Beneath the nether god sword prison, Jiang Wuhen stood upon the air. The figure commanding the divine swords was the sole arbiter of the ages.
The devil god behind him was the Nether God guarding this prison of swords.
If the nether god sword prison were viewed as a sword formation, then the Nether God was its formation spirit.
The hundred-zhang great sword had been born from the power of the sword prison. As Jiang Wuhen gripped the blade, the several-hundred-zhang Nether God extended its own titanic hand and seized the great sword’s hilt.
“Lin Ziyan. It’s over!”
Jiang Wuhen’s voice exploded in every corner of the nether god sword prison like a thunderclap.
That figure standing in the air raised its sword and struck.
At the same time—
RUMBLE!
Heaven and earth shuddered!
The Nether God gripped the great sword, mirroring Jiang Wuhen’s exact posture, and brought it crashing down.
Beneath that single strike, everything within the nether god sword prison scattered and shattered like falling leaves.
The world in all four directions plunged into darkness and silence.
It was over.
The eight swords of the Azure Nether Sword Casket transformed into eight streaks of radiance and shot skyward, returning to orbit around Jiang Wuhen.
Jiang Wuhen descended from above, his overwhelming aura dissipating.
Not far off, Lin Ziyan’s face was deathly pale. The phantom behind her was laced with a web of cracks.
The brand at her brow, too, was on the verge of splitting apart.
Seeing this, Jiang Wuhen tapped his toe lightly. Beneath illusory dragon roaming, he blurred into an afterimage and appeared behind Lin Ziyan in an instant.
He raised his hand and threw a punch!
BOOM!
Spirit origin converged. The power of that one blow shattered both the teetering phantom and the brand at her brow into dust.
Pfft!
Lin Ziyan let out a choked gasp and sprayed a mouthful of blood.
[Ding dong. The host has challenged an opponent above his level and severely wounded the Daughter of Fortune. Reward: one hundred thousand villain points!]
The system notification rang out, and Jiang Wuhen’s eyes lit up.
“One punch, a severe wound, and a hundred thousand villain points. If I gave her a few more swords…”
At that thought, Jiang Wuhen pointed his finger. The Yanri Sword orbiting beside him became a streak of crimson radiance, its killing edge aimed at Lin Ziyan.
But just then—
“Stop!”
With a sharp cry, Yun Lan intervened, seizing Lin Ziyan back to her side through the air.
Lin Ziyan was the Divine Maiden Sect’s Saintess, a genius the sect had poured its resources into nurturing. She couldn’t let Jiang Wuhen stab her at will.
His strike cut empty air, and Jiang Wuhen felt a pang of disappointment.
He swept his hand and recalled the eight swords into the Azure Nether Sword Casket. Then he walked toward Yun Lan at an unhurried pace and smiled.
“Since this was a fair duel, for the Yunshang Divine Maiden to intervene… doesn’t that break the rules?”
Yun Lan’s eyes narrowed.
“This battle was meant to be a friendly exchange, martial artists comparing notes. Yet you struck with vicious intent, well aware that Ziyan had lost the ability to continue fighting, and still you raised your sword against her.”
“So young, and already so cruel. Once you’ve grown, won’t you become a scourge upon the land?”
Hearing this, Jiang Wuhen let out a scoff.
“Let me ask the Yunshang Divine Maiden: which eye of yours saw that Lin Ziyan lost her ability to fight?”
“She still holds her sword. She still stands across from me. As far as I’m concerned, that makes her a threat.”
“Tell me, has the Yunshang Divine Maiden never killed anyone in all her years of cultivation?”
At these words, Yun Lan was struck speechless.
“I… This Sect Master has only ever killed bad people.”
Yun Lan said coldly.
Jiang Wuhen shrugged.
“Bad people? Heh. What is a ‘bad person’ in your eyes?”
“Is anyone who stands across from you with a weapon in hand and becomes your enemy automatically a bad person?”
“In your eyes, I am a bad person.”
“Then in my eyes, what are you?”
“Everyone stands in a different place, with different interests. Do you mean to force your own perspective and judgment upon all who live? Anyone who contradicts you is a bad person, deserving of death?”
“By that logic, the Yunshang Divine Maiden’s tyranny truly reigns supreme over past and present!”
Jiang Wuhen said with a cold laugh.
“You…”
Yun Lan was left utterly at a loss for words.
[Ding dong. The host’s sharp rhetoric has overwhelmed the Divine Maiden Sect’s sect master in presence. Reward: five thousand villain points!]
Jiang Wuhen gave a quiet nod, then his gaze settled on Lin Ziyan.
She was pale as paper and exceedingly weak.
Dried blood stained the corners of her lips.
“Enough. I’m not the type to press an advantage beyond reason. Lin Ziyan, all you need to do is lower your sword and say the words ‘I concede,’ and I’ll accept that this battle is over.”
“Otherwise… I’ll take it as your wish to keep fighting me.”
Jiang Wuhen said gravely.
“Jiang Wuhen, don’t push it!”
“You may kill a person, but you must not destroy their heart. Ziyan is a sword cultivator who’d sooner break than bend.”
“Asking her to lower her sword and concede? That’s destroying her dao heart!”
Yun Lan said with a frown.
Jiang Wuhen waved his hand dismissively.
“Why are you always butting in?”
“Is it that she can’t speak for herself, or does she not even have the courage to say what’s in her heart?”
“Since time immemorial, who has dared claim invincibility? Who has dared say they cannot fall? If a single defeat can destroy her dao heart, then it only proves that her dao heart was… fragile beyond use.”
“In that case, better to shatter it and rebuild from the ashes!”
Jiang Wuhen said without the slightest politeness.
[Ding dong. The host has rebuked the Divine Maiden Sect’s sect master. Reward: three thousand villain points!]
“Jiang Wuhen… leave a thread of mercy…”
Lin Ziyan’s voice was barely a whisper.
Before the words were fully out, Jiang Wuhen cut her off.
“Are you trying to teach me how to do things?”
“This is how I do things!”
“Now, I’ll ask you one question. Do you concede, or not?”
As he spoke, Jiang Wuhen’s gaze glinted, the might of his double pupils radiating faintly.
Beside them, Yun Lan seethed, yet she was wary of Luo Qingning.
If the two sides came to blows now, it would mean an open rupture, and on enemy territory, she stood no chance of victory.
“Ziyan…”
Left with no choice, Yun Lan looked to Lin Ziyan.
The next moment, Lin Ziyan let out a soft sigh. The purple sword slipped from her fingers and struck the ground with a clear ring.
Then, her red lips parted.
“I… I concede…”
In that moment, her face turned even paler.
[Ding dong. The host’s relentless pressure has caused the Daughter of Fortune’s dao heart to sustain damage. Reward: one hundred thousand villain points!]
The notification sounded, and Jiang Wuhen nodded quietly.
Mm, now that felt good.
At that moment, Yun Lan’s gaze toward Jiang Wuhen carried a new depth of resentment.
“Hmph. Jiang Wuhen. My Divine Maiden Sect remembers what happened today!”
Yun Lan said gravely.
Jiang Wuhen smiled.
“Don’t be so quick to tally up debts, Yunshang Divine Maiden. Have you forgotten your wager with my Shizun?”
At these words, Yun Lan’s body stiffened and her expression soured.
Back then, both she and Lin Ziyan had been utterly certain of victory, and so they had wagered that should they lose, Lin Ziyan, Fengxi, and the rest would be at the Heavenly One Immortal Sect’s disposal.
Fengxi and the Thirteen Guards of Star-Moon Palace were the backbone of the Divine Maiden Sect’s fighting strength, and Lin Ziyan was the sect’s future.
One defeat had cast them all into the Heavenly One Immortal Sect’s fire.
“You… what do you intend?”
Yun Lan said gravely.
Jiang Wuhen chuckled.
“I don’t care about the others. Let my Shizun name their price. As for me, all I want is… your Purple Cloud Saintess, Lin Ziyan, as my maidservant!”
At these words, Lin Ziyan’s beautiful eyes flew wide open despite her depleted state.
“You… over my dead body—”
Pfft!
Before the words were fully out, rage struck her like a physical blow.
A mouthful of blood sprayed out, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, unconscious.
Jiang Wuhen sighed helplessly.
“Damaged like this, you can’t exactly deliver the goods.”
“Take her back and tend to her properly. When she’s fully recovered, send her to be my maidservant.”
Then, Jiang Wuhen turned to Luo Qingning and cupped his fists.
“Shizun, your disciple has other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave!”
Luo Qingning nodded.
“Mm. This battle has been fruitful for you. Go back and reflect on it well. A breakthrough may follow.”
“Your disciple understands!”
Jiang Wuhen cupped his fists and departed.
Not far off, a figure in white took in every detail of the scene.
“Shizun. Jiang Wuhen… is so strong. Even with her secret art, Lin Ziyan couldn’t wound him in the slightest.”
“In this life, will I truly have a chance to rise above him?”
Xiao Chen’s expression was heavy, his voice almost a murmur to himself.
“Little Chen, everyone has their own fate. Each person is granted their own destiny and fortune. When you first stepped onto the path of cultivation, your purpose was never to rise above any one person.”
“You have only one true opponent, and that is… yourself.”
“You have raised the blaze art to the saint grade, yes, but your journey of cultivation has only just begun. Once you subdue the Eternal Green Spirit Flame, there is no reason… you cannot stand as Jiang Wuhen’s equal.”
The mysterious voice echoed from the depths of Xiao Chen’s consciousness.
“Shizun. I understand…”
Xiao Chen nodded.
“Haha! Now that’s a teachable mind!”
“However, what you should be thinking about right now isn’t cultivation. It’s that fiancée of yours…”
The mysterious voice reminded him.
“Lin Ziyan?”
“Her unstable dao heart is her own affair. What can I do to help?”
“And besides, Jiang Wuhen is right. If a single defeat is enough to shatter her dao heart, then this loss is actually a good thing for her.”
“As for whether she can shatter and rebuild, that depends on her own fortune.”
Xiao Chen said evenly.
“Haha. What this old man is talking about isn’t cultivation.”
“Didn’t you hear? Jiang Wuhen wants to take your fiancée as his maidservant.”
“Tsk tsk, Little Chen. Even if you don’t harbor much feeling for her… that is still a marriage your family arranged for you. Besides, your Xiao Clan and the Lin Clan have been on good terms for generations. If Lin Ziyan truly becomes that Jiang Wuhen’s maidservant, not only will your face suffer, both great clans… will lose face.”
The mysterious voice laughed.
Hearing this, Xiao Chen frowned.
“Shizun, why does it sound like you’re a bit… taking pleasure in my misfortune?”
“Still, what you say makes sense.”
As he spoke, a thoughtful look crossed Xiao Chen’s face.
“Though I have no wish to face Jiang Wuhen… this time… I have no choice but to seek him out…”
…
Meanwhile, beside the Heavenly One Divine Hall, a lithe figure in white streaked past like a passing swan and followed in Jiang Wuhen’s wake.
