Chapter 258: One Sword

The old man looked extremely aged, his long gray-white hair disheveled, his eyes dull, his face withered, as if on the verge of death.

He wore the worn robes of an ordinary disciple of Luoshen Peak, utterly unremarkable, seemingly nothing more than an old servant guarding the ancestral hall.

Yet Sikong Xuan and the others felt an inexplicable premonition of danger, standing frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.

At that moment, Yuwen Chengqing’s expression shifted; he stepped forward several paces, arriving before the blind old man and bowing respectfully.

“Chengqing pays homage to the elder; since our last parting, it has been nearly a year.”

Hearing this, the blind old man slowly turned his head toward Yuwen Chengqing, his voice like dry wood tearing silk.

“You shouldn’t have come here. The old man merely wishes to quietly end his remaining days, with no desire to be drawn into the turmoil of this mortal world.”

Yuwen Chengqing’s expression changed slightly; he glanced at the blind old man, then immediately wore a look of sorrow, hastening to explain:

“Chengqing knows the elder transcends worldly concerns, devoted solely to martial cultivation. Chengqing too wishes to focus purely on martial cultivation, like the elder. But fate opposes desire—Great Li’s imperial forces launched a surprise attack on Luoshen Peak, slaughtering our sect disciples.”

“Now the sect is on the verge of annihilation. Even the sect master and the Four Venerables have…”

But before he could finish, the blind old man raised a hand to stop him, speaking slowly:

“You need not explain. I already know what happened to the sect master and the others. I know why you’ve come—you wish for me to intervene.”

At these words, Yuwen Chengqing’s expression changed drastically; he immediately bowed deeply, his voice trembling:

“Chengqing admits his guilt. But I am truly at my wit’s end, forced to resort to this desperate measure. I beg the elder, for the sake of our sect, to spare Luoshen Peak a single path of escape. Chengqing will accept any punishment you deem fit.”

Hearing this, the blind old man fell silent, offering no reply.

A short distance away, Sikong Xuan’s face was grim; he studied the blind old man from afar, sensing no trace of Qi, no martial aura whatsoever.

Yet from the old man’s silent, effortless counterattack earlier—when Sikong Xuan had not even sensed his movement—

it was clear the old man was no ordinary servant. He was a martial master of profound cultivation, his strength surpassing even Sikong Xuan and Yuwen Chengqing.

Yuwen Chengqing’s reverent demeanor confirmed it.

More importantly, Sikong Xuan had never encountered any record of this man in all the sect’s archives on Luoshen Peak.

He had truly never imagined that, beyond the sect master and the Four Venerables, Luoshen Peak concealed a martial master stronger than any of the peak leaders.

Now, encountering him—honestly, was this good news or bad?

Sikong Xuan’s gaze grew solemn and restrained; he was already weighing whether to strike first.

He was not afraid of death—he had little time left. But if the gap in strength was too vast, there would be no point.

Meanwhile, behind them, Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi also watched the blind old man from afar.

Especially Ouyang Mingqi: after hearing rumors about Yuwen Chengqing, he understood that no smoke rises without fire.

He had once searched the main peak specifically for the mysterious master said to have guided Yuwen Chengqing—but found nothing.

He had visited this ancestral hall before, yet never seen this blind old man.

Now it seemed clear: the old man’s martial cultivation must surpass his own, allowing him to evade detection effortlessly.

“The rumors are true. Luoshen Peak has concealed such a senior master.”

Yumianjiao’s expression was filled with shock and doubt; she could easily guess the blind old man’s martial cultivation was unfathomable.

Ouyang Mingqi’s gaze flickered slightly as he shook his head:

“Too bad. Even if such a master truly exists, he still cannot stand against Great Li’s Eighth Imperial Prince. Luoshen Peak’s fall is inevitable.”

Hearing this, Yumianjiao nodded slightly, offering no rebuttal.

Clearly, Li Muxian’s feat of single-handedly slaying the sect master and the Four Venerables was too terrifying. Even knowing the blind old man’s strength, they did not believe he could surpass Li Muxian.

At that moment, the blind old man slowly turned his face. Though his gray, lifeless eyes could not see, they turned toward Sikong Xuan, Yumianjiao, and Ouyang Mingqi.

Then, his sightless gaze fixed on Sikong Xuan, he spoke:

“I have no wish to fight. This is the ancestral hall of Luoshen Peak disciples, my place of quiet cultivation. Outsiders are not welcome. Leave now.”

Hearing this, Yuwen Chengqing, who had been bowing with head lowered, immediately stirred. The blind old man’s words clearly signaled his intent to protect him.

But Sikong Xuan narrowed his eyes. He sensed the blind old man did not regard him as a threat—but he did not retreat. Instead, he spoke in a low tone:

“If you can withstand my palm strike without moving, I may consider leaving.”

Sikong Xuan was not so easily cowed by a single remark. On the contrary, he intended to gauge the blind old man’s true strength.

If the gap was truly insurmountable, he would retreat. But if there was even a chance, he would not yield an inch.

The blind old man showed no reaction to Sikong Xuan’s words, only slowly shaking his head:

“Your martial aura is decayed, your blood and qi depleted, your life-veins weak—you are already a dead man. You cannot withstand even one of my swords.”

As he spoke, the blind old man turned his face slightly, as if looking past Sikong Xuan toward Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi behind him.

“I recognize your identities. Former peak leaders of this sect, now serving the Great Li court. Then come—strike together.”

“Only then might the three of you have even a slim chance of surviving my single sword.”

Hearing this, Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi both changed expression instantly.

They had followed Sikong Xuan hoping to offer aid in his hour of need, to earn a convenient favor.

They had never imagined actually fighting—especially not against a blind old man whose strength was clearly unfathomable.

Immediately, Ouyang Mingqi spoke to Sikong Xuan:

“Commander Sikong, we three have penetrated the main peak with no reinforcements. We must proceed with caution. Let us withdraw for now, and await the Guard Commander and the Heavenly Brocade Guards.”

At the same time, Yumianjiao spoke gravely:

“Commander Sikong, I’ve long heard rumors of Master Yuwen and this elder. This elder once guided Master Yuwen’s cultivation. His martial cultivation is unfathomable.”

“I do not speak out of self-deprecation, but I fear even our combined strength cannot match this elder.”

Then, Yumianjiao bowed respectfully from afar:

“We beg the elder’s understanding. The sect master and the Four Venerables are dead. Luoshen Peak’s fall cannot be stopped. We are forced to serve the court merely to preserve our lives.”

Hearing this, the blind old man’s aged face remained utterly still, as if deaf to Yumianjiao’s words.

His true feelings toward their betrayal of the sect were entirely unreadable.

His sightless eyes remained fixed on Sikong Xuan, waiting for his choice.

Sikong Xuan, staring at the blind old man, was visibly hesitant.

The old man had seen through his condition, sinking his heart—but he could not be certain whether the old man’s boast—that he could not withstand one sword—was mere exaggeration.

Moreover, the blind old man’s words had stung him.

Sikong Xuan had once been the esteemed Guard Commander of Great Li’s Heavenly Brocade Guards. His martial cultivation had once rivaled Fu Qiwén’s. Only age had caused his decline.

Yet his pride remained. Had he still had time, he would have weighed his options and retreated.

But now, he only wished to fight one final, glorious battle before death—his fears cast aside.

In the end, Sikong Xuan did not retreat. His expression hardened as he looked at the blind old man:

“Then let me test your skill. Even if I die beneath your single sword, I accept it!”

With that, Sikong Xuan no longer hesitated—he unleashed his full power.

Instantly, he raised both hands, deep green luminescence etched into his palm lines, his sleeves swelling with violent winds that tore the air. The space within dozens of zhang froze solid.

The next moment, he crossed his palms and thrust them forward with all his might toward the blind old man.

Visible to the eye, his vast martial Qi coalesced into nine azure serpents, radiating power capable of shattering cities and toppling mountains. The air around them surged like waves.

Sikong Xuan’s palm strike was ferocious beyond measure. The nine azure serpents shattered several zhang of space in an instant, then descended upon the blind old man.

Under the crushing pressure of his palm, the air around the blind old man solidified instantly, thick as molten lead.

Yet the blind old man stood motionless. Yuwen Chengqing, aware of his strength, stood silently beside him, never once considering intervention.

On the contrary, his gaze at Sikong Xuan seemed to already see a corpse.

In the next instant, all of heaven and earth fell silent.

Without warning, a faint, ethereal sword shadow appeared above the blind old man’s head.

At that same moment, the air before the small hall became a prison of lethal intent, a killing aura piercing heaven and earth.

Then, the sword shadow above the blind old man stirred. Where its tip pointed, it transformed into a vast, grim sword prison.

Simultaneously, Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi both turned pale with horror.

For they now realized—the blind old man’s sword point had already engulfed them both.

Before they could react, they were already trapped within the terrifying sword prison.

Instantly, Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi were chilled to the bone, their hair standing on end, drowned by an unstoppable invisible sword intent. They barely managed to activate their martial arts to defend themselves.

At this moment, they finally understood the blind old man’s attitude toward them.

Though he had said nothing, he clearly saw their defection to the Great Li court—and seized this moment to eliminate them both.

Meanwhile, Sikong Xuan’s face turned grim. His nine azure serpents had shattered instantly beneath the sword point.

Above his head, sword qi surged like a swarm of locusts devouring the moon. He stood within an endless sword realm. The blind old man’s terrifying sword intent spread, its killing essence sharpened—already descending upon his skull, ready to cleave him in two in the next instant.

No matter how he channeled his martial divine art or summoned his Qi, nothing helped. He could only watch helplessly as the sword slowly descended.

“It seems I was wrong. He truly needed only one sword to kill me.”

Fear flickered in Sikong Xuan’s eyes.

Though he knew this day would come, facing death now, he still could not face it calmly.

Meanwhile, Yumianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi faced the same fate as Sikong Xuan.

But now, beyond their terror of the sword, they felt boundless regret—they should never have followed Sikong Xuan here, never provoked a being they could never hope to oppose.

Yet just as Sikong Xuan and the others were about to be slain by the blind old man’s sword—

Suddenly, a large black cat appeared, carrying a dark green jade tablet on its back.

Its emerald-green eyes caught the scene before it and froze in shock, standing utterly still.

Clearly, the black cat had only come to scout. Seeing the blind old man unleash such a terrifying sword strike, it had no idea what to do.

Yet the moment the black cat appeared, every figure in the scene—Yumianjiao, Ouyang Mingqi, Sikong Xuan, Yuwen Chengqing, and the blind old man—

All of them turned their heads simultaneously toward the large black cat.

Yuwen Chengqing’s eyes clearly showed shock, while Sikong Xuan and the other two wore expressions of utter disbelief.

The blind old man’s usually impassive, aged face briefly betrayed a ripple of surprise and doubt.

At this moment, everyone could see.

After the large black cat suddenly burst in, the Sword Prison of the Underworld beneath the blind old man’s blade seemed as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

All of heaven and earth froze instantly.

The sword that had been descending toward Sikong Xuan and the other two halted abruptly half an inch above their heads, not moving an inch further.

In this moment, Sikong Xuan and the other two, with death hanging above them, had no idea what had happened.

Yet they could vaguely guess that this strange turn of events might be tied to the sudden appearance of the peculiar large black cat.

“Elder…”

Yuwen Chengqing frowned at the blind old man beside him, but the old man raised a hand to stop him.

The blind old man now seemed to be straining to sense the large black cat’s condition.

But at that very moment, the large black cat finally reacted slightly, then quickly turned its head and let out a soft meow toward the darkness behind it.

(End of Chapter)