Pear Blossom Return

Zhao Shouyi stood on the waves, his five Divine Ability light wheels slowly rotating around him, allowing him to hear every word of the voice clearly.

His face was grim, a cold glint appearing in his cloudy old eyes. He suddenly raised his voice, which was dry and hoarse:

"Master Su, although you never saw me back then, I was watching from the Great Void when you helped the reincarnation of the True Lord. One-tenth of the people of Nanzhao perished. You are all guilty, and since you are guilty, you must pay with your blood!"

After saying that, he stopped making a move, but stood with his hands behind his back, watching the rosy light rushing towards him from afar.

At the same time, he thought to himself:

This Su Yao is just a junior, with at most three Divine Ability and a Sword Intent. I myself Five Laws Perfection, and this time I have several Spirit Treasure to rely on, so I have nothing to fear.

Even though the gap in cultivation level is not as vast as it was between Cang Lan and Su Yao when Canglan was at the first Divine Ability, he is still confident that he can delay Su Yao for at least several decades.

As he pondered, the radiant light drew near.

On the sea, a figure rode the waves, his body radiating a restrained glow, his aura as calm and unwavering as an abyss.

As the light faded, Su Yao was seen wearing a Qingyi with Rainbow Clouds patterns flowing on the hem. He held a silver-white longsword, the blade of which was like moonlight condensed into frost, with a clear sword light faintly visible at the tip.

Zhao Shouyi's gaze fell on the longsword. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:

"Is this the immortal sword of the Azure Firmament Netherworld Sect?"

Su Yao nodded, held the longsword horizontally in front of him, and lightly stroked the blade with his fingertips:

"Senior has excellent eyesight. One hundred and fifty years ago, among the rewards bestowed by the Jade Void Palace was a piece of Geng Azure Stone. Later, this Azure Firmament Netherworld Daoist Spirit Treasure -level immortal sword was forged from the White Light Glazed Glass treasured in my temple."

Zhao Shouyi nodded slightly:

"A swordsman deserves a fine sword; that's certainly fitting." He paused, then added, "May I ask the name of this sword?"

Su Yao brandished his longsword, and the blade emitted a clear, resonant sword cry:

"When the sword was forged, the Qixia blossoms on Qixia Mountain were as white as snow. I imagined that the next time I returned to Qixia, the mountains would be covered with pear blossoms in late autumn, so I named this sword ' Pear Blossom Return '."

Zhao Shouyi nodded upon hearing this:

"It is indeed a fine sword." As he spoke of the fine sword, the five Divine Ability light wheels around him began to spin slowly at an accelerated pace, his tone turning somber. "Fifty years ago, when the Abbot made his move in the South Sea, he was already at the Purple Mansion Middle Stage with three Divine Ability. Now, fifty years have passed, and it seems that his third Divine Ability is at most at its peak. Moreover, judging from the fluctuations in the Abbot's aura, it seems that his Immortal Foundation failed to Spirit Transformation, and the Abbot ultimately failed to achieve his fourth Divine Ability."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's lips curled slightly. He held the Pear Blossom Return horizontally in front of him, the tip pointing directly at Zhao Shouyi.

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself with that, senior. Now that you've come, if you retreat now, there's still a chance. If you don't retreat, then don't return to Nanzhao. Why not stay in the South Sea and rest in peace?"

Zhao Shouyi was so angry that he laughed instead.

"This junior is ignorant and arrogant! Some gaps cannot be bridged by Spirit Treasure!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his hand, and the "Ten Thousand Households' Wishes Families" light wheel burst open. The phantom images of hundreds of millions of people surged out like a tide, and the warm yellow light poured down like a waterfall.

At the same time, the "Gather a Trillion People" halo spread out, and the illusory images of thousands of miles of fields overlapped one after another, turning the sea surface within a radius of several miles into "red dust".

Seeing this, Su Yao made Hand Seals with his left hand, and "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" appeared from his body, with layers of black feathers and flowing rosy light.

The warm yellow light collided with the rosy clouds, like a tide meeting a dam, being gradually absorbed and dissolved.

With a Pear Blossom Return his right hand, the sword light slashed into the illusory image of Tian Chou, splitting open a rift in the mortal aura. He leaped into the Great Void, then stepped out from the other side of the Great Void, appearing behind Zhao Shouyi.

Without turning his head, Zhao Shouyi spun the "Grass-Blade Lives" halo, and billions of grassroots surged like green waves, enveloping the sword light layer by layer.

At the same time, the "Aspects of Fleeting Life" light wheel rotated, and the myriad phenomena of life flashed on and off like a carousel, gradually stripping away the radiant glow surrounding Su Yao.

Su Yao retreated rapidly, and with a flick of his left hand, the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner unfolded in his palm. The banner's surface shone with radiant light, blocking the corrosive influence of the myriad phenomena of life layer by layer.

At the same time, he swung his right hand Pear Blossom Return again, and a clear sword light, like the breaking of dawn, went straight for Zhao Shouyi's door.

Zhao Shouyi raised his hand, and the "Mulberry and Hemp Proverb" light suddenly shone brightly. The ancient farming proverb fell into Su Yao's Rising Yang Mansion like a heavy hammer.

Su Yao's Spirit Platform trembled, and the Sword Intent between his brows vanished. However, before the weariness could be completely dispelled, Zhao Shouyi had already produced a whisk in his left hand, the whisk hairs as white as silver, and rolled it towards Su Yao.

The whisk was entangled with a dense layer of worldly energy, like countless spider webs, which clung to and pulled at the radiant light surrounding Su Yao.

Su Yao slashed at Pear Blossom Return with three consecutive sword strikes, but the sword light was like a mud ox entering the sea, being wrapped up layer by layer by the whisk's silk.

Zhao Shouyi raised his right hand again and took out another bronze lamp. A wisp of eerie yellow flame burned in the lamp. When he shone it on Su Yao, the flame turned into a rain of fire that poured down from the sky. Each drop of fire rain was wrapped with a trace of Human Dao mortal energy.

Su Yao raised the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner above his head, Auspicious Cloud Banner's radiant light surged, blocking the fiery rain in mid-air.

With his left hand Hand Seals, the rainbow light of "Color Pierces the Thoroughfare" burst forth from his palm, illuminating, penetrating, and clarifying the whisk threads and fire rain inch by inch. His figure emerged from the mortal world and landed deep within the Great Void.

Zhao Shouyi snorted coldly, unleashing five Divine Ability simultaneously: Ten Thousand Households' Wishes, Ju Zhao Min, Grass-Blade Lives Gather a Trillion People, Mulberry and Hemp Proverb, and Aspects of Fleeting Life Luo Di Wang. The whisk and the bronze lamp attacked from both sides, and the aura of the mortal world surged from front to back.

Su Yao used the "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" technique to constantly dodge and weave between the Great Void and the real world. He unleashed several sword strikes with Pear Blossom Return, but was constantly worn down by the mortal world's energy. Several cracks appeared on his Qingyi, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Shouyi sneered:

"Master, your mastery of the three Divine Ability is indeed remarkable, but in the end, it is only the three Divine Ability. You shall remain here for today!"

Su Yao raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and held the Pear Blossom Return in front of him.

He looked up at the sky, then exhaled softly and said:

"The senior is right, the Three Divine Ability really can't turn the tide."

He flicked the Pear Blossom Return in his hand, and suddenly thousands of rays of light burst forth from the sword. Instead of slashing at Zhao Shouyi, it soared into the sky, like thousands of threads shooting out at the same time, weaving, spreading, and stitching across the heavens. In just a few breaths, a giant net of light covering dozens of miles descended from the sky.

The net was woven from countless strands of rosy light, each strand shimmering with iridescent light and containing the wondrous power to gather all things.

Zhao Shouyi looked up at the sky, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed, "The Rainbow Clouds Technique, the Divine Ability Heaven-Weaving Shuttle?!" Then, before Su Yao could answer, he asked incredulously, "You... you've become Great True Person?"

He couldn't help but be surprised; how long had it been?

Su Yao stood beneath the giant net, Pear Blossom Return diagonally at Zhao Shouyi:

"You mentioned me earlier, but I never said I hadn't succeeded in my breakthrough."

Zhao Shouyi's expression changed drastically, then he let out a cold snort:

"So what if I Four Divine Abilities? I Five Laws Perfection, and you have one more! Besides, I was prepared for this—"

With a flick of his left hand, the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl flew out from his sleeve. Half of it was crimson gold like the sun, and the other half was silvery white like the moon. The radiance of the sun and moon intertwined and flowed, dyeing the Great Void of space within several miles into a strange color of interwoven gold and white.

The precious pearl hung above Zhao Shouyi's head, and a golden-white beam of light poured down from the pearl and into Zhao Shouyi's body.

Zhao Shouyi's five Divine Ability light wheels surged simultaneously, his aura rising steadily.

Immediately afterwards, he took out a bronze mirror with the sun, moon, mountains and rivers engraved on its surface. When he shone it on Su Yao, a beam of light, interwoven with gold and white, shot out like a sharp sword.

Su Yao raised the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner, Auspicious Cloud Banner light surged, forcefully holding the pillar of light in mid-air.

Zhao Shouyi activated the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl, and the golden-white pillar of light suddenly surged. The giant net of rosy light that Heaven-Weaving Shuttle was hit by the golden-white pillar of light, and it shattered inch by inch like thin ice meeting the sun.

"You think you can trap me with your Heaven-Weaving Shuttle?" Zhao Shouyi said coldly. "My Sun and Moon Radiant Together Pearl is specifically designed to counter your kind of trapping net!"

The moment the Heaven-Weaving Shuttle shattered, Su Yao retreated rapidly, while Zhao Shouyi unleashed five Divine Ability and four Spirit Treasure, crashing down like a tidal wave.

Su Yao, using the "Rosy Cloud Feather Wanderer" technique, shuttled between the Great Void and the mortal world, alternating between using the Pear Blossom Return and the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner to resist, but was still forced back by the layers of mortal world energy.

He tried several different methods, first using "Color Pierces the Thoroughfare" to cut through the mortal world's energy, and then using "Half Farewell to Heaven" to temporarily trap the five Divine Ability. However, Zhao Shouyi was blessed by the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl, and each time he was able to break free of the predicament in a few breaths.

The two traversed back and forth between the Great Void and the mortal world, the sea surface blasted into the sky by the aftershocks, and then crushed into dust by the energy they generated as they moved through the Great Void.

Zhao Shouyi fought with increasing ferocity, wielding his five Divine Ability with effortless ease. His aura of worldly affairs grew stronger, and the radiant glow surrounding Su Yao was stripped away layer by layer. The tears in his Qingyi multiplied, and blood seeped continuously from the corners of his mouth.

Taking advantage of Su Yao's moment of respite, Zhao Shouyi simultaneously activated the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl and the bronze mirror, creating a net of golden and white light that forced Su Yao back several miles. The whisk and bronze lamp surrounded him from both sides, and the mortal energy surged in like a tide, trapping Su Yao in the center.

"Su Yao, what makes you think you can turn the tables?" Zhao Shouyi said coldly.

Su Yao raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then suddenly let out a soft breath.

With a swift movement, he retreated into the depths of the Great Void, disappearing from Zhao Shouyi's sight.

The next moment, he appeared from the depths of the Great Void. Holding the sword in both hands, he raised the Pear Blossom Return high, and thousands of cloud patterns on the sword's blade lit up simultaneously.

At the same time, his fifth Divine Ability suddenly bloomed deep within his Qi Sea.

"Rosy Clouds Red City"!

Indeed, with the help of the Prism, he has Five Laws Perfection over the past hundred years.

If this person hadn't come, he would never have made a move; he would have kept it a secret for as long as possible.

Then, the myriad rays of light stopped scattering and instead began to converge, condense, and compress around Su Yao.

In the blink of an eye, a colossal phantom of a city formed from rosy clouds rose from the ground behind him—the city walls were like Rainbow Clouds piled up, the city gates were like the morning glow opening wide, the rosy light on the city towers flowed like fluttering banners, and celestial figures lingered within the city.

The entire city was half real and half illusory, half in the Great Void and half in the mortal world, suppressing the entire world within a radius of hundreds of miles.

Zhao Shouyi felt a sudden stiffness throughout his body, and the five Divine Ability light wheels simultaneously sank, as if an invisible giant city was pressing down on him.

His expression changed drastically, and for the first time, genuine shock appeared in his eyes:

"Rosy Clouds Red City?! You've actually mastered all five Divine Ability?"

Su Yao did not answer.

He had become one with the giant city bathed in rosy light, his figure vanishing from the Great Void and appearing behind Zhao Shouyi in the next moment.

Pear Blossom Return emerged from the rosy dawn, and a point of clear sword light, like the breaking of dawn, silently pierced Zhao Shouyi's heart.

Zhao Shouyi trembled violently, and with a backhand strike, worldly energy surged towards Su Yao like a tidal wave. Su Yao Hand Seals with his left hand, and the rainbow light of "Color Pierces the Thoroughfare" once again erupted from his palm, illuminating, penetrating, and clarifying the worldly energy inch by inch.

Then, with a backhand Pear Blossom Return, he slashed Zhao Shouyi's left arm, leaving a deep, bone-revealing sword wound.

Zhao Shouyi gritted his teeth and retreated rapidly. He activated the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl and the Bronze Mirror simultaneously, and golden and white light pillars intertwined like a net, forcing Su Yao back several miles. However, the suppressive power of "Rosy Clouds Red City" was omnipresent. With each inch he retreated, the pressure on him increased.

The two exchanged several more blows. Zhao Shouyi's five Divine Ability were suppressed layer by layer by Rosy Clouds Red City, and his aura grew weaker and weaker, while his worldly aura became thinner and thinner.

Taking advantage of the moment when Zhao Shouyi was catching his breath, Su Yao suddenly pressed down with Rosy Clouds Red City, extinguishing Zhao Shouyi's Divine Ability light wheels at the same time.

Pear Blossom Return emerged from the rosy glow, and a glint of sword light, like the breaking of dawn, silently pierced Zhao Shouyi's brow.

Zhao Shouyi froze on the spot.

Su Yao sheathed his sword, stood looking at him, and slowly spoke:

"Senior, you should return to Nanzhao."

Zhao Shouyi looked down at the ray of light shining through his chest, then looked up at Su Yao, and something indescribable suddenly welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

He didn't answer Su Yao's question, but instead burst into laughter.

That dry, aged laughter echoed between the sea and the sky:

"Return to Nanzhao? What Nanzhao?"

He stopped laughing, his gaze sharp as a knife, and said, word by word:

"Su Yao! You think you can make me bow down just because you've won? Back then, one-tenth of the people of Nanzhao perished. You Xuanmen Mysterious Gate, for your own selfish reasons, helped the reincarnation of the True Lord, plunging Nanzhao into utter devastation! Mo Yan is dead, Cang Lan is dead, and I, Zhao Shouyi, won't live much longer either! But this blood debt—"

He suddenly raised his hand, and the five Divine Ability light wheels simultaneously shone with their final brilliance. His aura surged as if in a final burst of energy, and he lunged towards Su Yao.

"Someone has to pay!"

Su Yao stared at the approaching figure and remained silent for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was clear.

"In that case, senior, please forgive me."

The Pear Blossom Return raised high above his head, and thousands of cloud patterns lit up at the same time. The Rosy Clouds Red City once again pressed down, completely crushing Zhao Shouyi's five Divine Ability light wheels.

The Pear Blossom Return emerged from the rosy glow, and the tip of the sword, with its clear light like the breaking of dawn, silently pierced Zhao Shouyi's brow.

The Sword Intent poured in from between his brows, unstoppable, instantly piercing through his body and entering the Rising Yang Mansion.

The Sword Intent contained countless radiant blades, like "Half Farewell to Heaven," which bloomed simultaneously, gradually "departing" from Zhao Shouyi's Rising Yang Mansion inch by inch.

Zhao Shouyi his mouth, and the last thing reflected in his cloudy old eyes was the blood-red sunset.

He suddenly remembered that back in Nanzhao, Mo Yan patted him on the shoulder and said, "You should live," Cang Lan laughed and said, "Don't let Nanzhao become a chessboard for those bastards."

He ultimately failed to do it.

Zhao Shouyi's figure shattered inch by inch in the afterglow, his physical body disintegrating like a lonely city swallowed by the sunset.

However, his collapse was different from that of ordinary cultivators. He cultivated the Human Dao, and at the moment of collapse, the mortal energy around his body surged out like boiling water. The phantoms of billions of people scattered and fled from his body, some crying, some laughing, some angry, some furious, like a mighty torrent that surged in the Great Void for a long time before finally turning into countless tiny points of light, like a spring breeze brushing across the sea and disappearing into nothingness.

The five Divine Ability light wheels extinguished one after another, like the lights of ten thousand homes going out one by one, like fields becoming barren, grass withering, mulberry and hemp fading, and life fading away.

Finally, his cloudy old eyes faded away, the pupils still reflecting the blood-red hue of the sunset.

Zhao Shouyi was utterly destroyed, both in body and spirit.

The five Divine Ability light wheels completely dissipated, and the Sun and Moon Precious Pearl, along with the four Spirit Treasure —the bronze mirror, the whisk, and the bronze lamp—lost their support and fell into the sea. Su Yao raised his hand, and the four Spirit Treasure transformed into four streams of light, steadily landing in his palm.

The Sun and Moon Precious Pearl shimmered with gold and white, the sun, moon, mountains and rivers patterns on the bronze mirror flickered, the silver threads of the whisk were tinged with the dust of the mortal world, and the dim yellow flame of the bronze lamp had not yet been extinguished.

Su Yao glanced at them and put the four Spirit Treasure into his sleeve.

Above the sky, the rosy net of Heaven-Weaving Shuttle, slowly dissipated, like the evening glow being scattered by the night wind, like the setting sun being swallowed by distant mountains.

The sea returned to calm.

Su Yao sheathed his sword and stood there, the cloud patterns on the Pear Blossom Return slowly receding.

He stood atop the waves, gazing at the spot where Zhao Shouyi had vanished, remaining silent for a long time.

Lu Yuan, Zichuan, and Ren Han had already struggled to get closer. Zichuan knelt on the waves, his face pale, but he still looked up at Su Yao with complicated emotions in his eyes.

Lu Yuan supported him, Ren Han to one side; none of the three spoke.

Su Yao turned around, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. He paused for a moment on the injuries on Zichuan's face, then took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, poured out three pills, and with a flick of his wrist, the three pills landed in front of the three of them.

"Take it," he said. "You go back to Qixia first."

The three accepted the pills and agreed in unison.

Su Yao said no more. With a swift movement, golden light appeared Golden Light Across the Land, transforming it into a streak of pure white light that shot towards the direction where the demonic energy was surging.

Since they have already made their move, it cannot be resolved by the death of a Five Laws Perfection.

In the years to come, he will make full preparations for seeking gold and will not want to be disturbed by anyone again. He can only rely on the sword in his hand to carve out his own time!

His Qingyi robes Pear Blossom Return, and a faint sword hum emanated from his sleeve, like pear blossoms falling on snow.

Behind me, the South Sea remained as blue as ever, its waves surging as usual.

There is a word cloud:

The colorful clouds and Caiche from the Half Farewell to Heaven; even the three gods cannot defeat the Five Laws.

The Heaven-Weaving Shuttle through the heavens, revealing the sun and moon; the four treasures emerge together, trapping the Dragon Abyss.

The Rosy Clouds Red City of Xiachi City open up the sea and mountains, Pear Blossom Return to bury the old year with swords.

The Five Laws of Human Dao will eventually come to an end; when the mortal world dissipates, it will vanish like smoke.

Forget about the debts of the people of Nanzhao, let's just start a new chapter with a single sword.

A lone sail drifts far into the vast sea and sky; I vow not to return until the demonic aura is broken.