Xia Wuji swung his sword and brought it down. Sword qi blossomed in a brilliant radiance, shattering the crimson sword force slashed out by Xu Yao.
Xu Yao's expression froze. Then astonishment spread across his face, and he could not help glancing at the battered and miserable Xia Xuan. "Xia Xuan, Xia Xuan, you couldn't catch a single sword strike, yet this biological son you drove out of the Sword Pavilion can."
"He's stronger than you."
"Hahaha! You had such a genius son, yet you treated him like that. You really must have been blind as a bat!"
Lying in a pool of blood, Xia Xuan suffered another tremendous shock deep within.
Looking at Xia Wuji, who stood with a calm expression and a sword in hand, he became increasingly aware of just how foolish and muddleheaded he had been.
Xu Yao had deliberately provoked Xia Xuan.
Then he turned his gaze back to Xia Wuji.
"Tsk, tsk. Xia Wuji, you've certainly forced me to look at you in a new light. But that sword strike just now was merely something I tossed out casually. That's why you managed to withstand it."
"But if I take you seriously, there's no chance you'll survive beneath my sword."
"I'll give you one last chance. Kneel at once, kowtow to me, acknowledge me as your father, and I'll spare your life. I'll even let you stay by my side and serve me like an ox or a horse!"
Cold light surged in Xia Wuji's eyes. "A dying man, yet you have quite the big mouth."
Xu Yao furrowed his brows and snorted coldly. "You stubborn little bastard. Then go to hell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yao stepped on Gale Force and shot forward. He circulated the Crimson Blood Heart Sutra of the Sword Pavilion's Xia Family, a peak Yellow-tier cultivation method. His essence energy seethed, and a crimson blaze seemed to flicker across the surface of his body.
Xu Yao was incredibly fast. In an instant, he had already reached Xia Wuji.
The Crimson Blood Sword, a peak-grade treasured sword, swept out. He was still using the Sword Pavilion's Xia Family's strongest sword technique—the peak Yellow-tier Crimson Blood Sword Art!
The cultivation method, sword technique, and treasured sword had all been the foundations of the Sword Pavilion's former rise. They were the Sword Pavilion's mightiest reserves.
The people of the Sword Pavilion's Xia Family had grown weaker with every generation. Now, these forces instead shone brilliantly in Xu Yao's hands.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound rang out.
Hot flames coiled around Xia Wuji's sword edge. The searing aura of True Sun Swordplay, the unique sharpness of Sword Essence, and the might of the quasi-spirit-grade Jinghong Sword combined in this strike. When his sword collided head-on with Xu Yao's, he did not fall at the slightest disadvantage.
In the blink of an eye, sword light flashed violently across the battlefield, and the two had already exchanged dozens of blows.
Xu Yao was actually already deeply shaken.
At the second layer of the Primal Energy Realm, he had brought out his true strength, yet he was unable to take down Xia Wuji, who was only at the Sea of Qi Realm, in a short time.
In a moment of distraction, he revealed a tiny opening. Xia Wuji seized the opportunity!
Three Suns Opening!
Three blazing suns of sword qi condensed instantly along Xia Wuji's sword edge and thundered toward Xu Yao!
A dangerous instinct rose in Xu Yao's heart. A low growl escaped his throat, and he did not dare be careless. He suddenly slashed out, shattering one of the blazing suns of sword qi!
But the remaining two blazing suns of sword qi exploded beside him at the same time.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Deafening roars rang out.
A sea of flames raged!
Ferocious sharpness tore through the air!
"Ah!"
Xu Yao let out a shriek. His body flew backward from the sea of flames, which seethed with razor-sharp sword intent, like a kite with its string cut.
At that very moment,
Xia Wuji gave chase!
The lower-grade Profound-tier movement technique, Cloud Soaring Steps!
His body transformed directly into a trailing afterimage!
Man-Sword Unity!
"Whoosh!"
Xia Wuji passed straight by Xu Yao with his sword in hand!
Blood sprayed from Xu Yao's neck.
Xia Wuji came to a stop.
Then he returned his sword to its sheath!
"Bang!"
Xu Yao's body crashed heavily to the ground behind him.
Xia Wuji did not look back. He merely said coldly, "You can only blame yourself for insisting on courting death."
Xu Yao's body convulsed repeatedly.
At that moment, he regretted it immensely.
Xia Wuji had originally had no intention of interfering in the Sword Pavilion's affairs. Why had he insisted on provoking and cornering him?
If he had not forced Xia Wuji...
He would not have ended up like this!
In the next moment, the light in Xu Yao's eyes completely faded. His body stopped twitching, and he breathed his last.
The one who regretted it even more was Xia Xuan.
He felt as though he were dreaming. Xu Yao, powerful enough to make him despair, had actually died beneath Xia Wuji's sword.
If only he had shown Xia Wuji a little more concern...
Then he would not have become like this...
"Wuji..."
"I truly know I was wrong..."
"Please forgive your father..."
Xia Xuan spoke with difficulty. Using both hands and feet, he crawled toward Xia Wuji, leaving a trail of blood across the ground behind him.
Xia Wuji looked at Xia Xuan with an indifferent expression. "When my mother left back then, did she leave any words behind?"
Xia Xuan shook his head. "Yun'er... when she left... she only instructed me... to take good care of you and raise you well..."
The Yun'er he spoke of was Xia Wuji's mother, Qin Yun.
"Take good care of me and raise me well? Did you?" Xia Wuji's voice was thick with ridicule.
Tears and snot streamed down Xia Xuan's face. "Wuji, your father was confused before... Please believe me one more time..."
"Your dantian was shattered before, yet you still recovered your cultivation. You must have a way to save me and repair my dantian... Wuji, as long as I recover, your father will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold..."
"Your father swears..."
"Get lost!" Xia Wuji roared furiously. A wave of energy erupted from his body and sent Xia Xuan flying.
"A man like you doesn't deserve forgiveness!"
After leaving those words behind, Xia Wuji departed without turning his head.
Everyone who deserved to die was dead.
Xia Xuan was still alive, but he was worse off than dead.
As the master of the Sword Pavilion, he naturally had no shortage of enemies.
Those subordinates he had once barked orders at and used... might also emerge and vent their anger on him.
But none of this had anything to do with Xia Wuji anymore. From this moment onward, every thread of cause and effect between him and the Sword Pavilion had been severed!
Now, he only wanted to hurry to Qingyun City in the Great Chu Dynasty and take part in the Azure Star Academy's examination.
He would enter the Azure Star Academy and search for clues about his mother, making up for the regrets of his previous life. Moreover, entering the Azure Star Academy would make it easier to gather cultivation resources and set foot on the road to immortality once more!
Seven days later.
A series of bonfires burned in a stretch of mountain forest.
Many young people gathered in groups of three or five, chatting merrily.
They were all people from the Great Chu Dynasty who had come from various places to Qingyun City for the Azure Star Academy's examination.
Xia Wuji sat alone beside a fire, eyes closed and legs crossed as he silently circulated his cultivation method.
"Brother Xia, we'll reach Qingyun City tomorrow. Traveling for so many days has been quite tiring. Why not join us tonight for great mouthfuls of meat and huge bowls of wine? Let's relax!" A young man came over to Xia Wuji with a smile on his face.
Xia Wuji finished circulating his cultivation method and opened his eyes to look at the man.
This person was Huang Hu. He had met Xia Wuji on the road two days earlier.
Huang Hu was very warmhearted and liked making friends far and wide.
As the saying went, one did not strike a smiling face. Although Xia Wuji had not intended to become too closely acquainted with them, neither would he coldly reject them from a thousand miles away.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "I appreciate your kindness, Brother Huang, but I can't hold my liquor, so I'll pass on the excitement."
"Brother Huang!" A young master from an Aristocratic Clan walked over. He draped one arm around Huang Hu's shoulder, then glanced at Xia Wuji and sneered. "What is this thing? He's merely a fellow at the first layer of the Sea of Qi Realm, yet he's putting on airs?"
"My Brother Huang invited you over out of respect for you, and you still dare refuse? You really don't know how to appreciate kindness!"
Xia Wuji's brows instantly furrowed.
Huang Hu hurriedly grabbed the man's arm. "Brother Xia, I'm truly sorry. Zhang Xiao has had too much to drink!"
Then Huang Hu immediately dragged this fellow called Zhang Xiao away.
Before long, the mountain forest grew lively.
Everyone had been traveling for many days, and they would reach Qingyun City tomorrow. Imagining the wonderful prospect of joining the Azure Star Academy, their moods improved greatly. Laughter and conversation filled the air as cups clinked, and people sang and danced.
Only Xia Wuji remained tranquil at heart, undisturbed by external things.
Within his dantian, the Sword Seed released sharpness every moment, sending it surging into the roiling sea of essence energy.
In the next instant, the sea of essence energy suddenly trembled and expanded!
A breakthrough!
Second layer of the Sea of Qi Realm!
If another Sea of Qi Realm martial artist broke through, the disturbance would certainly be considerable, because their strength would surge at the moment of breakthrough, making it difficult to control properly.
But Xia Wuji controlled every strand of Sword Essence as freely as his own thoughts, with wondrous perfection.
Thus, his breakthrough occurred soundlessly.
Just as Xia Wuji prepared to circulate his cultivation method again and stabilize the newly expanded sea of essence energy, his powerful perception suddenly detected something unusual.
In the darkness, strands of killing intent were quietly drawing near!
Before you continue