Chapter 213: Crow Cries Upon the Sword, Moon Descends Through Clouds
Having finished speaking, Song Yan bent his sword finger, and Cry Moon spun through the air. A sliver of moonlight drifted from the lunar wheel, condensing upon the blade of Cry Moon.
“Gazing Moon.”
Moonlight swept forth, and the combined assault of the three opponents was erased entirely.
The condensed crescent sword light slashed past the man at the forefront. His protective spiritual energy crumbled under that moonlight, shattered in an instant.
The gourd artifact he wielded also dimmed, its spiritual glow flickering unstably.
At that moment, the remaining fighters had also joined the battle.
Thirty-six streaks of white sword light trailed afterimages, swirling through the sky in every direction.
They ceaselessly dove toward the group. Even when they failed to strike home, they left sword marks upon the opponents’ protective spiritual energy.
The men before him were all at the late stage of Qi Refining, and among them were cultivators at the perfection stage of Qi Refining.
To eliminate these people swiftly, Song Yan naturally needed to operate at full capacity.
Should any of them possess a troublesome trump card, he could easily find himself drained of sword qi.
Fortunately, there was also the corpse puppet, able to share some of the pressure.
The corpse puppet’s strength was formidable. Facing two opponents alone, it completely suppressed them.
What surprised Song Yan was that although the corpse puppet had been refined from a cultivator at the perfection stage of Qi Refining, it seemed to rely entirely on physical force, clashing head-on with two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Song Yan wielded the sword shadows that filled the sky, continuously compressing the movement space of the four fighters, including Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen refused to sit and await his doom. He swept his hand forth and took out three first-tier superior-grade talismans—”Ice Tempest”—then flung them all at once.
The three talismans swiftly transformed into three enormous frost tempests, layer upon layer, expanding outward in sweeping waves.
The sky full of sword shadows was pushed back slightly by these three overlapping spells.
Song Yan remained unhurried. His sword incantation shifted.
The thirty-six sword lights reformed in the air, threading through the gaps in the ice tempests with the agility of swimming fish, entirely unaffected by the cold.
After several exchanges, Song Yan had already discerned that Jiang Chen, the highest in cultivation among them, was actually not worth mentioning.
He had likely advanced his cultivation swiftly through that improper dual-cultivation technique, and possessed a few life-saving arts to boot.
The combat power exhibited by such a cultivator was extremely shallow, utterly unworthy of fear.
After the Sword-Tempering Competition of the sect, Song Yan had truly come to understand how vast the gap in strength between cultivators of the same realm could be.
With the same cultivation level, this surnamed Jiang cultivator would likely beg for mercy after a single thrust from Li Yi’s halberd, and be killed after two.
It was the two others at the eighth and ninth layers of Qi Refining who showed some real skill in their exchanges.
One of them, a red-robed cultivator, wielded two curved blades that spun and whirled with terrifying momentum.
Both curved blades were superior-grade artifacts. Whether he had obtained them through some fortuitous encounter or had genuinely achieved something in the art of artifact refining, it was impossible to tell.
The curved blades sliced through several sword shadows.
The red-robed cultivator was inwardly cursing his luck.
He had previously heard that Jiang Chen had gathered several late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and had somehow recruited a band of rogue cultivators to intercept and kill Sheng Nian. He had been overjoyed at the news.
The two curved blades in his possession were already at the superior-grade artifact level. If he could melt the supreme spiritual object of gold and earth elements—”Sunken Sand Mystic Gold”—into them, they would very likely reach the pinnacle grade.
He had schemed bitterly, even personally killing his own brother, to finally obtain it—only for it to fall into this Sheng Nian’s hands. He had been nursing his anger ever since.
Yet he never imagined that this seemingly unremarkable rogue cultivator of the demonic path would prove so formidable.
Ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators had pursued him together. Not only had the target survived, but three of their own had already fallen.
Moreover, the target had a sword cultivator friend whose depths were equally unfathomable.
Glancing at Jiang Chen, who could only talk a good game, the red-robed cultivator silently cursed them as a rabble.
Song Yan had just broken through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining. His strength had indeed surged.
Yet he harbored no intention of using these men for practice.
Twin sleeves of sword qi surged wildly, writhing forward to strike directly at Jiang Chen’s face.
Jiang Chen’s expression changed dramatically upon seeing this.
He hastily activated his jade seal artifact, projecting a green barrier of light before him. The other three also summoned their own protective artifacts. In an instant, spiritual light flickered across the scene.
Boom!
The sword qi collided violently with the jade seal, producing a deafening explosion. Jiang Chen was blasted back several steps, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
His heart filled with shock. The sword qi had appeared deceptively soft, yet its power far exceeded his expectations.
The other three immediately moved to assist.
Though they silently cursed the man’s uselessness, anyone with eyes could see that Song Yan’s strength was extraordinary.
If Jiang Chen, the only cultivator at the perfection stage of Qi Refining, fell gravely injured, the three of them would suffer the same fate.
One of them summoned a small green-light shield, positioning it before Jiang Chen.
Another, a gray-robed Daoist, formed incantations and chanted, a crimson fire armor slowly manifesting around his body—a sight somewhat reminiscent of the fire-element defensive art that Shan Zifeng had previously employed.
The red-robed Daoist took the offensive, flanking Song Yan’s side. His two curved blades traced lethal arcs through the air, striking in unison.
Song Yan remained composed. His right hand traced a sword incantation, and Cry Moon carved a crescent of light, deflecting the two incoming curved blades.
He then thrust a single sword toward the red-robed Daoist.
It appeared ordinary, carrying little spiritual energy.
Yet in the red-robed cultivator’s eyes, this strike possessed an unstoppable momentum, as though heaven and earth themselves were overturning.
In a moment of daze, he seemed to glimpse the illusion of a full moon plummeting from the heavens.
He instinctively retreated in haste.
Simultaneously, the Sword of the Azure Serpent from the sleeve pressed forward toward the remaining fighters.
Jiang Chen was not alarmed. The green sword qi was formidable, true, but now that he was prepared, and with his jade seal to hold them off, he could endure.
He activated the jade seal once more. This time, its spiritual radiance blazed brilliantly, wrapping all four within a cocoon of green spiritual energy.
“Hiss…”
The distinctive hiss of a cold-blooded creature drifted from somewhere unknown.
The green sword qi writhed and coiled, and no one noticed when countless green leaves became entwined within it.
The cultivator wielding the shield stared in alarm: “Demon force?!”
Alas, it was already too late.
The Sword of the Azure Serpent pressed in from all directions. The fighters were already struggling to hold.
The green leaves, carried by the momentum of the sword qi, pierced into their artifacts and even their protective spiritual robes.
At that moment, Xiao He sat crouching beside Ju Luyi, her small palms clapping together with a snap.
She mimicked a sound with childish innocence: “Boom.”
The violent demon force detonated in an instant. Even though the four had braced themselves and defended with all their might, they could not emerge unscathed.
Their protective spiritual energy was torn to shreds. The jade seal also dimmed abruptly, falling back into Jiang Chen’s hand.
What was most terrifying was that before the four could even adjust their spiritual breath, the sky full of sword shadows had already descended and settled around them.
At that moment, the Untethered Vessel, which had been thrust into the ground all this time, finally moved.
The one who controlled it was not Song Yan, but Xian Xian, perched upon his shoulder.
The thirty-six wind-and-thunder sword shadows began to rage wildly above the sword formation.
From within the Suppression of the Dao Sword Mansion, sword qi surged forth in torrents, converging toward the ice moon upon the blade. The stray sword qi shed by the scattering sword shadows was absorbed in turn.
The lunar wheel grew ever more solid, its momentum rapidly swelling into something immense.
Jiang Chen had long harbored the intention to flee. Seeing that the situation had become dire, his body erupted with silver radiance. He employed some unknown secret technique that shattered the surrounding sword shadows.
He meant to flee north across the river!
But he slammed directly into the corpse puppet called Ah Yuan.
Ah Yuan had already beaten the two lower-cultivation cultivators to death with his bare fists. His knuckles were slick with blood, and his deep, fathomless gaze swept over Song Yan’s sword formation with understanding.
He bent his legs and launched himself like a cannonball. Before Jiang Chen could react, a kick struck him square in the chest.
“No…”
Whether from pain or terror, Jiang Chen’s face had gone deathly pale. He was like a kite with its string severed.
The corpse puppet Ah Yuan had kicked him straight back into the sword formation!
For reasons unknown, a sudden silence fell over the riverside under the night, as though every sound in the world had halted in that instant.
But the next moment, the Untethered Vessel descended.
At the same time, a crow’s cry shattered the silence. “Caw—”
The full moon hung high.
The gray-robed cultivator could not dodge in time and was pinned to the ground by the Untethered Vessel.
Boundless sword light poured forth like moonbeams descending.
Simultaneously, the sword shadows spun and rose at tremendous speed, converging in the clouds above. Between heaven and earth, a straight golden rainbow appeared for a single instant before vanishing.
It was the Sword in the Clouds descending alongside the moonlight!
“Boom—”
Sword qi scattered and merged with the riverside night wind, brushing past the crowd.
It swept away the stench of blood that had saturated the place.
All four were dead, laid out in perfect order.
The corpse puppet Ah Yuan had vanished at some unknown point.
From the very start of the battle, he had noticed that among the seven who had surrounded the young master, one had sensed that something was wrong and had been muddying the waters, watching covertly from the shadows.
The moment this Sir Song unveiled his overwhelming sword arts, the man had wanted to flee.
The cultivator surged with spiritual energy and bolted toward the Red Bank Valley.
“Song Yan!” he cried inwardly. “The same Song Yan who disrupted the Demonic Ruins’ affairs in Changping?”
“In just a few short years, he has already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining?”
Doubt and alarm churned within him. He wished to escape this place at once and tell everything to the fellow Daoists from the Demonic Ruins.
But in that moment of distraction, a towering figure blocked his path.
The masked corpse puppet Ah Yuan had appeared before him at some unknown moment. A pale hand rested lightly upon his shoulder.
“Fellow Daoist, please stay.”
His voice was gentle, like a teahouse attendant offering you a refill on a winter’s day.
Yet from that hand came an impossibly great force, one that tore through his already unstable protective spiritual energy.
The Demonic Ruins cultivator’s collarbone cracked under the unbearable weight, and he collapsed to his knees.
At that very moment, he happened to witness the scene of Song Yan’s Moonfall and Sword in the Clouds descending.
“Gulp.”
The Demonic Ruins cultivator swallowed hard.
The corpse puppet Ah Yuan raised his gaze slightly, his eyes flickering, and murmured softly: “What beautiful moonlight.”
He seemed lost in thought.
But in a mere instant, he withdrew from his reverie.
His right hand lifted the Demonic Ruins cultivator. His left hand seized the man’s right arm and applied gentle force, dislocating it.
“Ahhh—” A scream tore from the man’s mouth.
The corpse puppet Ah Yuan seemed to find him rather noisy. From somewhere, he produced a rag and stuffed it into the man’s mouth, silencing the cries.
Then he drove a fierce punch into the man’s Dantian.
With brutal simplicity, he crippled the man’s foundation, shattered every meridian in his body, and left him clinging to a single breath.
Disregarding the man’s agonized struggles and muffled sobs, Ah Yuan nodded with satisfaction and brought him before Song Yan and Sheng Nian.
The sword shadows had now returned to the sword case, and the flying swords were recalled one by one.
Xian Xian fluttered down to rest upon his shoulder. The riverside returned to silence.
Song Yan lowered his gaze toward Sheng Nian, who was still meditating. “Tell me, young master of the Sheng clan. You summoned me all the way here from a thousand miles away—what exactly is this about?”
“This so-called big deal of yours… it wasn’t just to have me watch you get chased like a stray dog, was it?”
Sheng Nian had recovered a good deal by now and rose to his feet.
He ignored the jest and took the straight blade Song Yan had gifted him, examining it closely. He murmured to himself: “Mm, a fine blade. Truly a fine blade.”
“Sir Song is most generous. I shall accept it with pleasure.”
He cast a glance at the corpse puppet, and it began to clean up the battlefield.
“Hm?” Sheng Nian suddenly looked toward Serpent Treasure. “It’s been quite some time—has Xiao He grown a bit?”
Song Yan nodded. “She is now a first-tier late-stage demon.”
Xiao He giggled, placing her hands proudly on her hips.
“Wow, amazing, amazing, amazing…”
Sheng Nian’s gaze shifted to Xiao Ju, who stood quietly at Song Yan’s side. He raised an eyebrow and asked: “And who might this young lady be?”
Song Yan answered briefly: “Ju Luyi. She travels with me at present.”
Sheng Nian let out a meaningful “Oh,” a glint of curiosity passing through his eyes, but he said nothing more.
Since Sir Song had brought her to meet him, she was likely trustworthy.
“This matter is of great consequence. We should leave this place of trouble first.”
Being addressed so suddenly, Xiao Ju’s expression turned nervous.
But hearing Sheng Nian’s words, her heart grew anxious.
Since this was a matter of great import, should she withdraw?
Could she still journey with Senior Song…
While she was lost in these troubled thoughts, Sheng Nian suddenly formed a playful smile. “Little sister.”
“Since you have learned of the connection between this old demon and your Sir Song, you have effectively boarded the pirate ship.”
He deliberately lowered his voice, patting her taut, slender shoulders. “Be sure not to breathe a word of this. Otherwise—”
“Sir Song may be soft-hearted, but I will certainly silence you permanently.”
Xiao Ju froze at these words, but she did not display the fear Sheng Nian had expected.
Quite the opposite. She raised her eyes to meet his gaze, and there was even a trace of joy in them.
Xiao Ju’s heart pounded wildly.
She felt as though she had glimpsed a path shrouded in darkness, yet one that shone in concert with the bright moon.
“Mm!” A nameless surge of warmth welled in her chest, dispelling her earlier anxieties. She nodded firmly, her hair swaying. “Xiao Ju understands!”
Her tone was resolute, as though she were swearing a vow to the heavens.
Sheng Nian was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a reaction.
“Why are you scaring her?” Song Yan shook his head. “Let’s go.”
While they spoke, the corpse puppet Ah Yuan had finished clearing the battlefield. He carried a string of Cosmos Bags slung over his back.
The Demonic Ruins cultivator, who had fainted from the pain, dangled in his grip like a limp chick.
Sheng Nian led the way, heading into the mountains.
After roughly an hour’s walk, the group arrived before a cliff-like hill. Sheng Nian casually activated a talisman, withdrawing an illusion formation.
A hidden cave entrance appeared before them.
A genuine secret realm within.
Inside, the furnishings were sparse.
A stone table and stone stools, various bottles and jars nearby, and in the corner, several bloodstained robes lay in a heap.
“A temporary lodging. My hospitality is lacking—please do not hold it against me, Sir Song.”
Unexpectedly, this was only the outer chamber. Sheng Nian casually lifted a stone slab from the floor, revealing a staircase leading underground.
The group descended a dozen zhang along the steps, and the space opened up before them.
It was a vast stone chamber.
Sheng Nian kicked aside an empty medicine jar blocking his path and settled onto a stone stool.
The corpse puppet Ah Yuan and Chen Jiping stood quietly behind him, one on each side.
Sheng Nian spoke: “I shall keep it brief. Have you ever heard… of the legend of the Immortal Dynasty’s ancient battlefield?”