Bamboo Grove

The sword strike had concluded. The biting wind surged past, and silence spread through the pavilion in the bamboo grove outside Di'an City. The distinguished middle-aged man gazed up at the celestial anomaly for a long time, slowly exhaling a plume of white mist into the frigid winter night. "An exquisite strike." The man had perished, yet the sword-light lingered as before. Like a divine chisel descending from the heavens, the invisible sword-light left a slash across the firmament that stretched to the edge of vision. Its dazzling halo cascaded down toward the mortal realm like an aurora, lingering long into the pitch-black, snowy night. Seeing this, the hunched elder slowly sat back down inside the pavilion. His voice held a trace of admiration, but not the slightest hint of worry. "It seems our concerns were entirely unfounded. Who would have thought the Feng family boy had attained such heights? After tonight, when it comes to renown, I doubt anyone will rival the title of Sword Saint anytime soon." The middle-aged man glanced back at the elder. "You aren't worried?" The hunched elder grinned. "Worried? Why should I be? I can hardly contain my delight. Though I truly wish to see Di'an destroyed, I equally wish to see that overseas Saint pay the price. After all, say what you will, this old man is still a person of Great Yan." The middle-aged man offered a noncommittal response. "Coming from you, that holds very little credibility." "Think whatever you like. What I said is the plain truth nonetheless." The frigid wind crept in through the cracks in the pavilion, fluttering the disheveled white hair at the elder's temples. As he spoke, he gave the middle-aged man across from him a deep look and asked in a low voice, "White Emperor, if you were to face this Sword Saint, what would your chances of victory be?" "If victors could be decided merely by watching, there would not be so many life-and-death struggles in this world." The middle-aged man slowly looked away, his expression calm and detached, offering no further elaboration. "Compared to Feng Jiuxuan, coming into the borders of your Great Yan this time, this old man is actually far more curious about that Prime Minister of yours." At this, the hunched elder's somber eyes narrowed slightly, and he chuckled under his breath. In the quiet, snowy night, his laugh sounded as dry and raspy as a weeping ghost. He murmured, "Xu Yinhe?" The middle-aged man gave a slight nod, lowering his eyes to glance at his own hand, which was lined with faint, claw-like scales. "Though Feng Jiuxuan can indeed be called extraordinary, he is not peerless among the humans I have seen. I have known those even stronger than him. But Xu Yinhe is different." A flicker of strangeness passed through the hunched elder's eyes. The Lord of Guyuan, the White Emperor. The years this great demon had lived surpassed even the reign of the Great Yan Dynasty; he was practically a living fossil himself. No outsider could fathom the people he had seen or the events he had lived through. Stroking his goatee, the hunched elder showed a thoughtful glint in his eye, his smile growing somewhat sinister. "Are you worried about that Xu Yinhe kid?" The middle-aged man did not conceal his concern, his tone turning solemn. "Yes. If Xu Yinhe's cultivation is even higher than Feng Jiuxuan's tonight..." "Rest assured." The hunched elder laughed and cut him off. "Though that kid hasn't made a move in ages and this old man can't say for sure, he shouldn't be a match for Feng Jiuxuan." The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment. In his mind surfaced the image of that spirited youth in bright robes atop a galloping steed from years ago. His low voice rippled slightly with emotion. "I met him once. He did not seem like the type to let others overtake him." "You're not wrong. When those two boys were young, Feng Jiuxuan indeed never defeated the one named Xu. But alas, over the years, his mind has not been focused on cultivation." At this mention, the hunched elder seemed somewhat excited. He rubbed his hands together and gave a low, sinister chuckle. "Creatures like humans, once they set their minds on pursuing unrealistic things, they have to abandon a great deal." "A pity." The middle-aged man looked toward Di'an City. After a brief silence, his voice carried a touch of lament, along with a hint of relief. "When I saw Xu Yinhe all those years ago, I thought your human race would produce another figure like the Tianmen Sword Immortal." The elder raised an eyebrow. "White Emperor, you hold that junior Xu in such high regard?" The middle-aged man looked calmly at the hunched elder. "I would think that you, having been forced by him to skulk in the shadows, hardly have the right to speak." The hunched elder did not take offense at this, letting out a few raspy, sinister chuckles. "Keep close to friends. White Emperor, if you keep this up, even I might get angry. But I'll let it slide this time—after all, you're not wrong." With a shake of his head, he gave a soft snort. "Still, with the state of Source Qi between heaven and earth today, a figure of that Sword Immortal's caliber could never emerge. Cleaving Yintian Mountain into Tianmen Mountain with a single stroke... placed in this era, I fear not even a military array could do a thing against him. Tsk tsk..." "Perhaps," the middle-aged man murmured noncommittally. Tap, tap. The idle chatter concluded. The hunched elder raised a finger and tapped lightly on the stone table before him, curling his withered lips into a grin. "White Emperor, tonight's events serve as a warning. We had best lay a trap to eliminate these Saints of the Prime Minister's Manor first, starting with Feng Jiuxuan." At those words, a pensive look crossed the White Emperor's eyes. "Difficult. It is impossible to kill him within Di'an City unless Feng Jiuxuan leaves Di'an City and his whereabouts are exposed." "I knew you would say that..." The hunched elder gave a meaningful smile, appearing to already have a plan, but he did not elaborate. Instead, he smiled and said, "Alright, the interlude is over. Let us return to business. White Emperor, we have allied with the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion and ventured into the Western Desert. Is your Guyuan interested in having a hand in this?" The middle-aged man seemed to have already heard of this. "The Divine Maiden of the Great Desert?" The hunched elder chuckled slyly. "The Dachao Royal Court wastes heaven's gifts, failing to cherish such a treasure. How could we let it slip through our fingers?" "Yet if I recall correctly, the Dachao are also our allies." "There are no eternal allies in this world. From the moment the Northern Barbarians fell, and from the moment they had a falling out with the Divine Maiden, this alliance was automatically dissolved. Weakness is no crime, but weakness devoid of self-awareness is a grave offense." Saying so, the hunched elder gave a sinister smile. "Your Guyuan has always had an interest in that divine beast Linlang of the Great Desert, haven't you?" The White Emperor fell silent for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, his impassive gaze shifted to the side toward the bamboo grove. And following his gaze, the hunched elder seated opposite raised an eyebrow and looked into the shadowy depths of the bamboo grove beside the pavilion. There, it seemed someone had been teleported over. A moment of silence fell. The hunched elder grinned. "It seems the heavens have granted us a small gift. Will you make a move, or shall I?" "The qi dynamic of the demon race is too distinct; it is very likely to be sensed by the Saints inside the city." "Then I shall do it. To think these old bones would still have a day where I must personally take action." With those words, the hunched elder suddenly raised his hand to the side and lightly curled his fingers. "..." Orenli. Ever since she was teleported out of the city by that "father" using the spatial magic ring, she had not dared to delay for a single moment, repeatedly activating spatial magic rings to flee as far from the imperial capital of Great Yan as possible. Yet, what did the sight before her eyes mean?