Chapter 70: Winner Takes All
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
Cloud Tread Rooftop, the fierce Five Elements Transmutation has finally come to an end. The mountain rocks, the raging flame, and the howling sandstorm… which were created by Daoist Master Zhifeng, faded away. Warm sunlight and a thin layer of cloud finally returned to the Spirit Sword Peak.
“I’ve lost.”
After a long silence, Daoist Master Zhifeng finally said those words in a low voice. At this time, his face was as pale as paper, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth towards his gown.
No matter how unwilling he was, he knew he had lost this duel; being stubborn and refusing to admit it would not make any sense, but instead, it would completely throw away his and Shengjing Sect’s face… With a little rationality left in him, Daoist Master Zhifeng finally didn’t choose the frenzied suicide choice.
“A bet’s a bet. Since I’ve lost, I’ve lost everything that I gambled away… In the future, if there’s a chance, I will come here and offer my apology!”
Daoist Master Zhifeng gave a short, mirthless smile and deeply bent his waist in front of the several Spirit Sword Elders.
He said if there was a chance, but actually, he didn’t have a chance. After his conspiracy in the White Moon Country has been brought to light and he subsequently lost the confrontation against the Spirit Sword Sect, based on his sect regulations, it would be lucky if he could save his life. At the minimum, the Disciplinary Department of his sect would put him under confinement for at least one hundred years. However, one hundred years later, his life would be basically finished.
Life expectancy for Yuanying cultivator was usually around six hundred years, and Daoist Master Zhifeng has already lived for more than four hundred years. Thus, according to logic, he only had close to two hundred years left in his life. However, when he fought with Wang Wu, he knew that his heart’s dao was shaken, and his Jade Mansion trembled; although his cultivation didn’t revert, he suffered innumerable internal injuries to the point of almost hopeless to being healed...
Whether as a Shengjing Sect’s Elder, or as a Yuanying Stage cultivator, he has no future at all. That being the case, was there any meaning for him to keep holding on this dispute? Not to mention on the eloquence alone, he was in no way on par with that white-clothed woman.
Thus, Daoist Master Zhifeng readily admitted his defeat, no longer trying to argue or do anything. Because of this, Spirit Sword Sect also reciprocated in kind, not adding insult to injury. The Elders, without a word, waved their hands to disperse the crowd of disciples; this could be considered as saving a little face for Daoist Master Zhifeng.
Then, after a sigh, Daoist Master Zhifeng silently left the Cloud Thread Rooftop. The Second Elder Liu Xian and Third Elder Fang He silently arrived beside Daoist Master Zhifeng and set up the sword light, ready to personally send him out, giving a little bit of respect to this Yuanying Stage Elder.
This act from the Spirit Sword Sect could be considered as a kind act, however, Daoist Master Zhifeng couldn’t help but feel distressed as inwardly smile ruefully, thinking, “This is the so-called victor’s courtesy! First, beat the other side black and blue, and then politely hand over a towel: ‘please wipe the blood on your nose ~’. Over the past decades, I’ve always been the one who offered the towel on behalf of the Shengjing Sect to the opposite party, and I have never been on the receiving end. Is this how it feels when being pitied by the other side?”
“Ancient Sect really hides their power deep enough!”
After coming out of the entrance, Daoist Master Zhifeng could no longer restrain himself and sighed with emotion.
They were really worthy to be one of the top five sects of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals! If even—through his own sect’s investigation—the weakest, the good-for-nothing among them, the Fifth Elder—a mere Jindan Stage—could be this powerful, how powerful were the other Elders who have reached at least Yuanying Stage then? It was terrifying just to think about it!
Next to him, the two Spirit Sword Elders faintly smiled; Liu Xian said, “No need to be so downhearted, Zhifeng. In our sect, Fifth Junior Sister is famous as a defense master; even if it’s me or brother Fang He, it would still be difficult for us to directly break through her three feet sword defense head on.”
The nearby Fang He suddenly wrinkled his brows. Although outwardly he didn’t speak, he used his Primordial Spirit to talk to his Senior Brother. “Senior Brother, if it’s just her three feet sword defense, what’s so difficult to break through it?”
Liu Xian asked back, “Indeed, breaking through her three feet sword defense is not difficult for us, but Junior Sister still has her foot long sword defense and even an inch long sword defense! Just thinking about it is already giving me a headache… Don’t tell me you have the confidence to break through her full defense?”
Fang He thought about and tried to open his mouth several times, but in the end, he swallowed it back.
Indeed, Fifth Elder’s impregnable defense was something of a headache. What she showed today at the Cloud Tread Rooftop was just a small sample of her defensive ability. These past few years, only the Heavenly Sword Elders deeply knew how good she was from their experience in trying to handle her after she gave them trouble.
However, these were the things that shouldn’t be said to outsiders. In any case, they were just giving him comforting words.
Hearing what they said, Daoist Master Zhifeng became even more depressed. He thought that they had underestimated this sect too much for many years! Perhaps on the overall strength, this withered sect could not be compared to the Shengjing Sect or Kunlun Sect, but each of their ten Heavenly Sword Hall Elders could not be underestimated!
Moreover, these many years, people have overlooked one very important factor: although the Spirit Sword Sect's Elders seemed to be in their twilight years and their life wouldn’t be long anymore, actually, their ages weren’t that long. Among which, the eldest among them, which was also their Sect Leader, Daoist Master Feng Yin, has just celebrated his three hundred years old birthday a few years ago. Moreover, the youngest among them, Hua Yun, apparently was just one hundred and fifty or sixty years old. Based on their cultivation level, they might not be the best in the Immortal Cultivation World, however, if they were to be compared to others with the same cultivation level, they would have an overwhelming superiority in strength, which were both formidable and terrifying.
Even though the Shengjing Sect was undoubtedly the top sect and was filled with an abundance of talented people, how many of them could be compared with the Spirit Sword Sect’s ten Elders? Perhaps it was only those ten madmen in that hall.
He regretted his hotheaded decision to rush here and bite more than what he could chew. In the end, it only brought ruin and shame upon himself… Now, except for the abyss in front of him, Daoist Master Zhifeng had no way out. This time, the three people had arrived at the edge of the entrance. As long as he took several steps, he would leave the boundary of the Spirit Sword Sect, however, once he left the boundary of the Spirit Sword Sect, theoretically, he had already entered the domain of the Shengjing Sect.
After delivering the visitor out, the two Elders turned around and left. Daoist Zhifeng sighed and was about to decisively take a step forward when suddenly, someone shouted from behind them.
“Fellow Zhifeng, please wait a moment.”
The sound was familiar. It was the Spirit Sword Sect Fifth Elder who beat him into the abyss!
Logically, he should hate her, but this time, hearing her voice, he suddenly thought of two things, “She wants me to stay, could it be… Have things turned for the better? And I can be saved? Perhaps she feels that it is too cruel to let me die, so she wants to discuss a harmonious solution and the likes…”
However, Wang Wu’s next sentence nearly forced him to spit out blood.
“Leave your Sword of Mount Kun, your other equipment, your spirit stones, and so on behind!”
“Puff! When did the Sword of Mount Kun be yours!?... Ah, wrong, it seems like I did agree to something like that before the duel?”
Just like what Wang Wu said, the duel was “winner takes all” kind of duel… She really didn’t forget to take it!
Daoist Master Zhifeng went silent for a moment; his Primordial Spirit went into his Jade Mansion and saw the warm Sword of Mount Kun within—his heart was extremely unwilling. Although the sword’s grade itself wasn’t particularly high, in the end, it was still a spiritual treasure. It was personally given to him by the sect leader when he reached the Yuanying Stage—a personal weapon that has been accompanied him for a century.
Each Spiritual Sword has their own spirit, so did the Sword of Mount Kun. The sword spirit Autumn Beam was both gentle and ladylike, loyal and devoted; Daoist Master Zhifeng has long regarded it as his own biological daughter, so how could he give it up to other people?
However… thinking about the repression in that palace hall... that hundred year prison, he could not help but feel the chill. Since he has no hope, why should he bother to bring that child Autumn Beam to suffer together with him?
Daoist Master Zhifeng no longer talked too much and, while fighting back the stabbing pain that he felt in his heart, put the Sword Spirit Autumn Beam into slumber with his Primordial Spirit. After that, he fitted the Sword of Mount Kun, along with his entire belonging in his Mustard Seed Bag, and dropped it in front of Wang Wu.
“Be good to her…”
The woman in white smiled as she took the Sword of Mount Kun, and then she enthusiastically waved to him. “Safe journey, Fellow Zhifeng, I will not send you out.”
“Humph!” Daoist Zhifeng was irritated, he turned around and flew away.
The woman in white looked up the sky and said with a tone of voice that was filled with regret, “This guy is really unyielding.”
Behind, her beloved disciple, Wang Lu, slowly walked over to her, smiled and asked, “How was he unyielding? Being angered by you until his brain’s blood vessels become hard [1]?”
Fifth Elder replied, “I was just trying to save his life; he just doesn’t appreciate my kindness.”
“What the! A moment ago, I clearly saw you extort all of that from him; when did you try to save him!?”
Feeling that her intention was misunderstood by her disciple, Fifth Elder bitterly said, “You really don’t know me; am I the kind of person who likes to add insult to other people's injury, making fun of other people’s suffering!? Just now, I was clearly trying to hint him to seek survival!”
Wang Lu thought about it but could not find any logical connection to her act. “Please explain.”
“You see, this time, his involvement in the White Moon Country scandal has come to light; if he returns to his sect, he would only meet a dead end, right? So, if he is me, I will definitely not return to my sect. Instead, I will try to seek asylum from another sect!”
“Damn! Asylum for what!?”
Fifth Elder excitedly explained, “You see, although his heart’s dao isn’t stable, and his fighting ability is just a slag, but no matter what, he is still a Yuanying cultivator, and his position in the Shengjing Sect could be considered as middle management. In addition, he was also a Division Head for a certain area. This kind of man definitely has plenty of secret materials that are ready to be exposed! For example, the Shengjing Sect use the so-called continent-wide strategy by establishing divisions to carry out intelligence in each region. With this, they can monitor the other sects moves, and they can even interfere with the other sect’s internal affairs like secret plans and so on by using undercover agents and other means!”
“Damn! Master, from which village did you take this kind of creative ideas!? Moreover, if he really dares to expose his sect’s own material, that’s a blatant seeking death act!”
The Fifth Elder revealed the lonely look of “how can a small fry like you predict the ambition of the great”. “How could a child like you know about the world’s situation? Today, the Shengjing Sect is the single biggest sect in the entire Nine Regions, and there are numerous cases of other sects trying to topple them. Even if it’s rumored that the Shengjing Sect ‘wear the same kind of pants’ as the Kunlun Sect, that’s just because their interests are aligned. Secretly, they are still trying to scheme and manipulate each other, not to mention the Royal Soldier Sect, the well-known opponent of that Shengjing Sect... But, that’s a long story. In this kind of environment, as long as this Zhifeng dares to give these secrets to me, surely, someone will come forward to defend him, and he would come out of this unscathed. If I am the Sect Leader, I will definitely hold him back and I will say to his sect, ‘your Shengjing Sect wants him back? Okay, then just give me five million spirit stones!’”
“Wait a minute, five million spirit stones? Then if the Shengjing Sect really take your offer and give you that amount...”
“Then that means there’s really something fishy going on! If they want to seal my mouth, they must give me another ten million spirit stones!”
Realizing that the topic has gone astray to nowhere, Wang Lu saw that his Master was still reminiscing about her plan; he could not help but sigh.
“You moron Elder is really worthy to be the number one scammer in the Spirit Sword Sect…”
[1] It can also mean firm, unyielding, strong-willed.