Chapter 706: Do You Still Have a Hidden Trick? The Legacy of the Second Master

【The mist dispersed!】

【The violent qi tornado on the lake surface finally subsided; shattered spiritual energy fell like snowflakes. Though the sword intent storm had ceased, a terrifying aura of destruction still hung in the air, and the lake water shimmered with black electrical arcs.】

【What was the outcome?】

【Dragon One, who attended the Gathering of Beauties, was utterly shattered by your Maha Vastu.】

【At that time, you had not yet reached your current cultivation base, but Dragon One was a great demon of Ze Lake, ignorant of martial arts and unable to comprehend the mystery of Maha Sword Intent—he relied solely on raw qi to resist, and it backfired.】

【He was not wounded by Xie Guan’s sword intent—he was devoured by his own qi.】

【But Dragon One was, after all, a demon whose physical body surpassed the Golden Core realm.】

【“Maha Vastu” can detonate infinite qi, catching foes off guard and leaving them defenseless. Imagine if four men before you, facing your current realm’s “Maha Vastu,” refused to dodge or evade—what would happen? They would die or be grievously wounded, with no chance of survival.】

【You closed your eyes slightly, took a moment to steady your breath, and slowly restored a thread of primordial spirit power; your gaze had already turned to the opposite side.】

【As expected, though both were battered and barely clinging to life, neither had died outright—they still held a sliver of vitality.】

【These men were wiser than that dragon, refusing to meet the blow with brute force.】

【Kongdu first summoned a golden-threaded cassock; its Buddhist light had not yet fully unfurled before the sword intent tore it apart. He then frantically shattered a sheep-fat jade amulet—the soft glow barely halted the sword’s advance for half a breath. His cultivation was weakest; now his seven orifices bled, yet he had barely survived thanks to his exclusive cultivation of the Vajra body.】

【He Lan continuously launched four or five protective magic treasures from his sleeves: the green jade gourd had barely expanded before being pulverized; the mirror before him shattered. In the end, more than half his body was crushed by the sword intent—he now trembled as he shoved pills into his mouth; each swallowed pill caused his shattered flesh to writhe and regenerate slightly, only to be torn apart again by the residual sword intent within.】

【The worst off was Xiao Yu, the ninth-rank martial cultivator who stood first in line—if he had not resisted for even a moment, the other three would already be dead.】

【Xiao Yu’s remaining upper torso floated in the lake water, his Golden Core shattered and leaking true qi uncontrollably.】

【He tried to restore his body, but the Maha Sword Intent blocked him—any touch of true qi or primordial spirit power triggered instant detonation.】

【Unless one could unravel the Seven Sword Intent of the Second Master—how impossible! Few in the world could accomplish such a feat!】

【After several attempts, Xiao Yu’s last remaining right hand exploded into a mist of blood.】

【Unexpected!】

【Of the four present, the Great Sui Crown Prince Liu Yuan fared best—he hung his single arm limply, half his face stripped of flesh to reveal gleaming white bone, yet he still stood midair atop waves of blood. At the critical moment, he had discarded his protective dragon seal and activated the Blood Escape Demon Art—somehow, he had carved out a sliver of survival from the “Maha Vastu” sword intent—now, the residual sword intent within him was the least of all four.】

【But this defies logic—if the Maha Sword Intent were so easily broken, the Second Master would never have boasted of it before the First Master.】

【You suddenly sensed something amiss: the blood-demon aura swirling around Liu Yuan had grown several times denser, faintly coalescing into the shapes of tormented spirits wailing. Even stranger—in the instant the sword intent struck him, you felt a strange dislocation, as if you had cut through emptiness. You knew this sensation too well—it matched the “Shun Dui Fa Ling Ti” of the Yin Talisman Seven Arts: the substitution technique.】

【You recalled a demonic cultivation art Lu Hua once mentioned: “Substitute Body.”】

【It was extremely sinister—even among demon sects, it was banned: it required the bloodline kin as sacrifice to bear a fatal blow in one’s stead.】

【At Liu Yuan’s severed arm, demonic qi churned—he used his essence blood as a catalyst and forcibly condensed a grotesque demonic hand.】

【The new limb was etched with crimson patterns; the true qi dripping from his fingertips corroded the lake surface into hissing white smoke.】

【“Xie Guan, do you still have any hidden tricks?”】

【His single eye glowed with bloodthirsty light, yet his voice was colder than ice-forged steel: “You are indeed harder to deal with than I imagined—but today, you will die without fail.”】

【You stood at the prow of the boat, your primordial spirit exhausted, your heart-sea cracked like parched earth; your dantian yielded not a single trace of true qi.】

【Xiao Yu gritted his teeth, his bloodied gaze like hooks nailed to you.】

【Upon hearing this, Kongdu and He Lan’s dim eyes suddenly flared with hope.】

【Dragging their shattered bodies, they stared fixedly at this life-or-death standoff.】

【If Xie Guan dies, they still have a chance to live.】

【All they need is to find a ninth-rank martial cultivator or a Yang Shen grand master—who can then remove the rampant sword intent from within them from the outside.】

【At this moment, the lake surface fell utterly silent; no one spoke.】

【As for whether Xie Guan would kill them?】

【They were crown princes of three nations—this concerned the fate of the Great Qi state.】

【Such a foolish question would never be voiced aloud!】

【That single sword just now proved it—if they had not possessed survival techniques, they would already be dead, as lifeless as the corpses floating on the lake.】

【At this point of life-or-death desperation, any extra words were meaningless—none understood better than they that too many words invite disaster.】

【When two paths meet, fight for your life!】

【Liu Yuan’s demonic hand slowly rose; in his palm, blood-colored true qi coalesced into a flickering, unstable blade—he himself seemed transformed into a demonic shadow, chilling and dreadful.】

【He cried out: “Xie Guan, it is time to depart.”】

【At that moment, a clear, distant birdcall echoed through the scene—】

～

Luo Su watched the sudden shift in battle—then the ninth-rank martial cultivators moved, and Liu Yuan’s four joined forces to strike!

Her heart rose again.

Then!

A jet-black sword light tore through the sky once more; the fury and extinction within that sword intent darkened heaven and earth.

Outside the scene, Luo Su and Mei Qingsu were frozen in shock.

The storm on the lake gradually calmed, leaving behind utter devastation.

Xue Huai’an’s face was pale, his voice trembling: “W-what realm is this?... What kind of technique!”

“Is this the realm of a Grand Master of Martial Arts? Its power rivals that of gods and demons!”

Xue Huai’an could not believe it—or rather, the reality before him was too shocking, too awe-inspiring!

Luo Su snapped back to awareness: “It—it’s the Second Master’s sword.”

“The sword that every swordsman in the world looks up to—the sword that hangs above every martial cultivator’s head.”

Mei Qingsu could not help but speak: “Xie Guan... Master Xie is the Second Master’s heir!”

Unconsciously, he dared not speak Xie Guan’s name directly.

Just as in the Second Master’s era, no one had dared to speak his name.

All under heaven called him the Second Master!

This obvious answer left everyone present as if in a dream.

But it left several stunned.

Luo Su and the others also noticed that after Xie Guan unleashed his sky-piercing sword at Yanbo Lake, several auras had quietly drawn near.

While they were still in shock—

The mist and mist over the lake dispersed.

Revealing the four within—unexpectedly, Liu Yuan and the others still clung to a thread of life.

They themselves knew: had they been in that position, they would have been reduced to ash by that single sword.

Luo Su cried out: “No good!”

The situation on the lake shifted again!

The Great Sui Crown Prince still held back strength, while Xie Guan had exhausted all his reserves.

A demonic hand, thick with dark qi, lunged for Xie Guan’s heart.

Its speed was so swift it left afterimages.

Life hung by a thread!

All of them could see: after that sword, Xie Guan’s martial cultivation was still at the Qi Refining stage—his body could not withstand this claw.

They were too far away to intervene.

～

～

Near Yanbo Tower, a quiet private mansion was hidden among lush greenery.

At the window-facing desk on the fourth floor, Chen Zhi had regained her composure.

Since Xie Guan was now doomed, she must extract the greatest advantage from this broken board.

What crimes should the three crown princes who acted here be punished for?

What will the Thirteenth Prince Chen Mu and the Xie family do in response?

She had taken the first move today, yet the vital qi of this great dragon had been snatched away—truly frustrating.

But alas, Xie Guan’s status was merely that of a bastard son—he could not sway the entire situation.

Yet with the aid of Zhuge Jian and Zhang Shi, or even by forging connections, there remained a chance to reset the board.

This princess had been raised since childhood by the late emperor as a prince; she once presided over the Dalisi and investigated major cases, fond of opening case files and writing annotations—long ago, she had formed the habit of taking notes whenever reviewing documents.

Whenever she contemplated matters, her brush was never far from hand.

Now she took from her gold-inlaid notebook the page on Xie Guan and drew a red slash across the top.

She wrote the date: “Twentieth year of this reign, fifth month, twenty-first day.”

Her brush hovered above the paper, pausing slightly.

Ink gathered at the tip, then slowly descended:

“The youth squandered his talent, betrayed the gentleman’s spirit, indulged in fleeting heroism and sentimental attachments.”

She drew the brush back slightly, then added two more characters:

“Pity.”

The final stroke had not yet settled.

“Zheng—!”

A sword qi surged skyward, instantly ringing through all of Bianjing!

Window frames trembled; fallen leaves fluttered wildly from the courtyard; even the clear water in the celadon inkstone on the desk rippled.

Chen Zhi’s fingertips froze; a drop of thick ink fell, spreading into a dark stain on the paper.

She suddenly lifted her gaze toward Yanbo Tower—her pupils reflected the sword light piercing straight into the clouds.

“This sword intent…” she murmured softly, “is it Master Two’s sword?”

The only one who entered the Misty Waves Pavilion today was Xie Guan.

“Your Highness!” Madam Yan hurried in, whispering, “Word from the Misty Waves Pavilion—Xie Guan has revealed his cultivation base on the lake and ignited his Primordial Spirit flame…”

She paused, her voice dropping even lower, “It seems he has received Master Two’s sword lineage.”

Chen Zhi’s fingertips trembled; she had heard only the last few words.

“Master Two’s… sword lineage?”

She sprang to her feet, urgent, “Order Master You and the others in the mansion to lead men immediately to Misty Waves Lake—at any cost, save Xie Guan!”

“The spies at Misty Waves Lake must prioritize saving Xie Guan’s life above all else.”

But Madam Yan said, “Xie Guan just drew his sword—it seemed to be one of Master Two’s Nine Swords. The power was immense; the lake was in chaos, the waters overturned, and Liu Yuan and the others are now unaccounted for!”

Chen Zhirou’s face showed shock. “Was Xiao Yu, the Grand Master of Court Ceremonies, among them? He is a Ninth Realm martial cultivator.”

“Liu Yuan has long concealed his true strength in Bianjing—he should be the most formidable among the three royal hostages. How could he be in mortal danger?”

Madam Yan said, “Xie Guan has already reached the Primordial Spirit realm of Purple Microcosm Constellation—and he has learned Master Two’s Seven Swords!”

“The disturbance on the lake was too great just now; our spies dared not approach, so they rushed to report to Your Highness.”

Chen Zhirou rose from her desk, unaware that ink had stained her brocade skirt.

She walked slowly toward the window. “Xie Guan… I recall he has not yet reached adulthood, has he?”

Her voice trembled with unmistakable awe. “At such a young age, he has reached the Ninth Realm of Primordial Spirit—and received Master Two’s true transmission.”

Chen Zhi looked toward the direction of Misty Waves Lake.

“Xie Guan… Xie Guan…”

“If you had only revealed earlier that you were under Master Two’s protection, that you had received his sword lineage, I would have spared no effort to save you today.”

The significance of one who has received Master Two’s sword lineage is immense.

Though Master Two is gone, his reputation endures; his disciples who learned his sword art, and all who owe him gratitude, number beyond count.

Moreover, Master Two was one of the orthodox literary lineages of the Academy’s Master.

If the Great Qi imperial house of Chen could claim this man, the chance of turning the tide is not out of reach.

This game is alive again!

Chen Zhirou exhaled slowly, a genuine smile spreading across her usually cold features.

Though her features were ordinary, in this moment, her gaze shimmered with rare brilliance.

Though we did not fully spare Xie Guan today, we have already secured two critical advantages.

These are favors given in the snow—precious and irreplaceable.

Given Xie Guan’s nature, he will not fail to repay them.

Moreover, given the relationship between the Xie family and Xie Guan, the Nine Surnames are bound by marital alliances.

This disciple of Master Two may yet become the blade that cuts through the Nine Surnames.

Chen Zhirou suddenly turned and smiled. “Madam Yan, help me change my robes—I must enter the palace and petition His Majesty!”

Madam Yan froze; the Princess had not called her by this name in years.

She had once been the Princess’s wet nurse!

And moreover, His Majesty and the Princess have not seen each other in twelve full years.

Madam Yan’s nose stung; she quickly sniffed back tears, bowing respectfully.

“Yes, your humble servant obeys!”

(End of Chapter)