move forward in the slightest.
This was a mysterious and indescribable battle between cultivators.
This refined, yet filled with the border army’s most ferocious aura Cheng Xiangyi’s face immediately revealed an expression of helplessness and bleakness.
All of this took place in the time it took for sparks to fly off a flint. He was still alive, but what he understood extremely clearly in his mind was that he was already doomed to inevitably die here.
The other party could, purely through the eruption of soul force, block his ‘Inch of Radiance’ soul weapon’s strike that could tear through heavy armor, so her cultivation level was at the very least peak stage State Master level, possibly even higher than this level that already seemed rather distant.
This type of opponent wouldn’t give him any chance to reverse the situation. The strength she possessed was something that was impossible for him to handle.
“Where are those from the Divine Arrow Camp and Star Capture Camp?”
The instant he knew that death was coming, this swordsman from Milky Way Academy only felt deep confusion. He didn’t know just what kind of identity the other party had, just how many enemies came, didn’t know what those bow using soldiers scattered across the nearby buildings and those soldiers specialized in spear throwing were doing. Why was there not a single arrow that fired over, not even a single spear thrust in this direction, leaving him with not even the slightest chance of survival.
A sharp ding sounded. The Inch of Radiance sword snapped.
The green-clothed young lady moved past Cheng Xiangyi’s body. With only a flash of her figure, Cheng Xiangyi’s chest caved in, his entire body flying out, smashing into a clay wall.
The clay wall building collapsed, burying the two pieces of the broken Inch of Radiance sword underneath.
…
The lute music continued from the distance.
Ah…
Inside the alley, several cries of alarm and shrill screams rang out.
Ghost Advisor’s brows began to furrow slightly.
Since it was him and the respected great general who were handling matters today, no matter how many people died in this alley tonight, it would all be nothing more than the military calming chaos, no one would pay this any attention. However, there were some cries of horror and screams of shock that came from ordinary people, meaning that some people he arranged to remain outside also already died. Otherwise, there was no way anyone would be allowed into this alley.
Moreover, from start to finish, he didn’t hear any arrows or spears tearing through the air.
Could it be that a great figure seated behind the layers of curtains interfered with this matter?
If this was the case, then things really were too interesting this time.
A cold and gloomy smile appeared on Ghost Advisor’s face. Right at this time, with a creak noise, the black lacquer entrance behind those two Sky Wolf Guards was pushed open by someone.
An embroidered shoe stepped through the tall doorstep, entering this courtyard.
The embroidered shoes that didn’t seem to fit that well had some blood on them. The one who wore these embroidered shoes was dressed in clothes that weren’t too clean, but her face was fair and clear, a tender young lady whose expression was always serious.
Ghost Advisor was stunned. The two Sky Wolf Guards whose outer appearances were rather fiendish were also stunned.
“It’s you?” Only Nanshan Mu couldn’t help but cry out in disbelief.
He never expected that the one who pushed open the entrance, then walked into this courtyard, was actually that interesting young female cultivator he met while fishing!
“It is me.” Nangong Weiyang wiped away the sweat by her temples, seriously nodding her head, and then saying to Nanshan Mu, “Let’s go.”
Nanshan Mu was completely stupefied.
Previously, he thought that Nangong Weiyang was just an ordinary young cultivator who wasn’t too well versed in the world, but right now, when he recalled how this young lady said the ‘he won’t die’ words, it was as if he really was struck by thunder, completely going stupid.
Ghost Advisor’s eyes narrowed into two slits, quietly looking at this tender-faced young lady who, according to reason, definitely had no way of entering here. He coldly asked, “Who are you?”
“What does that have to do with you?” Nangong Weiyang frowned slightly, her eyes landing on Ghost Advisor’s body for the first time. “You all want to kill him? Then I will kill all of you.”
The moment she frowned and spoke out, Ghost Advisor’s head suddenly looked towards the sky.
A small silver-colored sword shadow carried a wave of extremely vicious chilliness, aimed directly at the back of his head.
“Sword manipulation… Sacred Expert level cultivator!”
When he saw this sword figure that was hard to make out with the naked eye, the always quiet Ghost Advisor’s expression finally changed. Meanwhile, Nanshan Mu’s eyes were instantly filled with indescribable brilliance.
No matter how tender-faced the other party looked, her bone structure was clearly still rather young, her true age not over eighteen or nineteen, yet she still reached Sacred Expert level cultivation. This was unbelievable in itself, and completely impossible. In this entire two thousand li frontier, including Respected Cangyue, there were only a few people who reached Sacred Expert level. Moreover, not only did this girl reach Sacred Expert level, she could already resonate with a flying sword, control a flying sword!
That majestic aura that was connected to heaven and earth, linked to the flying sword, that sky piercing earth rupturing wave of force that instantly spread, there was no way this was fake. She was a true sword manipulating Sacred Expert!