Chapter 55: Sword Dao Genius (5) |
"Imperial Sword Manor's Shen Chen. Please grant me instruction."
Su Chen's gaze was sharp as a mountain peak. His entire presence resembled a drawn sword suspended between heaven and earth.
Yan Chong cursed under his breath at the words and immediately retreated into the distance. One glance was enough for him to know he stood no chance against the Sword Demon's disciple. This was a truly terrifying opponent.
Su Chen knew it too. Even the hand gripping his sword hilt trembled. A swordsman pressed forward without retreat, unbreakable even in death.
"Not bad. A true sword cultivator."
Cao Tianming sounded mildly surprised. He hadn't expected Su Chen to actually dare strike at him. Still, he decided to show a trace of mercy and unleash a single sword.
Just that one strike sent sword light flashing everywhere. Su Chen detonated the full power of his Imperial Sword Body, condensing countless strands of sword qi into a single devastating blow.
A terrifying tremor rippled outward.
Su Chen's robes exploded into tatters. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the Calamity Dust Sword in his hand. He spat a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
'This guy is a damn monster!'
Su Chen swallowed the metallic taste of blood. His viscera had been shredded by sword qi; that one strike had nearly ended him. He understood clearly now—there was still a vast distance between himself and monsters like this.
"Brother Shen, you actually survived!"
Yan Chong hurried back, his face lighting up with excitement when he saw Su Chen still standing. He took a step forward.
Boom.
A gleaming long spear tore through the air with lightning speed, aimed straight at Su Chen's head.
Su Chen gathered sword aura in one hand and deflected the unstoppable thrust toward his shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he used the momentum to retreat swiftly.
When the strike failed to kill, the concern vanished from Yan Chong's face, replaced by the cold, emotionless expression of a viper. "Brother Shen, I didn't expect you to be so wary of me."
He had been certain that the strike would land perfectly. The only explanation was that Su Chen had never trusted him from the beginning.
Su Chen bared his bloodstained teeth in a grimace. "Brother Yan, we've only known each other a few days. How could I possibly stake my life on you?"
Yan Chong gave a cold laugh. "Even if you dodged once, how many more times can a heavily wounded man like you evade? Stop struggling. Hand over the Imperial Sword Manor's sword body technique. Out of consideration for our brief acquaintance, perhaps I'll let you die quickly instead of torturing you to death."
A brilliant smile spread across Su Chen's face. He hurled the Calamity Dust Sword forward. It transformed into a streak of nine-colored sword light.
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"Are you insane? You're detonating your life-bound sword?"
Yan Chong cursed furiously. Shattering one's life-bound weapon would leave a cultivator crippled, even if they survived.
Su Chen didn't care. Survival came first. The explosion of his life-bound sword would buy him time by pinning Yan Chong down. He leaped onto Hu Mao's back. "Go—get us out of the Heavenly Void Palace!"
Hu Mao hesitated for only a heartbeat before obeying. He carried Su Chen away from the palace and found a hidden spot to stand guard while his master recovered.
From within the Heavenly Void Palace came the sound of Yan Chong's furious, frustrated roars. But soon after, the noises of combat erupted again. The injured Yan Chong had drawn the attention of other prodigies.
Su Chen swallowed an entire stalk of king-grade medicine in one gulp, heedless of waste. His injuries were far too severe.
The Sword Demon's disciple was undoubtedly one of the pinnacle geniuses in the way of the sword. Surviving a direct clash with him had already been sheer luck. Then came Yan Chong's ambush, worsening the damage.
A vicious glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes. With his life-bound sword detonated, Yan Chong would suffer greatly. If Yan Chong somehow survived… Su Chen swore he would hunt him down and end him.
Half a month later.
Though Su Chen still carried internal injuries, he appeared no different on the surface. He glanced at Hu Mao standing guard outside the cave and said calmly, "You saved my life once. I won't treat you unfairly. From now on, you will serve as the guardian spirit beast of Imperial Sword Manor. The manor will offer you incense and worship for generations to come."
Hu Mao felt puzzled inside. 'Isn't this just eternal servitude? Why don't you at least release the master-servant contract?'
He kept the thought to himself. He followed Su Chen with his head lowered in resignation, as though he had accepted his fate. Back in the Heavenly Void Palace, he had refrained from attacking Su Chen. Now the opportunity was gone forever. Even if he had killed Su Chen inside the palace, he himself would not have survived. Everything seemed predestined.
With his injuries mostly healed, Su Chen began searching for traces of Yan Chong.
"Yan Chong is dead?"
Su Chen was mildly surprised. A genius from the Yan family had possessed no life-saving measures at all and died so carelessly. It seemed the explosion of his life-bound sword had drawn many ruthless figures who joined forces to hunt Yan Chong down.
Su Chen no longer needed to seek revenge. The Heavenly Void Tomb reopened once more. Many prodigies perished within its depths. It was a tomb, after all. It was destined to bury countless bones.
Su Chen's luck held. He returned with considerable gains. He was not far from breaking through to the Profound Connection realm.
Upon returning to Imperial Sword Manor, Su Chen entered secluded cultivation. More than a year later, he emerged. His cultivation had successfully advanced to the Profound Connection realm.
That year, he turned twenty-two.
The entire Imperial Sword Manor erupted in celebration. Their young manor lord had broken through to Profound Connection. The manor now possessed another king—and one with limitless potential.
Just as Su Chen's prestige reached its peak, a certain rumor spread like wildfire. The rumor claimed that Su Chen had once clashed with the disciple of the Sword Demon from Heavenly Sword Sacred Land and had been effortlessly defeated with a single sword. Such a genius was not even a match for one strike from the young sword demon.
Su Chen held the report in his hand as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Someone deliberately spread this news. They want to use my reputation to highlight the young sword demon's strength. Or… they're trying to drive a wedge between me and that young sword demon?"
The tactic was crude. For a hot-blooded young genius, it would have been the perfect open scheme.
But Su Chen was no longer a fledgling. He would not be so easily provoked. Yet there was one thing he had not anticipated.
Shen Tianyi came to him directly, his face dark and gloomy.
"Chen'er, did you truly lose to that young sword demon?"
Su Chen nodded and admitted it plainly. Losing to the young sword demon was nothing shameful.
Shen Tianyi's face flushed crimson. "Impossible! The Imperial Sword Body of our manor is the pinnacle of sword dao physiques. Once you mastered it, you should be the foremost sword dao prodigy in the world. No one can surpass you!"
Watching Shen Tianyi descend into near-madness, Su Chen suddenly felt a pang of pity. A frog at the bottom of a well. What was the Imperial Sword Body, really? The world held far too many powerful physiques.
Before leaving, Shen Tianyi gave Su Chen a long, deep look. It seemed he had resolved himself to something. Su Chen's heart tightened in vigilance.
'This old man isn't about to do something insane again, is he?'
He had always felt there was something off about this grandfather. The thought sent a chill through him. His eyes turned as cold as frost. If Shen Tianyi harbored any ill intentions toward him… He would strike first without hesitation.