Chapter 024 - Sword Shattering Vows
Sovereign Sword Technique—Leisurely Wander! Like a silver ghost flitting beside a streak of azure light, Yun Xiao darted and danced through the sky, reminiscent of fish navigating through the depths of an ancient sea. He whizzed past various duel platforms, leaving a trail of astonishment in their wake. A gust of fierce wind arose wherever he went!
"What in the heavens?"
"Who is that!"
"Oh no, my toupée!"
...
Many people gasped in shock. Who in the world was riding their sword across the Conclave Mountain? HUM! The shrill cry of sword whistled through air, sounding like steel needles grazing past their ears, causing many to furrow their brows in discomfort.
Azure light flitted like a shadow! The Leisurely Wander technique unfolded gracefully, akin to a swordfish plunging into the sea and slicing through towering waves!
On the western side of Conclave Mountain, Cai Maomao felt a surge of fear envelop him, he turned and ran, shouting hysterically, "Murder! This is against the rules, murder!" He felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder, and blood gushed out wildly!
"Someone, save me..." Chills ran down Cai Maomao's spine. Death was looming just behind him, his legs were giving out. CRASH! Just as he braced himself for the inevitable, a jarring collision echoed from behind him, sounding like a violent clash between two iron pillars.
The tremendous surge of magical power from the collision struck Cai Maomao square in the back, sending him flying and rolling several times on the ground.
"I... I'm not dead!" Though battered and disheveled, Cai Maomao deduced from his experience that someone had come to his rescue. The noise just now, it was the sound of two Sword Souls clashing! Which meant, if not for the timely intervention of that sword, Jiang Yue's Sword Soul would have pierced right through his heart!
"Who...?" Overwhelmed with emotion, tears flowed from Cai Maomao's eyes. He turned around to see a figure in white slamming onto the ground with a thud, standing protectively before him!
VROOM! Suddenly, from the sky descended an azure Sword Soul, landing gracefully into the palm of the newcomer. The Sword Soul spun like a cyclone of death, emanating a piercing screech that sounded like a primordial beast that devoured death itself, hinting that this was no ordinary sword, but something far more ancient and savage!
"Junior Brother Yun! You have my utmost gratitude!" Cai Maomao cried, his tears flowing unreservedly. Crossing the entire Conclave Mountain to save him? This was straight out of a heroic rescue story! "If... if I were a woman, I would devote myself to you tonight!" he sobbed.
"Don't repay kindness with enmity!" Yun Xiao quipped back, shooting him a glance that contained a mixture of amusement and relief. "Hurry up and get your wounds treated quickly!" Cai Maomao's wounds were bone deep, a ghastly melody composed by Jiang Yue. His arm hung precariously, threatening to sever completely if more time ticked by without intervention.
"For heaven's sake, don't engage with her! She's the one person in the Azure Spirit Sword Sect you don't want to mess with..." Cai Maomao's voice was tinged with a desperate urgency, his eyes meeting Yun Xiao's with a raw plea. However, the fiery look in Yun Xiao's eyes heralded nothing but trouble. It was the same searing gaze that had witnessed the demise of Wang Feng and Yao Qingqian under the moonlit night.
"Off-limits, you say? Watch me invite the storm!" Yun Xiao retorted, spinning around with defiant courage.
Across from him stood a young woman adorned in a robe embroidered with cloud patterns, a sword maven with eyes cold as the winter's frost, bearing down upon him with a contempt that seemed celestial. Perched upon the dueling platform, she exhibited a disdain akin to an Immortal scrutinizing mere mortals from her heavenly abode.
"Yun Xiao, I warned you three days ago, I will return that day's humiliation tenfold!" Her voice was as icy as a glacier, her finger pointing accusingly at Yun Xiao. "Even if you had chosen to hide, after slaughtering him, I would have sought you out specifically!" Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
Determined to cleanse her honor and wash away the lone stain on her pristine reputation, she perceived herself as a celestial maiden soaring the skies. Yet, the youth before her, despite his breathtaking appearance that held the crowds' attention, irked her profoundly, whether it was his reputation, disposition, or conduct.
As her words hung in the frosty air, a resounding thud echoed. Yun Xiao, the young man in white, had boldly ascended the dueling platform, eliciting a sarcastic shake of the head from Jiang Yue.
"Do you really fancy yourself my equal, just because you've wormed your way into becoming the Sect Master's Disciple? Dreaming of clashing swords with me along the path of Immortals eternally?" She scoffed, her eyes filled with derision. "Wake up, Yun Xiao! Your one-time victory has exhausted a lifetime of fortune!"
Her icy contempt flared, "I hope you realize, on this dueling platform, life and death are inconsequential. Even your new status won't protect you from my Ice Moon Sword Soul!"
Their confrontation drew the gazes of many, setting tongues wagging and heads turning. At the high platform Zhang Jian, the Sword Venerable of the Seventh Sword Peak, conversed with one of his elders Yu Xuanzhoo.
"So that's Yun Xiao?" Zhang Jian eyed Yu Xuanzhou critically, his voice tinged with accusation.
"Yes," Yu Xuanzhou nodded, a flush of shame coloring his cheeks.
"Did you notice Jiang Yue's formidable presence?" Zhang Jian ground out, his teeth clenching audibly.
"I did. A true prodigy destined to rise. Not even the gods can halt her ascent now," Yu Xuanzhou replied, his face a mask of bitterness.
"What possessed you to shield Yun Xiao at that time?" Zhang Jian's anger surged like a tidal wave.
"I had no idea she harbored such terrifying potential!" Yu Xuanzhou defended hastily, "But rest assured, I have already apologized to Yao Qingqian and have decisively severed ties with Yun Xiao!"
"Next time, open your eyes wider, will you?" Zhang Jian spat out, his disdain palpable.
"Yes, yes, yes..." Yu Xuanzhou agreed, his face twisted in distress.
Back on the sword dueling platform, a resonant sound of steel sang through the air.
Jiang Yue nearly choked on her rage. Yes, she couldn't fight physically. But she was a talented Immortal of the ages! "I will have my revenge! Just wait one month, I—"
THWACK! Before she could finish, Yun Xiao's foot landed on her mouth, silencing her bitter vow. "In a month, grass will be growing on your grave!" he quipped, his voice carrying an air of undeniable finality.
Yun Xiao eyed her with an icy detachment, his arm wielding the Sword Soul with a commanding grace. With swift yet deliberate strokes, he slashed across Jiang Yue's legs, each blade biting deep, exposing the cruel white of bone amidst the angry flesh.
"AH! AH—" Jiang Yue's cries were agonized, tearing through the silence like shattering glass. A cold sweat broke across her trembling body, wracked by convulsions of pain.
With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, Yun Xiao ripped open her garments and yanked her up only to cast her down before him, forcing her to her knees in a degrading display of dominance. "You seem to have a fondness for making people kneel, don't you? Fine!" he spat with venomous triumph. "Now it's your turn to kneel before me! If you dare move, I'll carve you piece by piece!"
Despair engulfed Jiang Yue, drowning her in a tidal wave of hopelessness. "Someone save me!" she howled, her voice breaking into a hysterical sob. But before she could even finish her desperate plea, a chill caressed her tongue, stopping her words in their tracks. The azure Sword Soul hovered dangerously at the tip of her tongue, a grim reminder of the razor-thin line between life and death.
"I'm...I'm really going to die," Jiang Yue realized, the sickening realization settling like a cold stone in her stomach. The bone-chilling fear spread like wildfire within her, paralyzing her until her very guts felt like they were twisted in knots. Silenced, she remained kneeling, a pathetic, trembling mess before Yun Xiao, hardly daring to breathe, lest she invoked further wrath.
All around, the Conclave Mountain echoed with a haunting silence, a testament to the chilling scene unfolding before them. It wasn't that no one wanted to save Jiang Yue, but from the very outset, Yun Xiao had her life precariously balanced on the edge of his sword.
The once proclaimed peerless beauty with heavenly talents now faced a gruesome end, a loss so devastating that not even the complete annihilation of Yun Xiao and the entire Sword Pavilion could ever hope to compensate. The crowd was rooted to the spot, their faces pale masks of shock.
In the midst of this eerie silence, Yun Xiao suddenly turned, his piercing gaze sweeping over the gathering of disciples from the First, Third, and Sixth Sword Peaks. "Wish to save her, do you?" he taunted with a cold, derisive smile. "Here's your chance. Step right up, one by one."
His strategy was clear as day. By holding Jiang Yue hostage, he intended to lure her fellow disciples into his trap, rapidly accumulating Sword Points in the process.
"Hurry up!" Yun Xiao called out arrogantly, an audacious grin splitting his face. "I've accumulated over forty Sword Points, temporarily securing the top position. Isn't anyone itching to contest my lead in this duel?"
The crowd of disciples bristled with indignation, their anger boiling over at his audacious taunts.
"He's too arrogant!"
"He has a death wish!"
"I'll go first!"
...
A disciple from the First Sword Peak stepped forward defiantly, his body adorned with three Sword Points, indicating his standing in the Late Dragon Spring Realm.
"Yun Xiao, I am—" THWACK! His proclamation was abruptly cut short as a sword pierced through his forehead, a gruesome eruption of blood marking the abrupt end of his bravado. THUD! His body hit the ground, legs twitching in a grotesque dance of death, his life snuffed out in a single, merciless stroke.
With a casual flick of his hand, Yun Xiao summoned the Heaven Burial Sword Soul, which trembled violently and exuded a menacing glow in his grasp. He raised an eyebrow, sweeping a disdainful glance over the crowd before he chuckled coldly, his voice ringing out like the crisp sound of breaking ice. "That was just the first! Who's next to die?"
"Me!" Before the word was fully out from the crowd below, a burst of blood erupted from the speaker's mouth. SPLAT! Blood splattered violently across the stage. Dead. Another body crumpled to the ground with a dull thud.
"I'd advise you all..." Yun Xiao sneered, turning back around, his voice echoing with a menace that froze the crowd to their core. "If you haven't even reached the Divine Sea Realm, then don't fucking dare to speak in my presence!"
THUD! With brutal force, Yun Xiao's foot found Jiang Yue's face, grinding it into the ground. Jiang Yue didn't dare resist, her pitiful sobs echoed through the mountain, as her dignity scattered like dust in the wind.
"What kind of genius are you? Dead geniuses don't count, understand?" Yun Xiao taunted, staring down at her cruelly.
"I—I understand, Brother Yun Xiao..." Jiang Yue wept miserably, the pinnacle of humiliation evident in her tear-stricken face. Once the goddess of the First Sword Peak, adored and revered by everyone, now was trampled upon by Yun Xiao, like she was nothing more than a swine.
"Junior Sister Jiang!" The disciples from the First, Third, and Sixth Sword Peaks were engulfed in a fury too immense to contain. Among them, several Sword Venerable disciples who had reached the Divine Sea Realm, along with the Top Swords of various Sword Peaks, gathered, their eyes blazing with uncontained wrath.
"Yun Xiao, if you can walk away alive today, we'll shatter our swords and kill ourselves!" Many of Ye Tiance's disciples stepped forward. Their vow reverberated in the air, echoing the sentiment of the numerous disciples present, a mix of anger and anticipation crackling in the atmosphere.
Only three days ago... Yun Xiao had stood on the Sword Inheritance Platform, beneath the scrutinizing gaze of these very geniuses, these Sword Cultivators who had then deemed him unworthy of even a glance.
But now... They all unsheathed their Sword Souls, showcasing their robust magic power that shook the heavens and filled the air with an overwhelming murderous intent. Yun Xiao had not only trampled on their revered goddess of the First Sword Peak, but he was also now challenging them, mocking their dignity and inciting their wrath.
CRACK CRACK! Jiang Yue's face split under Yun Xiao's relentless trampling. Yun Xiao then turned his eyes to the group of self-righteous Sword Venerable disciples and Top Swords.
"What are you all staring at? Come up here and meet your death! A bunch of worthless trash!" Yun Xiao taunted, his voice echoing ominously across the mountain.
The disciples glared back at him, their teeth grinding in anger, their rage roaring like a wildfire.
"Destroy him!"
"Tear him to pieces!!" "Save our Goddess!"
...
And so, the Sword Debate truly began. BOOM! The entire Conclave Mountain erupted into flames, setting the stage for an unprecedented battle never before seen in the history of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect.