Chapter 59: The Sword Wins by a Notch

Chen Ci had originally wanted to retort: Then you had better be truly capable of fighting.

Then he discovered that this old Daoist was truly capable of fighting.

The kind that leaves one drenched in sweat.

Old Daoist Ge Zhou held a Wind-Letter Cloud Talisman in one hand and the Longhu Dharma Sword in the other, suddenly striding forward; he was actually taking the initiative to charge at Chen Ci to kill him.

It was plain and ordinary, vastly different from the sword moves Chen Ci had learned.

But he simply drew his sword and killed.

In less than a single breath, the two had clashed and parried seven or eight times; Chen Ci didn't even have time to think carefully, his intent preceding his moves, and although the spirit sword in his hand lacked formal structure, it intercepted the Dharma sword at every critical moment.

Basic Sword Technique: Great Success/44/100

"Hoo~"

Having lived two lifetimes, Chen Ci had never been as close to death as he was in those last two breaths; he couldn't even spare a thought to trigger the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag.

Being struck by the Thunder Technique just now didn't count, because he hadn't reacted at all.

"Good sword technique. I truly did not expect that although you are young, Daoist Chen, you have learned so extensively. If you were to hone it a bit more, you could achieve great things with sword technique alone."

A trace of gravity flashed across Old Daoist Ge Zhou's face; he seemed to subconsciously glance at the Wind-Letter Cloud Talisman and whispered: "At most, there are a hundred breaths left."

Perhaps because the pressure on the old Daoist had greatly increased, even the Dharma sword in his hand slowed by a fraction; in another two breaths, the two exchanged over ten sword strikes.

Basic Sword Technique: Great Success/57/100

Intent reaches, sword reaches; the sword advances by one.

"A hundred breaths!"

That is to say, the time of fifty breaths.

A thought suddenly flashed through Chen Ci's mind: he only needed to open up a little distance and drag out this amount of time, and this battle would be won!

This old Daoist's Dharma Artifact was inferior to his, his True Qi reserves were also inferior to his, and only his seasoned sword technique was a notch above Chen Ci's.

Now that even his sword technique had faltered, it was truly a failure of mental fortitude; Heaven was going to destroy him.

But.

An intuition from the dark told him that if he retreated one step, there would be no survival.

This old Daoist, seemingly flustered, was actually attacking his heart!

Hands, eyes, heart, and courage—intent reaches, sword reaches; if his own spirit faltered even a little, he feared he would be cut down within ten breaths. This old Daoist's understanding of fighting and sword dueling was far superior to his own.

In the time it took for this single thought to flash by, the gravity on Old Daoist Ge Zhou's face had instantly transformed into cold killing intent.

The Wind-Letter Cloud Talisman would expire in a hundred breaths; this was the truth.

But in sword cultivation, it is easiest to improve during a life-or-death struggle; this is for oneself.

As for the enemy, it is to kill the enemy and destroy their courage; once the enemy's courage leaks away, they are but a chicken or duck waiting to be slaughtered. At a distance of a few feet, one can kill them just by drawing a sword.

This He Mountain Sect cultivator is afraid of death!

"Within ten breaths, cut him down!"

This was Old Daoist Ge Zhou's thought.

"If I don't die in ten breaths, the sword will decide the outcome!"

This was Chen Ci's thought.

In this extremely brief instant, both had made their decisions; their swords whistled as they cut through the air, no longer holding back. The two engaged with their swords, and in no more than a few breaths total, blood had already been drawn.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

Ten breaths!

Basic Sword Technique: Master/Clear Insight (Mind is clear and insightful, seeking victory within the sword)

As a sword was thrust out, a different feeling emerged in Chen Ci's heart.

It was not that his sword technique had improved, but a very strange feeling about the battle; it seemed that for every sword strike, he had a judgment of the result.

For example, with this strike, he would trade injury for injury, a slight loss.

With this strike, if he did not block, he would surely die.

With this strike... a killing blow; he would be injured, the other would be crippled!

"Kill!"

"Hit!"

The two groaned simultaneously and each retreated several steps.

There was a gash on the upper left of Chen Ci's chest and abdomen, with ribs already visible, while Old Daoist Ge Zhou had been sliced open across half his shoulder by an extremely tricky sword move, reaching his chest and lungs.

The outcome was decided.

"You actually advanced your sword technique further?"

Old Daoist Ge Zhou's eyes were full of astonishment, and a deathly gray flashed in them: "This is truly the irony of fate; I was a step ahead at every turn, yet every move was a step behind. It is I who have lost."

Since the Thunder Technique was complete, this battle should have been a guaranteed victory, otherwise he would not have struck so fiercely.

In a close-quarters sword duel, how could he lose to an Outer Sect Disciple of the He Mountain Sect?

He Mountain Sect disciples always rely on Evil Methods; even if this fellow had started practicing swordplay from his mother's womb, he shouldn't have been able to surpass his own decades of bitter cultivation.

This simply made no sense!

Chen Ci shook his head and said nothing.

Would he tell an outsider that he had a cheat?

"Come, Daoist Chen, send this old Daoist on his way. Greed harms people, but it cannot be blamed on others."

Old Daoist Ge Zhou swayed, struggling to stop his wounds, his face miserable.

Chen Ci still shook his head.

"What, are you trying to humiliate this old Daoist!"

The old Daoist Ge Zhou roared fiercely, his face full of indignation.

"I am waiting for a skill, what are you waiting for, Daoist?"

Chen Ci stared at the nearly extinguished Wind Seal Cloud Talisman, remained silent for a moment, and then asked coldly.

"Wind, come!"

The old Daoist Ge Zhou's expression finally collapsed completely; following his shout, a gust of wind pushed the two of them apart by a few steps—a distance of no more than two zhang—and he immediately turned his head to flee.

"Born for the Dao, die for the Dao, Daoist Ge, why must you lose your dignity?"

"Five Yin Black Evil!"

In less than two breaths of time, Chen Ci had sent this high-merit Daoist of Longhu Mountain for a trip inside the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag.

It was, after all, the settling of karma.

Chen Ci looked at the remains scattered across the ground and suddenly shivered; he had not expected that in a tiny Qingquan Village, which was supposed to be a minor disaster, he would be the only one to survive, and his heart felt desolate.

This dungeon... truly should not be entered.

"Naivety cannot cultivate immortality; Daoist Ge has truly taught me a lesson."

Chen Ci inexplicably felt a sense of empathy and sighed heavily: "Although we fought a battle, I understand you; it was not my original intention for it to be a life-or-death struggle, everything was for the sake of pursuing the path of Longevity."

"We Outer Sect Disciples have low-level cultivation techniques, lack resources, are entangled in trivial matters, and the road to pursuing Longevity is difficult at every step; we even have to fight to the death for some worldly wealth."

Chen Ci felt only the loneliness of the Daoist path; a sudden realization grew in his heart, and his determination toward the Dao unknowingly became one layer firmer.

"But, small characters also have dreams of Longevity!"

Chen Ci patted the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag, and Adai very consciously spat out the spoils of war.

Longhu Dharma Sword, Longhu Dharma Robe, Longhu Dharma Seal.

And a money pouch woven with gold thread; just by touching it, he could feel it was bulging, clearly containing quite a few silver notes.

Chen Ci tucked the money pouch into his bosom and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air: "Daoist Ge, do not feel guilty; go in peace, I forgive you. The Five Yin Evil Qi Bag is warm in winter and cool in summer, so I presume you will have no objections. As for your dream, I shall graciously accept it and continue forward on your behalf."

He then went onto the field, collected every valuable item one by one, and after searching everywhere, he found the Essence Refining in the medicine cauldron difficult to handle for the moment; Chen Ci simply hoisted the bronze cauldron onto his shoulder, then used the remaining lamp oil to burn the place thoroughly, which counted as cleaning up the loose ends without leaving many traces.

This bronze medicine cauldron was heavy and had quite a bit of weight to it.

Just like the difficulty of Longevity, it pressed down on Chen Ci until he could barely breathe.

But this was not Essence Refining; this was a dream, so his footsteps could not stop at all!

However, Chen Ci also had to consider how this matter should be concluded.

"Let that Changping County Magistrate file a report, I'll approve the note; Daoist Ge said it himself that it was a nine-deaths-and-one-life situation, so he can't blame anyone else, right?"

But immediately, Chen Ci's shoulders slumped, nearly failing to carry the dream steadily, his face full of worry: "Whether others believe it or not is not the point; whether the Longhu Shan Jiuzhuan Guan believes it is what matters. Now that the fellow is dead without even a corpse left, no, this won't do, I really must find a way to advance within the He Mountain Sect; without someone to help shoulder the burden, my heart feels uneasy."

Retracting his previous words, Chen Ci felt he could not forgive the one surnamed Ge.

Even in death, he was still so damn restless.

"Damn it, it's all your fault, you didn't even leave a corpse behind; what do I do, you tell me what I should do!"

Chen Ci gave the Five Yin Evil Qi Bag a fierce flick to the head; this matter would likely need to be deliberated further.

(End of this chapter)