Chapter 109 - 81: The Sword Immortal Slays the Emperor (Part 2)

Chapter 109: Chapter 81: The Sword Immortal Slays the Emperor (Part 2)

"You... are the close friend of my adoptive father, Lord Zhang."

"You are also... the last hope of the Liang People."

"You..."

"...shouldn’t be wallowing in despair here."

The withered, white-haired figure spoke slowly.

BOOM!

The immortal-like youth in the Muddy World Profound Robe—his eyes grew ever more unfocused.

He saw it.

A figure in a Purple Robe, brimming with vitality, turned to him with a gentle smile and said,

"One day, when I don the Purple Robe, I promise you will have the first red robe."

To witness the shifting of mountains and seas, the vicissitudes of the world, and to feel the heart’s tides ebb and flow—this was the Mountain Sea insight.

BOOM!

The First-Grade Ceremony—the Mountain Sea Insight—was complete.

From the depths of his mind, all the memories that had lain dormant since the Twenty-third year of Tianwu came rushing back.

In that instant, clarity slowly returned to Su Chen’s eyes.

He had awakened.

That night,

BOOM!

The Jinjiang River seethed and churned.

The First-Grade Ceremony—the Mountain Sea Insight—was complete.

BOOM!

From the very bottom of his mind, all the memories since the Twenty-third year of Tianwu regained their color and surged forth anew.

In that instant, clarity slowly returned to Su Chen’s eyes.

He had awakened.

There are four First-Grade Ceremonies: the Wish of All Living Beings, the No-Self Dao, the Mountain Sea Insight, and the Heaven and Earth Formation.

The Mountain Sea Insight and the Heaven and Earth Formation, two great First-Grade Ceremonies, exerted their power in unison, attempting to knock open the Celestial Gate and propel Su Chen into the Grandmaster realm.

However, a great vow—formed from the Wish Power of countless beings across the past, present, and future—blocked the two ceremonies.

Su Chen remained at First Grade.

However, some things had changed after all.

At this moment, the Cyan Jade Qi all over his body circulated externally, connecting with heaven and earth. It seemed on the verge of shattering the perfection of his flesh and blood, creating Essence Qi that would rise like a pillar of smoke to seal the heavens and lock the earth.

But in the end, it didn’t happen.

What did happen...

...was merely the birth of a dragon of formation.

When True Intent reaches Perfection, it gives birth to formation. This was a dragon formed from the formation of wind and snow!

It was also the dragon of a Second Realm Grandmaster.

"Congratulations, Lord Su, for secretly reaching the Grandmaster realm, and even taking another step into the Second Realm of Grandmaster. Achieving Grandmaster Perfection is surely just a matter of time."

Looking at this Wind Snow Dragon, the withered, white-haired man cupped his hands in congratulations.

Su Chen was not a Grandmaster. He was First Grade, yet he had produced a dragon of formation—something only a Second Realm Grandmaster should possess. There was no explanation for it, so he didn’t bother trying to find one.

"Zhu Xiao, you’re dying," Su Chen said, looking at him.

His Longevity Fire was extinguished; he would surely die today.

This was the price for using the Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique.

Burning away one’s life to reach the Peak was like a flash of brilliance—gone in an instant.

"I know."

"That’s why I wanted to ask you, Lord Su, to look after the last remaining bloodline of my Zhu Clan’s Royal Race."

Looking at Zhu Xiao now, there was no trace of the peerless figure who, just one year ago, had walked upon the great waves of the Nujiang River to step into the Peak.

His face was ancient, his hair withered, and he was shrouded in an aura of decay.

He looked like a man in his eighties or nineties.

No one would ever guess he was a man of thirty in his prime.

"You want him to become emperor?" Su Chen asked.

"I wouldn’t dare."

"I just want him to live."

Zhu Xiao gave a bitter smile.

He slowly recounted the changes of the past year.

Great Zhou now had two emperors, one north and one south of the Jinjiang River. The realm was divided, and both sides commanded armies of a million men, each vying for supremacy.

The Western Depot was in the Imperial Capital; the Eastern Depot was by the Jinjiang River.

Over the past year, caught between the two emperors, the East and West Depots had long since ceased to exist.

If he hadn’t seen the despondent Su Chen by the Jinjiang River, Zhu Xiao would have taken the last scion of the Zhu Clan’s Royal Race and fled long ago.

"The East and West Depots... they’re gone?"

"Yu Zhong..."

Su Chen fell silent.

’Back then, when I had Yu Zhong take over the Western Depot and helped him reach First Grade, I never imagined a figure like Emperor Jie would rise.’

’I wonder if Yu Zhong is still alive.’

"When I was young..."

"...I was arrogant and full of myself."

"...always wanting to reach the summit and gaze upon the world from above."

"Only when an Immortal awakened and Grandmasters were born did I realize how vast the world is, and how small I am. In the end, I am nothing more than a trivial mortal, a Bottom Stream side character."

’He wondered if Lord Zhang would blame him in the afterlife for failing to protect the Eastern Depot.’

However, ’even if he did blame me, that would be for the best.’

’At least I would be able to see him again.’

"Lord Zhang... Xiao’Er has come to join you."

Zhu Xiao gazed toward the distant Imperial City. A relieved smile touched his lips as the last glimmer of light in his eyes faded away.

His flesh and blood withered, and his body turned to ash, scattering on the wind. It drifted in the direction of Cyan Mountain, just outside the Imperial City.

「On the riverbank.」

Only two people remained.

Su Chen and the young child stared at each other.

"Give it here," Su Chen said, holding out his hand.

"What?"

The child was clever, but he feigned ignorance.

"The Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique," Su Chen said.

"Lord Su, Master Xiao never taught me that ultimate technique," the child said, cupping his hands.

PENG!

A suction force emanated from Su Chen’s palm.

A blood-stained bamboo scroll was pulled into Su Chen’s grasp.

"This Demon Technique is harmful. Cultivate this instead."

Su Chen tossed him a brocade-bound book.

It was none other than the Grandmaster’s Method: the Eighteen Golden Body Technique.

Moreover, it was an Extreme Realm Cultivation Method.

However, in this vast world, in the entire Human World, there was likely no one besides Su Chen who could use this technique to step into the Extreme Realm.

Having said his piece, Su Chen turned to leave.

He put Little Turtle into his Sword Box and headed for Jinjiang City. He was going to finish what he had started a year ago.

Regicide!

The people’s grievances arose because of Flame, and so they must end with Flame.

"Lord Su, didn’t you promise Master Xiao you’d take care of me? I’m the last bloodline of the Zhu Clan’s Royal Race!"

Seeing Su Chen about to leave, the child grew anxious.

He had been quite happy at first.

After all, the man before him was the legendary Wind Snow Sword Immortal. A year ago, outside the Imperial Mausoleum, the phenomena from his battle had made the whole world tremble in awe.

It was no exaggeration to call this man the number one cultivator in the world.

’Following him would be much better than staying with the dying Zhu Xiao!’

But who would have thought...

...this legendary Wind Snow Sword Immortal would not only take his Heaven-Devouring Demon Technique but also abandon him.