After leaving Snake Valley, Xu Xian followed the tracks and hurried toward Gloomy Mist Valley.
Along the way, the white snake mentioned that Gloomy Mist Valley was a place filled with miasma, crawling with snakes, insects, rats, and ants. It was a hotbed for malaria, making it a death trap for ordinary people...
To enter was to invite certain death.
Xu Xian flew on his sword. In just one hour, he caught up with the battalion of remnant soldiers.
Just as he was about to move in and save the children, the voice of the little book spirit suddenly rang out.
"Master, wait."
Xu Xian started and said with surprise, "You’re awake?"
Shuer sat on his shoulder, its little head drooping. Even the sword inside the book box on its back seemed slightly bent.
Pointing a weak finger, it said, "Look there..."
Sharing the Pupil of Insight, Xu Xian focused his gaze and caught sight of a cultivator at the early core formation stage following behind the group among the mountains.
"Hmph, they’re hiding quite deep. Good thing you woke up," Xu Xian said with lingering fear.
At the same time, he controlled Wait, sending it deep into the mountain forest.
Xu Xian chose to conceal his presence and move forward quietly.
Like a wild wolf, he moved soundlessly through the woods, steadily closing in on that core formation stage cultivator.
A mere core formation stage was nothing in Xu Xian's eyes.
However, to be safe, a surprise kill was far more efficient.
As he moved, Xu Xian took the opportunity to ask Shuer what had happened the previous night.
Had he not been swallowed by the great snake? Why was the snake dead when he woke up, and why were his injuries miraculously healed?
Though he had asked the white snake, the creature hadn't explained it clearly.
It even claimed it was a victim itself.
The little book spirit explained, "It was a strand of Celestial Sword Intent from within the sword stele that saved you."
Xu Xian was a bit dazed. "Celestial Sword Intent?"
Shuer continued, "When I left the sword stele back then, I sealed a strand of Celestial Sword Intent gifted to me by my former master into it."
"Successors who gain enlightenment from the sword stele and nurture a sword embryo will also inherit this sword intent. When the new master faces a life-or-death crisis, the sword intent will automatically release itself to nurture the master and resolve the threat."
Saying this, Shuer exhaled a breath of turbid air and sighed. "What a pity. A strand of Celestial Sword Intent capable of slaying an immortal was used to kill a little worm. What a reckless waste..."
Xu Xian understood, but his eyes were lowered, his mood clearly dampened.
"You should have told me sooner."
If... he meant if he had known such a sword intent resided within him, then perhaps Ruan Zhong and the others wouldn't have died.
Shuer gave a forced smile. "Master didn’t ask."
Xu Xian smiled bitterly, surprisingly not snapping back. His eyes were filled with the weariness of the world.
Shuer was keen enough to capture the change in the youth’s eyes clearly. It asked weakly, "Does Master blame me?"
"Blame you for what?" Xu Xian asked, knowing the answer.
Shuer said, "Blame me for not telling Master about the existence of that sword intent sooner, allowing Master to fall into such a desperate situation and causing your companions to die one after another..."
"What do you think?" Xu Xian countered with a question.
Shuer lowered its gaze and murmured, "You probably do. But I had no choice. I’m not like those people from the Wendao Sword Sect—selfless and willing to discard their lives for irrelevant people and matters."
"I am selfish. I only want to fulfill my former master's final wish and rebuild the Sword Tower. I only want to see Master standing proudly at the peak of the Star Sea. As for the lives of others, I don't really want to care."
"There was only one strand of sword intent. I don't know what kind of trouble Master will encounter in the future. If this chance to escape death could be used later, it naturally should have been saved for as long as possible..."
Xu Xian smiled and said frankly, "I understand. I don't blame you."
Shuer looked at the youth earnestly.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
It wasn't human; it was just a book spirit, like a small program.
It had its own rules of operation. Moreover, putting himself in its shoes, Xu Xian might have made the same choice.
Ruan Zhong and the others were dead.
He couldn't place the blame on Shuer.
Ultimately, it was simply because he was too weak.
Since it had already happened, dwelling on it and digging up old debts wouldn't change anything; it would only add to his troubles.
He said, "The dead are gone, and the living must carry on. Let what is past remain in the past."
Shuer nodded thoughtfully...
Meanwhile, the white snake at his waist felt its scalp tingle...
From its perspective, Xu Xian seemed possessed, talking to himself, occasionally lamenting or sighing for no reason. It was bizarre.
Its wariness deepened further.
One thing was certain: Xu Xian was not a normal human. He could likely see 'unclean things' that others couldn't.
A moment later.
Xu Xian lunged from the shadows, using Wait as his edge. He drew his sword and unleashed a powerful move: the Sixteen Swords of Green Lotus Transforms into Qi. Every strike aimed at a vital point.
The early core formation stage cultivator hadn't noticed him at all. Struck by a surprise attack, he naturally couldn't dodge in time.
Furthermore, this Green Lotus Transforms into Qi technique carried immense power; the cultivator couldn't block a single strike.
Clang, clang, clang!
Boom, boom, boom!
"Ah!"
The core formation cultivator screamed, drowned out by the sword qi. Blood mist sprayed everywhere as the surrounding trees and rocks were sliced apart alongside him.
In the vicinity, startled birds fled the forest, and beasts ran for cover.
The hundreds of soldiers were equally alarmed. Their horses neighed, and their blades were drawn.
"What was that noise?"
"Everyone, into formation!"
They set down the infants, ignoring their exhaustion from the night, and stood guard on all sides with vigilance.
The wind rose, swirling fallen leaves through the air.
In the midst of the gale, a soldier pointed at the top of a large tree ahead and shouted.
"Look! There’s someone there!"
The soldiers followed his finger.
They saw a youth standing atop a ten-meter-high tree by the road.
The youth was in military attire, though he wore no armor.
His hair was bound with a hairpin, and he carried a heavy sword at least two meters long on his shoulder. The blade glinted with a chilling light under the sun.
He looked majestic, his aura completely overwhelming.
The soldiers hissed in surprise. The leading young general drew his sword and pointed it, questioning loudly, "Who are you? State your name!"
Xu Xian said coldly:
"Leave the children, and you may live."
The young officer identified himself and his backers, threatening, "I am the Battalion Commander of the Third Light Cavalry Battalion of the Yecheng Black Armor Cavalry. I am escorting these infants under the orders of Marshal Min. You dare to block us? Do you intend to oppose Yecheng and Marshal Min? If you know what's good for you, move out of the way immediately. Otherwise, don't blame our blades for being merciless."
Xu Xian didn't bother wasting words. He let go of the heavy sword.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
The heavy sword streaked across the sky. In the blink of an eye, it struck the young officer squarely in the chest.
The force carried the man down, pinning him to the ground.
"Ugh—"
The horse panicked and the man died in an instant.
The hundreds of armored soldiers were struck with awe.
"General!"
"It’s a cultivator!"
"What do we do?"
Xu Xian hooked his finger, and the heavy sword pulled itself from the ground and returned to his hand, leaving behind a corpse with a torn-open chest, twitching on the ground as blood flowed in torrents.
Amidst the terror of the armored soldiers, Xu Xian flicked his sword and pointed it at the panicked troops, barked out a single word.
"Scram!"
The armored soldiers looked at one another. Finally, they set down the children, threw away their weapons, and scattered like startled birds.
"Go!"
"Run!"
Rate on N.U.
