Chapter 114 - 83: Stepping on a Grand First Grade
Chapter 114: Chapter 83: Stepping on a Grand First Grade
Zhu Ying was alive.
Though covered in blood and forced into hiding, he had survived ten days of pursuit from a Third Grade cultivator.
"I... survived."
Imperial City.
By the river.
He found the Muddy World Profound Robe, an immortal-like youth, fishing by the water.
"Understood."
"Watch my fishing rod for me."
Su Chen stood up, glanced at him, and stretched lazily.
"Lord Su, how do you plan to speak with the Cao Gang Leader on my behalf? He’s one of the Liang People; even as tenth on the Celestial List, surely he’ll show you some respect..."
Zhu Ying took the fishing rod and started fishing in Su Chen’s place.
For the past year, he had learned to fend for himself, losing all trace of arrogance. He vaguely understood Su Chen’s intentions—perhaps he was being tempered.
’Mediate?’
’Why go through all that trouble?’
’Just kill him.’
In the past ten days, he had investigated thoroughly.
The Cao Gang Leader, Xuan Wuming, had been using the Cao Gang’s docks to abduct and sell cultivators and mortals to the Demon Mountain.
That was how, in just five short years, he had risen from obscurity, propped up by the Demon Mountain to become a Grandmaster.
The Dynasty is unified; there’s no room for Demon Fiends to run rampant!
Emperor Jie had initiated a demon-purging crusade, annihilating the vast majority of Demon Fiends in the world. The powerful ones who remained fled back to the Demon Monster Mountain Range in terror.
Demon Fiends have even shorter lifespans than the Human Race.
They rely on devouring humans to extend their lives.
All at once, mortals and even cultivators became hard currency for the Demon Monster Mountain Range, exchangeable for numerous Divine Skill Manuals and even Immortal Treasures that were useless to the Demon Fiends.
"Death would be letting him off easy," Su Chen stated.
’I finally don’t have to worry about being hunted by the Cao Gang anymore.’
By the river, Zhu Ying held the fishing rod, still thinking that Su Chen had gone to mediate on his behalf.
Little did he know...
With Su Chen’s departure, a member of the Celestial List was about to fall.
The world would once again recall the terror of the Wind Snow Sword Immortal.
...
...
He trod upon the river, and wherever he passed, wind and snow fell, freezing the water’s surface. The immortal-like youth in the Muddy World Profound Robe arrived, cloaked in a blizzard.
Two years ago, outside the Imperial City, there had only been plains and mountains.
The Nujiang River was rerouted.
This place became the great river before the Imperial City.
The Cao Gang was wealthy, no less so than the great clans. They had a Treasure Ship on this great river, built like an island, with hundreds of palaces and pavilions.
There were also singers upon it, dancing in the wind and snow dressed in thin gauze. They were like fluttering butterflies, like Immortal Fairies from the heavens.
Su Chen was in a bit of a daze.
He was once again reminded of that Cyan Sparrow.
On the vast, frozen river, Su Chen stood with his hands behind his back. He watched the dancers rise and fall on the Treasure Ship and let out a sigh.
’This dance isn’t as beautiful as hers...’
On the Treasure Ship’s pavilion.
Two or three figures were seated there.
Of the two people seated in the lower positions, one wore the official robes of Great Zhou. He was Jiangling Crossing, who oversaw all the waterways in the world, a First Grade official of the vermilion court.
He was smiling, complimenting Xuan Wuming.
"Cao Gang Leader, you have friends in many places! To think a Grandmaster would travel so far, treading across the river, just to congratulate you on your seventieth birthday!"
Xuan Wuming was seventy, but his hair and beard were black as ink. His eyes seemed to hold a smile, and he was overjoyed.
There are only sixteen publicly known Grandmasters on the Celestial List. For one to travel from so far away just to offer congratulations... if word of this got out, it would surely become a celebrated tale.
"Vice Gang Leader, quickly go and invite this Grandmaster to join us in the pavilion to watch the dance."
Xuan Wuming said to the other person in the pavilion.
The man accepted the order.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the pavilion and got a clear look at the newcomer, his expression froze.
He walked back inside.
"The one outside... is the Wind Snow Sword Immortal!"
"What?!" Jiangling Crossing was shocked. He shot to his feet, ready to go and welcome the guest.
Who in the world didn’t know?
Emperor Jie held the Wind Snow Sword Immortal in the highest esteem. Yum Zhong of the Western Depot had refused to submit, yet not only did he not die, he was even made the Great Zhou Imperial Court Seal Master—all thanks to the reputation of the Wind Snow Sword Immortal.
Moreover, he, Jiangling Crossing, was one of the Liang People, and every Liang household in the world had a memorial tablet dedicated to the Wind Snow Sword Immortal.
He killed the Flame Emperor!
And brought ten thousand generations of peace to the world!
"The Wind Snow Sword Immortal! Even better!"
Xuan Wuming laughed heartily and also rose. The tenth-ranked master on the Celestial List was actually going to greet him personally.
’The Wind Snow Sword Immortal is here to wish me a happy birthday.’
’My chances of being enfeoffed as the King of Rivers and Seas, commander of all the world’s waterways, are now practically guaranteed. Everyone knows Emperor Jie respects the Wind Snow Sword Immortal above all others.’
However, as wind and snow drifted down, the immortal-like youth in the Muddy World Profound Robe had already entered, uninvited.
"I’ve heard that the Cao Gang Leader is exceptionally close with the Third Mountain Master of Demon Mountain. The Wind Snow Sword Immortal has come especially to witness the prowess of the tenth-ranked master on the Celestial List."
As his words fell, everyone was stunned.
Jiangling Crossing and the Vice Gang Leader both retreated, looking at Xuan Wuming in terror.
"Gang Leader, you’re close with that Heart-devouring Demon Lord from Demon Mountain who refines Human Pills? Could it be... you’re also trafficking people...?"
Xuan Wuming’s expression darkened.
BOOM!
The Nujiang River churned as waves surged, forming a dragon of immense power. Wielding a giant axe, Xuan Wuming leaped into the air atop a hundred-zhang water dragon and unleashed a terrifying strike.
"Insolent brat! How dare you impersonate the Wind Snow Sword Immortal!"
"Die!"
With this one axe strike, half of the ship-island, along with the Vice Gang Leader and Jiangling Crossing, were all caught in his deadly attack.
He was going to silence them all!
’The Wind Snow Sword Immortal before me... his greatest feat was merely defeating Long Xuanjun with a single sword strike back in the Third Year of Xuanlong.’
’Long Xuanjun was sixteenth on the Celestial List.’
’And I...’
’...am tenth on the Celestial List.’
’We’re not even in the same league!’
’Killing the so-called number one on the Earth List, this Wind Snow Sword Immortal, should be child’s play. No matter how strong a First Grade is, he’s still just First Grade.’
"Tenth on the Celestial List, the Second Realm of Grandmaster... is this all you’ve got? How utterly disappointing. In the end, you’re not even worthy of making me draw my sword."
Su Chen walked forward.
He didn’t make a move.
But the blizzard he brought with him was enough to bring the world to a standstill.
In an instant.
The dragon of immense power was annihilated.
Annihilated along with it was the tenth-ranked master on the Celestial List, Xuan Wuming, the vicious sneer still frozen on his face as he held his giant axe.
He turned into an ice sculpture, which then exploded, shattering into countless shards of ice.
"This..."