Chapter 155: The Opponent |
The blade intent was terrifying. Space itself twisted and warped.
Everything around Shen Juesheng, whether solid or invisible, seemed to be distorting into nothingness.
In that instant, it was as though an invisible blade had descended from the sky, cleaving downward from high above the entire Zhanliu Manor with an unstoppable force that could destroy anything in its path.
The roof tiles and beams above the room where they stood, which had been Ruan Zhenhui's quarters, crumbled in the blink of an eye into fragments drifting through the air.
The entire small courtyard where they stood seemed on the verge of being reduced to ash beneath this single strike.
In that moment, whether it was Ruan Zhenhui, Shen Anran, Hu Rui'an, or Shen Liancheng, an irresistible terror surged up in every heart, and each of them trembled involuntarily where they stood.
Even Shen Liancheng had never witnessed his father strike like this. Though the image of Shen Juesheng in his heart had always been one he could never surpass, he had believed he could keep closing the distance his whole life.
Yet now, having seen his father's true martial Dao strength with his own eyes, he was struck with breathless shock and felt only a crushing sense of awe and despair that the mountain before him was utterly beyond reach.
But just as everyone was reeling in shock and terror at Shen Juesheng's unleashing of power, in the very next moment everything vanished without a trace.
And immediately after, every gaze in the room went suddenly still.
For the renowned martial world elder Shen Juesheng, white-haired yet with the complexion of a young man, had somehow bent at the back like a drawn bow, and his entire body shot backward at a staggering speed.
He crashed through the blue-brick wall of the room, punching through it in the shape of a man, and became a blurred streak that vanished from everyone's sight.
In the room with its roof now destroyed and open to the sky, the four of them, Shen Anran and the others, stood rooted to the spot, unable to come back to themselves for a long moment.
Li Musheng raised a hand to shade his eyes, watched as Shen Juesheng disappeared into the hazy moonlit night and was seen no more, then reached out and patted Hu Rui'an on the shoulder. Hu Rui'an had been standing there like a wooden figure.
Hu Rui'an's entire body gave a violent shudder, and he was the first to come back to his senses.
He slowly turned his head to look at the young man standing before him, and the familiar face seemed, in that moment, utterly strange to him.
"Your Highness... did... did you do this?"
Hu Rui'an was beyond disbelief, his mind in a daze, and in his confusion he even forgot to maintain discretion, blurting out Li Musheng's true identity aloud.
Li Musheng glanced at him and shrugged, saying, "Is that not rather obvious, Commissioner Hu?"
Then he waved a casual hand and said, "Alright, that is enough for tonight. Get back and rest. We still need to press on in the morning."
With that, Li Musheng swept a glance over the others in the room, lingering briefly on Shen Anran before moving on.
He rubbed his chin. Earlier she had tried a beauty stratagem on him. It was hard to say whether she had not simply been overwhelmed by his handsome looks.
But there was nothing to be done about that. It was not his fault he had been born with such a face.
Well, he was used to it by now.
Li Musheng shook his head, then called out to Hu Rui'an and turned to walk out, leaving seemingly without a trace.
Hu Rui'an followed somewhat numbly, forgetting even to spare Ruan Zhenhui a second glance, as though still unable to recover from the shock, or perhaps still genuinely unable to believe that this Eighth Prince had, with a single ordinary-looking punch, sent someone of Shen Juesheng's terrifying martial Dao cultivation flying to who knew where.
At the same time, Shen Liancheng finally came back to himself, his expression filled with horror, and let out a cry, saying, "Father!"
In the next instant he moved without hesitation and vanished from where he stood, shooting off in the direction Shen Juesheng had disappeared.
Shen Anran and Ruan Zhenhui also gradually came to themselves, standing in place still somewhat dazed before turning stiffly to look at the retreating backs of Li Musheng and Hu Rui'an.
For a moment, their gazes held expressions of utter disbelief and profound complexity.
Even so, they did not linger. Drawing deep breaths and pulling their gazes away, they followed quickly after Shen Liancheng to find Shen Juesheng.
The entire Zhanliu Manor was now eerily and completely silent.
And in every corner of the manor, the martial world experts who had come to watch or participate in the martial arts competition were all deeply shaken.
One by one they stayed in their own quarters without a sound, not daring to stir.
The scene of Shen Juesheng's strike had been simply too terrifying. Whether it was the blade intent that had erupted like a pillar of fire to the sky, or the invisible heavenly blade that had loomed above the entire Zhanliu Manor, even though it had not been directed at them, the mere trickle of aura that had leaked out was enough to make their scalps crawl with fear.
In one of the courtyards, beside a table lit by candlelight, the powerfully built giant Bei Shi looked out through a slightly open window with a grave expression into the night outside.
Seated before him was a young man dressed in the cloud-peak black robes of Falling God Peak, who still wore the lingering traces of terror on his face, saying, "Elder Bei... that just now was Zhanliu Manor's Shen Juesheng making his move, wasn't it? How could it be so terrifying?"
Hearing this, Bei Shi withdrew his gaze from outside and looked toward the young man before him, giving a slow nod, saying, "It must be. That Shen Juesheng made his name in the martial world years ago, and his martial Dao cultivation is fathomlessly deep, beyond anything we can compare to. But I am not sure why he made a move tonight."
The moment those words fell, both of them wore expressions of puzzled unease and fell silent.
After a moment, when the manor remained completely still, Bei Shi finally thought it over and continued, fixing his gaze on the young man, saying, "Young Peak Master, I had assumed that even though Shen Juesheng once shook the martial world, at his age his strength must have declined. But from the way things appeared tonight, I was clearly wrong in my assessment. Shen Juesheng's martial Dao cultivation has likely advanced even further in recent years."
With that, Bei Shi let out a long, heavy sigh. The young man's expression shifted, and he said, "Elder Bei is also a Heaven-Human expert. Is the gap between Heaven-Human cultivators really so enormous?"
Hearing this, Bei Shi looked at him briefly, then gave a light nod, saying, "The Young Peak Master has not yet stepped into this realm and so does not yet understand. The gap between Heaven-Human cultivators, even between each sub-realm within that level, is countless times greater than the gap between an Innate Realm Grand Master and an Acquired Realm expert. It is simply worlds apart."
With that, Bei Shi's expression suddenly became serious, saying, "In this martial arts contest at Zhanliu Manor, Young Peak Master must give everything you have and claim that Third Young Miss of the manor."
"If the Young Peak Master can secure Shen Juesheng's support, your standing among the various peaks of Falling God Peak will naturally rise, and it will be greatly beneficial when competing for the candidacy of a peak master position."
Hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up with a flash of sharpness, and he gave a firm nod, saying with confidence, "Elder Bei may rest easy. Among the peers competing in this contest at Zhanliu Manor, I truly have not given anyone a second thought. I will absolutely claim the top position."
Bei Shi gave a light nod, then thought for a moment, saying, "Once tomorrow's business at Zhanliu Manor is finished, we must immediately set out and return to the peak. There have been rumors circulating in recent days that the Great Li imperial court is stirring, and appears to be preparing to move against Falling God Peak."
"The peak has issued orders to gather the sect's disciples and return. We cannot afford any delay."
The moment those words fell, the young man let out a cold snort, saying, "The Great Li imperial court dares to set its sights on our Falling God Peak? It seems years of stability have made them forget the domineering authority of the four great sects."
"If they truly dare to make a move, we will make sure they never come back. And when that time comes, Great Li will probably not be far from its end, and our Falling God Peak might even get a share of what is carved up."
Hearing this, Bei Shi narrowed his eyes and said nothing further.
The notion of Great Li attempting to destroy Falling God Peak was undoubtedly wishful thinking. That was the deep, unshakeable conviction of every disciple in the sect, and the confidence and assurance that came from the foundation accumulated through Falling God Peak's years of dominance over the martial world.
At the same time, not far from the courtyard where the Falling God Peak party was staying, in the trees outside, two figures, one old and one small, stood in the darkness of the night in complete silence.
"Grandpa, are we still going to act tonight?"
The little girl in pink asked quietly with a tense expression.
The old man in hemp was silent for a long while, the expression on his aged face shifting through several changes, before he finally let out a quiet sigh and said, "Forget it. I did not expect Shen Juesheng to make his move. I am no match for him, and to be safe, we will let them live a few more days."
With that, the old man in hemp glanced toward the courtyard where Bei Shi and the others were staying, then turned away without hesitation and took the little girl with him as he left.
"Grandpa, I cannot figure out why the old Manor Master suddenly made his move tonight."
The little girl in pink spoke with what was clearly some lingering apprehension. The old man in hemp walked and pondered, saying, "For him to make a move, he must have encountered a true opponent. Otherwise he would not have released such terrifying blade intent out of nowhere."
As he spoke, a deeply puzzled look spread across the old man's aged face, and he said, "The one thing I cannot quite work out is that it appeared quickly and disappeared quickly. Everything just now was truly far too brief."
From the moment the heavenly blade had appeared above Zhanliu Manor and the old man in hemp had been held in place by the terrifying martial aura Shen Juesheng released, to the moment when everything had vanished, it had all seemed to happen in the span of an eyeblink.
By the time he came back to himself, everything was calm again, as though nothing had ever happened.
"Perhaps that is how it is with genuine experts. A single move determines victory and defeat."
The little girl in pink blinked and said. The old man in hemp looked at her and gave a nod, saying, "You make a fair point."
Then the little girl continued, saying, "Though I am a bit curious. Between the old Manor Master and his opponent, I wonder who won and who lost?"
Hearing this, the old man in hemp thought for a moment, saying, "Given that a moment ago I could only sense Shen Juesheng's martial aura, his opponent was very likely suppressed by him. I would guess the opponent lost."
The little girl in pink gave a light nod, her eyes glimmering, saying, "Even though they lost, anyone who could make the old Manor Master go all out must be a tremendously formidable expert in their own right."
...
At the same time, in another courtyard within Zhanliu Manor.
The pale-faced middle-aged scholar Xu Qingcang, dressed in his indigo silk robe, stood before the window. His seemingly tall and slight frame was hunched over, his aura sharp and cold.
Standing behind him was a young man of spirited features dressed in fine brocade, who at this moment stared blankly at the middle-aged scholar with hollow eyes.
In the depths of his gaze was a profound terror and despair.
"The old Manor Master is indeed vigorous even in old age. Truly worthy of being the Zhanliu Heavenly Blade whose swordsmanship once dominated the martial world."
Xu Qingcang said slowly. The complexion that had been pale as paper suddenly became ruddy, and his face shifted through a rapid succession of different appearances, finally settling on the utterly ordinary face of an old man.
The young man standing behind him said nothing from beginning to end, only staring blankly at the middle-aged scholar, his expression hollow and mechanical.
At this point, the "Xu Qingcang" wearing the old man's face turned slowly around, smiling as he looked toward the real Xu Qingcang sitting at the table inside the room.
It was evident that the man at the table was the true Xu Qingcang. He looked at the old man now wearing his own face, his body trembling slightly, as though trying to make some movement.
Yet his entire body and limbs were at this moment wound in invisible threads of True Qi, leaving him no different from a marionette, completely unable to move of his own will, entirely at the mercy of another.
"You... are the Formless Elder..."
Xu Qingcang opened his mouth with great difficulty, his voice broken and faint, his gaze locked on the old man by the window.
"That you can recognize this old man's identity, you young ones do have some sharp eyes."
The Formless Elder gave a slow nod, his gaze resting on the man. The face he currently wore bore no expression at all.
"I don't believe we... have any grudge or grievance with Senior..."
Xu Qingcang was still straining with everything he had against the True Qi threads binding his body, his gaze sharp with bewilderment as he spoke.
The Formless Elder seemed entirely indifferent to the man's resistance, and said slowly, "You have it wrong. Earlier today, your carriage was traveling along the road, and this old man simply wanted to hitch a ride for a stretch. Instead, you splashed this old man all over with mud."
Hearing this, Xu Qingcang's expression shifted, yet he had absolutely no recollection of this, and no memory of having encountered the old man.
Of course, it was also possible the incident had actually occurred, but it was naturally the sort of thing he would not have paid any attention to at the time.
After all, with their standing, they were not about to let just any random old man hitch a ride in their carriage simply because he asked.
"I did not know at the time... it was Senior... please forgive the offense... we are willing to... make it right..."
Xu Qingcang did not attempt to argue, but strained to express his sincere apology.
However, the Formless Elder waved a hand and said, "No need for apologies. This old man has proper business to attend to, and I happen to have use for your identities."
With that, the Formless Elder walked away from the window and sat back down at the table, while the young man in brocade moved without any will of his own to follow at his side, then poured and served his tea as though he were an attendant.
Xu Qingcang's gaze shifted with unease, looking at the Formless Elder sitting across from him. He opened his mouth with difficulty, saying, "I wonder what... business Senior wishes to conduct... we might perhaps... be of assistance..."
The Formless Elder took a sip of tea and gave him an indifferent look without responding. Seeing this, Xu Qingcang continued haltingly, saying, "We are... people of the Sheng Province General... we have connections here... we could help Senior..."