Unbelievable

The two had agreed to exchange only one move, and the Old Daoist put away his spirit sword.

Now he meant to see them out and check Wang Xian's injuries. Though he was still furious, he made no further move.

To his surprise, Granny Hundred Flowers had no intention of stopping!

She kept swinging her sword, directing the petals formed from millions of snowflakes to slash at the Old Daoist.

When a woman was angry, who could expect her to be reasonable?

Worse, the Old Daoist had wounded her with a single sword strike. In front of her daughter, he had hurt her pride!

"I'll fight you to the death!"

She was in great pain, on top of being furious and unwilling to accept what had happened.

She could hardly remember how many years it had been since anyone dared to act so brazenly in front of her, let alone wound her...

At last, all that pent-up rage erupted over that single sword strike in the wind.

"Whooo!"

The cold wind howled across the sky like ghosts wailing and wolves howling. Wang Xian, still in the kitchen, was stunned—so was Baili Wenqiu.

Wasn't it supposed to be one sword strike?

Why had her mother gone back on her word?

But Baili Wenqiu hadn't realized that Granny Hundred Flowers had completely forgotten their agreement.

All that remained in her heart was a raging blaze of fury.

With a shrill cry, the snowflakes suddenly accelerated, cutting through the howling wind as they rushed toward the Old Daoist!

By then, the Old Daoist had already put away his spirit sword. He was brushing off his sleeve, preparing to see them out.

He never expected the woman to go mad!

Sword Qi crisscrossed the air. No one could have escaped the millions of strikes unleashed by Granny Hundred Flowers—not even the master of this place.

As the Sword Qi roared through the sky, slicing the cold wind into a spreading haze of snow...

The Old Daoist vanished before the two women's eyes.

It was as if—no, there wasn't even a fading afterimage!

The Old Daoist had abruptly disappeared beneath the storm of countless sword strikes.

Wang Xian nodded thoughtfully, but didn't cry out in surprise.

After all, during his ten years in the Heavenly Book World, he had grasped a hint of an unfathomable insight. That was how he understood why his master could vanish into thin air.

So he smiled.

One day, I'll be just like Master.

Ten years, five realms. He hadn't merely tempered his physical body on the three thousand stone steps inside the Heavenly Book.

He had also grasped a trace of the Power of Time and the Power of Space.

Boom!

A terrifying crash rang out amid the cold wind. Granny Hundred Flowers' countless sword strikes blasted away the frozen earth, hard as solid ice, carving out a massive pit.

"Enough!"

Baili Wenqiu darted forward and snatched the spirit sword from her mother's hand.

Her voice rang out as she said, "Mother, we didn't come here to fight to the death. The senior already stepped aside..."

Baili Wenqiu felt a little despondent, with a faint trace of self-mockery and regret.

She never imagined that after their single exchange in the wind, things would end like this. If the Old Daoist hadn't dodged and had instead met her mother's strike head-on,

they would likely have both ended up badly wounded. She couldn't accept that outcome.

As things stood, this was already the best possible ending.

It seemed absurd, but at least neither side had truly fallen out with the other.

After all, in her eyes, it was inconceivable that her mother had attacked that young Daoist.

How could she take out her anger at the Old Daoist on a child?

She had simply forgotten one thing.

When Granny Hundred Flowers flew into a rage, her temperament was no different from a child's—perhaps even worse than Wang Xian's.

The instant her spirit sword was snatched away, Granny Hundred Flowers abruptly turned around...

At some point, the Old Daoist had appeared in front of the main hall, not far behind her. He stood there quietly, watching her with a cold gaze.

Trembling with fury, she cursed, "You old bastard, can you do nothing but use demonic tricks?"

The Old Daoist shook his head. He neither admitted it nor bothered to explain.

He only wanted to know whether his disciple had understood the subtleties of that move. He couldn't care less what an evil woman was thinking.

He flicked his sleeve and said, "My temple doesn't welcome wicked guests. You've eaten, you've fought, and you've even injured my disciple. Now, leave!"

Without another word, the Old Daoist ordered them out.

Baili Wenqiu's lips moved, but in the end she said nothing. She took her mother's hand and stepped forward, heading toward the Tianshan Sword Sect.

In her eyes, her mother and the Old Daoist before her were the two strongest people in the world.

The mother and daughter had come here to ask for a sword, but in the end, things had concluded in this helpless manner.

Granny Hundred Flowers struggled for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist her daughter's insistence. She had no choice but to leave.

Once they were far away, she called back, "In spring, the disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley are coming to Kunlun!"

The Old Daoist froze when he heard that. Only after the two were gone did he mutter to himself, "What the hell does the Sword Sect's gathering have to do with us master and disciple?"

At that, Wang Xian toppled backward and instantly passed out.

"Ugh!" Wang Xian spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The instant the Old Daoist withdrew his palm, a drop of black blood seeped from each of Wang Xian's ears, nostrils, and eyes.

The Old Daoist flew into a rage. "That wicked woman! I'll go to the Sword Sect and chop off one of her arms!"

"Master..."

Wang Xian grabbed the Old Daoist's hand and smiled bitterly. "I spent ten years in the Heavenly Book and opened my seven apertures... Just now, when Master drew out the poison..."

The Old Daoist fell silent.

He stared at Wang Xian's face, as if lost in thought.

Then he burst into laughter. "Could it be that you spent all ten years in the Heavenly Book cultivating your body?"

"Ten years, five realms..."

Wang Xian fell back onto the bed and smiled weakly. "That's also the survival skill I learned in the Heavenly Book."

The Old Daoist suddenly understood. He remembered how his disciple had spent ten years in his junior sister's Heavenly Book without breaking through a single realm.

Not to mention that wicked old woman today—even his junior sister wouldn't have guessed that his disciple had spent a full ten years tempering his body.

The thought made him even angrier.

He said coldly, "Granny Hundred Flowers of Hundred Flowers Valley is no good person. Keep your distance from her from now on."

Ten years, five realms—and all of it in the Heavenly Book World.

Even with his disciple's formidable body, that wicked woman had still grievously wounded him. If it had been anyone else, they'd already be dead.

The Old Daoist took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Wang Xian's face.

Looking at his pale-faced disciple, he couldn't help but say, his heart aching, "Don't push yourself so hard from now on."

Wang Xian thought for a moment, then asked, "Those two women from the East Sea didn't get to see you, Master. Will they come again?"

The Old Daoist gave a soft snort.

He replied nonchalantly, "Your master will be sitting right here. Let's see what tricks they can come up with."

Wang Xian's eyes shifted. "Master, when will Senior Sister be back?"

"Her?"

At the thought of Donghuang Shuyu, the Old Daoist couldn't help laughing. "She's even more troublesome than you. Are you hoping she'll come back and deal with you?"

Wang Xian felt a chill in his stomach. He thought for a moment, then replied, "Then I'd better go to the Sword Sect first and visit Martial Aunt. She promised to pay back your Spirit Stones, Master."

The Old Daoist couldn't help flashing a strange smile.

His precious disciple might only be at the Foundation Establishment Realm, but his physical strength was no weaker than that of a Nascent Soul Realm expert.

When spring came to the Kunlun Sword Sect, would his disciple stir up that tranquil pool?