“With such arrogance, General! As the foremost among the Ten Great Swordsmen of the imperial capital, how could I possibly ally with anyone against you!” Su Xingyue sneered coldly. “Yunshui, step aside and let me face this foremost master of sacred swordsmanship under heaven.” “Ha ha, Brother Su—why be so impatient? Lei Huo is approaching; with Yunshui here, even if we cannot capture him, we can at least drag him to this place,” Yunshui laughed heartily. Suddenly, three water dragons dancing in the sky burst open, transforming into a barrage of icy arrows that fell from above.
The mystic let out a cold snort, and suddenly a surge of silver combat energy erupted, shattering the ice arrow. “You two should attack together—then you’ll see just how formidable I am!” he shouted loudly.
The Xuan Iron Sword trembled violently, merging man and blade into one. The mystic soared toward Su Xingyue, his entire body radiating silver light as he moved like a meteor. “Su Xingyue, parry my Xuantian Sword!” Before his words could be heard, the sword had already struck him.
“Well done!” Su Xingyue shouted loudly. Instead of retreating, she advanced head-on, engaging her opponent in a direct confrontation. Both soared through the air as their combat energies collided and their iron swords clashed, producing a continuous roar of metal.
Everyone looked up and saw two figures circling in the air like shooting stars, chasing each other. In a matter of moments, they had moved from the West Gate to the South Gate. It turned out that Master Xuan had delivered a devastating strike; Su Xingyue was unable to withstand it and had no choice but to retreat. However, Master Xuan pressed forward relentlessly, and with just one move short, forced him to keep retreating.
“I never imagined this young man had already attained the realm of flying by controlling qi energy—it’s truly remarkable. He has completely eliminated all shortcomings in his battles against magicians,” Master Xuan remarked privately with admiration.
However, even when the Holy Swordsman employed the Qi-Control Flight Technique, it was difficult to sustain for long periods and could not enable high flight; moreover, this technique consumed considerable energy. Although Su Xingyue had reached such a level of mastery, he could not handle it with the same ease as Master Xuan. During their intense aerial battle, he could not catch his breath; invisible sword qi had already penetrated his body, sweeping away all his black hair.
In the blink of an eye, the South Gate was within sight. Master Xuan’s thunderous strikes resembled a violent storm, his moves endless and relentless. He attacked without defense, his Black Iron Sword slashing and killing with unbridled force as his combat energy surged forward relentlessly. Magicians flying in the air quickly dodged; those who couldn’t evade were crushed to pieces by the dual sword energies.
That night, some bold citizens of the imperial capital gazed up at the sky and saw two figures resembling divine beings, radiating silver light throughout their bodies, engaged in fierce combat. The clashing of their weapons drowned out the thunder in the heavens, while their dazzling brilliance surpassed even that of lightning.
“Su Xingyue, I spare your life this time. Should you dare to aid the tyrant in his wicked deeds, I shall personally come and take your head!” At that, Master Xuan shouted. The black iron sword in his hand, which had been gleaming with silver light, suddenly intensified its radiance, transforming into a bluish glow.
“Divine Swordsman! Oh my God, the legendary Divine Swordsman!” Yun Shui, who had already flown over the South Gate, was utterly astonished. He bit his tongue and shouted, “Water Assembly!” A wall of water instantly formed in the sky; it rapidly froze into ice. With a swift motion of his hand, the icy wall plummeted down from above.
A loud explosion echoed through the air as the blue and silver lights collided, resembling a thunderclap. The blue light surged upward into the sky, while the silver light shattered into fragments that scattered into the darkness.
As the two swords clashed, Su Xingyue was struck down by one blow; her precious sword shattered into fragments. At the same moment, a shower of blood fell from the sky, and the mystic spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
It turned out that the master had a genuine appreciation for talent and could have killed Su Xingyue in one strike. However, such exceptional experts were rare; he therefore withdrew his left palm from its extended position. Had he struck anyway, Su Xingyue—already utterly defenseless—would likely have been shattered into pieces on the spot.
After this battle, it became utterly impossible for Su Xingyue to recover in a short period of time; therefore, the Master Xuan had no concern that he might harm Qingxuan.
The ice wall came crashing down upon him. The mystic snorted in anger and rammed his head into it; a flash of blue light shattered the wall, which split into massive chunks that fell everywhere, destroying countless buildings below. Instantly, the blue light vanished, transforming into silver light, and he descended from the air onto the wall’s surface. The surrounding soldiers immediately leaped over it.
Beyond the walls lies another world, though for experts, there’s little difference between inside and outside.
In the distance, flames flickered in the sky, while four beams of silver light leaped across the buildings and swiftly approached the south gate. The master knew these must be the rapidly advancing Thunderfire forces and the remaining Four Swords of the Imperial Capital. After this fierce battle, he realized he could not linger any longer.
The clouds and water in the sky waved vigorously with both hands; the water dragon he had summoned transformed into a sea of icy swords dancing through the air. If he could merely hold off the mystic master for a moment, he would be considered successful—otherwise, allowing the master to depart alone would leave them all utterly disgraced.
“Haha, Yunshui—you can’t stop me! Take my Phantom Sword!” the master laughed heartily and swung his sword into the void. Wave after wave of sword shadows surged through the air toward Yunshui; each one shattered the ice swords blocking their path at lightning speed.
Yun Shui was utterly startled; he had no time to dodge. The sword shadow formed by the sword energy pierced his chest. In agony, he clutched his chest and fell gracefully from the air.
By this point, the Master Xu had exhausted his last ounce of strength. He fell to the ground; outside the city wall, more than ten cavalrymen had been waiting for some time—these were precisely the men he had secretly dispatched to provide support. As the commander of the empire’s finest troops, he had recruited these men from the Order of the Holy Knights, all known for their loyalty and bravery.
“General, we must resist! With the Order of the Holy Knights here, there’s no place in this world we can’t reach,” they said indignantly.
“No, Your Majesty has countless capable and extraordinary individuals under your command; the Order of the Holy Knights must already be under control. Disperse yourselves in all directions—that would be the greatest assistance you could offer,” said Master Xuan, then gave a light command. His black horse galloped forward with lightning speed, its hooves pounding the ground.
“General, will you return?” they asked loudly.
“I do not wish to witness the empire’s decline, but if you survive, you will see my descendants rebuild an even more powerful empire upon a fallen foundation!” the Master declared loudly.
They wanted to ask more, but thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky as torrential rain poured down; the general, renowned as the greatest martial artist in the world, had long vanished into the vast night rain.
More than ten riders each brandished their whips and galloped in different directions, vanishing instantly into the boundless darkness. The night rain washed over the land, erasing all traces they had left behind.
Lei Hua supported Yun Shui, who was severely injured, on the city wall. Beside him stood the Four Swordsmen of the Imperial Capital and Su Xingyue, who had already lost consciousness.
Gazing at the bewildering night in a daze, Master Xuan finally left the imperial capital.
“He is the only Divine Swordsman in this world,” said Yun Shui. “But if Master Xuan survives, it will bring endless calamities to the Empire.” “I wonder whether His Excellency the Celestial Master has already taken control of the Order of Holy Knights; otherwise, the Empire would be in grave danger,” Lei Huo said worriedly. The Four Swordsmen of the Imperial Capital fell silent; Master Xuan had slain five Holy Swordsmen with a single strike and then defeated Su Xingyue, leaving them profoundly shaken.
An intangible and mysterious force arrived quietly; the sound of rain pattered away until it gradually faded, the thunder in the sky receded silently, and suddenly all around fell utterly silent. Their minds were jolted.
“Master Tian Shi, you’ve arrived!” Yun Shui said to the air.
“Yes, I’ve arrived. I never expected you to be injured; that mystic’s cultivation is truly remarkable—truly the greatest martial artist under heaven,” came a calm voice from the air as an elderly man in gray approached swiftly and stood before them in an instant.
This person is none other than the extraordinary master of his generation, Tian Shi Jun Liu Shui.
“The Order of the Holy Knights is under my control—there’s no need to worry,” said Jun Liushui. “As for Master Xuan, since you can’t keep him in the Imperial Capital, that’s fine; each of you may return home.” “Heavenly Master, are we really letting him go like this?” Lei Huo asked.
“He rose to prominence solely through his own merits. If I act now, he may not be convinced. I must let him wait for an hour before personally confronting him and subduing him before dawn,” Jun Liushui said in a low voice, his tone brimming with confidence. “An injured Xuan Shi cannot escape my grasp.” “Heavenly Master, do you know where he has fled?” Yun Shui askedunable to bear, unbearable, unable to restrain (oneself), pass the limits of endurance, be bursting to .
“He’s already in my heart,” Jun Liushui replied, leaving everyone utterly astonished.
“The mysterious master is no longer a threat; the only remaining opponent is the Qingxuan State Master,” Jun Liushui continued. “When the time comes, I’ll go see him myself without your involvement—to discover what astonishing abilities this man, hailed as the greatest mage under heaven, truly possesses.” Everyone then withdrew.
Liu Jiangshui closed his eyes and stood motionless amidst the storm; the wind grew fiercer, the rain more intense, and all things in heaven and earth swayed violently in the elements.
An hour later, a bolt of lightning illuminated the entire imperial capital, and Jun Liushui, who stood at the southern gate, had vanished without a trace.
The mystic galloped swiftly across the vast territories of the Red Sun Empire; he needed to leave as soon as possible. After that night’s battle, it would take him at least half a month to recover his strength. The farther he was from the imperial capital, the safer he felt. At the thought of that mysterious Jun Liushui, a profound sense of unease arose within him.
“My horse, my horse—after years of battle together, this time it all depends on your prowess,” the master said softly as he bent down. The black horse let out a long whistle and galloped faster and faster, yet his unease grew ever stronger.
“What’s going on? It feels like someone is secretly watching me,” Xuan Shi thought, his mind filled with a strange sensation. He closed his eyes, and a figure began to appear and disappear in his imagination.
The thunder in the sky seemed to recede gradually; although the wind and rain intensified, their roaring sound slowly faded away, and even the hoofbeats grew increasingly faint. Suddenly, all around became utterly silent. The mystic was greatly startled—this was certainly not due to any defect in his hearing; rather, it appeared as if a mysterious force was pursuing him from every direction.
I looked up at the sky—it was pitch dark, with lightning constantly piercing the heavens. The cold night rain fell upon my face, and the large raindrops made it numb.
The mystic closed his eyes once again. In a daze, he saw the stars twinkling in the sky—each one flashing like countless eyes gazing at him.
A scene emerged in his mind, growing clearer: a man in gray stood atop the city wall, gazing at him with eyes so profound they seemed to transcend spatial distance and pierce straight into his heart.
“Jun Liushui!” The master was taken aback. “It’s you!” he thought to himself. For some reason, he knew that person was indeed Jun Liushui.
“Yes, Master Xuan, I’ve sensed your presence. There’s no use—no matter how hard you try, you can’t escape,” said Jun Liushui.
In a daze, Master Xuan saw a bolt of lightning, followed immediately by Jun Liushui approaching slowly from the sky. Though his horse moved at great speed beneath him, he felt the distance between himself and Jun Liushui growing ever closer—as if the man were right before his eyes, within reach.
“No one in this world can escape my mental scrutiny, Master Xuan. Even being a Divine Swordsman won’t save you—yet you should feel proud, for you are the first person worthy of my intervention,” Jun Liushui’s voice echoed in his mind.
The mystic opened his eyes; in the darkness, there was a kind of divine presence…