Chapter 1372 - A Bright Moon
Outside Fleeting Cloud Island, many people have gathered around. They were juniors who were watching the battle that broke out on the Fleeting Cloud Island. Most of them were disciples of the various powerful sects. Since the battle earlier was too dangerous, they didn’t choose to ascend the island like those Samsara Edict Realm experts.
But even so, they could still feel how terrifying the battle earlier was. Regardless of the fight between Zhuge Qingyun and Jian Jingtian, Tian Xuanzi’s appearance, or how Lin Yun gave Zhuge Qingyun a beating, they watched the entire process. Each of them suffered a great blow and was thoroughly shocked by what they saw.
No one had expected that the compet.i.tion over the Great Saint Origin would lure out someone like Tian Xuanzi. In the end, even the Radiant Sword Saint showed up, instantly making everyone feel suffocating. The Radiant Sword Saint wasn’t only a legend in the Sword Sect, but a legend of the Eastern Desolation.
In the Divine Dragon Era, saints were G.o.d-like figures in the hearts of many people, but now many saints dared to call themselves Sword Saints. That t.i.tle was for those who stood out amongst saints, and this meant that they were terrifyingly powerful. So it wasn’t easy for saints to call themselves Sword Saints.
There weren’t many saints in the world, to begin with, and not every saint that uses a sword could call themselves a Sword Saint. This was a t.i.tle that was forged with blood, and the Eastern Desolation only had three Sword Saints.
“They’re too powerful!” Gongsun Yan finally recovered from the shock he had just witnessed. Tian Xuanzi was already so terrifying, as if he was in a painting, isolated from the outside world. So even if others could see him, they might not be able to injure him. But he was nothing compared to the Radiant Sword Saint, who merely used one sword to tear the painting and Tian Xuanzi’s clone apart.
Furthermore, Jian Jingtian was also strong and managed to injure Tian Xuanzi. Gongsun Yan now knew why Jian Jingtian was known to be invincible and ranked first on the three rankings. This all made Gongsun Yan’s blood boil, but when he turned to look at Zhao Yan, his blood immediately became cold because that fellow was squatting down on the surface of the ocean drawing on the ocean with his fingers as a brush. Occasionally when he raised his head, his pupils were dull without any spirits.
“This fool has really become dumb…” Gongsun Yan flung his lips to the side because Zhao Yan was playing with water instead of watching such an earth-shattering battle. Clenching his right fist, Gongsun Yan declared, “I’ve decided that I’ll join the Sword Sect! The Sword Sect opens up once every four years, attracting all the swordsmen in the Ancient Barren Domain. It’s time for me, Gongsun Yan, to let everyone know of my name!”
He had received an opportunity from the Sword Emperor. In addition to his huge harvest in the Profound Wither Island, he was confident that he could join the Sword Sect.
“You’re going to the Sword Sect?” Zhao Yan finally recovered and muttered to himself, “I suggest that you don’t go there. You’ve already embarra.s.sed the entire Sword Emperor’s lineage. So I don’t think you should go and embarra.s.s the Sword Sect as well…”
Hearing what Zhao Yan said, Gongsun Yan’s face became ugly. He pretended not to hear what Zhao Yan said and changed the topic, “Hmph. I’m joining the Sword Sect no matter what. So, what are you drawing on the water?”
“Are you stupid? I’m just playing in the water. I don’t have a brush, so how am I going to draw anything?” Zhao Yan replied without raising his head.
His words made Gongsun Yan’s face become black. He naturally knew that Zhao Yan was playing with the water, and he asked in that manner because he wanted to be more polite.
“But how did Jian Jingtian’s sword manage to injure Tian Xuanzi? I can’t figure it out… it’s too hard…” Zhao Yan muttered to himself before he slammed his palm on the water. When the water splashed,Gongsun Yan saw an unbelievable scene. Every single water droplet was s.h.i.+ning with a faint light that formed into an incomplete painting. It was the sword that Jian Jingtian used to injure Tian Xuanzi.
This made Gongsun Yan exclaim with his mouth widened, “You fool. Are you still going to deny that you’re drawing?”
“I’m just playing with the water,” said Zhao Yan before he left. When he turned around, his eyes became dull once more with his shoulders swaying from left to right. Every single step he took would cause a faint light to s.h.i.+ne on the surface of the ocean, containing his sword intent.
“You’re not going to the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect to greet Lin Yun? Isn’t that a little too impolite?” Gongsun Yan asked.
“He’ll go to the Sword Sect sooner or later, so we can meet there at that time,” replied Zhao Yan without even turning his head back.
Gongsun Yan held onto his chin and pondered what Zhao Yan said. But a brief moment later, he was shocked and quickly caught up to Zhao Yan before he asked, “Fool, you’re going to join the Sword Sect as well?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret that you knelt to Lei Jue,” said Zhao Yan before his eyes became dull once more.
Hearing what Zhao Yan said, Gongsun Yan raged, “I already told you time and time again! I didn’t kneel to him, I was the one who defeated him!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret,” repeated Zhao Yan.
“I really didn’t…” Gongsun Yan was about to cry because he had a feeling that he would never be able to cleanse himself from his dark history.
“I’ll keep it a secret…” Zhao Yan repeated again.
“Alright, alright. I admit, I did kneel…” replied Gongsun Yan in a helpless tone.
Zhao Yan heard what Gongsun Yan said and briefly paused before he said, “I’ll keep it a secret because we’re friends.”
What Zhao Yan said made Gongsun Yan briefly stunned. He had always claimed to be from the Sword Emperor’s lineage, but he could barely be considered a fated transcendent. In reality, he was an illegitimate child who was expelled from Skysolute City. All along, he felt inferior and had disguised himself by acting with a high profile. He would either kneel to others or make others kneel to him, and he was already used to this sort of life.
So he had never thought of the day when someone would treat him as a friend. He couldn’t believe that he was actually feeling touched by a fool, but it made him happy at the same time. So this made him wonder if this was the feeling of having a friend.
“Zhao Yan, what did you say? Repeat what you said!” Gongsun Yan yelled with tears welling up in his eyes.
“I’ll keep it a secret for you,” replied Zhao Yan.
Hearing what Zhao Yan said, Gongsun Yan nearly threw out a mouthful of blood and gave himself a facepalm that he actually believed in the words of a fool. He then made up his mind that he had to give Zhao Yan a beating for cheating on his feelings. But when he charged forth, he was the one who took a beating instead.
Ten thousand miles away from the Fleeting Cloud Island, Tian Xuanzi and Zhuge Qingyun were standing together. This clone of his that should have been destroyed by the Radiant Sword Saint was actually here and unharmed with Zhuge Qingyun standing beside him.
Before them was Qin Cang, who was only left with one arm as he knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Tian Xuanzi. Zhuge Qingyun didn’t say a word because Qin Cang had to be responsible for failing to obtain the Great Saint Origin.
“Get up,” said Tian Xuanzi calmly.
“No, Saint Sovereign, please kill me. I’m now a cripple, and I don’t deserve to live in the world. I kept myself alive because I wanted to see you one last time. Since I have fulfilled my wish now, I can die without any regrets!” Qin Cang said without raising his head.
“You’re already blind, so how can you see me? If you want to die, die after your eyes recover,” said Tian Xuanzi.
“This disciple isn’t worthy,” replied Qin Cang, still not raising his head.
“I once said that I’d accept you as my disciple once you’ve tasted defeat. Do you know why I didn’t take you in as my disciple even after you lost to so many geniuses on the Elysium Core Realm rankings?” Tian Xuanzi asked. But before Qin Cang could reply, he continued, “It’s because you didn’t think that you’re defeated. In your heart, you thought that it’s normal to lose to them since their cultivation was higher than yours.”
“Saint Sovereign!” Qin Cang blankly raised his head.
“Address him as ‘Master’. Master has decided to take you in,” said Zhuge Qingyun.
Qin Cang was briefly shocked before he bitterly smiled, “But I’m a cripple now.”
“Do you mean that you’re a cipple without the dragon bone or that you are a cripple now that you’re blind?” Tian Xuanzi muttered to himself, seemingly giving his reply. “Get back up. The Radiant Sword Saint didn’t give us much time, and there can only be one overlord in the Ancient Barren Domain. There is no trash amongst my disciples. In the future, the Profound Sky Sect will become a sacred land, and not a single one of you can be missing.”
Zhuge Qingyun’s face changed when he heard that, but he seemed to have grabbed onto something. He instantly knew that his master didn’t come here for the Great Saint Origin. It looked like his master had already given up on the Great Saint Origin when he lost it. So his master made a move against Lin Yun to force the Radiant Sword Saint to show himself?
Back at the Fleeting Cloud Sword Sect, Lin Yun first looked after Feng Jue and Lil’ Purple before his gaze fell onto the Sword Saint Mountain. There was a Sovereign Divine Rune over there waiting for him, something that he had to obtain before he left.
“What are you looking at?” Suddenly, the Sword Emperor, Yu Qingfeng’s voice resounded within his mind.
His voice startled Lin Yun, causing him to quickly s.h.i.+ft his gaze. If the Sword Emperor knew about the Sovereign Divine Rune, the Sovereign Divine Rune would definitely not belong to him anymore.
“Haha, you still need to work on your acting skills. I have long heard of the Sword Saint Mountain, but this is the treasure and inheritance of the Sword Sect, so I definitely won’t touch it,” mocked the Sword Emperor. He seemed to have guessed something.
“Senior, you’re still here?” Lin Yun smiled. He thought that the Sword Emperor had left, and he was curious as to where the Sword Emperor was hidden. But when he looked around, he couldn’t find the Sword Emperor anywhere.
“You can’t see me because this is only a strand of my divine will,” replied the Sword Emperor.
Hearing that, Lin Yun gave up looking for the Sword Emperor and asked, “Senior, may I ask if Tang Jing is still alive?”
“Ha, looks like you have a pretty close relations.h.i.+p with him. Don’t worry, he’s still alive,” said the Sword Emperor, which made Lin Yun finally feel relief.
“Senior, what did you mean about the rumors of the Radiant Sword Saint?”
“You really have a lot of questions, but it won’t matter much to tell you. His lifespan is coming to an end, and he’s in seclusion, which was the reason why he came late. Tian Xuanzi made a move against you to see if the rumors were true, and it looks like the rumors are true. If he can’t take that step out within five years, his lifespan will definitely come to an end!”
His words left a deep shock in Lin Yun’s heart. A long time later, Lin Yun asked, “What step?”
“A step that can be comparable to the emperors!” The Sword Emperor replied.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now…” The Sword Emperor greeted and wanted to leave because he didn’t want to get involved in this matter, to begin with. So now that Lin Yun was fine, he had fulfilled his promise with the Profound Wither Great Saint.
“Senior, why don’t you leave behind some opportunities before you leave? I’ll be very grateful for it!” Lin Yun asked before the Sword Emperor left He would be an idiot if he allowed the Sword Emperor to leave without leaving behind anything for him.
“Haha, this emperor will give to anyone except you.”
Hearing what Yu Qingfeng said, Lin Yun nearly threw out a mouthful of blood and asked, “Why?”
“This emperor has a feeling that you’ll come to the Skysolute City one day. So it’s best for me not to give you anything,” replied the Sword Emperor.
As Lin Yun blinked his eyes, he asked in a serious tone, “Wait. Senior, why don’t you give me some opportunities that can allow me to defeat Tian Xuanzi?”
When Yu Qingfeng heard what Lin Yun said, he laughed, “A bright moon s.h.i.+ning in the sky as the broken bridge is filled with water and snow. No one knows that my heart is like the moon, and who mocks who for being in the painting!”
As Yu Qingfeng laughed, a light shone in Lin Yun’s mind and seemed to have seen many things. There were countless sword rays and countless afterimages, but they didn’t seem to exist at the same time because he could only see a bright moon hanging in the sky.
This time, no matter how Lin Yun inwardly called out to the Sword Emperor, there was no reply and this meant that Yu Qingfeng had really left. The Sword Emperor said that he wouldn’t give anything to him, but he still ultimately gave him an opportunity before leaving behind a burst of laughter and left.
This made Lin Yun feel hollow in his heart. When he turned around, he saw someone who stuck out, and he couldn’t help yelling, “Ziyao.”