Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
There was a Time Mark in his move.
In that instantaneous moment, the silver sword tip brushed against Ling Feiyu.
Slash!
The veil that she had on was split into two and fell off, revealing her angelic face hidden beneath. She looked young and overwhelmingly beautiful, even a quick glimpse of her face was unforgettable.
Somehow, she did not look like a cold unapproachable beauty. Rather, her impeccably beautiful face was similar to the alluring fox fairy, which contradicted her usual temperament.
Zhang Ruochen was stunned by her looks, and when he was back to reality, he had been hit by the sword wave and his body was thrown a few miles away.
It was a solid hit. Even with the protection layer, the Shooting Star Invisible Cloak and his Five Elements Chaotic Body, Zhang Ruochen could not withstand the blast.
His bones and muscles were on the brink of shattering and tearing, leaving him paralysed and losing him the ability to fight back.
Ling Feiyu, on the other hand, had not recovered from the shock and touched her face. It took quite a while to regain colour in her face.
She did not have time to dodge that attack.
If the sword Qi of that strike were stronger, she would have been hit and possibly died.
Indeed, she underestimated Zhang Ruochen’s ability. He had attained both the power of Time and Space, which might lead him to achieving greater success than her in the future.
Ling Feiyu landed on the ground gracefully, then turned to the spirits of fellow forefathers of the Taotian Sword Keepers. She said, “The line of Taotian Sword Keepers is loaded with talented swordsman with great character and integrity. I now believe that Zhang Ruochen is not the spy from the Immortal Vampires.”
“Zhang Ruochen managed to take three of your attacks, shouldn’t you apologize?” a tall figure roared.
To ask a Sword Saint to apologize would be impractical. Moreover, Ling Feiyu was arrogant; there was no way she would bow to anyone.
Ling Feiyu held her hands behind her back and said, “First of all, I did nothing wrong. There is no need for me to apologize. Secondly, I will investigate the truth about the undercover of Immortal Vampires. If Zhang Ruochen is innocent, I will give him justice.”
Another figure flew out and said, “Little girl, you are being defiant. Why don’t we have another battle some other time? Next time, Zhang Ruochen will be able to take ten of your strikes, at the minimum.”
Ling Feiyu snorted, “I don’t want to argue with you, but it doesn’t mean that I’m silly. Stay put, souls of the dead. Stop trying to lure me to train Zhang Ruochen for free. If not, do not blame me if I ever destroy your graveyard.”
As she finished speaking, she thrusted her palm towards the sky. A palm shaped lightning bolt then descended from the sky, covering the area of a hundred miles, and shoving the spirits into the ground.
Bam!
The ground underneath the Sword Tomb was filled with raging voices from the forefathers.
“Such a disrespectful act to the elders! Little girl, when the Keeper of the Taotian Sword grows up, he may dig out your ancestors, the Heaven-Burier Sword keepers, from their graveyards!”
“There comes the rebellion! This is too much! When our successor becomes a Saint, you will be the first he conquers!”
“Yes, take her down. Teach her a lesson on how to respect the elders.”
Ling Feiyu couldn’t care less about their grudges. They were spirits who would only shout in anger.
She was a woman after all. She did not have the patience to stomach what they said.
If they had agitated her, she could possibly have dug out two of their graveyards.
She walked towards Zhang Ruochen and took out a Withered Pill from the Spatial Bracelet to feed him.
Then, bringing Zhang Ruochen along, she left the Sword Tomb.
While Zhang Ruochen was injured badly with limited movement, he was conscious the whole time. After swallowing the Withered Pill, he channelled the Holy Qi to fully absorb the healing essence of the pill.
By the next morning, Zhang Ruochen had fully recovered.
Moreover, the strength of the divine blood that was residing in his body had been fully absorbed after the battle, resulting in an increase in his cultivation.
“Where will Ling Feiyu be if she is not in the cave abode?”
Zhang Ruochen did not search for her. Instead, he went to the bamboo forest nearby to meditate, and to recall the moves from yesterday’s fight.
It was a short one that ended quickly with only a few moves.
However, it was a valuable experience to fight with a Sword Saint.
Once he becomes a Half-Saint, a monk has to spend more time on understanding the Saintly Way. The more he understands, the more advanced his cultivation is.
The monk should reflect on the moves after each battle in order to better improve his techniques.
Every move that Ling Feiyu performed was visualized in Zhang Ruochen’s mind.
The frown on his forehead deepened and relaxed at times, as he was figuring the counterattack for each sword technique.
At the same time, he gestured the sword sign in different movements and directions, attempting to defend against Ling Feiyu’s moves.
Each of her techniques seemed simple and ordinary. Yet there were many unexpected twists in each move, and that was the hardest part to defend against.
This was the process of comprehending sword techniques, a self-learning process for Zhang Ruochen himself.
By noon, Zhang Ruochen had figured out how to react to all the moves of Ling Feiyu. He had also gained some new insights on the way of wielding a sword.
“Had I not exerted the power of Time and Space, I would not have been able to menace her. It’s time for me to achieve the second level of Sword Technique of Time.”
The first level was ‘Instance Traceless.’ It had 900 fundamental techniques which Zhang Ruochen had already mastered.
However, he paused the cultivation practice because he could not comprehend the time rules.
The second level was “Eight Changes of Scales,” and it had a lot in common with the 900 fundamentals that occurred in the first level.
When he succeeded with the cultivation, it would be the last card of his attack. If he ever fought with Ling Feiyu again, the ending would be less sorry for him.
Whenever he practiced in the Bamboo Mountain, he’d be watched by Ling Feiyu. There was no chance of him slipping into the Universe Spiritual Map, causing his slow progression in his cultivation training.
“I must find a way to be out of Ling Feiyu’s sight.”
His eyes flashed as he thought of the Sword Tomb.
Wasn’t that the perfect spot for cultivation training?
There, not only could he enter and exit the Universe Spiritual Map freely, but he could also get the guidance from the fellow forefathers of the Taotian Sword Keepers. His sword techniques and sword mastery would definitely improve by leaps and bounds.
Swoosh.
Two shadows gushed out from the bamboo forest when Zhang Ruochen was immersed in his thoughts.
They were Blackie and Elephant-swallowing Rabbit. He had sent them to pry out news a few days ago.
When Zhang Ruochen saw them, he asked, “How is it? Did you manage to get any useful information?”
“They weren’t helping you to pry out the information. Instead, they were stealing herbs from the herbal farm that belonged to the Guardian of the Prisons. Luckily I found them before the guard did. Otherwise, they would have been locked up in Underground Spirit Prison.”
Li Min’s petite figure was seen behind the back of Elephant-swallowing Rabbit. She was staring at Zhang Ruochen, her chest puffing out.
Blackie glanced at Li Min and giggled. “I was very cautious. If the rabbit hadn’t been too greedy, you wouldn’t have found out. Furthermore, I did obtain some useful information.”
“I doubt that,” Li Min murmured.
Zhang Ruochen was not interested in the herbs they stole from the farm. He was more concerned about the condition of Pluto Sword Tomb. “What have you got?” he asked.
“The Guardian of the Prison is now an ally of the imperial court to fight against the Immortal Vampires. They have initiated strikes, and aim to kill all infiltrated spies in Yuan Mansion,” Blackie answered.
Zhang Ruochen nodded in agreement, “Since there already are Immortal Vampires infiltrating the tribe, the leaders are threatened. Initiating attacks was within my prediction.”
Blackie added on, “In the coming days, two top officials from the imperial court will arrive at Pluto Sword Tomb to discuss the strategies against the Immortal Vampires. They may have arrived by now.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. The alliance would put him in an awkward position.
He would have to fight against the Immortal Vampires alongside the tribes, and beware the secret plotting from the imperial court.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Anything else?”
The Elephant-swallowing Rabbit thought for a moment and said in a mysterious tone, creating suspense, “Master Chen, I have heard some rumours that the Guardian of the Prison have internal conflicts. Above all, the biggest conflict is the fight to be the Clan Leader.”
Zhang Ruochen was quite curious about the conflict.
Shi Ren was a good friend, and if he ever needed help, Zhang Ruochen would do his best to help him.
However, Zhang Ruochen needed to know the inside story of their current hierarchy.
Wang Jie was the eldest, and he was one of the few talents, so what was the reason he did not become the Clan Leader?
And how did Shi Ren become the Clan Leader?
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze shifted to Li Min. She was a distant relative to the clan; she must have known the underlying reasons.
