Chapter 750: One sword convinces all while protecting Celestial Mountain
Long Feiye didn’t attack, so He Yilian had no choice but to approach. When they were only five steps apart, he used his last bit of strength to dash in front of his target and kick at the other man’s chest. Almost simultaneously, a blade flipped out from the side of his shoe to aim at Long Feiye’s heart.
But Long Feiye was faster!
Besides the three Honored Elders and the sword sect master, nobody should have seen what he did–only its conclusion. Long Feiye ended up catching He Yilian by the ankle with the shoe blade inches from his chest. That only lasted a second. The next moment, Long Feiye gave a swing that sent He Yilian crashing to the ground. Before he could kick with his other foot, Long Feiye stepped on that leg and crippled it. Then he pulled the foot hiding the blade in front of He Yilian’s face. Though martial arts practitioners had excellent flexibility, the extreme stretching still pained He Yilian’s leg. His eyes widened in fear as the blade crept closer and closer until it was just short of his eye.
Kneeling by his side, Long Feiye murmured, “Who told you to drag on the fight?”
“You…you were pretending?” He Yilian’s voice was very weak, but still persistent.
Long Feiye gave a cold snort. “Looks like you were tricked. To die here…it’s really a pity for your skills.”
He Yilian couldn’t believe his ears. Long Feiye’s abnormality was all made up? He suddenly felt like a joke. He had been lied to–not just by the Lord Master, but Long Feiye as well. As his hopes dwindled to nothing, he realized that he would die an incomplete corpse thanks to his missing arms and hands.
What a miserable end! He couldn’t accept this!
“Cang Qiuzi had to die, but you could’ve lived on as Lockheart Courtyard’s new leader,” a cold smile played about Long Feiye’s lips before he lowered his voice. “Tell your lordship who set you up to do this.”
His words finally ignited He Yilian’s hatred. “Long Feiye, come closer. I’ll tell you.”
Long Feiye did as he was told. He Yilian opened his mouth and said six words very, very softly. It wasn’t clear whether Long Feiye heard them at all. By the time he straightened up, He Yilian used his last remaining strength to arch his body and impale himself against his own weapon. The blade pierced through his throat and finally ended his life.
Long Feiye didn’t spare him a glance as he stood up. He Yilian had died, and Long Feiye had won. Everyone was still gaping at the stage and felt like everything was just a dream. Their emotions were moved by all the sudden changes, leaving many of them at a loss to discern the truth and lies. The ranking matches finally had an outcome: He Yilian was well and truly dead. There would be no more exceptions.
Long Feiye’s tall and haughty form stood as straight as ever. Besides his ashen complexion, he didn’t look haggard at all. Standing above the crowd, his cold gaze swept upon them all before settling to rest on the Lockheart Courtyard disciples.
He pointed his Profound Frost Sword at them and said, “If anyone else wants to come onstage, your lordship will wait for you!”
All of the Lockheart Courtyard disciples lowered their heads, afraid to make a sound. Cang Xiaoying clutched her father tightly, too frightened to cry out loud. No one else moved. Everyone believed that Long Feiye had feigned his weakness onstage just then to lure He Yilian closer for a chance to quickly end the match.
Finally, they stopped suspecting him and started wondering about his capabilities. Long Feiye took this chance to rest one hand behind his back while the other raised his sword. Loudly he asked, “Does anyone else want to fight?”
As he spoke, the Profound Frost Sword released a sweeping arc of sword awn to stun the crowd! What was there to deliberate? What was there to hesitate? Long Feiye’s sword qi must have been even higher than eighth level Nirvana Heart Arts! It felt much more powerful than the sword sect elder. Many in the crowd turned to admiration and respect at the display. The Lockheart Courtyard disciples quelled their thoughts of rebellion and hoped that Long Feiye and the sword sect master could spare them. Meanwhile, the sword sect master and Han Yunxi were staring nervously at Long Feiye!
Sweat had stained the palms of the old man. He was clearer than anyone else that Long Feiye was only holding on through sheer willpower! He assumed that Long Feiye would topple over as soon as he defeated He Yilian, but who knew the man could still stand and powerfully provoke the Lockheart Courtyard disciples. Like he king, he stood scorning all of Celestial Mountain. His final display wasn’t just to show off, but to shock and awe Heretical Sword Sect. But there was a massive price to pay for such a show. The Lustbite Seal’s power within his body had long started to reverse its flow!
In the silence, no one answered.
The sword sect master couldn’t relax before the Honored Elders announced the results. It wasn’t that he feared accidents, but that unexpected exceptions were all too common for the ranking matches. Long Feiye couldn’t afford to handle any more surprises. Even a fourth rank expert would be strong enough to destroy Long Feiye in his current state.
At this moment, second elder climbed onstage.
This…
The sword sect master’s heart leapt out of his chest, while Han Yunxi held her breath, too afraid to breathe.
“No…” she refused to believe it!
The second elder walked step by step across the plaza with all eyes on him. Long Feiye didn’t move, but stood there expressionlessly while heavy waves churned within his heart. He knew better than anyone his current condition. Abruptly, second elder stopped and clasped his hands in front of his chest.
“The color blue is made of indigo, but more vivid than indigo. 1 Feiye, you are both the pride of your grandmaster and our Celestial Mountain. Martial uncle…accepts you!”
This….
He’s admitting defeat? So he’s just here to show his regards?
Seeing this, third elder hastened to follow suit. He too, clasped his hands in a fist to pay Long Feiye respects. “Feiye, Third Martial Uncle accepts you too! You’ve already reached level eight of the Nirvana Heart Arts despite your young age. Your future prospects are limitless!”
Even these two capricious elders had declared their sides. Who else would challenge Long Feiye now? The sword sect master’s heart finally settled back down in his chest while Han Yunxi gave a long exhale. She wanted to dash onstage and hug Long Feiye right then and there, but she held back. She only hoped that he would return to the mountaintop quickly to treat his wounds.
Granny You rose to her feet. “Honored Elders, since no one else is going to fight, why not…”
The three Honored Elders looked at Long Feiye, their eyes filled with appreciation. Naturally, they could tell that he was simply holding on through sheer will. Very soon, one of them stood up and announced that Long Feiye had won the championship for the ranking matches, with Cang Qiuzi rounding up second place. But rather than a ranking match, it was more akin to a struggle for supremacy.
Long Feiye turned around to cup his fists at the three Honored Elders. Then he flew for the mountaintop. He saw the sword sect master and Han Yunxi waiting for him at their spot on the overhanging rock, but he ignored them in favor of Nine Xuan Hall. The duo immediately followed him, but they’d hardly reached the front door when Long Feiye sank to his knees by the entrance and vomited blood.
“Long Feiye!” Han Yunxi’s heart all but stopped in alarm. She dashed to his side and saw his complexion had turned deathly pale. His bloodshot pupils were filled with a deep, fathomless ice that made her feel like she was staring at a stranger.
“It’s alright, I’m fine…” Despite his state, he was still trying to comfort her. “I’m fine, be good, I’m just—”
He never got to finish his sentence as he spat up more mouthfuls of blood. The liquid was first red, then black–not a true black, but crimson turned dark as a result of blood stasis in the body. Han Yunxi dug through her medical pouch in a mad scramble to take out every life-saving pill she could find so she could feed them to Long Feiye. But it was no use!
She’d hardly gotten him to swallow when he spat them back up with another mouthful of blood.
“Long Feiye, don’t scare me like this! Long Feiye!”
“Tell me what to do? How do I help you? Long Feiye…”
“Long Feiye, you’re not allowed to leave me behind…you can’t!”
Han Yunxi had never discovered she could be so useless as this moment. None of her knowledge could help him a whit. Neither did Long Feiye answer any of his questions. Although he was still conscious, he didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore. His Nirvana Heart Arts had long began to reverse its flow when he attacked Cang Qiuzi. He had executed his final strike while gritting his teeth. He knew that the last show of strength was necessary, not only to awe second and third elder, but to frighten the Heretical Sword Sect. Only then would everyone believe that his former show of weakness on stage had just been an act.
Blood flowed endlessly from his lips as if it’d never stop. Han Yunxi had already fallen apart. She clutched at the sword sect master’s sleeve and pleaded, “Save him! I’m begging you, you have to save him!”
The sword sect master was on the verge of breaking down himself. His heart ached at the sight. Celestial Mountain might have finally found its peace, but it came at the cost of his beloved disciple’s sacrifice. Now it was hard to say whether he’d even survive.
“Any internal energy of fourth rank or higher should be able to protect him for now,” he muttered to himself.
“Then save him! You’re the respected sect leader of Celestial Mountain Sword Sect! You have to have a way!” Han Yunxi cried, on the verge of madness.
Who could she beg to save him? Who could Long Feiye turn to for help?
Long Feiye had to risk his life to protect Celestial Mountain’s peace and quell the ambitions of the Heretical Sword Sect. Despite this, she couldn’t ask any of the countless fourth-rank experts here to heal him! Of everyone on the peak, her sole resort was the sword sect master. He was the only one who could know the truth. Jackals and wolves lurked at their doors. Once they caught wind of Long Feiye’s serious injuries, they’d never let them live.
Han Yunxi knew that the sword sect master had already exhausted all of his internal energy, but she still tugged stubbornly at his arm. “I’m begging you, you’re the only one who can help him!”
“Grandmaster, I’m begging you to think of a way. Long Feiye’s can’t die! He can’t…” Han Yunxi was crying so hard that the sword sect master felt his heart break.
He decided to risk everything and quickly issued orders. “Someone come, help Feiye into the ninth floor. Anyone who dares spread word of this will be killed without mercy!”
As he prepared to leave, Han Yunxi held him back. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to find the Honored Elders. They’re the only ones who can save him now.”
The Honored Elders never took part in any secular affairs. Even if Celestial Mountain was on the verge of death, they wouldn’t interfere. Their only interest was the study of the sword arts. It was already exceptional enough to see them at the ranking matches, but the sword sect master had no idea if they’d be willing to save a life. Nevertheless, he had to try!
1. The color blue is made of indigo, but more vivid than indigo (青出于蓝而胜于蓝) – qing chu yu lan er sheng yu lan, a Chinese idiom to describe how a student can surpass his master despite being cut from the same cloth.