Chapter 178 - 109: The Sky Has Clear and Cloudy Days, the Moon Wanes; People Have Joys and Sorrows, Feasts Must End

Chapter 178: Chapter 109: The Sky Has Clear and Cloudy Days, the Moon Wanes; People Have Joys and Sorrows, Feasts Must End

No matter how the miniature figure struggled, he simply couldn’t break free from the jade hand’s grasp.

When the jade hand disappeared, Hao Fu’s corpse withered instantly and, with a CRACK, crumbled into a pile of dust.

Seeing this, Lu Chen knew Hao Fu was dead—completely and utterly dead.

As for his soul, it had likely been taken by the Black Lotus Buddha Mother behind the Black Lotus Sect. For his Divine Soul to fall into the hands of such an entity was surely a fate far more terrifying than death for Hao Fu.

Although Lu Chen’s crisis was temporarily resolved, he couldn’t feel happy at all. Looking around, he found that only he and a few classmates had luckily survived.

The swarm of rodents that had been frantically attacking them seemed to have received some kind of signal, retreating like a receding tide.

At the same time, a rift had somehow been cleaved into the blood-red clouds that had previously blotted out the sky. Lu Chen looked up, seeing only two figures appearing within the cleft blood clouds. One of the figures was an old man standing on a broken sword, while the other was a young Sword Cultivator.

Even though the two had just appeared, they exerted an immense pressure on Rat, who was hovering above Luocheng First High School. So much so that Rat abandoned Meng Chuanping and immediately fled into the distance without looking back.

In response, the old man standing on the broken sword let out a muffled snort and gave chase.

As for the young Sword Cultivator, he lunged at the remaining Black Lotus Cultists scattered around Luocheng First High School. Despite him only being a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Lu Chen felt a pressure from him even greater than what Hao Fu had emitted. This was because this man was impressively also a Sword Cultivator who had mastered Sword Intent. And the Sword Intent emanating from him was definitely not limited to just one type.

Perhaps their Sword Intents resonated with each other, for the Sword Cultivator noticed Lu Chen from afar and offered him a friendly smile. Then, he immediately rode his sword in pursuit of the fleeing Black Lotus Cultists and began a one-sided slaughter.

An ordinary person at Foundation Establishment could control three to four Flying Swords at most. Yet every time this man commanded his swords, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of them. With so many Flying Swords gathered together, they formed a terrifying, awe-inspiring river of blades.

This was the Chief of Qinghe Daoist School’s Sword Institute, Jiang Dongliu, known as the "Rakish Sword Immortal."

Ten thousand miles of river surged with roaring waves, yet one man alone reigned supreme.

Even in the Qinghe Daoist School’s Sword Institute, which was packed with unparalleled geniuses, Jiang Dongliu remained the undisputed, most brilliant star of them all. After all, he didn’t rely on connections to become the Chief of the Sword Institute. He had fought his way up, strike by strike, sword by sword.

Seeing this, Lu Chen knew that the crisis brought by the Black Lotus Sect was over. However, the joy of surviving the disaster was instantly washed away when he saw Teacher Chen Fugui’s corpse.

Recalling how Chen Fugui had been privately discussing with him just a while ago about how to fleece the two great Daoist Schools, Lu Chen felt as though it had happened only yesterday. With this thought, he walked silently to Chen Fugui’s body and solemnly offered a deep bow.

"Th-thank you, Teacher, for your years of guidance. Y-your student, Lu Chen, is here to... congratulate you on your Ascension."

Just as the moon waxes and wanes through cloudy and clear skies, human lives are filled with joys and sorrows, and every banquet must come to an end. On the long road of life, you will meet people unexpectedly, just as you will have people leave without saying goodbye.

DRIP, DRIP...

Guilt. Endless, boundless guilt.

This was partly because Lu Chen felt he was the one who had drawn the Black Lotus Sect here, ultimately causing Chen Fugui’s death. It was also because he felt that if he could have been just a little stronger—even just a tiny bit—everything would have turned out differently.

If only he had reached Foundation Establishment earlier, or if he had cultivated a Harmonization Realm Sword Skill sooner...

At this moment, Lu Chen felt that the one who killed Chen Fugui wasn’t Hao Fu at all, but himself. It was his weakness that had killed Chen Fugui.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Chen wiped his eyes, pretending the wind had blown sand into them. Staring at Chen Fugui’s body, he said solemnly, "Teacher, I will never let something like this happen again. I swear..."

Whether these words were meant for Chen Fugui or for himself, only Lu Chen knew the answer...