Chapter 288: Chapter 12 Flying Sword Slash Yellow Dragon
At 7:15 PM.
Iron Pillar Temple quieted down, with only sporadic lights still flickering.
The room of the temple master was one of those where the lamps hadn’t been extinguished yet.
Tong Yuanzi sat casually on a cushion, his robe loosely draped, chest exposed, gently waving a palm leaf fan in his hand, with Qingfeng and Mingyue, two Daoist boys, massaging his shoulders behind him.
Below him, a Taoist who had clashed with Jiang Li during the day, reported with his right arm slung, "The rocks, broken branches, and fallen leaves outside the dining hall have been cleaned up. The sword marks and pits on the ground have also been repaired by a fellow practitioner possessing the Earth Spirit Child’s Dao Fruit. The Fourth Prince and his attendants have settled in the East Wing Room, while Jiang Li and Benefactor Meng Xiwu are staying in the West Wing Room."
"All the lamps in both wing rooms have been extinguished, and only outside His Highness’s door is a guard constantly stationed. The rest have presumably already rested."
"That’s good," Tong Yuanzi, waving his fan, sighed softly, "Let’s hope there won’t be any conflicts among those who remain."
He was truly afraid of these guests.
"Zong Hai, in the coming days, you need to pay extra attention. If an accident occurs, come and notify me immediately. No, if they meet, report to me immediately, and I will personally accompany them."
Tong Yuanzi spoke earnestly, "Also, remind the other fellow practitioners in the temple to best keep a distance from that group. Our temple is a place for quiet cultivation, and all fellow practitioners have left the secular world’s troubles behind; it’s best not to get involved again. The death of Zong Ming serves as a warning, and they should take it as a lesson."
"Yes."
Zong Hai nodded, though somewhat reluctantly, he said, "Jiang Li killed Zong Ming and yet we allow him to stay..."
"Zong Ming chose to involve himself in the secular world and thus had to face its consequences," Tong Yuanzi sternly interrupted, "Among the remaining practitioners, there must be those still in contact with outsiders, otherwise the matter of the Dao Fruit wouldn’t have leaked so easily. Inform them that if they wish to involve themselves in the secular world, they should leave immediately to avoid disturbing the peace of the others."
"It’s also late, you should go back to rest."
Tong Yuanzi dismissed him, and though Zong Hai was reluctant, he still bowed and turned to leave.
Tong Yuanzi watched as the door closed from outside, uttering another sigh, "It’s no longer peaceful."
"Does the temple master mean that Brother Zong Hai also wishes to return to the secular world?" Qingfeng asked while continuing his massage.
"Reaching the Sixth Grade, able to roam about the world; to stay in the temple with all that ability unused, who could endure it?" Tong Yuanzi shook his head, "In the past, if they wanted to leave, they could. But now, with the situation as it is, stepping into the secular world could very well bring about mortal danger."
"Is that why you sold the Pure Yang True Man’s Dao Fruit?" Mingyue asked.
"What sold!"
Tong Yuanzi smacked the Dao boy on the head with his fan, "I was merely protecting myself wisely. Since the news of the Sixth Grade Unique Dao Fruit leaked, it could not be kept secret, and I acted out of safety for our temple, even at the cost of my reputation."
At this point, Tong Yuanzi seemed to remember something and asked, "This afternoon, where did you come across Zong Hai?"
"Near Tongming Hall," Qingfeng replied after a moment’s thought.
"How close?"
"About a hundred paces."
"A hundred paces..."
For a Sixth Grade Practitioner, a hundred paces was not immediate, but it was certainly very close.
He was so near, yet he arrived late, likely giving Zong Ming the chance to manipulate the Array and dig out Jiang Li’s flaws. But unexpectedly, Jiang Li forcefully broke through the Array and stormed into Iron Pillar Temple, performing an immediate turnaround.
"Indeed, Zong Hai too, cannot resist the temptations of peace," Tong Yuanzi sighed.
...
...
Outside the cassock room, Dream Butterfly silently took flight, moving both slowly and rapidly across the corridor, catching up with Zong Hai who had left just moments before.
The conversation between Tong Yuanzi and Zong Hai was clearly heard by Dream Butterfly, especially the last part, letting the master of Dream Butterfly know who might be linked to the deceased Zong Ming.
Tonight, as always, the moon was bright and stars were scant, moonlight glistening, covering the rooftops and ground of Iron Pillar Temple with a layer of silver frost.
Dream Butterfly fluttered under the moonlight, flickering in and out of sight, its crystalline wings reflecting the moonlight at times and letting it pass through at others, casting an intermittent shadow on the ground.
It silently followed behind, undetectable even by Zong Hai whose abilities reached the Sixth Grade.
Zong Hai made his way past three great halls. When passing by the courtyard outside the East Wing Room, he glanced inside from a distance, catching sight of one of the night guards, before proceeding without pause.
Yet, he did not return to the dormitory where the temple’s Taoists resided, but suddenly lowered his stature, moving into the shadows with an extremely secretive step, merging with the shadow as if becoming one with it, quickly skirting under the eaves around the dormitory, arriving at a courtyard wall, and vaulting over it.
Outside the wall was a forest, from where Daoist Zong Hai swiftly gained speed, soon reaching a deep part of the woods.
Here, dense branches and leaves obstructed most of the moonlight, making Zong Hai’s figure increasingly difficult to discern. However, upon reaching this spot, he stopped.
Because in the shadows ahead, a figure clad in black with a black veil and cap covering the face stood silently.
Upon seeing Zong Hai arrive, the figure in black didn’t say much, simply stretching out a hand.
Zong Hai immediately took a sealed letter from his sleeve and handed it over to the person in black.
"All the events of today are detailed in the letter," Zong Hai whispered.
"Continue keeping an eye on the Fourth Prince and Jiang Li," the man in black replied in a strange voice.
Dream Butterfly silently landed on the branch of a large tree and saw the two briefly converse before immediately parting ways; Zong Hai returned to the Iron Pillar Temple, while the man in black headed straight toward Dragon Abyss Lake.
Meanwhile, in one of the rooms in the West Wing Room of the Iron Pillar Temple, Jiang Li was seated cross-legged on a couch, his body enveloped in invisible Sword Qi, while simultaneously observing the two men converse through Dream Butterfly.
Hearing the command of the man in black, Jiang Li felt intrigued, ’So he is not one of the Fourth Prince’s men?’
The Fourth Prince’s public persona was one of disinterest in power, dedicated to spiritual practice, often staying at the Iron Pillar Temple to study Daoist scriptures and discuss mysterious principles with the temple Taoists. Given his frequent interactions with the temple Taoists, it would be easy for him to plant spies if he so wished.
Once Jiang Li realized the duality of the Fourth Prince, he immediately suspected that Zong Ming was one of his men. Now, however, it seemed the situation was unexpectedly different.
Seeing the two part ways, Jiang Li weighed his options.
’Dream Butterfly can’t stray too far from me. Unless I act personally, I can’t follow this man in black. Given that ...’
Zong Hai was right before his eyes, easy to observe directly, while the man in black was about to move out of the observation area and it was uncertain when he would contact Zong Hai again. Reluctant to act personally, Jiang Li made his decision.
’Since I don’t know when he’ll return, he’s of no value anymore. It might be better to use you as bait to lure out the person behind you.’
Jiang Li swept his right hand over his knee, and the Sword Light flickered; a stream of Sword Qi emerged from his palm and landed on his knees, forming a sword shape.
After nurturing it throughout part of the night, the Great Circle Sword had recovered more than half its former state and could now manifest a complete sword shape, although its power was not as strong as before.
The newly restored Great Circle Sword still had a transparent blade, resembling crystal or glazed glass, with only faint flows of Primordial Qi inside. Occasionally, these flows formed strings of runes, and the sword itself looked sleeker than before, making it distinguishable from the previous Great Circle Sword.
This was naturally to prevent others from recognizing the origin of the Great Circle Sword.
"Go."
Jiang Li touched his finger to his brow ridge, his Divine Sense merged with the sword, and the Great Circle Sword instantly transformed into a beam of Sword Light. After circling in the air, it flew out of the half-open window like a spirit snake and soared into the sky.
The clear, transparent Sword Light melded with the moonlight, nearly invisible as it streaked across the sky, quickly catching up to the man in black.
This was the Dao Fruit Ability "Flying Sword Slash Yellow Dragon."
With Jiang Li’s strength, his Flying Sword could not behead someone thousands of miles away but had a range of about ten miles. If pushed, it could extend a few more miles, but then the precision would be completely unreliable.
However, this was sufficient.
Guided by Dream Butterfly, the Flying Sword soared through the sky.
Under the observation of the flittering Dream Butterfly, the man in black arrived at the edge of Dragon Abyss Lake and boarded a small boat to leave the shore.
Then, when he was about a mile from the shore, the Sword Light descended from the sky with the speed of thunder, targeting the figure on the boat.
The sword was silent, but its force was tangible. The sudden fierceness startled the man in black, who turned around abruptly only to see a beam of Sword Light descending from the sky, its Sword Qi almost merging with the bright moonlight, indistinguishable between the moonlight and Sword Light, exquisitely beautiful.
Yet to the man in black, it brought extreme terror.
"Ah!"
He let out a shrill scream, and a black shadow burst forth from his right palm, twirling like a dragon snake, its chillness clearing the air, weaving an invisible web of cold with its movements.
Then the Sword Light arrived, piercing through the gaps of the black shadow and suddenly divided into four Sword Shadows -- this was the Sword Light Division.
The domineering and fierce Sword Qi crisscrossed, instantly shredding the net of chill and severing the black shadow. The force of the Demon Cleansing True Qi was fully evident, completely impervious to the chill, tearing it apart.
"Bang!"
The explosion of chill enveloped the severed black shadow as it flew apart, while the core of the Sword Light continued straight forward.
The man in black felt his courage shatter, frantically gathering his True Qi, raising both hands as black, cold frost flowed. Yet, the Sword Light was faster, swifter.
Like lightning, it struck across his right arm, and the man in black instantly felt his right arm go numb, the chill dissipating uncontrollably into a puff of black mist due to the loss of control.
However, shockingly, there were no visible wounds on his right arm.
The Heavenly Escape Sword Skill allowed one to sever delusions, anger, and greed. If mastered, it could sever a person’s thoughts. Although Jiang Li was only a beginner, he could entirely sever the soul with intent.
The Sword Light flew past, then curved upwards instantaneously, flexible yet precise, whirling around the man’s neck, slaying the soul and severing the spirit.
His eyes, filled with shock, suddenly froze, becoming lifeless as his body slowly fell backward, causing the_small boat to dip_and_resurface.
In just the blink of an eye, this man in black was dead under Jiang Li’s sword.
At the same time—
[You feel an indiscernible resonance with your Dao Fruit.]
"Huh?"
Jiang Li, seeing the text appear before him, couldn’t help but be stunned, "So it seems I don’t need to be a hero, just eliminating evil will do."
"However, one instance isn’t enough to prove the truth; more verification is needed."