Chapter 267 - 263: Sword Dance at Immortal Spring
Chapter 267: Chapter 263: Sword Dance at Immortal Spring
As news of the battle spread, White Cloud’s reputation soared. The once-obscure city had, for the first time, captured the attention of the nation’s elite, storming onto the stage of the Southern Tang Country with overwhelming force!
Golden Scale Imperial City was the Imperial Capital of the Southern Tang Country—its political, economic, and cultural heart. The city was incredibly prosperous, a gathering place for Martial Artists, and home to many great clans and even Innate Sects.
「Golden Scale Imperial City, Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.」
"Father Emperor, that White Cloud City dared to slaughter the army of our Tang Country! It’s abominable. This isn’t just a military loss; it’s a blow to the prestige of our Tang Country. Your son implores you, Father Emperor, to allow me to lead an army to attack White Cloud City! We will capture that Lord White Cloud and bring him back for you to pass judgment!" Crown Prince Li Yu of the Southern Tang Country said, cupping his hands as he made his request.
At the desk in the Imperial Study, Emperor Li Bi of the Southern Tang Country was reviewing memorials. Hearing this, he glanced up at Crown Prince Li Yu and said flatly, "Our Southern Tang is currently at war with the Southern Chu. This is not the time to stir up more trouble."
"Father Emperor, you needn’t worry," Crown Prince Li Yu said eagerly. "The Border Legion will handle the war with Southern Chu. We still have idle armies domestically, more than enough to send another force to attack White Cloud City!"
Emperor Li Bi of the Southern Tang Country frowned. "Attack White Cloud City? I lost seventy thousand of my hundred-thousand-strong army in Red Sun Province. Even Grand General Ouyang Xu was killed. And you want to send *how many* more to attack it?"
"Father Emperor, if one hundred thousand men weren’t enough, then we’ll send two hundred thousand!" Crown Prince Li Yu said. "The Southern Tang Country has soldiers to spare. I refuse to believe we can’t breach a single, tiny White Cloud City."
SLAM!
Hearing this, Emperor Li Bi slammed his hand on the desk, roaring with uncontrollable anger, "You damn fool! Do you want me to lose another two hundred thousand soldiers?! Our Tang Country is in a critical period right now. The war with Southern Chu could escalate at any moment! If we don’t keep some forces in reserve, how do you expect to cope?"
"But Father Emperor, that Lord White Cloud has a treasure worth over a million Gold Coins—" Crown Prince Li Yu said urgently. He tried to say more, but Emperor Li Bi picked up an inkstone and hurled it at him.
"Get out!" Emperor Li Bi ordered coldly. "You absolute idiot. Get out of the Imperial Study this instant!"
Crown Prince Li Yu shivered in fear, hurriedly turning tail and fleeing the Imperial Study.
"What an incorrigible fool. He’s completely unteachable. If the future of the nation is entrusted to him... Sigh! If he weren’t my only son, why would I ever have made this idiot the Crown Prince!" Emperor Li Bi’s face was ashen, his expression grim.
"Your Majesty, please do not be so angry. It is bad for your health," the old eunuch in attendance quickly soothed. "Truly, the Crown Prince was acting with good intentions. With the national treasury depleted, he only wished to help alleviate Your Majesty’s worries."
"Sigh... a million Gold Coins. Do you think I’m not tempted?" Emperor Li Bi’s eyes glinted as he mused aloud. "But White Cloud City is no weakling. Their methods seem endless, and we still know nothing of their true foundations. Attacking rashly is too risky; it would only create a powerful enemy for nothing. According to the intelligence from the front, it is an immensely powerful and mysterious city. Only the strong are worthy of possessing such a treasure!"
...
In the dead of winter, a cold wind howled, sweeping up withered yellow leaves that twirled in the air before fluttering down to blanket the ground.
「More than a month had passed since the great battle.」
「White Cloud Mountain, Immortal Spring Manor.」
HWOOSH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Waves of Sword Roars echoed through the manor. Amidst a sky full of dancing leaves, a young man in green robes could be seen performing a sword dance in the wind. His Sword Skill was fluid and elegant, alternating between fast and slow, a natural, seamless blend of motion and stillness.
The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword flashed, creating arcs of light. A powerful yet subtle wind stirred around him, causing the fallen leaves to dance in a predictable rhythm.
If an expert in Swordsmanship were present, they would undoubtedly be astounded by the young man’s sublime skill. To have cultivated his Sword Skill to the flawless Great Success Realm at such a young age was incredible.
This sword dancer was, of course, Ye Xing. For the past month, aside from handling a few necessary matters, he had dedicated almost all of his time to his training.
After thirty to forty days of focused, arduous training, thanks to his astonishing comprehension and diligent Cultivation, Ye Xing’s Stepping Skill, Body Skill, and Sword Skill had all successively reached the Great Success Realm. As for his Inner Power Cultivation, it had achieved the true Peak of the Ninth Realm.
His previous state at the Peak of the Ninth Realm could only be considered a pseudo-peak. Back then, his True Qi had not been fully refined. It was a complex and impure mixture, containing True Qi he had absorbed from both Liu Lihong and Cao Bohao. Time had been of the essence in the Daluo Sect Treasure Land, so he had only performed a preliminary refinement, leaving his True Qi chaotic and unconsolidated. As a result, even though his Cultivation was at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, his true combat power would have ranked him somewhere below the top one hundred.
Now, after his arduous training, his various Cultivation Skills had all reached Great Success, and his True Qi had become perfectly unified and whole. It had all been converted into the pure True Qi of the Innate Skill. His combat power was on a completely different level than before; in just over a month, it had surged by several degrees.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
CLANG!
He finished his sword routine and sheathed his Treasure Sword. The surrounding leaves, no longer propelled by the sword’s wind, drifted aimlessly to the ground.
Withered yellow leaves. In the dead of winter, even a place as beautiful as Immortal Spring Manor revealed a trace of desolation, adding to the melancholic atmosphere.
’I still remember when Mengxue and I first met, right here in the Lake Heart Pavilion. It’s only been a few months since I saw her, but it feels like a lifetime has passed!’ Ye Xing’s gaze filled with longing as he looked pensively toward the pavilion.
The Lake Heart Pavilion stood in the center of the lake at the foot of a cliff.
Green pines and lush trees adorned the cliff face, from which a waterfall cascaded. The falls were like a bolt of white silk, pouring down the cliff and crashing onto the lake’s surface with a great RUSH. Jade-green waves flowed outward, sending ripples across the water in ever-widening circles.
SWOOSH!
Ye Xing pushed off the ground, his body soaring into the air. He activated his Lightweight Skill, somersaulting over the lake’s surface to land steadily inside the Lake Heart Pavilion.
Inside the pavilion sat a Guqin covered in a thick layer of dust, as if it were a testament to the passage of time.
He gently brushed his fingers across the strings. Longing washed over his heart like a flood. In a daze, it was as if he could once again hear the beautiful, enchanting music of the fair lady playing the Guqin, and scenes from the past began to surface in his mind.
Back then, he had been nothing but a reckless, hot-headed youth, a complete novice when it came to the Martial Dao. He had relied on the Cultivation Skill Mengxue had given him, training with all his might as she patiently guided him.
How beautiful the evening sunset was!
On White Cloud Mountain, one could always find a fair lady with her face hidden behind a light veil. A gentle breeze would stir the dark strands of hair at her brow as her slender, jade-like fingers danced across the strings of the Guqin, releasing one beautiful note after another. Two Little Maids, one in red and one in green, stood playfully to the side, giggling as they critiqued the scene before them. And in the clearing ahead, a young man in green robes would be dancing with his sword in the wind, earnestly practicing his Sword Skill, lost in the atmosphere created by the music.
The memories of that easy and happy life surfaced in his heart, one by one.
The setting sun is infinitely beautiful; it’s just that dusk is near.
’Without strength, how can I protect what is beautiful? In this cruel Martial Arts Continent, all I can do is fight desperately to grow stronger.’
"I’ve heard the rules at Cold Moon Palace are incredibly strict. Mengxue, are you doing alright over there? Soon. I will come for you soon and bring you back to White Cloud City to marry you in grand style. Very soon. It won’t be long now! It won’t be long!" Ye Xing murmured, his gaze becoming incredibly resolute as he stared off toward the distant Central Plains Martial Arts world.