Su Muyu leaped up, his long sword slicing through the sky, aiming straight for Jian Wudi's throat.
But Jian Wudi's sword leaving his hand was only momentary. In the next instant, his fingers flicked lightly, and an overwhelmingly powerful surge of True Qi pulled the sword back into his grasp.
This took no more than a single breath.
Yet in that fleeting moment, Su Muyu had already closed in, his blade mere inches from Jian Wudi's throat.
In the end, all that remained was a thin streak of blood.
Because Jian Wudi was simply too fast—the opening had vanished as quickly as it appeared. The moment his sword returned, he struck Su Muyu down.
"Swallow's Return." Song Yanhui murmured under his breath, his sword whirling back in a follow-up strike to Su Muyu's attack.
This sword was entirely different from all the ones Song Yanhui had wielded before. This sword...
Was beautiful.
So beautiful it didn’t seem like something a man like Song Yanhui could execute.
The martial world had many gallant figures, but Song Yanhui was certainly not one of them. Though his features were handsome, his brow always carried a trace of melancholy. His swordsmanship was steady—every move strong, yet devoid of surprises or brilliance. Even as a person, he was dull—neither a wine-loving eccentric like Baili Dongjun nor a refined scholar like Xie Xuan. He had few friends in the martial world.
Some had once said that Song Yanhui was a fine piece of jade, but the craftsman who carved him had been too cautious, shaping him with such precision that he lost the innate spirit and charm he should have possessed.
But this sword truly carried a beauty that did not belong to Song Yanhui.
A crimson glow flickered along the blade, carrying an almost bewitching allure.
A glimmer of astonishment flashed in Jian Wudi's eyes as he raised his sword to block, but the red light momentarily overwhelmed his golden radiance, slicing through the fabric over his chest.
"Oh? So there’s such a sword." Su Changhe remarked with mild surprise.
"I once heard that Song Yanhui, the City Lord of Peerless City, had a romantic entanglement with the Rosy Cloud Fairy of Snow Moon City," Su Muyu said indifferently.
"Unexpected. He doesn’t seem the type to understand such sentiments." Su Changhe mused quietly.
"I, too, have a sword." Su Muyu raised his blade and leaped. "Its name—Mountain Rain at Dusk."
Su Changhe's lips curled slightly. "After rain, the empty mountain—mountain rain heralds autumn’s dusk."
Su Muyu soared into the air, and in that instant, dark clouds gathered overhead, thunder rumbling ominously. Standing beneath the storm, sword in hand, with the wind and lightning as his backdrop, he looked like a deity descending upon the mortal realm.
Those below, like Ge Xiu and the others, were struck speechless.
This surpassed everything they had ever known about ordinary swordsmen.
In the distance, Li Hanyi and Xie Xuan, who had been traveling, now turned their heads. Li Hanyi adjusted her bamboo hat slightly. "Altering the heavens with a single sword."
"He’s stepping into the realm of Sword Immortals," Xie Xuan said slowly. "Will the martial world soon have six Sword Immortals?"
Li Hanyi shook her head. "Even if that man reaches that level, he’ll hide his true strength."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Xie Xuan asked, puzzled.
"Just a feeling." Li Hanyi turned away. "To become a Sword Immortal, one must roam the world with unrestrained freedom, leaving only the Sword Heart behind. Most importantly—one must be selfish."
"Am I selfish too?" Xie Xuan chuckled. "I’ve always considered myself quite magnanimous.""To love all is to love none. To hate none is to care for none," Li Hanyi said slowly. "You damned scholar, the most selfish one is actually you."
"Hahahaha!" Xie Xuan threw his head back and laughed at the sky. "Indeed, there's nothing in this world I particularly care about. But I do love—all things beautiful in this world."
"What is beauty?" Li Hanyi asked.
"Look at that swordplay over there—it's truly beautiful," Xie Xuan declared with a hearty laugh. Then, with a leap, he landed on a nearby rooftop, raising his sword under the moonlight as he began to sing.
"Riding my sword across the nine heavens, through wind and snow for many years..."
Below, Haoyue Jun stared dumbfounded. "This..."
Li Hanyi shrugged. "You'll get used to it. It's his habit—when he's happy, he sings and dances a little. Just wait till he's done."
On this side, beneath the moon, the Confucian Sword Immortal Xie Xuan sang with his sword raised.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Su Muyu and Song Yanhui joined blades in perfect harmony.
Their combined strike completely overwhelmed Jian Wudi.
Then, Su Muyu and Song Yanhui sheathed their swords and landed.
Jian Wudi stood on the rooftop, sword in hand.
As if nothing had just transpired.
The clouds dispersed; the rain never fell.
Su Muyu gently wiped the rainwater from his blade before sheathing it, saying softly, "Though I didn't get to cross swords with you this time, this duel leaves me with no regrets for this journey."
"It's hard to imagine someone like you wielding a sword within Dark River," Song Yanhui remarked slowly.
"What's that supposed to mean? Everyone in Dark River should be like me!" Su Changhe grabbed the golden axe from Dian Ye's hands, purple energy surging as he crushed it into fragments. He grinned at Dian Ye. "That's enough playing with you all."
Outside the courtyard, Su Zhe leisurely puffed on his pipe.
Before him, the twenty-six riders appeared rather disheveled. Though neither side had suffered heavy casualties, for the riders, this was already a humiliating disgrace.
"You excel at charging across battlefields, not in these narrow alleys and long streets," Su Zhe said with a smile. "I could kill any of you whenever I please."
"Let's go," Su Changhe sighed lightly. "Go back and tell your master what happened here. If he still wants to find us, we'll be right here waiting."
Dian Ye glanced at the rooftop where Jian Wudi still stood.
Only the golden light in his eyes gradually faded.
"You'll pay for this," Dian Ye said before turning and leaving with Luo Yandie.
"What about here..." Su Muyu murmured.
"We can't stay," Su Changhe advised. "If they truly decide to fight to the death, even if you keep Luo Yandie, half the people here would still die."
Ge Xiu sighed. "Young Master Su, thank you for your kindness. Longevity Sect will remember this grudge, and we'll settle it ourselves in time."
"As for the dirty work left, I'll handle it." Su Changhe leaped onto the rooftop, facing Jian Wudi.
Jian Wudi lifted his head to meet his gaze.
"You're obsessed with the sword, but a sword is a lifeless thing. Obsess over lifeless things, and you'll become lifeless yourself," Su Changhe said coldly.
Jian Wudi smiled bitterly. "Yet the only thing that has stayed by my side is this sword. Everything else has left me."
"A pitiful man indeed." Su Changhe raised his palm, ready to strike down.
But a sword intercepted him.
The blade trembled slightly, as if it might slip from its wielder's grasp at any moment.
Su Changhe turned his head and saw Song Yanhui."This person will be taken back to Peerless City by me," Song Yanhuai said solemnly.
Su Changhe glanced down at Su Muyu, who nodded and said, "It was never our business to begin with."
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