Borrowed Sword

Chapter 245 : Questioning Spring and Autumn Mountain with the Sword

Chapter 245: Questioning Spring and Autumn Mountain with the Sword

"Yuchi Huaide, Yuchi Huaide, Yuchi Huaide."

Xu Ziqing's eyes grew increasingly red, killing intent spreading without end. His mind trembled in unrest, and he even felt the urge to rush to Spring and Autumn Mountain to kill right away.

Such scum—he dared name himself "Huaide" (Virtue-cherisher)!

Han Shuangjiang stood by, her eyes tinged with concern.

It was the first time she had seen Little Xu like this.

This handsome youth with a male body and feminine features, often mistaken for a woman in male disguise, now had a face twisted with rage!

Suddenly, a large hand landed on his shoulder.

"Little Xu." A deep voice called him back to awareness.

Chu Huaixu used his left hand. The warm current of 【Southward Sunlight】 began to flow through Xu Ziqing's entire body, dispelling the inner demons of karmic entanglement from his heart.

—"All evils, begone."

Naturally, he wouldn't demand Xu Ziqing to let go of his obsession. He merely didn’t want Little Xu to fall too deep just yet.

Snapping back to his senses, Xu Ziqing immediately bowed deeply toward Chu Huaixu, voice trembling as he exclaimed:

"Senior Brother’s great kindness and virtue, Ziqing shall never forget!"

He wouldn’t question how Chu Huaixu came to know—he could only imagine how much his Senior Brother had sacrificed!

The Xuanhuang Realm was vast and filled with countless people.

To find the killer was no easy feat.

Xu Ziqing had long wanted revenge. It was one of his driving forces to live.

Yet his hatred had always been vague and ungrounded, intangible, for he hadn’t known—who should I kill?

Harboring hatred without a target made it all the more tormenting.

But now, everything was different.

His gratitude toward his Senior Brother had reached its peak.

At this very moment, whatever Chu Huaixu asked of him, he would obey without hesitation.

Han Shuangjiang couldn’t help but sigh softly. "To think, even among the Four Great Sects, there’d be such a venomous-hearted villain!"

This had clearly shattered her perception.

She had seen some darkness since entering the sect.

She had increasingly agreed with Chu Huaixu’s words: in this world, people aren’t simply good or evil. Most lie in shades of gray—some light, some dark.

But to exterminate an entire family, sparing neither elderly nor infants—how was this any different from a demon?

"He's not human!" Xu Ziqing gnashed his teeth.

The horrific scene of his family’s deaths once again surfaced in his mind.

Chu Huaixu looked at him and spoke: "The other party hails from Spring and Autumn Mountain. It won’t be easy."

"But that’s not the point."

"What matters is, you want to take revenge with your own hands, don’t you?"

The young man looked at him and answered without hesitation, "Senior Brother, I *must* personally slay my enemy!"

"Good." Chu Huaixu nodded.

He didn’t speak of how difficult it would be, nor of its feasibility.

He merely said, "Since you want revenge, and the opponent is a Major Cultivator, then cultivate well."

"Rest assured—when the time comes, I will go with you."

After speaking, he looked toward Big Ice Block and asked, "You coming?"

Han Shuangjiang replied irritably, "Do you even have to ask?"

Obviously, if Little Xu was out for revenge and Chu Huaixu was going too, how could she not?

Hearing their words, Xu Ziqing’s reddened eyes lifted to look at them.

"Just don’t act too rashly," Chu Huaixu reminded.

"One day, the two of us will go with you—"

—"To question Spring and Autumn Mountain with the sword!"

...

As time passed, Jiang Chang had already returned to the Dao Gate with several junior brothers and sisters.

Upon returning to the sect, they immediately reported to the Disciples’ Courtyard, recounting all they had encountered.

The Disciples’ Courtyard was always crowded.

When everyone saw them arrive, those who were familiar immediately came forward with concern.

"Senior Brother Jiang, how did you get so badly hurt?"

"Junior Sister Shen, are you alright?"

"What happened? Why does everyone seem injured?"

Fellow disciples chimed in one after another.

Jiang Chang was clearly the most gravely wounded.

His lower abdomen bore a bloody gash.

Though he was no longer in mortal danger, he was still severely injured.

Strangely, even though he seemed weak, a trace of... fervor began to emerge in his gaze?

"You wouldn’t believe it. The ten of us went down the mountain to eliminate demons. The targets were merely two Third Realm evil cultivators. But unexpectedly, there was a damned Evil Cultivator High Envoy with them."

"His cultivation had already reached the peak of the Third Realm, and unlike other evil cultivators whose foundations are shaky and spiritual energy erratic, his power was on par with those of orthodox cultivation!" Jiang Chang said solemnly.

As soon as he finished, the atmosphere turned heavy.

This was just the outer sect of the Dao Gate. A peak Third Realm expert would be considered a top-tier powerhouse here!

Everyone understood that if it had been a peak Third Realm along with two early Third Realm enemies, the ten of them wouldn’t have survived.

If they’d lived, there could be only one reason—reinforcements had arrived in time.

"So, did you call for sect reinforcements? Who were the three seniors who came?" someone asked.

Jiang Chang grinned and replied, "Seniors? Actually, it was junior disciples."

"No way. Someone who entered the sect after you and already reached the Third Realm? That’s rare in the outer sect," someone responded.

Looking at that senior, Jiang Chang went on, "Moreover, it was just one junior brother who took care of everything."

"Are you serious?" Shock rippled through the crowd. "Jiang Chang, stop teasing us! Who was it?!"

"It was Junior Brother Chu," Jiang Chang answered.

"Junior Brother Chu? Which one? Never heard of him."

"A Chu? Who is that?"

Everyone looked baffled.

They still remembered Chu Huaixu from a few months ago.

Back then, he was just a First Realm cultivator.

At that moment, the senior sister whom Chu Huaixu had saved couldn’t hold back anymore.

She spoke with admiration, "Who else could it be? Naturally, it was the Xuanhuang Champion, Chu Huaixu!"

That single sentence blew the room apart.

In the outer sect of the Dao Gate, the most prominent name in recent days was undoubtedly the Xuanhuang Champion!

But he had practically vanished recently, barely seen by anyone.

"Junior Brother Chu is already at the Third Realm!"

"Call him Junior Brother while you can. Once he joins the inner sect, we’ll have to call him Senior Brother Chu!"

"Nonsense! He’ll surely be a True Disciple—should be called True Disciple Chu!"

If Chu Huaixu joined the inner sect, he’d undoubtedly become a True Disciple, enter the Gentleman Temple—no question about it.

Still, everyone was only stunned for a moment that he had reached the Third Realm so quickly, before immediately feeling it was completely reasonable.

"So, the Champion joined you in battle against the three evil cultivators?" a curious female disciple asked.

"No. He fought them alone, one versus three," Jiang Chang shook his head.

The room fell silent.

"To be precise, he only used one hand."

It grew even quieter.

"From the palm of his left hand came a mysterious power that healed all ten of us at once."

"With just his right hand, Champion Chu fought the three evil cultivators."

"Just entering the Third Realm, he instantly slew two early Third Realm evil cultivators."

More and more disciples gathered around, all listening silently, urging Jiang Chang with their eyes to continue.

It made Jiang Chang feel both amused and helpless—like a storyteller.

"Then, he drew the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard. Twenty-one sword energies erupted, blasting the peak Third Realm evil cultivator to the cliff’s edge!"

"Before anyone noticed, he’d already appeared beside the cliff, one hand clutching the enemy’s throat, suspending him in midair!"

Everyone held their breath at the tale.

To slay two enemies instantly upon reaching the Third Realm, and to subdue a peak Third Realm evil cultivator using the Dao Ancestor’s Sword Scabbard—

"So strong!"

Oftentimes, the words of others are the sharpest blade to establish one’s prestige.

Everyone could picture it:

A handsome man in a black-gold robe stood at the cliff’s edge, right hand clutching the enemy’s throat, left hand healing his comrades.

The senior sister already enamored with Chu Huaixu added with starry eyes,

"Actually, when Champion Chu first arrived, the three evil cultivators immediately recognized him from the Xuanhuang Champion token at his waist and shouted his name."

"And then?" someone asked eagerly.

"Champion Chu only said eight words."

"He said—"

"‘Since you know it’s me, why not flee?’"

With those words, the entire courtyard erupted.

Many began whispering and savoring the phrase, their hearts swelling with awe.

Though he had just stepped into the Third Realm, these words made it clear—he had never taken the three evil cultivators seriously!

Since I’ve come, you have only one choice—flee.

Somehow, even those who had not witnessed it themselves began to feel a trace of reverence!

"This is what a disciple of the Dao Gate should be!!"

Just then, noise stirred from the rear.

Voices rose in greeting, "Champion Chu!"

Although Chu Huaixu and the others had been delayed, they rode back on a Swift Movement Steed.

In truth, they had patrolled the area once more. Otherwise, they would’ve arrived even earlier than Jiang Chang and his group.

After returning to the sect, the three naturally had to report to the Disciples’ Courtyard as well.

And for some reason, as Chu Huaixu stepped through the gate, the crowd of outer sect disciples that had packed the courtyard began to step aside.

A path opened just for him.