Near Death?

The group came to a halt in mid-air. Xu Xian turned back and said, “Stay here. Don’t move!”

The others were left in a daze of confusion as Li Shuhe also looked over from the distant mountains.

Xu Xian crossed the sky in several large strides. Within moments, his figure was hundreds of li away, a tiny black speck sinking into the vast grey expanse.

The aura of the Twilight Emperor continued to close in, approaching from the invisible horizon.

Among the eight, Tu Sisi, who possessed the strongest divine sense, caught a glimpse of a streak of silver-white.

“What is that?”

Lu Yuan had the answer in his heart. His blood-red eyes widened as he said solemnly, “It’s Him.”

Him?

The remaining seven turned their gazes toward the red-haired Lu Yuan.

However, Lu Yuan had no intention of explaining further.

On the other side, Xu Xian already held an immortal sword in his left hand, his divine sense firmly locked onto the Sovereign.

His spiritual energy gathered in his right palm as his fingers curled around the hilt. He was just about to draw the blade—

Silence!

A cold wind blew gently as his heart pounded...

The Little Book Spirit was fully concentrated, estimating the distance and monitoring the situation.

“Master, now!”

Its voice rang out in Xu Xian’s sea of consciousness. Xu Xian’s brows furrowed as he pulled—

Clang!

Boom!!

The sword had only emerged half an inch from its scabbard before it stopped. A flash of cold light flickered, and the youth’s gaze shifted downward.

On the desolate earth below, a cloud of thick dust rolled and scattered in the wind, much like the stunned youth currently hanging in the sky.

Xu Xian swallowed hard and looked at the Little Book Spirit. The Little Book Spirit stared back at him, equally dazed.

What just happened?

Had the man been struck down before the sword was even out?

The Little Book Spirit offered some hollow praise, clicking its tongue. “Master’s swordsmanship has grown stronger again. Killing invisibly—how impressive.”

Xu Xian: “Uh...”

Xu Xian rolled his eyes. If he hadn’t known that he hadn’t even managed to finish his strike, he might have actually believed the Little Book Spirit.

Not only were Xu Xian and the Little Book Spirit baffled, but the eight people further away were also stunned. Perhaps only Li Shuhe clearly understood the reason behind it.

Exhaustion,

Falling from the sky!

Xu Xian didn’t care to overthink it. The more injured the Sovereign was, the better it was for him. He took a step forward, hovering over the deep crater, and waved his sleeve to disperse the lingering dust.

There, he saw the King who once wore a golden cloud fur coat. Now, his chest was half-bare, and he was missing a leg and an arm...

He lay in the pit with a mess of hair. That face, which once held boundless arrogance and looked down upon heaven and earth, was now the picture of wretchedness.

Who could have imagined that the once-mighty Sovereign, the Twilight Emperor, would ever find himself in such a pathetic state?

The Sovereign lay amidst the ruins, a strained smile touching his haggard face. He stared up at Xu Xian with a wicked, charming glint in his eyes and greeted him:

“Boy, we meet again. I told you I’d come looking for you, jie jie jie...”

Xu Xian was speechless. He looked like total trash, yet he was still trying to act cool?

The Little Book Spirit shouted in his ear, “Master, he’s near death! He’s near death! Hurry, finish him off...”

Xu Xian nodded. He drew his sword and slashed toward the Twilight Emperor.

Sword light ravaged the area and sword intent howled. Xu Xian struck without the slightest hesitation or a single word of nonsense.

While he didn't necessarily have a blood feud with the Twilight Emperor, the things that had transpired between them were irreconcilable.

The Emperor's Tomb,

The heart demon,

The ascension to the Heavens...

These accounts had to be settled. Xu Xian didn't dare gamble on the man's conscience; if he lost, he would lose his life.

The sword intent rose, fell, and then dissipated...

The pit remained the same, and the man remained in the pit.

Xu Xian’s brows knitted together.

The Twilight Emperor lay in the pit, completely unharmed, without a single new scratch on him.

He wasn't angry either. He simply wriggled his body, propping himself up a bit straighter.

He tiredly raised a hand and flicked the dust off his chest, teasing, “Look at you, still so hot-tempered. The moment we meet, you’re either stabbing me with a sword or striking me with lightning... Tsk tsk, is that really necessary?”

Xu Xian didn't believe it. He slashed a few more times with full strength, compressing his sword qi into a single point to explode.

To no avail!

Xu Xian glanced at the Little Book Spirit and asked a soul-searching question: “Didn't you say he was near death?”

The Little Book Spirit’s eyes darted around. It really wanted to say that he obviously was near death and anyone could see that, and the fact that he couldn't kill him was just because he was too weak. However, it held back.

It puffed out its chest and rolled up its tiny sleeves, revealing its small arms. It drifted grandly in front of Xu Xian and said, “Let me!”

Hearing this,

Xu Xian gave his silent consent. He was about to summon the Sword Tower and release the six swords, granting the sword aura to the Little Book Spirit to deliver the strongest blow and wipe him out forever, ending the threat once and for all.

But before the tower could manifest, the Sovereign seemed to divine Xu Xian’s intentions. He said lazily, “Don’t bother. Now that the seal is broken and I am outside the cage, my realm has recovered to the God Immortal stage. My physical body, however, is comparable to an Immortal King—perhaps even beyond. If you truly had the power to kill me, how could I have caught up to you?”

Xu Xian hesitated, half-believing and half-doubting.

The Sovereign slowly stood up.

Xu Xian’s body tensed.

The Little Book Spirit also shrank back a little.

Standing in the pit, the Sovereign swung his remaining arm. A trace of pain appeared on his kingly face as he continued, “I just had a massive battle with two Ancestral Spirits. They couldn't kill me, so you think you can?”

Xu Xian’s dark brows furrowed deeply.

Two Immortal Kings?

Was that the battle of Immortal Kings Li Shuhe had mentioned?

He certainly looked the part, otherwise, why would he be in such a sorry state? But was he truly that strong?

To fight two Ancestral Spirits at the Immortal King stage and still escape with his life?

With a light leap, the Sovereign jumped out of the pit. He exhaled a long breath and said with total confidence, “Suit yourself. If you want to try, go ahead. But let me tell you this first: if you make too much noise and draw those two fellows here, don't blame me...”

Hearing this, Xu Xian silently sheathed his sword.

Just now,

When he struck, he had been afraid of making too much noise and hadn't dared to use his famous sword techniques, nor had he even summoned the Sword Tower. He was worried about attracting unnecessary trouble.

No one knew,

Whether there were any tails following behind him.

“Tsk tsk, that’s more like it.”

Xu Xian couldn't grasp this fellow's thoughts and questioned him, “What exactly do you want?”

The Sovereign had recovered some of his strength and a bit of his former majesty. He countered with a question: “What do you think?”

Xu Xian remained silent.

However,

Li Shuhe stepped out of the void without a sound, arriving at Xu Xian’s side. She stood there, braving the wind with her sword at her waist.

The Sovereign’s gaze fell upon Li Shuhe. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said playfully, “Oh... the real deal has arrived.”

Li Shuhe gripped the sword at her waist and said slowly, “He can't do it, but I can.”

The Sovereign was stunned for a moment before realizing the meaning behind her words. He looked at her with great interest. “You’re quite an interesting girl.”

He didn't deny it, which meant he acknowledged Li Shuhe’s words.

In truth, he had chased them for her. As for Xu Xian, what use was he? Killing him would be as easy as flicking a finger. Relying on him? That was even more absurd.

Li Shuhe didn't waste words with him. she said a single word: “Speak!”

The Sovereign flicked the tattered sleeve of his remaining arm and got straight to the point. “I came to find you.”

Li Shuhe tilted her head slightly.

Xu Xian also glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye.

The Sovereign stated clearly, “You are very strong, and I am also very strong. If we join forces to cross the wilderness, we can each get what we need. What do you say?”