Rumble-
Dull thunder rolled across the distant sky again. Patches of black cloud gathered, and the terrifying Thunderclap beast seemed to be taking shape among them once more.
Atop the glittering golden palace roof, a figure in white stood alone, like an immortal banished from heaven.
She wore spotless white robes. Her features were too beautiful to belong to a mortal, her skin like frozen snow, her figure slender and graceful. A gentle breeze stirred her hem, lending her an ethereal air. Yet frost covered her flawless face, and beneath her cold demeanor lay a regal elegance that seemed born of long years in power.
An invisible, terrifying pressure left everyone solemn and afraid to move rashly, as though this woman could take their lives with a mere lift of her hand.
"Pay her no mind. Keep moving it."
Yu Huatian's voice remained calm, but his gaze stayed fixed on the woman atop the golden roof. His right hand clenched the hilt of the Heavenly Sword as his true qi circulated rapidly through every meridian, gathering his aura to its absolute peak.
For this was unquestionably the strongest enemy he had ever encountered!
The aura emanating from her was beyond anything the grandmaster realm could possess. That left only one possibility-
This woman in white was a great grandmaster!
And even among great grandmasters, she was almost certainly no weakling!
Jiang Yan, the commanding general of Dragon Gate Pass, also wore a grave expression. His right hand rested on the saber at his waist. He was not a man of the martial world, but even he could sense how terrifyingly powerful this woman was. Ordinary blades likely could no longer harm her.
Hearing Yu Huatian's order, he drew a deep breath and waved to the soldiers around him, signaling them to continue moving the gold.
Matters of the martial world were to be settled within the martial world.
A martial powerhouse could only be left to Yu Huatian. They could not intervene.
The woman stood motionless atop the hall. Seeing that Yu Huatian had disregarded her words and even ordered the soldiers to continue, the chill in her eyes deepened instantly.
"Did you not hear me?"
Her voice was soft and lilting, but now it was as cold as the depths of winter, carrying an imperious authority that brooked no refusal.
At that voice, Helian Tieshu, who had been pale with terror, abruptly came to his senses. Delight flashed across his face, and he raised his hand, crying, "Your Highness, save me!"
"Her Highness?"
"Her Highness is here?!"
"Wonderful! We're saved!"
The Western Xia experts behind him, who had also fallen into despair, immediately lit up with the joy of escaping death. The royal consort of Western Xia was the strongest martial expert in their kingdom.
Now that she was here, they would surely be saved!
Yu Huatian's eyes flickered at their words. He immediately recognized the woman in white, but his gaze then grew even more solemn.
"The royal consort of Western Xia, one of the Three Elders of Carefree... Li Qiushui..."
Hearing Yu Huatian, a Western Xia expert behind him flew into a rage. "Insolent! How dare you address Her Highness by name!"
Shing-
The moment his words fell, a cold gleam swept past like a dragon of clear water. The Western Xia expert's eyes widened like bronze bells. Tears streamed down his face as he stared fixedly at the white figure ahead, seemingly unable to believe that Yu Huatian would still dare strike him with Her Highness present...
But even if he regretted it now, it was too late. Both hands clamped desperately over his neck, yet blood soon seeped through his fingers. He could not seal the wound.
Thud-
[Fortune from Daoist Nine Wings +463.]
As Daoist Nine Wings collapsed, the system notification sounded.
Yu Huatian glanced at the stunned Western Xia group behind him, his voice cold and measured. "Someone else's strength is not your own. Until you regain the ability to move, I am the one who holds your lives in my hands. If anyone dares utter another word, I'll send him on his way first."
Their faces went white with fear, their bodies trembling. None dared speak again.
Atop the golden roof, seeing Yu Huatian disregard her completely and even kill a Western Xia man right before her eyes, a trace of murderous intent surfaced in Li Qiushui's gaze. "Do you truly believe I dare not kill you?!"
Ring-
The Heavenly Sword sang clearly once more. Yu Huatian wasted no more words. He raised his head toward the white-robed figure above, his expression cold, but fierce flames of battle lust burned in his eyes as he said flatly:
"Then kill me."
Li Qiushui was momentarily taken aback. Since she had first entered the martial world, this was the first time she had seen someone face a great grandmaster and still have the courage to grip his sword and utter such arrogant words.
At the same time, however, she sensed the immense true qi and blood energy flowing within this young man in python robes. He could not be very old. To have reached peak grandmaster at such an age meant his fearlessness likely did not stem from ignorance. He genuinely wanted to fight her even knowing she was a great grandmaster!
Li Qiushui regarded him more seriously. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and pure white true qi gradually rose between the delicate fingers beneath her white sleeves.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
The soldiers of Dragon Gate Pass and the experts of Western Xia First-Class Hall all felt their hearts leap into their throats, instinctively retreating toward the edges.
Rumble-
Thunder shook the heavens as the wind began to rise. A piercing sword cry rang out within the palace.
Hum-
Yu Huatian went from stillness to motion without the slightest warning.
The instant the thunder sounded, he had already shot through the air. Every blue brick beneath his feet burst apart. Even the howling wind seemed to split before him, his passage leaving a distinct, twisting trail through the air.
Yu Huatian unleashed his sword, pouring vast quantities of true qi into the Heavenly Sword as though it cost him nothing. After the briefest gathering, an unimaginably terrifying sword intent erupted.
Hiss-
In that instant, it was as though flowers bloomed across the earth and all things returned to life. The three-foot blade bore astonishing sword qi, cleaving through the wind and sweeping across the heavens!
As the sword rushed toward her, swift as thunder yet seemingly devoid of threat and instead brimming with boundless vitality, Li Qiushui felt a fleeting sense of being transported to another lifetime. She had not even sensed the danger.
This young man truly surprised her. First came his courage, born of who knew where, and then this strange sword technique, which could seize the mind and make one instinctively lower one's guard.
But she had lived for nearly a century, and neither her composure nor her discernment could be compared to an ordinary person's. The instant the sword qi erupted, she reacted.
Boom-
A powerful aura shook the air. Her delicate hand rose, wreathed in white true qi, and struck through the void like a long rainbow cleaving the wind. The moment her palm force surged forth, it shook the air into a faint distortion.
The two attacks met in a flash, leaving neither side any further time to react.
With a century's worth of cultivation behind her, Li Qiushui had considerable confidence in the White Rainbow Palm Force she had practiced for decades. In her view, this young man in python robes might possess some ability, and his stunning sword strike deserved her full attention, but his realm was simply too low. A grandmaster's sword could not hurt her.
Yet she had still underestimated Yu Huatian.
After cultivating the Sunflower Manual to perfection, Yu Huatian had already reached peak grandmaster. Over the past fortnight and more, he had also practiced several other martial arts, two of them sword arts. His mastery of swordsmanship might not compare to the powerhouses on the Ming Sword Dao Rankings, but it was certainly among the finest of the age.
Moreover, having recognized Li Qiushui, Yu Huatian had treated her as his strongest opponent from the outset. He had never intended to hold back with his opening strike, unleashing his strongest killing move immediately-the Fourteenth Sword!
Though he had only recently comprehended this strike and it remained somewhat immature, the supreme true qi of the Sunflower Manual and his mastery of numerous sword arts bolstered it. Its power far exceeded the strike that had destroyed the tornado earlier, draining two-thirds of Yu Huatian's true qi almost instantly.
How many people could claim they could safely withstand such a strike?
Not even a great grandmaster could!
Boom-
In an instant, the sword qi tore through the palm force and exploded before Li Qiushui. Terrifying currents shook the golden roof. Cast entirely from gold, it held for only a moment before bursting apart-and the white robes of the figure atop it burst apart along with it.
Despite her heightened vigilance, Li Qiushui was still engulfed by the sword qi. The body-protecting astral energy around her shattered like porcelain. The sword qi then continued into her flesh, muscles, and bones before exploding instantly. Agony flooded her entire body. She managed only a muffled groan before she was hurled helplessly through the air, crashing heavily into the mountainside behind the golden hall.
Rumble-
As the dull crash echoed, deathly silence fell over the scene.
There is a vast gulf between a grandmaster and a great grandmaster. With what the protagonist has learned so far, he still cannot cross it, so he cannot yet kill a great grandmaster above his realm.
It was the Fourteenth Sword that injured Li Qiushui. A swordsman's strength cannot be measured by ordinary martial standards, but it still requires sufficient true qi to support it. The specific mechanics will gradually unfold later. I hope everyone will show a little more understanding and patience. Thank you very much.
Also, the desert arc ends tomorrow. Please keep the votes coming...
(End of chapter)
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