First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2292 – A Strike Like a Blood-Red Painting

The other old-timers nodded and chimed in their agreement. All of them had complicated looks on their faces, without any of their earlier domineeringness.

Liang Lingxu stood there, head lowered, face alternating white and green.

“A misunderstanding?” Ran Bao roared, “Martial Uncle Fu, that kid just injured me. Badly! How is that a fucking misunderstanding!?”

He was frantic with anger, and he struggled to his feet. “What… What’s gotten into you?”

“Shut your mouth!” Fu Yuncheng roared in fury and glared at him, his gaze vicious and terrifying.

Ran Bao shuddered, then fell as silent as a cicada in winter. Even if he were far more foolish, he’d have realized that something was amiss.

“A misunderstanding?” Su Yi laughed. “If it’s a misunderstanding, shouldn’t you explain and clear things up?”

Fu Yuncheng’s face stiffened. He glanced at Liang Lingxu and said, “Sect Leader, since you caused this misunderstanding, I’ll have you explain.”

Liang Lingxu fell briefly silent, then nodded with great difficulty. He took a deep breath, then clasped his fist in apology. “All of that happened just now because I was overly reckless. I slandered you despite there being no evidence whatsoever. I really shouldn’t have. I….”

Su Yi cut him off here. “I don’t need an apology. I just want to know what happened.”

The group exchanged glances.

Liang Lingxu sighed, “Please, don’t ask any more questions, Vice Palace Master Xiao. All of this was my mistake. I’ll naturally give you satisfactory compensation later!”

“I don’t need compensation, either,” said Su Yi. He gestured at the crimson talisman. “Bring that here and let me have a look. If you do, I’ll let this go.”

The group instantly looked stricken.

“Vice Palace Master Xiao, how about we just… pretend none of this ever happened?” Fu Yuncheng asked bitterly.

Liang Lingxu went so far as to crush the talisman completely, reducing it to powder. There was no doubt about it; he didn’t dare to let Su Yi see its contents.

Su Yi could already roughly guess why.

He scanned the crowd, then said, “If you can keep what happened here under wraps, all will be well, but the moment it comes to light, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”

Liang Lingxu furrowed his brow. “What do you mean, Vice Palace Master Xiao?”

Su Yi chuckled. “It was your master, Hua Hongzhen, who sent that message just now. Am I right?”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled. Everyone looked uncertain.

Su Yi continued, “So you… know who I am now, don’t you?”

The group looked increasingly uncomfortable.

“Vice Palace Master Xiao, as I said earlier, let’s just let this end here. We have no idea who you are, and we won’t ask any further questions, alright?” said Fu Yuncheng. His voice carried a hint of pleading.

The others said nothing, but it was obvious that they weren’t at all calm.

Su Yi said calmly, “Even if you don’t tell me, I can just about guess. Hua Hongzhen isn’t currently in Qingwu Divine Court, but he told you to keep me here no matter what and pretend that nothing was amiss.

“So long as I remain in Qingwu Divine Court, he can find the best time to rally his forces, make arrangements, and seize an opportune moment to surround me and kill me here, in his home turf.”

The group’s expressions shifted once more.

“It’s a pity, but when Hua Hongzhen sent his message, he had no idea that you were on the verge of attacking me. Thus, you had to give up at the last possible moment and scramble to cover the whole situation up,” said Su Yi, scanning the group. “Tell me, everyone. Am I right?”

The atmosphere was increasingly stifled. .Everyone’s expression was complicated as could be.

“I have to say that Hua Hongzhen is as cowardly as ever. I’d originally thought he’d rush over the moment he heard that I was hiding in Qingwu Divine Court and prepare a trap to kill me,” sighed Su Yi. “Now, it seems that I overestimated him.”

His voice echoed throughout the hall for a long time.

When Su Yi saw that no one was responding, he rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I’ve already made myself quite clear. Why aren’t any of you saying anything? Don’t tell me… I’m just that terrifying?”

“Enough!” Fu Yuncheng’s expression darkened. He glared and said, “Su Yi, we gave you an opportunity, but it seems you really won’t relent until you’re dead!”

The others looked vicious, too. Their presences instantly changed. All of them now emanated murderous intent.

“You’re right. We were indeed supposed to keep you here on Ancestor Hua Hongzhen’s orders,” Fu Yuncheng said icily. “And we are indeed afraid of the powers at your disposal, but look around you! This is Qingwu Divine Court’s back mountain! If we go all out, you can forget about leaving this place alive!”

Another elder said with seething murderous intent, “You won at Skybright Mountain simply because you invited a group of powerful helpers. The battle at Cloudy Heights Temple confirmed your current strength. You can at most contend with Six-Tribulation Master Gods.

“Now, you’re trapped in this hall, all alone. No matter how hard you shout, no one will come to your aid. How could you possibly fight us?” someone else said with staunch conviction.

This only increased the others’ murderous intent.

“You were right earlier. Some things are fine so long as they’re kept under wraps, but the moment they come to light, it’ll mean a fight to the death!” said Liang Lingxu, his gaze sinister. “So why insist on foolishly seeking out your own demise?”

Su Yi laughed. “That’s how you really feel, isn’t it? I just knew all of that was an act.”

A moment later, he sharply changed tacks. “Since everything’s out in the open, this won’t end until one side is dead, so why haven’t you attacked me yet?”

The group’s expressions shifted erratically.

Suddenly, Fu Yuncheng said coldly, “What about you? If you’re confident you can beat us, why not attack? I refuse to believe you can call for reinforcements here, much less on such short notice!”

Su Yi sighed inexplicably.

Another sigh arose from directly beside him. “Daoist Brother Fuyou, it seems your plan has missed the mark.”

This voice had only just echoed through the air when a figure appeared beside Su Yi, seemingly out of thin air.

Everyone was stunned, then horrified. Prior to this, none of them had realized that Su Yi had brought someone with him!

For him to have eluded their eyes and ears and arrived here undetected made it obvious how terrifying his cultivation base was!

The speaker was dressed in silver armor, with tied-back hair, a blood-red spear, and a tall, thin frame. He looked young and handsome. His magnificent bearing was enough to astonish the masses.

This was none other than Spear Demon Zang Wushu! The peak Nine-Tribulation Master God who, not long ago, had shaken the heavens with his spear!

Although Zang Wushu hadn’t made an appearance at Skybright Mountain, he did attack Blood River Sword Court single-handedly on Su Yi’s orders.

It was just that none of them had known that this limitlessly terrifying, unparalleled legend had been accompanying Su Yi this entire time.

Fu Yuncheng and the others reacted as if struck by lightning. All of them stood there in a daze, their clothes completely drenched in cold sweat.

They’d never even considered the idea that the famous Spear Demon had been watching them this entire time!!

“My plan really is a failure,” said Su Yi, sounding a bit exasperated. “I wouldn’t have guessed that Hua Hongzhen would still be such a coward even after all this time.”

Zang Wushu laughed. “It’s not that he’s a coward, but that you are far too dangerous.”

“Su Yi, you… did you return to the sect just to target my master?” Liang Lingxu couldn’t help but blurt.

Su Yi inclined his head. “That’s right.”

He’d received two secret messages on his way back to Qingwu Divine Court.

One was from Liang Lingxu. It ordered him to return to the sect within three days.

The other was from Qi Wei. She’d told him that Hua Hongzhen knew his identity, and she urged him to leave as soon as possible, never to return to Qingwu Divine Court.

Qi Wei also mentioned that it was Lu Qingmei who’d shared that information with her.

At the time, Su Yi was quite surprised. He’d never even considered the idea that Lu Qingmei would borrow the Qilin Trading Company’s hands to deliver a secret message to him.

But Su Yi didn’t do as Qi Wei advised. Instead, he made other arrangements. He planned to sever his grudge with Hua Hongzhen once and for all.

After all, his identity had already been revealed. He couldn’t possibly lie low in Qingwu Divine Court any longer, so he naturally ought to end things.

But Su Yi had miscalculated. He’d assumed that Liang Lingxu had ordered him back to the sect on Hua Hongzhen’s orders, and that Hua Hongzhen had long since placed an inescapable net for him around Qingwu Divine Court.

He would never have guessed that it wasn’t like that at all. Hua Hongzhen had only just sent Liang Lingxu a message revealing his identity a few minutes ago.

And Hua Hongzhen wasn’t currently in Qingwu Divine Court!

That was why Su Yi had sighed about his plans missing the mark.

If this were just a matter of cleaning up Liang Lingxu and the others, there was no need for Zang Wushu’s help!

“It’s just as the third elder said. You’ve harbored wicked intentions ever since you joined Qingwu Divine Court!” Liang Lingxu said through gnashed teeth.

Fu Yuncheng and the other old-timers’ expressions were similarly unsightly.

“What should we do with these people, Brother Li Fuyou?” asked Zang Wushu.

The atmosphere was instantly as stifled as could be.

Fu Yuncheng said in a quavering voice, “I heard that you’ve never implicated the innocent in your affairs. Now that the truth has come to light, please, show mercy and leave us a path to life!”

He was an Eight-Tribulation Master God, but in the face of a terrifying existence like Zang Wushu, he completely freaked out!

“You wanted to kill me earlier for no reason, but now, you want me to leave you a path to life? How could that be possible?” Su Yi shook his head.

Zang Wushu said, “Some things seem light until you place them on the scale and realize their true weight. This is the price you must pay.”

With that, he raised the Blood River Spear, and…

Boom!

The grand hall shook violently. The power of the formations covering the walls exploded and collapsed.

All he’d done was raise his spear. This was the terrifying power of a single movement!

The group gathered in the hall panicked. All of them lashed out in a frenzy and tried to flee.

But it was too late.

Zang Wushu swung his spear through the air, and a waterfall of blood-red light swept outward. Wherever it passed, everyone died, regardless of their cultivation base.

Bloody mist permeated the air, and desperate cries echoed through the air.

Against Zang Wushu, those five Master Gods of varying cultivations were all no different from fish on the chopping block.

A single strike was enough to end their lives!