Chapter 359: Sound Suppression
============================================================
A spatial anchor? Wasn't that the mark etched onto her back?
But Master said it was in Master's wife's possession. What does that mean?
What's the difference between a spatial anchor point and a positioning anchor point?
Void Blueprint? What is this thing? "Void" implies non-existence, so is it a blueprint for something that doesn't exist? How can one find something that doesn't exist?
Or rather, how can something non-existent even have a blueprint?
Finally, the Heavenly River's Divine Treasure Iron—it sounds like some sort of magical artifact. What kind of artifact is it?
Master seems to know who possesses it. Who is Monkey Brother?
The matter seemed to fade away like that. The Master never mentioned it again, only admonishing the three direct disciples not to speak of it carelessly.
Yet Ye Qinghan found her mind filled with even more puzzles. She had only just begun to understand a little about her Master…
…only to realize she was but a frog at the bottom of a well. What she glimpsed was no more than half an inch of the well's rim; what she knew was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Yet as the Master turned away, his figure seemed tinged with a newfound loneliness—unchanged from the days of old.
Instinctively, she reached out, her delicate hands tugging at Su Cheng's sleeve. Ye Qinghan didn't know what to say.
"No."
Su Cheng didn't even turn around. As he freed himself from Ye Qinghan's grasp, his answer was final and unquestionable.
"Qinghan hasn't even said anything yet!" Ye Qinghan seemed to want to struggle further. How could the master be so…
"No matter what you wish to say, it is not permitted. Your master does not consent."
"……"
It seemed her master understood her far better than she had imagined.
It was merely an offhand remark from his junior sister, yet it struck like the alarm clock of that dawn, or a brutal punch capable of rousing a drunkard from his stupor.
Su Cheng recalled many things. He had wasted too much time. Some matters still required his personal attention.
He couldn't trust others to handle it.
Su Cheng approached the noisy little table. It seemed Shiyao's selection method had sparked intense dissatisfaction. They seemed to want that…
Divine justice?
Or perhaps justice?
"Shiyao, so-called fairness is merely the fantasy of the weak. Understand?"
He walked over to the small table and sat down on it, looking like a little hooligan.
Li Shiyu rose immediately upon seeing her master arrive. It wasn't cowardice—she simply couldn't be impolite.
"Shiyao remembers."
Su Cheng surveyed the circle of cultivators gathered around. Some had already been chosen by Li Shiyu, though they remained a minority.
Those favored by Li Shiyu were few and far between. After three hours, she had selected only six individuals.
"Shiyao, your master wishes you to understand that fairness requires strength to uphold."
"It's easy to speak cheap words. If the Holy Maiden wishes to love the world, mere passion will not suffice."
"Shiyao, you won't disappoint your master, will you?"
Li Shiyu's dazed expression slowly faded. The Heart-Capturing Bell chimed crisply and melodiously as her small feet tapped the ground.
"Shiyao won't disappoint her master."
"Then I leave this matter to you, Shiyu. I have other affairs to attend to."
As the words fell, the divine sword shot from its scabbard. With the flow of celestial magic, Su Cheng soared away on the blade, soon vanishing into a streak of light.
"Dongfang Jue! You betrayed me!"
"It's all because of Senior Sister! You didn't dare ask yourself, so you deceived Jue'er!"
"When did I ever tell you to go find our master? I had no idea this matter was so serious!"
"Senior Sister didn't know, yet she sent Jue to ask? And you claim you didn't harm Jue?"
"Damn it all—Break Army Sword Formation!"
"Hey hey hey, Senior Sister, let's talk this out calmly!"
"Words are useless. I care not for right or wrong anymore. Die!"
"Wait, Senior Sister! This is Ling Mountain!"
That single strike sent Dongfang Jue flying backward!
The earth trembled beneath their feet, the entire Ling Mountain shook, and all the cultivators stared in astonishment at Ye Qinghan, floating in the sky!
A sea of sword shadows swirled around her, evoking the sensation of ten thousand blades converging on a single point. A golden giant sword dharma form manifested at random!
Miaomiao hurried over, urgently asking, "Second Young Miss, aren't you going to try to talk her out of it?"
Li Shiyu showed no intention of moving, merely pulling Miao Miao closer to her side.
"First off, it's merely the Breaking Army Sword Formation. Senior Sister beat Shiyu using the God-Slaying Sword Formation! Jue'er will be fine~"
"Besides, persuading the eldest senior sister? You really think highly of Shiyu, don't you~"
Miaomiao was baffled too. She didn't understand the God-Slaying Sword Formation, but she knew Li Shiyu never fought unprepared battles. Clearly, persuading the senior sister was already considered somewhat dangerous in Shiyu's mind…
"Relax, it'll be fine. This sort of thing is commonplace in Lingxian Hall. Senior Sister knows what she's doing. Just stay out of the way."
Meanwhile, Su Cheng had already flown far away. Perhaps it was the alarm clock, but the man who hadn't been roused by the white blade was awakened by duty—remembering the task he still had to complete.
Even the words he’d just spoken to Li Shiyu carried a hint of that other self.
"Been waiting a while, huh?"
Su Cheng donned every piece of armor he could fit onto his body.
Dragging his massive sword, he made his way to a small pavilion nestled in the mountains, leaning the blade against the railing.
"Quite a while, Your Excellency."
"You seem rather displeased to see me again." Su Cheng showed no sign of tension. The tea was already brewed, and he poured himself a cup.
"Not at all. They told me you'd become a cripple, but I knew it couldn't be that simple."
Seated opposite him was a man clad in military attire identical to Xiao Ai's, though his version was a loose-fitting, cape-like autumn trench coat.
"It's close enough. Not long ago, I got beaten up by Ku Mu. Even that bitch He Guang doesn't give me the time of day."
His lower body was clad in thickened trousers—training gear, perhaps?
"Sounds… pretty pitiful?"
Su Cheng drained her cup of tea, thinking to herself how long it had been since she'd last had this drink. Though even back then, she'd always taken hers with sugar.
"It's manageable. So you called me here to kill me?"
"You could say that. But there's still time. Let's talk first."
The man across from him was an old acquaintance—the commander of the Thirteenth Army Corps of the Imperial Guard. He was a hero, an unquestionable hero.
Yet this valiant warrior, whose sword pointed toward his king,
"How long has it been? Shen Rui?"
"Over four hundred years, I suppose. A single military order. Since then, it's been royal commands and military decrees. There's always been a distinction between sovereign and subject, isn't there?"
Su Cheng exhaled deeply. The others were one thing, but him…
He shouldn't… be here…
"I'll give you a chance. Leave now, and I'll pretend I never saw you."
The man was Shen Rui, sole commander of the Thirteenth Legion. As a provincial governor-level official, within his jurisdiction, he was the absolute ruler.
"Is this a military order, or your personal decision?"
"If a military order would suffice, I'll write one for you."
Shen Rui tugged at his collar. This attire was mandatory for audiences with the Sovereign, though he detested the uniform. He'd complained countless times—this collar was far too tight!
It was unbearably constricting!
"If someone else were sitting in my place, perhaps I might consider saving you."
"But now, everyone who could save you is dead, aren't they? Every last one. How many are still breathing?"
"Heh. There's no going back. One of us must stay behind."
Why did it all feel meaningless now? Regardless of the reason, the atmosphere had already reached this point.
Log in to permanently save your bookshelf data across devices. We recommend logging in for use.
============================================================