Chapter 80: Chapter 76
On top of this Shen Qiao also had to deal with Yan Shou, which made it so that he was inevitably
unable to manage both things at one.
Having thought up to this point, Shen Qiao no longer hesitated. His strength surged
up to its utmost point he dismissed any other distracting thought, and immediately
entered the realm of jian xin.
In a split second, the light of his sword shone endlessly, changing all color of the sky
and earth as though filled with the fury of lightning. The clear light shimmering from
the rivers and oceans was condensed into this single sword.
His person outside of the sword, yet his heart lay within; once at jian xin, every living
thing was as though hollow and vacant!
Yan Shou's stern expression changed quickly. He immediately pulled his hands away
and began to retreat, not daring to rush into the cutting edge. However, the moment
the sword's blade shone, it cannot possibly be retracted. His jian qi rode upon this
white light and rushed towards Yan Shou mercilessly, firmly stopping him.
Accompanied with what sounded like thunder, like the endless waves of water, his
sword carried within it the power to disperse everything beneath the skies, despite its
unsteady first reveal.
The moment he brandished this sword, Shen Qiao did not advance, nor did he retreat.
Instead, he flew towards Bai Rong.
The three of them—Bai Rong, Xiao Se, and Yan Wushi—circled one another in a
deadlock, subtly in balance. Yan Wushi's strength had almost certainly been reduced
over some time59, or else he would not have allowed for such an impasse. The longer
that time went on, Xiao Se and Bai Rong became inevitably suspicious.
However, a teal
silhouette glided past them, and took Yan Wushi away.
After seeing this, the three of them naturally chased after them—however, because
Xiao Se had sustained such a serious wound that he was unable to pursue them
closely, only Yan Shou hung close to them from behind, unwilling to let the two of
them out of their sight.
"You go on first! Get to that forest we passed through before entering the city, I'll hold
them back!" Shen Qiao spoke his words quickly before directly shoving Yan Wushi in
front of him. He did not wait for his reaction and turned around, rushing in the direction
of their three pursuers.
Yan Wushi turned around, and gazed deeply at him. He said nothing, before turning
back and leaving.
Yan Shou watched as his target faded further and further into the distance, becoming
more anxious as Shen Qiao stood in front to block him from advancing further. The
style of his palm maneuver was filled with bloody malice, every move aimed at Shen
Qiao's body.
Shen Qiao's stance, however, remained flawless. His sword technique became much
more steady. He went against Yan Shou with an offensive strength that resembled that
of strong wind and swift rain. Without Yan Wushi by his side, he was even more able to
concentrate on responding to the situation before him. The wind resonated against the
Shanhe Tongbei sword, while his figure, dressed completely in teal, fluttered with a
celestial essence.
The Canglang Sword Technique was an infinitely majestic scene to
witness after having improved with Shen Qiao's skill. It washed over the land with great
ease, like that of thousands of flowers in bloom; its light filled every corner of the sky completely engulfing the three of them within it, preventing them from approaching
any closer.
Yan Shou scoffed lowly to himself. Suddenly, a human figure appeared with such
speed. One would be unable to tell the difference from the points of this person's
slender fingers from that of a sharp blade. Wherever they went transformed into a sea
of blood and corpses—and suddenly, their hand broke through the sea of light from
the sword, before directly grabbing the sword Shen Qiao grasped!
Shen Qiao flew on his return. The blue of his silhouette resembled that of a dragonfly
skimming the surface of water—wanting to touch the ground, but always remaining just
above it. The tips of his toes seemed as though they never before did touch the
ground. The Tiankuo Hongying was Xuandu Mountain's unique qinggong technique,
and Shen Qiao used it with such perfection. Had Qi Fengge been able to see this,
even he would not be able to suppress his praise for him.
The two rows of trees on either side of his body quickly faded behind him the longer
he used this qinggong technique, growing indistinct in the distance. Even his merciless
pursuers from behind disappeared temporarily without a trace.
But Shen Qiao would not lower his guard as a result. He took a sigh of relief. His robes
were lifted by the wind, untouched by the dirt beneath him. His grace resembled that
of a bird, though perhaps only somewhat inferior.
This route went quickly. He had to first pass by the mountains outside the city, so as to
deceive his pursuers. Afterwards, he had to follow the sheltered area beneath the
mountain, before reaching the small grove by the foot of the mountain that one would
need to enter if they were on their way to the city.
Although this grove of trees was certainly not large, it relied on its lush and green
position by the mountain. Its verdant color made it resemble a part of the earth. Had
any ordinary person entered this place, they would have almost seemed to have been
swallowed whole by the forest, with its long entanglement of vines and rugged terrain.
They would certainly not be able to find a way out of it.
Shen Qiao supported himself with the trunks of each tree as he went further into the
forest. Though he had slowed down greatly, he made sure that he did not leave even
the slightest trace of his steps. Even if their enemies were to chase them into this area,
they would not be able to determine whether or not they have entered it.
He walked for as long as it took a stick of incense to burn. Already, he could see that
he had entered the very depths of the forest, and would quickly reach the area by that
of the mountain. He finally could not bear it any longer, and stopped for a moment to
rest.
His wrist was grabbed by someone's hand, which had extended past him without
warning.
Shen Qiao was vigilant and sensed this, before trying to pull his hand away and retreat.
However, after seeing the other man's face, he stopped, and sighed.
"It's me," Yan Wushi said. He had grasped Shen Qiao's wrist in one hand, while his
other was supporting his waist, helping him walk further into the forest. "Why did it
take you so long to get rid of them?"
Shen Qiao had exhausted all of his strength, and allowed Yan Wushi to support him by
the arm. He leaned half of his weight somewhat into the other man's body.
"Of course, if it were only those three I had to deal with, there wouldn't be any reason
for anxiety," Shen Qiao said. "I had wanted to kill Yan Shou to avenge the Guanzhu
and Chuyi. I didn't expect that behind him would be yet another person dressed as a
monk. They seemed younger than Bai Rong, yet their wugong was not beneath that of
Yan Shou. The longer we fought, the more unfavorable it became for me. I could only
find an opportunity to escape."
He did not know what the identity of this person was, but Yan Wushi knew at first
mention: "That person is most likely Baoyun. They are one of the elders of Hehuan
Sect. He likes to pretend to be a monk and spread Buddhist teachings all over the
country. That way, he can fool a number of worshippers that are women and sleep with
them. The Buddhists hate him for dirtying the good reputation of monks, and have
repeatedly hunted him down in recent years. He rarely shows his face to the outside
world, yet his wugong is hardly beneath that of Yan Shou's."
After hearing the actions of this man, Shen Qiao could not help but frown, his
expression filled with disgust: "Earlier, Bai Rong said that Shang Jingxing and Baoyun
were just behind them. If Baoyun is here, then Sang Jingxing is most likely not far from
them either. We need to get away from here as soon as we can. Otherwise, with how
many people are on their side, it'll be unlikely that they'll leave this place unsearched."
"Are you able to move?" Yan Wushi asked.
Shen Qiao smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I have a way," Yan Wushi said.
"Hm?"
Yan Wushi stroked Shen Qiao's face, which was ashen from having exhausted his
strength. Shen Qiao turned away, though the other man was able to have stroked it
once.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone