Chapter 993: Eighteen Years Later
Chapter 993: Eighteen Years Later
Springs yielded to autumns, and the four seasons revolved.
Time flew by, and in an instant, eighteen years had passed.
East Sea.
High winds and surging waves. Beneath the vast sea, the waves surged violently, and countless colossal forms vaguely emerged.
Above the sea's surface, a merchant ship swayed from side to side, like a paper boat being fiddled with by a mischievous child, as if it would be wrecked and all aboard perish in the next moment.
Those aboard this ship were of considerable background, for they were sent by the Great Zhou's "Carefree King" to seek immortals in the East Sea.
The Carefree King was the younger brother of the current Great Zhou Emperor, who had been much beloved since childhood, and whose heart was set on cultivation.
He also enjoyed befriending people from the Jianghu, and for this, he was often criticized by the court and commoners, and even impeached by imperial censors.
Fortunately, the current Great Zhou Emperor and the Carefree King shared an extraordinary bond, and the Carefree King's actions had always been eccentric. Furthermore, this was a world where Sword Immortals and Sword Heroes existed, so befriending ordinary Jianghu martial artists was not considered so serious.
The Carefree King had heard news from an unknown source, claiming that while immortals and mortals were separate in the Central Lands, the boundless East Sea was abundant with immortals, and thus he dispatched a ship full of people to seek them.
To ensure safety on their journey, he had specially sent out all the Jianghu experts he had painstakingly recruited with great sums of money.
Swoosh!
Ominous winds raged, and turbid waves rose high into the sky.
Suddenly, a cable lashed out like a giant python, and in an instant, it struck a shipmate who couldn't dodge in time, sweeping him off the deck.
At such a time, being flung into the colossal, swirling waves, it was naturally certain that no trace of his remains would be found.
“Dragon King. . . ”
“The Sea Dragon King is enraged. ”
The boatswain and the rest of the shipmates trembled with fright, only knowing to kowtow.
Just as the mast was about to snap, a figure suddenly lunged out, channeling True Qi into his hands, and violently grabbed.
Several python-like cables instantly went taut, then became completely motionless.
“Good, truly worthy of being 'Mountain-Suppressing Hand' Yue Tuo, who with a single hand can suppress three mountains, and with an iron whip can halt twin rivers—his reputation is indeed well-deserved! ”
The martial artists cheered one after another.
Another figure swept out like a Sky-Soaring Kite, with cold glints appearing in his hands, snapping several crucial ropes, and instantly lowering the sails.
The martial heroes, each truly displayed their unique skills.
They had practiced martial arts for years on end, their lower body foundations were solid, and the mere swaying deck felt like flat ground to them. They quickly took over the shipmates' duties, managing to keep this treasure ship steadily moving forward amidst the towering waves.
Several hours later.
The sky was a vast expanse of blue, and the sea was as smooth as a mirror.
Not far away, an island appeared, its surroundings covered in pure white sand.
From time to time, seagulls flew past, crying out.
The sky was bright and the air clear, with no trace remaining of the previous storm.
On the deck, the martial artists gathered, feeling very much as if they had escaped from the jaws of death.
"Green Vine Sword" Cui Feiniang stood gracefully, with a green longsword on her back, looking quite heroic and spirited.
She had been an orphan since childhood, but fortunately, she was taken in by a recluse, who taught her three sword techniques. In her early teens, she ventured into the Jianghu with her sword, earning herself the moniker "Green Vine Sword."
At this moment, her watery eyes swept across the deck, and she couldn't help but think: “The Prince truly spared no expense this time. Besides 'Mountain-Suppressing Hand' Yue Tuo and 'Sky-Soaring Kite', there's also Old Master Zhang, the chief escort of Golden Money Escort Agency, Heroine Ning, the Green Duckweed Rogue, and Daoist Flying Crane. . . ”
Each of these was a grand figure in the Central Plains martial arts world.
It was said that the Prince had even once sent a hefty sum to invite the Jiangnan Great Hero Xin Guihe, but the latter had politely declined. . . ”
Cui Feiniang's beautiful eyes shifted, and she saw a simple-minded, unassuming farm boy. Her heart instantly tightened.
She knew that having been taught sword arts by a recluse, her sword techniques had long reached a state of perfection, and even these renowned martial artists might not be her match.
But this farm boy had an extraordinary background. Named "Ah Niu," by a fortuitous coincidence, he found a secret manual for the "Fierce Ox Thunderclap Fist," and after eating three Vermilion Fruits, he gained a century's worth of cultivation, instantly leaping to become a peak expert in the martial world. The profound depth of his internal energy was simply astonishing, and he was also the Carefree King's greatest find among the Jianghu recluses this time!
Cui Feiniang's gaze was extremely subtle, but the young Ah Niu seemed to have noticed, glancing at her, causing her heart to tighten, and she quickly averted her gaze.
With that shift, she saw a figure flash by in the cabin, and her heart grew even colder: “No way. . . The Prince actually. . . This is truly preposterous! If he perishes in the East Sea, how many lives do we, his entire household, have to compensate? ”
“Hmm, I'm the only one in my family, so I'm not afraid. . . ”
Cui Feiniang sighed inwardly, when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a scale-covered hand gripping the ship's rail. She couldn't help but cry out sharply: “Careful. . . ”
Swish! Swish!
Several scale-covered hands suddenly pushed hard, propelling several tall figures onto the deck.
They were astonishingly several monstrous beings completely covered in fish scales, with gills and fins on their faces!
Some held sabers and swords, while others relied solely on their bare hands, charging towards the people on the deck.
Immediately, battle cries erupted without cease.
"Mountain-Suppressing Hand" Yue Tuo intended to show off his skill, his palms filled with True Qi, and he struck a fish-man with a heavy "Mountain-Splitting Palm."
Thud! The strike felt like hitting rotted leather. He only felt as if he had struck a slippery cowhide, which instantly diffused his palm force with a slight shift.
He, who once boasted of suppressing three mountains with a single hand, could now not even suppress a single fish-man!
Then, two clawed hands seized Yue Tuo's head, and twisted it violently.
Crack!
His head twisted, and his corpse fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in death, refusing to close. . . ”
And in those ashen eyes, one could still see the Sky-Soaring Kite falling into the crowd of fish-men, casually torn limb from limb. . . Old Master Zhang of Golden Money Escort Agency was so frightened he turned to flee, but he was struck in the back by a flying claw, and collapsed, his chest stained with blood. . . ”
A group of martial artists were simply slaughtered by these fish-men as easily as chopping melons and dicing vegetables.
This fish-man tribe was a branch of the East Sea's Merfolk Kingdom, named the "Hua Clan Fish Swarm."
The people of this clan were lazy and fond of ease, often colluding with barbarian pirates, to plunder passing ships.
Even some of their leaders knew methods of refining gang and condensing sha from unorthodox paths, having cultivated their bodies with Gui Water Baleful Qi, and also learned Demonic Sect spells, making them extremely formidable.
Even merchant ships with cultivators guarding them, when encountering raids by the Hua Clan Fish-men, would often suffer significant losses.
This treasure ship of the Carefree King, laden with various treasures intended as offerings to immortals, ironically had no cultivators guarding it. It was truly a lamb thrown into a tiger's den!
In fact, for the sake of this treasure ship, the pirates of the East Sea had first engaged in an internal struggle, and ultimately, the Hua Clan Fish-men had emerged victorious!
“Vile beasts, how dare you act so brazenly! ”
Cui Feiniang roared sharply, and her "Green Vine Sword" struck out. This sword of hers was a soft sword, its blade slender, its light a glistening emerald green, like a willow branch.
Her sword art was like a returning wind dancing through willows, exquisitely fluid and agile, and from an unbelievable angle, it pierced a fish-man's head.
These fish-men's bodies were as if clad in a layer of scale armor, and martial artists unaware of this would often suffer greatly when facing them.
It was like ordinary Jianghu folk, facing a siege by armored soldiers from an army, unable to fully display their skills.
Yet, Cui Feiniang's "Green Vine Sword" was also a gift from a recluse, barely qualifying as an artifact. However, in the martial world, it was considered a "divine weapon of sharpness," which perfectly countered them!
She wielded her sword like a blur, and in an instant, dispatched three fish-men.
Seeing this, the leading pirate chief suddenly opened his huge mouth, and from between his sharp fangs, a stream of Gui Water Baleful Qi erupted!
Cui Feiniang immediately shivered coldly, feeling her Green Vine Sword coated in a layer of ice.
Then, the pirate chief's massive figure arrived before her, his fish-head rising two heads above hers, and putrid saliva dripped from his sharp fangs.
Cui Feiniang let out a bitter laugh in her heart, and was just closing her eyes to await death, when suddenly, the sound of wind and thunder echoed in her ears.
Bang! The pirate chief's baleful qi was shattered by a burst of wind and thunder, and then a farm boy was seen, launching both fists simultaneously, executing a "Black Tiger Digs Out Heart" move, common among street performers in the Jianghu. But his internal energy was astonishingly potent, with lightning flickering around his iron fists, as he heavily smashed them into the fish-man chief's chest.
The chief immediately flew backward like a cannonball, smashing several fish-man pirates to death.
“Brother Ah Niu, thank you! ”
Cui Feiniang quickly cupped her fist and bowed.
“I just happened to stumble upon it. . . ”
Ah Niu scratched his head, answering with a hint of embarrassment, his face still flushed.
“Not good, careful! ”
Cui Feiniang was about to say more, when she saw the fish-man chief stand up. Although the scales on his chest were shattered, it only further enraged his ferocity, with black winds swirling around his body, as he produced a fish-bone fork.
Upon the fish-bone fork, a trace of blood qi and resentment seemed to entwine, emitting wailing ghost cries.
This was, in fact, an artifact refinement method from a Demonic Sect side-transmission that the fish-man chief had acquired. He had then taken the bones of ancestral fish-men, and refined them by bathing them in the fresh blood of merchants he had plundered over the years. It was a true artifact, further imbued with a ferocious and baleful blood qi, making it quite efficacious!
Witnessing this scene, the surviving martial artists turned pale with fright.
From inside the cabin, an exclamation of alarm rang out, as a young prince, in his brocade clothes and jade robes, stumbled out in disarray, crying: “Someone. . . guard me! Save me! ”
‘Alas. . . who is there to save you now? ’
‘So-called young nobles, royal descendants, they're no different from us when they're dead. . . ’
Facing death, a thought abruptly surfaced in Cui Feiniang's mind.
Crack!
Suddenly, a sound like tearing silk rent through the sky.
Then came the clear ringing of a flying sword, transforming into sword light that filled the ship.
A flying sword, gleaming with chilling light, with one strike, cleaved the jade-bone flying fork, and with a second, took the pirate chief's head!
Silence fell upon the entire scene!
Only then did the fish-men's bodies begin to fall, one by one.
“Sword. . . Sword Immortal? ! ”
Seeing this scene, the young Carefree King's eyes were the first to light up, and he called out: “Immortal, please wait. . . I am the Great Zhou's Carefree King. I am willing to offer ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand squares of beautiful jade, a hundred pecks of pearls. . . to ask the Immortal to reveal himself! ”
“Heh. . . A truly generous mortal king. ”
Only a sneer was heard, then the sword light flashed, revealing a figure within.
He appeared to be around thirty years old, with a touch of white at his temples. His "Cold Mountain Sword" circled his body, its spiritual light extraordinary. One glance was enough to tell he was an immortal.
“Ah. . . is Your Excellency the Divine Sword of Shu—Zhuo Yifan? ”
A veteran Jianghu elder who had miraculously survived exclaimed: “I never expected that this old man had eyes but failed to recognize a true treasure back then. ”
Zhuo Yifan was originally just an ordinary young hero from Shu. Later, for reasons unknown, his martial arts suddenly advanced greatly, earning him the moniker "Divine Sword."
Soon after, he retired from the Jianghu.
Who would have thought that he had actually gone to cultivate immortality!
For a moment, the surviving Jianghu folk couldn't help but be filled with envy.
“So it is Immortal Zhuo, this humble prince offers his respects. ”
The Carefree King's eyes shone even brighter upon hearing Zhuo Yifan's background.
“Hmph. . . Your mortal gold and silver are mere rubble to me. ”
Zhuo Yifan, however, sneered coldly, adopting the full air of an esteemed elder: “You must know that to forge this flying sword of mine, the 'Gold Essence' required must be extracted from tens of millions of taels of gold. . . It was obtained by my sect, which broke open the earth's crust and drew forth a river of liquid gold. . . ”
“Even without such magical power, this East Sea is incredibly rich. As long as one learns a few salvage spells, what kind of wealth cannot be obtained? ”
At these words, the Carefree King's face turned pale.
Comments