At this moment, Gu Hai was very anxious. Hurry up! We are burning money by manifesting Dugu Qiubai. If we drag this out, Dugu Qiubai will scatter.
Indeed, right after Gu Hai spoke, the already angered Ao Shun instantly charged into the ritual array, which only had its framework left. Then, Ao Shun swung his sword at him. The attack came too quickly, manifesting a radiant manifested sword that threatened to chop Gu Hai down in the blink of an eye.
“A great sword with no edge. No techniques work against absolute strength!” Dugu Qiubai shouted coldly.
The sword qi filling the sky suddenly manifested a three-kilometer-long black-iron great sword and clashed with the manifested sword.
Boom!
A loud report rang out, Ao Shun’s manifested sword shattered together with the black-iron great sword. This immediately pushed him back.
Gu Hai’s pupils constricted. This Ao Shun is indeed incredible. He is even more powerful than when the sword-toothed tiger drew on the citizen’s power. To think that the black-iron great sword could only pull a draw?
However, Ao Shun’s face sank. To think that he got pushed back. Was Gu Hai the one who killed the Heavenly-Palace-Realm-level sword-toothed tiger?
“Even the mountains, the rivers, the grass, and the trees can all be used as swords!” Dugu Qiubai shouted again.
Boom!
Suddenly, the move that had dealt heavy blows to the sword-toothed tiger appeared again. Swords made of mountains and rivers came out of the ground, thrusting over like they were the black-iron great sword.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ao Shun quickly blocked the even stronger earthen swords again and again. These swords were too ferocious, repeatedly knocking him back. The sword in his hand vibrated intensely, his hand going numb.
“What? That’s impossible!” Ao Shun fled in a sorry state, feeling shocked.
This scene gave the Heptagold Sect Master, Chu Chen, and the others goosebumps, daunting them.
If the swords made of mountains and rivers struck them, they would die with one strike. This Dugu Qiubai was simply undefeatable, simply too strong. If they were the ones fighting, they would be dead.
“How can this be possible? What ritual array is this?”
“Ao Shun is a Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator!”
“Is this how the sword-toothed tiger died?”
Gu Hai felt anxious, as he could sense the energy of the ritual array’s spirit stones starting to run low. Although Ao Shun was in a sorry state, Ao Shun was not injured.
Although Gu Hai felt anxious, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he said with a trace of a sneer, “What’s wrong? You can’t keep it up? Are you afraid already? Well, you can flee now. Go on, flee! Hahahaha!”
Flee? Flee from a Golden Core Realm cultivator? Flee? Ao Shun could not do it. However, Dugu Qiubai’s sword conception was too strong. Ao Shun worried that if he got careless, the swords of mountains and rivers would severely injure him.
“Roar!”
Ao Shun roared and transformed into a three-kilometer-long purple dragon. It immediately flung its vast body, crushing the countless swords of mountains and rivers in the surroundings. However, a large number of them stabbed the dragon’s body.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
The three-kilometer-long purple dragon roared in pain. It wanted to leave the ritual array, but it felt reluctant. It did not feel reconciled with this situation. Chased away by a Golden Core Realm cultivator? Do I have to flee?
No, I cannot run until the very end.
Gu Hai felt increasingly anxious. However, he still showed a calm front.
Then, Dugu Qiubai said, “That sword-toothed tiger from nine days ago is not worthy of my drawing my sword. You are worthy.”
You are worthy?
This line startled all the Heptagold Sect disciples in the distance. They only just realized that this swordsman had a sword in his hand, which he never drew.
This swordsman could already push Ao Shun to such a sorry state without even drawing his sword. Now, he was going to draw his sword?
Everyone felt startled. The might of these mountain and river swords was already quite terrifying. However, these were just moves that this swordsman did not think much of?
Ao Shun’s expression changed dramatically.
He saw Dugu Qiubai’s right hand slowly move towards his sword’s handle. Then, Dugu Qiubai slowly drew a bronze sword.
Buzz!
Dugu Qiubai drew his sword by one finger’s length, the ambient temperature suddenly plummeted. It seemed like the sword qi froze the place, causing snow to fall.
Buzz!
When the sword came out by two finger’s length, the surrounding ground immediately froze over with frost.
A strong sword conception pressed directly on Ao Shun’s heart. Destructive, cold energy pointed at him, causing him to feel the threat of death.
“This sword is named Tomb. No one has seen it but me, as anyone who has seen Tomb died!” Dugu Qiubai said.
[TL Note: There was never a Tomb sword mentioned in the Jin Yong novels. However, when Dugu Qiubai retired into isolation, he created a sword tomb, where he had left his swords. The sword tomb was his final resting place as well. The first and third swords were left there; a wooden marker represented the second sword, as he had tossed the second sword into a valley out of regret for his actions. And there was a fourth wooden sword that represented the stage of his skill where he no longer needed a sword. The main character of one of Jin Yong’s novels stumbled onto the place and inherited Dugu Qiubai’s skills and two swords. My guess is that the Tomb sword Dugu Qiubai carries in this novel is a representation of the culmination of all his skills.]
Ao Shun suddenly got goosebumps, feeling flustered. The horrifying sword conception already caused snow to fall all over the place and all water in the surroundings to freeze. The ground under them already froze, and the temperature felt bone-chilling. Yet, Dugu Qiubai only drew out a small portion of the sword so far.
Tomb? All who saw it died?
Gu Hai felt anxious. The ritual array’s spirit stones would be exhausted soon. It would be impossible to defeat Ao Shun. So, he could only try to scare Ao Shun off. The ambient temperature plummeting was not just the result of Dugu Qiubai drawing his sword, but also because Gu Hai used his ritual array to simulate such an environment.
White snow fell, and the air felt bone-chilling. Dugu Qiubai only drew his sword halfway, and Ao Shun already felt bowled over by its might, feeling fearful.
“I traveled the world in my life, seeking someone who can defeat me. I really hope that you are that person. When the sword is drawn, you will die. Before you die, you are qualified to know my name. My name—is Dugu Qiubai!” Dugu Qiubai said indifferently.
I will die when the sword is drawn?
“Quickly run!” the Heptagold Sect Master shouted in horror from outside the ritual array.
It was not just Ao Shun. The experts outside the ritual array also sensed the boundless murderous intent. Dugu Qiubai’s indifferent tone seemed to contain a destructive magic, inspiring horror in all the cultivators.
This was because Dugu Qiubai had that qualification. Just the mountain and river swords already put Ao Shun in a sorry state, and that was before he drew his sword. Now that he was drawing his sword, would funeral bells ring when he finished?
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Dugu Qiubai started drawing his sword at a faster pace. The ambient temperature turned increasingly colder. The sky brightened, and the countless mountain and river swords trembled. It was as though they were worshiping the sword that Dugu Qiubai was drawing.
The feeling of death pressed on Ao Shun.
“Argh!” Ao Shun suddenly roared.
He could no longer take it. However, it was not the pressure of the sword conception but that the mental pressure was too great. He put in his full power and tried to struggle free from the mountain swords and river swords.
Boom!
“Roar!”
Whoosh!
Ao Shun turned into a gust of strong wind, instantly shooting into the distance. He fled in terror, reaching the horizon in the blink of an eye and disappearing.
Shing!
“The sword is drawn! Ah! Hurry, run! Hurry! Flying ship! Faster, or you are all dead men!” Chu Chen shouted in horror.
Boom!
Just as the Heptagold Sect disciples shouted in horror, Dugu Qiubai exploded along with the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Ritual Array, turning into boundless fog and soaring into the sky like the shape of a mushroom.
——
Far away, Ao Shun turned his head back as he fled. When he saw the humongous mushroom cloud in the distance, his expression changed dramatically from terror.
“Dugu Qiubai?” Ao Shun showed dread on his face.
Then, he continued fleeing, no longer turning back. He quickly returned to Emperor Lu Yang so that he could report this.
——
Below the mushroom cloud:
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Master, what a thick and large dust cloud! It’s choking me!” Ensnaring Performance shouted from within the dust.
Gu Hai landed before the Heptagold Hall.
“Phew! I finally managed to scare Ao Shun away at the last moment. Otherwise, we would be in trouble!” Gu Hai let out his bated breath and showed a bitter smile.
“Two billion superior-grade spirit stones…an entire nation’s accumulation…you spent all of it?” the Foundation Rock Deity said in a daze.
It was not just the Foundation Rock Deity.
The Heptagold Sect disciples who had been preparing to flee felt startled. They look into the thick, churning fog and clouds in confusion.
“Dugu Qiubai exploded from drawing his sword?” a Heptagold Sect disciple said in puzzlement.
“Oh no! We were all tricked!” the Heptagold Sect Master’s expression suddenly changed.
