391: Chapter 3: Brushing Past the Clouds 391: Chapter 3: Brushing Past the Clouds “Yes.”
“Fang Hang was killed by me.”
Xie Xuanyi’s voice echoed on the top floor of the Yuanqing Building.
These two sentences were delivered with exceptionally straightforward clarity.
The entire Xining Street froze for a moment.
The expression of Master Li from Tai Shang House also froze for a moment; he hadn’t expected Xie Zhen to admit so openly to the murder.
Originally, his “Heart Thunder” was just meant to reveal Xie Zhen’s Heart Lake and prevent lying, but now this youngster had just spoken the truth outright…
“Good.
Very good.”
Li Chen stepped forward, no longer concealing his killing intent.
Thunder thundered!
The Tai Shang House Master, disregarding the disparity in status between them, took direct action.
He threw his horsetail whisk towards Xie Xuanyi, and a colossal surge of thunder from the sky above cascaded down.
Thousands of strands of thunder in the air coalesced into a giant hand, slamming down towards the top of Xie Xuanyi’s head!
Xie Xuanyi’s eyes narrowed.
His face expressionless, his two fingers were already placed at the position between his eyebrows.
Just as the Sword Qi Lotus was about to form.
Xie Xuanyi slightly raised his eyebrows, sensing a familiar presence… and immediately released the fingers he had held at his forehead.
“Rip!”
The void fissured, and the Sword Sound resonated loudly!
Above the Yuanqing Building, thunder whirled, clouds densely packed; suddenly, a snow-white flying sword burst forth from the sky.
As soon as this sword appeared, it was barraged by countless bolts of thunder, but with a mere gentle shake of the sword, it dispersed all the thunder power.
Atop the snow-white flying sword stood a figure of a woman in black garments.
This woman was extremely young, her figure incredibly swaying, and with her sleeves flaring, Sword Qi leaked out, shattering the entire expanse of the Thunder Pool sky.
All in just a moment.
She landed on the Yuanqing Building, standing behind Xie Xuanyi.
The giant hand, formed from countless thunders, fell behind her first.
The young woman didn’t look back, merely keeping her hands behind her, as numerous Sword Qi pierced down from the broken sky like the first light of dawn, eventually all condensing into substantial Sword Qi, suspended above Xining Street.
“Master Li, after all, you’ve lived for over half a century.”
“To take action against a younger generation like this… Isn’t that a bit unseemly?”
The young woman’s voice was calm, yet clearly carrying a hint of killing intent.
The flying sword, having slashed through the air and come to a halt above the Yuanqing Building, faintly formed a Sword Array.
The heavens and the earth cleared anew.
Sword Qi surged, the Thunder Pool shattered, and the clouds reformed under the guidance of Sword Intent, transforming into strands and strands of watery silk, flowing and swaying.
Someone recognized this flying sword.
“Flying Clouds…”
Recognizing the flying sword was tantamount to recognizing the newcomer.
“Zhao Chunyang’s closed-door disciple, the successor Peak Master of Lotus Peak after Xie Xuanyi, Huang Su!”
Xining Street plunged into chaos.
The crowd’s expressions became animated.
No wonder Xie Zhen dared to enter the city alone; it turned out his sect was backing him up… Hearing that Huang Su is recently the youngest Yin God Sword Immortal, does her arrival imply that Zhao Chunyang is also watching over the Imperial City?
“Master… Uncle.”
Xie Xuanyi turned to look at Huang Su, his eyes slightly surprised.
He hadn’t told anyone about his return to Great Chu, which meant he had intended to handle the situation in the Imperial City alone.
Huang Su’s appearance was purely accidental.
But how many accidents can there be in this world?
Xie Xuanyi knew Huang Su must have been keeping an eye on the movements within the Imperial City… the moment the Master from Tai Shang House made his move, she too had moved.
Only he didn’t show himself.
Huang Su couldn’t afford to show herself either.
The moment she had been waiting for was now.
“Between you and me, no need for many words.”
Huang Su said with her usual expression, “Let’s save the pleasantries for after the storm.”
“…”
Xie Xuanyi silently smiled to himself, feeling a wave of warmth.
Truly, she was the junior sister he cherished the most.
“Huang Su.”
Li Chen watched the woman in black, his brow furrowed.
Actually, his impression of Huang Su wasn’t deep; the last time they met, Huang Su was still a little girl.
How long had it been, just a short dozen years, and she had become a Yin God Sword Immortal?
What astonished him even more was the flying sword currently hovering around the Yuanqing Building.
When Flying Clouds broke through the Thunder Technique.
He felt the chilling killing intent above the flying sword… The Sword Intent of this new master of Lotus Peak was extremely strong.
Although it couldn’t compare to Xie Xuanyi’s “Rule of Destruction” from back then, it was likely also some top-level path.
Coupled with “Top-level Spiritual Treasure” bestowed by Zhao Chunyang.
Huang Su, freshly initiated into the Yin God Realm, could at the very least display combat strength above ten realms.
He certainly had confidence in his victory.
But this was the Great Chu Imperial City!
What would be the outcome if two Yin Gods started a war without regard for the consequences?
Those Yang Gods in the Imperial City certainly wouldn’t sit idly by.
Actually, Li Chen’s plan was quite simple; since Xie Zhen had shown himself, he would get the truth.
Debts must be repaid, a life for a life, it’s only natural.
Before numerous obstacles arrive, he would quickly kill Xie Zhen to avenge his disciple.
What happens afterward.
Would be discussed later.
Yuan Jimo feared him because he truly could be described as a “madman”; knowing that Zhao Chunyang was behind Xie Zhen, but Li Chen still dared to strike fatally.
Unfortunately…
Huang Su had appeared, and the situation had changed.
Li Chen had to consider one thing, which was whether, in the presence of Huang Su, he could kill Xie Zhen by unleashing his power without regard to his own image.
“Xie Zhen killed my disciples, how should this account be settled?”
Li Chen’s eyes drooped, seemingly regaining his composure.
But in reality, his fingers were still clenched around the horsetail whisk, the Thunder Technique had dispersed, but the thunder had not ceased; amidst the flowing clouds overhead, the sound of muffled thunder still lingered.
“Conflict among peers…
If elders can intervene, what’s the meaning of the great world?”
Huang Su said, “This account can be settled by any Cave Heaven Realm member of Tai Shang House, or by the younger disciples.
But if you take action, then I will draw my sword.”
Li Chen’s face was expressionless.
He was protective.
Lotus Peak was also protective.
Some matters cannot be resolved through discussion to the satisfaction of both parties.
At such moments, the only option is to resort to force, the mightier fist dictates the greater truth.
Just as Li Chen was about to unleash the Supreme Thunder Technique a second time, Xie Zhen’s voice rang out again.
“Wait…”
Xie Xuanyi put down his wine cup, heaving a light sigh.
He hadn’t expected Huang Su to arrive today, nor had he anticipated that the conflict with Tai Shang House would escalate like this.
So he stood up, interrupting the two.
By now, he seemed to have become the one who should remain silent the most.
Xie Xuanyi gave Huang Su a “composed” look, then smiled at the Pavilion Master of Tai Shang House, throwing out a piercing question, “Aren’t you curious why I killed Fang Hang?”
The meeting today was deliberately set at Yuanqing Building.
Xining Street was crowded.
In a place like the Imperial City, news travels fast.
The news here must have already spread throughout the streets and alleys by now.
As the person involved, Xie Zhen’s every word, every character, was clearly captured and clearly disseminated.
Li Chen’s frown deepened.
If this hadn’t been a public setting, why would he have allowed Xie Zhen the opportunity to speak a word?
“Here.”
Xie Xuanyi took out a bamboo scroll imprinted with Divine Soul, tossing it toward the Pavilion Master of Tai Shang House; simultaneously, he threw another scroll outside of Yuanqing Building.
“…”
Li Chen caught it with a flick of his sleeve, just a glance at the Divine Soul made his expression turn very ugly.
Outside Yuanqing Building.
It reflected parts of the scene inside the Dragon Array.
Right from the beginning, Xie Xuanyi had used the Divine Soul Treasure Technique to etch the images of the Dragon Array; the reason he had not explained himself to Shang Yi was partly out of disdain, and partly because it was pointless.
What he had been waiting for was to return to the Imperial City for a reckoning!
Xie Xuanyi knew what awaited him after the Northern Hunt…
By killing Fang Hang and Xie Sheng, a deluge of slander was bound to fall from the sky.
His task was not to exhaustively argue, to explain to those young cultivators, to win their favor and agreement.
His task was to release parts of the Divine Soul images in front of the entire world!
The images depicted the deadly struggle between himself, Fang Hang, and Xie Sheng!
This jade scroll naturally could not include all the causes and effects of the conflict; Xie Xuanyi only explained why he had acted against “Fang Hang” –
“The reason I killed Fang Hang is simple.”
“He wanted to kill me.
I had no choice but to kill him.”
The images etched on this bamboo scroll, after being reflected once, were immediately destroyed; the scroll exploded in the air into a burst of smoke, but that was no longer important, as many people had already remembered the contents of the images!
Xie Xuanyi looked at the Pavilion Master of Tai Shang House and calmly asked, “Does this answer satisfy you?”
Li Chen’s expression was livid as he tightly clutched the broken jade scroll.
This was the last response he wanted to see.
In the Cultivation World, many die every day, the Great Path is unpredictable, swords and blades are blind.
To achieve the status of Yin God or Yang God,
How could one not compete, how could one not kill?
Conflict among peers, mutual murderous intents, the victor lives, the defeated dies… This is the iron law tacitly agreed upon in the Cultivation World for thousands of years, survival of the fittest, the strongest rise to the top!
If he had been Fang Hang’s senior or junior brother.
If he had not been an older master by decades, he would have had the right today to avenge Fang Hang.
But the dignity and the status of the Taoist sects were at stake, the difference in age and status meant he had to abide by this iron law.
“This Divine Soul bamboo scroll… its contents are incomplete.”
The Pavilion Master of Tai Shang House took a deep breath, suppressing his anger to regain his composure.
He vaguely felt that something was amiss.
With confusion, Li Chen slowly spoke, “I have the right to know what exactly happened in that battle.
You are the final victor, it can’t be just your words alone.
If you truly have a clear conscience, why use the Divine Soul Treasure Technique to edit the battle images, why not release them all at once?”
“Fair point.”
Xie Xuanyi asked, “Master Li speaks rightly, of course, I have a clear conscience… However, according to what Master Li has said, the right to know the truth of this battle isn’t limited to just Master Li, right?”
Li Chen paused slightly, wondering what this young man was playing at.
He organized his thoughts and said gravely, “That is indeed the case!”
“On a Cloud Ship review, it was revealed that Prince Jiangning also died by your hand.”
Li Chen spoke coldly, “Prince Jiangning has also arrived in the Imperial City, he’ll be here soon!
He too has the right to know the truth!”
Outside Yuanqing Building, the crowd was in an uproar, the already noisy Xining Street fell into chaos.
Hooves thundered like drums.
Then someone shouted loudly.
“Prince Jiangning has arrived, unrelated individuals, please step aside!”