Chương 23: How Can You Laugh When You Cut Off Your Robe and Break Your Righteousness?
Cao Erzhu could not understand how Xu Xiaoshou's danger had anything to do with him. If it weren't for the note left by August, he wouldn't have even known who Xu Xiaoshou was.
"Xu Xiaoshou? What does that matter to me?"
He carried the table on his back and quickened his pace. From Yu Zhiwen's reaction when he mentioned his real name, it was obvious—she knew exactly who he was! And there could only be one reason why she lingered behind: she needed his help.
Over the years, Cao Erzhu had aided August countless times, whether in major or trivial matters. He knew how troublesome that "little fairy" could be, and now he regretted revealing his true identity.
"The situation in Changde Town sounds serious…"
"My father doesn't want me to return, but if I don't check it out, I'll be constantly on edge…"
Even deep within the mountains, he could still hear the explosions coming from Changde Town. The thought of the disaster befalling his home town worried him, though not too much. Perhaps when he returned, all would be peaceful again, and the worst he'd receive was another scolding from his father.
"But I have to go… at least to take a look from a distance. Father still needs me."
The complex patterns of the surrounding Heaven and Earth Array flickered, signaling Yu Zhiwen's swift approach. She was catching up fast.
Cao Erzhu didn't want to waste any more time. He released a sliver of spiritual power from his energy reserve.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion reverberated. The table vanished into his ring, and Cao Erzhu transformed into a bolt of purple lightning, darting through the wilderness without disturbing a single leaf. In an instant, he had reached the mountainside.
Behind him, Yu Zhiwen, who had almost caught up, saw the afterimage disappear into the distance. Her face changed with realization.
"He's no ordinary man…"
How could an Innate Stage Spiritual Cultivator possess such speed? It was akin to a cultivator of the Cutting Path or even the Higher Void level! However, the more extraordinary Cao Erzhu appeared, the more hopeful Yu Zhiwen felt. If she could persuade him, perhaps he would be the key to thwarting Hallmaster Dao's trap for Xu Xiaoshou.
As Yu Zhiwen prepared to activate the Qingyuan Mountain array to teleport herself, a sudden sound of sword cries rang out.
"Whoosh!"
A dark green sword shadow sliced through the sky, swiftly passing over Qingyuan Mountain and pinpointing Yu Zhiwen's location with ease. At the same moment, Cao Erzhu, now a streak of purple lightning, crossed paths with the sword shadow.
"An Ancient Swordsman?"
From the corner of his eye, Cao Erzhu glimpsed the ethereal figure of a young man, translucent yet distinct. It was the Spirit Controlling technique from the Phantom Sword Arts, the very technique August had demonstrated to him once. Despite how long the old master had taught it, Cao Erzhu had yet to master it.
Meanwhile, Xi, the figure of the swordsman, descended lightly, scanning the ground below. For a moment, he thought he saw a streak of purple lightning flash through the forest.
"An illusion?"
Xi had been struck earlier by the God Punishment Tribulation, a powerful lightning attack from Kui Leihan. The experience had shaken him deeply. Dismissing the flash of lightning, Xi focused on his task, landing near Yu Zhiwen.
"Greetings, Miss Zhiwen," he said, his eyes lowered respectfully, as he dared not meet her gaze. Even after all their meetings, her beauty was too overwhelming.
"Hallmaster Dao sent me here to—"
Xi paused. He noticed Yu Zhiwen's anxious expression, cutting his formalities short. Hallmaster Dao had sent him, but it seemed something was amiss. With a Divine Sorceress present, any complication could be handled by her, yet she seemed unsettled.
"What's happened?" Xi asked.
Yu Zhiwen hesitated for a moment, then pointed toward the direction where Cao Erzhu had disappeared. "Cao…"
Her words caught in her throat. She remembered—Xi wasn't on her side, but Hallmaster Dao's. If she had him chase after Cao Erzhu, it might backfire, unraveling her plan to aid Xu Xiaoshou.
Xi was perceptive. From the single utterance of "Cao," Yu Zhiwen's anxious demeanor, and the direction she pointed, he pieced together her intentions.
She wanted to chase after someone, but feared the consequences.
"Was it really the God Punishment Tribulation I sensed earlier?"
The streak of purple lightning—was it what he had thought? If that were the case, letting Yu Zhiwen go after someone so dangerous was out of the question.
"I'll go after him!" Xi announced firmly.
"No!" Yu Zhiwen's panic was palpable, "Come back!"
But Xi had already transformed into his spiritual form, dashing off to pursue the mysterious lightning.
"You don't need to worry," Xi called back without turning around, "I know what I'm doing."
Yu Zhiwen stood frozen in shock, her raised hand trembling in the air. What just happened? She wanted to stop Xi, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
As panic filled her starry eyes, she realized Xi had misunderstood her intentions. Despair set in—she had only wanted to recruit Cao Erzhu to help Xu Xiaoshou, but now Xi was in pursuit.
The forest was silent, and she was left alone with her rising dread.
"Phantom Beast!" Cao Erzhu's expression darkened as Qingyuan Mountain, once serene, now descended into an eerie, oppressive silence.
His speed had been incredible, but Xi, a powerful swordsman, was no slouch either. The Phantom Beast Territory skill had initially lagged but eventually managed to close in on him.
Cao Erzhu's instincts flared. Something was wrong. A creeping sensation slithered through him as if he were being watched by a venomous snake. Regret welled up inside him—so that sorceress had only wanted his real name to track him down and kill him?
This wasn't just pursuit. It was full-blown hostility!
"Enough with the tricks! Show yourself!" Cao Erzhu halted abruptly, refusing to expose his back to a threat he couldn't see. His sharp gaze pierced through the forest, recognizing the eerie skill before him—it was from the Phantom Beast Spirit Technique, a technique the old master had mentioned only a rare few could master.
"Phantom Beast Spirit Exchange!" came a shout, as a translucent Earth Floating Spirit shimmered briefly before Xi materialized in its place.
Cao Erzhu faced his opponent, a figure of youth, wielding a sword, shrouded in ghostly energy. Keywords rapidly flashed through Cao Erzhu's mind—sword, youth, phantom...
He immediately recognized the man who had flown through the sky moments ago.
A Spiritual Cultivator!
His father had often warned him about the elite masters in the Spiritual Cultivation world, likening them to legendary figures like his own father and Eighth Uncle. Now, standing face-to-face with one of these masters, Cao Erzhu's father's words rang true. Even against an ordinary Innate Stage cultivator like himself, this ancient swordsman was cautious, treating him as a formidable adversary.
Cao Erzhu's eyes sharpened, and he drew a stone sword from his ring, gripping it with the air of a seasoned warrior. His father had always emphasized that the God Punishment Tribulation should remain hidden unless absolutely necessary. If forced into battle, he would have to rely on the Ancient Sword Technique, passed down from the old master and August.
"Your name is Cao?" Xi asked, narrowing his eyes, trying to recall. He hadn't clearly seen the person earlier, but this man's towering figure and strange demeanor had made him stand out. Xi's mind whirred, processing the details, and suddenly it all clicked—the "Cao" Yu Zhiwen had mentioned.
The image of a simple, unassuming blacksmith shop flashed through his memory. Among the inconspicuous portraits from his investigation of Cao's Blacksmith Shop, one face matched the man standing before him now.
"You… you're Cao Erzhu, Kui Leihan's son! That streak of purple lightning earlier, you've mastered the Penetrating Divine Senses and the God Punishment Tribulation!"
Weng!
The air seemed to hum as the heavenly secrets aligned. Yu Zhiwen hurried over, her figure materializing as she used the Qingyuan Mountain array to locate the confrontation.
Before she could fully form, Xi's surprised voice reached her ears.
It's over…
Her starry eyes, shimmering with apprehension, fluttered closed. She didn't need to see—her spiritual senses had already caught the fury in Cao Erzhu's eyes, the tension in his clenched fists, and the trembling rage coursing through his body.
"Snake! Scorpion! Venomous woman!" Cao Erzhu spat with venom, his voice echoing through the mountains. His eyes brimmed with betrayal. The most vicious words his father had ever hurled at a woman now tumbled from his lips.
Tears welled in his eyes. He had trusted Yu Zhiwen so much. Yet, the moment he gave her his real name, the ancient swordsman had somehow known not only his identity but the terrifying secret of the God Punishment Tribulation. His sacred technique had been revealed in the blink of an eye. They hadn't just stumbled upon him—they had come prepared to hunt him down.
Opposite him, Yu Zhiwen stood frozen in shock, disoriented by his explosive accusations. Meanwhile, Xi, equally stunned by the sudden revelation of Yu Zhiwen's relationship with Cao Erzhu, remained on high alert, preparing for an attack from the furious giant.
The atmosphere was electric, teetering on the edge of an all-out explosion.
Cao Erzhu's anger reached its peak as he raised his stone sword, his eyes blazing with rage.
"Don't hurt him!" Yu Zhiwen shouted, her voice trembling as she turned toward Xi, moving her fingers quickly to diffuse the situation.
"Eh?" Xi hesitated, his sword seal half-formed. His offensive stance shifted into a defensive one, positioning himself to protect Yu Zhiwen, worried that she might be the first to suffer in the coming clash.
Cao Erzhu's sudden move sent Xi's senses into overdrive. As Cao Erzhu lifted the corner of his shirt, Xi's pupils contracted in alarm.
"Three Yamas Guard!"
With a loud boom, the dark green Ghost Gate opened, summoning three Ghost Yamas—one wielding a shield, one a tower, and the last, a lamp. They formed a fearsome triangular barrier around Yu Zhiwen, offering protection from every direction.
The shield solidified, the tower guarded her spirit, and the lamp safeguarded her mind. It was an impregnable defense, the best Xi could muster under the circumstances.
"Galaxy Interruption!" Yu Zhiwen chanted, her fingers dancing through the air.
The Qingyuan Mountain Great Array buzzed, its Path Principles shifting. Between Xi and Cao Erzhu, a glowing galaxy emerged, creating an unbridgeable divide. The space itself seemed to stretch, as if an infinite distance now separated the two.
With the galaxy and the ghostly barrier in place, Cao Erzhu finally made his move.
He raised his stone sword high, and with a swift motion, he cut off a piece of his shirt.
Silently, he tossed the fabric in front of Yu Zhiwen.
"I'm done playing with you!" Cao Erzhu's voice thundered through Qingyuan Mountain as he turned on his heel, storming away without looking back.
The mountain fell into an eerie silence.
"Whoo..." Yu Zhiwen glanced at the three Ghost Yamas still swirling protectively around her, then down at the piece of cloth discarded on the ground. She stood still, absorbing the tension of the moment.
Xi stared at the vibrant Galaxy splitting the space between them, momentarily stunned. But soon enough, his bewilderment faded, replaced by a strange expression as he looked at the torn piece of cloth, then at Yu Zhiwen.
What is happening?
Wasn't this supposed to be a high-stakes battle for the Great Path? How did it devolve into something that felt like a childish quarrel? Were they playing house?
"Pfft!" Xi couldn't help but laugh.
He found his earlier alertness ridiculous. Cao Erzhu's actions, too, seemed absurd—resolving a conflict with a torn piece of shirt? If only conflicts in the world were solved this easily!
Just as the laughter echoed through the silent mountain, Cao Erzhu's retreating form came to a halt. His entire body began trembling.
"Ka ka ka..." His sandbag-sized fists clenched so tightly that they cracked. Slowly, he turned around, his eyes blazing with rage.
Purple lightning flickered from his pupils.
"I'm not joking!" Cao Erzhu roared, his voice echoing like a storm. To sever a friendship by cutting one's shirt was no laughing matter. Why would Xi mock him like that?
The force of his roar shook the ground, and the air rippled with an intangible energy. Sand and dust swirled, carried by the shockwave of his fury.
Xi's face paled. His hands moved instinctively, forming a sword seal as a small, dark sword materialized between his eyes. It hovered there briefly before releasing a ray of crimson light aimed at Cao Erzhu.
Yu Zhiwen didn't even have time to react.
"Boom!"
Cao Erzhu's figure vanished in a burst of purple lightning. The night sky above Qingyuan Mountain split apart as the storm of purple energy filled the heavens, transforming the night into a searing flash of light. Thunder roared in their heads, disorienting both Xi and Yu Zhiwen.
For a brief moment, it felt like meeting a saint—the sheer overwhelming power blanked out their minds. All that remained was the echo of Cao Erzhu's furious voice, reverberating within their spiritual senses.
"God Punishment Tribulation!"
The skies themselves trembled as dark clouds gathered, thunder rolling ominously across the heavens. Cao Erzhu, no longer needing to hide his mastery of the God Punishment Tribulation, unleashed its full force.
He surged forward, purple lightning trailing in his wake, his outstretched arms reaching for both Yu Zhiwen and Xi as if to tear apart the very space between them.
Xi, ready to resist, barely had time to react before Cao Erzhu's power surged. It was the first time Cao Erzhu had used both the Penetrating Divine Senses and God Punishment Tribulation in battle, techniques he had honed for more than two decades.
Memories of his father's teachings echoed in his mind.
"Er Zhu, come here! Today, I'll teach you one of the six great forms of Penetrating Divine Senses: the oppression-type. This technique can crush the enemy's spiritual will and leave behind nothing but a hollow shell."
As Cao Erzhu unleashed the God Punishment Tribulation, Xi's movements slowed to a crawl under its oppressive power. The ancient swordsman was no match for the crushing weight of the technique.
Yu Zhiwen's protective ghosts became stiff, trapped under the immense spiritual pressure. Cao Erzhu's charge was unstoppable—he closed the distance between them in an instant.
"Er Zhu, come here! Let me teach you the transformation control-type of the Penetrating Divine Senses. Use it to destroy spiritual array patterns, to disrupt the Divine Secrets you might face in battle."
The God Punishment Tribulation materialized with deadly precision. Thousands of tiny, hair-like strands of purple lightning formed in the air, delicate and nearly invisible, swaying like willows in the wind.
With a subtle flick of his hand, the lightning split in two, lashing out toward Xi and Yu Zhiwen. In moments, the energy pierced their acupoints, sealing their energy reserves and cutting off any hope of counterattack.
Cao Erzhu's heart roared with triumph as the purple strands wrapped around his foes like tendrils. Their necks were trapped in his massive hands, as if they were nothing more than rag dolls in the grip of a giant.
"Ah!" Yu Zhiwen and Xi gasped as they were lifted off the ground.
In a blur of purple lightning, Cao Erzhu leaped into the night sky, his captives in tow. They tore through the fabric of space, reappearing near a towering waterfall deep within the mountain.
The full moon hung overhead, casting a cold glow over the scene. Its light reflected off the rushing waters, filling the valley with an ethereal beauty.
But there was no peace in this moment. Cao Erzhu stood at the edge of the waterfall, his fury reaching a boiling point. He raised his arms, prepared to smash the two helpless cultivators into the ground, to end their lives in one decisive blow.
Yet a flicker of hesitation crossed his mind.
His father's voice echoed again.
"Er Zhu, when you strike, you must also destroy the soul and the will. There may be Sword Cognition Incarnations, demi-saints… you must leave no trace behind."
Cao Erzhu's eyes blazed with determination. His father's teachings were clear: eradicate the roots, leave nothing behind.
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