Su Yi said dryly, “I’m not a fortune teller. How could I possibly know that?”
He paused, then said, “But judging by the extent of the disturbance, the sealed power is sure to be extraordinary, regardless of whether it’s a treasure or a living creature.”
Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong’s expressions were both instantly solemn.
If it were a treasure, it would naturally be a stroke of fortune as vast as the heavens themselves. However,?if it were a living thing, they feared it could lead to unpredictable calamity!
Rumble!
Heaven and earth shook without end.
Suddenly, they heard sharp, piercing cries off in the distance, and a vast red cloud large enough to blot out the heavens soared toward them.
Upon closer inspection, it was a flock of vicious birds, numbering in the thousands. Their ten-foot wings looked like they’d been formed of molten copper, and they glowed with fiery luster, while their claws were like golden knives.
Their heads were like hideous ghosts, ferocious with blood-red eyes. Their cries were high-pitched and unpleasant, like axes scraping against metal.
Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks!
Ning Sihua’s pupils constricted.
They were a type of tier-seven vicious bird. They were aggressive and temperamental, and they could fly. Each individual could threaten first-level Grandmasters.
But the most terrifying thing about Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks was that they lived in groups. They were like an entire flock of flying Grandmasters!
“Hurry and run!” Shen Jiusong’s scalp went numb, and his expression changed dramatically. 𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗹．𝐨𝗿𝗴
The moment they let such a vast flock of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks surround them, even a fifth-level Grandmaster would come out with heavy injuries, and that’s assuming they made it out alive.
Furthermore, Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks were famously fearless. When they locked onto a target, they absolutely wouldn’t let up until either they or their target was dead.
Ning Sihua felt the impulse to retreat too; she didn’t want to tangle with such a large flock of vicious birds either.
But it was then that Su Yi laughed. He’d finally found opponents he could engage in real battle with. How could he not be happy?
He stretched, then said, “Leave the filthy creatures to me. In a bit, all you have to do is help me gather up their beaks.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, he shifted positions and charged.
Whoosh!
His blue robes fluttered around him as he leaped to the top of a nearby peak and drew Guiding Mysteries with a clang.
He stood there, casual and uninhibited as a fallen immortal, his aura spreading out around him, like a divine sword, sharp and proud.
Ning Sihua was stunned. She wanted to say something, but stopped herself.
“This…” Shen Jiusong’s heart clenched. That was over a thousand Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks!
But it seemed that Su Yi wasn’t just not afraid; he was actually delighted, like a predator who’d spotted his favorite prey.
“Fellow Daoist Su is no ordinary man, so the way he carries out his business is different from ordinary men. Let’s just wait and see,” said Ning Sihua lightly.
Rumble!
The vast of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks blocked out the sun. They screamed as they approached, their wings seemingly ablaze as they released a searing wave of heat.
Everywhere they passed, both rocks and vegetation burnt to ash. It was shocking to behold.
Clang!
It was then that the crisp, clear hum of a sword reverberated throughout heaven and earth.
Su Yi stood atop the peak, his sleeves fluttering, and stabbed Guiding Mysteries into the heavens.
Instantly, a hundred-foot-long streak of sword qi shot forth and swept through the air.
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
Suddenly, a hole opened in the enormous flock of birds. Wherever the sword qi passed, bodies split apart as if they were made of paper mache.
Fresh blood and scattered feathers fell to earth.
It was a casual swing, yet he’d cut down over twenty Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks, each on par with a first-level Grandmaster!
However, this attack completely and utterly infuriated the rest of the flock. The fearless fowl shrieked, the sound stinging the eardrums as they beat their wings in a mad frenzy.
Rumble!
From a distance, the massive flock was like a sweeping firestorm, blotting out the skies as they swept toward Su Yi.
Just watching, Shen Jiusong felt himself break out in cold sweats, and his heart was on tenterhooks.
Ning Sihua’s brow furrowed, and she clenched the Waning Blueflame Moon Halberd. She planned to rush to Su Yi’s aid as soon as he needed it.
But as he stood atop the peak, Su Yi looked free and unrestrained. He leaned back his head and let out a long shout, then waved Guiding Mysteries in rapid succession.
In an instant, one streak of sword qi after another swept into being.
Some resembled the river of stars pouring down and covering the earth.
Some forged ahead like swords splitting mountains and oceans.
Some resembled dazzling suns and moons, their radiance spreading far and wide.
Some demarcated purity and filth, conquering every obstacle in their way.
Some came in like a downpour, wandering the ten directions, spreading to all eight poles.
And some….
Every streak of sword qi contained a unique charm sufficient to shake the world. Their power was wondrous and unpredictable.
This was the profundity of the Rejoicing Sword Sutra. Su Yi’s free and unrestrained bearing put it on full display.
Streaks of sword qi revolved around his tall, lean figure, like a school of fish. They were bright and crystal clear, and amidst Guiding Mysteries’ clear hum, each slash carried a thread of the mysterious charm of the Dao.
It was to the point that countless unbelievable visions formed within the sword qi streaking through the air.
And when the attacks landed….
One group of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks fell after another. Severed legs and wings scattered, and their sharp, terrified cries rang out continuously.
Blood fell like rain!
Shen Jiusong watched this play out. He was so stunned, he felt dizzy, and his heart shook.
At the Western Mountain’s Tea Party, Su Yi displayed shocking power, enough that even a fifth-level Grandmaster like Qin Changshan wasn’t his match.
But this Su Yi was completely different.
He was like an unbridled and unrestrained immortal of the sword, waging war from atop a mountain. Each streak of sword qi appeared utterly proud and contemptuous.
That free, domineering, and ferocious bearing was completely at odds with his usual calm, detached air.
He was like an immortal, waving a sword like others might wield a brush, turning the world on its axis and filling the landscape with a rain of blood!
“This…” Shen Jiusong sank into deep shock.?Is this Su Yi’s true power?
Ning Sihua was stunned. This was her first time seeing him hold nothing back, revealing an edge as sharp as his sword. It seemed that, so long as he had a sword in hand, he was invincible.
Kill! Kill! Kill!?Su Yi was slaughtering to his heart’s content, and he held nothing back. All of his attainments in the Dao of the Sword were on full display.
He stood alone, utterly valiant, rejoicing with every breath!
At its core, the Rejoicing Sword Sutra was as free and unfettered as the wind, entirely unrestrained. It sought nothing but joy.
When one was fully immersed in the Dao of the Sword, their sword qi obtained an additional free yet incomparably fierce charm.
Mere moments later.
The flock of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks had once resembled a firestorm, and it had once numbered in the thousands, but the indomitable sword qi had collapsed their formation.
Corpses fell to the ground in pieces, and blood fell like rain. A dense, bloody mist permeated the air.
In the end, the hundred-or-so Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks that remained fled in panic, crying out in terror and desperation.
When they saw this,?Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong both looked as if they’d seen a ghost.?Aren’t Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks supposed to be fearless?
Aren’t they supposed to fight until either they or their opponent is dead??Why are they running away?
Su Yi was stunned too, and the blazing fighting intent in his gaze gradually receded. His eyes regained their usual clarity, and his free yet forceful bearing disappeared. He felt it was rather a pity; he’d yet to get his fill.?These tier-seven spirit beasts… Are ultimately just a bit too weak….
Hah~!?He let out a breath of turbid air, then swept his gaze across the pile of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawk corpses. Then, without any hesitation, he sat cross-legged and started meditating.
This battle had only lasted a moment, yet it had been enormously draining.
Ning Sihua gazed intently at the seated Su Yi, then turned to Shen Jiusong. “Help me gather up the sparrow hawks’ beaks.”
When he heard that, Shen Jiusong reacted as if awakening from a dream. He and Ning Sihua hurriedly got to work.
However, in his heart, he could no longer remain calm.
This had been a battle against a vast, sweeping army of Ghostblood Sparrow Hawks, yet Su Yi had singlehandedly routed the entire flock. In doing so, he’d completely overturned Shen Jiusong’s understanding of him.
After all, who could ever have imagined that a young man in the Qi Accumulation Realm could possess such terrifying and unbelievable attainments in the Dao of the Sword?
“Palace Master Ning, why do I get the sense that Young Lord Su is the reincarnation of some heavenly immortal? He simply doesn’t seem like someone of this mundane world,” as they gathered the Ghostblood Sparrow Hawk Beaks, Shen Jiusong couldn’t help but ask.
Ning Sihua was briefly stunned, and her expression turned a bit strange. “Do you think there really are immortals up there?”
Shen Jiusong smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Who knows?”
“Everyone has their secrets. This world has no shortage of mysterious and inscrutable experts,” said Ning Sihua. “When you step into the Origin Dao, you’ll understand that ‘Earthly Immortal’ is just a title of the mundane world, and that in the eyes of true advanced cultivators, the Origin Dao is merely the first step beyond mortality.”
Shen Jiusong fell silent.
Although it hadn’t been long since he began traveling with Su Yi and Ning Sihua, the power and cultivation-related knowledge they put on display had shocked him repeatedly and overturned his imagination.
He was only just starting to realize that, although he was honored as marquis, and although he wielded vast authority within the mundane world, when it came to cultivation, he was meager and ignorant!
It felt as if a brand-new door were opening before him, granting him a glimpse at a strange new world.
It was easy to imagine how much of a shock this was.?A long time passed before he got his emotions under control and whispered, “Palace Master Ning, do you think I have any hope of becoming a true cultivator in this lifetime?”
Ning Sihua was briefly stunned. Then, her tone rife with meaning, she said, “If you rely solely on your own hard work, you might have little hope, but if someone were willing to lift you up, stepping into the Origin Dao would be well within the realm of possibility.”
Shen Jiusong’s heart shook, and he instinctively glanced up at the peak where Su Yi was meditating.
A moment later, he faced Ning Sihua and bowed low at the waist. “Palace Master Ning, many thanks for your guidance. I understand!”
Ning Sihua said no more. Sometimes, it was enough to point someone in the right direction. Whether Shen Jiusong could seize this chance or not depended on Su Yi’s mood.
An hour later.
The two of them gathered five hundred intact Ghostblood Sparrow Hawk beaks from the pile of corpses. There were so many that they formed a small, glittering mountain.
This was a rare tier-three spiritual material. You could grind it into powder and add it to medicine, or use it to make weapons. It had the miraculous effect of nourishing a weapon’s spirituality.
In the Great Zhou, a pile of beaks this size would fetch at least a hundred tier-three spirit stones!
The distant mountaintop.
Su Yi suddenly sat cross-legged, streaks of Astral Dao Force lingering around him. He was silent and unmoving as a boulder.
When Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong saw this, they could only keep on waiting.
Another hour passed.
Su Yi had yet to awaken from his meditation when they heard something off in the distance piercing through the air.