Chapter 494: Shen Kai of the Divine Blade Sect

Heng Xian truly is outstanding!

When Shen Kai spoke these words, he was extremely decisive, as if he greatly approved of Heng Xian!

"Oh?"

Young Master Wu, Ye Zimei, and others were all very curious.

Gong Sun Lier laughed and said: "Does this person have extraordinary talent? Is his cultivation extremely high?"

Shen Kai said: "He is ranked first on the earth list of the Tianyuan Sect, possesses the Sword Saint's body, is at the Yuan Dan Initial Realm, and among the younger generation known in Dongyu, he is the youngest Sword Sovereign in five thousand years!

Talent is secondary; when it comes to strategy and decisiveness, it's not that I, Ye, deliberately fawn over him—if he were here, the fourteen sect disciples would not have fallen into such a predicament in this incident!"

This is no longer mere approval, but an extreme trust!

As soon as the words fell, Gong Sun Lier and his group were all slightly shocked.

How vast is Dongyu!

Just the title of youngest Sword Sovereign in five thousand years is enough to leave his peers breathless!

How difficult is it for a sword cultivator to comprehend sword intent? To reach the ninth level or higher in a single sword intent is already arduous, let alone mastering three sword intents each to the ninth level!!!

Moreover, from "the youngest," we can infer this person is likely not old, about the same age as everyone else—what kind of monster is this?!

In the corner, Heng Xian, dressed in women's attire, felt a bit embarrassed: "The Sword Sovereign you all admire is here performing a cross-dressing act for you—pardon the laughter!"

Young Master Wu felt somewhat unconvinced and said: "I've seen many sword cultivators; reaching the ninth level or above in a single sword intent allows one to stir wind and clouds with sword qi, summon the sword intent dragon, and shatter mountains and split seas!

But the premise is that this person must have practiced swordsmanship day after day for decades, focusing solely on one sword intent—such tedious, boring monotony is unbearable for ordinary people!

A Sword Sovereign who has mastered three sword intents to the ninth level or above must surely be an ancient elder? Really young?"

Shen Kai lazily declined to answer and resumed his solitary posture.

Li Jingfeng looked at Young Master Wu and said: "I have personally witnessed the abilities of the Marquis of Three Mountains!"

"Oh?" Gong Sun Lier said, "Lord Li, please do tell!"

Li Jingfeng said: "When the Marquis of Three Mountains was in the capital, his literary talent could rival the Poetry Sage, his chess skill could crush the Grandmaster of Qin; he once unleashed a sword, the sword field vast, permeating tens of li, a single thrust, sword intent spreading, neither I nor Brother Si Tu could block it, not even Secretary Xu could stop it!"

Young Master Wu startled: "You? And which Secretary Xu?"

Si Tu Le said: "Naturally, it's Secretary Xu Lulu, who once with a single word drove back three hundred thousand cavalry of the northern wilderness!"

The pavilion fell silent instantly.

It seems Secretary Xu Lulu's fame is great!

After a while, Gong Sun Lier chuckled: "The world actually harbors such a monster; if the chance arises, I must witness it!"

Everyone laughed, then turned to other topics.

At this moment, Shen Kai suddenly rose from his seat, left without greeting anyone, and walked out on his own.

Li Jingfeng, Young Master Wu, and others were startled.

Gong Sun Lier felt a bit embarrassed, waving his hand: "Someone, see off Young Master Ye!"

Heng Xian immediately obliged, giving a slight nod, and followed behind Ye Kai.

Leaving the pavilion, the moonlight outside was just right, illuminating the Gong Sun family's inner courtyard, layer upon layer of buildings bright and clear.

Shen Kai glanced at the night sky, then looked toward a direction; after a while, his expression grew even more desolate, and he turned and slowly walked toward a small courtyard to the side.

Heng Xian quietly followed behind.

In the small courtyard, purple spirit bamboo filled the grounds, making it even more deep and secluded; Shen Kai entered a small pavilion alone and said lightly: "No need to attend, you may go!"

Clearly, he was speaking to Heng Xian.

Heng Xian reached up and rubbed the makeup on his face, couldn't wipe it off, and said: "It's been a long time; Senior Brother Shen, you truly have a refined disposition!"

Shen Kai snapped his head around: "Who are you?"

Heng Xian brushed the hair from his forehead: "Heng Xian, pardon my intrusion!"

Shen Kai stared wide-eyed, took a long moment to recognize him, and couldn't help exclaiming: "Senior Brother Heng, this attire, this way of appearing—it's truly… unexpected!"

Heng Xian strode into the pavilion, sat to one side, and said: "Why fuss over the manner of appearance? I am here specifically to help you!"

Shen Kai let out a long sigh of relief: "Senior Brother Heng's arrival finally lets me relax!"

"What's the situation? Make it short!" Heng Xian said.

Shen Kai pondered, then said: "This matter must start with your sect's Elder Blue; the Flower Pavilion was one of the evil sects a thousand years ago, mighty in power, committing countless evils, originally already thoroughly suppressed, but in recent years, taking advantage of the ancient demon Heizei's heavenly howl, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fell into chaos, and it revived once more.

Not long ago, your sect's Elder Blue led disciples in pursuit and investigation, happened to chase them to this vicinity, and besieged the master of the sixth floor of the Flower Pavilion.

Meanwhile, the disciple Zhao Ying, who accompanied them, came to play near the Nine Palaces Mountain City, encountered a female disciple of the Flower Pavilion, fell victim to her peach blossom scheme, and step by step lured your sect's White Lotus, Niu Wanli, Lin Shuyu, and others here!

And we, disciples of other nearby sects, were also coincidentally drawn in; within ten days, a portion of the elite disciples of the fourteen sects all gathered in the Nine Palaces Mountain City! Then… they were all netted by the Flower Pavilion's experts!"

"Did you detect anything beforehand?" Heng Xian couldn't help but interrupt.

Shen Kai sighed: "Of course we did; we even guessed their intent and plan, but alas, relying on our numbers—we had over a dozen at the Primordial Dan Realm alone—we ended up careless!

The Flower Pavilion's scheme was to besiege us while luring Elder Blue to relax his siege on the sixth-floor master of the Flower Pavilion!

The result: Elder Blue didn't come, and we were utterly annihilated!"

Heng Xian asked in a deep voice: "Did the Nine Palaces Mountain City collude with the Flower Pavilion?"

Shen Kai pondered: "Not just the Nine Palaces Mountain City—I feel… from the Nine Palaces Mountain City to the vicinity of the Northern Storage Sea have been taken over by the Flower Pavilion's people! Or… they have cooperated!"

"What's the reason? Aren't they afraid of retaliation from the fourteen sects?" Heng Xian asked.

"Perhaps…" Shen Kai said, "They have the means and resources to not fear the fourteen sects! As for what those means are, it's truly puzzling!"

Heng Xian asked knowingly: "Where are the others now?"

Shen Kai said solemnly: "They are being drained of spiritual energy inside the various gates opened to the demon realm! In fact, the Flower Pavilion has been capturing fourteen sect disciples these years precisely to drain the spiritual energy needed to open the demon realm's gates!"

"Does opening the demon realm require the spiritual energy of fourteen sect disciples?" Heng Xian asked.

Shen Kai replied: "The spiritual energy on fourteen sect disciples is the purest and most recognized by heaven and earth; it has a unique effect and ability in opening the demon realm, so they have been massively capturing them!"

"Is there a danger to life?" Heng Xian asked.

Shen Kai's expression was grim: "Yes! When the demon realm's gate opens, that will be the day they die!"

Heng Xian said: "Then why didn't you go?"

Shen Kai gave a wry smile: "Junior Brother Heng, please don't misunderstand—I didn't surrender to Nine Palaces Mountain City and the Flower Pavilion; rather, when I was young, I lived near the home of Gongsun Li'er's parents, and my father was on good terms with Nangong Li'er's father—we were… childhood sweethearts!"

Heng Xian nodded: "I see! Where are the people of the Flower Pavilion now?"

Shen Kai said: "The Flower Pavilion's members are experts at hiding; the only one I know who openly identifies as a Flower Pavilion disciple is a woman called Huan Ji in this city!"

Just having heard the guards mention her, Heng Xian gave a slight nod: "The Flower Pavilion is an evil sect; the cultivators of Nine Palaces Mountain City and the nearby Bei Cang Sea, even including people of the Great Zhou Empire, all cooperate with them—could it all be for the demon realm?"

Shen Kai thought for a moment, then said: "What's inside the demon realm is hard to say, but there are certainly treasures; they naturally want a share!"

Heng Xian said: "Even if the demons' things are superb, human cultivators find them hard to cultivate—why bother?"

Shen Kai shook his head with a bitter smile: "I can't understand!"

"What plans do you have?" Heng Xian asked.

Shen Kai said: "Aren't you looking at our plans? How many reinforcements have the Fourteen Sects sent?"

Heng Xian extended a single finger.

Shen Kai's eyes lit up slightly as he said: "One thousand?"

Heng Xian shook his head: "Just me!"

Shen Kai unconsciously rubbed his brow.

Heng Xian also couldn't help rubbing his nose.

After a while, Heng Xian said: "Is there any chance to enter the demon realm's gate early to rescue people?"

Shen Kai shook his head, then nodded: "The demon realm's gate is actually not in Nine Palaces Mountain City, but in a place a hundred li away; however, the sole entrance to that gate lies within the city's teleportation array, which is guarded by the Gongsun family, while the authority to open it rests in the hands of the Flower Pavilion's people!"

Heng Xian thought: "How about taking me to meet that woman called Huan Ji?"

Shen Kai said: "Certainly! Tomorrow evening, Huan Ji will go to the Nine Opportunities Pavilion, where the city's dignitaries and all the major powers of Bei Cang Sea will gather!"

(End of chapter)