As the sun sank westward, it resembled a weary old man in his twilight years, unwilling to fade into silence. A final burst of radiance flared across the sky, with vast swaths of crimson clouds ablaze in the western horizon, burning in a spectacle of dazzling splendor.
There is a saying: “If the morning sky is red, do not go out; if the evening sky is red, travel a thousand miles.”
Thus, tomorrow, someone surely will no longer have the chance to journey far.
The radiant afterglow stretched ten thousand miles, illuminating the lone swordsman clad in green upon the desert sands, as though he wore a coat of golden armor. The middle-aged swordsman strode lightly atop the endless yellow sands, lifting his gaze to the western clouds and Twilight glow. His left thumb pressed firmly against the hilt of his sword, the ancient blade within its sheath half-drawn. Normally, with his lofty pride, he would never have allied himself against any individual, but within the sect, one’s will is not always one’s own. Since it was the decree of the Empress herself and the Grand Commander of Peace, he, Huang Qing, had no choice but to act against his conscience.
According to the omen revealed by the great slumbering vat in Xijing, Xu Long Xiang should be nearby. However, whether they would encounter him and intercept him would depend on a measure of luck. After all, across the vast desert spanning a thousand miles, even locating a cavalry force of ten thousand men was no easy feat—let alone searching for a single person, akin to seeking a needle in the ocean. If Xu Long Xiang had already reached the Heaven-Resonating realm, where one harmonizes with the cosmos, Huang Qing might barely be able to sense him through a connection of Heaven and Man. However, according to the secret intelligence from the Spider Web network, this youth, born into the Diamond Realm, had deliberately or inadvertently remained at the threshold of the Finger-Sky Realm, choosing not to break through with unstoppable force.
Suddenly, Huang Qing halted, his feet lightly touching the sand. He pressed his thumb more firmly against the hilt, and in an instant, six or seven strands of sword qi coiled around the sheath of his sword, “Still the Storm.”
The Copper Human Patriarch, a senior even above the Lord of the Music Sword Bureau within the Chess Sword Bureau, also halted his steps, his expression as still as a pond undisturbed.
Huang Qing gazed ahead and softly smiled, saying, “Master, allow me to handle this mission first.”
The top of his head barely reached the waist of the golden giant. This Grand Master of martial arts, rarely seen in the Northern Desert, nodded calmly, saying, “You may proceed first.”
The meaning behind the Patriarch’s words was clear—he did not believe that Huang Qing alone might be enough to defeat Xu Long Xiang.
Huang Qing merely smiled in response, bearing no resentment.
His respect for this senior master was not only due to their difference in seniority, but also because the Patriarch’s path to enlightenment was akin to that of Wang Xianzhi in terms of scholarly comparison. He had ventured earlier than even the Northern Desert’s Martial God, Tuoba Pusa, and the Liyang Realm’s Xuan Yuan Dapan, seeking to verify the feasibility of opening one’s own heavenly gate through personal cultivation. The sages of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism who attained immortality merely borrowed a path through the heavens, while the Copper Human Patriarch and his ilk chose to break through the gate themselves. The late Li Chungan, revered as the greatest swordsman since Lü Zu, was even more exceptional in that his sword path was unique, striving to forge a heavenly gate with his own blade. Li Chungan’s sword Dao was an original path, nearly indistinguishable from the Heavenly Dao itself. These were the roads walked by those beneath their feet, and had little to do with rankings on the martial hierarchy. If Wang Xianzhi had once been the whetstone for the Jianghu of Liyang over sixty years, then the Copper Human Patriarch beside Huang Qing was the other whetstone for the Northern Desert Jianghu. From Tuoba Pusa to Murong Baoding and Fifth He, and on to Hong Jingyan, all had tested their skills against the Copper Human Patriarch. Unlike the invincible record of hundreds of battles held by the old man of Wudi City, the Copper Human Patriarch did not possess such a terrifying number of clashes, nor did he have the rumors of overwhelming victories over top experts. Yet, whoever faced him found no victory, only an unbroken streak of draws.
The Grand Commander of Peace once said, “The Copper Human Uncle fights others—so long as he does not lose, he is content. Only in his final battle against Heaven did he seek to win.”
The Copper Human Patriarch softly reminded, “This youth once shattered Murong Baoding’s Diamond Indestructible within Qingcang City. Be cautious, and it would be best to avoid close combat.”
Huang Qing’s aura surged, his sword intent brimming. Slowly, he pushed his sword two inches from its sheath, murmured in agreement, then smiled, saying, “Master Uncle, I shall proceed first.”
The Copper Human Patriarch nodded expressionlessly, “I shall keep watch on that restless child.”
Huang Qing exhaled softly, then dashed southward in a blur. The strands of sword qi around his sheath thickened gradually into a verdant rainbow across the land.
Sword Qi Approaching!
A magnificent sight.
The lone rider galloping from the north did not slow upon seeing the golden giant, charging straight to the Copper Human Patriarch’s side, intending to pass him by in a single breath. Yet the horse suddenly halted as though it had struck an invisible southern wall, even stepping back a few paces in retreat.
The rider, clad in a black robe and a wide-brimmed hat, reached out to soothe the mane of his sweating steed, a rare blood-sweating horse, his hand pale as snow, veins clearly visible beneath his skin.
The former Chief Assassin of the Spider Web, Yi Jie Liu, was clearly displeased, “Must you be so cautious? Before the sword qi of Huang Qing, there is no such thing as the Diamond Realm in this world. Even if there were, it would only be Li Dangxin of the Two Chan Sect.”
The giant crossed his arms over his chest, his expression indifferent.
Suddenly, Yi Jie Liu burst into mad laughter, bending at the waist, pointing at the Copper Human Patriarch, “I was wrong—I forgot you were right here. Back when Spear Immortal Wang Xiu came to the Northern Desert to train his spear, in the end, it was you, Old Master, who stopped him barehanded.”
The Copper Human Patriarch glanced at this wretched creature, once destined for greatness but now reduced to a living hell, without hiding his pity. A bastard unfit to see the light—others might have feared him, but what need had he? Even if Yi Jie Liu’s father stood here, it would be of little consequence. Li Mibi, founder of the Spider Web, the top spy of the Northern Desert, the man said to have the privilege of discussing affairs on the Empress’s bed—what of it?
Yi Jie Liu’s face darkened. The Copper Human Patriarch, who rarely spoke or smiled within the Chess Sword Bureau, for once sneered, “I have seen many brilliant young men in my life, all believing the world should revolve around them, charging ahead without ever considering retreat. In the end, they all died young, and died painfully.”
Yi Jie Liu sneered, “Then why does Xu Fengnian live so comfortably?”
The Copper Human Patriarch laughed aloud for the first time, his laughter like thunder shaking the heavens, “Are you worthy of being compared to him?”
Yi Jie Liu, his mind unhinged, bit his finger and chuckled, “Not worthy? I, Li Fengshou, entered the Diamond Realm at fourteen, reached the Finger-Sky Realm at twenty, and challenged Tuoba Pusa at twenty-two. What was Xu Fengnian doing at that age?”
The Copper Human Patriarch countered, “And what is Xu Fengnian doing now, and what are you doing now?”
Yi Jie Liu lifted his gaze to the fading afterglow, feigning nonchalance, “He was just lucky. I lost to him, but it was not my fault in battle.”
The Copper Human Patriarch narrowed his eyes, gazing at the evening sky, “According to the secret records of the Chess Sword Bureau and the Princess Tomb, from the Qin Dynasty to the Feng Dynasty and on to the Spring and Autumn Periods, in the past eight hundred years, there have been thirty-seven recorded cases of fallen immortals, all of whom perished young. Whether in imperial wars or martial rivalries, none ever reached the summit. These fallen immortals were naturally ‘born’ with good fortune, but once they touched the earth, they mostly failed to adapt, ruined by the unseen Dao of Heaven.”
The Copper Human Patriarch sighed, “Mankind toils endlessly for immortality and the heavenly Dao, yet such things are merely treasures in the hands of celestial beings above the clouds. Remember, even the most delicious alms are still alms given with disdain.”
Yi Jie Liu, Li Fengshou, frowned, asking, “Why do you tell me all this?”
The Copper Human Patriarch replied calmly, “The Northern Desert has few promising talents left these days. As for the future… I advise you to turn back, stop being a beggar and a thief, and instead emulate Li Chungan and Wang Xianzhi—become a robber.”
As dusk fell and the sun vanished entirely, Yi Jie Liu slowly removed his wide-brimmed hat used to shield from the sun, his voice cold, “I’ve already died once. At most, I’ll die again.”
The Copper Human Patriarch shook his head, “If that is your path, then it would be better for me to send you on your way than to let you perish at Xu Long Xiang’s hands.”
Yi Jie Liu, startled, had no chance to retreat before his entire body was lifted into the air, as though suspended at the center of a spider’s web, his limbs contorted, his head twisted.
At that moment, the Copper Human Patriarch turned his gaze to the distant east.
A purple aura approached from the east.
The Copper Human Patriarch hesitated, then turned his body eastward, stepping forward—just one step, yet a hundred zhang.
Yi Jie Liu, spared from death, crashed heavily to the ground like a pile of mud.
Sitting there, gasping for breath, Yi Jie Liu burst into wild, maniacal laughter, “Xu Fengnian, you’ve met a monster—this is worse than facing Tuoba Pusa! Li Chungan’s nemesis was Wang Xianzhi, Wang Xianzhi’s nemesis was you. Today, you shall taste the same fate they did!”
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