Blocking the Way

Su Yao was walking through the Great Void when, halfway through, Greater Yin suddenly appeared, revealing a young man. He was dressed in a white moon robe and was none other than Lu Yu, a subordinate of the Yuanfu.

When the True Lord was reincarnated years ago, he, along with Shen Yuxiao of Yuanfu and Xuan Yang of Zhenwu Mountain, besieged Su Yao at the confluence of the two rivers. In the end, Su Yao killed the two of them with his sword intent that he had concealed for decades.

Because Lu Yu was a disciple of the Yuanfu and also shared the surname Lu, Su Yao did not kill him at the time.

Now, decades later, the other party has also achieved the Purple Mansion.

Seeing this, Su Yao was puzzled and asked:

"Fellow Daoist, you think you can stop me with just Purple Mansion First Divine Ability?"

Lu Yu did not answer, but instead took out three long swords.

The three swords hung in the Great Void. The one on the left shone with the light of Lesser Yin, clear and subtle; the Greater Yin in the middle shone with Greater Yin, deep and still as an abyss; and the one on the right shone with Terminal Yin, dark and obscure. The three swords shone like three cold moons, and the Greater Yin energy emanated from the swords, dyeing the Great Void within a radius of several miles with a layer of cold, moon-white light.

"I would like to compare your Technique Sword with my Intent Sword using techniques," Lu Yu finally spoke up.

Su Yao did not answer, but only looked at the three swords. Lu Yu did not hold the swords in his hand. He controlled the three swords with his Divine Sense, and they hovered three feet in front of him, swimming slowly like three fish. This was Technique Sword, using Law Technique to control the sword and Divine Ability powers to defend against enemies. It was completely different from Su Yao's approach of using his mind as the sword and Sword Intent as the way.

Su Yao took out Autumn Steed, the sword tip pointing at Lu Yu:

"If you insist on getting involved in Proclaiming Earth's affairs, don't forget what happened to Shen Yuxiao and Xuan Yang back then."

Lu Yu laughed:

"Come on, please."

As soon as he finished speaking, he made a hand Hand Seals with his left hand, and the Lesser Yin Sword among the three swords suddenly lit up. The clear light on the sword body surged and transformed into an extremely thin and cold white ray of light, which shot silently toward Su Yao's face. Wherever the light passed, a thin layer of frost condensed in the Great Void, like the white breath exhaled in the cold winter.

Su Yao swung his sword, the Autumn Steed Sword clear as water, precisely striking the white ray of light. Sword Intent burst forth, cleaving the ray of light in two, the Greater Yin energy at the break point scattering and flying like shattered ice.

But the shattered ice did not dissipate. Lu Yu made another Hand Seals with his left hand, and the light that had broken into two pieces actually re-condensed behind Su Yao, splitting into two, then into four, then into eight, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into eight white rays of light that converged on Su Yao from all directions.

Su Yao frowned slightly. This was the "Light Splitting" technique of the Greater Yin School, which used the technique to control the sword. The sword light could be split and combined at will, making it extremely difficult to break through in one strike. He turned his body and swept the Autumn Steed Sword out horizontally. A clear sword light spread out in all directions like ripples, cutting through the eight beams of light at the same time. However, Greater Yin energy still remained at the cut, slowly wriggling in the Great Void, trying to recombine like a living thing.

"It's useless." Lu Yu's voice came after the three sword strikes. "The Way of Greater Yin is as enduring as the moonlight and as unyielding as the Yin essence. You may sever the light, but you cannot sever the Qi."

With a flick of his right hand, he produced another grayish-white earthenware bowl, its mouth facing down, and brought it down on Su Yao's head. The bowl was filled with the energy of Greater Yin, and a faint blue light poured out from its mouth, like a cold pool hanging upside down. At the same time, the faint blue bronze mirror and the frost-white short ruler also lit up, flanking Su Yao from the left and right.

With four Spirit Treasure and three Technique Sword, Lu Yu alone summoned seven Spirit Treasure. Su Yao glanced at them and already knew the situation. Although this person's cultivation was only at the first level of Divine Ability, the number of Upper Spirit Treasure was even more abundant than Su Yao's at the second Divine Ability. Although Qixia Temple had sent many Spirit Treasure over the years and seized many more, most of them had been given to Liu Yunhe, Zhang Ziyan, and others.

Su Yao himself only ever owns a few items.

But Su Yao remained completely calm.

He raised his right hand, and the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner unfolded in his palm. The banner's surface was covered with layers of rosy light, like feathers, with black feathers as the base and rosy light as the pattern. The deep blue light pouring from the pottery bowl struck the auspicious Auspicious Cloud Banner, like a stone sinking into the sea, the Greater Yin energy being absorbed and dissipated by the layers of rosy light. At the same time, he flipped his left hand, and the Vermilion Brightness Sword was already in his palm, with nine blazing heat lines, Balmy Wind wind swept out, severing the pillar of light from the deep blue bronze mirror in half.

As for the frost-white short ruler that came from behind, Su Yao didn't even turn his head. He swung his Autumn Steed Sword in a backhand strike, and a clear sword light accurately struck the short ruler. The Sword Intent burst forth, sending the short ruler flying backward.

A three-sided attack, resolved on three sides.

Su Yao, with his two swords and one banner, blocked all seven of Lu Yu's Spirit Treasure.

But Lu Yu did not stop. He changed the Method Formula with his left hand, and the three Technique Sword vibrated at the same time. The three-colored sword lights of Lesser Yin, Greater Yin and Terminal Yin intertwined like a net and came to strangle Su Yao.

At the same time, he flipped his right hand and took out a small gray-white seal, the surface of which was engraved with Greater Yin runes. He threw it into the air, and it transformed into a giant seal about 10 feet wide, which hung above Su Yao's head and slowly pressed down.

Su Yao looked up at the giant seal, then glanced at the three-colored sword net that was closing in, and suddenly sighed.

"Lu Yu," he spoke, his voice still calm, "You certainly have many Spirit Treasure. But you've forgotten one thing."

Lu Yu's brow twitched slightly. "What is it?"

"No matter how many Technique Sword you have, it all depends on who wields them." Su Yao raised the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner above his head, Auspicious Cloud Banner's radiant light surged, forcefully holding the giant seal in mid-air, preventing it from falling. At the same time, he raised Vermilion Radiance in his left hand and Autumn Steed in his right, the two swords crossed, their tips pointing directly at Lu Yu.

"You possess a Divine Ability body and wield seven Spirit Treasure, yet your Law Power is scattered and your Divine Sense is weakened. How much power can you unleash from each of these Spirit Treasure? As for me..."

Before he finished speaking, he unleashed both swords simultaneously.

Vermilion Brightness Sword descended from above, its Balmy Wind heat and humid air pouring down like a rainbow, aiming straight for Lu Yu's crown; Autumn Steed Sword descended from below, its clear light spreading like moonlight, aiming straight for Lu Yu's waist and abdomen. The two swords struck together, one above and one below, blocking Lu Yu's escape routes to the left and right.

Lu Yu's expression changed, and he hurriedly returned the three spirit swords to their positions. However, before the three swords could return to their positions, Su Yao's sword light had already arrived.

He had no choice but to retrieve all four Spirit Treasure and condense them into a Greater Yin barrier in front of him.

But that barrier, before Su Yao's Sword Intent, was like thin ice meeting the sun.

The Autumn Steed Sword slashed into the barrier, unleashing its Sword Intent, shattering the barrier inch by inch. The Vermilion Brightness Sword followed closely behind, its Balmy Wind heat and gentle breezes completely dissipating the shattered Greater Yin energy. Lu Yu was forced back several miles by the aftershocks of the Sword Intent, a long tear appearing on his white moon robe, from which blood seeped.

"You..." Lu Yu's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with resentment, "You're just suppressing me because of your cultivation level..."

"This is what I rely on." Su Yao raised Autumn Steed, and a burst of clear sword light erupted from the tip, like the quietest ray of light before dawn. "No matter how many Spirit Treasure you have, they can't withstand this sword."

As he spoke, his left hand Hand Seals, Divine Ability "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" emerged from his body. Layers of black feathers and flowing rosy light enveloped him in a dazzling yet sharp halo. At the same time, he flipped his right hand, and the Transforming Azure Bracelet lit up. A beam of azure light surged from the bracelet, and a phantom of an azure Qingyang leaped onto it, its four hooves treading on the air, raising its head and neighing—it was the "Dispel Calamity" power of Qingxuan Dao that suppressed the sword light of the three Technique Sword that were trying to re-condense, preventing them from taking shape.

Lu Yu finally changed.

The pale blue moon surrounding him was suppressed by Qingxuan's power, and the four Spirit Treasure and three Technique Sword dimmed simultaneously. He gritted his teeth and pushed the Greater Yin energy to its limit. The four Spirit Treasure and three Technique Sword vibrated at the same time, and the Greater Yin energy surged out like a tide, condensing into a pale blue moon that hung behind him.

The Greater Yin Technique's Divine Ability "Cannot Bear the Cold"!

The cold moon suddenly exploded, turning into countless white specks of light that drifted down towards Su Yao like fine snowflakes.

The light spots were extremely light and soft, silent and still, yet each one carried the unique "solitude" power of the Greater Yin Dao. The chill not only lingered in his body but also in his Spirit Platform. Even before the light spots arrived, Su Yao felt a faint chill rising in his Spirit Platform, like sitting alone on a cold night, or in the desolation of an empty mountain.

That was the primordial power of the Greater Yin Dao, "Cannot Bear the Cold," which invaded the soul with cold and disturbed the mind with loneliness. Countless points of light fell, like billions of icy fingers, trying to knock on his Spirit Platform.

Su Yao narrowed his eyes and unleashed his full power with the Divine Ability "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer". Layers of black feathers overlapped, and rosy light flowed, peeling away the cold and lonely power layer by layer.

At the same time, he swept out with his left hand, Vermilion Brightness Sword, and the Balmy Wind summer breeze poured down like a rainbow, evaporating most of the white light spots in the sky. With a flick of his right hand, Autumn Steed Sword, a clear sword light shot into the sky, shattering the remaining dark blue moon in mid-air.

Lu Yu shuddered, his face turning ashen. The cold moon behind him shattered, the Greater Yin energy scattered, and the three Technique Sword and four Spirit Treasure dimmed simultaneously, falling like kites with broken strings.

"No matter how many Technique Sword, they are ultimately not your true path." Su Yao sheathed Autumn Steed in his sleeve, while Vermilion Radiance remained in his palm, the nine heat-related lines slowly receding. "You do indeed possess many Spirit Treasure, but your true path lies not in the sword."

Lu Yu remained silent for a long time before collecting the scattered Spirit Treasure one by one. He looked at Su Yao with complex emotions in his eyes, and after a long while, he finally spoke:

"Master Su, do you really intend to get involved in Proclaiming Earth affairs?"

Su Yao looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The Yuanfu wants the Witchcraft Dao, while my Qixia Temple wants the continuation of Immortal Dao. These two things have never been on the same path."

He paused, his voice calm and utterly unwavering. "Go back and tell the Yuanfu that I'm determined to handle the Zhao Household's affairs. And the Qixia Temple is determined to handle the Nanzhao affairs as well. If the Yuanfu insists on standing in the middle, then the fate of Shen Yuxiao and Xuan Yang will serve as a warning."

Lu Yu's expression was uncertain. He remained silent for a long time and ultimately did not make another move. He bowed slightly to Su Yao, Greater Yin, his figure vanished into the Great Void like a thin mist under the moon.

Su Yao stood there, gazing in the direction where Lu Yu had disappeared. After a moment of silence, he put away Vermilion Radiance and Autumn Steed respectively.

He looked down at his palm. The layer of black feathers that had condensed in his right palm when he used "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" was still warm. He clenched his fist, and the layer of black feathers scattered into specks of rosy light and disappeared without a trace.

"Yuanfu..."

He muttered something under his breath, then without lingering, a golden light flashed beneath his feet, and he sped off towards the northeast.

The matter Zhao Household cannot be delayed any longer.

There is a word cloud:

Three swords hang in the void, reflecting the cold moon; a clay pot pours out its dim light.

Auspicious clouds unfurl, piercing the cold light.

Technique Sword can never truly satisfy one's will; loneliness and coldness cannot withstand the glow of the sunset.

Old grudges once lingered along the two rivers; what harm is there in blocking our way now?

A single, concise remark is all it takes to end the conversation.

The Witchcraft Dao of Yuanfu remain, and the immortal path to Qixia is long.

Who says that past kindness has turned into a wall now?

Golden Light Across the Land, Zhao Household to await my arrival.