Lu Zhou stroked his beard and shook his head as he said, “He’ll meet you when the time is right.”
Li Yunzheng scratched his head, clearly disappointed. He asked, “Does my teacher possess a cultivation as profound as yours, old mister?”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “There’s nobody under the heavens whose cultivation base is more profound than mine.”
“…” Although Li Yunzheng had not started cultivating, he had the basic knowledge of cultivation. He did not know how he should react to Lu Zhou’s words. ‘Oh, well. You can brag all you want. I’ll keep you entertained.’
Li Yunzheng asked, “In that case, can you tell me about how capable that teacher is, old mister?”
“He has an average cultivation base, but he’s good enough to be your teacher.”
At this, Lu Zhou looked up at the moon that was growing brighter. He did not expect time to pass so quickly. At this moment, he heard approaching footsteps. “Someone’s coming. What should we do with the corpse?”
Lu Zhou glanced at Ye Xiao’s corpse on the ground before he raised his hand.
An energy seal carried the corpse up,
Li Yunzheng was surprised. ‘A golden energy seal?’
When the corpse was in the air, it burst into flames. Within a few breaths, the corpse was reduced to nothing by the golden fire.
A complicated expression appeared on Li Yunzheng’s face. He said, “Your cultivation base is on par with the Sky Martial Court’s Yu Chenshu, old mister.”
“Yu Chenshu?”
Li Yunzheng sighed. “Let’s not talk about him.”
Lu Zhou wanted to inquire further, but the footsteps were drawing closer. Therefore, he said, “I have something else to attend to. Take care.”
“Old mister…” Before Li Yunzheng could finish his words, Lu Zhou disappeared into the night.
…
Meanwhile, it was calm and peaceful on Cloud Mountain.
Yu Shangrong stood with his arms crossed on a boulder halfway up the mountain as he looked at the sky, seemingly staring at nothing.
He maintained this posture for a long time.
After a while, he closed his eyes.
The Longevity Sword he carried on his back would vibrate occasionally.
Suddenly, an energy sword materialized before him before it quickly disappeared again.
Yu Shangrong opened his eyes. He shook his head and sighed before he muttered under his breath, “So close to the son of heaven’s sword. I should ask master for guidance on this difficult sword path…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a black figure shooting past the forest below.
Yu Shangrong smiled. “Rats.”
He pushed away lightly from the rock and shot toward the figure at lightning speed.
The terrain of Cloud Mountain was extremely complicated. It was easy for cultivators to get lost in the. However, this did not pose any difficulty to someone like Yu Shangrong.
Yu Shangrong unleashed his Nine-leaf cultivator’s speed and arrived at the base of the mountain in no time at all.
The black figure came to a stop as well, as though he had deliberately waited for Yu Shangrong.
Yu Shangrong hovered in the air and looked down at the black figure. He said tonelessly, “You’re really suspicious. If you’re wise, you’d adapt to the circumstances and surrender.”
The black figure did not turn around. He spoke with his back facing Yu Shangrong. “I have no wish to fight you. I’m merely here to convey a message. Tell your master that we’ll meet again in the future. I’ll also remember the grudge of the Flying Star House.”
Yu Shangrong said, “The Flying Star House?”
“It’s only a matter of time before karma bites back. Farewell.” The black figure faded out of focus and fled into the distance.
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly and said, “Since you came, why are you in such a hurry to leave? What do you say to having a cup of tea with me on the mountain?” He unleashed his grand technique three times consecutively and gave chase.
The black figure was taken aback and quickly increased his speed.
The two of them shot past several mountain peaks.
Yu Shangrong was still following closely behind the figure with a calm expression on his face. “Too slow…”
“You.” The black figure came to a halt. He regarded Yu Shangrong with a surprised expression. “You can keep up with me?”
Under the cover of night, the moon shone on Yu Shangrong’s chiseled face, making him look dignified. He said, “This is how the Sword Devil has always acted. Make your choice, sir. Will you live or die?”
“Sword Devil?”
“It’s nothing but a superficial title given by the masses. It’s insignificant.” Yu Shangrong raised his right hand.
His Longevity Sword left its scabbard.
The black figure gulped and quickly retreated.
At this moment, a hoarse voice rang from behind the black figure. “Xiao Sheng, stand back!”
“Huh? My lord, you’re here!” The black figure kneeled down, overcome with emotions.
“Is it done?”
“I’ve done as ordered. However, I didn’t expect this man to follow me. Please get rid of him, my lord,” the black figure said.
A cloaked figure appeared in Yu Shangrong’s field of vision.
Yu Shangrong sensed the man’s peculiar aura and smiled, clearly pleased. “You’re much more powerful than he is. Interesting.”
The cloaked figure chuckled. He seemed to be pleased as well as he said, “To travel far and wide in search of something, only to find it so effortlessly… I finally found you.”
“We’ve never met. Why do you say that?” Yu Shangrong was puzzled.
“I saw you through Zhong Diao’s eyes… You’re skilled, sir,” the man said.
Yu Shangrong nodded and said, “So, you’re Zhong Diao’s master…”
The man removed his cloak. His face was illuminated by the moonlight immediately. His right eye was blind, but his left eye had a sharp edge to it.
“I’ll send you to the afterlife to keep my Zhong Diao company.”
When the man’s cloak fell to the ground, the black figure moved swiftly and picked it up respectfully. He stood in the distance and said, “I’ll await your victorious return, my lord.”
Yu Shangrong smiled. “I’m afraid that you’ll be disappointed.”
His Longevity Sword suddenly shot out of its scabbard. Several energy swords immediately shot toward the partially-blind man.
The shining golden energy swords illuminated the surroundings immediately.
The semi-blind man faded out of focus. He seemed to disappear into a mass of black mist as he avoided the energy swords. He appeared above Yu Shangrong and dove at an angle. “Hit!”
An ominous-looking purple palm seal shot out.
“Witchcraft?” Yu Shangrong retreated calmly. His Longevity Sword returned to his palm, and then, he brought it down.
Bam!
The palm seal was cleaved into two.
Yu Shangrong’s movements were as smooth as flowing water. There was no wasted movement at all.
The partially-blind man seemed slightly taken aback. Then, he said, “Nice moves… Alas, I must avenge my Zhong Diao!”
He left several afterimages in his wake and was upon Yu Shangrong in an instant. Then, he launched a tidal wave of palm strikes.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Yu Shangrong brandished his sword calmly.
The two of them fought intensely under the moonlight. It was clear the battle would not end anytime soon.
The black figure, who was watching from a distance, frowned deeply. He muttered to himself, “That Old Man Lu’s disciple is so powerful?”
At this moment, the partially-blind man seemed to have found an opening. He sent a barrage of palm seals toward Yu Shangrong’s chest.
Yu Shangrong held his Longevity Sword before his chest and pushed away from the ground before he flew back with movements as light as a swallow. He moved several hundred meters back before he suddenly descended. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he summoned his avatar.
A Nine-leaf golden lotus avatar towered before them. Its rich Primal Qi poured out into the surroundings.
The partially-blind man crossed his arms and flipped backward, blocking the attack. “Golden lotus.”
“You’re wide open.” Yu Shangrong appeared behind the man. With both hands gripping the hilt of the sword, he brought it down on his opponent.
The partially-blind man frowned and spun around. He brought his palms together, catching the Longevity Sword between them. Purple gas emerged from his hands as he retreated. “I have to say, among all the cultivators below the Ten-leaf stage that I’ve met, your sword path is the greatest…”