Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1066: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (74) — A Place Deep in the Clouds, Where One Doesn’t Know

When there were only two Gaia units left on the hillside, Miss Maid from the club raised her arms, clenched her fists, and short swords formed of narrow black flames shot from between her fingers—three in each hand.

Her black-and-white maid outfit billowed in the air, though there was nothing seductive about it, as the long skirt completely concealed any revealing angles. You could never catch even a glimpse of her exquisite legs.

The two remaining Gaia units charged in simultaneously for close combat. Their arm-mounted cannons transformed into blades, and they rushed at You Ye from both sides.

At that moment, You Ye lowered her body and then leapt into the air, spinning rapidly. The black flame short swords shot from her fingers like meteors, piercing through both Gaia units and pinning them to the ground.

Though immobilized, the Gaia units’ arms still functioned. Their pupils suddenly lit up, and the cannons reappeared on their arms. Miss Maid frowned and rushed forward again, summoning black flame longswords from thin air.

No swordsmanship—just pure speed. Like a phantom, You Ye passed between them. As she did, their limbs were instantly severed, leaving only their torsos.

【Combat failure. Self-destruct protocol activated】

One Gaia announced in an emotionless tone. Its mouth opened slightly, and an enormous energy began to build inside it.

You Ye narrowed her eyes, preparing to act, when both Gaia units suddenly shot into the air. A brilliant light erupted, releasing terrifying energy.

A visible shockwave rippled out—but it didn’t spread far. Instead, it quickly began to retract, as if compressed or as if time were reversing. The destructive energy was finally condensed into a tiny speck of light, which then scattered on the wind.You Ye picked up a severed Gaia arm from the ground and returned to Luo Qiu’s side. “Sorry to make you worry, Master.”

“If they’re self-destructing, nothing can be done,” Luo Qiu said gently. He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and softly added, “As long as you’re safe.”

“This level of explosion can’t hurt me. Please don’t worry,” You Ye replied with a gentle smile.

“But sometimes I’ll want to act too,” Luo Qiu smiled slightly… He couldn't always hide behind her, even though she had never really needed protection.

…

While Boss Luo and the maid shared quiet words, Da Zhe glanced over and sighed.

He raised the Zhanlu Sword. “Buddy, you full yet?”

The sword let out a hum. Da Zhe shook his head and looked toward the remaining dozen Gaia units.

He wasn’t as fast as Miss Maid, but he wasn't slow either. From the start of the battle until now, less than a minute had passed.

Despite their numbers, these Gaia units were nothing compared to the Void Abyss Demons Da Zhe had fought in dimensional rifts.

Now the remaining Gaia units surrounded Da Zhe and suddenly stopped. Their pupils flickered, emitting beams as if trying to scan through him.

Da Zhe frowned. Some Gaia had done this earlier in the fight, and he’d assumed it was some sort of attack and dodged. But now that he was surrounded, dodging seemed unlikely.

“You should back off if they’re going to self-destruct,” You Ye’s voice came gently.

“Alright then,” Da Zhe shrugged. “Guess we go all out, huh?”

Sick of dodging their weird eye-lasers, and with You Ye’s permission, Da Zhe didn’t hesitate.

Suddenly, the sky swirled, clouds churning. A massive blade of light descended from a vortex overhead.

Its full size was unimaginable—only a small part of the blade was visible.

Da Zhe raised the Zhanlu Sword and slashed downward.

“Heavenly Sword!!”

A deep voice echoed from his mouth. The gigantic blade of light plunged to the ground!

It was as if an invisible giant gripped the sword and drove it into the earth. The remaining Gaia units instinctively raised their arms in defense.

But it was pointless.

Their energy shields were instantly annihilated.

When the giant light blade struck the earth, a dozen explosions flared along its edge!

Boom—!!!

The sword struck, a resounding sword cry rang across the sky, and a shockwave burst outward, sweeping the area for nearly a kilometer before fading.

The blade of light gradually shattered into glowing fragments, which scattered on the wind. Da Zhe landed gently, slightly out of breath. The stone forest had vanished, leaving only a massive fissure in the ground.

Da Zhe slouched, walked up to Luo Qiu, and scratched his head. “Boss, I might’ve overdone it a bit…”

“Heavenly Sword?” Luo Qiu suddenly asked.

“Uh… just made up a name,” Da Zhe said, shrugging. “Moves with names sound cooler, right?”

“As long as you’re happy,” Luo Qiu smiled, not minding such things.

…

Heavenly Sword.

As the light blade faded and the battle ended, leaving only a massive rift, Wang Hu and Daoist Baijie finally exhaled.

Wang Hu dispersed his Tiger King Pattern. Though it was just the first stage of Divine Beast Transformation, even at stage three, he knew he couldn’t withstand that sword.

That power had surpassed the Enlightened Dao Realm—the current peak of the supernatural world in Divine Land. The gap between power levels was vast.

“There’s always someone stronger…” Daoist Baijie murmured. “Huang Baifu, it seems we’ve been too narrow-minded…”

Wang Hu gave a bitter smile. He couldn’t deny it.

Whether it was the white-robed woman who could match him, the Gaia controlled by the old ghost, or Luo Qiu and his companions…

Wang Hu had always seen himself as one of the few without rivals, save for some of the old monsters and the True Dragon of Divine Land—whose power he couldn’t overcome. The True Dragon embodied the fate of Divine Land itself—an enemy not even he dared face.

But now, Luo Qiu’s group—Da Zhe with his Heavenly Sword, the exotic You Ye with her black flames and unmatched speed, and Luo Qiu’s mysterious strength—left Wang Hu sweating coldly.

Only by experiencing it firsthand could one grasp the vast gulf between them. No description could truly convey that depth.

Wang Hu had sensed how terrifying the Gaia self-destructions were—yet they were effortlessly neutralized.

To block power is one thing. To erase it completely? That’s another realm entirely, like a chasm between civilizations—utterly beyond reach.

“Thank you… Fellow Daoist Luo, for your assistance.”

President Baijie truly lives up to being the evergreen figure of the Daoist World who has survived for over a thousand years. He has seen all sorts of trials and tribulations. Although he has now endured long enough to become the leader of the Daoist World in Divine Land, he too started out as an ordinary little daoist. His talent wasn’t remarkable, but he truly lived through the glorious era of cultivators and has witnessed countless prodigies. So, he remained very calm at this moment.

“You can't really call me a fellow Daoist. I don’t practice the Dao,” Luo Qiu shook his head. “I don’t even understand what ‘Dao’ truly is, so I can’t accept being called a Daoist peer.”

Daoist Baijie was momentarily stunned. This mysterious young man was surprisingly honest. His mind raced, and he suddenly felt that Luo Qiu might be the key to escaping this dangerous place. Without hesitation, he said, “Then like Wang Hu, I’ll just respectfully call you Boss Luo.”

Luo Qiu had no choice but to nod.

“Boss Luo,” Daoist Baijie exhaled deeply, “I have a request… I wonder if you could help? Of course, I wouldn’t ask for free.”

But at that moment, Luo Qiu sighed and suddenly said, “Elder, it would have been better if you hadn’t said anything… but now that you have, I suppose I have no choice.”

Daoist Baijie froze.

Luo Qiu then smiled faintly, stepped in front of him, bowed slightly, and said, “Dear guest, may I ask what service you need? Whatever you desire, our establishment will do its best to provide it.”

Boss Luo... Boss... a store?

In that instant, Daoist Baijie's eyes widened. He finally realized something and blurted out, “Could it be… that place?”

“Exactly.”

“I never expected...” Daoist Baijie was momentarily lost in thought, eventually letting out a long sigh. “Just in this mountain, hidden in the clouds, beyond reach… I was too reckless.”

…

At the bottom of the crack created by the Heavenly Sword, a severed head rolled down due to the loose earth.

beep beep……beep beep……beep beep……

That beeping sound came from the head—it was undoubtedly one of the Gaia's.

【Scan successful】

【Source of Anomaly possession rate: 79.64%】

【Level 1 access authorization approved…】

Boom.

The head self-destructed the moment it hit the bottom.

…

Somewhere else, a sound seemed to be heard.

Inside a cave, Qin Chuyu, who was meditating and healing, suddenly opened her eyes. At the same time, Su Zijun, who had been dozing against a rock, also woke up.

Jessica didn’t understand what was going on, but seeing the serious expressions on both Qin Chuyu and her master, she instinctively grew tense.

Suddenly, the Green Lotus Sword Song at Qin Chuyu’s side rang out loudly and trembled. This trembling couldn’t be calmed—Qin Chuyu even ran her hand along the blade, but it had no effect.

“This place really is a feng shui hotspot…” Su Zijun stood slowly. “The Green Lotus Sword Song, already proud and aloof by nature, now senses another sword—this time, one filled with righteous might. Tsk tsk.”

“Such strong sword intent…” Qin Chuyu frowned. “I can’t even calm the Green Lotus Sword Song’s instincts.”

Su Zijun replied calmly, “Divine swords have spirit, especially those that have developed a sword spirit. Each one is unique—whether born of slaughter, pride, or kingly authority—they are destined to compete. It’s normal. The key is… who released this righteous sword intent?”

Qin Chuyu stood up with the Green Lotus Sword Song in hand and walked out of the cave. In just a few steps, she had exited.

Her eyes scanned the primeval forest beyond and the overlapping mountains, where she saw a massive sword of light falling from the sky.

In this place, it seemed like anything bizarre could happen. Though they had come to expect that, seeing the massive sword descend still made Su Zijun's lips part slightly in awe.

“That location… isn’t that where we were before?” Jessica suddenly exclaimed.

Su Zijun quickly turned serious and asked Qin Chuyu, “How much of your strength have you recovered?”

“About seventy percent,” Qin Chuyu replied grimly.

Whether it was really seventy percent, Su Zijun didn’t fully believe, but she nodded and said quickly, “Then… time to move.”

Qin Chuyu said nothing, simply drew the Green Lotus Sword Song and closed her eyes.

Jessica didn’t understand their silent communication but instinctively felt something was off. Just then, Su Zijun suddenly raised her arm. Her blood-red demonic energy formed into a giant claw that scaled the cave wall and slammed into something!

At the same time, Qin Chuyu swung her sword, releasing a green sword light.

From the mountain above the cave, Gaia figures began to float down from both sides.

【Target detected】

【Eliminate】

A light beam suddenly shot out. Su Zijun’s eyes narrowed, and her demonic claw immediately retracted and wrapped around the three of them, blocking the beam.

But when the smoke cleared, dozens of Gaia had already appeared before them.

Su Zijun frowned and looked at her palm. A red scratch, like a graze, had formed—but it quickly healed.

“These feel a bit different from the one before,” she muttered. “They seem weaker… but the numbers…”

Ganging up on the few with the many, huh?

(End of Chapter)