So he displayed the power of a Herrscher, using stray Destruction energy to construct nearly a hundred longswords that moved at his will.
"This..." The bearded man was stunned, and the bandits all stopped in their tracks.
They had been frightened.
They wanted to retreat, but then saw that the four girls surrounding the "little immortal" were equally baffled, instantly regaining a measure of courage.
"You think a mere trick of the eye can fool us? Get them!"
The bearded man roared and charged forward first.
Su Mei had just snapped back to her senses and was about to defend herself when the swords in the air moved to meet the bearded man before she could.
"Clang, clang, clang~" The sounds of metal striking metal proved that these swords were no illusion. Everyone was shocked, yet they still did not retreat.
"Together!"
Greed blinded their eyes, and there was no turning back once the bow had been drawn.
They simply could not resist the temptation of the Tai Xu Sword Qi. Even if they had to bully the weak with numbers and strength, they would have it.
Yet all their attacks were blocked before the sword formation. They could not cross it even half a step.
"Sword Form." Cheng Ling Shuang saw through it, her face full of astonishment.
The sword technique forming the sword array was the Tai Xu Sword Form.
"Wow, that's amazing. Say, is this Master's Sword God? Is she watching over us nearby?" Jiang Wanru's eyes sparkled, utterly captivated by the dazzling and magnificent sword technique.
The Tai Xu Sword God, the supreme profundity of the Tai Xu Sword Qi.
Even without a sword, there was still a sword. One forged a sword through spirit, and sword qi formed naturally. It was the path to Spirit Aggregate.
They all took it to be Chi Yuan's Sword God.
It was a misunderstanding, but Ye Chang'an had no interest in clearing it up. He nodded and said, "Immortal Chi Yuan is watching this place. Let's go. We need to hurry back up the mountain."
He had only said it casually, never expecting Immortal Chi Yuan to truly be watching.
~
~
A streak of sword light hung in the sky. Chi Yuan, dressed in an ink-wash-style Daoist robe, looked down at the disturbance below with a slight frown.
She had just sensed the flow of Destruction energy and thought another minor Destruction outbreak had occurred somewhere. Instead, she saw those little children from the mountain surrounded in the middle.
Why are they here?
Chi Yuan could not figure it out, nor did she have the mood to dwell on it. She turned her sword light and flew straight toward them.
"Master, did something happen?" Lin Zhaoyu, who had hitched a ride beside her, asked in confusion. Only after they descended through the clouds did she see Ye Chang'an and her junior sisters.
Confusion appeared in her calm eyes, followed by surprise, then anger.
"Master, this disciple will go on ahead." She spoke softly, then flung out Light Dust Willow with a sweep of her sleeve without waiting for Chi Yuan's reply. It transformed into a streak of sword light and shot away.
She was faster than Chi Yuan, because Chi Yuan did not consider the situation urgent and had not used her full strength.
But Lin Zhaoyu went all out. The instant she landed, she spoke in fury.
"Lin Zhaoyu of the Tai Xu Sword Sect is here! Who dares act so recklessly!"
Image: "Eldest Senior Sister", location: "Images/1703650212-100390983-111171018.jpg"
She normally was not like this. Today, she was truly angry.
After all, she had watched these children on the mountain grow up. Not to mention Ye Chang'an, whom she had raised since before he was weaned.
"(⊙o⊙)..." Ye Chang'an was instantly dumbfounded by that shout.
No, I only said it casually. She was really watching?
He had already spotted Immortal Chi Yuan's sword light.
He was a little scared.
At this point in time, Immortal Chi Yuan was somewhat obsessed with the subject of qi deviation, and unfortunately, he showed signs of it.
Erosion Markings surfaced beneath his clothes because he had mobilized Destruction energy to use his Authority just now.
Destruction energy had to first acknowledge an owner before it could be used. Before using it, there was a process of making it recognize its master.
Take the Tai Xu Sword Qi, for example.
The Tai Xu Sword Qi tempered the body into channels for true qi. Once one's Sword Heart and Sword Form reached mastery, one could draw Destruction energy from the surroundings and allow it to flow freely through the meridians.
One treated heaven and earth as one's dantian and transformed the flesh into meridians.
That was how the Tai Xu Sword Qi mobilized and used Destruction energy. The process of allowing Destruction energy to enter the body and circulate once was the acknowledgment of ownership.
This method applied to Herrschers as well.
Herrschers likewise had to absorb Destruction energy into their bodies before they could use it.
The difference was that a Herrscher's vessel possessed high Destruction adaptability, so corrosion would not occur.
Practitioners of the Tai Xu Sword Qi did not have as much Destruction adaptability as Herrschers. If they used too much Destruction energy, they would be corroded.
This body of Ye Chang'an's had possessed a certain degree of adaptability since birth, which was why he had not turned into a Death Warrior like his biological father and mother.
But that adaptability was not particularly high. Even though Chang'an Melody had raised it a little today, it was still not high.
And so he had been corroded by Destruction energy.
This was only a minor problem. A few more rounds of Chang'an Melody would solve it.
But the major problem was that Chi Yuan had arrived.
She's not going to hit me with Inch Force: Sky Shatter, is she?
Feeling rather cowardly, he had already stopped and dismissed the azure-edged swords he had created.
The Arbiter of Reason could voluntarily dismiss constructs created through his Authority.
He considered silently reciting Chang'an Melody a few times to quickly erase the Erosion Markings, but then thought it might be an opportunity and simply gave up on the idea.
There was no rush.
"Wow, Eldest Senior Sister, you're here! That's wonderful!" Jiang Wanru cried happily, sounding somewhat out of place in the tense atmosphere.
Jiang Wanxi hurriedly covered her mouth and bowed in greeting to the Immortal Chi Yuan who had arrived.
"Master."
"Mm." Chi Yuan answered indifferently. She glanced at the trembling martial artists who did not dare move and saw no signs of demonic deviation.
"Zhaoyu, let's go." Chi Yuan spoke and took the four little girls away with her.
She did not take Ye Chang'an, because Lin Zhaoyu would bring him.
"Yes, Master."
Lin Zhaoyu accepted the order. Her pale golden eyes swept coldly over the injured martial artists, then she turned, picked Ye Chang'an up, and flew away on her sword.
"Um, Lin Zhaoyu, could you put me down? I can stand steadily." Ye Chang'an spoke awkwardly. He truly could not stand being held by Lin Zhaoyu like this.
After all, she was a twenty-six-year-old woman.
Tai Xu Chapter · Section One: 6. Old Six, So This Is How You Died
On the flying sword, Chi Yuan stood with her hands behind her back, calmly gazing into the distance.
She did not ask why these children had appeared there and been surrounded by a group of martial artists, because she was still pondering that strange flow of Destruction energy and the swords that had vanished without explanation.
That move felt very similar to Sword God, yet also somewhat different.
Every person's Sword God was different, so it was understandable.
Thus, she asked her most talented disciple.
"Ling Shuang, have you comprehended Sword God?"
"(⊙o⊙)..." Cheng Ling Shuang was dumbfounded. She blinked in confusion at her peerlessly elegant master, looking somewhat lost.
"No." After recovering, she shook her head and told the truth.
Her Sword Heart was still in the Realm of Dustlessness. Although it was the highest among the disciples, she was still far from comprehending Sword God.
Chi Yuan fell silent, finding it even stranger.
"Hehe, Master, your Sword God is so amazing! Those sword formations were so gorgeous. Can you teach me?" The lively Jiang Wanru interjected, her eyes gleaming. She had already become infatuated with the dazzling sword formation.
"...That was not my Sword God." Chi Yuan shook her head in denial, leaving several disciples stunned.
The Jiang sisters looked at each other, utterly confused.
Su Mei and Cheng Ling Shuang seemed thoughtful, then turned their gazes toward Ye Chang'an on Lin Zhaoyu's flying sword.
It could only have been him, right?
It was absurd, yet it was the only explanation.
After all, Ye Chang'an's behavior after descending the mountain was completely different from how he had been on the mountain. If anything strange happened, they could just pin it on that brat.
Ye Chang'an knew nothing of their suspicions. Once he had steadied himself on the flying sword, he began enduring Lin Zhaoyu's questioning.
"Chang'an, why were you there? Didn't I tell you to wait for us on the mountain until we returned?"
As his adoptive mother, this was naturally the first thing she cared about.
"I was bored on the mountain, so I asked Su Mei to bring us down to buy some things. Look, this is the qin I just bought."
Ye Chang'an explained with a smile, never considering hiding it or shifting the blame.
He had caused this himself in the first place. What was there to blame on anyone else?
"Nonsense!" Lin Zhaoyu was angry. Her chest rose and fell visibly with agitation. Only after calming down for a while did she stroke Ye Chang'an's black hair and say:
"If there's something you want next time, tell me. I'll buy it and bring it back for you. Don't do this again.
If Master hadn't discovered you, something would have happened to you. Do you understand?"
She still restrained her temper. Gentle advice was her way of teaching.
"I understand. Thank you." Ye Chang'an nodded in thanks, then apologized as well, admitting his mistake.
"Chang'an, you..." Ye Chang'an's attitude and smile were clearly different from before, leaving Lin Zhaoyu somewhat bewildered. He seemed to have become much more unfamiliar.
Was it because Master and I had been gone for too long this time?
She reflected on herself. But a month did not seem that long. When she returned in the past, she had never felt that Ye Chang'an had changed so much.
She wanted to ask, but when she saw Ye Chang'an's bright smile and clear eyes, she decided against it.
The eyes were the windows to the soul. Though the old Ye Chang'an had possessed the childish innocence appropriate for his age, the emotions hidden within were mostly bewilderment.
Now, all that bewilderment had dissipated. That was a good thing.
Lin Zhaoyu smiled in relief, pulled Ye Chang'an into her arms, and sighed.
"You've grown up."
Caught in a chest smothering, Ye Chang'an was speechless and hurriedly broke free.
"If I've grown up, then don't do this anymore."
His face reddened a little. It was a normal reaction, not lust.
Absolutely not.
Seeing his flushed face, Lin Zhaoyu smiled and did not force him. She continued guiding the flying sword back toward Tai Xu.
The silent flight was somewhat dull, so Ye Chang'an asked what Lin Zhaoyu had done during this trip.
"The usual. I followed Master around and eliminated demons and monsters."
Lin Zhaoyu answered casually, then remembered something interesting and spoke with a smile.
"Oh, right, Chang'an. Would you like a little brother?"
"(⊙o⊙)? A little brother?" Ye Chang'an was startled. He glanced twice at Lin Zhaoyu's lower abdomen, only for her to pinch his cheek.
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