Chapter 219
The sacred ground of the Burning Purity Sect loomed like dark clouds over the small secret realm, its shadow stained with the blood of trapped demons, casting half the cliffs in inky blackness. Burning Heart pressed his palms together, a cold smile curling his lips as he directed a Buddhist seal towards Li Qingran. “You protect the demonic cultivator, so you shall be judged as one! And you still dare to argue and frame others? Truly laughable! Just look around—who among all these cultivators would believe your words?”
“I do.”
A faint voice cut through the chaos.
Suddenly, the surrounding noise fell silent.
A terrifying pressure from a higher realm silenced everyone.
Li Qingran’s eyelashes fluttered as she saw a silver-white sword aura descending from the heavens—someone had shattered the Buddhist light cage merely with the sword intent that surrounded them as they moved.
The hem of a dark robe brushed against her pale fingertips as the figure stood before her, perfectly blocking the Buddhist seal that Burning Heart had sent her way.
Clang—!
A flash of sword light erupted.
The Buddhist seal exploded into a shower of sparks.
Chen Huai'an gazed at the image of the Arhat, his eyes narrowing slightly.
At the Void Realm, he no longer needed to draw his sword; even a mere glance or the slightest movement could transform into lethal sword energy.
“Master…”
Li Qingran’s trembling voice came from behind.
“Master, what I said is true…”
“No need for more words.” Chen Huai'an tilted his head slightly, a smile gracing his lips. “As if I wouldn’t know my own disciple’s character?”
“Even if the world is wrong, my disciple could never be!”
Li Qingran was momentarily stunned, her eyes reflecting the swaying tassels of her master’s sword hilt, which suddenly blurred into a sea of crimson in her vision.
The clamoring voices around her faded into the distance…
In the vastness of heaven and earth, all she could see was the person before her, and all she could hear were their words.
When she was framed and scorned at the Qingyun Sect, despised by everyone, she had wished for someone to stand up for her, even if they said nothing, just to believe in her; and now, faced with an even graver situation, she had no evidence to prove the Burning Purity Sect’s ulterior motives, nor the strength to counter the opinions of the three great sacred grounds and the cultivators. Yet someone was there to support her.
It turned out that someone had lit an everlasting flame for her in the chill of early spring.
It turned out that someone could face the tide of malice and still stand tall before her.
“Who are you?” Burning Heart’s expression shifted slightly as he sensed Chen Huai'an’s strength at the Void Realm.
Such a formidable figure outside the three great sacred grounds? Why did he have no recollection of him?
“I am Chen Huai'an.” Chen Huai'an stood tall, his dark robe billowing in the mountain wind, concealing the frail figure behind him.
“She is your disciple? Then, are you an elder of the Sword Pavilion?” Burning Heart’s gaze sharpened as he glanced towards the Sword Pavilion’s courtyard, snorting coldly. “Are you really going to stand up for this wicked disciple who protects demonic cultivators? You’d better think carefully; once you make a move, you’ll be at odds with all the sects of the Cangyun Realm and the three great sacred grounds, putting the Sword Pavilion in the spotlight!”
“First,” Chen Huai'an raised two fingers, “my disciple is not a wicked cultivator protecting demonic practices.”
“Second, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the Sword Pavilion, and from now on, I will have no further ties with it.”
His indifferent gaze locked onto the image of the Arhat, his eyes glinting like cold stars, a chilling smile curling at the corners of his lips.
“Now, I might just kill you?!”
…
…
------------
Chapter 235: Three Thousand Infinite Calamities, All Within This Sword
The disciples of the Sword Pavilion finally snapped back to reality upon hearing Chen Huai'an’s declaration of withdrawal.
“Ancestor, no! The Sword Pavilion cannot be without you!”
“Ancestor, there must be some misunderstanding. Let’s wait for the Pavilion Master and the elders to return, and we can discuss this properly!”
“What, do you also think my disciple is a wicked cultivator protecting demonic practices?” Chen Huai'an shot a sideways glance at the direction of the Sword Pavilion.
“No, Ancestor, we believe in Junior Sister.”
“Junior Sister has always treated us well; we’ve all seen it. I believe her words.”
“The three great sacred grounds are indeed suspicious. We still haven’t heard from our senior brothers and sisters; they might have been captured by the sacred grounds.”
Among all the cultivators present, only the disciples of the Sword Pavilion still believed in Li Qingran.
The atmosphere of the Sword Pavilion was different from that of other sects; they did not hold the sacred grounds in such high regard.
To put it plainly, although the Sword Pavilion was poor, they would provide for their disciples without exploitation or intrigue.
Everyone had a single goal: to advance further along the path of the sword.
“Indeed, I haven’t trained you all in vain. Tell Su Qinian that I hold the Sword Pavilion dear… With you all here, the Sword Pavilion shall endure!”
Chen Huai'an withdrew his gaze.
It was precisely because the Sword Pavilion was precious that he wanted to protect it.
Now that he had distanced himself from the Sword Pavilion, the Burning Purity Sect would find it difficult to openly trouble the Sword Pavilion in the future, especially in front of so many sects.
Of course, there was another reason.
He was about to kill.
Seeing the murderous intent erupting from Chen Huai'an’s eyes, Burning Heart felt a twinge of fear. “Since you insist on saying this, then wait until the secret realm closes, and the true masters of the three great sacred grounds come…”
“Wait?”
The sword surged, a blue light tearing through the air.
“Dare to use Buddhist light to trap my disciple? Today, I shall use this Buddhist light to cleanse my sword!”
As the words fell, the sword cultivator vanished from sight, leaving only a sword formation protecting the two young women within.
Burning Heart felt a heat between his brows and looked up to see that the dark-clad sword cultivator had already arrived before him.
Those eyes, brimming with murderous intent, were hidden in the shadows cast by his flowing silver hair, like two points of cold light.
“Bodhi Buddhas! Great Might Heavenly Dragon Hand Seal!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Burning Heart unleashed his strongest divine ability, attempting to clash with that sword.
He was only at the first level of the Void Realm; although he didn’t know the opponent’s realm, judging by the pressure he felt, he was certainly no match.
He had to go all out!
However, before the Arhat’s golden body could form the seal, a line of blood erupted from his throat.
“Eons of endless skies, merely a trace.” Chen Huai'an stood atop the Arhat’s golden body, flicking his wrist to create a flourish with his sword.
The Arhat’s golden body shattered with a thunderous crash, revealing Burning Heart’s true form amidst a storm of Sanskrit characters. He stood atop a bull demon beast, radiating a luminous aura, but a distinct sword mark marred his neck. As Chen Huai'an’s gaze fell, a line of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Many incarnations, yet merely a minor path.”
“Whether minor or not, let your disciple find out!” Burning Heart, aware he was no match for Chen Huai'an, reached for the sword formation in an attempt to disrupt it and capture Li Qingran, but the sword light was faster than his hand. With a sound like the tearing of space, his Buddhist hand was severed by a single sword strike.
“Is this how a high disciple of the Burning Purity Sect fights? Very well.”
Chen Huai'an’s murderous intent surged even further.
Burning Heart’s repeated attacks on Li Qingran had thoroughly enraged him.
“Three thousand infinite calamities, all within this sword.”
The Qinglian Sword Canon—Sword Style Nine—End of Remaining Joy.
As the words fell, sword intent soared.
Burning Heart felt a wave of murderous intent from all directions, everything around him fading at a visible speed.
The world turned black and white, with only the figure holding the sword in the air still retaining color.
Under the dark clouds, silver light rained down, and that figure staggered, gradually transforming into overlapping shadows of sword dances.
“When the wine jug tilts, the candlelight flickers; before the sword energy moves, the frost already condenses. The autumn rain hangs like a mirror, reflecting the drunken eyes of the madman.”
As the last word fell, Chen Huai'an shattered the moonlight.
Countless sword dance shadows behind him instantly converged into one.
He gripped the sword with his other hand, and as the gentle wind lifted his silver hair, his half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open.
Clang—!
The white python tore through the air, the sword howled to the clouds.
Unstoppable, unavoidable.
Burning Heart’s eyes widened, and as a gust of wind swept by, a fine line appeared between his brows.
The golden body shattered, his remains collapsing to the ground.
Even his soul was torn to shreds by the sword energy.
As Chen Huai'an sheathed his sword, the surrounding cultivators finally heard the sound of the sword energy passing by.
To them, what Burning Heart had witnessed as a great terror was merely Chen Huai'an casually brushing past him.
Nothing more.
“A lifetime of wild abandon, all remaining joy; half my guts and liver cast into the sword’s cold.”
Chen Huai'an silently recited, his fingers caressing the sword hilt.
This sword had made the elders of the Burning Purity Sect, who had wanted to join Burning Heart in punishing him, retreat three steps in fear.
What a joke.
Even Burning Heart, an elder of the sacred ground, had been slain.
And the incarnations within the secret realm had also been cut down.
Table of Contents
