"Is it that Chuyun City can't withstand it, or is it that your Auspicious Cave can't withstand it?"
City Lord Liu looked surprised. He didn't rush to make a move, but suddenly smiled and said, "You Su, have you always been this clever?"
"It's because you've done too many coincidences."
"Sigh, who can blame my sudden visitor, Senior Brother Gu, for being so meticulous and insisting on finding the source of the fog? I had no choice but to kill him and start the plan ahead of schedule." City Lord Liu shook his head with a smile, "We clearly had enough people before, but three evil spirits that appeared killed some of them, so now I have to go outside to find more people to make up the numbers."
"It's not that I have a lot of coincidences; plans just can't keep up with changes. But it's okay, no one can stop me now."
City Lord Liu was not exaggerating. He had waited far too long for this day, and he would never tarnish the fruits of his nearly century-long efforts with any falsehoods.
He was the sect leader of the Evil Banishing Sect, and that damned Evil Purge Mountain operation almost destroyed everything he had.
But fate also smiled upon him; a disfigured man rescued him and took him in as a servant.
His benefactor's knowledge of evil spirits shocked him; even someone who had dealt with evil spirits for a century had never heard of so many secrets. As they spent more time together, he gained more and more trust.
His benefactor's ambition gradually began to be revealed to him. His benefactor claimed that he had seen Secret Scroll that contained ancient secrets. It was also from his benefactor that he first learned of a way to overturn the world.
In order to fulfill his benefactor's ambition, he suffered inhuman transformation at his benefactor's hands, who forcibly scraped off the evil spirits that had almost become one with him, and then spent years carving him into a completely different person— Liu Qinnan, an outer disciple of the Xuanxiao Sect who went out to seek fortuitous opportunity to break through his cultivation realm.
On the eve of his arrival at the Xuanxiao Sect to replace Liu Qinnan, he plotted to assassinate his benefactor. Because only he could be the master of this new world.
He began his nearly forty-year performance at the Xuanxiao Sect, and no one could tell that he had become a different person. With his superb acting skills, he finally earned the position of city lord of Chuyun City, the indispensable place of divine revelation recorded in the secret book.
He then became the lord of Chuyun City and began a sixty-year-long scheme, utilizing almost everything at his disposal. He ignored the doubts and disdain, because he knew that once he succeeded, he would be admired by all living beings across the five continents.
God is the origin of all evil. If God is resurrected and replaced, he will be the absolute new ruler of the five continents, and even the three great Evil God will only be his servants.
He had found the location of the Divine Court, where countless powerful evil spirits slumbered. He had only awakened one of them, yet this city was now shrouded in fog and filled with evil spirits, which greatly excited him.
What he needs to do now is to ignite the lives of everyone in the Auspicious Cave tomorrow, adding the final spark to his great transformation.
Before that, he had to retrieve the two scarce pieces of firewood in front of him that were trying to escape.
You Su stared intently at City Lord Liu. Although he had already used his chance to open his eyes today, he could still feel the filthy look in City Lord Liu's eyes through the mist.
He forced out a few words through gritted teeth. "Junior sister, you run first, I'll come find you later."
Even City Lord Liu was moved. "You don't really want to fight me, do you?"
You Su gritted his teeth and pressed his hand firmly against the hilt of the sword.
City Lord Liu Mystic Qi, and a stream of profound Gang Qi shot out like an arrow once again.
Since neither Divine Sense nor eyesight could be relied upon, You Su focused all his attention on his ears. No matter how fast the finger strikes were, they were still slower than the speed of sound!
You Su moved like a ghost, and the finger strike containing immense power grazed past him, leaving a bloody mark on his upper arm.
But this did not stop You Su's movements. That bull-like sword intent reappeared, its powerful force shaking off the ethereal white mist, and its overwhelming killing intent materialized!
You Su had already fully grasped his sword intent during his battle with Wu Ping. He couldn't help but recall the original name of the Ink Pine Sword, which was given to it by his master: "Don't Cower Sword".
He disliked the name as too unpleasant, so he changed it to "Ink Pine Sword" himself. But if he had to give this surging sword intent a name, You Su felt that there was no better name than "Mo Song" (meaning "Don't be cowardly").
With a single sword strike, the white mist around the sword dissipated as if a silver bottle had shattered.
In the center of the open space, City Lord Liu remained motionless. He gently raised his hand, and his sleeve rolled down, revealing his thin arm underneath. Yet, it was this arm that effortlessly neutralized the power of the Ink Pine Sword. City Lord Liu's two pale fingers gripped the blade like an unshakeable mountain.
For the first time, You Su felt defeated. This was his most prized move. He had always relied on this sword intent to gain the upper hand and even turn defeat into victory. But now, under the hands of City Lord Liu, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea.
With one hand holding a sword and the other clenched into a fist in mid-air, City Lord Liu unleashed a burst of Mystic Qi in front of You Su, sending him flying backward like a bird falling from the sky.
Extremely vulnerable.
"Overestimating yourself. Comprehending sword intent at eighteen is undoubtedly a genius, but I have cultivated for over two hundred years. How could a single sword intent from you possibly bridge that gap?"
City Lord Liu looked down at You Su, who had fallen to the ground. His robes billowed without wind, and he slowly rose into the air, surrounded by white mist, like a true immortal descending.
"You're not at the Condensing Water Realm... you're at the Feather Transformation Realm!" You Su struggled to his feet once more, his heart pounding like a drum.
There is a fundamental difference between the Feather Transformation Realm and the Condensing Water Realm. The ability to fly is crucial for both combat and retreat. A Feather Transformation Realm can easily handle the siege of four or five Condensing Water Realm cultivators, not to mention the Spirit Platform Realm, where the gap is even greater.
"Otherwise, do you really think I haven't made any progress in sixty years?" City Lord Liu said condescendingly. "I have to thank my Senior Brother Gu. Without his pure Mystic Qi, how could my cultivation have returned so smoothly?"
You Su glared angrily, but City Lord Liu was high above him. Even when he leaped up and swung his sword, he couldn't touch the hem of City Lord Liu's clothes, which made You Su lose all hope of victory.
There is indeed a chasm between them that is difficult to cross...
City Lord Liu felt the same way. He suddenly lost interest. He had been suppressing himself for too long, and he unconsciously began to show off in front of a young man in the Spirit Platform Realm.
"Just come back with me honestly, and you'll die a little easier."
You Su spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to his feet. "Aren't you afraid of my Mistress?"
"If your Mistress were in this city, she would have shown herself long ago. And if she's outside, with so many evil spirits lurking in this boundless fog, no matter how powerful she is, she can't get in. That's all I have to say, let's go."
Before he finished speaking, City Lord Liu made a grasping motion in the air, and an invisible hand enveloped You Su and Ji Lingruo.
You Su gripped his sword firmly and took a step forward. "Junior sister, you go first!"
He had told Ji Lingruo leave first, but she didn't make a move. Did she really intend to become a pair of doomed lovers?
But the invisible giant hand was incredibly oppressive, like Mount Tai pressing down on him, You Su knew he couldn't escape. His eyes blazed with fury, as if they were about to turn black again, but even so, he still felt that this palm strike was unstoppable.
But he would not give up easily; the sword trembled violently, he would rather die than surrender.
A slender hand stopped him. Ji Lingruo walked up to him and whispered:
"Senior brother, remember to wake me up."