Chapter 12 - 11: A Grudge, Swiftly Come and Swiftly Gone
"Not good!"
Before his message even finished, the man had already made his move. The commander’s face turned ashen; he never imagined this person would be even more domineering than he’d expected, with absolutely no intention of negotiating. A sword strike came right for him, forcing him to summon his Magical Artifact, a silver wheel, to block the attack head-on.
CLANG! The hastily summoned Magical Artifact met the attack with a sharp crack. Under the force of that single sword strike, a fissure appeared on the silver wheel.
’A Top-grade Golden Core... Is the gap in power truly this vast?’
The thought had barely crossed his mind when several streaks of sword light shot past him. One went to block his second-in-command and several subordinates, while the rest went straight for Yang Lian.
The commander’s expression was one of utter shock and rage. ’These true heirs of major sects... they’re so arrogant and utterly lawless!’
If he just killed someone like this, the century-old reputation of the Xingyue Marketplace would be tarnished. And as the law enforcement commander, he would be held accountable by the Workshop Master. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of bitter resentment.
A Cultivator can have a thousand thoughts in a single moment, but the passage of time is absolute. A breath later, the expected scene of the man’s sword killing Yang Lian on the spot had not come to pass.
’The Workshop Master!’ The thought popped into the law enforcement commander’s mind, and he was instantly overjoyed. In the next moment, everyone present felt a shift in their spiritual senses, as if the world had suddenly turned upside down. When it righted itself again, the boundless, clear sky had transformed into a starry night.
In the sky of the Profound Yellow Realm, two full moons—one pristine white, the other pale violet—hung high. Amidst a faint sigh, a Daoist with purple hair, a white beard, clad in a Double Moon Robe, holding a Duster, and wearing cloth shoes materialized from the moonlight.
Venerable Moonlight!
Yang Lian was overjoyed. But just as he was about to speak, a piercing pain shot through him, from his very soul to his flesh. He opened his mouth only to spit out a gout of fiery red blood, the shock of it making him realize just how grievous his injuries had become.
’Now that Venerable Moonlight has appeared, my life should be safe.’ He hurriedly focused his qi and circulated his profound arts to stabilize his injuries.
"Venerable Moonlight?" Xuzhuang’s eyebrow twitched. He reined in his sword pellet and asked, "What is the meaning of this, Venerable?"
His words made the surrounding Law Enforcement Cultivators boil with rage. ’This man is arrogance incarnate!’
Venerable Moonlight’s expression didn’t change. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, Xingyue Marketplace was created by my junior brother and me for our own cultivation and for the convenience of nearby cultivators. Fighting and causing injury have always been forbidden here. Whatever grudge you two have to settle, this old Daoist has no reason to interfere as long as it is outside the jurisdiction of the Marketplace. But within it, it is not permitted. I hope you can understand, Fellow Daoist."
"This..." Xuzhuang frowned slightly. While not a completely lawless person, letting Yang Lian escape so easily was unacceptable to him. After a few breaths of thought, Xuzhuang said gravely, "For the Venerable’s information, the enmity between this man and I is to the death. If he escapes today, it might be my life that is forfeit tomorrow."
His tone then shifted, as if he hadn’t said any of that, and he asked, "So the Venerable is determined to stop me today?"
Hearing this, Venerable Moonlight also pondered for a long time before suddenly saying, "I just witnessed a display of your extraordinary Swordsmanship, Fellow Daoist, and was quite amazed. It’s just that this old Daoist has been in seclusion for a long time and does not recognize the young talents of this generation. Might I ask for your name?"
Xuzhuang said flatly, "I am Xuzhuang, a contemporary true heir of Tai Su."
"So you are a true heir of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect. No wonder you have such an impressive bearing." Venerable Moonlight then glanced at Yang Lian, whose eyes were closed as he circulated his qi. "This Fellow Daoist, on the other hand, is not unfamiliar. He must be Fellow Daoist Yang, a true heir of the Celestial Fire Sect."
Yang Lian suppressed his chaotic qi, opened his eyes, and said, "I am."
Venerable Moonlight sighed. "You are both prodigies of your respective Taoist Sects. This old Daoist truly does not wish to get involved in your feud. However, without rules, there can be no order. For the sake of Xingyue Square, I must intervene. If Fellow Daoist Xu insists on acting, you will have to get past this old Daoist first."
"Hm?" Hearing this, Yang Lian couldn’t help but let out a long breath, his anxious heart finally settling. Xuzhuang gave both Venerable Moonlight and Yang Lian a deep look, then suddenly said, "Very well. Then let me experience Venerable Moonlight’s Divine Techniques!"
When he struck, he moved with the force of a thunderbolt. Before his words had even faded, Xuzhuang attacked with his full power. With a sharp ZING, his sword pellet erupted, and he merged with his sword, transforming into a streak of sword light that slashed toward Yang Lian.
However, as sudden as Xuzhuang’s attack was, how could it escape the eyes of a Nascent Soul Venerable? At that very instant, Venerable Moonlight flicked the Duster in his hand. Its thousands of threads transformed into a Heaven-Encompassing Net, woven so tightly that not even the wind could pass through. It blocked the path to Yang Lian while simultaneously seeming to envelop Xuzhuang himself.
"Rise!" Unperturbed, Xuzhuang channeled the power of his Core. A stream of mist rose from the crown of his head. The Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture struck once more, swelling in the wind as it clawed viciously at the duster’s net.
"Huh?!" The moment his Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture made contact with the duster’s net, Xuzhuang felt something was off. He hadn’t expected to succeed completely, yet to his surprise, his Great Capture tore viciously through the Celestial Net, ripping a large section of it into its grasp and leaving a gaping hole.
The surrounding Law Enforcement Cultivators were aghast. The commander’s heart pounded wildly. ’Even for a Top-grade Golden Core, how could he possess such might? To contend with a Nascent Soul Venerable? This is completely illogical!’
"Not good!" Yang Lian’s soul nearly fled his body. "Venerable Moon—" Before he could finish, a sword flew at him. Yang Lian’s world spun. In a daze, he saw a streak of Xuzhuang’s escape light sweep over and snatch the Qiankun Cloth Bag from his Daoist Robe.
’But... how can I be watching this?’
Yang Lian didn’t have time to understand why. His head rolled a few times on the ground, and his vision faded completely to black.
"Good. Fellow Daoist Xu truly has fine Swordsmanship, fine Daoist arts, and fine Divine Techniques."
Beneath Venerable Moonlight’s placid expression, fury seemed to be churning. An intimidating aura erupted from his body, his hair and beard floating on the air as he said coldly, "Regarding the matter of you, Fellow Daoist Xu, committing murder today in my Xingyue Square, I will personally go to your esteemed sect and demand an explanation. The Tai Su Orthodox Sect is the leader of the Shenzhou Xuanmen. I trust that Master Yuanhua will not shelter a disciple who murders with impunity."
A strange feeling arose in Xuzhuang’s heart. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "My hand was forced today. I have caused much offense. I, Xuzhuang, will visit the Venerable another day to offer my apologies." Seeing that Venerable Moonlight remained unmoved, he didn’t linger and immediately transformed into a Sword Rainbow, soaring into the sky and away.
Venerable Moonlight stared in the direction where Xuzhuang’s escape light had vanished over the horizon, silent for a long, long time.
’Top-grade Golden Core, Top-grade Golden Core... A Middle Grade Golden Core, in the end, has almost no hope of cultivating a Primordial Spirit. And without a Primordial Spirit, a thousand years of cultivation and all manner of Daoist arts are just empty talk. Junior Brother Xingxiu still has a long life ahead of him, but I do not have much time left. I wonder if his trip to the Taixuan Sect is going smoothly. Perhaps when he returns, it will be time to prepare for him to protect me during my reincarnation.’
With a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, Venerable Moonlight vanished silently into the moonlight. The world cleared, returning to a boundless, sunny sky, leaving behind only a long sigh.