Chapter 235: The Scholar

Dozens of war chariots stopped.

Huaguang stepped on a thin thread of cold light and flew toward Wu Tie.

The cold light was a hundred zhang long, no wider than half a finger, roughly sword-shaped, and its whole body emitted a piercing chill.

Wu Tie's huge metal wings behind him flapped slowly, and their immense power supported his body.

Just after being glared at by Huaguang, an invisible sword intent sent Wu Tie flying several hundred meters, leaving him somewhat uncomfortable. Now he fully activates the Eagle God Armor gifted by Osiris, his form faintly merging with the surrounding void.

In the lineage of power carried by Osiris, the Eagle-headed God is inherently closely connected to the forces of sky, space, and storms.

Huaguang narrowed his eyes, then glared fiercely.

From nearly a kilometer away, two strands of invisible sword intent shot forth silently, striking Wu Tie's left and right shoulders.

Two 'ding' sounds rang out.

Two tiny sparks sprayed onto the black armor, leaving no trace. The huge metal wings steadily supported Wu Tie, and his body did not move at all.

"Good armor." Huaguang exclaimed, and the silver hair flowing behind him all swayed at once.

A sky-full of invisible sword intent howled in, the air filled with an extremely faint 'hiss'—clearly a traceless sword intent—and Wu Tie's vision blurred as countless thumb-sized tiny swords appeared, falling from the air.

The dense impact sounds rang without cease; countless sparks sprayed onto Wu Tie's half-body armor and tassets, and even his boots sparked. Waves of heavy impact force came one after another; his body initially remained perfectly still, but after two breaths, it began to sway slightly.

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes at Huaguang.

This guy, whether it was the first sword upon meeting, the two sword intents that followed, or now the sky-filling sword intent pouring down, his target was always the parts of Wu Tie's body covered by armor.

Wu Tie's two arms, as well as the area half a chi above his knees and two or three cun below his knees, were not covered by armor, yet these invisible sword intents did not attack those spots.

Huaguang's sword intent attack was fierce in momentum, yet amidst the sky-filling sword intent there was not a trace of true killing intent.

"If you don't want to kill, why did you strike so fiercely at first sight?" Wu Tie shouted sternly: "If my armor weren't sturdy enough, an ordinary person would have lost an arm to your single blow."

Huaguang raised his brow, the sky-filling sword intent vanished instantly, and the long hair flying behind him fell down softly, strand by strand.

He sized up Wu Tie for a moment, then smiled faintly: "You have some perception… Indeed, I harbor no killing intent, but I do wish to teach you a lesson. No matter what, you killed over a dozen clan heads on my territory, harming my interests."

"They deserved to die." Wu Tie stared coldly at Huaguang.

"Why did they deserve to die?" Huaguang curiously looked at Wu Tie: "Go on, I'm someone who loves to reason."

Behind Huaguang, hundreds of Chonglou Realm cultivators shrieked in unison: "Lord Huaguang, we can't listen to his nonsense; you must decide for us……"

"Our clan head was killed by him, and without a Life Pool Realm expert to hold the fort, we are surely doomed to family ruin and destruction."

"Please, Lord Huaguang, decide for us; we have no merit in capturing this wretch alive, but we have labored hard to spread the word……"

"Lord Huaguang, we only wish to become your vassals, to serve as your claws and fangs, to be dispatched at your will; please, Lord Huaguang……"

A crowd chattered noisily, seven mouths eight tongues.

Wu Tie gave a cold smile.

No wonder this lot splashed filth on me at first sight; they obviously wanted to play the pity card to get Huaguang to take them in.

However, judging from Wu Tie's prior experience, the character of these Life Pool Realm experts from the Great Lake Region is such that after their clan heads were slain by Wu Tie, they truly lack the power to protect themselves, and their families could be annexed at any moment.

And they themselves could be wiped out at any time.

Huaguang turned around, glanced at these people, and softly barked: "Be quiet."

The crowd opened their mouths, then obediently shut them, daring not to make a sound.

Thousands of gold-armored cultivators left the chariots, encircling the group of darting-eyed, scattered-light individuals. They held polearms; if anyone's lips twitched even slightly, indicating a desire to speak, they would immediately be struck with a pole.

Wu Tie chuckled and recounted in detail the entire course of his clash with those dozen or so Life Pool Realm experts, including how they unleashed divine abilities at any cost, and how the shockwaves killed all the low-level cultivators they had brought along.

"I see." Huaguang sighed: "They got what they deserved."

Wu Tie spread his hands: "I don't understand why they brought so many low-level cultivators."

Huaguang smiled lightly and said calmly: "Because they feared that after leaving their families, others would mobilize armies to surprise-attack their castles. Rather than suffer passively, it's better for everyone to keep everyone's forces at hand, so they can feel at ease."

Huaguang sneered, shook his head, and said: "Actually, it's meaningless…… but such is the local custom; besides themselves, they trust no one else, so they have no choice but to do this."

"Stupid, ignorant, selfish, greedy, brutal, unkind……" Huaguang heaved a heavy sigh: "This is the true nature of those fools in my territory; I'm not at all surprised they would act this way."

Wu Tie nodded: "Then, can we leave?"

Wu Tie looked at Huaguang and said: "You said you love to reason, so you should understand that the fault isn't mine…… we, can we leave?"

Huaguang fell silent for a moment, then heaved another heavy sigh: "The fault isn't yours, but I cannot let you go. It is my bounty order that has the great and small families of my territory watching your movements, demanding they capture you alive."

Huaguang's body straightened slowly, like a taut bow, and he suddenly released a suffocatingly fierce aura.

"Although I know this is improper…… and I can see that, mindful of the deaths of those low-level cultivators, you are being chased so miserably by a gang far weaker than you…… you ought to be, in this age, extremely rare…… 'good people'!"

"You are 'good people,' while my Udumbara clan…… please forgive me for criticizing my kin; they are foolish, arrogant, decadent, corrupt…… they are a bunch that from head to toe reek of maggots."

"But no matter how bad they are, no matter how good you are……"

Huaguang shook his head wearily, looking at Wu Tie: "I am a direct descendant of the Udumbara clan; my father, that foolish old fool, is the Grand Elder of the Udumbara clan…… and that even more foolish current clan head, ten times stupider, is my own elder brother."

He gave a bitter smile, Huaguang narrowed his eyes, his pupils turning a pure silvery white, and thin threads of cold light continually sprayed from his eyes, like countless swords pointing straight at Wu Tie.

"So I must capture you alive and hand you over to that…… despicable, filthy, lowly woman who makes me wish I could cleave her in two with a single sword."

Wu Tie said nothing, merely gazing at Huaguang.

Huaguang seemed to have a lot of pent-up anger, and he continued muttering: "That woman—I actually have to help her with things…… I could imagine with my toenails what she did to make the clan head order her to seize people."

"I, Huaguang, a pure and upright scholar, am actually being forced to do this kind of work for them……"

"Even if I drained all the water of the Great Lake Region, I could not wash away the stain on me." Huaguang heaved a heavy sigh, looked bitterly at Wu Tie: "But I am a member of the Udumbara clan; there are things I must do."

Wu Tie looked at Huaguang.

Huaguang also looked at Wu Tie.

Their gazes met; Wu Tie's eyes were mighty and heavy, as if a mountain lay within his pupils.

Huaguang's gaze was sharp and steadfast, as if a sword were hidden in his eyes, hidden in his soul, inlaid upon his heart.

Upright, straight, unbending.

Wu Tie laughed aloud; he was a bit obstinate, yet an upright and honest companion—in Huaguang's eyes, Wu Tie showed none of the chaotic, murky, beast-like greedy glare of the cultivators who had previously pursued him.

A clear, sweet voice sounded from afar.

Cang You turned into a hundred‑meter length, stepping on four masses of cold clouds, slowly flying.

Xuan Zhu stood on Cang You's head, leaning against a horn, smiling at Wu Tie.

"This young lord, it seems… a fleeting glance, Xuan Zhu has a slight impression. Heehee, Gluttonous Lord Gluttonous Bird, can you be with the young lord?" Xuan Zhu smiled like a flower and waved at Wu Tie: "The young lord seems to have captured the Gluttonous Lord?"

With a soft sigh, Xuan Zhu let Cang You hover a thousand meters away, then said gently: "Those rough, brutal men are not with the young lord, so please, Lord Hua Guang, first capture this young lord."

Hua Guang said coldly: "Capturing him counts as fulfilling the clan head's order?"

Xuan Zhu's eyes flickered, about to speak, but Hua Guang already laughed, looking at Wu Tie whose eyes brimmed with vast, weighty righteous qi like a mountain standing before him, and nodded: "I capture you once, I naturally complete the clan head's task; what follows has nothing to do with me."

Wu Tie and Hua Guang's gazes met, their eyes flickering, Wu Tie smiled.

Hua Guang also smiled.

Wu Tie saw what Hua Guang wanted to say but did not speak.

Hua Guang also saw that Wu Tie had seen what he wanted to say but had not spoken.

Behind Wu Tie, his huge metal wings snapped shut, his armor retreated into his body, he strode forward into the air toward Hua Guang, extending his hands and placing them before Hua Guang.

Hua Guang simply took out a rope emitting a faint light, wrapped it around Wu Tie's wrists in a couple of moves, then loosely tied a slipknot around Wu Tie's neck, grabbed Wu Tie's arm and flung him toward Xuan Zhu.

"Lads, the clan head's mission is already done… knock off! After returning, hold a three‑day, three‑night banquet to celebrate how our Lake City sent away the filthy things… uh, remember, use clean water to rinse the inside and outside of Lake City three times."

Hua Guang stepped on a thread of cold light, hands behind his back, laughing freely as he left.

Wu Tie "plop" fell in a "sorry" state before the stunned Cang You's chin, rolled twice on the ground, then roared at Hua Guang: "Hua Guang, you're amazing… just one move and you captured me."

"I, Wu Tie, won't accept it, won't accept it… don't let me escape, I will surely take revenge on you!"

Hua Guang stared, then snapped his head back, two silver beams several meters long shooting from his eyes, locking onto Wu Tie: "Wu Tie? The Wu of Wu sorcery, the iron of gold, silver, copper, iron? You have three elder brothers named Wu Jin, Wu Yin, Wu Tong?"

Wu Tie jerked his head up, astonished at Hua Guang: "You know me?"

Hua Guang grinned, his sword‑sharp gaze suddenly softening a little, he pointed far away at the old iron turning into a wolf‑like form, baring its teeth: "Grey…"

Wu Tie just laughed.

Hua Guang said he was a person who liked to reason, a scholar.

Grey Master was bought by the caravan of the twelve ruling families from the Golden Undead Hunting Group in the Black Snake Domain's Giant Snake Cave.

So Grey Master being sold to the Triple City is beyond doubt, he was bought by Hua Guang?

Wu Tie looked at Hua Guang, laughing brightly.

Hua Guang also looked at Wu Tie, laughing brightly, and they said in unison: "The greatest power is not swords and strength, but… wisdom!"

This is what Grey Master often says.

Old Iron then understood, he lazily turned his head and shouted at the row of stelae behind him where Stone Flying and others stood: "That called Sun Left is useless… kill him."

Stone Flying hesitated, answered.

Old White acted faster, he took out a poison needle and earnestly stabbed it into Sun Left's carotid artery.

Sun Left was imprisoned by Wu Tie, now in a faint.

He felt no pain, his life ended.

Wu Tie had already found Grey Master's exact whereabouts; Sun Left, such a minor figure, as Old Iron said, is useless.

Xuan Zhu then shouted angrily: "What are you doing? Hua Guang, and Wu Tie, what are you doing?"

Hua Guang placed the hand behind his back onto his chest, both hands tucked into his wide robe sleeves, smiling at Xuan Zhu: "What am I doing? I did nothing… I just finished the clan head's order, I helped you catch the one you wanted. What can I do?"

Wu Tie let out a long whistle, he shook his hands hard.

The random rope Hua Guang tied on him, emitting a faint light, shattered inch by inch, followed by a piercing cracking sound.

Hua Guang exclaimed in alarm: "Ah, Miss Xuan Zhu, be careful, this fellow is truly vicious, my ancestral treasure‑rune rope was actually broken by him… this is your lax supervision, don't blame me."

Hua Guang narrowed his eyes, seriously telling Xuan Zhu: "This rune rope is worth hundreds of millions, I mean gold coins, not silver or copper trash; it's worth hundreds of millions of gold coins, you must compensate me."

Xuan Zhu's eyes burst with cold qi, she trembled, pointing at Hua Guang, a swear word had not yet escaped her mouth.

Wu Tie raised the White Tiger Split, struck with full force onto Cang You's great maw.

A tragic howl, Cang You's whole head was smashed inward, the wound spewed large patches of dark blue plasma, its massive body rolled backward and flew out, struck by Wu Tie's blow over ten li away, head‑first into a distant cliff.