by Imperfection
The sword light flashed, and thunder roared.
In an instant, the sword light took Zhao Xuhe's head from his shoulders. But before the head could hit the ground, his body burst apart, scattering into a pile of bones across the ground.
"I wonder which fellow disciple has been waiting here for me."
After the bones shattered, a wisp of yin energy flew out and reformed into Zhao Xuhe's likeness a hundred meters away, traces of alarm still lingering on his face.
But before he could finish speaking, the sword light was already on him like a shadow.
Whoosh!
The next instant, Zhao Xuhe's head once more flew into the sky, only to dissolve again into a shower of bones. The yin energy retreated another hundred meters before manifesting his form again.
"I..."
Boom.
"You..."
Crack!
"Enough!"
Dozens of streaks of sword light blanketed the space, killing Zhao Xuhe over a dozen times before he finally regained his footing and seized a momentary gap to dodge the sword light.
It was only the briefest of openings, but Zhao Xuhe grasped it with precision. He flung out his wide sleeve, and a tide of blood-red smoke and dust billowed forth, encasing his entire body at its center. He then swallowed several pills in quick succession to restore his injuries and True Qi before finally sparing the attention to scan his surroundings.
"Lü Yang! It's you!"
Zhao Xuhe's gaze was sharp as a torch. He recognized immediately that the sword light which had killed him over a dozen times belonged to the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art, and immediately revealed Lü Yang's identity.
Yet even so, the shock in his heart was beyond words.
Because he had felt the power behind that sword light firsthand. It was not something an early-stage Qi Refinement cultivator could produce. In just a few short days, Lü Yang had actually reached mid-stage Qi Refinement.
This person must have some extraordinary opportunity!
At this thought, Zhao Xuhe's anger gave way to an unexpected surge of delight. "Good, good, good! Today truly is a day of great fortune. I'll be taking this opportunity as well!"
---
Outside the Bewildering Mist Formation, Lü Yang's expression was grave.
What a tough opponent...
He thought he had been ruthless enough, yet Zhao Xuhe had still managed to cling to a thread of life. His full combo had failed to finish the man off.
Worse, Zhao Xuhe had identified him.
Still, with the Bewildering Mist Formation scrambling all directions, his true body hidden in the shadows, and only his flying sword attacking from afar, the odds in a real fight were still slightly in his favor.
At the same time, Zhao Xuhe had also noticed the Bewildering Mist Formation surrounding him. Though it was only a crude trapping formation, one he could easily unravel given a little time to analyze it, with Lü Yang harassing him from the side and his True Qi at less than half its peak, he found himself momentarily helpless.
At this thought, Zhao Xuhe's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke up:
"Brother Lü, when you think about it, there's really no real enmity between us..."
"Go!"
Strike while the iron is hot, kick a man while he's down. Lü Yang was not about to reminisce with Zhao Xuhe and give him a chance to recover. He immediately changed his hand seal and sent the sword light hurtling toward his opponent once more.
"Tck! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Zhao Xuhe's gaze turned cold. He immediately gave up the idea of stalling for time and instead formed a hand seal of his own, sending a golden metal seal soaring in the air.
This artifact was called the Primordial Magnet Gold Seal. It could attract and seize all objects made of metal in the world, making it the bane of flying swords. It was Zhao Xuhe's most closely guarded treasure, one he had been saving for battle against disciples of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion. Now he had brought it out ahead of schedule, intending to counter Lü Yang's sword light.
"Halt!"
Zhao Xuhe activated the seal, precisely catching a streak of sword light mid-slash. The seal slammed down, instantly suppressing the sword light, rendering it unable to move or shift.
However, Lü Yang's expression remained calm.
He was still at his peak, while Zhao Xuhe was at his lowest point. This kind of drawn-out war of attrition actually favored him. He had no reason to panic.
My greatest advantage right now is that I'm hidden in the dark, concealed by the formation. Zhao Xuhe can't find me. Even if he has some trump card that could turn the tables, as long as I don't show myself, it's useless. If I just keep wearing him down, the winner will definitely be me.
So Lü Yang made up his mind: I simply won't show myself.
The flying sword? I'll let it go!
It's not like you can refine my flying sword anytime soon. You'll have to spend True Qi just to keep it suppressed. That suits me perfectly. Let's see how long you can hold out!
Boom!
Standing outside the formation, Lü Yang channeled his True Qi. A wisp of churning white qi rose from the crown of his head, condensing into a massive hand several meters across that slammed down into the formation from above.
There was nothing sophisticated about this technique. It was purely brute force.
Zhao Xuhe's face darkened at the sight. He knew his plans had been seen through by Lü Yang.
That dog!
Zhao Xuhe could not help but curse inwardly. They were both at mid-stage Qi Refinement, yet this bastard was so absurdly cautious. How was he supposed to turn the tables?
He still had enough left in him for a desperate gamble, but even if he killed Lü Yang, he would not be able to survive. For someone who had just obtained the opportunity of a lifetime, how could Zhao Xuhe possibly accept that?
As his True Qi drained further and further, Zhao Xuhe could hold back no longer. He called out, "...Brother Lü, do you have any idea what opportunity I obtained on Coiling Dragon Island? A third-grade true art pointing directly to the Golden Core! If Brother Lü stays his hand, I am willing to share the cultivation technique with you!"
"A third-grade true art?"
Outside the Bewildering Mist Formation, Lü Yang shot to his feet. True Qi was ranked in nine grades and thirty-six ranks. Below the seventh grade, there was no path to Foundation Establishment. Below the third grade, the door to Golden Core was forever shut.
And now, Zhao Xuhe was dangling a technique that could refine third-grade True Qi, with the Golden Core itself within reach!
What a massive opportunity!
No, wait...
Lü Yang took a deep breath, forced down his greed, and sat back down. He's offering a huge reward to lure me out. If I go out there, I've fallen into his trap.
"Well? Brother Lü, can we reconcile?"
Inside the formation, Zhao Xuhe was still trying to persuade him, when a voice suddenly echoed from every direction at once: "Fool. If I kill you, the technique will be mine anyway!"
"Brother Lü is mistaken." Zhao Xuhe shook his head with a smile. "Opportunities are ordained by Heaven. This third-grade true art was earned through three lifetimes of bitter cultivation, exchanged for with merit. It is not fated for you, Brother Lü. Even if you kill me, the technique will simply fly away. It will never fall into your hands."
"What?"
Lü Yang was momentarily stunned. His expression became uncertain. Ordained by Heaven, and if one is not fated for the technique, it would fly away on its own even if he obtained it?
But he quickly recovered and let out a cold laugh. "If that's the case, then why should I make peace with you over a technique I can't even keep?"
Zhao Xuhe hastily explained, "Brother Lü, you were originally not fated for the technique. However, if I willingly share it with you, then the unfated becomes the fated."
"...Fine."
After a moment of silence, Lü Yang spoke. "Copy the technique for me, and I'll let you out."
"Done." Zhao Xuhe agreed without hesitation. He then produced the jade box and opened it of his own accord, revealing the two volumes of the Dao Scripture within.
"The upper volume, the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art, is a Qi Refinement technique. It can refine a strand of True Dragon Baleful Qi, granting combat power that stands among the best within the same realm. The lower volume, the Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding Ascension Scroll, is a Foundation Establishment technique. It can build the Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding Dao Foundation, with hopes of reaching the Golden Core in the future."
After introducing the technique, Zhao Xuhe suddenly changed the subject.
"However, Brother Lü, I am wounded and my True Qi is weak. If I simply hand over the technique and you go back on your word, what then?"
"...That's simple."
Lü Yang's eyes shifted, and he took the initiative to propose, "You can give me the Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding Ascension Scroll first. Keep the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art for yourself.
"I'm only at the Qi Refinement realm right now. Even if I have a Foundation Establishment technique, I can't cultivate it. You don't need to worry about me turning on you or threatening your life." Lü Yang's face was filled with sincerity. "After I let you out, you give me the Nine Transformations Dragon Transformation Art. How does that sound?"
Zhao Xuhe thought it over and decided Lü Yang's reasoning was quite sound.
"It's a deal!"
Zhao Xuhe removed the Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding Ascension Scroll from the jade box. Lü Yang still did not reveal himself. Instead, he condensed a hand of True Qi and reached in from afar.
Zhao Xuhe could only sigh inwardly, suppressing his last trace of scheming, and obediently handed the technique over.
Lü Yang took the technique and committed every word and sentence to memory. Then he broke into a grin.
"Goodbye!"
The next instant, Lü Yang sank his qi into his Dantian and activated the Life-Taking Curse, detonating himself without hesitation!
Boom!
Moments later, the smoke and dust cleared, revealing Zhao Xuhe's utterly bewildered face.
"My technique... is gone?"
Why did he self-destruct?
Self-destructing is one thing, but why not sooner, why not later? Why did he wait until he had the technique in hand before blowing himself up? I hadn't even gotten the chance to read it myself!
"Lü Yang..."
Zhao Xuhe stood in the wind, staring at the Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding Ascension Scroll that had been reduced to ash. He murmured Lü Yang's name, his expression slowly twisting.
"You beast!"