Chapter 338: Extremely Fragile
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Amidst the crashing tides, the black-clothed man stepped forward. His aura seeped out bit by bit.
Many people from the surroundings looked at him strangely. He looked average but his eyes were very deep. His eyebrows were different too. They were like crescent moons but also like broadswords.
Some from the Qin Dynasty furrowed their brows. Bodies flashing, they went to him. "Who are you?" someone asked.
The man didn't reply. He continued forward, his aura shrouding over who was before him. In an instant, those hearts started trembling, their pupils contracting. That moment, they felt that they were in a terrifying space. The formless aura could rip them into pieces.
The black-clothed man seemed to be alone in his world. He walked to the center of the banquet. His steps gradually moved up into the air. Each step was higher than the last.
Gradually, more and more people discovered his existence. Many people looked up, eyebrows arching. Emperor Qin had gathered all strong cultivators here. Everyone present was a top figure of the Eastern Barren Territory's top forces. Who was this guy? How dare he be so impolite and crazy as to walk in the air?
The guards moved to stop him but his aura abruptly became extremely terrifying. The horrible intent radiated from him, creating a force field in the vast space. Those who wanted to stop him froze in the air, staring at him.
Hiss… Piercing sounds rang out in the air. An invisible force shrouded the space, pushing down the crashing tide. The sound weakened and everyone looked up. They saw the black-clothed man walking towards the center of the stage. As the force strengthened, the tides weakened. Its strength quickly faded until it was completely gone. Soon, the space was quiet and felt eerie.
As soon as the man appeared, he repressed the wild atmosphere. He stood proudly in the air. He was average-looking but was now the absolute focus. He seemed to be the only one in the Qin palace.
The big figures in the banquet all looked at him, hearts trembling. The clan leader of the Fuyun Sword Clan even stood up with an extremely icy expression. His eyes were like an unsheathed sword that stabbed toward the man. It was that sharp.
"Emperor Qin, you invited all the strong cultivators here. Why didn't you invite me?" the man said in the air. His voice was as cold and hard as stone. His eyes still focused on the important figures of the Qin Dynasty.
"I was afraid I'm not important enough for the first disciple of the Cottage." Emperor Qin remained in his seat, staring at the black-clothed figure in the air.
It was the Sword Saint, the first disciple of the Cottage. He'd come out of the west of the Eastern Barren Territory and come to the Qin palace. The people of the top forces were terrified. No one thought that the Sword Saint would appear in front of everyone. This was crazy. Qin Ge had died outside Book Mountain not long ago. Now, the Sword Saint came to the Qin Dynasty alone. Was he showing absolute confidence in his abilities?
The vast space was dead silent. Not many had seen the Sword Saint before so they didn't know who he was until Emperor Qin's words.
"I heard that the Qin Dynasty is calling the Eastern Barren Territory to punish the Cottage. How can I not come?" The Sword Saint's voice contained formless power. No matter what his cultivation was, his own aura could push down the entire Qin palace.
Emperor Qin kept looking at the Sword Saint without speaking. Qin Yu, though, walked forward. He was level with Gu Dongliu and Lu Nantian. The Sword Saint had made a name for himself earlier and more impressively.
The Sword Saint only used one battle because he'd challenged the Fuyun Sword Clan. One battle turned him into a saint. It had been many years since that one battle. What plane was the Sword Saint at now?
"I've heard of you for many years, Sword Saint. I would like to learn from you today," Qin Yu said. A gust of horrible battle intent radiated from him.
The Sword Saint scanned Qin Yu. The next moment, horrible wind swept over the Qin palace, ravaging the world. Sharp sword intent flooded out, splitting the heavens. Endless sword intent converged into a broadsword that hung in the air.
The sword hung across the sky, hanging over everyone's heads. At that moment, everyone present felt the pressure of the world ending. The sword could fall on them at any moment.
Countless people looked up at the Sword Saint, especially those from the top forces. What level was he at now?
Hiss… The hovering sword came down. Without saying anything, the Sword Saint moved directly. This action didn't seem to use any skill or spell. It was just like a plain sword movement. The sword floated down as if it was unthreatening. Just like a flash of light, it didn't target anyone. Instead, it stabbed the center of the stage, the location of the banquet.
No one moved, whether because the sword was too fast or because they weren't the targets. Anyway, no one stopped the sword and let it fall and split the center of the Qin palace's ground. A thin crack appeared, spreading outward in different directions like a tree's roots. It expanded crazily in every direction before stopping at the feet of the top forces.
The Fuyun Sword Clan leader looked down at the thin crack by his feet. Sharp broadsword light seemed to shine from it. The light contained incredible broadsword intent; it seemed eternal. Sword intent shone from the leader's eyes, rushing into the crack. It found the broadsword intent and tried to erase it but it was impossible. Discovering this, he trembled involuntarily. He knew what this meant.
It meant that the Sword Saint had sage intent now. He'd surpassed the Fuyun Sword Clan's leader and his sword intent.
The lord of the Royal Xuan Temple also looked down to feel the broadsword intent. His arm trembled; his expression was uncomfortable. The other people all looked down and were unsettled. Those who had lower planes felt that their souls would be ripped apart when they felt the broadsword intent.
Hiss, hiss… At that moment, the broadsword intent in the crack exploded. It tore apart everything as it expanded crazily. The ground was ripped apart with horribly deep fissures. The light dimmed and the remaining broadsword intent scattered. All that remained was the mark. One could still feel the horrible existence within it.
The vast palace was dead silent.
Just as the Qin Dynasty called the Eastern Barren Territory to prepare to punish the Cottage, the first disciple appeared. He just walked into the palace and made one move. He seemed to be the only one here.
The strong cultivators of the Qin Dynasty were uncomfortable, especially Emperor Qin and Qin Yu, the crown prince.
Just then, Qin Yu pulled out the golden dragon spear. A dragon roared faintly as if it contained the soul of a dragon. The Sword Saint's one move told him that the Sword Saint had progressed much further than him. His sage intent was deeper too. It would be impossible to win against him without a sage ritual implement.
Dragons roared and Qin Yu shot into the air. Dragons seemed to wrap around them. However, the Sword Saint just scanned them indifferently. "I don't mind if you want to fight here but how many of the people present can leave alive?" His words shook everyone. Earlier, his attack hadn't meant to kill anyone so he split the space. But if a battle truly happened, just the shockwaves would be impossible to bear for most people. A shred of the broadsword intent could kill many strong cultivators. Not many would be able to survive.
"The mighty Sword Saint is threatening other people's lives?" Qin Yu said, staring at the Sword Saint. If they fight, they would obviously go battle it out in the air.
"If there's a next time, I won't cast my broadsword like this and it might not be at the Qin Dynasty," the Sword Saint said indifferently. As soon as he finished, he turned and walked away.
Accept Qin Yu's challenge? He didn't have time for something so boring. Seeing how the Qin Dynasty had treated the Liu Kingdom and were about to attack the Cottage, he'd come to the Qin Dynasty. Now he had to play with Qin Yu?
"You're going to leave like this?" Emperor Qin called to the Sword Saint's back.
"You can try keeping me here but you must bear the consequences," the Sword Saint said. Emperor Qin stared at his backside with an ugly expression. He could feel from the bit of broadsword intent that the Sword Saint was no longer below his level. If he really tried to make the man stay, no one could predict the consequences. Many people would die.
Qin Yu gripped the dragon spear as he glared at the man's back. Were they really letting the Sword Saint leave like this?
There wasn't much time for him to think. The Sword Saint quickly transformed into a black dot that faded into the distance.
Everyone stared at the Sword Saint, feeling unsettled inside. He was much stronger than before. What would the result be if he visited all their clans? They didn't dare imagine it.
At that moment, the powerful atmosphere from earlier was gone. The Eastern Barren alliance was about to be born but now, it looked fragile enough to shatter at a touch!