"Hiss! Yunjue, you good-for-nothing who ruins everything you touch, you've actually brought this kind of trouble upon the sect!"
Far away in the void, another elder suddenly appeared. After casting a glance at Old Man Ning, his expression shifted and he drew in a sharp breath.
"Senior Ning, it was our Liuyun Sect people who were blind and inadvertently offended you. Please spare him; the Liuyun Sect will be eternally grateful."
The Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect furrowed his brow, bowed slightly toward Old Man Ning, and then flipped his palm, causing a precious treasure to materialize.
"Could this be a Grade 4 spiritual herb, the Jade Dragon Ganoderma?"
Pavilion Master Chen recognized the grade of the treasure at a glance and couldn't help crying out in surprise.
It had to be said that the Liuyun Sect was making a truly lavish gesture. In order to defuse the hostility with Old Man Ning, they were actually willing to part with such a supreme treasure.
Old Man Ning did not accept it. He glanced at it sideways and said, "Do you think a mere Grade 4 spiritual herb can resolve this storm? If so, wouldn't I lose all my face?"
Hearing this, the Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect furrowed his brow even deeper. He looked toward Elder Yunjue in the distance and said in a deep voice, "What on earth is going on here?"
"Great Elder, the source of this matter is precisely that brat..."
Elder Yunjue felt deeply aggrieved. He cast a venomous look at Su Xie and spilled the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
"What a fine Su Family brat!"
After listening, the Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect remained completely expressionless on the surface, but inwardly he was gradually growing averse to Su Xie, even feeling a trace of disgust!
He hadn't expected that all this chaos was caused by this punk.
Yet in front of Old Man Ning, he did not show it. Instead, he forced a hypocritical smile at Su Xie: "Little Friend Su, this matter was our Liuyun Sect's fault. I ask that you be the bigger person and let bygones be bygones. How about we call it settled here? When the time comes, our Liuyun Sect will treat you as an honored guest."
"Furthermore, every single member of your Su Family will receive the protection of our Liuyun Sect!"
The Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect stepped closer to Su Xie. His eyes rolled, and he deliberately emphasized the four words "every single member."
"Oh? Then do you think a shattered mirror can ever be put back together?"
Su Xie's expression turned displeased; naturally, he heard the implicit threat in the other man's words.
"Hehe, then what does Little Friend Su want? Do you really want to kill Yunjue?"
The Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect did not grow angry, instead continuing to smile with complete composure, though his tone was heavy with sarcasm.
"Old Ning, aren't you looking to repay my favor? Help me wipe out the Liuyun Sect, and we'll consider that favor cleared. How about it?"
Su Xie couldn't be bothered to trade barbs with him and cut straight to the point.
"What? You want to wipe out my Liuyun Sect?"
The Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect's expression instantly darkened, his hidden murderous intent gradually welling up.
Even Old Man Ning was momentarily taken aback.
"Good brat, since you want to wipe out the Liuyun Sect, what harm is there in old man obliging you?"
Old Man Ning did not hesitate much before agreeing outright.
With the strength he had currently recovered, although he couldn't cover the sky with one hand in the Desolate Country, wiping out a Liuyun Sect was more than enough.
Hearing Su Xie's arrogant tone, Elder Yunjue smiled, a trace of mockery playing at the corners of his mouth as if he were laughing at Su Xie's ignorance.
"Brat, do you have any idea how long my Liuyun Sect has been rooted here in Northern Wujun? With centuries of heritage, although our Sect Master falls short of this old man, our Liuyun Sect has three ancestors who are mighty existences above the Spirit Platform Realm. How could this old man..."
Before Elder Yunjue could finish his sentence, the Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect let out an angry roar and abruptly interrupted him: "Shut your mouth! In front of this person, he truly possesses the power to wipe out our Liuyun Sect!"
Before Elder Yunjue could recover from his shock, seeing that Old Man Ning seemed to be playing for keeps, the Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect looked over at Su Xie and said in a deep voice: "Little Friend Su, everything must be done by the rules. We have already offered apologies for what happened before, so let it be considered past. Now that you are pressing the issue relentlessly, you must at least have a new reason to destroy our Liuyun Sect, right?"
"I just don't like the look of your Liuyun Sect. How is that for a reason?"
Su Xie sneered.
As the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor, his style had always been to crush anyone he didn't like the look of. Once he had an enemy, he would kill them off completely, never leaving himself any trouble behind—using any means necessary, even if it meant relying on Old Man Ning to strike.
By now, the feud with the Liuyun Sect was not something that could be easily resolved. If they failed to pull up the weeds by the roots now, the spring breeze would inevitably cause them to sprout again later!
"Hahaha, to think that my grand Liuyun Sect would actually end up falling into the hands of a little bastard like you! Before my Liuyun Sect perishes, you die first!"
Seeing that the pretense was shattered, the Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect wore a ferocious expression, baring materialized murderous intent as he raised his hand to unleash a terrifying surge of spiritual energy against Su Xie.
Yet Old Man Ning was faster. With a flick of a finger, a flash of sword light instantly claimed the Great Elder's head.
Thud!
Watching the Great Elder's head hit the ground, Elder Yunjue was scared out of his wits. Just as he was scrambling to get up and run again, Su Xie gave a wave of his large hand. Among the swords held by the people present, one weapon abruptly flew out, piercing straight through Elder Yunjue as blood violently sprayed everywhere!
"Brat, let's go! This old man will take you to have some fun at the Liuyun Sect!"
Old Man Ning gave an excited laugh, looking thoroughly like someone who feared the world wasn't chaotic enough. He stowed his jade gourd away and raised his hand to sweep Su Xie up into the void.
High up in the void, a massive sword Qi slashed across the firmament!
Once Su Xie had steadied himself behind him, Old Man Ning straightened his expression, gazed into the distant ahead, and stamped his foot hard.
With that single stamp, the sword Qi below surged relentlessly, cutting horizontally across thousands of li around Northern City with a towering, magnificent grandeur!
"Brat, stand steady! It's been some years since I last used this Sword-Flight Technique. Watch yourself and don't fall off."
With that, Old Man Ning formed hand seals. The massive sword Qi beneath his feet materialized and hurtled straight toward the direction of the Liuyun Sect.
In an instant, flying high above the azure vault, the beauty of mountains and rivers lay entirely in view!
Watching Old Man Ning and the other person soaring away on the wind like immortals in the sky, the members of the Su Family were filled with unadulterated envy.
"Is this the legendary Sword-Flight Technique?"
Seeing the speed of Old Man Ning's sword, even Pavilion Master Chen couldn't help gasping in admiration.
One had to know that this Sword-Flight Technique was a flight method that only sword cultivators could execute. It was vastly faster than the standard flight using spiritual energy, and the crucial point was that it was incomparably majestic!
"Elder Bai, quickly, quickly prepare the spirit steeds. We're following them!"
Qin Ying immediately instructed Elder Bai.
"Understood!" Elder Bai nodded.
At the same time, the people from the Xuan Pavilion also descended swiftly.
The one who arrived was none other than the old woman in black robes from earlier. Seeing Pavilion Master Chen, she furrowed her brow and asked, "What is going on?"
"A major event is about to happen in Northern Wujun! Hurry, go to the Liuyun Sect!" Pavilion Master Chen said urgently.
***
Outside Northern City, huge surges of sword Qi burst forth across the firmament, scattering countless birds in the sky.
"Brat, you can pretty much be considered a genius of the Sword Dao. Any interest in becoming this old man's disciple?"
"This old man hasn't taken on any disciples all these years. If you become my disciple, you'll be able to walk sideways across the Desolate Country in the future without a single problem."
Old Man Ning stepped upon the sword Qi, glancing back at Su Xie with eyes full of anticipation.
Seeing that Su Xie remained silent, Old Man Ning stamped his foot again. The sword Qi beneath him swept out wildly, its powerful undulations buffeting the surrounding skies for hundreds of li, making even the nearby mountain ranges abruptly tremble!
"Isn't it majestic, brat? Do you want to learn? Acknowledge me as your master, and when you reach the Spirit Gathering Realm, I'll naturally teach you this Sword-Flight Technique without holding anything back."
Old Man Ning wore a proud expression, deeply infatuated with his own sword-flight skills.
To a sword cultivator, a Sword-Flight Technique was a coveted supreme art; faced with it, no sword cultivator would ever refuse.
Just as Old Man Ning was feeling thoroughly pleased with himself, Su Xie shook his head: "Too slow. Do you even call this speed sword-flight?"
"Slow?"
Hearing Su Xie's words, the corners of Old Man Ning's mouth twitched. "Brat, what do you know? Even if placed within the Northern Domain, this Sword-Flight Technique of mine is still an exceptional flying treasure art."
"Two hundred li per breath—if even this is called slow, then there isn't any Sword-Flight Technique faster than this in the entire Northern Domain."
With that, Old Man Ning stamped his foot once more, and the sword Qi beneath him drove forward with all its might, pushing his speed to the absolute limit of two hundred and thirty li per breath.
Seeing Old Man Ning showing off in front of him, Su Xie smiled. If his current cultivation wasn't still insufficient to fully unleash the Sword-Flight Technique, he would have loved to show off a trick or two right in front of this old man.
In his past life, when he was the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor, let alone this kind of basic sword-flight, he had possessed countless supreme sword-flight divine abilities at his fingertips.
"How about this? I'll teach you a Sword-Flight Technique that covers three thousand li per breath, so you can see what a true flying sword art looks like."
Su Xie smiled faintly.
Hearing this, Old Man Ning also laughed, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Brat, don't go making empty boasts. A Sword-Flight Technique of three thousand li per breath? Forget the entire Desolate Country, even the great Sword Dao sects of the Northern Domain might not possess such a thing."
"Oh, since you don't want to learn, then forget it." Su Xie shrugged.
Remembering Su Xie's various previous methods, Old Man Ning suddenly halted his sword flight and began half-believingly, "Brat, could you really have such an art?"
"Do you get candy for lying to me?"
Su Xie gave Old Man Ning a sidelong glance, then casually pointed into empty space.
His finger emitted a golden glow, continuously tracing strange characters in the air!
Watching Su Xie execute this so smoothly in one go, Old Man Ning couldn't help looking up at those characters floating in mid-air.
They were blazing with golden light, exuding a profound intent of the Sword Dao!
"This!"
Even just a glance left Old Man Ning utterly dumbstruck.
"Such profound sword-flight mysteries! So you can fly a sword like this? What a supreme art! What a supreme art!"
Unable to suppress his inner excitement, Old Man Ning became completely immersed in that exquisite method of sword-flight.
After only a short moment, he was wild with joy. Raising his hand, he continuously gestured in the air, while the sword Qi beneath his feet constantly adjusted along with him, its aura slowly transforming.
"Rise for me!"
After pondering for a long time, Old Man Ning formed hand seals and stamped his foot once more. The sword Qi under his feet suddenly erupted with an incomparably sharp brilliance!
With a boom!
A violent gale rose, and the sword Qi shot out into the void like a thunderbolt!
In that instant, it felt as though space and time had been pierced through; his sword-flight speed had reached the absolute peak, far surpassing what it was before!
"Hahaha! One percent! Merely comprehending one percent has increased my sword-flight speed to eight hundred li per breath!"
As he hurtled rapidly through the air, Old Man Ning laughed with high-spirited vigor.
If he could comprehend this art to perfection, it would undoubtedly give him an extra trump card for escaping in future battles!
Excitedly, Old Man Ning looked at Su Xie: "Brat, what is the name of this Sword-Flight Technique?"
"Swift Sword Art," Su Xie replied with a faint smile.
Old Man Ning narrowed his eyes, curiosity growing stronger as he asked, "Brat, to us sword cultivators, this Swift Sword Art is a supreme treasure. I really have to wonder if you have some master behind you—with all these methods, you're practically a walking treasury."
"What? Are you thinking of greedily seizing it, Old Man Ning?" Su Xie asked back with a chuckle.
"Rest assured, brat, I have no interest in the secrets on your body. I'm just a bit curious, which towering expert is it that taught you all these methods behind your scenes?"
Old Man Ning said with proud dignity, the curiosity in his eyes growing even more intense.
As a sword cultivator, he possessed his own pride; he had never coveted things that didn't belong to him.
At the same time, given the superb methods Su Xie had displayed during this period, even a fool could guess that there must be some mighty existence transmitting teachings to him behind the scenes.
Seeing Old Man Ning asking with an expectant look, Su Xie turned a name over and over in his mind, feigning hesitation as he said, "Old Ning, since you asked so earnestly, I won't hide it anymore. I do indeed have a master behind me. That old senior is well-versed in everything, from arcane divination to bizarre arts. His moniker is Venerable Huangquan!"
"Venerable Huangquan? What an overbearing moniker!"
Old Man Ning muttered to himself, growing even more puzzled as he said, "Why haven't I heard of such a figure? Even within the Northern Domain, there doesn't seem to be this Venerable Huangquan, right?"
"Above the Northern Domain, I am merely one of his nominal disciples," Su Xie smiled.
This Venerable Huangquan wasn't someone he had just casually made up. In his past life, before he achieved the status of Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor, he had propped up this very hegemon of a faction.
Although this Venerable Huangquan wasn't considered particularly mainstream in the Greater Thousand World, up in the Northern Domain, he was as formidable as a thunderclap!
At the same time, this was the lowest-tier figure of any prominence that Su Xie could think of at the moment.
Perhaps Old Man Ning couldn't come into contact with such an existence, but some of the ancient immortals within the Northern Domain ought to know something of Venerable Huangquan's prestigious name.
After all, this Venerable Huangquan had risen to prominence right on the soil of the Northern Domain several thousand years ago!
As for why Su Xie didn't go straight to find him, there were many reasons. With his current lowly strength, before recovering to his peak, he must never expose his identity as the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor.
Once Emperor Xuan and Empress Qingyao learned that he wasn't dead, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"Brat, if there's a chance, I'd really like to meet this Venerable Huangquan you speak of," Old Man Ning mused, already locking the name Venerable Huangquan into his mind.
Just as they were flying forward on their swords, in a distant part of Northern Wujun, inside the Liuyun Sect:
Crack!
Within an ancient grand hall, several wooden tablets began to sway and shattered in an instant.
"This!"
"How could this happen? Quick! Go report to the Sect Master—the life tablets of the Great Elder and the Sixth Elder have shattered!"
Outside the hall, several disciples' expressions changed drastically as they shouted in panic.
***
Chapter 17: To Wipe Out Your Liuyun Sect, I Need Only One Sword
One had to know that these life tablets contained a wisp of the soul of their sect's high-ranking figures.
Once a life tablet shattered, it meant that the person had died.
Upon learning this news, the entire Liuyun Sect was thrown into an uproar.
"Who killed the elders of my Liuyun Sect?!"
At that moment, an angry voice echoed from a hall within the Liuyun Sect.
For how many years had it been since anyone dared to touch a member of his Liuyun Sect here in Northern Wujun?
"Sect Master, earlier, Elder Yunjue headed to the Su Family in Northern City. Not long after, the Great Elder went over as well. A catastrophe must have occurred at the Su Family!"
After investigating, many elders rushed over to report.
"The Su Family of Northern City?"
Inside the hall, a middle-aged man in golden robes narrowed his eyes slightly, a sinister look in his gaze. "Investigate immediately! Whoever dares to kill the people of my Liuyun Sect, no matter who they are, must pay a heavy price!"
"Understood, Sect Master!"
Just as the various elders were receiving their orders, at the same time:
Situated on a massive mountain outside the Liuyun Sect:
Swish! Swish!
A wave of piercing cold light shot forth abruptly, with endless sword Qi shaking the mountain ranges!
"Is this the Liuyun Sect?"
High up in the void, Su Xie swept his gaze over the mountain ahead.
Rich spiritual energy radiated from that place, wreathed in drifting clouds like some immortal mountain, inspiring awe and preventing anyone from daring to desecrate it, leaving them to sigh in admiration from the foot of the mountain far below.
"Brat, you better think carefully. After destroying this Liuyun Sect, this old man will need time to recover and won't be able to strike for a while. The path ahead after that will depend entirely on yourself."
Stepping on his sword Qi, Old Man Ning looked down from above at the distant Liuyun Sect and issued a reminder to Su Xie.
Su Xie nodded with a solemn gaze: "Then I'll have to trouble Old Ning."
Soon, Old Man Ning flew with Su Xie to the foot of the Liuyun Sect's mountain.
"Who goes there? To enter our Liuyun Sect, you must state your identity!"
At the foot of the mountain, quite a few outer disciples were guarding the grounds. Seeing the arrival of the two, they immediately raised their guard.
"Kill!"
A ferocious glint flashed across Su Xie's eyes as he grabbed a sword and slashed straight ahead.
Rip!
With a single sword strike, seven or eight outer disciples were killed on the spot, caught completely off guard!
"Not good! They're trying to force their way up the mountain!"
"Quick! Go report to the Sect Master!"
Those disciples reacted instantly, charging collectively toward Su Xie, while others ran straight up the mountain to report.
Yet Su Xie's sword was simply too fast!
A sword flashed out, and another dozen or so disciples were cut down to the ground.
Following that, holding his sword, Su Xie walked step by step up the stone stairs, slaughtering his way toward the mountain gate of the Liuyun Sect.
Along those steps, blood was splattered three feet deep the entire way!
"Good brat! The speed of your sword strikes is actually this fast!"
Old Man Ning didn't strike directly. Instead, he stepped upon the void, following quietly behind Su Xie to observe the battle.
"Impudent! How dare you trespass into our Liuyun Sect? You're courting death!"
Seeing Su Xie slaughtering his way in, several inner disciples abruptly rushed out from within the Liuyun Sect mountain gates, surrounding Su Xie in a coordinated assault.
"Are they all Houtian Realm cultivators?"
Su Xie sneered dismissively, wielding his sword to continue the slaughter.
With a sweeping motion, his blade erupted with dazzling cold light, killing those men and striking terror deep into their souls with a single stroke!
Rip! Rip!
Seeing Su Xie display such tyrannical strength, Old Man Ning couldn't help being startled.
"Brat, that sword strike of yours is actually a sword skill! What's it called?"
Old Man Ning's gaze locked intently onto the sword in Su Xie's hand, as if he had just discovered something unbelievable.
He found himself somewhat unable to see through the sword skill Su Xie had just used, but his intuition told him that this single strike was far more profound and marvelous than any sword skill he possessed.
"A Single Sword Slashes the Heavenly Gate!"
As Su Xie spoke, he continued to press forward with his sword.
"A Single Sword Slashes the Heavenly Gate? What an overbearing sword skill!"
Old Man Ning drew in a sharp breath.
If Su Xie possessed cultivation equal to his own and were to execute this sword strike then, its might would be unprecedentedly terrifying—even he, at his peak, would have to temporarily avoid its sharp edge!
Meanwhile, on this side, Su Xie had already carved a bloody path alone into the depths of the Liuyun Sect.
Boom, boom, boom—
At that very moment, the deep tolling of an ancient bell suddenly resounded through the air!
"Someone actually dares to break into our Liuyun Sect?"
The expressions of the various elders darkened as they flew collectively toward the mountain gate.
"Brat, if you're tired, just tell this old man. No need to hold back too much; when the time comes, I'll make my move."
Up in the void, Old Man Ning watched Su Xie down below with growing interest.
Su Xie nodded, his fighting spirit surging ever more fiercely.
Ever since his rebirth, he hadn't engaged in such an uninhibited, exhilarating slaughter.
"Brat, you're courting death!"