Chapter 166 - Lotus Blade
Banyue Lake, named after its half-moon shape, transversed both the inside and outside of Yue Tuo Kingdom.
A flash of white light flew past and landed on top of Banyue Lake where a beautiful lady in white appeared. She was just as Zhuangzi"s "A Happy Excursion" put it, " On Miao-ku-yi Mountain, there lives a divine being whose skin is white like ice or snow, whose grace and elegance are like those of a v.i.r.g.i.n. 1 "
Zhao Xiaoyu, like Miao-ku-yi Mountain"s divine being, had a white lotus beneath her feet. As it was winter, there were thick layers of ice covering the entire surface of the Banyue Lake. However, as soon as the white lotus came into contact with the frozen surface, a white light emerged from underneath. In the blink of an eye, a hole appeared in the ice, so deep it appeared bottomless. The hole was three feet in diameter, much bigger than the white lotus. Suddenly, a green carp leapt out of the water.
It flopped around violently on top of the frozen lake, trying desperately but failing to find its way back to the hole.
Zhao Xiaoyu looked at the green carp with indifference. Her face showed no a hint of pity, as countless creatures in the world were annihilated and born every second.
Life and death were separated only by a thin line.
Zhao Xiaoyu herself was straddling this line between life and death. Unlike the green carp, she had the ability to fight for her survival.
She did not continue with her escape because it was pointless. Shen Lian was no longer the Shen Lian from Shendu. Even though his temperament had not changed, his powers had greatly increased.
When Shen Lian decided to fight with her, there was no use to escaping to the ends of the earth.
Once he set his mind on something, he would make sure to execute it no matter what.
However, Zhao Xiaoyu did not regret trying to subdue Shen Lian at Shendu. If he had cooperated with her, the result would have been better than all of the people from the Nine Lotus Secret Order combined.
To Zhao Xiaoyu, she could simply get rid of those believers and members of the congregation at any time, as she could always re-establish and train them again.
Year upon year, gra.s.s would wither and grow in an endless cycle 2 .
Suddenly, a tornado swept across the horizon and landed a hundred feet away from Zhao Xiaoyu. Shen Lian had arrived.
He did not bother hiding his overbearing mana. He kept his Taixu Divine Qi tightly contained within, but he let his externally condensed Qi of Vitality out in a flood. The layers of ice beneath his feet immediately started to melt away inch by inch.
Vast amounts of Qi of heaven and earth began gathering around Shen Lian"s body. Zhao Xiaoyu"s clothes started rippling violently towards Shen Lian"s direction. It was as if he became the heart of the lake, and all the Qi of heaven and earth around that area answered to his call.
Once he gathered all the Qi that he could possibly manage, Shen Lian suddenly made a move and a wave of power burst out of his body, disrupting the calm surface of the freezing waters below. Suddenly, the lake was bathed with a magical light, making the water and pieces of broken ice sparkle brightly like a million stars, turning the lake into a brilliant Milky Way.
The white lotus under Zhao Xiaoyu"s feet rose and fell to the waves that Shen Lian had caused, giving her an ethereal mystique.
Shen Lian was different. His slanted eyebrows were so fierce it could cut someone like a blade, and the delicate aura on his forehead disappeared completely along with the Qi from his body. His sword aura erupted from his body and rocketed up into the sky, causing the stars to lose its s.h.i.+ne and shaking the mountains.
The intensity of his power was matchless. He was the only swordsman in the world with such talent and capabilities.
He was different from Chen Jianmei. Chen Jianmei was one with the sword.
Shen Lian was the master of the sword. He could control the physical sword, the mental sword, and the sword made of the Qi of heaven and earth.
He stood casually with his hands clasped behind his back. His sword aura never ceased to be released. His Dao robe was blue like the sky, its folds deep with unfathomable meaning. It was as if an undefeated celestial monster had descended to the mortal world.
He came to the mortal world to do what he wanted to do, and no one could stop him.
Zhao Xiaoyu felt Shen Lian"s uncouth disposition, which disturbed her deeply. She could not understand what caused such a change in Shen Lian. It was like he had become a fighting saint.
She did not have time to figure out why.
Shen Lian"s eyes were deep and quiet, as though countless births and deaths were taking place within, reflecting the course of the natural law.
If he wanted to kill Zhao Xiaoyu, he would be doing the heavens justice. If the G.o.ds sent a ma.s.sive flood to warn the people, you could not blame him if they died.
Even though Shen Lian possessed this earth-shaking power, Zhao Xiaoyu was not afraid to face Shen Lian. Despite the fact that they were a hundred feet apart, it felt like they were standing right in front of each other.
Zhao Xiaoyu"s eyes were gleaming not with daylight, but with an indescribable glow. It was as if her psyche had reached its peak and her eyes could light up everything in the dark. There was no need for starlight or moonlight. There was less of a need for fire.
This technique was extracted from the "Book of Nine Lotus". It was a physical example of her spirit reaching the pinnacle.
In the beginning, there was Dao, and the Dao existed with the G.o.ds. 3
Even though the path of Shen did not belong to the same category, Shen itself was at the same level as Dao.
Zhao Xiaoyu was indifferent to all beings in the world. Her gaze was merciless and ruthless.
The white lotus underneath Zhao Xiaoyu"s feet disappeared. It did not disappear completely per say. It just turned into a circle of nine lotuses on her back like a pair of wings. It allowed her to float in midair. When she moved, her speed was fast it was beyond comprehension.
That instrument became a part of her mind and spirit, as though it was her own flesh and blood. It was difficult to distinguish her from the instrument, and it could take any shape or form she wanted.
An extra lotus flew out and landed on Zhao Xiaoyu"s hand, which was as smooth and delicate as jade.
The lotus turned into a blade in her hand. It pulsed with an intense light, as if an entire galaxy existed within it. Shen Lian"s and Zhao Xiaoyu"s Qi dynamic continued to clash. The sky suddenly darkened, as an immeasurable amount of black clouds began to gather above them. Dawn returned to night again.
The dark clouds did not come randomly. It was caused by the two powerful cultivators who were waiting branzely for their Qi to reach a maximum. Their Qi kept clas.h.i.+ng, creating a whirlpool of air that was so strong it affected the winds and clouds of the universe.
This was known as the interrelation of G.o.ds and humans in Daoism. It was a sign that the cultivators were close to being one with the universe.
If such spiritual pressures were given out by an extremely tyrannical demon king, it would be even scarier. This was because the demon fog would completely block out the sun and sky, unlike the slow gathering of dark clouds caused by Shen Lian and Zhao Xiaoyu.
There was a distinct hum when Zhao Xiaoyu"s blade appeared. It sounded like strings vibrating endlessly through the Qi of Vitality and across the lake waters.
Almost at the same moment, Zhao Xiaoyu and Shen Lian both disappeared.
The human eye could not comprehend their speed, which gave the effect that they had disappeared when they had not.
Tall pillars of water rushed through the cracks of ice on the frozen lake, which dispersed violently into little water droplets that sprayed in all directions. Before the water droplets even reached the surface of the lake, they were broken up into even smaller water droplets by another force of power. In the end, they became a thick fog that seemed to have coagulated above the lake.
The white fog spread continuously, covering all ten acres of the water. Even the willow trees at the edge of the lake were consumed by it.
Small rays of sunlight managed to penetrate through the black clouds above, making Banyue Lake seem less dark.
However, this bit of light was nothing compared the light of stars or the moon. It could not get rid of the thick fog. For those interested, the full translated version of this can be found on 正如离离原上草,岁岁枯荣,岁岁新生 is modified from Bai Juyi(白居易)"s poem "Farewells from Gra.s.sland"(賦得古原草送別) Reference borrowed from John 1:1 of the Bible but I used dao instead of the words to fit this context.