The Sorrowmender

Chapter 51 – Confrontation Under the Moon

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "p𝑎wread.com".

Xu Qingzhou suddenly turned around, raised his right hand, and pointed to the mountains, the water, and the trees.

"The clear mountains, the beautiful waters, and the trees beneath them—I didn't choose this for myself, but for the senior, for your humility and courtesy. No need to thank me."

His voice was steady, yet carried a hint of menace, and the light in his eyes revealed unprecedented confidence and composure.

For a moment, Daoist Master Dongyun was left bewildered, staring at the scholar under the moonlight. For some reason, he truly sensed death.

Death that he hadn't felt in a long time.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"Heh, Mister, Mister, how could you possibly kill me?"

"How would you know if you don't try?"

"Very well, in that case, let's end it here today. I shall accompany the bright moon and gentle breeze to send you on your final journey."

"Please, Mister, draw your sword!"

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The gentle evening breeze turned piercing, the bright moonlight grew cold, and the gentle water became still and deep.

The aura around the two of them changed accordingly, blending seamlessly with the world around them.

Xu Qingzhou patted his waist, and the sword he had taken from a kill that day fell to his knee, its blade reflecting a cold gleam in the moonlight.

"Then forgive my offense, senior."

Daoist Master Dongyun also shed his previous amiability. His gaunt face turned indifferent, his eyes clouded as if covered by a layer of dust.

In his hand appeared a ruler, and when he held it, paired with his scholar's robe, he looked less like a cultivator and more like an old schoolteacher.

"Come!"

When it's time to fight, you fight—that's the way of the martial world.

Xu Qingzhou drew his sword, executing Geese Descend on Flat Sands.

Daoist Master Dongyun blocked it with his ruler.

Boom! A thunderous sound erupted.

"Too slow!"

"Then try this strike!"

Xu Qingzhou turned, drew his sword, and slashed again.

"Sword technique One Leaf in Autumn, when the wind blows, all leaves fall!"

The wind rose, a mournful cry!

The sword struck, the man moved!

A cold light flashed and disappeared under the moon.

"So fast!"

Daoist Master Dongyun furrowed his brows, seeing Xu Qingzhou's afterimage approaching, he manipulated his qi and swung his ruler.

The sword and ruler clashed, producing a crisp metallic sound.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew.

Feeling the numbness in his arm, Daoist Master Dongyun was slightly startled, his expression growing more serious.

"No wonder Mister faced me with such confidence, this sword technique is indeed formidable."

He had to admit, Xu Qingzhou's sword strike was strong. If he hadn't been prepared, he might have been injured.

But that was only a possibility; the reality was that Xu Qingzhou had no chance of winning.

"Not only is my sword technique impressive, but my fist technique is as well."

Xu Qingzhou said proudly, his eyes fierce, as he formed a fist with his left hand and struck out with a roar.

"Mountain-Crushing Fist, first form: Mountain Urging."

The golden iron fist descended, solidly hitting Daoist Master Dongyun and forcing him back several steps.

"Quite some strength."

"It's not over yet."

Xu Qingzhou flicked his sleeve, pointing a black barrel at Daoist Master Dongyun.

Just as the wind had not yet ceased and the dust had not yet settled.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three loud explosions erupted first.

Daoist Master Dongyun sensed three hidden weapons shooting toward him at high speed, spewing sparks.

He was shocked!

"What is this thing?"

It was the first time he had seen such a thing, but he dared not be careless, quickly gathering his true essence to defend.

"Understanding from the Book: Wind Rise."

A wind barrier descended, enveloping Daoist Master Dongyun, and the bullets were forcibly stopped several feet in front of him.

"Mister, impressive means, but it's still not enough!"

Xu Qingzhou was not surprised by the scene before him. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator could still be killed by a handgun, it would be an insult to the path of cultivating immortality.

"Then try this."

He pulled out a talisman, chanting an incantation softly.

With a grand gesture, the talisman floated forward, glowing.

"Void Escape Talisman! Surely you can't stop this."

As the name suggests, the Void Escape Talisman allows one to escape into the void and suddenly appear at a designated location, ignoring any defensive spells.

When Xu Qingzhou took out the talisman, it already stirred Daoist Master Dongyun's heart, especially since it was a Void Escape Talisman.

This shocked him even more.

Although he didn't have one, he had heard of it.

As for its value, it was extremely high, something ordinary people couldn't afford.

Yet Mister Forgetting Worries had one, which was already very rare.

The main thing was, others used the Void Escape Talisman on themselves for escape and survival.

It was his first time seeing someone use it to break a formation, which surprised him even more. He found Xu Qingzhou even more inscrutable.

His eyes showed a hint of dread, but not much.

He didn't have time to think more, as he watched the Void Escape Talisman disappear and reappear above his forehead, leaving him bewildered and dazed.

He didn't understand the purpose of this. The Void Escape Talisman was rare and precious, but it could only be used for escape.

It had no offensive power.

Appearing before him now, he couldn't figure out its meaning. For a moment, he thought Xu Qingzhou might have been scared silly by him and used it incorrectly.

Xu Qingzhou, however, was watching him closely. When the Void Escape Talisman broke through the wind barrier, a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

He murmured softly.

"3, 2, 1."

"Explode!"

As his words fell, the Void Escape Talisman suddenly burst with red light.

Daoist Master Dongyun's pupils contracted, his expression tightened, and he thought to himself, "Not good."

"Not good, it's a trap!"

But it was too late.

With a "boom!"

Flames erupted, and the sound of an explosion filled the air.

The grenade wrapped within the talisman exploded as promised.

It unleashed its fiery wrath, blasting Daoist Master Dongyun away.

"Ah!"

At close range, the grenade exploded, and within the wind barrier, without the protection of true qi, Daoist Master Dongyun, though in the late Foundation Establishment stage, was still blown away.

His face was cut by shrapnel, bloodied and mangled.

His scholar's robe was torn apart by the blast wave.

A burnt, bloody smell permeated the air, and Daoist Master Dongyun was beyond disheveled.

He cried out as he fell from mid-air, stabilizing himself, cursing inwardly.

"Damn it, what is this thing!"

Having suffered such a loss, he looked utterly disheveled.

But he had no time to think more, nor to check his injuries.

Because Xu Qingzhou was already charging through the fireworks.

As they say, strike when the iron is hot; if not now, when?

He attacked with sword in one hand and fist in the other, advancing simultaneously.

"Senior, your life is mine."

Daoist Master Dongyun gritted his teeth, his charred face showing fierce determination in his eyes.

"You think you can kill me? Dream on. I must get serious now."

"Understanding from the Book: Qi Surge! Attack!"