Chapter 702 |
“Grandfather Chen, let me fight alongside you! Those three demons have terrifying cultivation — they won’t be easy to deal with.”
Xiao Yan hurried forward, her expression tense.
She could sense that Grandfather Chen’s cultivation was only slightly above her own — certainly not yet at the seventh transformation of the late-stage Golden Core Realm. Against the three demonic cultivators before them, his power would seem lacking.
Moreover, she could feel from their sinister aura that these were likely Nascent Soul–level demonic cultivators who had somehow survived from the last Immortal Era. Their mastery of dark and twisted sorceries made them extremely dangerous. Grandfather Chen might not be able to handle them alone.
But the old doctor only waved his hand gently, signaling her not to worry.
“It’s all right. These demons may be fierce, but they are not invincible.”
He paused, eyes calm as still water.
“Not long ago, a demon similar to them attacked the village. I injured him heavily and forced him to flee. Unfortunately, I failed to end his life. I wonder if he’ll return to trouble the world again.”
His words caused everyone nearby to fall silent in shock.
“What did you say, old man?”
They recalled that their comrade, the Eagle Demon, had gone out searching for blood souls and never returned. Could it be… that he had been defeated by this plainly dressed old man?
Even Xiao Yan was startled. “Grandfather Chen, you mean… you injured a demon before?”
She remembered that four demons had come last time, but only three appeared this time. She had suspected some hidden scheme — but could it be because Grandfather Chen had already struck one down?
“Yes,” the old doctor replied evenly. “That one’s cultivation was strong, but his techniques were crude — not too difficult to handle. After driving him off, I came to check on things and happened to see these three on their way here. I feared for your safety, so I followed.”
He spoke as if it were a small matter, but his words sent waves through every heart present.
Only now did the two conscious Holy Lords, Han Lingshuang, and the Sacred Mountain disciples understand why only three demons had come. One of them had already been severely wounded by this humble old man.
Instantly, morale surged. Where despair had lingered, hope rekindled.
“Second Holy Lord,” Han Lingshuang whispered, “is this the one said to be Lu Qing’s master?”
The Second Holy Lord nodded while channeling healing power toward the wounded First Holy Lord.
“Yes. This is Doctor Chen — teacher of both Lu Qing and Fairy Lu. He’s lived in Jiuli Village for years, rarely appearing in public. I didn’t expect his strength to have reached such heights — even beyond Fairy Lu’s.”
“Doctor Chen’s sword just now… it was truly divine,” murmured the Third Holy Lord, eyes bright with admiration.
As a sword cultivator himself, he had never witnessed such pure and profound swordsmanship — free of worldly dust, steeped in Dao Rhythms.
Even Lu Qing’s swordsmanship, when he last left, might not have surpassed this.
Han Lingshuang raised her gaze to the heavens once more.
She had heard of Doctor Chen but had never met him — only tales from Xiao Yan about a kind, virtuous old man who healed villagers for free.
Who would have thought that this gentle doctor could battle late-stage Golden Core demons?
“So it was you who injured the Eagle Demon,” the handsome demon sneered. “No wonder he vanished. Old man, the aura we sensed at Azure Dragon Pass — that was you, wasn’t it?”
Doctor Chen sighed. “Yes. I tried to intercept you there but failed, and the First Holy Lord suffered as a result.”
His eyes turned cold as he looked at the Blood Fiend Soul Banner in their hands — the air around it reeking of evil, haunted by the cries of tormented souls.
“You’ve been slaughtering innocents to refine these blood banners, haven’t you?”
“So what if we have?” the demon replied icily. “You think injuring the Eagle Demon makes you our equal? You must’ve used an array to win. Now that the Sacred Mountain’s formations are broken, I’d like to see what a mid-stage Golden Core like you can do!”
He sneered and unleashed a streak of black light toward Doctor Chen.
The other two demons simultaneously summoned their demonic artifacts, launching a joint attack meant to obliterate him.
The pressure of three late-stage Golden Core demons combined was suffocating.
A wave of demonic might covered the entire mountain, making even breathing difficult.
Some disciples began trembling as stray demonic thoughts invaded their minds.
“Grandfather Chen!” Xiao Yan cried, raising her sword to assist.
But she stopped when she saw him standing perfectly still, his eyes half-closed.
An invisible ripple spread from his body, sweeping across the heavens.
In the next instant, the world fell silent.
The demons’ attacks slowed to a crawl, the flow of magic and air thickening as though the entire space had turned to molten glass.
It wasn’t time slowing — it was space being suppressed!
Realization struck the demons like lightning.
This old man was manipulating the very space around them. They struggled to move, weighed down by a crushing force that froze their limbs and artifacts alike.
And then — the sword qi appeared.
Countless blades of light condensed from the void, swirling around them in a perfect balance of water and fire. The twin forces intertwined, forming a domain that sealed all escape.
“Water and Fire Sword Intent… both at once?” one demon gasped. “Impossible! He’s only mid-stage Golden Core — how can he command two opposing Dao Intents?”
Before they could react further, Doctor Chen moved.
His sword flashed three times.
Each stroke was pure and devastating, slicing through their rolling demonic mist and cutting straight through flesh and bone. The demons’ bodies split apart as the sky filled with blazing sword light.
Then, from all directions, ten thousand strands of sword qi surged forward like a storm.
The cries that followed were not human.
The three demons were caught in a whirling maelstrom of sword qi infused with the Dao of Water and Fire — shredded apart, piece by piece, until their very essence began to disintegrate.
Everyone watching was frozen.
The disciples of the Sacred Mountain, the Holy Lords, even Han Lingshuang — all stood motionless, eyes wide, hearts pounding.
The three great demons, whose mere presence had nearly crushed them with despair, were now being annihilated before their eyes.
“Doctor Chen’s power… has reached such a realm?” Lin Zhirui whispered in awe from afar.
“Can a mid-stage Golden Core even do this?” the Second Holy Lord muttered, unable to close his mouth.
“The perfection of his sword Dao…” murmured the Third, utterly entranced. “That… that is a true Sword Dao Domain.”
Xiao Yan trembled, feeling the waves of sword intent surrounding her.
So this was the Sword Dao Domain her master had once spoken of — the manifestation of a heart completely in tune with the sword, where one’s will shaped heaven and earth.
She had tried countless times to comprehend it and failed. Only her brother had succeeded in forming his own domain before departing.
Now she saw the vast difference between her own path and her master’s.
“Still,” she whispered, hope flickering in her heart, “with Grandfather Chen here, these demons will finally perish. They’ll never harm the world again.”
But as she relaxed her breath and released her secret technique, Doctor Chen’s brows furrowed sharply.
“Grandfather Chen? What’s wrong?” she asked nervously.
“Something’s not right,” he said in a low tone. “They’re gathering some kind of power…”
Even as he spoke, the nearly destroyed bodies of the three demons convulsed violently.
With a thunderous roar, their remains exploded into blood mist — then fused together into a single, monstrous mass of flesh.
From within the vortex of sword qi came a piercing shriek.
“Old man… you’ve forced us to this! Now all of you will die!”
…
“Finally home.”
While that battle raged above the Sacred Mountain, a streak of silver light sped through the starry void — a flying vessel breaking through space itself.
Lu Qing stood at its prow, gazing at the faintly glowing small world before him.
Its light was dimmer than most worlds he had visited — yet to him, it was the most beautiful sight in the cosmos.
“We’re home,” he said softly.
Xiao Li and Wuxing leaned over the railing, eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Is that really your home, master? It looks so small!”
White Jiao, the white flood dragon, craned its neck curiously. “So this is the world you were born in?”
“Ah Qing, hurry!” Xiao Li said impatiently. “Sister Yan must be waiting for us!”
“Don’t worry,” Lu Qing smiled. “I left a spatial marker in Jiuli Village when I departed. With the Void Flying Boat’s power, we can jump straight there.”
“Really? Then let’s go!” Xiao Li exclaimed joyfully.
Lu Qing activated the coordinates, and ripples of spatial energy enveloped the ship.
Unlike the mighty Tianyuan Great World, this home world’s barrier was weak — unable to resist such a crossing.
The silver vessel vanished into the void.
A heartbeat later, a spatial vortex appeared over Jiuli Village, and the flying boat emerged from it.
Lu Qing and his companions stepped out. Xiao Li immediately dove down toward the village.
“Sister Yan! I’m back!”
Lu Qing frowned slightly.
“Master and Xiao Yan aren’t here… only my puppet avatar remains?”
At that moment, a figure ascended from the village — the Golden Core–level puppet he had left behind years ago.
“Another lord?” White Jiao blinked in surprise.
Then Xiao Li returned, carrying a man wrapped in spiritual energy.
It was Wei Shanhai, his face lit with astonishment and relief.
“Ah Qing! Thank the heavens — you’re back! Terrible things are happening!”
“I know,” Lu Qing said solemnly. “We’re heading to the Sacred Mountain!”
Through his puppet’s memories, he had already seen everything.
Without hesitation, he summoned the Void Flying Boat once more, and they vanished into the sky in a flash of silver light, racing toward the Sacred Mountain.
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