Chapter 541 - The True Objective of the Burning Heaven Sword
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"This is impossible!" the old Daoist nun shrilly cried.
When she sensed that even her own Dao heart seemed to have been cracked by the Burning Heaven Sword, she was so shocked and angered that she almost went mad.
Why would the Orthodox Academy have Su Li's sword intent? Could Su Li have guessed that she would come? Once she had confirmed that this powerful sword intent was the Burning Heaven Sword, she was constantly and worriedly considering this question. But what shocked her, angered her, and even left her somewhat perplexed was just why this sword intent was so powerful. It was publicly acknowledged that Su Li was the supreme expert of the path of the sword, but how was she unable to even receive a single attack? Moreover, this was merely a sword intent that Su Li had left in the Orthodox Academy, not even his real sword!
She was no ordinary expert, she was one of the Storms of the Eight Directions who had stepped into the Divine Domain many years ago. She used to believe that although Su Li had also stepped into the Divine Domain, he had done it many years after she had—that no matter how prodigious his talent, he was still no match for her in terms of cultivation. But now it turned out…she could not even confront a single strand of sword intent from Su Li!
After being stricken with anger, the old Daoist nun became stricken with panic. As she stared at the terrifying sword of fire, a desire to retreat naturally took root in her Dao heart.
In the past, she would definitely have continued to battle, but now that she had confirmed that she was no match for Su Li, why wouldn't she retreat? She had infiltrated the capital without telling her husband, so there would be no one coming to her rescue. More importantly, Su Li was not the Pope nor was he the Tianhai Divine Empress. He was a cold-blooded, emotionless madman, a person who would really dare to kill the Eight Storms!
The Luo River was once more disturbed by countless waves. In the snowy night, they were like piles made of countless bits of paper. Just as the sword intent slashed down once more, the Luo River resounded with the old Daoist nun's howl of reluctance. Her figure instantly vanished and appeared on the other bank, then quickly vanished into the boulevards and alleys of the capital.
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Chen Changsheng and the rest used their fastest speed to follow the trail of restaurants and houses collapsed by the old Daoist nun's retreat. When they reached the banks of the Luo River, however, no one was there, only snow dancing in the night sky, those threads cut down from the horsetail whisk, and that sword of fire suspended over the Luo River.
Those threads were not willow catkins nor were they snowflakes. Even the thinnest of these threads contained a monstrous power that could easily slay them. If that horsetail whisk were to strike with full force, it might really be able to shake the entirety of the Luo River…truly worthy of being a peerless expert who had stepped into the Divine Domain!
Upon sensing the power contained in those threads, Chen Changsheng and the rest all subconsciously turned to Xuanyuan Po who was the first to dare attack the old Daoist nun, their gazes filled with admiration. At the same time, they thought, then how powerful is the sword of fire that cut this horsetail whisk into a defeathered chicken and forced the old Daoist nun into retreat?
"What's going on here?" Tang Thirty-Six asked at that blazing sword hanging in the night.
Earlier on in the night, Chen Changsheng had comprehended the sword intent in the letter, so he had a rough idea what was going on. "This is Senior Su Li's sword."
Tang Thirty-Six's lingering fear still had not dissipated. He thought, if not for this sword, the Orthodox Academy might have run with blood tonight. Even if that old Daoist nun had not made things too difficult for Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu for the sake of the Orthodoxy and the Wenshui Tangs, Zhexiu would definitely suffer all sorts of humiliation while Xuanyuan Po would be completely out of luck.
This battle of experts that had been fought from the Orthodox Academy all the way to the banks of the Luo River had alarmed many people.
Not long after they reached the Luo River, a flame plunged down from the night. Xue Xingchuan on his Red Cloud Qilin had hurried over as quickly as possible.
Simultaneously, the three Guardians dispatched to the capital by the Wenshui Tang clan also finally appeared in the darkness and surrounded Tang Thirty-Six.
This was the first time Chen Changsheng and the others were able to get a look at the true strength of the Wenshui Tangs, so they couldn't but curiously glance over.
The streets rumbled with a storm of hooves, most likely the Orthodoxy cavalry and Imperial Guards rushing over.
Xue Xingchuan examined the collapsed Luo River dike and the line of houses and restaurants that had been transformed into ruins. With a grim expression, he asked, "What happened here?"
"Wuqiong Bi came," Tang Thirty-Six replied.
One of the Eight Storms actually sneaked into the capital? Xue Xingchuan's expression flickered, then his gaze turned to that massive sword of fire blazing above the Luo River and his expression changed once more. With his level of cultivation, he could naturally tell that this was not a real sword, but a phantasmal one. However, what made him wary was that even at his level of cultivation, he was still far from being a match for this sword. Thus, without even needing to ask, he knew who this sword intent belonged to.
"Su Li…why did he hide this sword intent in the Orthodox Academy?"
He looked into Chen Changsheng's eyes and asked, "Don't tell me he knew in advance that Wuqiong Bi would mean you harm?"
This was the matter the old Daoist nun least understood before she left and it was also a matter that Chen Changsheng had not yet understood.
He had originally thought that of the two letters that Senior Su Li had requested Xu Yourong give to him, the letter that he was requested to burn promptly after reading was meant to assist in comprehending sword intent while the letter in his bosom was a life-saving treasure. Now it seemed that Su Li having him burn the first letter had some other, deeper meaning.
Only by borrowing natural flame to ignite its sword soul could the sword intent of the Burning Heaven Sword truly display its mightiest power, but how had Su Li confirmed what time this sword intent would appear? Had it been aroused by the completely unreasonable courage Xuanyuan Po had displayed or was it because Su Li had calculated in advance that Wuqiong Bi would come?
The Orthodoxy cavalry and Imperial Guards had hurried onto the scene, as had the Li Palace priests and the official labor corps of the capital's government. They began to clean up the scene and assist the wounded, to carry over sands and stone to stabilize the collapsed dike. The scene began to grow livelier and the Burning Heaven Sword in the night sky began to lose its light, growing very difficult to see.
Xue Xingchuan still kept his eyes fixed on that location.
Chen Changsheng and the others also continued to stare at that place.
This matter seemed ready to come to a close; all had returned to tranquility. But was this really the case?
For some reason, none of them thought so. They all felt that something else was going to happen.
Just as expected, in the next moment, in the most unreasonable fashion, the night sky above the Luo River began to burn.
It was like countless Golden Crows had flown out of the sun and descended upon the human world. The world was bathed in a pure, white light and the capital seemed to be transported from night to day.
Those workers and soldiers laboring on the dike raised their hands in stupefaction, wondering just what was going on.
The Burning Heaven Sword began to burn and expand. In a few breaths of time, it encompassed the entire sky. From the ground, it was as long as at least half a street!
The laborers and soldiers and those denizens of the capital that had been startled awake all stared up at the enormous sword burning in the night sky, crying out with countless gasps of shock.
The Burning Heaven Sword fiercely burned.
No snow could fall from the clouds, nor any rain, and there wasn't even any mist.
The clouds in the night sky were burned clean away by this fire, gradually revealing the sky studded with stars.
Xue Xingchuan's face instantly grew pale beyond compare and he immediately roared out a shout of warning in the direction of the Imperial Palace. Simultaneously, he leaped onto the back of the Red Cloud Qilin and flew off into the night!
Chen Changsheng had also guessed and his eyes were filled with astonishment. He thought, no way, Senior. You've already left; why do you still have to act crazy?
The old Daoist nun did not understand why Su Li had left this strand of sword intent in the Orthodox Academy. Xue Xingchuan did not understand, and neither did Chen Changsheng. This was because no matter how high Su Li had cultivated on the path of the sword, even if he could use his sword to divine the will of the heavens, it was still utterly impossible to anticipate the movements of an expert of the Divine Domain and thus lay an ambush for them.
This strand of sword intent that Su Li had left in the Orthodox Academy had never been prepared for the old Daoist nun.
He had left the world seven letters, and the sword intent he had concealed in this letter he asked Chen Changsheng to burn after reading was the strongest.
The old Daoist nun's arrival at the Orthodox Academy and Xuanyuan Po's sword had roused the sword intent within the ash. Consequently, the sword intent had repelled the Daoist nun in passing.
Yes, in passing, on the way, conveniently, because it could do it without any extra trouble.
Even if the old Daoist nun was one of the Eight Storms, she was not worthy of Su Li especially preparing a strand of sword intent for her.
He held her in complete disregard and disdain.
The person he wished to fight, the objective of this most powerful sword intent, had always been that person.
That person was in the Imperial Palace, had always been in the Imperial Palace.
That person was no ordinary person, but a Saint.
With a whistle resounding through the night sky, Xue Xingchuan rode the Red Cloud Qilin into the air. A streak of fire, he stabbed at the massive Burning Heaven Sword with his spear!
Yet before his spear could even touch the Burning Heaven Sword, it was halted. A violent gale suddenly snapped the streak of fire and it plummeted to the ground.
Xue Xingchuan and the Red Cloud Qilin fell into the river and he spit out a mouthful of blood.
The massive sword of fire finally moved. Carrying along countless flames and heat, it shot through the sky from the Luo River towards the Imperial Palace!
As they watched this magnificent and spectacular sight, all the people on the ground were so shocked that they could not speak.
Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six and the others' eyes were filled with reverence and admiration. Only by cultivating to this sort of level could one be content and without grudges, right?
Zhexiu's face was emotionless, but his eyes were filled with enthusiasm and resolve. He thought, even if you're stronger, in the future, there will be a day where I defeat you!
Ever since the beginning of winter, snow had fallen on and off over the capital, but the clouds above rarely scattered, until tonight. The strand of sword intent formed into the massive Burning Heaven Sword emitted boundless light and heat into the world, and the snow clouds were instantly burned away, revealing the stars in the sky.
As the Burning Heaven Sword shot towards the Imperial Palace, the snow clouds scattered before it, revealing star after star. It was a very beautiful scene, seeming just like a brush painting the sky, countless stars lighting up as the sword surged forward.
Star after star lit up in the night sky. The starlight did not fall upon the human world, but on the trajectory of the Burning Heaven Sword as it transformed into countless scales of light.
The Burning Heaven Sword had finally transformed into a dragon!
At this point, the entire capital was finally awakened.
There was someone that had never fallen asleep.
When that old Daoist nun passed that alley, the Tianhai Divine Empress awoke.
Then she ascended the steps and stood upon the Dew Platform.
Besides the Mausoleum of Books, this was the highest point in the capital. From there, one could observe the closest stars and the vastness of the human world.
She watched as the old Daoist nun stood outside the Orthodox Academy, her expression indifferent.
She watched as a powerful sword intent appeared in the Orthodox Academy. Her expression was still indifferent, but she raised her brows, apparently rather interested.
Now, this sword was flying from the banks of the Luo River to the Imperial Palace.
She stood on the Dew Platform, the gale gusting against her perfect face but unable to disperse her indifferent expression, merely causing her fine black hair to drift about.
She held her hands behind her back, gazing at the ever-nearer sword dragon in the night sky. Her expression was calm, a sense of graveness finally appearing in her eyes.
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