Undying Life

Chapter 72: Even Heroes Feel Down Sometimes

Beiqingsi flew closer, only to see Zhongshan slowly retrieve his blade.

From the dense murderous aura on the swords of the three before, it was easy to tell that all three were at the fourth stage of the Innate realm, similar to Zhongshan. However, they were all killed by Zhongshan, who emerged unscathed. No injuries at all?

With widened eyes, Beiqingsi looked somewhat dazed. She was surprised. Many onlookers also revealed expressions of shock. After all, defeating four opponents single-handedly was quite astonishing. This person's swordsmanship was too exquisite, and his demeanor too ferocious.

"Third Senior Sister," Tianlinger's call instantly drew Zhongshan's attention and snapped Beiqingsi out of her reverie.

Turning her head, Beiqingsi indeed found herself suspended mid-air.

"Ling'er?" Beiqingsi landed in front of Tianlinger, a hint of surprise flickering in her eyes.

Tianlinger immediately removed her hat, revealing a brilliant smile.

"How did you two end up here?" Beiqingsi glanced at Tianlinger and then at Zhongshan, while also casting a skeptical glance at the other figure in black robes.

"Grandpa, who is she?" Englan pouted from within the black robes, addressing Zhongshan.

For some reason, upon Beiqingsi's approach, Englan felt a sense of urgency. Beiqingsi was too perfect. Even with her white hair, she seemed to be labeled as perfect. Perfect? What did perfection have to do with herself? But, as Beiqingsi flew over, Englan couldn't help but feel a strange sense of hostility.

Grandpa?

Upon Beiqingsi's approach, she was puzzled about who the other person in black robes was. However, upon hearing a melodious voice calling Zhongshan "grandpa," Beiqingsi was once again stunned. An expression of infinite astonishment appeared on her face.

Grandpa? She called Zhongshan grandpa?

"This is my friend," Zhongshan said to Englan.

However, he didn't introduce Englan to Beiqingsi because it would pose a problem regarding their status.

Beiqingsi looked at Englan in the black robes with some surprise, a strange expression on her face.

"Third Senior Sister, why is Senior Brother fighting with that person?" Tianlinger asked in confusion.

"That's the Blood Sword Sect's Sect Master, Xuesha. A few days ago, when we entered the Great Array, two of our junior brothers died at the hands of Xuesha's disciples. Senior Brother slaughtered the entire Blood Sword Sect in revenge, and just now, Xuesha received news and rushed here to fight Senior Brother to the death," Beiqingsi explained.

"Surely, that person's strength is not as good as Senior Brother's," Tianlinger said, looking into the distance.

"No, Senior Brother is at the ninth stage of the Golden Core realm, while Xuesha is at the tenth stage," Beiqingsi frowned, looking towards the distant mountain peak.

"Ah? Then why don't they attack together?" Tianlinger asked in confusion. During the time spent with Zhongshan, Tianlinger had learned that in dangerous situations, it's best to gang up on opponents, just like with the Immortal two days ago.

"Senior Brother said he can handle it. He asked us to watch out for any ambushes," Beiqingsi glanced at the distant Sky Killer, a hint of admiration in her eyes. To confront the strong with the weak was indeed different. Sky Killer was truly extraordinary.

Zhongshan remained silent regarding Sky Killer's actions. If it were before they entered Kaiyang Sect, Zhongshan would have scoffed at it. In a life and death situation, not giving it your all, and still talking about fairness and justice? However, in the two years since entering the immortal sect, Zhongshan gradually realized that many times, pushing oneself into a corner was the best way to unleash one's potential.

Sky Killer and Xuesha had been confronting each other for three hours already. Within these three hours, neither of them had moved. However, anyone with discerning eyes could tell that at this moment, the area around them was the most dangerous.

Because both of them were steadily increasing their momentum, but their breaths were contained within their bodies, like two statues, motionless. Yet, these two statues, once in motion, would surely bring about earth-shattering destruction.

The innate-stage cultivators couldn't even get close, and those at the Golden Core stage knew the terrifying momentum of the two. Although no aura was emitted, the oppressive force seemingly made everyone struggle to breathe.

One was the Sect Master of the Blood Sword Sect, the other was the second-generation disciple of Kaiyang Sect, with a high possibility of becoming the future Sect Master of Kaiyang Sect.

Both were determined to kill.

Three hours had passed, three hours, and no one had moved. They were all searching for each other's weaknesses. Even the slightest flaw would result in the release of all the accumulated momentum and power.

Xuesha hadn't expected the opponent to be so strong. He was just on the verge of reaching the Nascent Soul stage himself, but at this moment, he couldn't suppress the opponent's momentum. How could this be? Was Kaiyang Sect really this powerful?

At this critical moment, Xuesha suddenly felt a twinge in his heart—opportunity had arrived.

"Swoosh~"

Sky Killer drew his sword.

In that instant when Sky Killer drew his sword, Xuesha also swung his sword, gathering all his strength for a single strike, intending to drench his blade in the blood of his enemy.

Zhongshan had been staring into the distance, his eyes unblinking. Last time, Sky Killer's speed was too fast for him to see clearly, but this time, he must observe carefully.

Zhongshan saw it: the moment Sky Killer's longsword emerged, it seemed to burst with infinite radiance, as if the world suddenly dimmed, leaving only the brightness on the edge of the sword. Seeing that brilliance, Zhongshan's mind couldn't help but be drawn to it.

In that fleeting moment, as the sword was unsheathed, perhaps because he was farther away this time, Zhongshan's eyes didn't turn completely white.

Under Zhongshan's focused gaze, he saw the sword emerge, but the speed was too fast. Zhongshan could only see a blurry moment.

As the sword was unsheathed, a white light shot into the sky, and it seemed as if the opposite side was filled with the color of a blood sea. In Zhongshan's peripheral vision, he felt that after Xuesha unleashed his sword, that area turned entirely crimson, like a sea of blood, while Sky Killer's sword seemed like a bright light piercing through the clouds.

The light was like a longsword, cutting through the clouds like withered branches. At that moment, Zhongshan felt a peculiar sensation. Sky Killer's sword seemed like a descending beam of light from the heavens, piercing through the clouds. Was it light or a sword? Zhongshan couldn't quite tell.

"Swoosh~"

With a crisp sound, the light suddenly disappeared, and the blood mist in Zhongshan's peripheral vision also dispersed.

It was too fast, too powerful. Even though Zhongshan had reached the fourth stage of the Innate realm, he still couldn't see clearly this incredibly dominant sword strike.

With the previous crisp sound, the brief exchange ended. Sky Killer sheathed his sword, while on the other side, the blood-colored longsword in Xuesha's hand was snapped in two. Gripped in his hand was only the hilt. Xuesha didn't make another move and couldn't make another move.

A crack on Xuesha's head, face, and chest—a crack that served as evidence of his demise.

Sky Killer's single sword strike had cut the powerful Xuesha into two halves. Dead.

After two breaths, a large amount of blood gushed from the crack on Xuesha's face, and his body slowly collapsed. Split in two, he died without a complete corpse. The generation of Sect Master had vanished into history.

People from various sects and schools, as long as they had witnessed that single sword strike just now, all revealed deep shock and fear. Kaiyang Sect? Was this the power of an Immortal sect?

"How was that sword strike, Jiuyi?" A young man on the nearby mountain asked the middle-aged man behind him.

"This person's comprehension is exceptional. He has already grasped the mysteries of the first layer of the Soul-Cleaving technique. With equal strength, he is qualified to challenge the Young Master," Jiuyi replied in a deep voice.

"Is he aware of the opportunity to learn Kaiyang Sect's Heaven-Cleaving Sword Technique?" The young man squinted as he looked into the distance, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes.

To the north of the great array, Princess Qianyou spoke softly, "The Heaven-Cleaving Sword Technique is truly worthy of its reputation."

On the side, Mr. Shuijing shook his feather fan and said, "This young man's comprehension is exceptional. With this one sword strike, he can challenge some Nascent Soul stage cultivators."

Zhongshan clenched his fists, his eyes unwavering. Golden Core stage? Was this the Golden Core stage? Then what about Prince Li Tian?

"Senior Brother is really amazing," Tianlinger said from the side. However, her tone was no longer as excited as before. Compared to Zhongshan's previous defeat of the Immortal, the more victories he achieved at higher realms, the less sensational it became.

Englan had remained silent the whole time. After all, her strength was too low. She only saw the dazzling light and then it disappeared, so she didn't have much to comment on.

"Let's go up the mountain," Beiqingsi said.

"Mm," Zhongshan nodded.

Carrying Englan, they swiftly headed towards the peak where Sky Killer was. However, Beiqingsi and Tianlinger flew up, though not at a fast pace, waiting for them.

With one sword strike to resolve Xuesha, Sky Killer also had a faint sweat on his forehead. However, he concealed it well and it quickly evaporated.

Facing Xuesha alone was both to sharpen his swordsmanship and to unleash his potential. But it was also for Beiqingsi. He wanted to impress upon her his dominance with that single strike, to conquer her psychologically.

The one sword strike succeeded. Anyone standing nearby would be left with an indelible impression of Sky Killer's unrivaled prowess.

As Sky Killer slowly turned his head, expecting to see Beiqingsi's different expression, he suddenly found her missing?

Missing? Sky Killer felt a bit annoyed. He turned his head and happened to see Beiqingsi talking to another man.

Another man? Sky Killer's heart sank, a hint of coldness in his eyes. He focused his gaze and realized it was none other than Zhongshan, the third-generation disciple who had recently joined Kaiyang Sect.

The third-generation disciple was of no concern to Sky Killer, especially Zhongshan. Recalling his Master's evaluation of Zhongshan's poor aptitude, he was even less worthy of Sky Killer's attention. In Sky Killer's eyes, he was like a stinking bug. But with just this one stinking bug, Beiqingsi was willing to risk her life to greet him? Did Beiqingsi value Zhongshan's arrival more than his own life and death?