Chapter 35: Reunion Before the Gates of the Imperial Capital

“Huff, huff, huff.” Li Luoyan’s figure appeared atop a mountain peak. The long-missed freshness of the air made her breathe deeply, over and over. After being suppressed for a full hundred years, she was finally free.

Xia Jiuxuan stood on a boulder at the summit, his gaze cast into the distance. A mile away, around the Sword Saint’s tomb, more than a hundred experts were gathered.

“Where is he, you old dog! Tell me where he is!” A young man in white struck the guardian known as “Old Black,” a cultivator of the Profound Connection Realm, with a heavy slap.

A day earlier, the young man in white had brought several elders and a formation master into the tomb. Despite their tremendous efforts, they had found nothing.

“Master, that boy really was inside, and so was Old White,” Old Black replied, head lowered, not daring to meet the young master’s eyes.

With a clang, a headless corpse was thrown before him.

“What!” Seeing the attire, Old Black’s eyes filled with blood; his brother was dead! The corpse still emanated both sword and spear intent, clear traces of their killer.

It was obvious: Old White had been slain by that boy.

“You told me my brother’s killer was only at the Entry Palace stage, did you?” The eldest son of the Yang family gripped Old Black’s collar, glaring at him fiercely.

How could a mere Entry Palace cultivator, and a first-level one at that, possibly kill Old Black? Never mind Old Black—his brother was at the fifth level of the Entry Palace. How could a novice possibly kill him?

The only explanation was that this old dog was lying. He must have been tempted by treasure and killed his brother and his brother’s friends.

“Men! Kill this old dog at once!”

“Yes, young master!” A second-level Profound Connection expert immediately struck at Old Black.

“Master, why are you killing me?” Old Black cried out.

“You connived with these dogs to kill my brother and steal the treasures from the sacred tomb—do you still dare deny it?”

“I did not!” Old Black’s face turned ashen. “Please, young master, look into this. Second Young Master was indeed killed by a boy wrapped in demonic energy. The guards can all testify—”

Even as he spoke, all the guards who had accompanied Yang Wei fell dead, their heads rolling.

Who would believe such nonsense?

“Kill them!” the young master ordered mercilessly.

“Innocent, young master, I swear I’m innocent!” Old Black protested, but a Profound Connection expert rushed forward and struck his head, killing him instantly.

“Despicable!” The Yang family’s eldest son kicked Old Black’s corpse hard, then turned to the others. “Not a word of this is to leave here. Anyone who disobeys will have their family executed!”

“Yes, young master!” the crowd replied in unison.

To steal from the Sword Saint’s tomb was a capital crime. If word reached the imperial court, the entire Yang family would be doomed.

“Young master, we have captured two women passing by. How shall we deal with them?” a guard at the eighth level of the Entry Palace reported.

“Oh?” The young master frowned. On this desolate path, not a soul passed by in ten years—yet now, at this very moment, someone appeared.

“Bring them here!” the young master commanded, ready to silence any witnesses.

“I warn you, we are disciples of the Grand Mystical Academy! If you dare harm us, you’ll pay dearly!” came the protest.

Soon, two young women were brought before the young master.

“Ah, Senior Brother Yang Hun!” one of them exclaimed.

“Weiyu, Ayao?” Yang Hun, the young master, recognized them at once—Liu Weiyu and Ayao.

“Hmph, why did you detain us?” Ayao sounded angry, but her voice was tinged with playful coquettishness.

“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Sister Yao, Sister Weiyu, it’s all a misunderstanding—untie them at once!” Yang Hun’s murderous intent vanished, replaced by an apologetic smile.

“Young master...” An elder shot him a glance.

“Stand down. They know nothing,” Yang Hun ordered.

“Yes, young master.” The elder withdrew.

“You’re terrible, Senior Brother Yang! How could you tie us up? So mean!” Ayao pounced on him, her small fists pounding his chest, nearly making his bones go soft.

“My dear junior sister, I was wrong, I was wrong!”

...

On a distant mountaintop, Xia Jiuxuan observed all of this, hearing even the conversations as if right beside them.

“Heh.” Xia Jiuxuan let out a cold laugh, then prepared to leave with Li Luoyan and Xia Ran.

“Young master, it seems those people are your enemies. Shall I kill them?” Li Luoyan inquired.

“Your sword soul is torn, your wounds not yet healed—you can’t kill them all,” Xia Jiuxuan replied.

Indeed, Li Luoyan had only just acquired a low-grade sword core, and her sword soul was still in tatters; her strength could not fully manifest. She might be able to slay two or three Profound Connection cultivators, but any more and the rest would escape.

“I’ll kill as many as I can,” Li Luoyan said.

“Foolish,” Xia Jiuxuan shot her a sidelong glance. “The way of killing is all or nothing. If you act, you must wipe them all out, grind them to dust! From now on, you will stay by the young miss’s side and never reveal your strength lightly. If you must act, leave none alive. Do you understand?”

Li Luoyan’s heart trembled. The killing intent in his words was so intense, even she felt a chill.

“I understand,” she replied.

“Good. Let’s go—on to the imperial capital.”

...

Over the following days, the three of them hired a beast-drawn carriage and traveled inconspicuously, encountering no mishaps.

At last, the gates of the imperial capital loomed before them.

All roads converged before the massive gates, and everyone dismounted their carriages, preparing to enter on foot.

“Make way!”

Only a single carriage, pulled by a dragon-serpent beast, rolled slowly toward the gate.

Xia Jiuxuan glanced over and recognized someone familiar, but had no intention of greeting them.

“Hey, isn’t that Xia Jiuxuan? He got here before us,” Ayao spotted Xia Jiuxuan and couldn’t help but smile.

At her words, Yang Hun, sitting beside her, frowned darkly. “Who is Xia Jiuxuan? You seem very happy to see him, Sister Yao.”

Liu Weiyu snorted softly, “Just an unknown nobody. He should be entering the Nirvana Institute soon—my teacher personally vouched for him.”

At this, Yang Hun scrutinized Xia Jiuxuan more closely. “So, he’s not as simple as he seems.”

Ayao blurted out, “Senior Brother Yang, you don’t know how amazing he is! He’s only sixteen, but he’s already comprehended spear intent.”

Seeing Ayao’s look of admiration, Yang Hun grew even more displeased. “Spear intent? Is that so impressive? Is that really worth your attention, Sister Yao?”

Ayao retorted at once, “You didn’t see it for yourself—it was truly breathtaking. Even our teacher was astonished! Oh, and I remember Teacher Yang Yi went to see him personally too.”

Yang Hun’s face grew even darker. “My uncle? He went to see this boy as well? Hmph. Stop the carriage. Looks like I must meet him myself.”

Liu Weiyu, who had been silent at the side, knew Yang Yi’s temperament well. From Ayao’s first words, she could tell the vinegar jar had been overturned. She made no move to stop Ayao from talking, intending instead to watch the drama unfold.