Chapter 426 - 288: From Now On, Yunxi—A Yunxi for One Person
Danyang Mountain lay in ruins.
The pouring rain washed over it, but could not mask the stench of blood.
At this time, a group of people charged up from the foot of the mountain, bearing the banner of Beidou Bang, scavenging the remnants of Danyang Sect.
Gu Zhan dragged his Horizontal Saber, walking through the torrential rain, and soon arrived at the place where he had previously slain Qi Baiyu.
From a distance, he saw Nangong Weiyang in golden battle armor, supporting Sword One.
"Lord!"
Nangong Weiyang, seeing Gu Zhan appear, hurriedly shouted, "Reporting to the Lord, the subordinates have already been sent to gather Danyang Sect’s resources."
Gu Zhan nodded, saying, "Well done, I’ll leave the follow-up tasks to you!"
Nangong Weiyang smiled faintly, shook her head slightly, and said, "The real toil is yours, Lord. I feel ashamed that I couldn’t be of much help. I didn’t foresee that Yuan Zhixiang and Nie Ghost God would also be here."
Gu Zhan waved his hand and said, "You are in charge of leading the troops; plotting and countering schemes are not your concern. Moreover, had you not arranged for Sword One to guard here in advance, I wouldn’t have been able to keep Yuan Zhixiang and others left behind on my own."
Today’s battle,
The appearance of Qi Baiyu, Yuan Zhixiang, and Nie Ghost God was unexpected in Gu Zhan’s plan; previously, they only knew from the Astronomical Bureau that someone was pushing things behind Lu Yuan Dao.
However, they hadn’t considered Sword King City in this aspect.
Gu Zhan’s original plan was to take the initiative to disrupt the opponent’s scheme, with Nangong Weiyang leading her people to sweep through Lu Yuan Dao factions from one side. Yet, feeling unsettled, Nangong Weiyang had Yun Wei and Xiao Chen lead troops to raid various headquarters, while she stayed at Danyang Sect with Sword One to support Gu Zhan in case of emergency.
Nangong Weiyang’s thinking was simple,
It’s that a gentleman does not stand beside a perilous wall. With Sword One secretly backing up, if Gu Zhan lost, she would immediately have Sword One take Gu Zhan away, abandoning the conquest of Lu Yuan Dao.
She could see clearly,
No matter how vast Beidou Bang’s framework is, it’s presently sustained by Gu Zhan alone. If Gu Zhan were gone, Beidou Bang’s collapse would come in a single night.
However, the later appearance of Qi Baiyu was unexpected,
Back then, Nangong Weiyang had prepared to have Sword One act, but was silently signaled by Gu Zhan to stop, only taking action after Yuan Zhixiang and Nie Ghost God showed up.
Nonetheless, Gu Zhan’s power,
Indeed completely exceeded Nangong Weiyang’s expectations.
She knew Gu Zhan was strong,
But never imagined he had grown this powerful.
Especially when seeing Gu Zhan perform Thunder Slash, she was utterly stunned,
Thunder Slash was a technique she had given to Gu Zhan, knowing full well that it had only been a few months, but Gu Zhan’s control over Thunder Slash had already far surpassed hers.
Looking at Gu Zhan,
Nangong Weiyang felt a sensation she couldn’t quite describe,
She was also recognized in Yunzhou as a top prodigy,
She had mastered Thunder Slash, which no one had accomplished for hundreds of years,
Among today’s prodigies, she knew she couldn’t compare to Sword One and Qi Baiyu, but it never reached a point of despair,
Yet now facing Gu Zhan,
She truly felt hopeless,
This gap made her lose any motivation to pursue.
"Lord!" Nangong Weiyang softly called out.
"What’s wrong?" Gu Zhan asked.
Nangong Weiyang smiled and said, "Just feeling the Lord’s talent is truly... truly..."
"Truly overwhelming!"
At this moment, the weary Sword One suddenly spoke, "Ever since stepping into Martial Arts, I have encountered numerous prodigies, mighty ones like Qi Baiyu, Qin Hongyi of Dao Pavilion, the seventh lady of the Gu Family, and each of them could be called the pinnacle of their generation, yet I never felt inferior to them. But since meeting you, Lord... the sense of powerlessness has only grown stronger."
Gu Zhan glanced at Sword One, slightly furrowing his brow, saying, "Did you... abolish your cultivation?"
Sword One had been supported by Nangong Weiyang, leading Gu Zhan to wonder, and upon sensing now, he discovered Sword One’s body was devoid of cultivation, his aura incredibly weak, showing clear signs of dissipating skill.
Sword One struggled to remove his arm from Nangong Weiyang’s embrace, very formally bowed and said, "Lin Xiao’er has been under the Lord’s command for a long time, yet never formally greeted the Lord. I beg the Lord’s forgiveness!"
Gu Zhan held Sword One’s wrist, saying, "If Sword One sees worth in me, from now on we’ll move forward hand in hand, life’s journey is long, let’s cherish it together."
Sword One smiled faintly, saying, "Now, having abolished my cultivation, I’m grateful the Lord hasn’t forsaken me."
Gu Zhan asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Sword One replied, "Fortunately, Qi Baiyu’s White Lion Sword temporarily suppressed my Demonic Qi, and his final words to me indeed gave clarity, the Yellow Court Scripture is the main factor drawing the Demonic Qi within me. As long as the Yellow Court Scripture exists, my Demonic Qi cannot be entirely suppressed, even if there are great opportunities to forcibly subdue it, it would just make me half-human half-demon.
If I wish to be a normal person, I must destroy my Dantian and abandon cultivation, from now on just settle down as an ordinary person. Though I’ve lost my cultivation, however..."
Sword One slightly turned his head to look at Nangong Weiyang, saying, "Being able to stay by Nangong’s side like a normal person is already fulfilling to me. My practice in swordsmanship was originally for Nangong; without her, even if undefeatable in the world, it means nothing to me!"
Nangong Weiyang showed a smile, held Sword One’s hand, and said, "I initially hoped for your cultivation to reduce obstacles in our being together. Now... even if you are an ordinary person, it doesn’t matter; I can protect you."