True Man Songyue flashed forward and drifted down onto the arena, placing himself before the surviving Diancang Sect Grand Elder.
His face was ashen as he looked at Lu Shaoyou. Besides towering fury, there was also a trace of unconcealable shock in his eyes.
He had acted only to preserve the Diancang Sect's last remaining spark.
He had never expected Lu Shaoyou's killing intent to be so heavy, his methods so vicious, and his movements so swift!
From Zhou Qingyun's death to the near-total annihilation of the Diancang Seven, the entire process had taken no more than the time it took for sparks to fly from flint. It had happened so quickly that even a Xiantian Mid-stage expert like him had been unable to intervene in time!
"You wretch! You slaughter innocents so wantonly and act with such cruelty—how are you any different from a fiend?" True Man Songyue roared sternly. His voice carried the immense true qi of the Xiantian Mid-stage, making the entire summit of Soul Severing Cliff hum and tremble.
"Slaughter innocents?" Lu Shaoyou seemed to have heard a joke. Using the end of his Qi Mei Cudgel, he pointed at the foul-smelling pool of pus and blood on the ground, then at the mangled corpses.
He said mockingly, "They came onto the stage seeking death of their own accord. They were inferior in skill, and that makes them innocent? Zhou Qingyun used poison for a sneak attack—despicable and shameless—yet in your eyes, he was innocent too?"
He paused and turned his gaze toward True Man Songyue. The ridicule in his eyes deepened.
"I think your four precious disciples were cut from the same cloth as you."
"Conceited and stupid beyond saving."
"The young ones rushed to their deaths, and the old one is no different."
"You!"
Those words were like pouring oil onto the flames.
True Man Songyue had already been heartbroken and enraged by the tragic deaths of his beloved disciples. Now, his wounds were torn open before everyone, and he was compared to a vile man like Zhou Qingyun.
That face which ought to have possessed the bearing of an immortal sage instantly flushed purplish red, his whole body shaking with rage.
"What a silver tongue! What a devil who turns black into white!" True Man Songyue's fury gave rise to killing intent. "Today, this poor Daoist shall personally cleanse the house, avenge my four disciples, and rid Azure Province's martial world of a great scourge like you!"
Clang—!
A clear dragon's cry rang out.
The ancient sword in True Man Songyue's arms flew from its sheath.
Its blade was pure white, like a pool of autumn water. Moonlight seemed to flow across its edge, and a cold, razor-sharp sword intent instantly blanketed the entire arena.
It was the Qingcheng Sect's treasured weapon, the Songyue Sword.
"Die!"
True Man Songyue wasted no more words. With a flick of his wrist, the Songyue Sword erupted with dazzling sword light as he casually unleashed an ancient yet profound sword move.
"First form, Gentle Breeze Arrives!"
The sword light appeared slow, yet seemed to be everywhere at once. Carrying a subtle charm like rain moistening all things without a sound, it sealed off every avenue of escape around Lu Shaoyou.
Before the sword qi even arrived, its cold sword intent had already stabbed pain into his skin.
Lu Shaoyou's gaze sharpened.
This old Daoist was indeed in a completely different league from those earlier trash!
Whether in quality or density, that Xiantian Mid-stage true qi far surpassed his own.
Though the man was far inferior to him in pure physical strength, that peerlessly sharp sword qi was enough to threaten him.
This was what could truly be called an opponent!
Battle intent surged in Lu Shaoyou's heart. He also wanted to use this opportunity to test where the limits of his current strength truly lay.
"Good!"
He shouted, neither dodging nor evading. He swept the Qi Mei Cudgel across, poured the strength of dragons and elephants into it, and smashed straight into the sky-filling sword light!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A dense series of metallic explosions burst forth from the center of the arena.
Golden cudgel shadows and moon-white sword light collided madly.
Every collision unleashed terrifying shockwaves, carving crisscrossing trenches into the hard arena floor.
The martial artists below the stage had long been left speechless by the breathtaking battle.
Each of them stared with eyes wide and mouths agape, their faces filled with disbelief.
"H-Heavens! That Lu Shaoyou can actually... actually fight True Man Songyue to a standstill?"
"True Man Songyue is a Xiantian Mid-stage expert who has been famous for decades! How old is that kid? How is this possible?"
"A monster! He is absolutely a monster!"
Everyone was utterly shaken by the terrifying strength Lu Shaoyou had displayed.
A youth could actually clash head-on with a towering figure of Azure Province's martial world without falling behind. This had utterly surpassed their understanding of martial arts.
On the high platform, Xue Yutang watched the two men's fierce battle, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Just then, a trusted subordinate dressed in Blood Saber Sect attire silently arrived behind him. Lowering his voice, the man rapidly whispered several words into his ear.
After hearing him out, Xue Yutang's lips slowly curled into a sinister, cruel smile, filled with the exhilaration of a scheme fulfilled and a thirst for blood.
He glanced at the experts from the various sects below, all tense and wholly absorbed in the battle, then looked toward the endlessly rolling clouds beneath the cliff. He sneered inwardly.
"Kill. The fiercer, the better."
"Lu Shaoyou, Lu Shaoyou, you had better not disappoint me... This grand stage I prepared for you still needs more blood for its final adornment."
No one knew that deep beneath Soul Severing Cliff, Blood Saber Sect deathsworn had long used countless rare materials and the blood of more than a hundred martial artists to inscribe a massive, evil formation!
This formation had only one purpose.
It would draw upon the blood of powerful men's deaths, gather boundless Baleful Intent, and use it to nourish a peerless vicious blade, helping it truly gain an edge.
The appointment at Soul Severing Cliff today had never been about killing Lu Shaoyou from the beginning. It was a Blood Sacrifice meticulously planned by Xue Yutang!
He intended to use Lu Shaoyou, this sharpest of blades, to slaughter experts from every corner of Azure Province's martial world, using their blood to temper his own Blood Drinking Demonic Blade!
This was his true purpose—a mad and vicious plan that not even his younger brother, Xue Yugang, knew about.
At the same time.
On the summit of a secluded lone peak opposite Soul Severing Cliff.
The terrain here was higher, and the view was excellent. Everything happening atop Soul Severing Cliff could be taken in at a glance.
Two figures stood against the wind, one before the other.
The man in front was tall and upright, dressed in a black brocade robe embroidered with intricate, luxurious patterns in gold thread.
He wore a mask forged from pure gold, concealing the upper half of his face and revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as the starry sky, along with a perfectly defined jawline.
He merely stood there quietly, yet carried an innate air of indescribable nobility.
Behind him stood a Grey-robed Elder with a respectful expression. His aura was unfathomably deep, clearly marking him as a supreme expert as well.
They had been watching in silence for a long time.
"That kid is somewhat interesting."
Suddenly, the Man with Golden Mask gave a low, magnetic chuckle.
Hearing this, the Grey-robed Elder bowed slightly, a trace of puzzlement in his eyes as well.
"My lord, this man acts ruthlessly and kills with decisive resolve. Yet his true qi is fierce and domineering, grand and righteous, faintly carrying the essence of a Buddhist Vajra's Wrathful Gaze.
"The cultivation method he practices seems to be some exceedingly profound Buddhist guardian divine art."
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