Seeking Truth with a Sword

Chapter 403 - 354: Why So?

Yuan Sou muttered, his heart shaken to its core. Lian Xuanyao was actually using his sword as a brush and heaven and earth as a canvas, casually commanding the vast Spiritual Energy to coalesce and flow.

Even an Academic Palace student who had just reached the Qi Sensing Realm could draw a basic Wind Talisman. Raising a few leaves or a piece of paper with it was considered a success. Yet in Lian Xuanyao’s hands, this Wind Talisman could tear apart heaven and earth.

"You guessed right." Lian Xuanyao smiled faintly and, for the third time, swung his sword.

The Wind Talisman scoured the earth. All the trees in the forest snapped, their twigs and leaves ground to dust. All that remained in their ears was the cacophony of the howling wind; their eyes could see nothing but the pitch-black, sky-obscuring tornado. Yuan Sou had no choice but to kneel on one knee and drive his sword deep into the ground to anchor himself. More wounds adorned his body; under the Wind Talisman’s effect, his longsword cracked with fissures, turning to scrap iron.

Ghost Shovel’s situation beside him was equally dire. Half of his body had been torn apart by the tornado. The meager alien Demonic Qi he possessed was scattered by the Wind Talisman before it could even brew and burn to counter the wind’s force.

After an unknown amount of time, the dust gradually settled, and the tornado slowly dissipated. The entire forest was reduced to gray-white pits, bearing no trace of its original appearance.

Lian Xuanyao landed. Before him, Yuan Sou and Ghost Shovel knelt, covered in wounds as if they had suffered the Ling Chi torture; not an inch of healthy flesh was visible on their bodies. The Wind Talisman had not only damaged their bodies but, like a butcher carving meat, had also excised the parts of them fused with the alien entities. This rendered the two completely incapable of resisting.

"Do you have anything else you’d like to say?" Lian Xuanyao asked calmly, a Sealing Demon Talisman gradually forming in his left palm.

"..." Ghost Shovel slowly raised his bloodied and mangled face and said hoarsely, "I will wait for you in the Abyss Hell, and for the Yu Country." His Qi Sea Spiritual Veins were all destroyed, and the massive gash in his abdomen had been torn further apart by the Wind Talisman, leaving no chance of escape.

BUZZ—

A clear, metallic ringing suddenly sounded. Lian Xuanyao frowned, looking toward the iron pieces worn at their waists. Those two iron pieces, used for communication by the Zhao Ming Organization, were trembling ceaselessly. They actually ignored the isolating effect of the "Divine Talisman·Iron Chain Prison Dragon," causing Ghost Shovel’s and Yuan Sou’s forms to begin to blur.

Mutated Objects with teleportation capabilities? Lian Xuanyao’s eyes narrowed slightly. He flashed before the two, the Sealing Demon Talisman in his hand forming faster, and fiercely slapped it onto Ghost Shovel’s neck.

At the critical moment, a piece of paper suddenly flew out from Yuan Sou’s chest, blocking the Sealing Demon Talisman. It was the plan left by Ya Jiu in his Ghost Market residence, which Yuan Sou had carried all this time. Only now did it reveal its true nature—another Divine Talisman, written by a Divine Talisman Master.

The Divine Talismans neutralized each other, and Ghost Shovel’s and Yuan Sou’s forms became even more indistinct. Seeing capture was impossible, Lian Xuanyao didn’t hesitate. He swung his sword and decapitated the half-materialized Ghost Shovel. When he swung again, the Divine Talisman blocked his strike, allowing him only to slice halfway through Yuan Sou’s neck.

BUZZ!

Accompanied by a violent tremor from the iron piece, Ghost Shovel’s head and Yuan Sou vanished. All that remained was Ghost Shovel’s headless corpse and the silently hovering Divine Talisman.

"..." Lian Xuanyao slowly sheathed his sword. Gazing at the Divine Talisman with an expressionless face, he said, "It’s you."

"Teacher, it’s been a long time." A gentle and scholarly male voice emanated from the Divine Talisman. If Pu Liuxuan or some of the Academic Palace elders were present, they would immediately recognize this voice as belonging to that infamous Academic Palace defector, Jun Qianzi.

Jun Qianzi’s voice was gentle as he said, "I truly didn’t expect to meet you again so soon, Teacher, so abruptly. In my vision, the scene should have been more spectacular, grander."

"Such as?" Lian Xuanyao replied indifferently. "You razing Chang’an City, setting it ablaze, and speaking to me atop the ruins of the Academic Palace? Or perhaps I, having found your hideout, grinding the entire mountain range you occupied into the earth?"

"Heh, you jest, Teacher." Jun Qianzi’s voice chuckled. "With you around, how would I dare show my face in the Central Plains or Chang’an? But likewise, as long as I do not appear personally, neither the garrison nor the Academic Palace Supervision Department will find me."

This was true. Ever since his Divine Talisman had appeared in Chang’an two years prior, both the garrison and the Academic Palace Supervision Department had expended considerable effort to secretly investigate Jun Qianzi’s whereabouts. The closest they ever came was when Xi Yangyu and Cui Yixian joined forces for a surprise attack, yet they still came up empty-handed.

"Time is on my side," Jun Qianzi said mildly. "Yuan Sou and Ghost Shovel are foolish and ignorant. They actually believed the intelligence I provided about your grave illness was flawed. If your health were still robust, they wouldn’t have withstood even the first Wind Talisman. And I wouldn’t have left this talisman behind, only daring to emerge after your passing."

Lian Xuanyao stated calmly, "Even if I die, there will still be people in the Academic Palace."

"Who? Cui Yixian learned the sword but never grasped ’a life for the sword.’ His exterior is cold, but his heart is soft, easily swayed by emotions. Tantai Leshan has a simple nature, preferring to build things and delve into Natural Science with Su Feng. Xue Che is a rash Martial Artist, not worth mentioning. Xi Yangyu has ulterior motives, coveting power and wealth. Among the four Masters, not one can assume the role of Mountain Master after your departure. As for the most promising, Chen Danqiu—heh—he lacks innate talent. He has only reached his current achievements through diligent, painstaking work. If he were to become Mountain Master, he would have even less chance to enter seclusion and cross that final step into Candle Cloud."

Jun Qianzi laughed lightly. "At that time, what could possibly stop me? Stop us?"

"..." Hearing the confident and resolute voice from the talisman, Lian Xuanyao visualized the young man from many years ago, the one once seen as the future hope of the Academic Palace. He couldn’t help but sigh deeply. "How did it come to this?"

"It had to be this way," Jun Qianzi asserted firmly. "For millennia, all who have approached the Near-Cliff Realm have witnessed the terrifying destiny that awaits. The Buddha saw the horrifying future of a heavenly demon’s descent and chose silence, allowing sentient beings to seek salvation in the next life. Successive Haotian Sect Leaders saw the prophecy, leading to a thousand years of tumult on Taihao Mountain. The Head and the cardinals engineered assassinations in the shadows, burned books, and suppressed Natural Science. The Former Sui Emperor heard of the future and absurdly attempted to construct the Heavenly Boat, seeking refuge on an Immortal Island with the Imperial Family. The sages of the Persian Sect envisioned the future and, with a fantastical notion, proposed that everyone become mere spectators, supposedly to aid the Light King’s return to the world and seal the darkness. The Sword Immortal saw the future, and so he went mad, boarding a ship to the Endless Sea, attempting to find a solution. In the end, he found nothing. Su Zi foresaw the future, so he tried to pass through the Gang Wind to seek hope for all beings. He, too, failed. The Forbidden Book in the Book Collection Pavilion chose me. I must do something for the common people—even if the Academic Palace cannot condone my methods."

Jun Qianzi’s words were earnest, yet they still failed to sway the silent Lian Xuanyao. Seeing his silence, the voice of Jun Qianzi from the talisman sighed, "We have failed this time, but we will try again. Teacher, take care."