CHAPTER 484: CHAPTER 471: WHO IS NUMBER SIX

When Zhao Changhe reached the mountain peak, he saw Yue Hongling making a beeline out of the cave, fleeing under the pursuit of Ying Shuang and others.

Yue Hongling had intended to seize the Bone Sword, but found she couldn’t take it. The Array enshrouded Sword Qi was something she could disturb using her own Sword Qi, but she couldn’t physically reach out to take it. She didn’t know Changhe’s Control Crane Skill, and even if she did, it was impossible to perform in the midst of the whirling Sword Qi. The True Qi she could project would be shredded by the Array’s Sword Qi, unable to connect.

Realizing she couldn’t take it after one attempt, Yue Hongling decisively chose not to entangle further and immediately fled from the cave.

If Wuding hurried back and trapped her inside the cave, then she was surely doomed.

Sure enough, just as she left the cave, Wuding arrived in a panic at the edge of the sky, furiously swooping down, "You two dogs are courting death!"

With a "swoosh," Yue Hongling dodged to the side. Wuding’s Sword Qi exploded beside her on the rock, blasting it into ash.

Yue Hongling was inwardly astonished. Such Sword Qi was truly terrifying; she had no idea how Zhao Changhe had just contended with him...

Turning her head to look, Zhao Changhe was also following Wuding, wielding his Broadsword above his head and chasing after Wuding’s head.

Yue Hongling allowed herself a slight smile.

It was apparent that Zhao Changhe had become much weaker. Possibly, he had exhausted his True Qi by borrowing the power of the Dragon Sparrow. Fortunately, his physical strength was still formidable, allowing him still to fight.

Even when weaker, especially in a time like this, he rushed back desperately to join her side.

The little man could really be counted on now, comforting indeed.

But the Sword Qi that followed, wielded by the rapidly approaching Wuding, piercing straight at her, sent tremors through the heart, irresistible.

When discarding the indiscriminate bombardment of long-range Sword Qi and really entering the contest of Sword Skills, the Swordsman’s eyes saw different things.

Yue Hongling suddenly felt a sense of loneliness, as if standing alone atop a snowy peak, the world vast and empty, a lone goose in the setting sun, nothing left but herself. The light of the sky before her eyes was the ultimate destination of the sword.

What is the meaning of life?

Everything is meaningless. Only the sword carries meaning.

To sever all ties with the mundane world, even severing one’s own heart...

But in this endless expanse of sky welling up after the desolation, there was a man huffing and puffing with urgency as he wielded his Broadsword, adorably clumsy like a bear, clearly unable to keep up.

Yue Hongling suddenly laughed and, with Man and Sword Unity, charged toward Wuding, now airborne.

Sunset glinting off the river, Yue Hongling’s signature Sword Skill which she had used to reverse her disadvantage and kill Lan Tiankuo, but at this moment, she wielded it somewhat differently.

To Wuding, it seemed as if the snowy peak itself stretched ever upwards, showing the Sunset Afterglow that reddened the horizon, as if elucidating his Sword Dao.

Then the perspective pulled down, revealing villages at the edge of the Snow Mountain beneath the twilight sky, with the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, smoke curling upward from chimneys, men returning home with their hoes, the elderly sitting under a tree in front of their houses playing chess, and women scolding children covered in mud.

The warmth of human life, tranquil everywhere, tranquility that could quench all killing intent.

Realizing this, Wuding swiftly countered the incoming strike with his sword.

The ties of the mundane, what is the true intention?

Where lies the Sword Dao?

"Clang!" Another resounding sound shook Snow Mountain. The Longsword that Yue Hongling had carried for many years finally snapped, and a wound appeared on her shoulder, spurting fresh blood.

But Wuding wasn’t faring well either; the Sword Qi in his meridians churned, as Yue Hongling’s Sword Qi invaded all over his body, paralyzing him temporarily, creating a moment of hesitation.

In that split second of delay, behind him the sound of the Broadsword whooshed, and the Dragon Sparrow Power struck towards his neck.

Wuding dodged urgently, the swelling Sword Light nicking his shoulder.

Wuding retaliated with his sword, swift as thunder.

Zhao Changhe narrowly twisted to avoid it, brushing past. Simultaneously, he threw the Ancient Sword Dragon Emperor from his ring towards Yue Hongling, who cast away her broken sword and caught Dragon Emperor; upon contact, the sword showed no resistance.

The three of them stood in a triangle formation, one with a sword, one with a sword, both pointing at Wuding.

For a moment, the air atop the Snow Mountain seemed to pause, and Ying Shuang and the others who had chased out of the cave stared dumbfounded.

These two, together, had actually injured the Sect Master!

Though it was only a nick, it was still shocking.

These two, though strong and famous in the world, were merely at the First Layer of Secret Treasure and had not broken through to the Second Layer.

Not only was Wuding at the Second Layer, but he was also one of its outstanding figures, one of the top characters of the Earth List. The gap between them was vast; saying it was wider than that between humans and dogs might have been an exaggeration, but saying it was like an adult fighting a child wasn’t the slightest bit inaccurate.

Yet these two children had truly wounded the adult!

Wuding’s eyes were fixed intently on Yue Hongling, and he slowly spoke, "Originally, our Sword Intents should have had similarities."

Yue Hongling’s face was somewhat pale, but her hand holding Dragon Emperor was still stable, "Indeed, once I went to Ba Mountain seeking to validate my swordsmanship with the Sword Pavilion, but I didn’t expect the validation to happen today."

Wuding continued, "Then when did your Sword Intent change to this?"

Yue Hongling replied, "Just a few days ago... or perhaps, just now."

Wuding glanced at Zhao Changhe, "Because of him?"

"Because of him."

Wuding thought for a moment, then continued, "The change or, say, the elevation of Sword Intent shouldn’t cause such a sudden increase in your original strength... Is it because you fought my Sword Slaves earlier and absorbed some of their power? Keeping it to use against me..."

Ying Shuang: "..."

Wuding looked at Zhao Changhe again, "This is the swordsmanship of Xiang Simeng. So it turns out that the Left and Right Guardians under Simeng are the two of you; no wonder I thought, when did such a powerful pair of Swordsmen emerge in Miao Region."

Yue Hongling blinked her eyes but said nothing more.

If the occasion wasn’t inappropriate, Zhao Changhe frankly wanted to sit down and hold his hands demurely.

Just recognizing this was enough; thankfully, you didn’t recognize Wang Daozhong too.

Wuding sighed, "Very well... the stronger, the better... The Sword Slaves required by Wuding need such power."

Finally, Zhao Changhe spoke up, "You’re dreaming."

The deadpan face of Wuding revealed a smile, "Do you think that with your coordination, I might not be able to kill you? Or do you believe you’ve saved Han Wubing, and by disturbing the Array Core, my great plan has already been thrown into disarray?"

The couple exchanged glances, neither speaking.

Wuding said indifferently, "You’re young, your experiences limited. That Bone Sword... is not actually a sword; it’s the spine of some Ancient Times’ Exotic Beast, merely resembling a sword."

Zhao Changhe’s heart suddenly stirred, as if he’d thought of something.

Yes, what was the exotic beast whose bones were used to make the Blood God Array Plate...

Wuding continued, "Its purpose is not to serve as the Array Core, but rather this grand Array exists solely for its energy accumulation. Since you cannot steal it, it’s pointless for you. Conversely, our battle continuously charges it with energy, with our Sword Qi being more direct and effective than the sinister chill of the Snow Mountain, making the need to harness the celestial timing superfluous... You may think the weather doesn’t seem as cold, but it’s actually meaningless."

The young couple finally showed signs of alarm.

Had all their efforts been in vain? Were they actually providing him with Sword Qi for energy storage?

"As for the Seven Star Array, it’s merely a defensive Array and has nothing to do with energy gathering and storage. Have you not wondered why Lan Wujiang doesn’t need to come set up the Array?"

Zhao Changhe thought about it, his expression growing uglier by the second.

"The Array is underground, spanning the Snow Mountain. Han Wubing... as soon as he stepped into this area, he became part of the Array. It wasn’t my Domain at work, but the magic of the Array... His presence was all that was needed." Wuding said all this in one breath, his smile growing thicker, "Two smart young people, playing the role of the Sword Slave, will have time to reflect slowly."

With those words, Han Wubing appeared on the edge of the mountain, slowly approaching Zhao Changhe from behind.

Yue Hongling’s expression changed, "Be careful, the Han Wubing now is not himself, don’t let him get close."

Zhao Changhe didn’t say anything, silently watching Han Wubing draw nearer.

If they ignored him and fled, Wuding might not be able to keep them.

But could they just leave?

Leaving behind such a righteous friend... And if Wuding completed the absorption of the Bone Sword, bridging the two realms, causing the Snow Mountain to collapse, and countless lives to perish... could they bear to watch?

But to stand here and die without trying to escape, wouldn’t that be delivering themselves to death?

Zhao Changhe kept a vigilant eye on Han Wubing’s lifeless eyes as he approached. The sword he carried was slowly being raised.

Yue Hongling cried out in alarm, "Careful!"

Han Wubing thrust his sword fiercely.

Simultaneously, Wuding also launched an attack with his own sword, striking at Yue Hongling.

Ying Shuang and the others all moved in unison, blocking every possible escape route for the couple.

In this moment of great uncertainty, Zhao Changhe suddenly burst forth with a slash, aiming for... Wuding in front of him.

Wuding: "?"

Suicidal? Aren’t you going to do something about Han Wubing stabbing at your back?

Just as Han Wubing’s sword brutally aimed for Zhao Changhe’s back, it narrowly missed by a hair’s breadth. The violent Sword Qi whistled furiously, piercing the air straight towards Wuding’s throat from several meters away!

What seemed to be a two-on-two situation suddenly shifted to three against one. The formation of Ying Shuang and the others who were blocking was left in stunned silence, their minds not yet catching up to what had happened.

Wuding had completely misjudged the situation; as he was entangled with Yue Hongling, Han Wubing’s Sword Qi was already upon him. Narrowly dodging it, Zhao Changhe’s silent blade once again approached Wuding’s neck.

Hell is Like This!

"Clang!" Wuding barely parried Dragon Sparrow, as Yue Hongling’s sword swung around, narrowly missing Wuding’s Dantian, unable to penetrate.

But the Sword Qi still invaded, truly causing a chaotic mess within Wuding’s Qi Sea in his Dantian, prompting him to groan and retreat backward.

Everyone turned to look at Han Wubing, who after releasing that lifetime accumulation of Sword Qi, now stood motionless, looking no different from a Sword Slave.

But why did his Sword Qi target Wuding?

While the couple continued to assail Wuding, amidst his busy defense, Wuding still sought an answer, "How do you still retain your sense of self?"

Han Wubing slowly began, "Back in the bushes, I thought for a long time... I’ve come to understand a lot of things..."

"The guidance of Sword Qi you bestowed upon me as a child seems to have been flawed..."

"But my cultivation has always relied on this strand of Sword Qi for growth, having long been integrated into all my training, including my Divine Soul Sea. When I broke through the First Layer Secret Treasure, it was closely linked... Once it changed, I would no longer be myself."

"I gave it some thought, and actually, it’s quite simple."

Wuding found nothing simple about it.

"It really is quite simple... because all I had to do was abandon my cultivation, right? Then it’s all settled, and I don’t even have to die, is it not simple?"

Wuding’s eyes widened in shock.

Sensing carefully, Han Wubing truly had no trace of cultivation left, having cast it all off.

His Sword Qi was literally the "effort of a lifetime"; he had expelled all his accumulated power...

At this moment, Han Wubing was weaker than the frailest patient, with veins like they had been scraped empty, and his Dantian hollow. Even if he wished to start cultivating again, it would probably be futile.

But simply put, he was no longer under control.

"I am still myself, isn’t that simple?" Han Wubing smiled faintly, "It’s just a pity, I really liked swords... I’m sure it wasn’t because of your guidance, I truly liked them... nevermind."

Zhao Changhe fiercely attacked Wuding, internally noting that there was still a chance... once his Rejuvenation Technique was perfected, it should be treatable.

During this brief conversation, the mountain suddenly rumbled with a deep sound.

An extremely sharp Sword Qi shot from within the cave straight into the sky.

Wuding was ecstatic, "It’s done, whether or not you disperse your powers, your Sword Qi has been released, the final deficiency has been filled, the Bone Sword’s penetration power needed has been reached..."

He couldn’t even finish his sentence when his voice suddenly stuck in his throat.

An old man, holding the Bone Sword, dashed out of the cave so quickly that no one knew when he had entered.

Wuding was dumbfounded.

"A fine item, I’ll bring it to my dear apprentice." The old man raced down the mountain, "You all enjoy yourselves..."

Snowflakes began to fill the sky.

A Sword Shadow silently approached the old man from behind in the snow.

The old man suddenly turned around, pulling out a rarely used Dagger and deflecting the strike with a "clang," then his body followed the wind, vanishing like smoke.

His laughter echoed from afar, "Did you think why I wasn’t going after Wuding myself, letting the kids exert so much effort... because I was fully prepared to fend you off, Heavenly List number six, come chase me."

His voice faded, and he was nowhere to be seen.

The snow whirled, carrying a sound akin to wailing ghosts, sweeping up in pursuit.

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