Chapter 232: Clouds over the Sea! Sea in the Sky!

Ten water dragons rose from the earth!

They roared and howled, brandished claws and fangs, and charged at Chen Yi He.

Chen Yi He's sword could not block it; Old Man Zhang would use absolute power to blast Chen Yi He into pieces.

Panic!

Chen Yi He sheathed his sword at top speed, holding the Heavenly Secrets Sword before his chest—"Boom—!" endless sword intent roared forth, seeking to block the huge waves coming at him.

The water dragons could not be cut or shredded; being made of water, if the front was severed, the rear would automatically reconnect.

At that moment, a figure shot into Chen Yi He's front at a speed invisible to the naked eye!

Another sword light flashed past!

Just a single sword light surpassed all of Chen Yi He's sword intent! A single sword qi surpassed all of his sword qi!

One sword is enough.

One sword is invincible.

The ten water dragons were shattered into pieces in an instant, then fell like rain, splashing with a "Splash—!" across the ground, returning to the sea.

Old Man Zhang saw a person standing on the sea surface without his feet touching the water; that person had white hair and silver beard, an immortal's aura, eyes flashing with light, hands clasped before him, calm and composed, tranquil as water.

"Shangguan Yunyi!" Old Man Zhang shouted in shock, thinking the attacker would be the Imperial Old Ancestor or Dongfang Wuji; he never imagined that even the Sword King Shangguan Yunyi would stand against him.

Old Man Zhang feared neither heaven nor earth, having seen all kinds of scenes, yet when facing Shangguan Yunyi, his wrinkled face still showed emotion.

The Sword King Shangguan Yunyi became famous young, defeated all invincible foes under heaven, and retired to the countryside at thirty.

Everyone in the martial world knows he holds no sword in hand, but has a sword in his heart.

He is the sword, and the sword is him.

He is the incarnation of the sword.

"Hehe, I never expected that in my lifetime I could battle the legendary Sword King Zhang Huayu—even if I died, I'd have no regrets!" Old Man Zhang quickly suppressed his shock, becoming calm and resolute: "But even if you are the Sword King, I don't think you'll easily defeat me."

"Surrender, Zhang Huayu, you have no retreat." Shangguan Yunyi said coldly. He turned one hand into a sword, pointing directly at Old Man Zhang.

"Your Prince's Mansion is too small, not our battlefield—let's fight in the sky!" Old Man Zhang said to Shangguan Yunyi, then he lightly rose up and floated into the sky.

Shangguan Yunyi tapped the ground lightly with his toe, and his whole body shot up into the sky; at the same time, his sword thrust toward Old Man Zhang.

Old Man Zhang shook his arms and waved his big hand, and the sea water that had submerged the Prince's Mansion surged up, rushing toward the heavens!

The sea water connected heaven and earth, like a water curtain cutting off the two shores of the land and joining the two extremes of heaven and earth! It was a marvel—above the sky, the sea had flooded it!

Old Man Zhang's strength had reached such a point that he could actually ignore the world's center of gravity and gravitation, drawing sea water up into the nine heavens!

The cloud layers were all washed down by the sea water, sinking into the sea!

Clouds over the sea!

Sea in the sky!

"This is fucking absurd!" Chen Yi He, standing on the ground, stared dumbfounded; he lifted his head, blankly gazing at the heavenly spectacle above, his worldview completely overturned.

With just one sword, Shangguan Yunyi could overturn clouds and rain! His sword swept across the sea! His target was only Old Man Zhang!

For a moment, everything fell into chaos.

Above the sky, endless sea water and heavy clouds mingled together, as if solidified; outsiders could no longer see what was happening inside… Moreover, it was strange that they felt no trace of Shangguan Yunyi's or Old Man Zhang's power—the two seemed to have vanished.

"Indeed, the one who understands him best is still you." Yan Shanhai said to Zhou Ke.

Yan Shanhai and the others walked in from outside the Prince's Mansion; Zhou Ke, who had escaped via a mechanism, also stood up again; everyone gathered together, awaiting the outcome of this great battle.

Zhou Ke determined that Old Man Zhang would come to him tonight, so he and the others agreed to set a trap to surround and annihilate Old Man Zhang.

Old Man Zhang was clever all his life, thinking that cutting off everything would isolate Zhou Ke without aid; who knew Zhou Ke would turn the tables, successfully luring him into danger.

This game of wits was a loss for Old Man Zhang, and he very likely would have to pay with his life.

"After serving together in the court for so many years, this is the first time I have truly defeated him…" Zhou Ke said with deep meaning.

"Can the Sword King defeat Zhang Huayu?" Chen Yi He asked.

"Definitely—he is the Sword King! We are the strongest in the sword way." Duan Sheng's trust in Shangguan Yunyi could be said to have reached an unattainable level, precisely because he had once witnessed Shangguan Yunyi's sword technique; to him, Shangguan Yunyi was like a half‑master.

"Not necessarily…" the Imperial Old Ancestor said; among those present, likely only he could see through what was happening in the clouds shrouded by the sea: "It's not that Shangguan Yunyi isn't strong enough, but we may have underestimated Zhang Huayu…"

"Zhang Huayu…" Chen Yi He clenched his fists; that name filled him with bone‑deep hatred! If only his strength were not limited, he would surely tear Old Man Zhang apart with his own hands.

"Zhang Huayu only began studying martial arts at forty." Zhou Ke agreed with the Imperial Old Ancestor's view, even though Shangguan Yunyi was his closest old friend.

"Only thirty years to reach the Sevenfold Heaven?" the Western Desert Sword Demon exclaimed, nearly sitting down on his butt.

Before Zhou Ke said that, no one knew Old Man Zhang's origins; his background was extremely mysterious. People only knew he held high authority and his cultivation was astonishing.

Now thinking about it, Old Man Zhang's cultivation is not merely astonishing—describing it as heaven‑shaking is no exaggeration.

Everyone stood in the Prince's Mansion, waiting an entire night; the sky above showed no victor! There was still no fluctuation of true qi, but everyone knew a life‑and‑death duel was taking place above.

This battle will determine the future course of the Heavenly Peace Continent.

People no longer hoped Old Man Zhang would join their ranks, but to prevent him from slipping into the opposing camp and keep the balance from tilting, they must have his life!

Only with Old Man Zhang dead could they rest easy to fight the Heavenly Way!

"When he came to me for the Imperial Jade Seal, that showed he had already thrown in his lot with the Heavenly Way—Yi He, your guess was spot on." Zhou Ke said.

It turns out this "catching a turtle in a jar" scheme was devised by Chen Yi He!

"That means he deserves death all the more." Chen Yi He said coldly. He knew the people of the Heavenly Way would certainly set conditions; since the goal is to rule the world, what matters most? Besides troops, there is no doubt it is the Imperial Jade Seal, symbol of authority.

Thus Chen Yi He consulted with everyone and set up such a grand scheme, a waiting‑by‑the‑stump trap.