novelraw Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26
No one knew why Xia Yi had turned into a Demonic Cultivator.
Nine hundred years ago, when Xia Yi betrayed his sect, the news shocked the entire Qiankun. The truth behind the matter was known only to the Sword Pavilion and Xia Yi himself, yet no one dared to ask. Thus the affair became an unsolved case known throughout Qiankun.
Nine hundred years had passed. Cultivators had changed generation after generation, and now only those who had lived through those nine centuries still knew a few fragments of the story.
Although this former Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion had turned into a Demonic Cultivator, he had never shown the slightest mercy when killing other Demonic Cultivators. Among Demonic Cultivators there was rarely trust, and conflicts were constant, yet for the sake of profit they would occasionally unite.
Xia Yi did not.
After arriving in Beiliang Prefecture, he occupied Bugui Fu. Any Demonic Cultivator who dared approach—whether seeking trouble or proposing cooperation—was cut down by a single stroke of his sword.
Though he had entered the Demonic Path, his cultivation remained. A former Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion and a direct disciple of the Sword Sovereign was not someone easily provoked. As time passed, no Demonic Cultivator dared approach to offend him. Even when passing Bugui Fu, they would deliberately detour around it.
Blood River Old Ancestor ordinarily would never dare go near Bugui Fu. Among Demonic Cultivators he could be considered a powerful figure, but the Sword Demon… that was the Sword Demon!
Yet now people seeking to seize the Blood-Rust Blade surrounded him from every direction. If he remained here, even if he survived, he would not be able to keep the blade. Only by escaping the Demon Prefecture would he have any hope of survival.
Gritting his teeth, Blood River Old Ancestor transformed into a streak of blood and rushed toward Bugui Fu.
Half a quarter-hour later, he successfully forced his way to the edge of Bugui Fu. The entrance to Wan Yao Cave that he sought was not far away. Beads of sweat covered his forehead. If Xia Yi arrived just a little slower—even a single breath later—then his gamble would succeed.
A streak of blood slipped into a cave at the edge of Bugui Fu and vanished.
In the next instant, a figure suddenly appeared outside the cave entrance.
Xia Yi held a sword in his hand. His frame was tall and his build somewhat lean, which made his sharp bones stand out even more. His nose bridge and brow ridge were both high, and a deep vertical scar lay between his brows, lending his handsome face a cutting sharpness.
But his eyes were too fierce.
The violent aura within them was terrifying. Anyone who saw him could not help but feel fear rising in their heart.
Xia Yi stared at the cave.
Just moments ago he had not been in Bugui Fu. Something else had delayed him, and he had arrived one step too late, allowing that Demonic Cultivator to slip inside. The cave connected through Wan Yao Cave, and the man had already escaped. Xia Yi had no intention of chasing into Wan Yao Cave, so the Demonic Cultivator had successfully escaped right under his nose.
Xia Yi’s gaze grew even colder. He turned to look outside Bugui Fu.
Quite a few people had grown bold today. One had trespassed into Bugui Fu itself, and several others even dared linger outside.
He stepped to the edge of Bugui Fu and swept the area with a murderous gaze.
“Get lost!”
Some who recognized him had already fled the moment he appeared. But a few lingered unwillingly outside Bugui Fu. Their hearts still coveted the Blood-Rust Blade, and greed had dulled their wits. Since they had not stepped inside Bugui Fu itself, they hoped to search for some faint clue.
Xia Yi simply drew his sword.
Sword light flashed. The Demonic Cultivators who had refused to leave would never leave again.
Those who had fled earlier secretly rejoiced. No one spoke up for the ones who had died under the sword.
Whether they had stepped into Bugui Fu or not was hardly the point. Bugui Fu itself was not a deadly land—people died here because the Sword Demon lived here. If he told you to get lost and you still lingered, then dying was simply your own fault.
“Come back!” Xia Yi suddenly shouted.
The Demonic Cultivators who had been running only fled faster.
Sword light swept past.
The fastest among them lost their lives instantly.
The remaining few Demonic Cultivators slammed to a halt before the corpses. They cursed Xia Yi inwardly for being insane, yet still obediently turned back.
They stopped outside the edge of Bugui Fu and respectfully asked, “What orders does Your Excellency have?”
“Were you chasing that streak of blood earlier?” Xia Yi asked.
“Yes,” the Demonic Cultivators replied.
“Why were you chasing him?”
They hesitated before one answered, “Your Excellency… have you heard of the Blood-Rust Blade?”
Xia Yi frowned, deepening the vertical scar between his brows.
“That man was carrying the Blood-Rust Blade?”
“We are not certain,” they said. “We were searching for someone who had seized the Blood-Rust Blade. Then fireworks suddenly exploded somewhere nearby, so we chased the signal and came here.”
“Do you recognize him?” Xia Yi asked again.
The group hesitated. Finally one said, “He looked… somewhat like Blood River Old Ancestor.”
Blood River Old Ancestor?
Xia Yi extended his divine sense and caught a trace of aura within Blood River City. It was identical to the aura of that streak of blood.
He let out a cold laugh and swung his sword.
Inside and outside Blood River City, countless blood pools—some hidden, some exposed—suddenly dried up.
All of Blood River Old Ancestor’s methods of resurrection were completely annihilated.
Xia Yi ignored the Demonic Cultivators and returned to his cave dwelling.
The Blood-Rust Blade had been spoken of as something almost miraculous, which had piqued his interest. Since the blade had appeared in Beiliang Prefecture, he had followed the clues to search for it as well. Unfortunately, he had missed it every time.
Now the blade had already been taken away from Beiliang Prefecture, and he had no intention of pursuing it further.
When rumors first said the Blood-Rust Blade would appear in Suizhou, he had not planned to go.
Suizhou belonged to the Central Continent, and the Central Continent bordered Ding Prefecture.
The Sword Pavilion was located in Ding Prefecture.
Sword Pavilion. Sword Sovereign.
Hmph.
…
Inside Wan Yao Cave.
The Cave Master was in seclusion. All affairs of Wan Yao Cave had been entrusted to the demon ministers. Overseeing everything was the Mountain-Guarding Great General, Chu Shanzhen. He was the great general of Wan Yao Cave and also the Cave Master’s husband.
Chu Shanzhen was currently in a very bad mood.
Ever since receiving news that someone had secretly borrowed Wan Yao Cave’s passageways, he had dragged Tongzhao Demon General Li Tong through the entire cave system to investigate. They had finally discovered the flaw.
But they had not hurried to repair it.
Instead, they left the flaw open, intending to lure out whichever fool dared stroke the tiger’s whiskers of Wan Yao Cave.
Yet two months had already passed, and that reckless fellow had not returned.
Chu Shanzhen was furious.
Before entering seclusion, his wife had told him to guard Wan Yao Cave carefully. Less than three hundred years later, someone had already been using the cave as if it were their own passageway—and worse, it had been discovered by outsiders first!
Where was he supposed to put his face after that?
Once he caught that thief who had been stealing the passageway, he would make the fellow pay dearly!
Just as Chu Shanzhen was growing more irritated, Li Tong finally sent word.
The thief had entered through the cave passage that led to Beiliang Prefecture.
The little thief actually dared come again!
Chu Shanzhen and Li Tong arrived in an instant.
The cavern was empty.
There was not a single figure in sight.
Blood River Old Ancestor had concealed his aura and hidden within a crack in the rocks, cursing inwardly. He had used this passage through Wan Yao Cave many times before. Why did it have to be discovered now of all times?
He did not dare move.
Chu Shanzhen’s cultivation had already broken through to the Ninth Layer of the Tianshu Realm, while Li Tong was in the Eighth Layer of the Tianxuan Realm. Both were renowned great demons. Blood River Old Ancestor suppressed his breathing with his unique concealment technique, hoping the two demons would eventually give up searching and leave.
But neither Chu Shanzhen nor Li Tong showed the slightest intention of departing.
Chu Shanzhen sneered and sent a message to summon Mengji.
When it came to hiding, who could compare to the exotic beast Mengji, which possessed such divine ability by nature?
Blood River Old Ancestor grew increasingly anxious. As he desperately searched for a solution, his mind suddenly trembled.
All the resurrection arrangements he had left in Beiliang Prefecture had been destroyed!
His mind was injured, and his concealment technique wavered.
Chu Shanzhen was extremely perceptive. He slapped toward the disturbance, striking out a streak of blood.
“A Demonic Cultivator. Bah!”
Blood River Old Ancestor was forced to reveal himself. He had no intention of entangling himself with these two great demons. Without hesitation, he split into thousands of streaks of blood and fled in every direction.
“You still dare run?!” Chu Shanzhen roared in fury.
His shout rolled outward like a tiger’s roar, instantly scattering most of the blood streaks.
“You cannot escape,” Li Tong said calmly. “I have sealed the other exits. He cannot leave.”
The countless blood streaks scattered through the passage, but they were trapped within this single route. One after another they were discovered and destroyed.
Using these blood streaks to buy time, the one carrying the Blood-Rust Blade finally reached a cave entrance.
He did not care where it led.
He simply could not remain here any longer.
He could not break through.
These passages were created by Li Tong’s divine ability, and sealing them came just as easily. All of Blood River Old Ancestor’s techniques for breaking restrictions were useless.
Only one final streak of blood remained.
Most of his cultivation had already been dispersed by the earlier blow, and Xia Yi had destroyed all of his resurrection arrangements. If this final streak of blood were extinguished as well, he would truly die.
Li Tong had already sensed him trying to break the seal and was rushing toward him.
The great demons behind him were rapidly approaching.
Blood River Old Ancestor took out the Blood-Rust Blade and slashed fiercely with the three-inch edge that had shed its rust.
Chu Shanzhen watched helplessly as the final streak of blood slipped through the passage before his eyes.
Li Tong was startled.
What kind of thing could cut through his divine ability?
“Where does this path lead?” Chu Shanzhen asked.
“Suizhou,” Li Tong replied.
“Guard Wan Yao Cave. I will take several demons and pursue him,” Chu Shanzhen said.
…
On Sitting-Forgetting Island, Ning Xianmian was setting up a chessboard, playing against himself for leisure while his divine sense ranged across heaven and earth.
Zou Tong’er sat beside him with his chin propped on his hand, watching the game.
Suddenly Ning Xianmian tossed the chess piece in his hand back into the bowl and sighed.
Zou Tong’er assumed he had grown bored playing against himself and considerately said, “Master, do you think playing alone is no fun? I can play with you.”
Ning Xianmian laughed at him.
“With your skill? One game with you would bore me even more.”
“Then what should we do?” Zou Tong’er counted on his fingers. “There are not many in the whole Qiankun who can seriously play chess with you. Pavilion Master Hua probably could. Should we ask her?”
“She has been busy lately,” Ning Xianmian said.
It was still because of the destruction of the small world earlier. Hua Kongxie had already confirmed that the hidden force within the tremors came from another world. It was attempting to invade Qiankun through Dikun. The destroyed small world had probably perished because of that world as well.
She would not have time anytime soon.
“The Sword Sovereign might be able to play too,” Zou Tong’er said again, “but he does not seem very good at chess.”
After Shuang Wenlü had left last time, Zou Tong’er had studied the unfinished game between them.
Ning Xianmian glanced toward Suizhou and complained, “He is simply not good at playing chess with me.”
Judging by the moves he was placing across Qiankun now, was he not playing quite well?
…
Suizhou.
A streak of blood burst from a cave and fled desperately through the forest while hiding its aura.
Half a li away, Cai Suhong and Lang Qingyun moved stealthily toward each other while evading Demonic Cultivators pursuing them.
Not far away, Chu Shanzhen led his subordinates, carefully tracking traces.
Shuang Wenlü lightly tapped the hilt of his sword and descended gracefully.