Chapter 427 - 424: The Crisis Descends
Chapter 427: Chapter 424: The Crisis Descends
In the depths of the Netherworld Pavilion, inside the grand hall.
Li Wushang stood before a window with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowed as he stared out at the heavy darkness of the night.
He hadn’t known a moment’s peace since receiving the urgent report from Celestial Swan City.
Yuan Zhan was dead.
The gold mine was lost.
And the one who had killed Yuan Zhan and seized the gold mine was, of all people, Fang Han.
That young man, who had joined the sect a little over two years ago; that True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect whom he had tried and failed to eliminate several times, had now broken through to the Third Grade and could even slay Yuan Zhan, who was at the Late Stage of Third Grade.
What concerned him even more was another piece of news that arrived today—Fang Han had reached the top of the Celestial Pride List.
Number one on the Celestial Pride List at the age of twenty.
This shocking news was like a red-hot branding iron searing his heart.
’If this boy is not eliminated, he will become a disaster for us.’
Li Wushang muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and filled with an irrepressible chill.
His knuckles turned white from the force of his grip.
’This boy is growing too fast.’
So fast that every time he received news about him, it was as if he were watching an even taller mountain peak rise from within the Qingxuan Sect.
’With this boy’s Talent, if we let him continue to grow unchecked, he is highly likely to become a Grandmaster.’
’At that point, the balance of power between the Netherworld Pavilion and the Qingxuan Sect will be completely shattered.’
’I must eliminate him.’
Li Wushang gritted his teeth, his voice low.
’But how to do it?’
’The Second-Grade Elders can’t be spared. Yuan Zhan, a Late Stage Third Grade, is already dead by his sword. Sending other Third Grade Elders would be sending them to their deaths.’
’As for the First-Grade Elders, the entire Netherworld Pavilion has only a few, and each one presides over a critically important location. They cannot be mobilized easily.’
Li Wushang took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, and stood before the window with his hands behind his back, his brow furrowing ever deeper.
Just then, Steward Liu Jin’s voice, tinged with caution, came from outside the hall.
"Vice Pavilion Master."
"What is it?"
Li Wushang asked, his tone impatient.
"Elder Yuan Ye requests an audience."
Liu Jin’s voice drifted in from outside.
"Yuan Ye?"
Li Wushang raised an eyebrow slightly.
’Yuan Zhan’s older cousin. Late Stage of Third Grade Cultivation, stuck at this Realm for many years. I gave him a High Grade Realm-Breaking Pill.’
’Coming to see me at a time like this...?’
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
The thought was fleeting, but it caused his deep, dark eyes to light up abruptly.
"Show him in. Quickly."
Li Wushang turned around, a hint of undisguised urgency in his voice.
The hall doors were gently pushed open.
A figure strode inside.
The visitor was a man of about sixty, with a square face and sharp, hawk-like eyes beneath thick brows.
He bore some resemblance to Yuan Zhan, but he possessed a greater sense of composure and less of Yuan Zhan’s sinister air.
He wore the distinctive dark-patterned black robe of a Netherworld Pavilion Elder, the corners embroidered with dark flame patterns in gold thread.
It was Yuan Ye.
Li Wushang’s gaze fell upon Yuan Ye. He sized him up for a moment, and then—
His pupils constricted slightly.
The aura around Yuan Ye was completely different from before.
It was as solid as a mountain and as restrained as water, yet it faintly exuded a powerful pressure.
’With my strength, I can’t yet judge the Cultivation of Upper Three Grades Martial Artists by their aura alone. But from the change in Yuan Ye’s aura, it’s highly likely he has already broken through to the Second Grade!’
"Yuan Ye greets Vice Pavilion Master Li."
Yuan Ye walked closer and bowed, his deep, resonant voice echoing through the vast hall.
"No need for formalities."
Li Wushang nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Yuan Ye for another moment before he spoke slowly, his voice tinged with inquiry.
"Elder Yuan, what brings you here?"
"Vice Pavilion Master Li, I have broken through to the Second Grade."
Yuan Ye straightened up and met Li Wushang’s gaze, his voice still low but filled with an irrepressible excitement.
"A few days ago, after taking the High Grade Realm-Breaking Pill you bestowed upon me, I went into seclusion for several days and finally broke through the bottleneck, stepping into the Second Grade Realm."
As soon as he spoke, a brief silence fell over the hall.
"Good. Very good."
Li Wushang watched Yuan Ye, an indescribable light shining in his deep, dark eyes.
It carried a sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.
This was the only piece of good news he had heard in days.
Yuan Ye’s breakthrough to the Second Grade meant he now held another card he could play.
A card strong enough to eliminate Fang Han.
"Elder Yuan, since you have already broken through to the Second Grade, I will entrust the matter of Celestial Swan City to you."
Li Wushang said, his voice returning to its usual calm.
"Yuan Zhan was my cousin, and we were extremely close."
In that instant, Yuan Ye’s expression turned grim.
A muscle on his square face twitched slightly, and an unconcealable killing intent flashed in his sharp eyes.
His voice was hoarse, filled with suppressed fury.
"Even without an order from the Sect, I would have eliminated this boy to avenge Yuan Zhan."
"Since you have this resolve, Elder Yuan, I will entrust this matter to you."
Li Wushang looked at Yuan Ye, a flicker of satisfaction in his deep, dark eyes and a note of approval in his voice.
"Your mission in Celestial Swan City is to kill Fang Han and retake the gold mine."
"This boy has broken through to the Third Grade, and right after his breakthrough, he had the strength to kill Elder Yuan Zhan, a Late Stage Third Grade. You must not be careless."
"Do not worry, Vice Pavilion Master."
Yuan Ye clasped his hands in a salute, his voice steady.
"No matter how strong this boy is, he is only at the Early Third Grade. I will surely take his life, avenge Yuan Zhan, and reclaim the gold mine for the Sect."
Only after breaking through to the Second Grade did he understand just how vast the gap in strength was between the Second and Third Grades.
Even if Fang Han was strong, he had only just entered the Third Grade. He refused to believe that he, now a Second Grade Martial Artist, would be unable to take down someone at the Early Third Grade.
"This contains the location of the Celestial Swan City gold mine and information regarding this boy, Fang Han. Take it."
Li Wushang nodded slightly, turned, and picked up a small booklet from his desk, handing it to Yuan Ye.
"Rest well tonight. Depart first thing in the morning."
"Yes."
Yuan Ye took the booklet with both hands and tucked it into his robes.
He gave Li Wushang another salute, then turned and strode out of the hall.
The sound of his firm, powerful footsteps echoed through the vast hall.
Li Wushang stood with his hands behind his back, watching the retreating figure with deep anticipation in his dark, brooding eyes.
---
North of Celestial Swan City, at the former Netherworld Pavilion gold mine.
The morning sun filtered through the gaps in the mountain forest, casting mottled light and shadows across the mine’s clearing.
Fang Han stood in the center of the clearing, his Cloud Splitting Sword angled toward the ground, his eyes closed in concentration.
The Heart Method of the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique flowed through his mind. The Sword Techniques, Transformations, and Force Manipulation Methods, all of which he knew by heart, now unfolded slowly in his mind like a scroll painting.
He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
"SWOOSH—"
The Cloud Splitting Sword moved.
This strike was neither fast nor slow, neither hard nor soft; it was just a simple thrust.
Yet, the moment he thrust the sword, an indescribable aura suddenly emanated from his body.
The aura was incredibly sharp, carrying a terrifying Tearing Realm that seemed capable of ripping anything and everything to shreds.
It was the Wind Sword Intent!
Infused with the Wind Sword Intent, the strike became exceedingly dangerous. Wherever the tip of the sword passed, the air silently split open, leaving a thin fissure.
The fissure was as clear as a blade’s cut through paper, and it lingered for a long time.
And then, with a soft CHHHK!
A deep gash appeared out of nowhere on the ground, extending from before Fang Han’s feet to several dozen feet away, as if plowed by an invisible blade.
The edges of the gash were as smooth as a mirror; even loose stones had been cleanly sliced through.
He didn’t stop, and struck with his sword again.
The second strike lashed out.
As the sword light flashed, another deep gash appeared on the ground.
The third strike, the fourth, the fifth—
Fang Han performed the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, one strike after another, infusing each with his Wind Sword Intent.
His movements were not fast; they could even be described as slow.
But every thrust carried a heart-stopping sharpness.
That sharpness came not only from the blade but also from the intangible Sword Intent.
Wherever the Sword Intent passed, the air was torn, the ground was cut, and even the grass and trees in the distance were silently severed by this sharp intent.
An extremely subtle, almost imperceptible spiritual fluctuation was spreading out with his Sword Intent.
This was the Spiritual Shock inherent to Sword Intent.
Although he wasn’t deliberately activating it, it naturally spread outward with his Sword Momentum, intimidating all living things in the vicinity.
At the edge of the clearing, a few field mice that had peeked out of their holes were now lying stiffly on the ground, completely motionless.
They were dead.
These field mice hadn’t been killed by Sword Qi; there were no wounds on their bodies.
They had been killed by the Spiritual Shock inherent to the Sword Intent, their very souls shattered.
This was Sword Intent.
It could not only tear through tangible objects but also shock intangible spirits.
Creatures like snakes and mice, with their low intelligence, were like ants in a gale before this Spiritual Shock, losing their lives in an instant.
’Reaching the Entry Level is hard, but the Cultivation after that is just as difficult!’
The thought flashed through Fang Han’s mind as he continued to focus on his Cultivation.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes—
He performed the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique over and over, each repetition more seamless and fluid than the last.
As a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique, the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique was far more difficult to practice than the top-level Swordsmanship of the Nine Swords of Sky Splitting.
Reaching the Entry Level requires comprehending Sword Intent, which is an extremely difficult step that traps many people for their entire lives, unable to ever grasp it.
And after reaching the Entry Level, continuing to improve is just as hard.
But with his 128-fold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, he could clearly feel his understanding of this Grandmaster-level Sword Technique steadily deepening.
With every thrust, his control over the Wind Sword Intent grew a fraction more refined.
With every practice of the Sword Techniques, his comprehension of the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique became a bit more profound.
’However, it’s impossible to break through Realms in Swordsmanship as quickly as before!’
Fang Han knew full well the exaggerated difficulty of cultivating a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique.
Even with his Swordsmanship Talent improved by the Sword-shaped Grass and the one-hundred-and-twenty-eight-fold Swordsmanship Talent Amplification, it was no longer possible to break through a Realm in a month, or even less, as he once had.
The word "Mental" is like an insurmountable mountain; every step up requires far more effort than the last.
’There’s no need to be impatient!’
But Fang Han did not grow impatient because of this.
Because corresponding to the difficulty, with every Realm he advanced in the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique, the increase in power would also far exceed what came before.
With each Realm’s advancement, its power would increase tenfold, or even more.
He focused his mind and continued practicing his Swordsmanship.
The Cloud Splitting Sword became a streak of cyan light in his hands, at times thrusting straight, at times slashing diagonally, at times sweeping horizontally.
Every strike was infused with Wind Sword Intent. Wherever the blade passed, thin fissures split the air, and crisscrossing gashes were plowed into the ground.
He was immersed in the insights of his Cultivation.
Suddenly, his expression changed drastically.