Outside the tavern, on a bustling street somewhere, Su Che, Ji Boyuan, and Xiao Feiyu stood together beneath the shade of a tree. The two Void Step cultivators reined in their auras, while Su Che extended his divine sense and slowly brushed it over the Imperial Demon Hunters following them.
As that hellish yaksha-like aura swept over them once, every Imperial Demon Hunter following them changed expression. They respectfully saluted in this direction, then hurriedly withdrew.
"The Central Land is such a nuisance. These bootlicking ghosts are everywhere—I can't even enjoy a drink properly."
Xiao Feiyu stretched lazily in displeasure. "The common folk of the Eastern Sea have far more sense."
"I heard that demonic beasts often attack the Eastern Sea. Is that true?"
"More than often. Let me put it this way: there's no real difference between the people of the Eastern Sea and its cultivators. When demonic beasts attack a city and blast half of it flat, the other half keeps doing business as usual."
"Only a place like that could produce a Sword Cultivator like Brother Xiao."
"Precisely. A sword's edge must be honed through tempering."
Xiao Feiyu lightly patted the treasured sword on his back. "Brother Ji, I have heard that your sect's Thunder Arts stand unrivaled beneath heaven. How should this thunder be understood?"
"Our sect takes Thunder Arts as its overarching principle. This thunder is no ordinary thunder. It is the vitality running through the Nine Heavenly Human Arts, the central pivot of Yin-Yang, the sum total of Creation. With thunder, one may encompass the Grand Void and command Life and Death. In short, though it is called thunder, it cannot be examined through names and appearances."
Ji Boyuan sighed softly. The Divine Firmament Sect revered Thunder Arts above all else, yet this thunder