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Su Yi couldn’t remember how many Earthly Immortals he’d killed since reincarnating.
However, Qiu Hengkong was the only opponent he’d called “impressive” thus far.
And indeed, Qiu Hengkong wasn’t simple.
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His body, spirit, and qi had all been tempered and condensed to perfection. His aura had the reserved quality of one who’d cleansed his impurities and gone back to the basics.
Even rarer, the charm of the Dao of the Sword emanating from him was far from ordinary. He obviously sought a path uniquely suited to his own swordsmanship!
Furthermore, the sword intent he’d mastered was perfectly compatible with him. He was truly worthy of the title “sword cultivator”!
“No wonder Chu Yukou was so confident. With a sword cultivator like you to hold down the fort, he can indeed look down upon the mundane world.” Su Yi’s mind raced, and he turned to Cha Jin. “When the battle begins, retreat three thousand feet away. Otherwise, the aftershock will hurt you.”
Cha Jin’s heart shook, but she hurriedly nodded her agreement. “Young Lord, you have to be careful. This is the Wheel of the Moon Sect’s Grand High Elder Qiu Hengkong
.”
She was just about to list Qiu Hengkong’s glorious record of accomplishments when Su Yi cut her off.
“No need to say anymore. I can tell how capable he is,” he said casually.
Fifty years ago, Qiu Hengkong was a Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator.
Now, fifty years later, he was still a Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator. His cultivation hadn’t progressed in the slightest.
However, in Su Yi’s eyes, his aura and power were far greater than Grand Elder Zhou Changyi of Unknown Dragon Mountain. Zhou Changyi had been an Origin Palace cultivator!
The reason for this was easy to deduce: Qiu Hengkong’s attainments in the Grand Dao had, over the past fifty years, been tempered to an unbelievable degree.
Furthermore, he’d almost certainly established extraordinary foundations in the Four Realms of the Martial Dao, too. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly possess such poise.
In other words, Qiu Hengkong was also worthy of the title “peerless, heaven-defying genius.” He, too, possessed the ability to cross realms and kill foes of higher cultivations!
The light of dusk blazed like fire, dazzling to behold.
Qiu Hengkong stood in the sky, staring at the distant Su Yi. He inclined his head slightly, then said calmly, “Greetings, Fellow Daoist Su.”
Su Yi put his hands behind his back and stepped through the sky. When he was one hundred feet away, he looked at Qiu Hengkong and smiled. “Your attainments in the Dao of the Sword are extraordinary. You’re worthy of my attention. I won’t waste words. I’ll attack ten times. If you last that long without getting defeated, I can leave your Wheel of the Moon Sect a path to survival.”
Every member of the Wheel of the Moon Sect, regardless of rank, was flabbergasted. The onlookers burst into uproar.
“How can this guy be so brazen?”
“This is the famous imperial preceptor of the Great Zhou? He’s obviously just a conceited madman!”
“Grand High Elder, please kill him for us!”
Countless infuriated voices filled the air, everyone talking all at once. Su Yi’s words had enraged them all.
Even Sect Leader Chu Yukou couldn’t help but snort. Su Yi
 There’s really no limit to your arrogance, is there?
Only Qiu Hengkong’s expression remained as calm as before. “I’m honored that you consider me worthy of your attention, but swords have no eyes. Please, be careful, Fellow Daoist.”
The fiery light of dusk only further offset his extraordinary poise and bearing.
Clang!
The clear hum of a sword rang out. Su Yi gripped the Abstruse God Sword, and his entire presence transformed. His dark eyes were deep and distant, and his blue robes fluttered around him. He overflowed with a sharp, forceful aura, which surged into the firmament.
Boom!
All the colorful clouds within a thousand-foot radius dispersed. The light of the heavens poured down, illuminating the inky darkness of the Abstruse God Sword. Its ethereal glint made the onlookers’ hearts palpitate.
“Show me your sword,” said Su Yi calmly, wild arrogance on his youthful face.
“Alright.” Qiu Hengkong’s pupils constricted, and his expression silently turned solemn. His gray robes fluttered around him, and a sharp, mysterious, and obscure sword intent hovered around him.
Whoosh! The flying sword holding his topknot in place shot out of his hair, circled around his body, then hovered in front of his chest.
It then expanded until it was three feet, three inches long.
Qiu Hengkong reached out and grabbed it. He said softly, “This sword is called Springtime. At twenty-four years of age, I traveled the world with it, tempering a sword heart with no fear of death. It’s been fifty years since I last used it. Fellow Daoist, please instruct me.”
Boom!
His entire body surged with an ancient, dense, and unshakable killing intent. His earlier calm amiability vanished without a trace.
His sword hummed like the tide. Qiu Hengkong himself seemed like the edge of a sword; every last inch of him emanated bloodlust.
This is the martial uncle I remember! Chu Yukou’s heart swelled with emotion, and his eyes lit up.
The rest of the Wheel of the Moon Sect was clamoring with excitement too. They looked at Qiu Hengkong as if they were gazing upon a god of the sword!
Cha Jin watched from three thousand feet away, her jade-like hands tightly clenched, nervousness all over her beautiful face.
Although she had complete confidence in Su Yi, tales of Qiu Hengkong’s strength had long since taken root in her heart.
Now, seeing Qiu Hengkong’s shocking bloodlust and momentum for herself, it was only natural she’d be nervous! How could she not be?
“Excellent!” Su Yi’s eyes lit up. He stepped into the air, then suddenly swung the Abstruse God Sword.
Whoosh!
A streak of clear, seemingly illusory sword qi swept forth. It was only three feet long, and it seemed simple and casual.
However, in Qiu Hengkong’s eyes, it seemed utterly miraculous. It was imbued with the subtle charm of the Dao, utterly untraceable.
He suddenly took a deep breath. Springtime clanged. He suddenly raised it, and it blossomed with threads of sword qi as misty as the rain and dazzling as fireworks.
The fireworks instantly bloomed with their full radiance!
It was just one strike, but it was as artistic as a poem or a painting. At the same time, it was sharp and bloodthirsty. It was so beautiful, the sight made the onlookers’ hearts quiver, but it also left them utterly terrified.
Chu Yukou’s heart shook, and he felt an unprecedented terror.
Beneath that strike, it seemed all life would bloom amidst the radiance, then instantly wither. It was enough to push someone to despair!
The rest of the Wheel of the Moon Sect watched as fireworks bloomed beneath the dome of heaven. Indomitable sword qi surged forth. This was a skill befitting of a god or immortal!
Boom!
Sword qi clashed against sword qi.
The result left the crowd wide-eyed and dumbstruck. As simple as Su Yi’s sword looked, it struck like an axe through rotten wood, cleaving through the fireworks and sword rain. It carried indomitable sword intent as it slashed ruthlessly toward Qiu Hengkong.
Clang!
Qiu Hengkong bent his elbows and held his sword in front of him, blocking the incoming sword qi head-on. The waves of destructive power made him stagger on impact, and he couldn’t help but take a step back.
“This
” Chu Yukou’s pupils constricted.
The other onlookers’ expressions shifted too.
During the clash just now, the grand high elder, this giant of the Dao of the Sword, had actually been forced back?
Was Su Yi really that terrifying?
“Fellow Daoist Su, you live up to your legendary reputation. That was just one strike, but your sword intent was connected to both your mind and body, and your sword force was perfectly melded with your aura. Even the power of your cultivation base has been tempered to an unprecedented degree. It’s truly admirable,” said Qiu Hengkong, sighing with sincere emotion.
That strike had deeply impressed him with its brilliance.
Off in the distance, Su Yi’s expression turned somewhat serious, and he said calmly, “Your attainments in the Dao of the Sword come as quite a pleasant surprise to me too. If I’m not mistaken, your sword intent is of a lower profound grade. You’ve imbued mist and rain into your Sword Dao, and you’ve manifested your sword qi into threads, a sign that you’ve reached proficiency in your sword intent.
“Furthermore, your Grain Avoidance Realm cultivation is first-rate. You far surpass mundane cultivators of the same realm. I imagine you obtained an ancient orthodoxy’s legacy. Otherwise, you couldn’t possibly have achieved foundations in the Grand Dao on the level of ‘origin power like a tide.”
When he heard this, Qiu Hengkong’s eyes narrowed. “Fellow Daoist, you’re quite discerning.”
Su Yi laughed dryly. “Forgive my rudeness, but if that’s all you’ve got, you’ll lose within five attacks beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
Whoosh!
Before he’d even finished speaking, Su Yi swung his sword once more.
This slash was overflowing and exuberant, yet simple and at ease, without the slightest flourish.
This was the result of practicing the Rejoicing Sword Sutra until he could unleash its subtleties freely. Each strike reflected Su Yi’s mental state.
When my heart is angry, my sword force rages like boiling water.
When my heart is at peace, my sword force is as free as the wind.
This was what it meant to follow one’s heart. He could now break the mold and swing his sword as he pleased!
The sight of this sword stirred Qiu Hengkong’s mind and body. His own attainments in the Dao of the Sword seemed eager for action, and he couldn’t help but shout, “Good!”
He burst into laughter, his sleeves fluttering around him. Springtime suddenly burst with a hundred feet of sharp light, while he himself moved in sync with his sword, charging ahead.
“Mist and rain become illusions, everything is empty!”
Amidst the sword’s clear hum, Qiu Hengkong struck. Limitless mist and rain surged into being, along with countless translucent, ethereal wisps of sword qi.
However, when the “rain” descended, it burst with enough bloodlust to shake heaven and earth!
Boom!
The entire sky was shrouded in mists and rain. It was as if Su Yi’s strike had sunk into a bog. Although it still cut through everything in its path, its speed sharply decreased. Tiny raindrops of sword qi battered it with a series of clangs and cracks
Before long, thousands of cracks and holes appeared in Su Yi’s sword intent. It gradually split, then burst apart.
From this, it was clear just how miraculous Qiu Hengkong’s strike was.
However, Su Yi thought nothing of it. His sleeves billowed around him as he charged, sword in hand, his aura rising around him bit by bit. His expression overflowed with a pride that looked down on the entire world.
As a sword cultivator, it was rare to find any of his “peers” worth taking notice of. This left Su Yi just itching to fight.
“The third strike.” As his leisurely voice rang out, Su Yi swung his sword once more.
A vast and majestic swatch of sword qi descended, like the river of stars raining down to earth. It was as clear as the skies, its power vast and seemingly limitless.
If the onlookers had to pick just one word to describe it, it would be “unblockable”!
Qiu Hengkong looked momentarily dazed. What a mighty attack!
He dared not hesitate. He suddenly gripped his swords, then swung it, like a deity chopping down a mountain. His sword intent, originally as misty as the rain, suddenly transformed into a limitlessly despotic flood. The dazzling light of his sword outshone the sun, making the landscape seem dull by comparison.
Boom!
Two types of sword qi clashed in midair, stirring up currents of destructive energy which spread out like a hurricane. Throughout the surrounding ten-thousand-foot radius, the air shook and churned violently.
It wouldn’t matter which attack he used. If I were the one fighting, I’m afraid a single strike could take me down
 Chu Yukou watched from a distance, so shaken, he broke out in cold sweats. He was the leader of the Wheel of the Moon Sect and a late-stage Grain Avoidance expert, yet that strike shook him so badly that his hair stood on end.
A series of startled cries rang out from within the Wheel of the Moon Sect. Countless onlookers’ expressions changed. Even the experts of the older generation were tongue-tied and shaken.
Cha Jin watched from three thousand feet away. She couldn’t stop her heart from shaking.
She wasn’t there to watch Su Yi slaying all those Earthly Immortals in the Jade Capital. It was only now that she witnessed this grand duel that she understood at a visceral level just how mighty Su Yi had become!
To the onlookers’ disbelief—
Amidst rolling clouds of dust, that single heaven-shaking strike sent Qiu Hengkong’s upright figure staggering three feet back in midair!